Mt Hope Service Center

BEWARE POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS!
Here’s my encounter with this shop and it was NOT a good one.
One-​sentence summary: they will try to overcharge you & make you pay for a job that is unnecessary, so stay away
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Full story: I just registered my car under NYS so I had to get it inspected. Since I live near Strong, this shop was in a very convenient location– I could have just dropped off my car and walk back home. I brought it in for a state inspection (I had to make an appointment more than a week in advance.) in the morning, and got a call that afternoon. Jeff (the owner) told me that I had to change my rear brake calipers, change one of my ball joints, and fix the O2 sensor. I knew about the O2 sensor before (check engine light was on for a while), and that the total will come to about $ 1700. I bought this as a used car, but my father made sure that everything was okay before I drove it up here, so I went into the shop to pick my car up and talk to him in person. Jeff came across as a pretty nice guy at first, but now that I think of it, he didn’t actually show me the bad parts/​explained it very well. I wasn’t about to spend 1700, so I had my father call him and see if those were legitimate reasons; after talking to Jeff, my father got back to me and he said Jeff was very rude and abrasive, and that he didn’t really trust him. So we called different auto shops (Schrader’s and DnB on Mt. Hope) — they were both quite skeptical about the fact that my brake calipers had to be replaced (given the relatively new condition of my car) and also said the total quote was quite high — Schrader actually offered to finish the same job for about $ 1100 including tax. I actually ended up taking my car to DnB on Mt. Hope, and it turned out that my calipers were totally fine. I did have to change one of the ball joints and my O2 sensor, however. Bruce at DnB was very honest and he explained everything while showing me all the parts.
So. moral of the story, Jeff is a con man and he will try to overcharge & make totally unnecessary diagnosis. Judging by the good review online, maybe he only does this to a certain population, like young females (I walked in by myself). In fact, my friend (who is also a young female) also brought her car here for an inspection and given a $ 500 quote. She ended up taking her car to the dealership and they said her car is fine.
If I were you, I would stay away from this shop. Or, at least get a second quote from somewhere else. But then you’re just doubling your work, so I would recommend you to go to either DnB or Schrader’s from the beginning. I know this shop is at a very convenient location especially for college students/​grad students, but it’s not worth it, just don’t do it.

I brought my car to Mt. Hope to get my leaky radiator replaced. Not only did Jeff do a fantastic job, but he saved me as much money as he could by salvaging still-​working parts where he could rather than replacing them with new ones. He also stayed long after hours to have my car ready by the day he promised it would be done.
I also brought him my quote for ‘recommended repairs’ from a local tire chain that totaled to over $ 1000. He gave me a second opinion and was able to tell me where I would have been ripped off by having unnecessary repairs done by the chain.
Jeff was wonderfully helpful and friendly, I’ll definitely be bringing my car back to Mt. Hope for future repairs!

Ok, I’ll tell you but you have to promise not to tell all your friends …
Jeff is the greatest mechanic/​human of all time. Shhhhhh I don’t want it to get so busy that he can’t take care of my car as speedily as he does right now (so speedy)
I came here when I first moved to Rochester years ago – I was a scared, first-​time car owner and he took such good care of me and Subbie (my Subaru)
His prices are reasonable – he doesn’t cheat you or try to talk you into things you don’t need. He’s like a doctor but for cars – He always give it to you straight, good news or bad. He tries to get you what’s best for you and he’ll clue you in about how to do it the cheapest way possible. I can’t emphasize this enough – it feels so good not to have to worry whether someone is trying to swindle you. Jeff has your best interest at heart.
He’s timely, communicative, and kind. Thanks for existing. I am ruined now for any poor, future mechanic who has the misfortune to deal with me.

This place is great. Pulled in on a whim at 5:15 on the Friday before Memorial Day because I was worried about the sloshing sound coming from below my passenger floor. They put it on a lift right then and unclogged the AC vent. Honest, friendly and did a good job. I’ll be coming back again.

My family and I moved here in May and we’ve been looking for places (restaurant, mechanic, etc) that are locally owned that can be our «go to» spots. Mt Hope service center fits the bill! The owner, Jeff, was extremely helpful and nice when we brought our car in for inspection and 2 new tires. The car was done within a couple of hours. I think we’ve found our «go-​to spot» in Mt Hope Service Center!