Merlino's Service Center

This was my first time going to Merlino's. My inspection was past due and I couldn't get a hold of my usual mechanic. First thing that was really nice is how quickly they were able to fit me in. I called on Monday, and they got me in the next morning. My car needed work. There was a "clunk" in the front end that I thought might be a bad ball joint. It turns out I had a bad axel and 2 bad sway bar links. Derek diagnosed the problem, and called me by about lunch time to give me his evaluation and let me know how much the parts would cost. I agreed to let him do the work and he said he would try to have it fixed by that afternoon. He was true to his word. He called back by just after 3:00 and I was able to pick up the car immediately after. In the end, the job cost under $800 (roughly $500 in parts) for a new axel and 2 sway bar links. I'm by no means a professional mechanic, but I've replaced axels before. They are awful. I've never had one go as smoothly as they make it look in a youtube video. The fact that Derek got it done in a couple hours and saved me an entire evening (or two) is well worth it. Also, I didn't have to leave my car overnight. I'm extremely happy with Merlino's. Derek was honest, knowledgable and forthright. He did what he said he'd do, and he did it quickly. The price was actually a little less than I expected, and well worth not having to do it myself, or worse- the potentially catastrophic consequences of having the parts fair on the highway. I'd happily recommend Merlino's to anyone!

The staff is extremely kind and honest. Been going to them for years. They do my personal vehicles and my family business trucks. They go the extra mile for you. One time Derek even searched for a part for me that took him two hours on the phone that he did not have to do. Derek and his father Rege are great at what they do and most of all honest. My father would not go anywhere where else to do business when he was still here and now neither will I. Would recommend them to anyone.

I got my car inspected here a couple of weeks ago, and I was more than pleased! I am new to the area so I found this hidden gem through some google searches, and surprisingly got a next-day appointment when I called. First off, the communication was great. They told me where to leave my car and what to bring with me, and when they actually took a look and saw what needed replaced/repaired, they told me straight away. They even let me see all the old parts that were replaced. The other part I loved was the price! I was expecting a SIGNIFCANT chunk of money to be spent with all the parts I needed, but I was blown away at how reasonably priced it was. All the staff there were incredibly personable and kind. Great experience, and would recommend it to everyone.

I’ve taken my car for work before when I had a bad axle and some other issues and they were really good on the job and it was cheap compared to the rest. This last time I brought it in I had a coolant leak from the hose completely detached to where it connects to the engine. I was told to bring it in Monday which I did and the mechanic Derek said he would check it out. I get a call a few hours later saying they are having a hard time locating where the leak is coming from, I explained to them again where the leak was and was told they would go back an see. I never got any calls back updating me on what was found or if it was even fixed. I had to call multiple times to get updates and was told it would be a few days for the part as it was coming from the dealer. Finally they told me the leak was fixed and they did road test and there was no issues. I paid 400$ and figured they handled the issue. About 20 minutes down the road I’m parked at a store when I go to pop the hood to see the work they did. As I’m looking at the hose I was thinking it didn’t even look new or replaced. As I’m inspecting under the hood the same hose pops off and starts spewing coolant. I call them and said they didn’t fix the issue and was told that they did. They came to me and then showed me the part that they replaced that they said was leaking and they said they never noticed the other hose to which I was referring to. They said to tow it up and they would fix it. I did this, the next day I called they said they put on a new clamp and there was no leaks or issues. When I get there Derek who now seems irritated shows me the work and then says that another hose had broken during this so he put on another hose and stated “it will work better because this hose is bigger so more coolant will come through” . At this point I realized these guys were just throwing on whatever they had at the shop to just get me out of there hair. He told me it wouldn’t be any charge which was a big red flag considering they put on new clamps and then now a random hose to my coolant which wasn’t even the proper hose and could lead to it exploding. The hose they just through on there didn’t have any issues the day before but now apparently it broke off so they put on this other hose. Down the street I pop open the hood and that same hose is spewing coolant from the top. I just found another shop so they could actually do their job an order the right hose to put on. These guys didn’t even try to tell me that this would become an issue or anything. Derek just lied and tried saying the hose he put on would be better but any person who knows cars can tell you that you can’t just put on random hoses when it comes to coolant cuz they can explode. It was obvious they didn’t know what they were doing considering they had to call me to locate a leak that wasn’t even aware that I had if I even had it in the first place. If this isn’t a sign to go just know my father in law is having the exact same issue with them, he’s taken his car 3 times within the past 3 weeks for a power steering issue and they have charged him each time he came and the belt they put on didn’t last more than a week. These guys seemed to be good at one point but as of late it seems like these guys are just doing cheap work and throwing on parts to get you on your way. I’m sure they’re good for basic repairs but beware going for anything more than that.

Driving through and ten hours from home on a road trip- Stopped as it was the closest place open and they were able to get my problem diagnosed and get us out quick.