Harvard Street Mobil

I do not recommend these folks for service. I pulled in with a flat tire and requested air. I was told the air machine was broken. When I requested air from the garage area which was open I was told they had no air.

I have bought gas here for ten years. No longer! The man who manages this station was sitting in a chair, watching TV when I walked in. The street and station were empty– it was Christmas eve. I asked him for help with the air to pump a low tire and he gave me a really disinterested response without even looking me in the eye saying,“the mechanic had gone for the day.” Super bad vibes from that man.

Fast service. Funny, I never get my gas here, but I like this station. Like most Mobils, gas tends to be a bit more expensive than others. Of course, being in the middle of Coolidge Corner in Brookline must also drive up the price. Probably one of the most expensive gas stations outside of downtown Boston.
Why would I come here then? Because they still offer state inspections at a pretty standard price. It is always the same guys that are inside. They have always been kind and like to joke around. I have seen a few repeat customers who are friendly with the attendant.
If no one else is in line, the inspection only takes about 10 – 15 min. The mechanic always seems to be there, at least during the day time. They have you park your car to the right where there’s a bunch of tandem parking, give the guy inside your registration and key, and then either hangout or walk around Coolidge Corner. There really isn’t a waiting area. There is a chair next to a stack of lotto papers and a wooden bench outside.
From what I can tell, it seems like they just check that all the lights work, no warning lights on, and the emissions. They have never come to me with pointless repairs or any extras. Maybe they are one of the more trustworthy auto shops around here or maybe they just don’t bother because they don’t seem to do much auto work here (it is primary a gas station and the garage only fits two cars). I don’t think I’ve ever seen them working on a car besides doing an inspection.
Basically, it’s close to home and it’s as cheap and fast as I expect them to be.

I unfortunately made the mistake of stopping here on my lunch break yesterday to get my inspection sticker. At first things seemed normal, the clerk who looked like an emaciated persian Peter Lorre with greased back hair told me it would be about 40 minutes since there were others ahead of me. No problem! I pulled to the parking area and as I got out of the car he descended upon me like a vulture and told me «oh because your car has a loud muffler, we may have a problem. The DMV [sic] told me not to pass anyone with a loud exhaust. But if you want we can replace it with a new one; not too expensive» I told the «gentleman» that he was full of it, I have always passed. He became upset that I did not fall for his ruse and began yelling at me in a high pitched feminine whine. I started up my engine and told him to f-​off and started to back out of the spot I was in when two of the station attendants ran up behind my car in a VERY aggressive aggresive manner and began shouting obscenties at me and threatening me while making kicking motions at my car. They are lucky I didn’t run them over in fear for my life. These people are in fact legitimate criminals and should be behind bars! DO NOT STOP HERE YOU ARE PLACING YOUR PROPERTY AND YOUR LIFE AT RISK! I really wish that last sentence was an exageration but it is actually an appropriate warning. Caveat Emptor. Awful «people» here! (by the way I had my sticker not twenty minutes later done by a real service station :)

I got my car inspected here. The man who did the inspection was incredibly rude and kept making nasty comments as he looked inside my car because it had dog hair in it from my pooches. Being new to Massachusetts, I didn’t know they would have to look inside the vehicle, so I hadn’t spiffied the car up in preparation. Dog hair or not, it certainly didn’t warrant such a display of rudeness. I’ll never go there again.