John The Muffler Man

Milwaukee, United States

4.6

Closed now

20 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 414-344-2740
Website:
johnthemufflermanwi.com
Address:
2313 W Wells St, Milwaukee, WI, 53233
Avenues West
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
1.3 miAmtrak Ticket Counter
2 mibusn10tl
2.3 miy80
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Today

Today 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Milwaukee) 05:32 Thursday, 12 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday 8:00 am – 2:00 pm
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

John the Muffler Man is a family owned and operated automotive repair shop that has been providing quality automotive repair services to the Milwaukee community for 70 years. Our philosophy is to treat each customer like a member of the family. Our ASE-​trained technicians can service your domestic or imported vehicle’s exhaust, brakes, suspension, tires, batteries, shocks/​struts, converters, oil/​filters, and other mechanical needs. With free estimates, no hidden shop fees, free shuttle service, and fast, friendly service, John the Muffler Man is the best shop around for your auto mechanical needs.

History

Established in 1943.

In 1943 John Kopca opened up an automotive service station called Kopca Automotive. His son Richard (Dick Sr.) worked at the shop as a mechanic and his daughter Liz ran the front desk. In 1968 John changed the name to what it is today, John the Muffler Man, at the suggestion of a salesman who thought the name might bring in more business.

By the late 1970s, Richard’s son (Dick Jr.) was working at the shop full-​time. In 1986 John retired and Dick Sr. took over management of the business. Ownership of the shop passed to the third generation, Dick Jr., in 2004. Dick knew the time was right to expand the business: he added two additional service bays, invested in new equipment and brought on more technicians.

Dick’s son Michael joined the team in 2005 and recently completed his formal education as an automotive service technician. He’s the fourth generation of Kopcas, poised to carry on the excellent service reputation earned by his great-​grandfather, his grandfather and his dad.

Meet the Manager

Trever W.

Manager

Trever is the manager at John the Muffler Man and has been with the shop for the past 8 years. His goal is to make sure that every customer is completely satisfied with their experience.

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20 reviews of John The Muffler Man

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Place rating: 4
Milwaukee, WI
Unilocal reviews are my way to explore new cities since I’m always on the move. And this place lived up to all the praise. The regular oil change and tire rotation took a little longer but I prefer a place with so many well trusted customers.
Place rating: 5
Milwaukee, WI
Very honest and really great bunch of guys. No wonder they have more business then they can handle, and its a little bit of a wait. Their customer service is top notch and they will try to give you the best value for your money.
Place rating: 5
Portage, IN
This place is great! I usually have to prepare myself to go into auto shops ready to shoot down any up-​sells, but these guys did a great job without all the nonsense. I got an oil change and asked them to look into an issue with my Jeep Wrangler. Even though they spent over an hour assessing the situation and gave me great advice, all I paid for was the oil change! I felt like I was talking with my dad about next steps regarding the body issue — they certainly won my trust :-) Thank you, John the Muffler Man!
Place rating: 5
Milwaukee, WI
Definitely recommend! So nice and honest and they try their best to accommodate you! I had problems with my ball joint and sway bar link and a couple other safety issues in the front end and I brought it in and they fixed it and answered all of my questions and were so nice every time I called. Something actually went wrong with my ball joint the next day and the parts and labor had a warranty on it so they paid for the tow truck to get it back there and reimbursed what I paid for ubers that day while they were fixing it. It helps that if they do make a small mistake, which I feel like doesn’t happen often, to not go in yelling about it. The situation went so much better than I expected when I came back to them calm. I will definitely be back!
Place rating: 2
Milwaukee, WI
I’m not sure what to think of this place, so I would give it 2.5 stars. The first time I brought my car in for an exhaust replacement, they held the car for 6 days, failed to return calls, and when I just showed up to take my car back, they admitted that they did not try too hard to find a replacement part for me, so my car just sat in their lot for a full week for no reason.
However, the first time they had my car they were able to bolt on a full cat-​back exhaust and fix a few minor things for me within about an hour, with excellent service and a very good price. Overall, I can’t complain due to their prices, but I’ve had better (and quicker) service elsewhere. I would go here for exhaust and simple brake/​tire issues only.
Place rating: 5
Waukesha, WI
Simply great customer service. Honest mechanics and staff with ethics and integrity. Highly recommend.
Place rating: 5
Milwaukee, WI
I called probably five different places when I needed a brake job. This place came in anywhere from 200 to 250 dollars cheaper than the other places I looked at.
Place rating: 4
Aurora, IL
The quality of work was fantastic. Very competitively priced and they were very honest about the urgency of any other recommended repairs (I was aware of their recommendations so I knew they didn’t make it up). No appointment, had it fixed by the end of the day. 4 stars because I found the customer service and communication to be rather poor. I received multiple time estimates that had no credibility. This was significant because the repair was rather quick, but «we’ll call you by 9:00 with a diagnosis» turned into «we’ll call you by 11:00» which ended up being a diagnosis by 1:00. The communication was frustrating at the time but I would absolutely use them again and consider them a valid replacement for anyone used to your small-​town shop.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Once again must tip my hat to Unilocal for helping me find this gem. I bought my tires from here after calling a million places and they were easy to work with and provided a very competitive price.
I recently brought my car back here when my brake warning light started coming up on my dash, thinking that I might be overdue for some new brakes. A friendly guy (Mike) informed me that I just needed some more fluid and that I still had a few months before needing a brake replacement. Love the honesty, love the service.
Being a person who knows nothing about cars, it means a lot to have a place that I can walk out of not feeling ripped off. Will definitely be bringing my car back here for everything else.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
This place has the best service. And I’ve had a lot of service!
Place rating: 5
Milwaukee, WI
Great experience with John the Muffler Man. I went there this past Saturday around 10:15am and briefly explained my car troubles to the guy at the front desk– a loud noise when I accelerate, and sometimes the sound of metal rattling around. He told me the wait would be about an hour. They were able to take a look sooner and diagnosed the issue (some part of my car’s muffler had broken in half and needed to be replaced) all within about 30 minutes of me being there. They had the part in stock and replaced it within 20 minutes, and I was out the door by 11:30. I don’t know very much about cars, but I felt that the amount they charged me was very fair. They didn’t try to sell me anything else and only addressed what needed to be fixed, which I really appreciated. I highly recommend them.
Place rating: 1
Wauwatosa, Milwaukee, WI
I went here the first time to have my muffler fixed. They did a great job!(5 stars) I decided to go see them again as my 4 runner was acting up, this time however, they let me down big time. i got there and explained the problem to the gentleman at the desk, who told me that there is a 45 minutes wait before they can get to it. (Fair enough). 45 plus minutes later, I walk inside and the older gentleman asked me to explain the problem to him, I did so politely. He then hands me a card and tells we don’t fix this. Now I get it if you tell me this when I get there, but an hour later really? I understand that you had an hour left before closing, but don’t tell me that we will take a look at it, just so that an hour later you give me then decide to tell me that… This is no way to retain customers…
Place rating: 5
Milwaukee, WI
Without question the best mechanic in town! I’ve been going for years and honestly won’t go anywhere else. Just your classic shop.
They are no nonsense and always honest. Great prices and smart mechanics. Plus, one a personal note, they are very respectful to women who don’t always know about cars.
Amenities: flat screen tv, water cooler, soda machine and recent magazine selection.
Just do it.
Place rating: 5
Milwaukee, WI
I’ve always gotten great service here — affordable, never any issues, always informative and honest. Just to share how honest: my father went in with what he thought was a serious issue and expressed that to the mechanic (obviously) only to be told after inspection that there was nothing wrong and that he just needed brake pads in a few thousand more miles. Truly, an old man comes in saying something is wrong and is willing to pay whatever to fix it and you tell him his car is fine and don’t even go for the brakes? I think that’s admirable because I’m sure (unfortunately) many other places would have found something they could have done to get money out of my dad that day.
Good work, straight forward, affordable, honest. Go figure.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
I have taken my lancer to john for a variety of issues like a bad O2 sensor, brakes, brake rotors, tension belt, jammed license plate etc, and the service has always been super fast, honest, reasonable, and reliable. I would sometimes take the car in to them to look at for random issues, and they would inspect it and fix the issue for free if it didn’t cost them parts or anything too cost or time consuming. They’re always clear about explaining the problem, and frank about the charges and prices. The only thing they do not do is stereo installations, but they recommend another buddy of theirs which is a little distance away. Unfortunately I have moved away from Milwaukee and it is definitely challenging finding a mechanic shop as reliable and fast as john.
Place rating: 5
Bay View, Milwaukee, WI
Never, ever, ever, ever, ever take your car to any other mechanic. To quote Jerry Seinfeld:
«Are you kidding? He can do every move I’ve ever done! Do you know what a good mechanic is worth? You can’t compare that to sex.»
Place rating: 5
Milwaukee, WI
Service: A+
Price: A+
Here was my situation. My 2000 Toyota Tundra was in desperate need of a new exhaust system and the check engine light went on. The Toyota dealership (on 27th street) who I usually go to quoted me a price of $ 2000 to replace it. I was like uggggh that sucks.
My friends and co-​workers recommended John the Muffler Man. So I thought I would check it out. They quoted me ½ the price of the dealership and didn’t try to sell me anything else that I didn’t need and only recommended additional work that I would need down the line with a range of prices of what I could do.
A day later, the Tundra runs like a charm and sounds great and I saved $ 1000 over the dealership. Also a little secret on their web-​site they have 10% off coupon (along with other coupons) and if you check in on Unilocal you get buy one get one free on wiper blades.
They do pretty much everything at the shop — tires, breaks, struts, oil change, exhaust systems, mufflers, etc.
So forget about paying outrageous prices at your dealership and head over to John the Muffler Man for any car work you need done.
My only recommendation is get their early because they work on a first come first serve basis. I dropped my truck off at 8 am and it was done by the time I got off of work.
Place rating: 5
Milwaukee, WI
I spent a few hours today at John the Muffler Man, and I left ecstatic that I found my new mechanic!
We are new to Milwaukee and this place is a gem (which is why I hate to give it such a great review! I don’t want it to get so packed that I can’t get in!)
The staff was courteous and friendly; but the deal closer for me was that they were HONEST! They didn’t take advantage of me, and even though I was certain I needed new brake pads– I was wrong. Out I went, no charge.
I will absolutely be back. A great experience!
(Oh– one tip: bring a book/​something to do and your own coffee if it’s early.)
Thanks John the Muffler Man!!!
Place rating: 5
Milwaukee, WI
This past weekend my G35 started to sounds like it was going to blow up every time I hit the gas. Suspecting my exhaust system was to blame, I found John the Muffler Man on Unilocal with 5 reviews and all 5 had 5 stars.
After waking up all sleeping residents between Brewers Hill and Marquette’s campus I pulled up to John the Muffler Man at 8:10. I was told there were a few customers before me, but they would take a look at my car in 5 – 10 minutes. Within that time frame I was asked what my issue was and they took my key to inspect for themselves. By 8:30 I was quoted $ 45 to reconnect the exhaust flange. YES, YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY $ 45!!! Now understand all they had to do was torch off 2 rusted on bolts and replace them, but I didn’t think it was possible to do anything on a car for under $ 100 straight cash. Anyway I was out of there at 8:50 with a brand new sounding car.
Later in the day (Still pumped about the $ 45 bill) I emailed a mechanic friend of mine about my experience. His reply «I would probably stick with that shop to fix your car’s»
Place rating: 5
Milwaukee, WI
I really want to make my 5 star reviews few and far between but I can’t give this place anything less. I sat down and tried to think of reasons not to but I came up with nothing. Did you read that? I have zero complaints about a mechanic. Zero. Nil. None.
The staff is super helpful and honest. It’s not that they don’t screw you over. It’s that you get the distinct impression that they are doing their best to make sure you don’t get screwed over. I had a part that needed to be replaced and it alone would have cost me $ 1300. Instead of just charging me they told me that the part I had was still under warranty and the dealership would replace it for free. This is exactly why I will keep on coming back. They’re an honest bunch of guys who do quality work at a fair price.