Mechanic in Melbourne

massdebater

In a similar vein to the Sydney thread, does anyone have any good contacts for car mechanics in Melbourne? I've been here a few years now and have gone to a few different ones but I get the feeling that most of them see that I'm foreign and sense I don't know much about cars so they're ripping me off, doing additional/unnecessary work etc. I've asked my Aussie friends but a lot of them don't drive or don't know much about cars themselves. It'd be nice to have a regular mechanic so I'd appreciate any recommendations you might have.

Preferably someone in the south east (I'm based in the Caulfield-Oakleigh area) but this could be a useful thread if anyone knows a good reliable mechanic anywhere around the city. Cheers

s.c

massdebater wrote: »

In a similar vein to the Sydney thread, does anyone have any good contacts for car mechanics in Melbourne? I've been here a few years now and have gone to a few different ones but I get the feeling that most of them see that I'm foreign and sense I don't know much about cars so they're ripping me off, doing additional/unnecessary work etc. I've asked my Aussie friends but a lot of them don't drive or don't know much about cars themselves. It'd be nice to have a regular mechanic so I'd appreciate any recommendations you might have.

Preferably someone in the south east (I'm based in the Caulfield-Oakleigh area) but this could be a useful thread if anyone knows a good reliable mechanic anywhere around the city. Cheers

There's a fella in South Melbourne that I have been to a few times. He's part of the ABS franchise. He seems pretty decent and honest. I brought my 1989 BMW to him for a RWC when I bought it and he let a few things go as he knew I was keeping it for myself and not selling it on. I know he's pretty fair with the hours he charges but he's pretty pricey at 110 per hour but then again a dodgy fella charging an extra hour or two would easily be more expensive.

The last fella I went to is a BMW specialist in Gardenvale but he does all types of cars. He seems pretty decent too and was a little bit cheaper at 100 an hour. He even brought me in around the workshop to show me a couple of BMW race cars he was building.

Another place that I've read good things about here is Prahran Motor Vehicle Engineering. I haven't been to him but would have gone there the last time if I hadn't come across the BMW specialist.

kinggriff

I know this will be too far for you probably, but will suit others in the western suburbs - http://docmrtinauto.wix.com/docmartinautomotive

These guys are really good and honest. They have looked after me on numerous occasions and tried to replace smaller parts to keep the costs down.

I highly recommend them.

massdebater

kinggriff wrote: »

I know this will be too far for you probably, but will suit others in the western suburbs - http://docmrtinauto.wix.com/docmartinautomotive

These guys are really good and honest. They have looked after me on numerous occasions and tried to replace smaller parts to keep the costs down.

I highly recommend them.

Cheers Niall

kinggriff

: O exposure!

chaoloughlin

I use the Village Garage in Ripponlea and Daniel is pretty good. He always rings before he does any work outside of the normal to check if it is ok and advises if it is necessary to do it this time or later. Normally cost $220 for a regular service for a VW Bora. It also helps that it is close to the train station.

massdebater

Just following up on this, I've got my car serviced in Just Service & Tyres in Clayton. Their full service is $99 ($59 on groupon or $79 with a student/youth travel card). Next cheapest I could find (apart from groupon offers) was about $150.