Truly, Jim is amazing. I've got stories - and every one is EXCELLENT (on Jimmy) and BAD for every big name mechanic in the area. Here are just some of them:
#1) Had a crank no-start problem.
Took it to ahem :: Pep Boys :: . They racked up *hundreds* up dollars in charges *guessing* what the problem was (process of elimination via part replacement is *not* an acceptable practice) - they still didn't fix it after FIVE DAYS. (Of course, they didn't admit that what they were doing was guessing.) Meanwhile, I looked like a deadbeat at work and racked up tons of Lyft charges when I did manage to make it there without my car.
Had it towed to Jim's. He had it figured it out in 3 hours FLAT. TURNS OUT - ProVoVo put the WRONG PART number in my car months earlier. And then JIM FOUGHT & called around to try to get it replaced via the sort warranty. (Meanwhile, ProVoVo fought back & wouldn't even let us see the receipt for the part that I had paid for earlier.) All at little benefit to Jim, because he barely charged me for any of this.
#2) Red Bank Volvo DEALERSHIP almost had me trash my car - because they told me it'd be $3000 to repair the radiator and associated issues. Took it to Jim who found that it did not need a radiator after all (and indeed, it didn't), and cut a few hoses to fix the minor issues that were the cause of my heater problem. A couple hundred dollars. And he could have replaced the radiator & everything at about HALF THE COST of dealer, even if he had needed to replace it.
There are other things so good about Jim's way of operation that I'm not even sure I want to say all of it here - because honestly, I think he gives a little too much for his own sake.
I can't ever remember a mechanic who would BENCH TEST a part. (Don't make the mistake of assuming that if you pay more for dealership quality, that you'll get that quality.)
(Not to mention that somewhere between Pep Boys, Valero on Rt. 33, and ProVoVo, I got my new tires switched for bald ones.)
If Jim is a bit far for you (like he is 30min away for me), trust me - it's worth it to bring it to him. It'll cost you way more in time & money anywhere else.
After decades of searching for a mechanic who knows what he is doing, won't mess around guessing what the problem is, communicates effectively, and tries to find the least expensive (yet quality) solution to a car's issues - I have finally found him.