Cobble Hill Super Service Not So Super?

By on October 21, 2008 11:53 am in Cobble Hill

Gowanus Lounge reports many complaints against Cobble Hill Super Service, the Shell station and garage at the corner of Atlantic and Henry. Any comments, pro or con?

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  • Berkeley

    They’re good for roadside assistance via AAA, but I haven’t had anything past an inspection on a relatively new car done there.

    On the subject of auto ownership in Bklyn Heights, I just want to note that landing a Tuesday street-sweeping spot on or after October 7 this year would allow you to leave your car unmoved until November 25. How ’bout them apples.

  • brooklynite

    They are not nice people there, in fact they are pretty nasty.

    And yes the Tuesday spot has been AWESOME for the month of Oct. Gotta love religious holidays :-)

  • AG

    We found out (from a friend) too late that they really overcharge. It is so convenient for us to use them, but our friend (who has done research…I don’t know diddly about cars/pricing) did his homework and advises to stay away. Find someone local who own their own business…not Shell.

  • Monty

    @Berkeley If you are excited at the prospect of leaving your car untouched for a month why do you own it?

  • http://www.myrtle-avenue.com/portfolio/main.html weegee

    Twice I’ve pulled into the station and subsequently got fed up enough to leave right away. Don’t recall the specifics, but it was enough for me to go elsewhere.

    Better gas prices to be had at the Hess station on 4th Ave. & Union St.

  • Teddy

    I was told by someone that they’re trying to sell the property. Maybe that explains why they’re not selling gas???

  • anon

    They are horrible. Convenient, but consistently overcharge and diagnose problems that other service stations don’t find.

  • henry & state

    Not the best in service and a rip-off and expensive. there is a good station for service on hicks near the bklyn battery tunnel. My sis-in-law finds him honest and his service is good.

  • jw

    went to them a few times and always felt like they were overcharging – best was when I went back to them after having my brake pads changed a few months earlier and they said I needed new brake pads again – maybe they never changed them the first time?….now I never use them except to buy gas

  • Bob Rowen

    Several encounters in recent years: always went away feeling suspicious of the diagnosis and overcharged.

  • Jason

    A commenter on GL posted a link to the “for sale” info — http://www.loopnet.com/Attachments/2/C/5/2C5A8837-91FF-4C5A-B3CF-0B105F80EF6E.pdf

    Personally, I would love to see something other than a service station on this site. Putting aside the aesthetics, the tow trucks parked on the sidewalk idling for hours don’t do much for the air quality on this corner. Then again, I guess people need to fuel their cars somewhere.

  • T.K. Small

    The Shell station on Atlantic Avenue is fantastic if you like being ripped off and receiving work from incompetent mechanics. Other than using their “free air” pump, I will never put another dime in this guy’s pocket again!!!

    Four or five years ago I allowed my car to be taken there because I have AAA. They completely misdiagnosed the problem by telling me that I had to replace the starter. After holding my car for two days, to do a job that should have taken 90 minutes, it promptly broke -down again and I was stranded in Manhattan. The starter was then replaced at my insistence and a few days later the car crapped out in New Jersey again on the Palisades Parkway. It turns out that I had an electrical problem that had nothing to do with the starter. Altogether, I probably wasted $300 and approximately 30 hours, not to mention all of the stress and aggravation.

    I used the slightly exaggerated term of “stranded” because I am a person that ambulates by means of a motorized wheelchair. Getting back to Brooklyn is a little more complicated than simply hopping on a subway. Fortunately it was a warm summer evening and it only took two hours to get from 23rd St in Manhattan back to Brooklyn Heights.

    Even their tow service is suspect. On another occasion a few years earlier my car broke down on Atlantic near 3rd Ave. As a result there was a large traffic jam accumulating behind me. I gave them very detailed descriptions of my location and vehicle. After speaking with the AAA operator I spoke directly with the service station. I had to repeatedly explain that I am in a wheelchair and could not get out of the vehicle. To me, given that I was at the front of the traffic and not moving, that to me would have been a sufficient clue that my vehicle was the one to be rescued. The tow truck gradually inched his way up behind my car, went out around me, and kept going. Then I had to wait as he circled the block and came back through the traffic.

    The bottom line is I would definitely not recommend this place!

  • kay shawn

    The outrage is that when you call AAA, who is supposedly reputable, they send these theives out to “help.” The M.O. is that they claim they can’t change the tire or jump the car in situ on the street, they “have” to tow it to their station, where they “find” lots of other stuff wrong with your car. Stay away from those guys!!

  • Publius

    Looks like most of the gas/service stations in the area have been priced out to convert their property into “luxury condos”. This occured to the two stations that formerly faced each other on Atlantic and Boreum.

    Unless you count the small gas station with crazy high gas prices (sometimes over $5/gal) on Old Fulton and Columbia Heights, I don’t know of any other gas station in the area.

    Lately I’ve been going to the Mobil on Flatbush and Myrtle for gas , which I believe is the closest gas station in the area, other than the Shell on Atlantic that I refuse to patronize for all the reasons and more mentioned above.

  • nabeguy

    Hamilton Avenue from Smith to Court has 3 gas stations, all of them competing for the Battery traffic. I haven’t priced them out against others in the general area, but definitely cheaper than this Shell.

  • T.K. Small

    Also, on the other side of Hamilton Avenue (going out into Brooklyn) are two more stations that are even cheaper! Sometimes they are as much as $.30 per gallon lower in price than the Atlantic Avenue station.

  • epc

    Fulton Service (Fulton at Everit/Columbia Heights) no longer sells gas or diesel, stopped some time last year

  • Teddy

    I wonder if they’ll get $3.5M for the property?

    Definitely not a loss for me, I always go to the service station on Hicks St. mentioned in a post above for gas & state inspections. I go to my dealer for service.

  • Berkeley

    Monty — It’s far cheaper to keep my collection of vintage gentleman’s magazines in the trunk of my ’73 Gran Torino than to pay for a storage unit. Plus, I don’t have a tape deck at home when I want to listen to my Creedence tapes.

  • Scott

    We live a couple of doors east of this hell hole and I’ve half been tempted to make a sandwich board up myself and warn potential customers away.

    Took my old station wagon to them for a routine inspection three years back. All my cars are very well maintained by an old family friend who has his own station and garage in Short Hills, NJ. He sees my cars every three months for oil changes and anything that needs attention.

    In the city, all I need is an inspection.

    These thieves took the car and told me it blew smoke, it stank up their garage and required $500 in “estimated repairs” and, of course, failed the inspection.

    I had my old family friend in NJ look it over again, he dound nothing, and I found a wonderful shop named Atros over on Smith St. to do the inspection. It ppassed no problem, so, while I lost the $45 inspection fee, I saved at least $500.

    Atros has since moved down to Sunset Park, and I’ve followed them for my annual inspection. When my NJ friend retires, I’ll bring my business to Jerry full-time.

    And while I usually abhor neighborhood overdevelopment, I’ll make an exception in Shell’s case. Bring on the condos. It’ll also be alot more pleasant — and safer — to walk past with my three-year-old.

    Maybe we can lobby Emma at the LI Restaurant to return too.

  • ed barnes

    These guys are scum. I left my car in a garage prior to going to Iraq, When I came back I knew my battery was dead and called AAA. They sent their tow truck and faked trying to jump the battery.. I should have paid more attention but I don’t think even that would have helped. They towed it in and found “problems.” It was all phony.. The answer here is to let AAA know. If they are their agent here then many unsuspecting people are in for trouble.

  • bessel

    BAD EXPERIENCE — RIPOFF! 11/10/2008

    Our car had a dead battery and got towed to this place via AAA. Since it was late at night, we didn’t read all the reviews on the website before agreeing to drop off the car there. We asked explicitly to *only replace the battery* for $120 parts+labor. Next day the mechanic called us with a laundry list of things which don’t work (belts, ignition, etc.) and said it will cost $600+ to fix it. When we asked to just replace the battery, they said no, and said if you want your car back pay $65 diagnostic fee which we didn’t agree to. The people in the station were rude and non-helpful. We will be filing a complaint with the state against this company. SAVE YOURSELF TIME AND DO NOT GO THERE !!!

  • Jason

    I’ve had great experiances with the tow truck drivers. One of the flatbed drivers is an awsome guy very helpful and very polite even arrived with a cup of hot coffee for me. (very happy for that) He’s a hispanic with glasses. (really awesome guy). I was recently told that they are getting new fuel storage tanks so we should be having gas very soon.

  • BrooklynHeightsBassist

    I’m so relieved to learn that I’m not alone in my dissatisfaction with these shady crooks.

    As with many of the previous posters, I had a great experience with the driver, but when I dropped my relatively new-vehicle off for a new battery after receiving a roadside boost, they insisted that my alternator needed to be replaced immediately for $375. Anxious for a second opinion, I went to an old family mechanic in Connecticut, who tested the alternator for free and confirmed that there was NOTHING wrong! (the battery was receiving the necessary charge of 14 volts.)

    After sharing my story with a close friend in the neighborhood, I was shocked to learn that he too had dealt with the Cobble Hill Shell, and experienced the same belligerent and dishonest service. He apparently asked one of the employees very politelty if there was any particular reason for their chronic hostility, and the guy proceeded to launch into a detailed explanation about why they hate Americans.

    I just filed a complaint with AAA, and I’m planning to contact the Better Business Bureau as well.

  • big al

    amazing i heard they bought the property & installed new tanks guys get your stories straight

  • Joe Straum

    I am not sure if the bought the property but they are installing new tanks :) YEAH gas soon! I(t is the closest to my house)
    As for the above reviews I have never had any problem with them besides them telling me to drop off my car early. VERY HONEST AND RELIABLE!

  • Mei Chan

    Last week, my car was towed to Cobble Hill station through triple AAA. I had a 2004 Honda that wouldn’t start and I wasn’t sure why. I was kinda of panicking about it cause I love my HONDA and it is my only means of transportation between school and work. During this time I went online and read the reviews for this place and starting having an anxiety attack. Some of the reviews were not so good and quite frankly I really hoped that i wasn’t gonna get screwed out of money that I didn’t have! The tow guy was very polite and nice to me but hey you still never know. Anyway, the next day I recieved a called from someone who worked there and he said that I needed a new fuel pump. I asked him “Is that it?” he said ” Yes Honey” and told me that I could even pick the car up after 5pm that day. I was confused because some of the reviews about this station said that it is a ripp off. The mechanic was in a perfect position to screw me out of money and he didn’t! I didn’t question it and picked up my car and thanked GOD!!! In return I am posting this review on several sites because I feel that people should also read about my GOOD experience with Cobble Hill on Atlantic and Henry!!!:)

  • Jay

    Just go my carout from them as it was towed as a AAA member. not only were they rude and obnoxious, but they were cold and rude and overpriced. After i paid for the labor I waited while the station manager ignored giving me my car key to leave. he went to his business and I had to ask the mechanic to provide me with my key. i will never take my car there again even if I have to have my car towed somewhere further away and pay more

  • Andy

    This place is a joke. Go to New Xcell on old fulton for the real deal. I just got $200 work of work done well, by good, honest people while this “super” service place tried to charge me almost $1000. It’s ridiculous.

  • XYZ

    I can vouch for New Xcell as well.

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