Nova Automotive
| Address: | 284 Whalley Ave, New Haven, CT 06511, USA |
| Phone: | +1 203-865-6174 |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–1PM Closed |
Location
Photos 1
Reviews 7
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Anonymous User
Wild story. I am a graduate student at Yale, currently working in Providence, RI. I came into New Haven to pick up some library books, and my car, a PT Cruiser, overheated and broke down right next to Nova Auto Repair, with vaporized radiator fluid pouring out all over everywhere like smoke. Divine providence, I guess! I had never read any of their reviews or anything; I was just glad that I did not have to call and wait for AAA. They took the car, even though it was (literally) closing time on Friday afternoon, 5 pm, and Adil even gave me a ride to the train station -- I had a wedding reception to attend in Providence that evening, and with these guys help I made it there in time. In the confusion, however, I forgot to give them the key to the car! They were good sports, though; they called me up, and waited for me to FedEx them the key. Then, once they got it, they called me up and gave me a full rundown on what needed repairing, explaining everything very patiently (I am not superknowledgeable about cars!) Then, once I gave the OK, they went to work. They went to extra lengths to chase down hard-to-find parts, and also to explain to me what they were doing -- apparently, overheating is a characteristic problem in PT Cruisers, because of the way the engine is constructed, and (Don explained) it can make one of the key replacement parts -- a relay -- very hard to find. When I got there, Len, the guy who had worked on the car, explained the engine flaw, and also showed me how he had engineered a workaround so that it would not happen again. Everyone I spoke to was extraordinarily polite, affable, helpful, cheerful -- all-around, a surprisingly great experience. I say, thank God my car broke down where it did! You can trust these guys to do a good job. 5 stars, no doubt.
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Anonymous User
Been to Nova twice for my emissions tests. I have a 1999 Honda Accord V6 and needed my timing belt changed. So, after searching around and checking with my dealer, Nova offered the best price and they had good reviews (plus, I knew them from my emissions tests, and didnt have any bad impressions). They were very honest and up-front with me about the service... told me it could be done in a day but they recommended a day-and-a-half so they could make sure that the car ran right after the belts were changed. During the service, they found out that i had a broken engine mount. So they replaced that too. Overall, the price was still better than going to the dealer, and my car is running better than it has in years. (I had a skipping problem that was looking like a bad trannie, but it has almost gone away now, so Im pretty sure that the engine mount fixed a problem that couldve been much more expensive). The guys here know their stuff, and the only reason I didnt give them 5-stars is cuz i havent had much work done there yet. But I highly recommend them.
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Anonymous User
This is the best place I have ever brought my car to get fixed. Adil was great to deal with, he had a sense a humor that was refreshing, and the mechanic ken was also a great guy to deal with. I had been shopping around for a good price to get my timing belt replaced, and i did it here. They not only gave me a great price (600) but when I came to pick it up, they told me it was only 500! The reason was that they didnt replace the water pump because the pump was in perfect condition. I dont think any other mechanic I have been to would do that. I was already in for the 600 and giving me a break and being honest about it, made me a dedicated customer. The mechanic came out and explained to me why he didnt replace a perfectly good part. I have been there again and again and it is always a pleasure to deal with them, fast service, friendly and always at a good price. Highly recommended!
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Anonymous User
Had a few things done here on my MKIV Jetta. They replaced timing belt, water pump, a few seals and the coolant expansion tank. They got it all fixed in a few days and it wasnt too expensive (although comparable to what dealer quoted me). I went with NOVA because I hate dealers. Three complaints: 1- They charged me $15 for a new expansion tank cap when they just swapped out my old one (not cool) 2- the check engine light was on when I brought it in (turned out it needed a new MAF which I did later) but they just cleared the light (which can be done with a code reader or by pulling the battery for ten minutes) and 3- their invoice was very unprofessional if I ever wanted to resell the car I doubt a prospective buyer would believe I had that work done. The guys there were really nice and Adil was gracious enough to give me a ride but I am taking my car elsewhere from now on.
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Anonymous User
Fantastic auto repair shop. When youre with these guys, youre in good hands! These guys are competent, honest, and very friendly. All around great guys! Ive had to go to them a few times with trouble with my old Audi. Theyve always been great not only at fixing what was wrong but also explaining the issue to me, talking me through different options with the pros and cons of each. I dropped by one day when my power steering fluid was low. They not only refilled it free of charge, they sent me off with a can of Audis hard to find power steering fluid, free of charge! They really try to keep things as affordable as they can and often end up charging me far fewer hours of labor than they actually put in. When youre with these guys, youre in good hands!
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Anonymous User
IVE BEEN TAKING MY 97 BUICK SKYLARK FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS TO BACK YARK MECHANICS. I FINALLY GOT TIRED OF IT AND DECIDED TO STOP IN TO THIS PLACE BECAUSE MY CAR HAD STOPPED WORKING AT THE GAS STATION. I WENT OVER AND ASKED THEM FOR HELP AND WITH OPEN ARMS THE STAFF (ADDIL/KENNY/DON) CAME RUNNING OVER TO CHECK ON THE CAR. SINCE THEN IVE BEEN GIVING THEM ALL OF MY WORK FROM TUNE UP TO MY BRAKES JUST DONE 2DAY AND THE WORK HAS BEEN GREAT/ INEXPENSIVE AND MOST OF ALL THEY MADE MY 97 BUICK SKYLARK RUN BRAND NEW AGAIN BASICALLY EVEN WITH ALL THE DAMAGE THE BACKYARD MECHANICS HAD DONE. ALL THIS IS BEING SAID TO SAY WHEN EVER YOU HAVE CAR PROBLEMS GO AND CHECK OUT NOVA MOTORS ON WHALLEY AND TELL THEM RONALD SENT YOU!!!
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Anonymous User
Nova has done a great job on my car every time Ive been there. They know when they can save you money by finding used parts instead of buying brand new ones for a ten year old car! The last time I had car trouble I called the mechanic across the street from Nova because they had a towing service and were open on the weekend. These guys however told me that I needed a new $2,000 computer... which was totally bogus. I called Nova and they rolled it across the street into their garage where they replaced the faulty wire that was keeping my car from starting, NOT THE COMPUTER which was fine. ALWAYS recommend NOVA to your friends in New Haven.