Donovan Motorcar Service - Lenox, Massachusetts

Boo Sparx

Brought my 1960 VW Bus to these "so called experts" to rebuild the engine. I should have known I was in trouble when asked by the mechanic what the torque setting on the heads were !? They had no idea what they were doing with VW's. They are a British car shop. 1,800 miles after the rebuild the valve cooked in cylinder number four. How did that happen ?! The genius they had working on my engine put the air circulation shields ON TOP of the cylinders instead of the bottom. You would do XACTLY that if you wanted to cook an air cooled engine slowly. Completely destroyed my engine. Sadly I moved right after the rebuild and experienced the engine meltdown 1,500 miles away.
When notified about the problem I was told to ship the engine back so they can take a look at it (after I sent them pictures) They charged me just under 5K for a rebuild that lasted 1,800 miles. They took no responsibility for the engine failure and the owner would not return my calls or certified letter sent to remedy the situation. See pictures of their handy work. BEWARE !!

Jerry Bush

A great professional car service center. Their attention to detail, the knowledge of the mechanics and communication was above my expectations. Scott and his crew not once hesitated to call me and inform me about the things they thought needed to be done. I feel this communication is a important part of getting a car serviced. They set up a detailing service for me and the work was also outstanding. For professional service and top of the line work i highly recommend Donovan's Motorcar Service. They will not let you down!!

btandise btandise

Grossly INCOMPETENT
EXPERTISE: Preach a good sermon about their so-called specialty level of mechanical knowledge, but it clearly does NOT translate nor reflect in the quality of their work. Every repair done on my vehicle had to go back into their shop soon after initial repairs b/c some component of the 1st repair was either overlooked OR not implemented correctly. Feels like the mechanics are operating on a "trial & error" type of repair philosophy;
QUALITY CONTROL OF REPAIRS: Non-Existent
COST: Poor at providing estimates. Actual costs are always WELL OVER expectations, and for their shoddy inferior work, it stings to know they get away with such poor performance - even on easy maintenance items;
CUSTOMER SERVICE: There is none. No one answers the phone, no calls are ever returned, no one seems to know what's going on, no one has answers, no one knows how to find the answers, and the employee turnover is outrageously high which seems to indicate an unstable work environment;
MANAGEMENT: Very unprofessional, circus-like slapstick humor over serious inquiries like evaluating condition of an engine. No one takes customers seriously;
COST: Very, very high in return for their low-quality, short-lived repairs. Like another customer said, they rack up hours to increase the billable cost;
LIKELIHOOD YOU SHOULD USE THEM? Not for any repairs. Like a few of the other customers who provided the lowest reviews, I echo their sentiments when they advise, "BEWARE, GO ELSEWHERE."

Dawn Syrko

My experience with Donovan's was excellent!!!! I would highly recommend them. I was literally desperate and beyond discouraged with my vehicle when I brought it to them. I thought my vehicle was a lost cause. It couldn't pass inspection and then it stopped running. Quick backstory:

I have a Mercedes SUV that, for lack of a better way to put it, I got completely screwed on. I thought I was buying a great truck, but instead, I spent a lot money on a truck with big problems and botched repairs. Some mechanics quoted me astronomical prices, and others wouldn't even touch my truck. That's how I ended up desperately calling Donovan's. And I wish I would've called them first. First off, everyone there was awesome, all the time. When I explained my situation to them, they couldn't believe it. They said they'd be happy to help and to have my truck towed there. It took several appointments to fix all the truck's issues, which included the replacement of several expensive parts. The service was personal and they went above and beyond to help me. They called auto parts stores, junk yards, and even searched the internet to find quality parts at the best prices because the prices were steep and they really wanted to help me out as much as they could. I can't say enough about the amazing service they provide. End result: Thanks to Donovan's, I have a completely restored, fully functional truck that finally passed inspection. With flying colors, actually. 🙂

Pat Rosta

We were from out of state, and anxious to get home, when the convertible roof on my husbands brand new car malfunctioned and wouldn’t close, only half way into the trunk. In the process both sides of the hard roof became gouged-brand new car!!!
One phone call to Donovan’s and within 15 to 20 minutes they dropped their work and managed to get the hard top settled and the trunk closed.
The issue was with the machinery of the car, and by looking, reading the care journal and simply ‘knowing his stuff’ Scott and his crew had it under control without any further new damage.
Everyone there was kind, patient and helpful!!
GREAT EXPERIENCE!!!

Kenneth Keyes

I'm a summer resident of the Berkshires and had two incidents with my Porsche that I would normally have driven 40+ miles to a dealer to fix but decided to give them a try. In the first situation the Porsche dealership prepared me for $1,500 to $2,500 repair. Larry at Donovan's was able to fix it for about $100. He could have done the extensive work that Porsche told me it needed but he suggested I try another solution first and see if it works. 2 years later it's still working perfect. The next time was brakes and they were reasonably priced, had the car ready when promised, and a pleasure to deal with. I heartily recommend them.

Ted Graef

My daughter's Volvo broke down on 90 at the rest stop in Lee. She called me in Central PA - so what do I do from 6 hours away Called Donovan and spoke to Brian and they took care of her. They arranged the AAA tow truck, brought the car to their facility, found the problem - which was luckily pretty minor but would have been very hard to find for a shop that didn't know Volvos - fixed up the car and test drove it to make sure she would be safe in continuing on her travels. Dean called me a couple times to keep me in the loop and let me know that they were taking care of her and the vehicle. Felt like I had contacted a family member to help out. Greatly appreciated and highly recommended!! Thank you!

Jason Feingold

BUYER BEWARE - I confirm a lot of these other comments - they are awful at communicating their bills, which skyrocket once you get in the door. They are masters at finding problems, underestimating them and then explaining how they bill grew so much so fast. Beware of their STORAGE FEES while they work on your car - I'd spend thousands of dollars and they then also jack me for storage fees. Really disappointing, going to look for another shop.