Great Bear Tire & Auto Repair Center in
Woodside (NY)

Tomy was extremely rude, unprofessional, and completely out of control during my visit. His behavior was unacceptable and damaging to your business. I strongly urge the owner to remove him immediately.

I had two recent jobs done there and would absolutely recommend them. Tommy will send you photos and keep you updated on the work they are doing. I was extremely pleased. I'm so glad I took my vehicles there.

⛔️⛔️ STAY AWAY! ⛔️⛔️ ⚠️ super unprofessional ⚠️ Dude hangup the phone on me after i asked how much an alignment costs, he said "the sky is the limit, don't stress me" sounded like the typical crook mechanic, once they get you in they charge you whatever they want. This is how a business loses customers, ⛔️DEFINITELY WONT RECOMMEND!! STAY AWAY⛔️

I was a return customer, client for life. They are discreetly extremely helpful & perhaps deceptively so to some people, who may not even know better. They're absolute professionals with the knowledge base to back it up. I've been working on my own mechanical everything my whole adult life, and I left impressed, even learned more new things. Truly, the business is a gem and thats because of 2 GREAT GUYS RUNNING THE SHOW. I couldn't reccomend them more. They're 1 of 2 shops I fully trust to work on my car, because they'll do the job right, to a high standard, and even walk you through it if you know enough. Your car will be fixed in the best way possible, (also as is possible) and they'll take care of you. The diagnostics skill the gentleman possesses is top-tier, the pinnacle of a real hands-on mechanic. Also 1(unnamed) man (particularly)is HILARIOUS & a joy to speak to, we all wish we could fix cars through the phone LMAO.

Tommy is amazing! Just moved to woodside and so happy to have found this spot in the neighborhood. He sent me me photos and detailed updates through text messages periodically keeping me updated, he’s honest and happy to answer all my questions. Top care and service! Definitely will be back! Just wanted to add to this review because once again had the best experience with Tommy! He is truly a gem!!!

Stopped by for an oil change and honestly, it was smooth from start to finish. The guys were cool, didn’t try to sell me stuff I didn’t need, and had me out pretty quick. Solid spot I’ll be coming back for sure.

These guys are the real deal. Came in with a tire issue, they diagnosed it fast and had me back on the road in no time. Fair prices and no BS. I’ll definitely be back!

Fast, professional, and honest service. They explained everything clearly and didn’t try to upsell me like most shops. Highly recommend this place if you want your car fixed right the first time!

I knew I needed brakes and some work on my 2013 CRV and wanted to get it done before shipping my car to Florida. However, I was very hesitant as I've had horrible experiences at the dealership and reviews of the local private shops were all over the place. I reached out to Tommy at Great Bear as his shop was a couple hundred feet down the road from my apt. To be honest, I was a little apprehensive meeting Tommy as I read some poor feedback on here and was hoping he wasn't a jerk like the reviews make him sound like. Once I met Tommy in person, I quickly realized the feedback was way off base and clearly the reviewers don't understand how to communicate and treat people. You get what you give in life, especially with new relationships. Tommy is the type of business owner that will bend over backwards for you if you speak to him with some common courtesy and respect. However, if you don't know how to speak to someone Tommy will gladly have you go elsewhere for your car repair and I don't blame him. I knew I needed rear brakes, and to have my engine bay cleaned as I had a lovely problem with NYC rats using my engine bay as their toilet/home. My CRV also wouldn't start, so he gladly sent one of his mechanics down the street with me to jump start my car as I could get it into his shop. Within 10 minutes of getting my car into his shop, he was texting me with photos and explaining the work I needed to have done. It was 100% honest, straight forward, and the pricing was great. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford all of the work that my car needed due to my finances and shipping my car to Florida the next day. However, going forward Tommy will be my only go to guy for repairs in NY. I honestly cannot recommend him enough...just be a decent human and you'll have your go to shop for life. Thanks again Tommy, I appreciate how fast and professional you were. You are the man!

Super satisfied with my experience with Great Bear and Tommy. I was having trouble with a shaking steering wheel at highway speeds. I took it to a chain tire & muffler place and they charged me almost $200 for a tire balancing, which barely helped for a day before it got even worse. Dealership wanted to take the car in for a full multiple day diagnostic (not covered under warranty, of course). Tommy found the problem and had my car back to me in the same morning and charged half of what the chain did. Highly recommended!

Tommy and the folks at Great Bear are the best! Been a client for many years now. If you’re looking for an honest mechanic with integrity, look no further than Great Bear.

Tommy, and his team, are incredible. No appointments needed to be made and definitely THE MOST honest work I’ve ever had done at any mechanic. He is super attentive and was updating me on all the work he was doing on my car. 10/10 super respectable, straight to the point business.

So, I went to get one of my tires changed through eBay with them. I had already paid the tire installation fee of $27 to Great Bear Tire. However, after they installed the tire, they gave me an invoice for an additional $37, which I had to pay. When I contacted eBay, they said, “You already paid, so why do you need to pay again?” I had a bad experience there. Please don’t choose them as your installer when shipping your tire from eBay to them. PLEASE DO NOT GO THERE!! When I told him, why I am getting charged again?! He said ‘Don’t argue with me’ I simply paid and leave. Edit: I paid to Tommy. You guys are the one who took an advantage of customers. DO NOT GO THERE PLEASE !

Tommy is exceptional. He was professional, got the work done with a quick turnaround time and communicated every step of the way with me. My car drives like it just came off the lot. Thank you Tommy!

I visited Great Bear to get new tires installed, followed by an alignment and balancing. Tommy was very friendly and helpful, and kept me updated the whole time my car was in the shop. Tommy is also honest and trustworthy, giving you suggestions and estimates without pressuring you. This is definitely gonna be my go to spot from now on.

I only came here because the location was convenient and I didn't know my mechanic did State Inspections at the time. Went for an inspection and was told my fan belt needed replacing as well as a marker light was out. I thought it was odd since my car does not have a fan belt - maybe he meant the serpentine belt? Asked if I wanted an estimate. I said just for the fan belt as I can fix the light issue on my own. Was never given an estimate but was told that my car cannot pass inspection and to pick up my vehicle. Since my car was at my mechanics a few weeks prior I gave them a call and they asked me to swing it by and they can take a look. I did and they showed me that the belt was in very good condition and did not need replacing. Take from my experience what you will but I won't be taking my car to this business in the future.

Just wanted to share my experience at Great Bear. Tommy is such a good and honest guy and his team is amazing. Got a transmission replaced and they did an outstanding job. He goes above and beyond so make sure all your needs are met. What I like the most is the fact they actually show you the work they have done with photos and videos so there's no need to question the work. On top of all that they definitely have fair pricing and the quality you get is top notch. If your looking for a great mechanic for life then Great Bear is the place to go.

I highly recommend Great Bear Auto Repair and Auto Body Center to anyone who is having car troubles. I have a 2016 Smart Fortwo, a car that is far from easy to repair or have service done on. Tommy and his team were highly recommended to me, and I can see why. What I appreciate the most was his reliable and consistent communication with me while my car was in the shop. He kept me updated on any issues that he found and sent me text messages of parts being taken off the car and his team replacing them with new parts. Thanks to Great Bear Auto Repair and Auto Body Center, my car has been restored, and is basically a brand new car again!

I brought in my “old lady” 2000 Chevy Cavalier which had a flat tire. Tommy was very pleasant and professional from start to finish…texted me two different price choices depending on tire replacements. He even kept it safe overnight and I was able to pick up my car the next morning. I’ll definitely be back for other repairs that may pop up.

Let me start saying that if there was an opportunity to give them more stars i would absolutely not hesitate and give them 10. I arrived with my vehicle to their repair shop and Tommy and his partner opened up my eyes from A to Z. Great Bear Team is above and beyond what a professional repair shop should be. They set up standards for every other repair shop to learn from them. This is my diagnostic and repair shop for life. They are not a fast food industry and as long as you don't rush them you will get a great service. Honesty is all you can expect from them. Worth of every mile i drove to them.

I recently purchased a rim and tire package from a well known company, once installed began experiencing vibration. Took the car to my local dealer who due to the rims being aftermarket advised me to replace them with the original because they experienced issues balancing them along with two other service centers. I contacted the company I purchased them from, stating the issues requesting a replacement or refund. As with any company they required a specialty test to be preformed from a shop of their recommendation, Great Bear was one such location. My first thought was this would be a waste of time zero issues would be found. I checked the reviews some favorable and some negative human perception, with this in mind I made an appointment with Tommy. My first impression of him was curiosity, from what was posted, our interaction was positive and courteous the appointment was for 8am, I was 10 minutes early and he was opening up and directed me to a lot across from the shop while he moved cars around. Once my car was in the shop and on the lift the wheel tech took special care with the rims, never using an impact tools but manual removing the lug nuts avoiding an unnecessary scratches or damage, greatly appreciated. Tommy kept me advised throughout and, documented the results also texting images of the Hunter machine results for the claim, for some this may seem trivial but I consider good customer service important to building confidence for future business. I wanted to say thank you for the assistance and correcting what should have been satisfactory sale at purchase. I can say that I am greatly satisfied with the car. I would also like to speak well of the tech, who name I'm embarrassed to say I forgot his meticulous efforts to protect the rims from damage was reassuring and would make me a future customer...

Very positive experience getting a new set of tires installed, along with an inspection. Tommy was extremely communicative (in a good way) throughout the process, texting me pictures as the work was progressing and timing updates. Pointed out a couple of minor things he suggested to fix (which I already knew were an issue) and took care of it at a reasonable price. Would definitely go there again.

Finding a reliable auto shop in the city seemed impossible until I found Great Bear. Tom & his staff are more than attentive, professional, timely, and kind. Clear communication from start to finish, the pricing is also always transparent and fair. I have been 3 times and will continue to trust them with my car. Thank you Great Bear!!!

I came here last week for a problem with my tire. I though it was a nail the reason for the loss of air but they told me that my rim was leaking for the chrome (Chrysler bad design). I didn't expect to be solved because after a couple years of problems with that and 3 different shops that tried to fix it I was thinking to live with that but thank God I came here!! They are very honest and explained to me that the problem is the rim and there is no warranty that the problem will be solved. That said, they proceed to apply something to it and after a week I haven't been on the gas station to add air other than gasoline ?. Very happy with the results. A++++++++

Hands down the best auto shop I have ever been to! I went in for an oil change for the first time ( at this shop ) and ended up getting the most amazing deal for new tires and wheel alignment. Tommy, the owner, is very down to earth and will sit you down to explain everything your car needs which was highly appreciated! I will not be going anywhere else for my Nissan but Great Bear Auto!!! They are professional, efficient and simply amazing! Thank you so much great bear auto for giving my Nissan the TLC it needed!

I tried Great Bear the first time because of close proximity and solid reviews, but I brought it back twice more because of personal experience. Work is done quickly, prices are fair, and while Tommy will give you informative suggestions, there is never any pressure. Last but not least, it's nice getting that personal touch. When I needed to get a tire patched, he noticed I'd lost a couple valve caps and hooked me up. The last time I was in for a small job, he took care of a rear bulb that had gone out I hadn't noticed no charge. Small things of course, but much appreciated from a customer service perspective. The next time I need professional help, I'll look no further down the road than Great Bear.

I went in today to get a NY State inspection. Tommy was super friendly and gave me an accurate estimate in terms of timing to complete the inspection. He also let me know that my windshield wipers needed to get replaced (I knew this going in, so it re-affirmed what I knew). He was super fair with the price - installing Mini Cooper/BMW brand vs. cheapo replacements. Highly recommend!