With the addition of full mechanical service, Al Brodeur’s has grown beyond its traditional auto body emphasis to fit its new motto—Your Trusted Road to Repair.
Now in its 46th year, Al Brodeur’s has remodeled the old South Street Auto Parts location it acquired a couple of years ago to create a full customer care center. Customers can drop off their cars for service and wait in a lounge area if they wish.
“We wanted to add all the complimentary services to our original collision shop,” explained Molly Brodeur, chief operations officer, and daughter of Al, who still is active in the business and oversaw all the renovations. They work with Bob Barnes, manager, who has been with the business for 25 years.
“We now provide full mechanical services at competitive prices, and you get the Al Brodeur service,” including vacuuming and a car wash, she said.
Those services include routine maintenance, oil change, brake work, front and rear suspension, tires, wheel alignment, and rotating and balancing tires. “We have all the scanners and diagnostic tools that a dealer would have,” she noted.
“We want to be a one-stop service center for our customers.”
The renovated customer waiting area includes television and free wifi, a massage chair, coffee and cold beverages, and—evidence this is truly a family-oriented business—freshly baked goodies that Peggy Sheldon, claims specialist, brings in every week.
The South Street location also includes a complete auto detailing shop.
Al Brodeur’s does, of course, still offer the body shop and collision damage repair services the business was built on in its adjacent shop around the corner, though customers now go to the South Street office.
“If your car is damaged in a collision, we will handle all the insurance work for you,” Molly said. “We have relationships with many insurers and can work with every auto insurance writer in the state to negotiate claims.”
Al Brodeur’s will arrange a rental car for customers to use while their car is being repaired. “We call Enterprise right down the street and set customers up with a rental. We update Enterprise, often daily, on the status of the repair. We don’t want the customer to be bothered adjusting the rental car time,” she said.
Molly recalled how the firm brought in specialists in paintless dent repair for three months last year to handle damage repairs after an unusual hail storm. “We did the repairs on site and for much less than many people expected. The paintless dent repair works well when the paint job is not compromised, typical with hail storms. We prepared the insurance appraisals and did the work right here.”
Molly and Al Brodeur have also been active for years with Massachusetts statewide auto repair organizations, including testifying on Beacon Hill in support of what she noted are “robust pieces of legislation to protect consumers in the repair process when dealing with insurers to make sure you can get your car repaired in accordance with manufacturer recommendations.”
This article originally appeared on Community Advocate.
