A.I.M Auto Repair is the workshop on Burns Street that Leith locals quietly send each other to. Run by Aras — the only mechanic who'll look at your car, the only one who'll phone you back. Honest quotes, same-day where parts allow, no upsell.
Burns Street sits a couple of minutes off the Walk. There's a roller-shutter door, a tea kettle, a stack of MOT certificates on the desk and a man called Aras under whichever bonnet is open today. That's the whole operation — and that's the point.
A.I.M Auto Repair has been the local garage for Leith drivers for years. Aras Ibrahim Mohammed — A.I.M, Aras's own initials — does the diagnostic, the work, the phone call and the invoice. No upsell scripts because there's nobody to feed them to. No commission-paid service advisor adding extras. If something needs doing, Aras tells you. If it doesn't, he tells you that too — even when the place down the road has just quoted you for it.
In March 2026 the business was formalised as Burns Street Garage Ltd (Companies House SC882338) — same garage, same mechanic, same standards, just on the right side of the paperwork for fleet, finance and VAT-receipt customers.
"I'd rather lose a job than charge you for something your car doesn't need. I want you back next year, and the year after that. That's how a Leith garage stays open."
It's not a marketing slogan. A.I.M. is Aras Ibrahim Mohammed — the three letters above the workshop door are the three letters on the mechanic's birth certificate. One name on the sign, one name on every job sheet.
If it's a car, and it's broken, ring the workshop. If we don't do it in-house we'll tell you who to ring instead — no fishing for upsells.
Class IV testing sub-contracted to a station nearby. We book it, drop it off, fix anything it fails on and bring it back. One key handover.
Interim, full and major service to manufacturer schedule. Genuine or OEM-quality oil and filters. Service book stamped, digital record kept.
Pads, discs, calipers, fluid, handbrake cables. If it squeaks, grinds, pulls or feels soft, ring us. Honest pricing — front pads from ~£95 fitted.
Slipping, juddering, biting high or stuck to the floor — we replace clutches, slave/master cylinders and concentric units. Quoted on the car, never on a script.
Cambelt and water pump kits to manufacturer interval. Skip this and you snap a belt, bend valves and need an engine — don't.
Knocks over Leith Walk's potholes, clunky steering, uneven tyre wear — shocks, springs, top mounts, wishbones, drop links and bushes.
Mid-pipes, back-boxes, cats, flexis, DPF cleans where viable. We won't sell you a full system if a section will do.
Warning lights, ECU faults, sensors, batteries, electrical gremlins. £35 diagnostic — waived if the work is then booked in.
Recovery, fleet, courtesy car requests, pre-purchase inspections — Aras will pick up or call back same day.
No incentivised reviews. No "leave us a review for a tenner off." Just Leith customers who walked in, walked out happy, and felt strongly enough to type it up.
Aras is the only mechanic I trust now. Took my Focus in for a clutch — he had it back same day for the price he quoted. Walked from my flat in Leith Walk and he sorted it. No nonsense.
Honest about what's needed — Aras told me a quote I'd had elsewhere was wildly inflated, fixed mine for half the price and showed me the old part. That's how you build a garage.
Burns Street Garage has been my go-to for three years. MOT, servicing, the lot. Aras phones before he does anything that costs money. Old-school manners, modern kit.
Booked in on a Tuesday, brakes done by Wednesday lunchtime, fair price, ran me through what he'd replaced and why. Best garage in Leith bar none.
I've taken three different cars to Aras over the years and never had a bad word. He doesn't try to sell you what you don't need. Five stars and I'd give him six. The kind of garage Leith used to be full of and somehow only this one is left.
38-39 Burns Street, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 8DS — just off Easter Road, two minutes from Leith Links, walking distance from most of north Edinburgh. There's parking outside the workshop for drop-off.
Yes — we don't run our own MOT ramp, we sub-contract testing to a Class IV station nearby. We book the slot, take the car over, fix anything it fails on, and bring it back. One key handover, one phone call, one invoice.
Yes. Aras is the mechanic, the diagnostic, the man on the phone and the one who hands the keys back. There's no service desk separate from the workshop and no commission-paid advisor adding extras.
For most jobs yes — drop in the morning, collect in the afternoon. Same-day where the parts are stocked locally (brakes, exhausts, common service items). Bigger jobs (clutches, timing belts) are usually two days. We'll tell you up-front when you book.
Yes. A.I.M Auto Repair is the trading name (those are Aras's initials). Burns Street Garage Ltd (Companies House SC882338, March 2026) is the registered limited company that issues the invoice. Same garage, same mechanic — just on the right side of the paperwork for fleet, finance and VAT customers.
Card or bank transfer on collection. We invoice properly through Burns Street Garage Ltd — VAT-ready receipt every time, fine for fleet and expense claims.
Burns Street is in the middle of Leith — most of north Edinburgh can drop a car off and walk home. Customers come in from across the city for a mechanic they actually trust.