Been taking my car to ARC guys for years but never has it been more helpful then this past year when my Subaru cross the hundred thousand mile mark. If you haven't gone to ARC before and you need to know these guys are old school and will do whatever they can to patch your car together on a budget while educating customers on what you need to do for maintenance to make it last as long as possible. My mechanic John probably doesn't want to it advertised because I get the feeling he doesn't really LOVE fussing with my car these days but I have to say it anyway...Today he put some space-age material on my ancient exhaust and got it to pass inspection when we never thought it would. They bought me another year in this old car. Thanks guys!! read more

Arc Garage - Auto Repair Near Me - Florence, Massachusetts

Went the extra mile, kindly sealed underbody spots for free, and knew what he was talking about from lengthy experience w hybrid cars. Did an honest inspection and evaluation of a used car. Didn't make me feel dumb or uncomfortable in any way, he as very educational, easy going, and kind. I will definitely b back. read more

As of right now, this place has five stars and nine reviews, an extremely high score. That's the reason I drove forty minutes out of my way to get my car fixed here. I'm about to put a ding in that score. I went here over my usual guy because I'm a layman and thought maybe brakes required a special skillset. I wanted to get it done right. I brought it in and was told the brake pads- or whatever- are worn down and are pretty much just metal on metal, in the front wheels. The rear brakes aren't great but I could put those off for now. I was told it would cost $550, and that that would mostly be in parts. I grimaced and took the hit. A week later, my brakes aren't working so well. Something about air in the line, everyone tells me, because the pedal depresses almost entirely to the floor before I get any braking traction. I call the shop and describe it. The guy tells me that doesn't sound like air in the line at all, it sounds like the... something, I forget, and it'll need replacing and lots of work. At this point I start to see what's going on here. I say "I'll think about it" and hang up. I brought the car to my usual guy. He says Arc Garage did a crap job and didn't reconnect the hoses correctly and sprayed (something) on the (something), which I was made to believe was a bad move. He asked what they charged and I told him, and he said "Oh, you got ripped off so bad. Oh wow. That was a $200 job." He then told me the fix he'd just done was $50 and to come and get it. I won't be making this mistake again. Also, what the hell Yelp, please don't lead me astray like that. read more

I called them on a Thursday to schedule an appointment for a tune-up. The gentleman who answered the phone informed me that they didn't really do a "tune-up," it was an all-systems check, which would be very helpful before winter set in. I told him what kind of car I had ('98 Chevy Prizm,), and he spent the next 5-10 minutes explaining all the common issues of that particular model, and how I could avoid most of them. They managed to fit me in the very next day, at 8:30 in the morning, and when I got there, he asked me what work I'd had done on the car since I got it. When I told him that the brakes and spark plugs were fairly new, he replied that he wouldn't even bother checking those, since time adds up, and he wanted me to pay only for what I actually needed done. I had some issues with my heater blower, and he said that he would listen to it, and only pull it out if he thought mice had gotten in to it. I got the call to pick it up around 1:30, a little longer than I expected, but not too bad, and he informed me that he'd finished the system's check, cleared out the heater blower, and replaced my engine belt (it was severely dry-rotted and cracked). I hadn't known about the engine belt, but it was so far gone that it would have been unsafe to drive the car. When I got there, I was expecting at least two hours of work, plus the money for the engine belt. The bill was $106. He had estimated about an hour for the systems check, and about 20 minutes for the heater blower, if it had been a problem. I was charged for one hour of labor, and the part for my engine. We (my boyfriend and I) also spent about 40 minutes talking to the mechanic when we got my car--about travelling, different types of cars, when to replace them, and what cars are harder to work on than others. The crew is extremely knowledgeable and friendly, and they genuinely have the customer's interests at heart. I will be taking my car here for any work it needs from now on. read more

This was my first visit for oil change and general "wellness check" for my 2007 Toyota. It will not be my last visit. Waiting room is SPOTLESS! Steve was very considerate- asked me if I had any chemical sensitivity before recommending a rust treatment for my car. Gave me a good explanation for what should be addressed right away vs maintenance that could be put off for a while. read more

Great experience here! I don't have that much experience with mechanics, since I'm currently driving my first car, but my experience with Arc Garage was superb. First of all, they were incredibly courteous on the phone when I called to schedule an appointment. When I showed up, my mechanic, Steve Brown, had me show him everything that was wrong with the car, and went on a test drive with me to see how the car handled and what kinds of noises it was making. He was very knowledgeable about my car (2010 Honda Civic) and knew little details about it and what kinds of problems commonly go wrong with it. This was the most impressive part: Steve would call me throughout the day to give me regular updates on what kinds of problems he was finding. He would give me specific technical details about those problems, and then offer me a few different solutions to each problem, each with a different price point. It made me feel much more in control of the whole situation, and gave me the freedom to influence the total cost of the repair. He changed my oil, pumped my tires, spray-painted black paint on some rust on the tires to preserve them and make them look newer, fixed up some stuff in the engine, fixed my broken horn, and fixed my broken windshield wiper. He even drove it to a local place to get the state inspection, at no additional charge! As a finishing touch, he buckled all the seat-belts before leaving the car for me in the lot. Ask for Steve Brown when you go here. He'll fix your car at a fair price, or will point you to a trustworthy place if he can't. read more

ARC's great. This will be my go-to garage no question. Super fast service, impressive location (you can sit on a bench in front of a river while you wait), great price and detailed breakdown of what was done. read more

My wife is gone, but I still have my car and ARC. Some relationships work better than others . . . . John at ARC has continued to take good care of my '03 Mazda Protegé. As another reviewer wrote, when my exhaust system needed work, he welded it in five places instead of replacing it. (That cost around $95 vs close to $1,000.) The other day he spent about an hour figuring out why my right headlamp kept burning out. He then replaced two bulbs, and the total charge was $11 and change. No charge for the time. When my alternator seized up, and I was too far away to get to ARC, John consulted with me over the phone, and made sure the mechanic servicing my car didn't overcharge me. How many people do that?! I could go on and on, but suffice to say that ARC is one of a kind. You never have to worry about the quality of the work, being overcharged, getting bum parts, etc. These guys have found their ministry, and they're working it every day. read more

Extremely knowledgeable! Whenever I dont have the time to do my own maintenance or something goes wrong that I can't fix, I make an appointment and drop it off. Always fixed quickly and correctly and the guys are fun to talk to. Invoice is usually lower than im expecting too... read more

What a gem to find. Steve, at this place, went above and beyond to help me with my car. The first thing he did was help me figure out if it was even worth it to have him look at my car. I had just taken it to a dealership mechanic which had charged me a lot of money, not to fix the problem, but just to tell me that they examined the car and indeed I had a problem (duh). I started calling other mechanics to get a second opinion and Arc seemed not only the most knowledgeable. Not to mention, very patient and understanding while I kept waffling back and forth of whether it was worth bringing it in. But Arc said that they wouldn't charge me if they couldn't fix it :) Well, to make a long story short, yes, my car needed a lot of work. Steve managed to pinpoint the problem immediately. And told me about possible solutions and cost and then advised me not to spend the money on it, which I appreciated that he told me honestly rather than trying to sell me on fixing it. Even though Steve was able to get to the root of the problem quickly, he still spent additional hours to make sure of what it needed. And I am grateful for the detailed explanation of what was actually going on with the car so I could make an educated decision (which was not to spend more money on a sinking ship). He gave me options. And like he said, didn't charge me for what I didn't want fixed after all!! They are a kind, through, knowledgable and honest place. read more

I brought my Dodge Grand Caravan to Arc Garage for service on October 25,2012 The machanic that was there looked at the pieces of paper from an autoparts store that had some codes on and asked if I could wait so he could fix my car. Here it is a week later and my car is fix and running fine. My machanics Steve and Tom took good care of my van and stopped my van from guzzaling gas. You guys deserve a lot of thanks from both me and my mom. I am so greatful to these machanics who went out of there way to see to it that a disabled woman could take care of her mom. Thank you both for every thing that you have done for my mom and me. read more

I went here specifically because of the reviews on Yelp and was a little disappointed. The man who worked on my car was very difficult to talk to on the phone and did major work without consulting me first. He also lost one of my fluid caps and didn't realize it till I pointed it out. They did do great work on the car but, communication is poor. read more

ARC Garage does great work. They guys are friendly and knowledgeable and I regularly recommended them to folks when they needed small/medium work done on their car. ARC doesn't do a lot of big jobs, but are great for everything from oil changes to new mufflers. read more

These guys are terrific. they charge reasonable rates, and always do only what needs to be done to make the car run great. They have done all of the work on our cars for more than five years. I recommend them highly. read more

Steve is a mechanical genius who has taken great care of our cars and saved us a lot of money with his intelligent and foresighted repairs. Highly recommend! read more

I cannot begin to express how amazing these guys are! I drive a 2008 toyota and over the past week there had been a rattling from under the hood of my car. My initial thought was a belt was loose. I scheduled an appointment and brought the car in. John listened to the rattling and expressed concern, knowing that on some of the smaller models of the toyotas the water pump can break. I left the car in his hands and headed to class (I'm a student). After class I had a series of messages for John, who was 1) is confident the water pump needs to be replaced, which is quite costly; 2) noticed i was just under the limits on my miles and that I should still be covered by the warranty; and 3) set up an appointment for me at the local toyota dealer where they could fix the water pump, under warranty. Not only that, but he offered to take my car to the dealer. I called back to inquire how much I owed for all the help, and was told I owed nothing. They're honesty and willingness to go above and beyond is exceptional. I intended to take my car there for every tune-up and problem that arises! read more

The absolute best mechanics in the Valley. I can't recommend this place highly enough. First off, the place is, as another reviewer pointed out, spotless. NPR plays in the background. The mechanics are smart, helpful, patient, kind, HONEST, and seem to be put on this earth to save you money. You leave feeling taken care of and un-scammed, to the point where you want to offer them money just because they've been so unbelievably great and up-front about everything. The best. read more

I took my car in again just for an oil change and got so much more!!!!!!!!! John listed on my work order things that would have to be done in the future and at what mileage. I am so grateful for all this extra help and advice. Thanks, John. I will definitely be back, again and again. I will trust my little car to no one else now. read more

They have always treated me with respect. Instead of replacing my exhaust system, they patched it. This was a very good option on an old car. read more