When a customer calls up with a 2012 car asking for a front end alignment, and your equipment only works on cars up to 2007, why would you tell the customer to bring the car in? And then I get a call telling me that they can't really find a problem because he only drove the car up to about 40 mph (after I said you had to get the car up to speed to notice it), and it looks like I REALLY need a brake job, and oh, I should probably get an alignment. That is why I took time out of my day to bring my car to you. Only you can't help me. And you knew that when I called. They did free up a slightly stuck front caliper (which may have been causing the issue) without charging me anything. I was not interested in having them do my brakes--I was going to my regular mechanic for a tuneup the following day. I'm remain pretty mystified about the whole thing, and won't be back. read more

Arco Tire gives reliable, friendly, and fair customer service. The price estimates and timeliness are very accurate here. The owner is very respectful of the customer and answers all of your questions. Both times I've come in to have a car checked out, I was able to drive away without feeling pressured into any repairs (this has happened to me a lot, so it's something I notice). I've come here twice with two different cars. The first time (August, 2013) I was shopping for estimates on replacing rear breaks. I went to three different auto repair shops, and they gave the best price. (It could have potentially been cheaper at a National Chain, but they wouldn't replace the breaks without replacing the calipers. This is a common way bad auto repair shops take advantage of customers.) At the time, they were very busy, but they told me that if I brought my car in at 5:30am the next day, they would make sure it got done. I'm very impressed that they were willing to make my car in early so that I could have it back the same day! Recently (7/7/2014), I brought in a used car that I just bought from a private seller. I was shown everything that was wrong with the car, and told how to prioritize the repairs. I brought the car back a few days later to replace the radiator. Now I feel confident that my car is safe to drive for a while, because all of the problems were explained to me! I plan to go back periodically so that my car will be good shape for the winter. I've had a lot of negative experiences with auto repair. I've been to shops that are condescending, skate around your questions, tell you that you have to make all your repairs at once, so they can make $800 in one go. Now I know I don't have to put up with that. read more

This is the only place I will bring my car. As a college age girl it's hard to trust if someone is pulling one over on me. I trust the guys here 100% with fair prices and solid parts. They have replaced my tires a numerous amount of times, tires that are really hard to find, they will find for me. If I have a problem with my car they look at it and tell me what is wrong and exactly what I would need to do to fix it without charging me $50 just for them to look. They are genuine guys that just want to help and make an honest living. Wouldn't suggest any other place for someone to go but Arco. read more

The folks at Arco are knowledgeable and full of integrity... Very happy after three visits, recently fearing the worst with funny engine noises, which were happily resolved with basic tune up and new plugs, and routine maintenance at other times. In the one instance when we had a comparison, we found their estimates of the scope of the work were far more conservative (i.e., replacing much less stuff) than the dealership to solve the same issue, and the prices per item were far more reasonable even though they were being sourced from the dealer. In one case for a pricey item they said it was because they were being asked to pay a lot from the dealer and there were no alternatives. The work was quality and long-lasting, and the car still drives great 2 years later. Gary was professional and reassuring, as were all of the staff. Very nice people who are straightforward, intelligent and patient with their customers. Will be going back again and again. read more

I had a fantastic experience with Arco last spring. I was having quite a few tire problems, which boiled down to me replacing a couple parts a getting 2 new tires. I had popped into one of those chain tire garages to get an estimate. Sky-high and they stated that I needed a bunch of work done that sounded I bit excessive to me. After reading the glowing reviews about Arco here on Yelp, I drove over to see what they could do. They were able to look at my car right away. They gave me a much better estimate, breaking down what each service and part would cost. They even did some extra leg work to find the special tires I needed. I was sold. My car was fixed quickly and for the right price. Awesome, awesome. The best experience I've had with car repairs, hands down. read more

Just after having my winter tires put on by them i noticed one was leaking so went back there and asked for the front passenger tire to be checked, he thought i said driver so he "fixed" it idk what was there to fix btw. When i went to pick up my vehicle i noticed the low tire (the reason why i went back there) was still low and he said "you said driver side", i said "no the other side". Basically he started cursing at me and had to have the leaking tire somewhere else read more

Finding a reputable mechanic is very tough but this is the place you are looking for. They check into all possible issues before making a fix and won't just fix something to make $$. They are straight forward and reliable. I have brought my car ('04 Accord) in a few times and they have told me that the repairs were minor. I was expecting to pay a ton and they fixed the issue for a fraction of the cost. The location isn't much to look at but I cannot recommend these guys enough. read more

I hate dealing with car stuff, but this was as least painful as possible. Very efficient, reasonably priced, and friendly mechanic. I will go back there. read more

I too found this GEM on Yelp. The comments below convinced me to call immediately. It started back in march when I had a slow leak. 10 minutes & a few bucks later...DONE. Haven't needed to replace it yet. Went in April for an oil change. I'd called that morning and sat an waited. I was only angry because they are so amazingly efficient they were done in 20 minutes and I wanted some quality time with my book. Before they lowered my car Carlos & Gary brought me under it to talk brakes. They were honest... I needed new brakes. Maybe not today or next week but soon I was gonna need 'em. They quoted $400 for both front and back. Carlos said do them separate no problem still the same price. SO that's what I did. One Friday they did the front and now I'm currently having them do the back and a whole car check for my road trip on Friday to Harpoon in Vermont. They're fabulous! I'm moving to Dedham but fortunately working in lexington and Arco is still relatively convenient and what ever the level of inconvenience it most certainly makes up for in service and honesty. I would recommend Arco to anybody and everybody. read more

I went in there, Explaining that I was getting on the highway and I was concerned about a possible nail in my tire. Someone walked up to me (likely the shop owner) , and said that they were busy and he could look at it on Monday (it's Saturday). I let him know that I was getting on the highway twice, he didn't even take the time to glance at it and sent me up the street. Hmmph I won't go as far as to say that it had something to do with my skin color. But let me say, I have a feeling that they would've glanced at it for someone else. I literally went to a tire shop with a flat and was turned away. Didn't look busy at all and believe me I'm understanding and was already prepared to be patient and wait for services. read more

I thought my day was headed for a serious nosedive when I noticed that my tire was ridiculously low while I was up on the North Shore doing some shopping. Luckily, I'm anal retentive about my tire pressure (this sounds sorta dirty, but I honestly don't know where else to go with it. .. ). so I have my own (noisy as sh**) air pump in my trunk. When it finished, I swear I saw the thing deflating almost right away. Ack! This tire has been giving me trouble for a while now and mysteriously seeming to deflate more quickly than the others. So, Yelp rescued me yet again by finding me Arco. It was a seriously 5 star experience. Even though I rolled up just after 4, they were polite, found the hole which turned out to be due to a nail (! so glad I took care of it), and charged me a mere $20 for their efforts. 15 minutes-- in/out, battabing battaboom. I'm thinking about driving back for other car issues. It's so hard to find a good, personable mechanic! read more

I took my car over there to replace my breaks , at the end he damaged my car without saying anything!!! He was like ah I didn't see it at all !! he didn't want to get me a rental car or fix it !! There's no way I can post pictures from here but I'll do It on google , people be aware bad shop ever read more

Just wanted to add that I'm still lovin' ARCO Tire. Great work, great prices, and they do everything from tires to repairing car radios to working on wheelchair lifts on my vans. They're almost always really busy, which is a good sign that I'm not the only one who likes their work, but they still fit you into their busy schedule. read more

I got a flat tire late in the day and the owner was willing to look over my car a half-hour before closing. This was after the two other tire places in town were too busy to fit me into the end of day. So I was very appreciative that the owner fit me in. The owner found the leak promptly, fixed it, and charged me a fair price. Arco, is not perfect, but it is a good place to go to get your tires fixed or new tires. read more

Arco is a great shop. I do as much of my own work as I can. When I'm out of my depth, I take it here knowing I'll get good, honest advice, and that they'll do good work at a good price to get me back on the road. They're consistently able to get me in and out in a reasonable amount of time, and they're always willing to explain what the problem is. I really appreciate their service. read more

I've found relatively few trustworthy mechanics in this area, and Arco is definitely one of them. Great prices and service. The two gentlemen who I've dealt with there regularly, are always great to deal with. Can't recommend highly enough! read more

Arco is a really great shop. The guys who work there are some of the nicest, most knowledgeable, courteous mechanics I've ever met. They've always been willing to see my car on short notice and have offered up solutions that didn't break the bank. I had them take a look for a leak in my car and after what I'm sure was hours of their time, they didn't charge me anything (and wouldn't accept a tip!) when they couldn't find the leak. Talk about some stand-up guys! This is now my go-to shop, and I recommend them to anybody. read more

Came in with a flat tire. They patched it up quickly. Decided to get an oil change while they did the work. Honest and professional folks, decent prices. Happy to call this place my go-to neighborhood repair shop. read more

Great service, no rip-offs, fully trust this place with any car fixes. I've been going to Arco since I moved to Somerville 4 years ago, and they are always professional, no nonsense, and get the job done. I've looked up cost comparisons of several of the jobs I've had done, and they offer a fair price every time. I've brought my car here for tire replacements, brake fixes, air pressure issues, and they've never let me down. Cannot recommend them more! read more

First off, I am not one to usually write a lengthy review (positive or negative). I especially don't like to call out individuals, we all have good and bad days. However, my recent experience needs to be shared... Over the past few weeks, my girlfriend's car had a noticeable rattle and shake at high speeds coming from the front end. Being a first time car owner, she was unsure and asked me to drive it. As I drove it, it was clear something pretty major was wrong and I encouraged her to drop it off to be looked at. So, a couple of weeks ago (on a Saturday), she dropped it off at Arco's where she had minor work done on it before. Later that day, she received a call to pick up her car as there was wrong with it. Trusting that they knew what they were talking about, she picked up the car and just accepted it was going to rattle. Fast forward to this past Friday, she is driving home (on I-90) and the rattle / shake becomes violent. Again, I drove it, but this time I was nervous the wheels might fall off. It was bad! So, for the second time, she dropped it off at Arco's to be fixed. Saturday afternoon she received a call from Gary(?) "reminding" her that nothing was wrong with it. Upon insisting that something major was, he said "well I can lift it up today but I didn't find anything before." When she asked if he had driven it, he said he couldn't because he was the only one in the shop on Saturdays and it would have to wait till Monday. (Meaning, he didn't drive it the previous time either) She insisted that it be driven and she would wait until Monday. On Monday afternoon she got a call from Carlos. He proceeds to tear into her about the condition of the car and how "irresponsible" it was of her to let it get this far. Never mentioning that fact that it was looked at twice by his shop. He even went as far as referring to her as "little lady". Carlos then goes on to give the laundry list of issues totally $1700 and tells her that they will not release the car to her until everything is fixed. She hangs up the phone in tears after being verbally assaulted and scared about her car. Two days later, she gets the call that the car is fixed. Unable to get there before they close at 5:30, I offer to pick it up for her. She calls them, pays for it over the phone and tells them I will be picking it up. When I arrive, I walk into the garage and find Carlos in under the hood of another car. After a min or two (and my greeting... twice), he sets his tools down and looks up. I tell him I am here for her car, the specific make and model. Without saying a word, he walks into the office, grabs the receipt and hands me the keys, then walks away. Kind of stunned, I ask she left the remote or her house keys, and without even turning around he "no!" Ok, grumpy guy, I get it. But it gets worse... I go out the car parked on the street, not only find it unlocked with a GPS in the glove box, but grease stains all over the driver and passengers seat. Knowing that my girlfriend JUST had her seats shampooed and cleaned, there was no way it was there already. I go back inside to find Carlos and tell him I need to show him something. Again, without saying a word he follows me outside. I show him the stains and explain that the car was just cleaned. Without a word, he turns and goes back inside. While he is digging for a cleaning product, he proceeds to tell me "this is why I wanted her to pick it up". Infuriated, I ask why that would matter? He responds "Because there is an always an issue when somebody else picks it up." I promise him that the stain was not there before and it had to come from his shop and it shouldn't matter who notices it. I follow him back outside where he quickly cleans the seats, making sure to point out every mark of dirt on the floor of the car and saying "see, nobody was in the passenger seat, so how could we have done this." Don't treat your customers like they are criminals and certainly refer to a woman as a "little lady" and assume you can walk all over her. Bottom line... We won't be back. Nobody deserves to be treated that way. read more

I loathe owning a car. I am not really sure if I need to own one but I do just in case. I have awful luck with tires. I tend to get flats. On Columbus Day (my birthday, what fun), I call up ARCO to see if they could take me and get me set up with a new tire for my car which is rocking three underinflated tires and one spare. They absolutely can so I drive over. I work with Gary. He takes out my tire with the hole and double checks that it does indeed need replacing. It does. In about 25 minutes, off goes the spare, on goes the new one, fully rotated, and properly adjusted for my car. He checks everything underneath and says I actually am in good shape. He fills up my other tires because they are very low. I was extremely happy as he quoted me around $75 and this was below what I thought it would cost. Yes! Since I need one, I ask about an oil change. My car goes up and in about 20 minutes it's done. Happy! Great service, quick, professional. No trying to sweet talk me because I'm a girl (it still happens in this society and sucks), no scams, nothing. Honest work. I'll be back. read more

Just needed to post an update - these guys are STILL amazing. I was in a bind with a flat tire, and they went above and beyond the call of duty to get me back on the road. Can't imagine going elsewhere for the important stuff. Keep it up! read more

Brought my set of all-season tires to switch out the snow tires I had on the car and rebalance the all-seasons. Pros: Best price I saw for wheel balancing, $40 for all four. Cons: They do not use a torque limiter on their impact wrenches. I requested it, but he mentioned they do not have torque limiters available. A bit of a dealbreaker, since the point of bringing it to be done at a shop is the convenience of not having to jack up the car and the convenience of not having to properly torque the lugnuts. Service was good and prices were good, but I don't think I'll be bringing it back because of the lack of torque control when tightening lugnuts. Most reputable tire shops will use the torque limiters on their impact wrenches. read more

I've been going here for several years off and on. They are very honest and hard working shop with decent rates. I highly recommend.

I don't like writing a negative review for these guys--they were friendly and helpful the first time I came in, and did good work--but my second visit was so outstandingly bad that I feel obligated to warn the community that they're inconsistent. Plus, honestly, I'm pissed off. Recently, my car developed a loud thump on each rotation of the back left tire. The guy who met me as I came in listened briefly as I explained the problem, then walked around the car and diagnosed sidewall damage to the tires, caused by my driving: "You can't use your tires as curb feelers!" When I asked whether that could cause the problem I had come in for, he said that it hadn't, and seemed unwilling to look into that further. I asked him again to help me figure that out, and he grudgingly agreed to put the car on the lift and do that. I left my number and got on the bus to go to work. 10 minutes later, another guy called to say that the thumping was in fact a serious problem. They had also found new problems, and wanted my okay to replace 3 of the car's 4 tires. He tried to explain a) the problems, b) the tires affected, and c) what brands of tires I might choose as replacements. The bus was noisy, so I asked him to repeat. He accused me of not listening. I'd had it with them by this point, and told him to forget it. I picked up the car later. So, the upshot: these guys may be great much of the time, but my experience was pretty negative. read more

I went in to get an alignment and they found a serious problem that was gonna cost me a fair chunk of change but instead of pressuring me into doing the work, they listened to me, joked with me and, when I told them I was probably just gonna sell the car for scrap, they didn't charge me a dime for their work. Stand up guys in a really good shop. read more

This place is great. I've been there twice now and saved a ton of money on maintenance for my car. I've been looking for a small local mechanic that won't take one look at a young single city girl and try to upsell her everything. The first time I went to Arco, it was for tires. Most other places will try to sell you tires and labor at ridiculous rates. The owner took me into the garage after agreeing with me that yes, my tires were worn down enough to be replaced. He showed me my options and we settled on a nice all-season set for a good price. They were able to put them on and get my car back to me within just a few hours on a Saturday. When I picked my car up, he let me know that I should probably get my brakes done relatively soon. He quoted me VERY reasonable number for a full brake job and told me to come back in a few weeks or so. Well, I waited a little longer than a few weeks, since I got a new job that required me to actually drive to work. It got to the point where my brakes started grinding (oops). When I realized it couldn't wait a minute longer, I rolled out of bed and dropped my car off at 6:45am (they're open!). I was told, no problem, it'll probably be done by around 10:30-11. Sweet. They called me at 9 (and, since I knew I waited too long to get this done, I assumed this was the "hey, we found that your rotors were totally screwed so it'll be $700"), but it turns out there were no problems and it was a simple pad replacement and I could pick it up and be on my merry way to work! I had caught it JUST in time and the total was exactly what they had quoted me a few months earlier, at LEAST a couple hundred dollars cheaper than what I knew I'd pay elsewhere. -0.5 Stars since they can be a little terse on the phone but they're good in person. I'm happy to recommend Arco to anyone in the area looking for tires/brakes. read more

Great friendly garage. HONEST and fair. They helped us recover from a disaster at another garage. They prioritized the work and we got through it all in a couple of months. Always goes the extra mile to make sure that the work is done well at a fair price. I NEVER wonder if they are doing unnecessary work. Exactly what you want in a neighborhood garage. read more

These guys are great - they truly work hard and fast, and have great prices. Definitely recommended for new tires and tire repairs.

I have been coming here for years after finding them on Yelp and Gary and Carlos have been great with both our Subaru and BMW. Always professional, efficient at a fair price. Highly recommend. read more

I was desperately looking for someone who will be able to change my 4 tires for new ones without me having too sell an organ to finance it. After reading so many good reviews on this business, I decided to give it a try and I have not been disappointed. The 4 tires + the service was the cheapest I have been asked in the entire Boston area (and I can tell u that I nearly called every garage in the Everett-Somverville-Braintree... zone) 460 dollars. They were fast, efficient and polite and I am definitely a fan. read more

I just had a great experience at ARCO. I had taken my car to another local shop and semi-related issues continued to pop up after that. After taking it to that same shop three times and still having problems I decided it was time to try another garage. I was referred to ARCO and they were great. I was able to set up an appointment online, drop off the car and pick it up same day. They even let me pay over the phone because I wasn't able to get to the shop before closing. Carlos was professional, took the time to really explain what was wrong and what they needed to fix. He was also great about being frank about what things needed to be fixed ASAP versus the few things that could wait a while. Their quote was also spot on. I'd totally recommend them. read more

Been to Arco 5 or 6 times over the past two years......hands down best shop I've ever dealt with. Honest Mechanics, Fair Prices, and Quick Turnaround. Wouldn't take my car anywhere else. read more

Signed up for Yelp just to put review for Arco in here. I know nothing about cars, BUT I make it a point to educate myself about whatever particular problem or aspect of car that I need help on, because there is nothing I hate more than being treated like a helpless female who has no idea what to do with her car, and can be easily jipped (gypped?-- that sounds racist, almost). So, I knew what I needed, and Arco had everything. They had to order ball joints from somewhere else, and while other garages would say something like "3-5 days," the main manager/mechanic said it would only be an hour, because he could just get someone to physically buy one elsewhere and come back with it. That only took about an hour, and the job itself (replacing front two ball joints on an old Honda Accord) took less than another hour. Afterwards, the pricing (according to my research) was great, and far lower than other estimates I had been given. Furthermore, he was respectful, did not talk down to me at all, and answered my questions completely, and was just an overall, very personable guy. I needed some new winter tires as well, but having spent money on replaced ball joints, I thought I'd give my credit card a rest. He gave me an estimate that seemed average, suggesting a really great brand/type of tire for the winters here. I decided that I would go home and find an even cheaper place, being on a success-high from the ball-joint-replacement scenario. .....buuuuuut lo and behold! - Arco is still the best price for the quality, and because I really trust the guy (sorry, keep forgetting his name!) and appreciate his attitude towards his customers, I will be going back for any of my auto repair/upkeep needs! read more

Have to edit this - the tire they replaced made it cross-country, but apparently the wheel in question fell off the car a week after I left it with my brother! Not 100% sure that I can blame Arco Tire for this, but they were the last one to take it off...so I don't think I'll be hitting up Arco anytime soon. read more

Very happy with Arco Tires. They didn't have the tire I needed in stock but they ordered it and had it the next day. The gentleman working when I stopped in seemed frustrated that he had another car to work on but eventually he warmed up by the time I picked up the car. The prices were reasonable and fair, I would definitely return. read more

We just moved my daughter here for the summer and had a flat tire within a few hours after her arrival. The 2 guys here, Gary and his co-worker were kind, friendly and got her car back on road in 15 mins for a very fair price! I am confident that if she has any car issues at all this summer we can trust Arco for honesty and great service and work. They have daughters of their own and they know how important it is to do the right thing and they never have to advertise because their happy customers will do so for them! read more

They always re-fill all the fluids and check my tire pressure at every oil change - it's a nice thing that not all shops do. They also are really good about helping you decide whether something is worth fixing. They are not out to gouge their customers and won't encourage you to fix something just so they can make a buck. They also offer a good deal on their rates, too. Literally half as much as Good News Garage (which is also a great place - just expensive). read more

I'm embarrassed that it has taken me this long to leave a review for Arco. For the past year or so I have been using them as my main mechanics and have had them change my oil, patch up flats, swap out and balance new tires (that I provided), flush my transmission, and change over some brake rotors when I could not get off some seized bolts despite me trying every trick and tool in my toolbox. Their turnaround is quick despite my last minute drop-offs and their prices are very fair. The dudes at Arco don't throw any BS your way and in my experience are among the few honest mechanics in town. As long as I still live in the area and have a car, these guys will remain my mechanics. read more

Quick in and out. Had a nail in my tire for a few days and decided to ~finally~ get it out. Yelped the area and found Acro. Seemed legit. Arrived on a rainy day, an hour before closing. The man was nice. Told me there was one person ahead of me and invited me in. The other guy went in and out quickly. Drove into the shop, he found the nail and in less than 10 minutes, I was all set. Quickest $20 bucks spent. Will recommend and come back for further trips to the car doctor. read more