My go-to auto shop. If you bring your own fluids and parts, most shops won't put it in your car. They want to sell you the whole package. Or maybe they don't trust the parts you bring in. But I'm trying to save money usually when I go in for an auto repair. I've got a 10-year-old german car and no garage to do my own repairs in. If you ask, you'll get good advice from the mechanics here. If you don't, they put your part in and let you be. It's a good, honest, affordable shop here and I've been very happy with the service. read more

Carlos is a great guy! Best prices around and quality work. He doesn't over sell services, he tells you exactly what's wrong and fixes it correctly. He's caught multiple issues after work from the dealership or other mechanics. Brought my car to a different shop once for a small service and then to his shop a month later for alignment and wheel rotation. Turned out my tires had practically no tread left and risked a blowout. It wasn't visible without a lift due to the dealership selling the car with the wheels on a larger negative camber. Other shop didn't say anything about it but glad I brought it in because I was traveling out of state frequently at that time. Saved me from a blowout on the highway. Only shop I trust to not just do the service needed at the moment but looking out for other issues or what to expect down the road. read more

Managed to source and install my weird tire size same day. Friendly, extremely fast, and an extremely reasonable price for long lasting tires. Don't usually write yelp reviews but definitely want to recommend them! read more

Years of thinking penetration is a great thing got shattered the instant a nail pierced my front passenger tire. And on a Tuesday afternoon, I'm out in the rain, jacking the Jeep on a stack of leaves and jumping on a precipitation-slick lug wrench just to get the spare set for a three-minute drive to someplace - any place - that can right this horrible injustice. Yelpers say "Go to Arco," so I do. Gary takes me in immediately, plugs the hole, swaps the spare and drops the lift in, oh, seven minutes. Seven minutes. Yet in that seven minutes, we shot the shit about how tire manufacturers charge an extra $13 for white lettering and how his dad's pup (who, with dad, was hanging in the shop) hates all other small dogs. Twenty bucks later, I'm rolling out with a bad ass vehicular battle scar and a found respect for a guy who earned so much trust with so little effort. read more

Arco Tire & Services - Auto Repair Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

I was disappointed despite all these positive reviews. I called one day before for a leaking tire and was told to come next day early morning. Come in at 8am. That guy basically ignored me while I was waiting at the front. Told him I'm here to fix the tire. He said 4 hour. 4 fuckin hour for a tire leak? I asked how about I come in later but then he rolled his eyes and mumbled about how many cars ahead of me. He simply doesn't want to do it. I ended up google another store and went to C-a-r Z-o-n-e and they let me walked in and fixed the tire in 15 min! read more

This was the worst customer experience ever. I only needed two front tires replaced from old to new rims , provided the tires and provided the rims. The guy told me to come at 7:30 am ( not to be late if I want to have it done that day) , I showed up at 7:30 am on the dot, and he made me wait 15 min till he finished his tea, than I walked in to ask if i can leave the car in the garage , he basically ignored me for 10 min ( I should have left than)...Finally tells me to pull in the car and to come back in 45 min. I came back and he charged me arm and leg- $145 for putting on and balancing two tires!!!! Every other place on average $60-90! The guy is unprofessional, rude and argent and very very overpriced! read more

I had a tire replaced here. On that first visit, the owner wasn't around and the employees didn't know how to work the credit card machine so they asked that I pay cash. Ok. 2 days later, my tire went flat. I brought it into the shop to get it replaced, and I was told the shop was slammed and I would have to come back another day. I came back the next day and he fixed the tire. Apparently the tire was on correctly, but the valve wasn't. He fixed the tire, but offered no explanation of what was wrong until I asked and never apologized for his crew installing the tire wrong. The next time I need a tire fixed, I will go to a place that does it right the first time or has enough professionalism to apologize and explain when mistakes are made. read more

Carlos is excellent and my go to guy when I have any issues with my cars. He is quick and the cost of any repairs is reasonable. He does get very busy so you may have to wait for his excellent work. Give Arco Tire a chance you won't regret it. read more

He's the best! He tells you how it is and doesn't overcharge you for extra stuff. He helped me out a lot and explained everything he did. He's trustworthy and got my breaks changed day of when other people could only get me in in a week or more. He is really busy so just be mindful of that. I would recommend this place to anyone! read more

Think of that quaint restaurant or bakery that you love that is located on a small side street, not obvious to many, but has the most amazing food and service that you can imagine and super cheap prices. Arco Tire is just that, but for cars. I was quoted $580 to replace the front driver's side axle for my 97 Honda Accord EX Sedan by the Honda dealership. Arco did it for $220 including labor and materials. Not only that, they told me it would take about 2 hours, so I walked over to the Teele Square cafe to grab a sandwich and free-wifi. I finish my sandwich, check a few emails, and get a call about 1 hour later from Arco saying that they were done! When I asked them what their secret was to doing jobs for so cheap and they told me that everyone else just charges too much. Holy crap!!! Speed, honesty, and quality service. Is there anything else you could want from your mechanic? read more

I am currently on day 10 of my car being at Arco and as far as I know, it hasn't even been looked at. Had it towed there on 1/3/2020 to have the oil pump replaced... provided my own parts. I called to make sure the vehicle was towed safely there. Before they even looked at it, they're telling me that it doesnt sound good (well, duh, that's why its there) then start telling me that it might be the engine bearings and do I even want to do this work and if they put my parts in and it still isnt fixed, they still need to get paid. Ok, I get that. Please just let me know how much. Fast forward a week later, I call to get an update... they havent even gotten in the bay because the guy is there alone during the week but will have help on the weekend and they're going to do a compression test and we'll go from there. Saturday... no phone call. I drive by, see my truck sitting in the yard with the hood up, thinking oh good... they're working on it. By end of business.. still no phone call. I drive by again at 9pm... truck is in the same spot as earlier still with the hood up... not a single soul to be found... gate wide open!!! I snapped a pic and then shut the hood and thank god I did because it rained!!! I really feel like they dont want to fix it and want to cause more damage to get a bigger pay day. I'll keep you all posted read more

Got a flat just before the holiday -- I called ahead and they had that size in stock. Quick replacement at a fair price ($140 for a General G-Max). Holiday saved, thank you! read more

I posted a photo a few months ago but forgot to review ! :O ... all the other reviews are spot on. #1 People hate dealing with car problems. me too. #2 this summer they did my brakes at a fair price and just took a day i think under 300$ #3 We had the first snow in Boston and of course the car wouldnt start :/ I told him to check everything for the winter- alternator, starter, belts, etc. new battery = 99$ oil change = 30$ heavy duty wipers = 20$ (no, I don't know how to put on wipers) topped off antifreeze, no charge Everything else he said was good to go :) bottom line: the potential to take me for more was there...honest business I really feel comfortable going there. read more

Arco Tire & Services - Tucked back in on side street - Clarendon Ave by Teele Square - Auto Repair Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Old school neighborhood repair shop. I think it's just one mechanic these days. Got a flat tire patched up there recently. Happy with the work. read more

We hit a curb with our Ford Escape on Sunday night and ended up with a flat tire and a potentially damaged rim. I went over to Arco early on Monday morning and they took care of me -- it was an All Wheel Drive tire, so took a few hours to get a new one, but he called me as soon as it arrived, and by the time I showed up, he had it installed and I was ready to go. Really appreciate that he took the extra minute to put the spare back in the 'trunk' and tidied everything up (it's a small thing, but saves me from getting very dirty hands... since I'm a delicate flower, you know? :-) ). Thanks Arco! read more

Not sure why this place has such high reviews. I had a tire that needed a plug, and sure, they fixed it in a timely manner and it was arguably cheap ($23 for a 5-minute repair), but the service was awful. From the moment I stepped in, the mechanic was rude and acted like he was in a hurry to get rid of me. He took a "not my problem" attitude toward any questions I had. When I asked why the tire pressure light was on even before I had the flat, he responded, "I fixed your problem. I don't have time for that." I'll be sticking with Alewife Automotive moving forward - equally fast there but with a much higher service standard and helpful people. read more

Did what they were asked to, replace and balance 4 tires. Called 30 minutes ahead of time, described what I wanted done, and they were able to fit me in Showed up with my own new tires and they swapped them out for the old ones and balanced the wheels in about 45minutes. Cost was $10 per tire to replace and another $10 to balance, $80 overall. Reasonable price for the timing. If you're looking for anything other than some gruff townie mechanics then this place isn't for you. Worth noting that my score is purely for the task that they did as mechanics, good job, no hassle. However if you're a woman it's likely the case that these guys think you're an idiot. One felt it was a good idea to out of the blue bring up the fact that a lot of women come in particularly emotionally distressed about the same situation i was in. (Ladies get all worked up about confusing man car things amirite?) read more

I used to literally live across the street from this place so when they myriad list of cars I had broke down (1966 Econoline, 1986 Toyota Corolla and 1991 Ford Taurus, yes I'm a classy bitch) broke down from time to time it was literally as convenient as could be. Now that I'm rolling in a serious ride (what-what 2007 Toyota Yaris) and have moved to the much more adult Magoun Square area its not as easy as rolling out of bed, finding out my car won't start, dropping off the keys with Gary and back to bed until its fixed. But still hands down worth it. Example, sad little Taurus had an alternator problem, Gary and the guys fixed it up and had it back to me later in the day. About a week later I roll out there to find sad little dead Taurus again. I pop in to Gary tell him the problem and he immediately gets it in there. DOAA (dead on arrival alternator). No problem, he replaces and fixes it for free. For the one or two people who complained about customer service I can only guess that you got back what you gave out, its a car, I can hardly program my microwave after the power went out, so yeah sometimes shit happens. Second example, clutch is going going gone. I call the dealership, after I recover from the 2100$ heart attack quote they've given me (seriously dealership, its a Toyota Yaris. A. Toyota. Yaris. New clutch is more than the book value) I call over to Arco, a reasonably priced 800$ including an oil change and while they were at it, alignment and I'm a happy camper. They tell me they'll have it back to me the next day (dealership, looking at you and your 3 day turnaround). Even better, I get a phone call a mere 4 hours later telling me to come get it. They don't do any work that doesn't need it and each and every time they've gone above and beyond. There's no talking down because I'm a girl who went in with a burned out clutch (trust me that happens, silly women with their manuals, don't we know that could muss up our nails??), they even show me the old part lest I worry that they're doing work that didn't need it. Don't think about going there, just do it. read more

Despite the positive reviews, I had a really negative experience with Arco this past weekend. I called last week to make an appointment for Saturday, and agreed to drop off my car on Friday night so they could get to it first thing in the morning. The shop closes at 1pm on Saturday. I arrive at 12:30 on Saturday and they haven't even touched my car. It's right where I left it. They don't start working on the car until 1:15pm. The whole staff is clearly very grouchy to be working on my car after closing...but I had dropped it off the night before! They write on my rims with sharpie and climb in to my car's cargo area getting mud all over. An hour later they are still trying to program the tire monitoring sensors. I walk in to the shop and notice that they are using the instructions for a Lexus LS, not a Lexus LX (totally different car). Even with the correct car in their computer they still are unable to program the sensors. So I drive home, hours late, with a blinking warning light. Then when I get home I realize they failed to return the lug nuts for my summer wheels. Goodbye $120 in lug nuts I now I have to repurchase. I wish I had trusted my instincts and taken the car when I showed up at 12:30 with no work done. read more

I brought my car in when it was making a strange burning smell occasionally when I drove. After being lied to about the problem at a dealership, I asked them to check it out for me. They ran a series of tests, kept the car for two days, and even drove it around countless times in an attempt to find out what was up. It ended up not being an issue at all (too much transmission fluid was leaking onto the exhaust because it had been overfilled.) They didn't charge me a cent. I actually felt kind of bad not giving them anything for their troubles. I also recommended that a friend go there when they needed some repair work. They ended up saving a few hundred dollars after price shopping at other mechanics. This place rocks. read more

I really need to sing the praises of Arco some more! In January of 2015, I got my front brakes replaced at Arco. Starting in the Spring, I noticed that my car ('05 Civic) was starting to make a creaking noise when I braked at low speeds. I didn't think too much of it since the car is getting up there, and the brakes appeared to be functioning properly. However, when it continued to happen for a few months, I opted to bring it up when I had to go to the Honda dealer to take care of an airbag recall that had happened on my car. The dealer took that opportunity to tell me that the brakes that had been put on there were of very poor quality and causing damage to the rotors. They told me that I needed to spend ~$500 to get new front brakes and rotors. Something felt WAY off to me about that recommendation, so I gave Arco a call (since they had replaced the front brakes) and spoke to Gary about the situation. Gary was shocked and about to head out on vacation, but he committed to letting Carlos know what was going on and told me to bring it in so that they could take a look at it. The next day, I brought the car in to Carlos and shared the paperwork from the dealer so that he could see what they'd diagnosed as the issue. He gave me a call about an hour later and let me know that he still had the car apart, and that the brakes, rotors and caliper were all just fine. He told me that he'd leave the car apart for me so that when I stopped in to pick it up, he could show me what he was seeing. When I stopped by, he showed me all of the parts and sure enough they were totally fine. No heat spots or other indicators of damage to the rotors, and the brake pads and caliper also showed no signs of damage. Even though Carlos was by himself in the shop and had spent time on my car, he would not charge me anything because as he said, "We never charge anyone to look at their car, whether or not we did the repairs." Arco is a top notch shop, and their owners are extremely professional and kind. They know what they're doing and they're not out to take your $ (AHEM---Honda dealer!). I'll remain a loyal customer. read more

Carlos took me in for an alignment and oil change with only 1 days notice. Everything was completed as I asked and the price was fair.

First I will say that, judging by other reviews, it seems like my experience here was abnormal but I still think I should share it. Long story short: Mechanic couldn't find out why a loud buzzing noise was coming from my car and I fixed it a week later with the push of a button. My car started emitted a loud buzzing sound coming from the right side of the dashboard and it really worried me. I looked up this place, it had good reviews, so I called and asked if I could bring the car in to get it looked at. No problem. When I arrived, the guy (not sure of his name) couldn't tell what it was right away because he couldn't open up the dashboard. He asked me to come back. About 45 minutes later he called me and tells me this: He can't open up the dash and investigate because in order to do that, he would have to take my entire car apart. That would pretty much be more than my old car is worth. He explained that it he thought it was some kind of actuator motor (I might be wrong here) going off for some reason. If it were him, he wouldn't pay to get it looked at--at the same time, it would drive him crazy. So now I'm depressed that there is this permanent buzzing sound in my car which I don't even know is safe or not. I took it back and planned to get a second opinion. Before I could do this, though, a week later I FIXED IT MYSELF. I don't know why, but I happened to fiddle with the air control settings. I literally hit a different air setting and the buzzing stopped. I'm really disappointed because this mechanic had my car for 45 minutes but he couldn't figure out that hitting a different air control setting would stop the annoying noise. Then he conjured up a speculation as to what the noise was but why it couldn't be fixed. I'm not sure if it was because I'm young and female, but that strikes me as careless. read more

Big fat silver nail was sticking out of my tire, and I need to find a place ASAP. I looked on Yelp and found this place, and decided to go even though it seemed kind of far from the North End for just a tire. Unfortunately, I needed a brand new tire since the nail was embedded in the sidewall, and as they explained, if it was patched there my tire would inevitably blow out, which is not a risk I am willing to take while driving up to Vermont every weekend! Total charges were $95 for the new tire, $5 for the work, and I got a better tire than the ones I already had on, which cost the same. I liked that they did not try to get me to replace more than one tire, and was impressed that they accommodated me so quickly. read more

I was referred to Gary by my roomate. So, I went. Gary hooked me up. He told it like it is, told me how much it would be and fixed my car up. No worries here for me. The work was done in a timely fashion for a reasonable price. read more

Gary - I love you! This place is the best! My roommate recommended them to me after I needed to replace my tires. I'm also one of those girls who does not know a thing about cars - so it was important to me to find someone I could trust as my father (chief officer on comforting me that I am not getting ripped off) is far away in Ohio. I've been back since as I needed a new set of tires in the past year and I've also needed an oil change and a new battery. Gary, who I assume is the owner, is the bomb.com. He lays out everything he is looked at, tells you like it is and does the job at a reasonable price and in a timely manner. Love it! read more

When you get to the point of needing to bring your car to the shop, you are typically in a vile mood. Not to mention Car Services are notoriously pricey and it often seems like the people running the place are more out to strip you of your savings rather than help a sister out. I have had my fair share of trips to the shop for reasons varying from a flat tire, to my latest (literal) run-in with a parked car. And let me tell you, these guys are the big-time. 1) They are ALWAYS courteous and willing to help you out - even if it means referring you to someone else. My most recent experience: Carlos lifted my car, told me there was no structural damage and sent me on my merry way to a friend of his that ran an auto-body shop to get my car ship shape. 2) They truly work to save you a buck. They put a new tire on for me for free in about 10 minutes flat. Honesty is the name of the game. 3) I'm sure they get busy, but the few times I've dropped my car off before work during the week they were more than willing and capable of accommodating whatever I needed. You really can't beat the service at these guys. The only other place I've been to that lives up to them is Main Street Citgo in my hometown of Winchester, Ma. You can bet your bippy I will be back anytime I need any kind of work done - even if it's just to get their opinion on who I *really need to go see. read more

Yelp pointed me to Arco and I couldn't have been more pleased. My flat tire was fixed in under 30 minutes for only $20. He really took the time to find the leak and was honest about repairing it, rather than just trying to sell me a new one. Great experience. I don't hope to get another flat, but if I do, I know where to go. read more

Took my vehicle here with a tire that was damaged but repaired with Flat Tire Foam. I totally expected to be told I needed 4 new tires (AWD) but instead was told the leak appeared to have sealed! I left with a quote for 4 solid tires and installation that I was thought was reasonable and the same tire I rolled in with. For the time he spent looking my tire over and checking the pressure etc, ...no charge. No work done yet but the attitude was certainly refreshing. read more

I need to update this review, as we've now been using Arco for the past three years and have had such TERRIFIC experiences! We had one older car in particular that needed quite a few visits, so we frequented their shop. These folks are the real deal. Not only are they talented mechanics, but they never have done anything for our vehicles that they themselves wouldn't want to be done for their own vehicles. They offer low prices, are flexible about drop off and pick up times, and are also friendly to work with through all experiences. We'll be moving away from Arlington in a few weeks and will miss working with them. I can only hope we'll find an on par shop in Austin! read more

My tire pressure indicator came on last night. I searched for a place that would be open today (Saturday). At first I went to a different place, mentioned that I needed my tire pressure checked, and the guy pointed at the pressure gauge and air in the parking lot. I don't know how to use those! I then came here. It turned out I had a nail in my tire, so they fixed my tire quickly. They also gave me a good breakfast recommendation nearby so I could grab something to eat while I waited. Thank you! read more

I got a flat tire just when it was about time to make the switch to my snow tires for the winter. I usually bring my car to the dealer to do this, but when I called they told me they didn't have a free appointment for 6 whole days. Clearly that wasn't going to cut it, so I hopped on Yelp to look for a reputable tire place nearby who could do the job sooner. I called around to a few places, and Arco won when they said they could take my car ASAP and have it done in a few hours. Huzzah! The guys were extremely nice and the price was very reasonable. I definitely will go back in the spring when it's time to switch back to my other tires. read more

I just needed some basic things - AAA had put my spare on after a flat, so I needed to repair that tire, and I also needed an oil change. Gary had time for me right away, and was done less than two hours later. He had fixed and remounted the tire, rebalanced all four, and filled all four. He also did the oil change, and checked and topped off all my fluids. He explained everything, and charged me a lot less than I thought I'd be spending. I'm definitely going to come back here for all my car needs in the future. read more

I saw this place on Yelp having good reviews so I took my BMW in there to have several things done: A/C Service, brake light needed replacing, there was a scraping sound coming from the RF tire every morning, plus my heated front seat was overheating PLUS the car needed an overall check as I'm selling it and I wanted to know if anything major was up. Well I easily expected all this to cost $300 to $400 - but it was $120!!! A/C is now great. Light fixed. Heated seat sorted - all for $120. I used to go to Fantasia's in Medford but (a) I can never get an appointment and (b) their costs were always on the high end if I needed work. Arco are my new favorite! read more

I've never written a Yelp review before but I picked this shop because of the good reviews so I want to pay it forward and make sure others can get their great service too! I had a horrible blown out tire that I needed a same day repair on. I called the shop in the morning and they told me that I could have it towed there and didn't even need to come in, so that's just what I did. They called me and gave me a fair quote, then had the car fixed within three hours. Just plain good, kind service. Thank you! read more

One of the many who had awesome experiences here. Didn't have my tire in stock, but ordered it to arrive the next day. (It arrived around 11 instead of 9, but I can't blame them for bad traffic.) Super friendly on arrival. Super fast service. The price was right and exactly what we'd agreed upon over the phone. They also happen be a 2 minute walk from a great barber, so I popped over there, got a quick cut, and when I got back, my car was done! read more

I just called and confirmed that they do NOT have torque limiters on their impact wrenches. The guy on the phone thought that quoting the finite pounds of force their wrenches put out was sufficient. I'm sorry, it's not. As anyone who's taken basic college physics can tell you, force and torque are not the same thing. And if you put too much torque on a lug nut, you can damage the threading, which is a real pain to fix, or make the nut extremely hard to remove with a hand-wrench. That's disappointing, because I was considering going to them for a tire. 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

Just an update to say I still love the service at ARCO. Carlos is so helpful with advice on how to keep up my old car. I know I can trust them, so I take my car across town, passing by about 10 other shops along the way! read more