Normally, I don't respond to owners' responses to a negative review because most of the time they are just playing PR, i.e. saving face. In this instance, the owner is not only trying to save face but he's pulling all sorts of hare brained accusations out of his backside. So since Yelp does not allow for the option of a direct reply in the "comments" section, my only recourse is to "update" this review. No, I did not go reapply a new tint before my last inspection, which was done at Mass Inspections and refreshingly no nonsense, trouble free. What I did do was, I dug up my old tinting papers and found that the original tint I had on my windows which Aris Auto claimed was in violation was actually AT the 35% Visible Light Transmission level that is legal minimum in the state of Massachusetts! *That* is why no other inspection place in my 7 years of living in this state had ever questioned it, nor have the police ever pulled me over for it. In fact, I see cars with darker tints all the time on the roads. Again: I would trust this establishment as far as I can throw it. And it amuses me that the owner brings up how long he's been in business as some sort of seal of integrity. Comcast has been around for 57 years, as a matter of fact...and it's one of the most widely and bitterly complained about companies in the US. read more

Very terse and rude way of dealing with customers. Came to get my smog check and they told me in order to past the test would need to drive it a while (I had my battery replaced). When I came back to get it rechecked they surprised me with a new fee saying it was longer than the 60 day fee. They said this was a standard fee by the state, which may be true, but was never told I had to come within 60 days. When I tried to explain this was never conveyed to me, they became extremely combative. I highly recommend going to another like Mac's or GE. read more

A Fair and Honest Shop, My Battery Had To Be Replaced, Alex went the Extra Step to Check the warranty. Thank-YOU! (you to bob)

I have been a customer since they opened. During that time I've had a 1975 Volvo, a 1985 Peugeot, and currently a 2000 Saab. Aris has kept all of these going beyond their normal life expectancy. They do good work at a fair price with a customer-friendly attitude. I highly recommend Aris. read more

Aris is amazing! My car was unresponsive due to severe rusting that needed a lot of work and replacements. Aris was extremely communicative about everything that needed done and kept me in the loop about finding the correct part (one of them was discontinued). They were kind, honest, and knowledgable. This is my first Yelp review ever because I am so grateful for all the work Aris put in to make sure my car was safe to drive again. I will be coming here in the future for any work on my car. read more

Great local honest place. Been going for years always very clear on work needed. Great value and pricing Purchased a car from them almost 10 years ago that is still going strong. Highly recommended. read more

No one is better! They have brought my car back to life for years now! Bob is such a wonderful person and is very caring and communicative! These people are the best! read more

I am fairly new to Aris but am thankful that I have found them. They are knowledgeable, helpful, and kind.

Aris always takes care of our cars beautifully. We've come to depend on their honesty and great service.

I was there for my auto inspection which they did but at the expense of my car's front grill. When I complained about the issue, the person who inspected my car was nervous initially and declined to take the responsibility. Then, the next person came and instead of taking care of the issue told me "Are you blaming that guy?" He even tried to blame me stating it might haven been damaged before I took it for the inspection. There is no way one can just drive with that damage, the front logo would fall off. The person who inspected my car flee away and returned back as I was leaving. With my experience, no one should get any services at this place unless you want your car damaged. Such a same that they are still on business.. read more

Just want to say thank you For your time and good customer service. My engine light was on You looked at car even when i had no appointment and fixed it without charge. I wish all mechanics could be a little flexible sometimes all it takes is to say lemme see what it is ..... One of the mechanics told me we don't have time but i will look at it and see if it's safe to drive and in 2mins he told me i was set to go. thank you read more

Love this place. Honest and fair. Alex is wonderful- first time I went there, he was on his way out the door because he had passed a kids' lemonade stand and wanted to go back so he could buy a lemonade to support them- Just a glimpse into his (and their) ethos. I've been going there for about a year and a half. Have had nothing but positive experiences- good work done at reasonable prices and never ever ever pushing me to do an unnecessary repair. Just the opposite- treats you like family. Highly recommend. read more

Whoa! Just read Orly's review almost at the same time as I was reviewing my monthly credit expenses and saw a charge from Aris. I was there a few weeks ago and my car didn't explode or anything, but I did stop in for gas and my only advice is to beware and read the tiny print on the pump-- their posted prices are for cash only, and credit card purchases cost nearly ten cents more a gallon. read more

As a woman I have received competent caring and compassionate care of each and every one of my humble automobiles. They treated me as a single gay woman with respect and support thru many life changes and cars. They are simply the best. Deb read more

I brought my car into Aris for an annual inspection after they were recommended by a local auto shop that doesn't do inspections [H/T to the mechanic @ Auto Plus in Somerville]. My car failed the inspection due to a relatively minor issue. Bob took the time to call me into the garage to walk me through the problem in detail and even had me look under the car to see exactly what he was talking about. As someone who is clueless about cars/repairs, I really appreciated this. Alex explained the cost and quality options before he ordered the specific part needed and was realistic about when they'd be able to get to my car, therefore not leaving me without it for the weekend needlessly. I brought it back in first thing Monday morning, it was ready by the end of the day and the bill was half (!) of what Alex originally estimated. It's also worth noting that when I picked my car up it was around 5:00pm on a 90+ degree day and Alex was juggling multiple customers, taking phone calls, moving cars and fielding questions from employees after working for over 9 hours and never lost his cool. I'm thankful to have found a reliable local auto shop with a great staff and would highly recommend them based on my first experience. read more

This is the cheapest gas in the area, regardless of cash or credit. The sign outside only gives the price for cash (of course). It's also full-service. The service is also overwhelmingly quick. 1 star off because one attendant here kept clicking the gas after my car told the pump it was done fueling. Cheap and dangerous gimmick for the extra 15 cents I had to pay. This happened one time in the 30+ times I've been here, but it was jarring nonetheless. read more

I'm really grateful to Alex at Aris Auto. I brought my car in after being told by the dealership that I desperately needed new brakes. Alex told me that in fact, I did not, saving me hundreds of dollars. They run a really solid business that you can trust. read more

One of the most reliable and helpful people out there. Even for the smallest issues! I needed air in my tires and everywhere else that their machine out of order. I go to Aris and they filled up my tires free of charge without me getting anything else there! For hospitality reasons alone, they will have my business for as long as I live in Somerville! read more

Great service. Called and dropped off the car at the last minute. Quick check and problem ended up not needing a repair, so didn't even charge me for the time they took to check it out. Super friendly and explained what to look for in case I encounter the issue again. Will definitely be returning in the future. read more

Brought our Corolla in with a check engine light. They diagnosed the problem for free (great). Unfortunately, they told us they didn't know why the car's internal computer thought there was that particular problem, so they just reset the car's computer. More importantly, they got the diagnosis wrong (according to two other mechanics, including the one who fixed our car)! Update (edit): Aris contacted me after this 1-star review. The facts of our experience still stand, but I appreciate that they were concerned enough to try to fix the situation. So I am bumping this up to 2 stars. read more

Great customer service, knowledge and reasonable prices. They are always willing to take my car on short notice and are up front and honest.

I will start by saying this, The absolutely No what customer service means!!!! I needed tires for my 2014 Dodge Caravan. I shopped around and when I contacted Aris Auto I spoke with Alex (owner). Right away I new this was someone who does things right. He explained to me the options and also let me know I did not need to replace all 4 I could just do the front 2 tires. I asked him what he felt was best and he explained all options to me. My decision came down to 1 thing he said. "If I were traveling in the rain with my family in the car I would do it that way" to me that is what treating the customer right! I now have 4 brand new Michelin tires and it rides and handles amazing. Most of all I now myself and my family are much safer. Thank you Alex and the entire crew for all of your help. You will always have my buisness going forward! It's true the small businesses always treat you like family! read more

This place is awesome! The mechanics are honest and will tell you straight out what all your options are and how much each of them will cost you. They helped me out with all kinds of issues on my car and I could not be more satisfied with they work and their service. Thumbs up ;) read more

Had the easiest experience getting my car inspected this morning - in & out in less than 20 min. I'll be coming here for all my future inspections and whatever else my car might need! read more

Showed up at 7:45 for a car inspection. They mentioned inspections start at 8 AM, no one else was there and multiple workers were available. I checked in at 8 and they said 10 minutes, 10 minutes goes by, they say another 5 minutes. Continued to wait for 30 minutes while given no accurate information. Would have preferred accurate wait times, or had they actually followed through with the original ones given there were people available for the inspection. Don't recommend. read more

Don't buy gas here, and if you don't heed my warning, it's your own dumb fault if something happens to your car. This place used to be right on my corner and it was my neighborhood gas station. I took my car here for minor repairs and bought my gas here often because i'm lazy and hate the cold and it's cheap and full serve. So, the manager is kind of a jerk but the mechanics are really sweet. Also, don't expect them to repair anything complex. My last experience with Aris was over the summer when I was running late to work and quickly filled up there. They have a cash price and a credit price. ALWAYS USE CREDIT OR GET A RECEIPT!!! I have learned my lesson. I drive to work, do my thang, and then as I am leaving the garage at the end of the day, my car just straight up dies. It won't start. I've got nothin'. I quickly identify that it's not my battery and i'm screwed. AAA needs a low clearance truck and I dont feel like waiting 5 hours in the garage so I go home and have them tow the car to Aris. Oh, sweet sweet irony. Aris has no idea wtf is wrong with my car. As it turns out, I have towed my car to the place that caused the damage to begin with. I have my car towed AGAIN to The Honda dealership in Everett and the tow truck driver gives me a ride home -- score! He also is a white dude but listening to hardcore hip hop, keeps hawking loogies out of the truck, and talking on his phone about his dating life really loud while dropping f bombs. Nice. As it turns out, there is DIESEL in my gas tank and I need my gas tank flushed out. Oh wait, where did I fill up my car with off brand gas just that morning? Why Aris. And I hadn't gotten gas in weeks, i dont drive much, so Aris was the culprit. And my dumb ass doesn't have a receipt so I can't take any kind of legal action. About $450 less in my pocket and I have learned my lesson. The gas at the Cumberand Farms/Gulf is just as cheap and it's brand name gas, just fill up right across the street. Always always always get a receipt. Always. read more

Full service fueling at 8¢ a gallon less than Cumby's down the block! Then why, oh why, such an Eek! review? Of the two gas-ups needed to keep the ol' girl up and running, two have resulted in a charging discrepancy between what's on the pump and the total on my card. The first was a $2 increase, and on the most recent trip, $4 more than the actual amount. From this particular interaction, the employee didn't even look back at the meter before a rehearsed apology slipped out of a sly smirk. He promptly gave me the difference in cash, and I couldn't help but feel this wasn't the first time this had happened. This is only for the gas service, as I'm wholly unfamiliar with their mechanical prowess. At the pump, however, once is a mistake; twice is a possible pattern. There won't be a third. read more

This place is the most sketchy gas station I'd ever been to in broad day light. The guys barely speak any english, we came to fill up the tank, they took the credit card inside and came back saying it was declined. I logged into bank of america on my phone and it was shut off due to suspected fraudulent activity, looks like they swiped it one toooo many times. They were then standing right in front of me and shouting give me cash, give me cash, give me cash multiple times, which was very unprofessional and annoying at the same time. Since I didn't cary enough cash for the full fill, and they didn't accept american express. I had no choice but call Bank of America and explain the situation to unlock my account, once my account was unlocked, Bank of America rep stated that 5 transaction were in progress, all for different amount. WHY ON EARTH WOULD THEY CHARGE 5 DIFF AMOUNTS FOR GAS?!?! 20 minutes later i approved the proper transaction to go through and left the place, and will never be returning there. Cons: SKETCHY, VERY UNPROFESSIONAL, DIRTY, I'D RATHER CALL TRIPLE A THEN GO BACK! read more

I've been taking my 98 civic to Aris for about 3 years now and they have been very good. If you are patient with scheduling & phone calls, they are great to work with. Their prices seem fair and their strong point is that they do not try to perform extra/unnecessary work. In fact, it's usually just the opposite. They will usually favor an easier & less expensive solution (tightening a squeaky belt instead of replacing it, getting my window back on track instead of taking the door apart and replacing the entire thing) and this is perfect for an older car where I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars if I don't really have to. Scheduling is usually fine. I just drive over at about 8am and talk to one of the guys about the issue and leave the car there. Then I call around 3pm to see how it's going. One time during this past summer they were too busy to take my car that day, so you could call the day before to make sure they will be available. And one time they needed more than a day to fix the issue, but they called me in the afternoon to talk about it. read more

I used to love this place -- It was our go-to repair shop for over two years. But the day they told me they couldn't do my inspection because they had gotten caught cheating by a state inspector I should have know to take my business elsewhere. After leaving my beloved (& 15-year-old) car in their hands & specifically asking that they call me with an estimate, I called to check in only to find out that they had performed some very expensive repairs without even checking with me. I unhappily paid my bill, figuring that they had been so reliable in the past they must have found something truly needing to be fixed. (At the time, Carlos explained to me that once they go into the compartment with the timing belt, they might as well go all out to tune it up... makes sense, but for goodness sake TELL your customer it's going to cost $800 before springign that on someone!) A few days later, I realized something was leaking. I opened the hood to find oil EVERYWHERE -- the cap to the oil tank had popped off. Luckily (miraculously) the oil cap landed on the engine, so I could wipe it up, top it off with some oil & close it up again. I called Aris to see what they had to say. Of course they tried to blame me, even though I know they had done an oil change. Now, only 1 1/2 years later, guess what, I need to change my timing belt because they didn't do the job right & seal up the compartment. These guys have a lot of great reviews, and that's how I originally found them myself. But watch out. Their work is hit or miss & not at all worth the prices they're charging. read more

This review is for car inspection ONLY. I went here on the last weekend of the month, which was certainly my own fault, but had to wait an exceedingly long time to get my car inspected, and got no estimate on how long it would take from the people working there. There isn't enough room for cars to wait in this area of town, so people line up their cars around the block (which feels massively dangerous, to be honest). Because it's a tight squeeze to get into the bays to for inspection, people were rude on all sides getting in and out of the garage. My car passed (no surprise - I drive a new-ish car) - but I had to take an entire day to get it done. read more

A great place with really friendly, honest mechanics. I originally went to have brake work done, and they did a great job for a reasonable price. Then the brakes started squeaking...so I brought it back. They looked at it, found no problems, and didn't charge me for the service (brakes are fine and stopped squeaking, by the way). Then this morning, the poor car wouldn't start. I had no idea what was wrong, and had AAA tow it there. After much fiddling and fussing, all they could tell was that I somehow drained the battery. Within hours, I had the car back working, and again no charge. I was completely blown away that they would spend a couple hours looking at my car, and not only did they not find something mysterious and expensive wrong with it, but they didn't even make me pay! I don't know much about cars, and I am so happy to have found an honest mechanic that I can really trust. The only downside (I almost thought about giving only 4 stars) is that during the squeaky brake trip, they said they'd call when they had a chance to look at it. They never called, and I finally stopped by 2 days later to see what was up. Well apparently my car got looked at the day I dropped it off, but no one got in touch with me. Not a big deal, except about 6 weeks later I got a notice in the mail for 2 parking tickets...while it was parked out on the street across from Aris and the meter wasn't fed. This could've been avoided if I had just called to check up, so be careful! I have overheard customers request that their cars not be put on the street, so that's another option. read more

I had a pleasant experience with my state inspection today. Maybe I was lucky: as soon as I pulled up near an empty bay, I was called in (by Carlos) -- "State Inspection," he asked me. "Come right in." It was done in about 10 mins. He was nice, looked over what my T-shirt said...and I was on my way after paying $29.95/-. That is exactly how I wanted it -- no wait, no hassles. I agree with some previous posters that there is not much space to wait around there... read more

I have purchased gas here for over 10 years. The cash price is the lowest in the area, and the people who pump my gas are always courteous and friendly. Yesterday I hit the curb and destroyed my tire as I came into the station. The mechanic tried to plug it so that I could limp the car home, but the tire was unsalvageable. The crew loaned me a phone to call my partner for a pick up, ordered the tire, and let me know when it was ready. Their price was very reasonable and they were so nice. I strongly recommend this garage/gas station! read more

Hello Boston. Aris Auto is THE PLACE to get auto repairs PERIOD. I cannot emphasize this enough. Alex and Bob have been servicing our van for close to 3 years now and they have treated it well. They fix problems we have to the best of their ability and anything they can't fix, they'll direct you to someone they trust who can. I'm writing this review as I'm waiting for my lost wallet and Alex was kind enough to wait for me to get it to pay for my van repair. Aris Auto Aris Auto ARIS AUTO!! read more

Best mechanic experience i've had in Boston. The door to my gas tank wouldn't open and he fixed it for me on the spot and was so nice. (And everything seems very safe there in terms of covid-safety protocols.). Alex was great, I'll be back here when I have a bigger issue for sure. read more

3rd update: So maybe everything previous was an off week or something. My car fell apart awhile ago after 5pm and kind of like how my dog decides to eat a bee after the vet's office is closed for the day, I was kind of screwed. BUT since Aris has the gas station it's open a little longer and, well, it's still the only auto place I know, we had it towed there. The guys checked it out and told us they'd had someone come in with a similar problem a couple of months ago and that person got it fixed by Hyundai for FREE. So they gave us the number of the local dealership and with their handy info helped us get our car fixed by Hyundai for free and didn't charge us for their initial look. 2nd update: Been meaning to update this for awhile now. Two days after I wrote the review I got a call from the owner (or possibly the owner's son). He said they'd been thinking about the issues with the car (no word if he saw the review but I'm thinking yes) and asked what he could do to make it better. He also went through the reasons why it took longer than expected (their supplier couldn't get them the parts or something like that). I said all I really wanted was a lug nut and he said of course and to come in and pick one up on Monday or whenever it was convenient for me. Unfortunately, I realized we had to make a long trip before that (it was 4th of July weekend) so we just grabbed one from an auto parts store. Anyway, for trying to make it right, I'm giving them an extra star but if you're thinking of going to Aris for more than gas or an inspection still read my original review. read more

I'm not sure there is such a thing as a 5-star garage. I'm pretty sure this isn't it. I have enough car knowledge to sniff out being overcharged or otherwise not given all the info I need to decide what repairs to get and not get. At Aris, I get the feeling that Herbie, the guy who tells you what's up with your car, is honest, but not a go-getter. I needed a pretty simple repair and he gave me the highest price I could find to do it -- where as I could beat his offer by over 50% with three seconds of online research. Also, they had my car for 36 hours, and all they did was look under the hood and change over my plates. They're not bad, but not worth five stars, and not worth a drive when there are other average garages near by - or better. read more

We have been taking our cars to Aris for more than 20 years! They do great work and are always courteous, professional and friendly. Bob and Alex who run their front desk are great guys - totally trustworthy. Their prices are reasonable and the work is reliably well done! read more

These guys are the best. Professional and easy going; they know how to diagnose and then fix whatever you came there for. I had a broken control arm and a faulty oxygen sensor and I explained that I really needed my car. They were able to get the parts since they weren't at the shop and get it fixed all in 24 hours. 5/5! read more