Aris Auto

Been there for many repairs, always a positive experience with real estimates and real down time estimates as well. Carlos is very friendly and is quick with an inspection and Alex was able to give me a great idea of what my car needed long term. Love aris auto!

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!

I went for an inspection sticker and the guy took my atm card, said it would be 35.00 then they charged amd swiped $ 35.75. As i was waslkin out i heard a customer ask why they were just charged the same amount. Totally against the law.

I went to get a state inspection. I am 99% sure I got ripped off. One of my Rain-​X windshield wipers conveniently broke at the moment they tested it. They charged me $ 20 to replace it with a cheap squeaky one. He said it must have rusted, but the attachment piece for the blade is 100% plastic. What happened is that the locking part of the slide-​and-​lock attachment piece was completely broken off. It’s possible this just happened to happen at the exact moment they tested my wiper blades; they aren’t brand new. It’s also possible I’ll win the lottery.

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.

I have gone to Aris a few times now, ranging from state inspections to oil changes and other maintenance. I’ve never purchased gas from the station, so I haven’t experienced any of those issues mentioned by previous reviews. What I can say is that I’ve always excellent experiences here. The place is super small, so it can be a bit of a wait. If it seems like it’s gonna be more than 20 minutes, I usually just try to drop the car off and have them call me to come back. That’s always worked out fine and they have never done any repairs to my car without first calling to get them approved. The manager is always very friendly, accommodating, and honest.

Due to my car’s horrible battery, I’ve needed to have my car jumped a few times this winter from the cold. This place was the closest. When I told the guy my issue, expecting to pay upwards of twenty dollars, the guy just went in the back, grabbed a portable jump-​starter, and walked over to my car to jump start it for me. I didn’t have to bring it over, and he said no charge! Which was way better than I expected. He even let me know about how to get a prorate on my battery’s warranty when I replace it, which I didn’t ask for at all. These guys are the best, and they are willing to help out a guy when he needs just a quick fix, even though it’s inconvenient. Thank you!

They charged me $ 60 for a rotation and an oil change, charging me $ 25 for oil. oldest trick in the book, the oil markup.
I wouldn’t trust these guys, take your car elsewhere for routine maintenance.

This is the cheapest gas in the area– if you pay with cash. If you use a card, it’s a bit more per gallon, though still cheap compared to other gas stations. Cumberland Farms is another cheap gas station across the street, which is also cheap. Aris Auto pumps the gas for you, so it’s nice to go to during the winter months when getting out of your car is horrendous. I have never had an experience where they charge me more than they should have (as Damien described in 2012), but sometimes they are pretty slow in getting over to my car. I’m rarely in a rush so doesn’t bother me, but don’t go here if you need gas fast!

Got my inspection sticker here. One car ahead of me and it only took 20 mins total. Very friendly nice guys. Right across from car wash and short walk to starbucks and cumberland farms.

My last review – from a year ago – predates my finally upgrading to a non-​POS-​mobile. Just wanted to report that the guys at Aris, rather than lamenting their loss of a steady income stream from the venerable Buick, actually cheered for me when I drove in with a new Subaru. All it’s needed are oil changes so far, so, who knows.
When I was going in with all manner of trouble from minor to serious, they were always great – no pressure, no hassle, honest appraisal and good work. One time there was a miscommunication about the cost of repair, and when I raised the question at payment time, they immediately and quite graciously went with the lower figure – even though it was clear that the miscommunication was as much my fault as theirs.
To the reviewers giving one star for the gas price difference (cash v. credit), seriously, shame on you. Read the sign! If you’re from out of state this may be an unfamiliar practice to you, but independent places all around MA do this all the time. Cash is cheaper because the shop doesn’t have to pay transaction fees on it.

You might like the cheap gas but Aris’ station is a menace to the community,. They nearly destroyed my new car. Fortunately the repair shop manager is decent and fixed the damage. (Repair shop is a separate business owned by the same person). After a lot of work, drama, and waste of time.
My daughter in her 20s borrowed my new VW Jetta TDI while I was out of town. She wanted to refill the tank and felt nervous because I told her gasoline will damage the engine.
She naively chose Aris, thinking that it’s a full-​service station, the attendant could give her guidance. If they didn’t sell Diesel he would tell her where to get some.
She pulls in, rolls down the window. Attendant asks, «What fuel? Cash or Credit?» She says «Diesel, cash» and he starts to pump. Daughter gets out of the car and goes around, stands next to him, shows him the big yellow warnings on the fuel gate. «Are you sure it’s diesel, read this, ‘Even a small amount of gasoline can damage the engine.» ??
The attendant says, «Diesel, sure, honey, Diesel, don’t worry. I do this every day,» and pumps $ 20 of gasoline into my tank. The diesel fuel pipe is bright yellow, much bigger than a gasoline pipe, and surrounded with warnings.
That night I get into my VW and it makes a horrible noise and is hard to start. I think I must be the problem, since diesels start a little differently and I’ve owned it less than a week. Fortunately I drove it less than 10 miles that night, but the problem kept happening. AT home my daughter and I decided it must have been the fuel. Was the diesel old? Or maybe not ultra low sulfur? People on the Internet say don’t drive the car … The next morning I rode my bike to Aris… I actually meet the same attendant. Ask him if they have Diesel and he mumbles and sends me to the office. No diesel, he pumped gasoline into my car.
While I was standing there upset a mechanic suggested, «Just throw some motor oil in the tank, it will be fine.» Having stayed up all night reading the owners’ manual I was able to tell him «Never put any additives in the fuel of a VW TDI!» This was a mechanic? Later that day, he turned out to be the one doing my repair. Smelling like beer. I told myself it must be from the night before (but still he didn’t inspire great confidence).
Bob, manager of the repair shop, said he wanted to check the the security footage and I said «Be my guest, you can even confirm my daughter got out of the car and had a conversation with the pump attendant.» (He hiding behind the gas pumps at this point – trouble was the last thing he needed I am sure).
Bob decided to believe me, offered to perform repairs free of charge. I called my husband’s mechanic (Koko Aroyan in Medford), who said it is an easy job, give them a chance to make it right.
We had to push the car out of the driveway to hitch it to the tow truck, also walk back and forth 2x in the heat. The repair took all day and overnight. Bob refilled the tank. I said If the car has more trouble I will take it to the dealer and bring you the repair bills. Bob agreed. He was a gentleman, able to look me in the eye. His apology seemed sincere.
Car seems fine.
But no one at Aris – either shop or gas station – seems outraged about what happened. Another mechanic said, «When your daughter saw he didn’t speak English she should have driven away.» I said, That pump attendant repeated the word ‘Diesel,’ assured her he knew what she was saying and what he was doing. But he obviously couldn’t speak or read enough English to understand ‘Diesel’ or even be alarmed by the big yellow warnings on the fuel gate.
I am no anti-​immigration fanatic. You can see from my narrative that some of the mechanics in the shop, who seemed to be born in this country, were making almost equally idiotic suggestions. But a gas station attendant needs to read and speak enough essential English to prevent him from destroying customers’ cars. This guy had been working there less than 2 months, trained by his fellow attendants, the mechanics said. Now I wish I had spoken to the gas attendants instead of talking only to the Anglo guys in the repair shop. When I had another car I used to feel friendly to them; I still don’t wish them harm.
I wonder what an investigation would turn up about the gas station owner’s income tax practices (all those cash transactions) and environmental compliance. For him I imagine the cost of repairing my vehicle is nothing compared to paying his workers better. Of course if there is an investigation the attendants will suffer most. In that respect I was glad nobody seemed to be too worried about what’s going on there. Just hope my new baby VW doesn’t have lasting damage from its adventure in Aris land.

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.

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 ½ 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.

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…

Took our car here today to get an inspection based off of reviews of Aris and other inspection stations around Somerville. I can’t say I was too impressed with the service, but at the same time, they did the job and I was on my way.
For the record, Aris Auto is really a small auto repair shop with a gas station on Somerville Avenue. It’s busy, and there’s really no place to park while you wait. For an inspection, you’re supposed to park in a line in front of the garage to the far right and they pull one car in at a time to do an inspection. It took me about 30 – 40 minutes waiting in my car to get in the shop, and another 10 for the actual inspection sticker. $ 29 and almost an hour later, I left with what I needed.
I can’t speak highly of this place, but I can’t say they did anything to keep me from coming back.

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.

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.

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.

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.