Arco

I went to this Arco on PCH in Torrance, CA on 11÷4÷2015. It was my 1^st time there. Since I was driving my red Tesla I never need gas. I bought a Mango air freshener for $ 1.00. Plus, I took a photo.

I have no problem here. The gal (yes, garage manager was a girl) was great to me. Got my brakes done in July with their special. I was in and out in about 2 hours. She went above and beyond to help me. It’s been about 2 months and I have zero complaints. The rotors needed resurfacing and they didn’t charge me. I believe them that they were bad. The breaks were in old and were noisy. I am going to them for smog tomorrow and will give them another try since I got a coupon in the mailer. We’ll see…

1 star as ZERO is not an option!
I have given this ARCO thousands of dollars worth of business in the 27 years I have lived in the South Bay.
Let me be clear that I have no experience with the mechanics or auto shop. This experience is solely with the fueling side of the business. But… if my experience with the fueling side is any indication of the maintenance side… I would do as everyone else has suggested. STAY AWAY!
So many times this place is full of cars and the day in question was no different. I pull in to the only empty stall, pump is on the right of my truck and gas port on the left. No problem, I have done this so many times here and elsewhere without any issues. Well the plastic protective sheath was torn and a sharp piece of metal was protruding from the underside of the handle. I didn’t notice until after it left a 1.5 inch or so scratch in my paint. So I went inside to let the employees know about the scratch and possibly discuss the safety/​health issues associated with this. I was met with aggression from both of the employees. It’s not our fault, you don’t know how to pump gas, the hose isn’t long enough, etc. I knew that I wasn’t going to get anywhere with these two, so I asked for the owners number. Well they just give me the number to the store. I asked how they would get in touch with him in an emergency? Nothing. BTW, it is not MY fault that you don’t maintain your equipment, I have been pumping my own gas for 31 years, and the hose is long enough.
I have made several attempts by stopping in to see the owner, who is never there. I have left my number and he has never called.
I stopped in today to see if the owner was there, he was not, and noticed that the handle has been fixed. One of the employees says that they are going to make a claim against my insurance for breaking their handle. Ha… that’s a good one.
I will never give this ARCO any of my family’s business again!!!

Run as fast as you can from this place!
I just left there trying to get an oil change! When I asked if they could do it today, the mechanics could not agree if they had enough time! One said sure, the other said come back tomorrow! It was bizarre to say the least! It looked like they wanted to fight each other! I went right down the street to Valvoline and they did not hesitate to change my oil! Stay away from this place!

Great location for Smog Check. Called for appointment able to get within hour in & out within 20 min. Highly recommend for your next smog certificate

One more negative review to add to this wonderful mix. Obviously the owner could careless or is indifferent when it comes to customer service. Drove in to get gas @ posted price of 2.39. Get to pump and it is 2.45. Talk to the rude individual behind the cash register who informs me the price went up. Really. How about changing the sign before changing it at the pump. Common sense would dictate… if anyone knows of a government agency I can report this to, please let me know. It’s the principle. I would give a zero if allowed

THE REPAIR SHOP
The repair shop is under new management and the service has improved 200%. If you had poor service at their repair shop previously, I suggest you give the new management a try even if it is only for an oil change at first. They deserve a shot at your business.

First of all, I noticed they have another Unilocal page:
Maybe they created this one to try to boost their reputation back up again, so as a public service I have posted the link above to their other Unilocal page. The reviews there are still accurate.
I’ve been here twice, and that is 2 times too many.
The first time, I took my Lexus in to simply get the brake pads replaced. Everything seemed well. Then I noticed as time went on, my brakes started making a terrible screeching noise. Within about 3 months, the screech was so loud I was getting strange looks everywhere I went. I took it to another shop, and found the brake pads that I got were too large so as it wore down, it started hanging over the edge of the rotors and rubbing against it. I had to pay another $ 600 to have all the pads replaced again, and instantly the noise was gone.
The second time, my car wouldn’t start and I found the head that connected to the positive terminal of my battery snapped. I worked nearby at the time, so I made the awful mistake of telling AAA to tow my car to this Arco. I thought it would be ok because it was a simple fix, just replace the head connector. I was so wrong… they cut the wire so short that it was tugging really hard on the battery terminal, and made it nearly impossible to take off. They also removed the plastic caps that covered the terminals and threw them away, so now everything is exposed. It literally looked like they took random parts they found around the shop and threw it all together with minimal effort then slapped a $ 140 bill on it.
Unfortunately both times I was there, I didn’t have the time to argue so I just paid and left before they did any further damage to my car.
One more warning, they are very very friendly, but don’t let that mislead you. They may have great attitudes, but their work is so way below acceptable I’m surprised they’re still in business. As an example, when you walk into their shop, you will notice a tv constantly on with various tv shows they watch. Goes to show they’re probably watching tv while blindly working on your car.
I’m never going there again…

AVOID THIS PLACE! I took my Acura Integra a few years ago to get an oil change. When I got the car back I went to check the oil and there wasnt any in there. I asked them what they did to my car and they said they said they changed the oil and filter. I doubt they even change filters in this place. This place is shady as hell. You’ve been warned!

Cash only, but much cheaper than the Mobil across the street. Perhaps, suspiciously so… There’s a BOA ATM behind the Mobil, across the street, at the bottom of the sea.

PLEASE NEVER EVER GO HEAR! i took my car in for a check up and they told me i need a new timbing belt and it will be done in 2 hours. i waited shopped at ross next door in the parking lot came back and that 2 hours turned into 3 days!!! and they charged me $ 750 i take it home after the repair and called my buddy that i purchased the car from and he told me he changed the timbing 4 months ago AND he only paid $ 350. and i went to his house to pick up the reciept amd BOOM! the damn belt was already only 4 months old. and this thief tells me i need a tranny soon so i went to a tranny specialist and they told me my tranny is perfect… PLEASE BEWARE AND NEVER GO THERE. THE OWNER OF THE PLACE IS EDDY. KEEP AWAY !!!

I’ve gotten my car smogged here twice. The first time was a couple of years ago and they did it in half an hour and I walked away happy.
This last time (2 – 3 weeks ago) they said it would be an hour and a half, and it was the last day I could get it done, so I walked around the shopping center. He said he would call when it was done and he didn’t. I wandered back after the allotted time, and he said he forgot to call. He also said that my rear brakes were almost gone and my front brakes had «about 10% left».
I went home and asked my mechanic brother to look at my brakes, and the first thing he said is «Why would they look at your breaks? That has nothing to do with a smog check!» (Now that I’ve read the other reviews and seen the extra amount of time it took, red flags are going up everywhere.) Anyway, my brother checked the brakes and sure enough, the mechanics at Arco were right. Fortunately for me, my brother fixed the brakes for free and I just had to buy brake pads.
My only complaint is that the car smelled like gasoline for a week after the smog check was completed.

I wish I could rate it with NO STARS! Unfortunately, we were caught in their trap as well. We had a friend diagnose the car and looked up the codes after our SUV broke down while driving. This place told us that none of those codes were the issuse but should be fixed in a few hours. They call us 25 minutes before we are about to pick up the car and they tell us the timming belt is off and broken so the car ISNT fixed like they said it was. So they charge us another 500. He said it was going to take 6 – 7 hours to fix and if you know anything about cars and do the research that is way too long to change the timing belt. Again, he says it will be ready by 4PM. Then it’ll be ready by 6PM. We show up at 6PM to only hear, pick it up tomorrow. I would just ask for the dexency to be honest and upfront that you aren’t going to have the car ready.
Then I pick up my car and this guy has the decency to change ALL my programmed radio stations! Now that’s just plain weird!

So my car needed a smog check and they were down the hill. Just come on in they said. I got there and left the car, walked around and came back in the suggested 30 minutes but nothing was done. And, no call to my cell to tell me that. «Our computer is down. Can you wait another hour»? Uh… no. OK so I come back 3 days later and they smog my car and tell me that I need to replace my belt as they are worn and I don’t want anything bad to happen to me on the freeway. The next few weeks I’m über busy and worry about it the whole time (oh yes and the quote was over 650.00). I call today and they say, bring it down and then I read the other post here on Unilocal.I think hmmmm… I’ll call Lexus (my cars make) and they say, that should have been done 10,000 miles ago. I check with my other mechanic where i used to live and… sure ’nuff! It was already done! Do not go to these guys except for a smog cert. They are trained thiefs. They are my next call to let them know that I know and am posting on Unilocal

Avoid this place at all costs.
I broke down in front of the ARCO at Anza and Pacific Coast Highway about two months ago. Thankfully, a good Samaritan helped me push my car into the lot in back of the station, where the garage bays are located. I had never gone here before, but I was captive and the Manager of the station offered to diagnose the problem for $ 75.
After leaving my car at the station, I realized they put the wrong year, make and model on my receipt. I came back 2 hours later and they told me I needed $ 1,300 of work on my automatic transmission. They wrote the wrong diagnosis on my receipt, but I kept prying with the manager to tell me exactly what was wrong and I got the real diagnosis. They said they could have it fixed in 3 days. I told them I’d think about it and I drove the car gently back to my house.
There are almost no reviews of this garage on-​line. But after checking the better Business Bureau website, they were rated a «DDD» for business practices. Upon the advice of my coworkers, I decided to take my car to Hiro’s Transmission shop in Gardena, who did excellent work. They charged me $ 450, because that was all the work my car needed. The extra $ 850 I was going to give Anza Arco was just profit in their pocket.
While they might advertise ASE certified technicians and promise good work, this shop is home to the unfortunate and uninformed. Do yourself a favor the next time you’re about to break down in front of the Anza Arco, KEEP DRIVING. Any place is better than this one!