Aarrow Transmissions & Automotive

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Donna Holbrook
a month ago
My husband and I have been bringing our vehicles to this location since we moved to the Twin Hickory area in 2018. Prior to today's experience I would have given positive feedback to anyone who asked about their services. I urge anyone who is reading any negative reviews to give consideration to the negative feedback about this shop prior to making a decision for awareness sake. Do I feel like they are good mechanics? Yes, I do and that's why we have been going here for such a long time. Do I feel that their customer service needs work? Absolutely. I have an older car that is having some issues with the backup camera. This is an issue I communicated to the shop. I'm aware that the backup camera on the vehicle has issues. I booked an appointment to drop-off the vehicle on Friday the 16th during booking I explained that I would need the vehicle fixed and picked up no later than Monday evening as my husband needs his car to drive to the office. After talking with the woman on the call she told me that this shouldn't be an issue and the vehicle would probably be ready for me by end of day Saturday. I dropped the car off on the 16th around 7:40am and went over the details of the issue with the woman in the counter once again. I did not hear an update all Friday. On the way home from work my husband passed by the shop noticed that the car hadn't been moved from where I parked it when I dropped it off on Friday morning. The next day I did not hear an update on the vehicle's status. We passed by the shop after they were closed and noticed that the car was still parked in the same spot where I left it. Since they are closed on Sunday, I called first thing Monday morning since I was starting to panic about not having a vehicle to drive and they don't offer loaner cars either. The woman speaks to me on the phone and she says she will talk to the technician about the status of my car and then call me back. Two or three hours later passed when I decided to call the shop again to check back. A man speaks to me and tells me that he will speak to the technician and puts me on hold. I'm informed at this time that the technician has just started to look at my car and this was around 11:00am. Around 11:30am I received a voicemail from the technician to ask some follow up questions about my car. He advised that I purchase a new backup camera from the dealer, which would cost 542.00 and there was no guarantee that the issue would be resolved by purchasing this. If there were a guarantee that this would solve the issue, I would not hesitate to pay this cost and the service fees. He just needed a factory backup camera installed by a professional in order to proceed further with troubleshooting. I decided that with no guarantee of my issue getting fixed, 542.00 was a hefty ask and opted to just pick up my vehicle. It's perfectly drivable with the backup camera malfunctioning, just inconvenient and would be great to fix. That evening I showed up with my husband to pick the car up, they have not fixed anything and the technician probably spent an hour on it. The bill was 182.00. I didn't think asking me to pay 182.00 just to look at my car and pretty much say "yeah its definitely not working, we need you to buy an expensive backup camera from the dealer in order to investigate more" was a reasonable or a fair ask. They were not willing to budge on the fees not even for loyal and longtime customers. Needless to say there are loads of mechanics around and we will be exploring other options for our vehicles for future needs.UPDATE: I was not advised at the time of booking that my diagnostic cost could be as much as 182 dollars! I would've quickly declined that.They could not put any guarantee that spending 542 on factory parts could solve my issue. If they told me (as stated above) that buying this factory camera would solve my problem I would have been glad to pay it. But since there was no guarantee I would be foolish to throw money down the drain.Update 2: The camera wasn't the issue. It was the monitor.

  Brian Curran
a month ago
Very Disappointing. We put a new transmission in a work van with a 2 year warranty. We had an issue with it in 23 months. They claimed we needed to pay another $1,000 to have it repaired. We reluctantly did. That Band-Aid lasted 2 months. And now NOTHING we can do. The Manager, Brian is not trust worthy.

  Paris Carter
2 months ago
I scheduled an appointment online that was pushed back a full week w/o a call notification. Inconvenient but not the biggest deal. The following week, I failed inspection and tried to setup an arrangement to have my warranty cover the charges which would require that the shop file a claim directly with my provided. I checked in three different times over the course of a week and a half for a status update on if said expenses would qualify for my insurance protection. All three times, I was told that there was no response yet. I called my warranty company directly and come to find out that there was zero record of Aarrow ever having reached out to begin the process. The next morning, I took my car down the road to Midas and received an answer before lunch. From the time my car failed inspection I had 15-days for it to pass. 13 of them were wasted because of a lie. No response, no apology.

  Ursula Uszynski
a month ago
Manager was very helpful took 5 minutes to figure out and resolve issue.The place I usually go staff is miserable no one even attempted to assist and everyone was "at lunch"Last time I went at 2 pm and everyone was at lunch. No longer will recommend themArrow is my new go to, has a much friendlier vibe and parking isn't a nightmare

  Emily Yates
a month ago
I am SO impressed. Carlos found issues several other mechanics missed. The team took pictures of everything and explained what they were doing as the work progressed. I dropped my car in a Sunday and got it back a day later- I was floored at the level of service! They also gave me a goodie/welcome bag of merch as I left! I will 100% be returning. They re the only mechanics I trust now!

  T K
a month ago
Worst customer service. They charge ridiculous $180 diagnostic fee for a problem you already know. I was with them for 5 years and after today's incident I've decided to take my business somewhere. I will not be bringing my car here again and neither will my company.Good luck.

  Dan Ripchensky
5 months ago
Having recently moved to the Glen Allen area I wanted to find a reputable auto service outlet for my 2020 Rav4. Since AArrow was within walking distance of my house along with many of the online references I visited AArrow twice to discuss their hybrid servicing capabilities and simply to check them out as hopefully, my service outlet of choice. My car has a knock when driving over bumps and some sewer caps, didn't seem like anything serious but it did warrant being checked into. I booked an appointment with AArrow to bring the car in on Wednesday 11.08 at 7:30 am but actually dropped the car off on Tuesday around 3 PM with the thought of giving them more time to resolve the issue. By 12:30 on Wednesday I called to see if anything is happening with the car, it had not yet been looked at. I absolutely need my car for work and therefore needed the car back by end of day on Wednesday (they close at 5:30). I was told at 12:30 my car was next to be looked at, ok, at least they can diagnose the problem if not fix it by end of day. At 3 PM I called again to find out it still had not been looked at and there is/was no guarantee it would be by end of day. After speaking to Kevin and then the Manager, Brian I was left with the impression they could have my car for days, in Brian's words, highly unusual but possible. According to Brian, Aarrow's policy is to complete state inspections first and then start diagnosing car issues and by 3 PM they were only then finishing state inspections with my car being in line for a diagnoses. Ended up picking up my unfixed car, very disappointed and never to return.

  Chris O'Donnell
5 months ago
These guys are great! Transparent, honest and thorough. I highly recommend them, and I will certainly be back. I took my 2004 truck in for service, and was sure I'd need a new transmission ($5-6k). These guys said not so fast. They fixed several issues for a fraction of that, and my truck runs like new. They also provided a very detailed inspection report (with pictures of parts on my truck they were referencing), with various things listed as "ok, recommended service, or critical." No pressure, no slick tactics, no hidden fees or issues. Now I have a comprehensive list of what to keep an eye on. They are now my go-to for automotive needs. Thanks guys!!

  Nikomaru kara Hirado-shima
6 months ago
I picked up my Honda from here, after an inspection, when transferring it from a friend. They were open and honest about everything.I came back with a concern about the transmission, and a request for new tires. They sourced and secured the brand and style I wanted, mounted and balanced, and added an alignment, which helped tighten up the whole thing (the camber was easing loose and there was a definite wiggle to the steering). They even tightened down the heat shield that tends to rattle after a few years.They addressed my concerns and took care of my car. I'll definitely return if (and when) anything comes up. Like, a state inspection.

  ERIJARLA
2 years ago
Updated Review:Since 2017 I'm seeing this Mechanic shop for mostly small repairs (Break pad changes, Battery replacement etc...) and State inspections. Though the charges are not that great but I always had positive experience until my last two visits. Please read on!Episode 1:On Nov 7 2020 I have visited for oil change as it was due for sometime. Same day afternoon I travelled outstation and back home which is 150 miles total distance. During that time I observed some smoke smell inside the car and the engine sound was little different. I didn't suspect anything and thought the car is adjusting to new oil (I'm novice to this card engine stuff). Once I reached home later night I parked the car at home and next day morning (Sunday) I observed that there is significant oil leak under the car. I popped the hood and checked the engine. To my surprise, there is NO oil cap at all and the oil leaked all over the engine. I searched for the cap and I found it between wiper blade and the water drain passage (See the picture). It seems the mechanic took it off for oil change, kept it there and forgot to put that back. It is sheer negligence. As it was Sunday and the shop closed, I sent an email to the shop attaching all the pictures. Monday morning I got a call from them to bring the car. I took the car and they said, it is not a big deal and asked me to drop the car so that they can clean /wipe the oil off. Afternoon when I picked I checked again and there is till oil in some places. They took it inside and cleaned it again. Though I was not happy with the way they handled the situation and tried to correct, there is noting I could do rather than just to leave with the car. While leaving they offered me free oil change for next time. (I still have the coupon and didn't use yet)Episode 2:On May 12 2021, I took the car to the same mechanic as I saw battery warning light on dashboard while the car is running. (Bought the battery from them last time). I dropped the car asked if I can use a loaner car to go back home. They told that I can't have one as they are intended for bigger work customers. I booked a taxi and got back home. They called me sometime in next hour and told that, the alternator is at fault and needs replacement (Costing $640 including part and Labor). As I need to pick my child from school and needed the running car, I asked them to replace it ASAP. I went back in taxi and picked the car and went to school and picked my child.After coming home, I checked on internet and found out that oil spill could have caused the Alternator to go bad and that would be the case with me.I don't know if that great oil spill is going to cause any problems down the line.My car is not old it has 50000 miles on it. What do you think of this experience. Is there a way I would have avoided such a hassle. Do you think Aarrow transmission personal acted properly in these situations?Definitely I lost the confidence on these guys!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In my old Review, I gave 5 stars and I'm retracting them now)Services: Electrical repair, Electrical, Battery

  William Baber
5 months ago
I had about $1,500 worth of repair work done. After checkout the guy told me I would have saved 5% for being a veteran. I asked if he could recheck me out with the discount and he said he couldn't do that because it was against his bosses' policy. Seems like an easy thing to have done.

  Jacob Cogbill
7 months ago
Had an issue with an air leak around my rim when a tire was bumped and unseated properly. They had me come in at my earliest convenience, listened to my comments and concerns of the issue and were able to perform the request service of reseating my tire on the rim properly to address the air leak. They were timely with their estimated wait and service time and was fairly priced. The staff was receptive and friendly. I would recommend you consider their shop as an option a d compare it to whomever else you request auto repair services from.

  Ken Jordan
7 months ago
This location is fantastic. Dropped by without an appointment to get a state inspection done on a Saturday AM. They initially couldn't fit me in but as I was pulling away from the parking lot, Emmanuel ran out and flagged me down. Got me right in.Fantastic service and explanation of things they recommended that I do to the vehicle at some point in the near future, without being pushy about those things. Will be back.Service: Vehicle Inspection

  Alexander
5 months ago
UPDATE: My vehicle wasn't driving like it did before I took it to this awful place. The transmission was making strange sounds when changing gear. Among the list of repairs provided to me by this place was transmission service, costing more than $3000. Turns out they removed some of the transmission oil. If your vehicle's transmission oil is less or more than needed, the transmission will start acting strangely. I did not know this until I started researching more myself. I went to autozone and added some transmission oil and that corrected the issue. This awful place wanted to charge me $3000+ for that.PREVIOUS REVIEW:Not sure how this business has 4.3 stars. This place is a complete ripoff. I took my vehicle for simple oil change; which cost me $110. The guys gave me list of things to fix and gave me estimate of $8000+. I got the oil change and left. Two days later, my car started showing problems. Week later, the lights on my car's dashboard came on due to misfire. I took my car back in and asked them for changing the spark plugs. The big guy at the front desk kept the keys for an hour. An hour later he comes back and tells me it will require diagnosis. I told him I already did the diagnosis and it is a misfire. He goes to the back section and comes back within a minute. After 30ish minutes of sitting at the front desk, he comes to me and gives me estimate to repalce all spark plugs. The estimate of just the spark plugs ( not including the cables or anything else ) was $195 and the labor of another $250. I told the guy it's way too high. He said it will take about two to three hours to change all the spark plugs, so our labor charge is fair. I checked the price online for the exact same spark plugs that he mentioned, and they were less than $40 for all. I asked him and he said, if you don't like it, you're welcome to take your car to another shop. Our prices are standard. So I left.I bought the spark plugs and replaced them all by myself in less than 30 minutes. I am not even a mechanic, and I've limited tools to work with. They were charging me $250 for labor.These are very dishonest and shameless people. Never going back to this business.

  Vivian Neale
2 months ago
Always professional & consumer friendly. They ve been servicing my 2001 Saturn over 15 years she s still dependable well cared for.

  lily grant
9 months ago
Was recommended arrow by a good friend, but after sharing my experience with them, this establishment lost both a long-time customer and a new one! Went for a standard state inspection and was failed due to a "loose headlight"... that's the only information the manager gave me. No one came out to explain the issue, no one pointed out exactly what was wrong or how to "fix" it. Manager was just unhelpful and stonewalled me when I tried inquiring further about what exactly was wrong with my headlight. Angrily, I drove 2 hours away to my hometown auto shop for a second opinion. Their mechanic was happy to come out and take a look at my issue despite being booked all day and I appreciated that immensely. He told me that the headlight wasn't loose, it was just slightly off-kilter from a small dent I had near it (which has been there for over 6 years and was never a cause for inspection failure before at multiple, different locations). He also told me that he would've passed it. Needless to say, I have a new appointment scheduled. Been seeing lots of negative reviews about being unnecessarily failed for inspections here...go somewhere else if you don't wanna waste $20 on a rejection sticker.

  Joshua Silverman
a month ago
I called this morning because my wife's car needed a new battery. They said bring it over and they would take care of me and they did. Thank you

  Dede Banks
3 months ago
Friendly, accommodating, professional customer service. I would highly recommend Arrow Automotive for all of your car needs!

  Derrick Brown
4 years ago
In an attempt to support small business I reached out to King's Auto Service LLC to repair my A/C and found a mechanic is only as good as his tools and his desire to expand his knowledge and update his equipment. Of the many misdiagnosis I received the last 2 included recommendations to replace my EGR Valve and Computer board because he could not properly apply FREON to a new compressor.Aarrow Transmission & Automotive used the best equipment, provided the best customer service and charged a fair price. I wasted a tone time and money that I can't get back but that loss lead me to a gain which is the excellent workmanship of Aarrow Transmission & Automotive. ..and I took my sale sign of my 06 Explorer XLT 4x4. It's a good SUV.

  Melissa T
a year ago
I ve been getting my car serviced at Aarrow for several years now, and there are many things I appreciate about this business.Ken is always great about letting you know what your car needs from a preventative maintenance perspective, giving you all of the options and pricing and allowing you decide as the customer what you want to do. It s never a pressured environment, and it never feels like a sales pitch. It s always anchored in what you actually need. He s also been great about keeping an eye on certain things that might not need to be fixed now, but will later. I always feel like he genuinely wants to take care of my car, and ensure that it s safe.Miranda has also been a great addition to their team. As a women, sometimes it can feel uncomfortable going into automotive shops. When you walk in, and another woman is there, it creates a safe and approachable space. (She is also knowledgeable and knows her stuff!).I went in today for a state inspection, and additional preventative maintenance services. The wait was reasonable, about 1.5 hours. Ken and Miranda are always friendly and converse as the time passes. The shop was decorated IMMACULATELY for the holidays! I can tell a lot of thought and effort went into the ambiance.Overall, I d highly recommend this shop, especially if you feel nervous going into these types of environments. They create a very warm, welcoming space for their customers.

  Justin Hsueh
8 months ago
Went for a state inspection, this place is expensive.In order to remove stickers, remove rear license plate bracket, driver floor mat, and remove item hanging from rear view mirror (a parking tag ), they charged me $26.29 and $2.10 in shop supplies in addition to the standard $20 fee.In retrospect I should have just let them fail me and do all those things myself but I had already agreed to let them remove the stickers for me before knowing how much it would cost. No idea it would cost $28.39 to remove stickers (easy to remove parking stickers from college); nearly every other place will do simple things like this complimentary.It s not a lot of money, but I suspect you ll pay way more than you need to for everything else if removing a sticker costs over $26.

  Sofia Forelle
a year ago
I arrived right at 7:30am and they already had a small crowd outside. As soon as the team opened up the storefront they welcomed everyone and had us checked in in no time. Super friendly staff, amazingly fast and thorough service, transparent about what work they need to do and confirming with you before they do it. Overall as a first time car owner I felt safe going in. Will return for future maintenance needs and I recommend you do too!Service: Vehicle safety inspection

  Annie Hoilman
2 years ago
My family and I have been customers of Aarrow for a couple years, and we have had our expectations met and exceeded every time we bring in a vehicle. Customer service and communication are top notch! Ken is always giving updates on vehicle repairs and provides as much detail as possible on work needing to be done plus an honest timeframe for completion. The check-ins and thank-yous a few days after service is complete shows that they really care! The staff is friendly and service-oriented, and I can always trust that my car will be back in top shape once worked on by the team. Thank you Aarrow!!

  Houston Reynolds
a year ago
I went there for a state inspection and left with an estimate for 2200.00 of work that allegedly needed to be done after they passed my vehicle for inspection. This included charging me $47 to "fix" a rear tail light. I went there after picking my car up from the bodyshop and was shown all the work that had been done including replacing bulbs in the rear lights. I explained this to Aarrow Transmission and they said to go back to the body shop. They also gave me estimates for 900 dollars worth of brake work and 1200 for tires yet still passed my car. I'll never use them againService: Vehicle Inspection

  Jennifer Mathes
2 years ago
We arrived in Richmond on a trip and our transmission started acting up. We brought the car the Aarrow to determine what the issue was. Ken, Justin and the employees were professional, helpful and caring. They quickly examined the vehicle and made the necessary repairs to get us back on the road. I can't recommend this company enough. Thank you!!Service: Transmission

  Eric Taft
a year ago
I went to pick up my car after hours and after paying. I was told the keys would be in the car. I had a metal key to get into the car that I keep in my wallet. I was arriving from the hospital with an Uber. I open the car with my metal key and the alarm blares. My Uber driver takes off, and I spend ten minutes searching the vehicle for the keys. I call for another Uber to take me back home where thank god I have another key. Never once was I told the key would be hidden under the floor mat. I call the manager the next day, and he says, we always leave the receipt on the dash (it wasn't,) and the key under the floor mat (I wasn t told that.) Would have been nice to know in the dark where my keys were though. I'm calling angry, because where the heck are my keys. Instead, of being a decent manager and deescalating and making a concession after I've spent over 4k there. He gets huffy because a former infantryman uses swear words. What a piece of work. Not one more dime to this overpriced place.Service: General repairs & maintenance

  Daniel Matthews
10 months ago
I took my car there for a state inspection and they failed me because I removed the redundant secondary catalytic converters from my Infiniti q50 (removing them doesn't even void the warranty). The primary catalytic converters were still on the car so they work as well as any other car. I have passed the state inspection and emissions test for many years now and I even took my car somewhere else for an inspection right after and they passed me. These guys don't know what they are doing and waste people's time and money.Service: Vehicle Inspection

  Cindy Wright
6 years ago
There was a thumping sound so I went to the dealer. We got in that habit when the car was under warranty, and the dealer is close by, and the oil changes are free for the life of the car. Besides, they're nice people and wouldn't you expect that people directly connected to the manufacturer/brand would be the most capable/knowledgeable? I guess I've been lucky - although things go wrong with my cars, they're usually minor. I thought my luck had run out when the service department at the dealer said our seven year old car (123K miles) had a problem with the final drive and would require a totally replaced transmission. Quoted price = $5600. Yikes. Paying for that was going to take some planning, so I took the car home and put it in the driveway until we could come up with a plan. I've never had transmission problems, so I had no idea what it should cost, but maybe I could find a less expensive place at least. I am SO glad I asked around! I got a few recommendations but the most resounding endorsement was for the Aarrow Transmission shop on Research Road. I took the car to them just hoping that they could fix the transmission for less than the dealer quote. Here's what happened. First, the guys are so genuinely nice that I felt like I could ask questions and they wouldn't think I was dumb. Second, even if they did think I was dumb, they were so patient and professional with me that they didn't give it away - they actually made me feel like my questions and comments were intelligent. So let's get to the good part. They said my transmission could be fixed for $3500, worst case. Sweet! But wait - it gets better! Then they told me that they didn't think it was the transmission anyway - they wanted to run some more tests. I'll shorten this lengthy review by saying they did find and correct the major problem (brakes and rotors), truthfully confessed that there was another sound that still had them scratching their heads but there's no way to fix what you can't diagnose, and indicated that there was nothing wrong with the transmission at all. I have had the car back for two days now and it is running beautifully.The other rattle is still there - as it has been for seven years (loose sunroof - dealer says $720 to fix). I will continue to live through that annoyance and consider that a reminder to trust my instincts. Obviously I hope my car problems are few and far between, but I'm thrilled that I found a good shop with good people. Bottom line? My car was repaired for about a sixth of what I was originally told it was going to cost AND my faith in the existence of good and honest people - who are also smart enough and dedicated enough to their craft to get it right - got a HUGE boost.

  Ken San
9 months ago
They have charged me $340 just to check my a/cDO NOT GO HERE IT IS A TOTAL RIO OFF!!Everything is triple the price but the work quality is tereible!!Salih Akarsu was at the store this week for inspection and a/c check

  Amanda Vrtis
7 years ago
I had to get my car checked for an unusual sound while visiting family down in Richmond. The dealership was packed and couldn't take in anymore; the chain place said there was nothing wrong. The guys at Aarrow really saved the day. They were busy but took a quick look and made the quick fix and I was on my way. Fast and friendly service, I've not only recommended my mom make this her go to, I'm seriously considering scheduling any service around my trips to Richmond!