ARC Motors, Ltd. / ARC Marine Co.

Hal Smith

★★★★★

7 months ago

Just thrilled to find a local automotive repair that you know right away is interested in keeping you as a customer rather than maximizing a quick hit and not caring if they ever see you again. I’d searched for a month online for places near Ballard and repeatedly found either an equal number of negative reviews to positive reviews or long stretches of no reviews at all. Found ARC on a Sunday night, sent an email, got a call back Monday AM and scheduled for an assessment Tuesday. Austin and team identified everything my new (used) 2012 Nissan Titan needed to get current on maintenance as well as secure & repair a previous rinky-dink fix on the front bumper assembly. Now I’m confident I can take this rig wherever I need to go…safely! The fact these guys also do marine work with long-term clients speaks volumes about the quality of their work. So grateful to have found Austin & ARC. Their rates were reasonable and they used actual Nissan parts!

Jordan Elland

★★★★★

8 months ago

I’ll only be visiting Austin and his team for my car needs going forward. Going to them feels more like visiting a friend’s garage. Their customer service is top-tier, and their care for customers is genuine. Great pricing, clear communication, and no nonsense like upselling or deception. They explain your car’s needs in a way that even a car novice can understand. There’s a reason they have 5 stars on Google and it’s well-earned. Thanks again, guys!

Jake Campbell

★★★★★

3 years ago

Austin is incredible with vehicles. From my Subarus to Toyotas to more unique older vehicles I bring everything to Austin because I know I can always trust his transparency through the process, fair pricing, and consistency in quality. I've had suspension worked on, engine work, brakes, everything and it's all gone exceedingly well.

Irene Kelly

★★★★★

a year ago

I recently had an amazing experience at ARC Motors Ltd., a local mechanic shop located behind Salmon Bay Cafe, and I just had to share it! I discovered this place through recommendations on Facebook and decided to support a small business instead of going to a large chain repair shop. I'm so glad I made that choice! The owner, Austin, is incredibly friendly and easy to talk to. I was particularly impressed by how quickly I was able to get my car checked and by his honesty during the inspection. I felt a bit anxious, fearing there might be serious issues with my vehicle, so it was such a relief when he assured me there were no major problems. Plus, the inspection was free! After asking several questions to confirm that everything was in order and that my tires were safe, we discussed maintenance. I found out that my XTrek needed a transmission fluid change and that my tires were almost due for replacement after 10 years—quite a good run! I decided to have them complete the necessary work, and now I have a flushed transmission and new tires! Overall, the experience was straightforward and pleasant, with none of the pressure often felt at large chain stores. Since I live just 10 minutes away, Austin even offered to give me a ride home and pick me up the next day when my car was ready. That level of personalized service is truly rare these days! If you’re looking for a trustworthy mechanic, I can’t recommend ARC Motors Ltd. highly enough. The genuine care and honesty that Austin and his team provide truly make a difference! Give this small business your hard-earned money. It's worth it to have that personal touch.

John J.

★★★★★

a year ago

Austin at ARC is honest, skilled, reliable, AND super fast! He will work with you in diagnosing, then prioritizing the work your vehicle needs, and give you options for the parts with his insight on the pros and cons of going with different pricing tiers based on your driving needs. I went in for one thing, ended up deciding to fix another issue I’d been deferring for 5+ years now. My ‘07 Jeep runs great without any issues & I will be brining it back to ARC for all future maintenance and repair needs. I am glad to have found such a great local business!

Betty Rain

★★★★★

a month ago

Have been going to this place for the past years since I got my mini. Great service, awesome people. I would trust them with my next car

Stephanie Van Dyk

★★★★★

11 months ago

Austin replaced my 2021 Subaru Outback brakes, same day. I tow a small camping trailer and I wasn't sure how to set up the electric brake controller for it. I got it wrong and that messed up my rear brakes. Austin was happy to walk me through calibrating it better and gave me a bunch of towing tips for the next season. Very generous with his time, great vibes, really kind.

Catherine Hiller

★★★★★

Edited a month ago

Austin the owner, is passionate about cars, and passionate about your car running well. I'll definitely return!

Jennifer Lim

★★★★★

8 months ago

I found Austin and ARC through a wonderful rave review on my Ballard neighborhood page on Facebook. And he was right! Austin got me in promptly and let me know exactly what needed to be done regarding my concerns. And he went above and beyond to fix a few minor things I was unaware of. Thank you so much! I've found my Forever Mechanic ♥️

Debbie Schwartz

★★★★★

a year ago

Came here after seeing recommendations on Facebook and also wandering down to it after breakfast at the wonderful cafe next door. I hadn't found a mechanic I liked since my long-time guy was driven out by the landlord selling the land for townhouses. I immediately noticed they had a wide variety of vehicles parked in their lot, so figured they'd be good to work on my 2003 Toyota Rav4, and I was right. I was very happy with the work they did, and will be a regular from now on. They could have told me various stuff needed replacing (like prior places, which I didn't trust), but instead, explained, without any condescending, what was going on and that it didn't need replacing yet. Austin and Jack are very nice, easy to work with. Very glad to have found them.

RACHEL WILLIAMS

★★★★★

a year ago

Single mom here! I don’t usually post reviews but they deserve my public feed back. I’ve been sucked dry for car repairs other places. This time asked around at work if someone knew of any good & honest mechanics. Got referred here by someone I trusted. Long story short… They didnt know I was referred here. Got my car in right away & had it diagnosed within 24 hours with a quote breakdown. On top of that I originally only told them about my crazy Engine noises prior to dropping it off and last min i asked them to try and figure out an electrical issue that I was having. This place is a Jack of all trades cus All of it was Diagnosed and fixed. The price was right and I had my car back asap! Most valuable point *they didn’t try to sell me on doing more than what I needed done to fix the 2 problems I had, charged me a very fair price and I had my car back very quick! I’m sold!

Jason Lin

★★★★★

a year ago

I'm a new client of ARC Motors and Austin, the owner, walked me through exactly what my car needed after a thorough inspection. They do everything according to the car maker's specification, which gave me peace of mind knowing that the car was going to be taken care of properly. I'm looking forward to getting my vehicles serviced and maintained by the team at ARC Motors in the future and have been enthusiastically sharing the word about this hidden gem of a shop. The car is running better than it has in years!

Rebecca Woodcock

★★★★★

a year ago

Austin does routine work for my vehicles and I absolutely appreciate his honesty. He always gives various options and is very pragmatic about what needs to be done vs what can wait if cost is a concern. Plus, he's just a nice person.

Tan La

★★★★★

a year ago

Before knowing Austin, I'd always gone to my dealership for all services. But, Team Austins is great at responding to inquiries, explaining the products and processes and managing expectations! On top of it all, I am saving a good amount for better services. What not to like?

David Gibson

★★★★★

11 months ago

I have found the Holy Grail of Auto Repairs Bodhisattva Austin of ARC Motors in Ballard has blown my mind and captured my allegiance for future work. I have an older Subaru Outback that needed struts replaced that lift the hatchback. Not only did he repair it in a few hours, his prices are well below other estimates I had. And he is a human being par excellence! I was going to call an Uber but he offered to drive me home several miles away! And then I realized when I left the car keys I left my housekey and was locked out! I was sitting outside in the cold rain, shivering ~I began making calls to the home owners and friends and left him a message as to my plight. I was just going to spring for an Uber down and back. He then offered to Drive my keys back saving the day! I am so grateful to Austin and his generosity of spirit. Bright Blessings Austin! He also gave me a discount for for hearing about him on Facebook, he also gives seniors like me a 10% discount of future repairs

Keegan

★★★★★

a year ago

Both Austin and Jack are extremely knowledgeable while also being very down-to-earth. a great shop to consider for both automotive as well as marine and even some two-stroke motor work. if i need work done by people i know i can trust, this is where i am going 10 times out of 10

Christina D

★★★★★

a year ago

ARC Motors is such a gem. It's a little tucked away behind Salmon Bay Cafe (which honestly, kind of a win. Pancakes and coffee while I wait? SAY LESS 🥞) but wow, idk that I've ever felt more looked after by a shop. From the very first call until pick-up it felt like I was just chatting with my neighbor about car things. Austin let me know about maintenance that could wait, things that probably just weren't worth it, and stuff that I should probably look at sooner rather then later. The estimates were more than fair and beat out a nearby shop by ... a lot. 😬 Bummed I didn't know about this place sooner but now that I do will absolutely be taking my lil old car here for the foreseeable future...and recommending it to anyone that'll listen.