Big O Tires

J Higgins

★☆☆☆☆

a year ago

Extremely disappointed with Big O Tires in Santa Cruz after years of loyalty and over $10,000 spent on tires with them. Their service has taken a significant downturn, and I will not be returning. Here's why: Deceptive Diagnosis: My wife took her car in for an oil change and tire rotation. They claimed she had a "massive coolant leak" and needed a $1,000 water pump replacement. I decided to pass on the repair. When I picked up the car, there was no mention of a water pump issue on the paperwork. I filled the coolant myself, and the car has been running perfectly fine ever since. Unnecessary Tire Replacement: My wife's tire had a hole in it, and I used a can of sealant to bring it to their shop. They told us we had to buy a new tire for $235 because of the sealant. Took the car to another tire shop—they patched it for $30, and it’s been working perfectly. Ridiculous Tire Policy: My son recently went in for an oil change and tire rotation. They refused to rotate and balance his tires, claiming they were "too old" (over six years) even though the tires have no cracks and are in great shape. They tried to push for a full replacement, which was completely unnecessary. This shop has lost its integrity and seems more focused on upselling than honest customer service. I’ll be taking my business elsewhere and encourage others to do the same.

Pablo Mccord

★☆☆☆☆

2 years ago

I went to have my tires replaced on my 2019 Subaru Outback at Big-O tires 1219 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 and they returned my vehicle with an interior warning light stating a tire pressure problem and all 4 tires with no pressure reading on the interior digital gauge. I went back and was told they "were unable to calibrate the gauges when they installed the new tires". I then spoke with the dealership mechanic at Santa Cruz Subaru and he informed me that "calibration " for the sensors is not a real thing and that they were most likely broken by whoever installed the new tires. I then had the tires replaced at another tire shop LLoyds, who I very highly recommend, and i had them show me as they took off the old tires so i could take video, since i suspected i had been lied to by Kyle Spoorenberg at Big O regarding calibration. I have included the video in the review. They were indeed broken by Big-O's technicians and it was obvious. When i returned with my complaint, asking for the sensors to be replaced they vigorously denied any responsibility even though i had video and had been told by 2 other reputable businesses that they had clearly been broken during tire installation. Another man, who i am assuming is the owner, then accused me of lying and "trying to get something for free" and proceeded to be extremely rude. I will be pursuing this matter further...much further, and am prepared to spend a great deal of time, energy, and money to see to it that they are made aware that I as a consumer cannot be treated this way. For me it is now a matter of principle. I have asked that they replace the sensors that cost a little over 400$ and until they do, this will not be over. I will update this review regarding the outcome of pending litigation. This will not stand. Get tires somewhere else

Greg Lanz

★★★★★

5 years ago

Big-O Santa Cruz is locally owned and operated. Very important to know! The entire staff is wonderful and goes the extra mile with excellent customer service and honest assessment of what your vehicle actually needs. No surprise charges or shady business here. I always drive away extremely satisfied! -Greg

Peanut 2017

★☆☆☆☆

3 years ago

Purchased tires here a few years back and had a great experience and left a 5 star review. After today, I will not ever work with Big O Tires. I brought my car in because the tire cap was separating. I was just out of warranty and wanted to understand why they said tires are bad after 6 years when mine were barely 4 years. Another staff stepped in very domineering and repeated what the first guy said. I still did not understand and asked more questions. I was told I was making him repeat himself and to stop saying "warranty and defective" and "we are not using the word free" and the mechanic I work with "probably only sees one car a week." Please note, I NEVER said or asked for anything free. I told him I wanted to understand why they are "done" several years before they told me to determine if I wanted to buy my new tires there again. Ultimately I left as the staff of men laughed. It was incredibly degrading. It was SO clear he made several assumptions about me as a woman instead of actually hearing me. For background, I was told by a mechanic with over 50 years of experience that he has never seen this happen to a tire and it looks like shotty workmanship. So I just wanted to understand what happened, instead I was treated like a "hysterical woman." I will never go back. This is the worst experience I have had as at an automotive type place. I am so disheartened and disgusted.

D W

★☆☆☆☆

5 months ago

Do not get your car fixed here! Once you point out the problem after repair, the management do everything they can to insult the customer! I wonder if the team have any common tense

Dgkb 831

★★★★★

3 months ago

always get my alignments done here great service with 4 Wheel Dr. vehicles especially lifted trucks. Love these guys.

Christy Kelsoe

★★★★★

9 months ago

We had an unfortunate flat tire while visiting. They got us in right away. Said it would be about 3 hours. 30 min later, we were done! Our service tech who patched and put on our tire was absolutely awesome and funny. I wish I could remember his name. Great service, thank you!!

Julie Pollack

★★★★★

8 months ago

Had a great experience at Big O Tires in Santa Cruz. Kyle was friendly, helpful, and made the whole process smooth. The expectations for repair time were clearly communicated, and they finished the work right on schedule. What I appreciated most was that there was no pressure to buy anything I didn’t need—just honest, straightforward service. Highly recommend if you’re looking for reliable work and a professional, no-hassle experience.

Zoe Smith Clark

★☆☆☆☆

a month ago

extremely sexist workers, don’t go here if you are a woman or value one! big o from my hometown was great, came here to be shocked by the workers! do not recommend!

Todd Plummer

★★★★★

2 years ago

Just had my special order tires installed here. Jaun was a great salesperson, very knowledgeable and friendly, and helped me get exactly the tires I wanted. They gave me a good deal and then did the installation quick and professional. Will be back very soon for tires on my wife's car.

Celeste Obomsawin

★★★★★

a month ago

I have always had great service here at Big O, and they always seem to have the best deals in town. Very friendly team, no hidden charges or shadiness. Much recommended!

Top 10 Farsi (‫۱۰ تا از‬‎)

★★★★★

3 years ago

I needed 4 Michelin tires for my car and big o tires had good deals on them. I called on Friday and they needed 1 extra day to get the size I needed. Went there on Monday and they replaced the tires within 1 hour. Service was great and quick. In the waiting area they have a couple of bending machines, complementary coffee and water cooler. They have an outdoor area as well. All in all recommended place to get your tires.

wonderfulbears

★★★★★

4 months ago

Yesterday I had a flat tire. They patched my tire within one hour without charge. I was Very surprise. The young guy at the counter was very pleasant and professional. I will definitely like to share my experience with everyone. Thank you Big O Tires. Thank you and thank you!!!

CK B

★★★★★

3 months ago

The service here is excellent! I came here three years ago for new tires and they have treated me so incredibly on every return visit… Free tire rotation and so much more. One more thing I never have to worry about. Thank you!

Kai Magalhaes

★☆☆☆☆

2 months ago

I chose this Big O Tires location purely out of convenience, as it is located close to my home. Prior to dropping off my truck, I called ahead and was quoted tires at $229.99 per tire. After doing my own research, I found the exact same tires available at Walmart for $169.99 each. According to Big O’s advertised “Lowest Tire Price Guarantee,” price matching is honored when the tires are available from a current and local distributor—which these clearly were. However, when I asked in person about price matching, the employees immediately and dismissively said no, without any attempt to verify eligibility. That alone should have been my signal to take my business elsewhere, but unfortunately I proceeded. In total, I paid $1,118.76 for the tires and installation. Less than seven days later, my TPMS warning light activated. My truck’s onboard system indicated that only the front-right sensor had failed. To ensure accuracy, I independently verified this using my own TPMS recalibration tool. Every other sensor responded correctly—only the right-front sensor failed to trigger. Armed with this information, I returned to the store and explained the situation clearly. Rather than addressing the single failed sensor, the staff immediately pushed for replacing all four sensors. I explicitly declined and requested only the defective sensor be repaired. They then performed a “diagnostic” that took approximately 45 minutes, after which they claimed all four sensors were bad—a conclusion that directly contradicted both my vehicle’s diagnostics and my independent testing. When I again refused to authorize unnecessary work, the employee reluctantly agreed to replace just one sensor and then quoted $150 per wheel. In other words, after spending over $1,100 on tires, I was now being pressured into an additional $600 for sensor replacements that demonstrably did not all need to be replaced. This experience was marked by aggressive upselling, disregard for customer-provided evidence, and an apparent unwillingness to honor advertised pricing policies. At no point did I feel that transparency or customer advocacy was a priority. I left feeling frustrated, disrespected, and deeply disappointed. I strongly recommend that potential customers do their homework and choose anywhere but this place!

Heriberto Tellez

★☆☆☆☆

2 months ago

I waited until I had my wheels mounted somewhere else before I made this review to see if what they told me was true. I bought new wheels for my car and wanted to use the same tires that I had, since they had very slow mileage. This required removing the tires from the old wheels and mounting them on the new ones. The old wheels are somewhat special in the way they mounted by having to be mounted in reserve. This requires additional attachments to the machines so they dont scratch the wheels. I called multiple places and found that only Big O and Prior tires are the only ones that do it in Santa Cruz. Big O quote me over the phone $150, but once I got there they changed their price to the cost of one wheel. When I asked why the price change they said my wheel are more expensive then normal wheels and they have to cover them selfs in case they are scratched. They said this is normal and that any other tire shop would do the same. The worker also claimed my wheels were already scratched even though it was just a little bit of dirt that I was able to rub off in front of him. This would have cost me between 400-700 depending wither they charged me the used price or new price of the wheel. I found this to be ridiculous and decided to go to Prior Tires instead. Piror Tires did it without hassle for $160 so I recommend them instead.

Danny Duarte

★★★★★

11 months ago

Best customer service and quality care I have experienced with new tire purchase. Was interested in some Method wheels and Juan was that guy. Went out of his way to check options with wheels available and what can be ordered. Covered best tires to select from and options. All went smoothed - had to order the wheels but arrived the next day with time to do the install and alignment. Kudos to Juan and the crew here - super friendly and super helpful. No pressure- went over options