Albany Automotive & Tire Service

We’ve been going to Albany tire for all our automotive repairs for many years. They respond immediately and take care of our problems as quickly as their schedule allows. Recently, I had a side view mirror destroyed. After a quick phone call to find out if they did that kind of repair, I was in invited to bring the vehicle in to check on the part. They were able to find the part before the day was up and install it the next day. Excellent, friendly service, as always. If something else appears wrong they advise us of future repairs that might be needed. Highly recommended. Louise

The sign out front says smog check will cost you $ 29.95, but after certificate fees and other non-​sticker cost it’s closer to $ 50. The service was quick and the owner is a nice guy, but I’d definitely avoid this place for a smog check. Contrary to what I was told, his price is not the «best deal in town».

These guys had me in and out within 20 minutes to patch a tire. Great service.
They gave great advice on how to get my car sell-​ready, and even recommended some nearby competitors for inventory they didn’t carry.

Forget about Costco. Not that there’s anything wrong with Costco, but they are too big, and too crowded, and too by-​the-​book. These guys know what they are doing, and they are kind of surprisingly friendly and fair. Seriously.

Have had good experience for a couple of decades buying tires, fixing tires, getting alignment. The folks are straightforward and honest and do the job dwell and on time. Never had any unhappy surprises or price changes or negative interactions. I have been working with John for years and more recently with his staff and they have a good culture in their shop. They treat you well and keep your business. This place is a local institution in Albany. Nice to see a local business not only survive but thrive.

Brought my car in right before a holiday weekend with two flat tires (one of which had only 15,000 miles). They speculated that vandals had punctured the tires, and they sold me two new ones, and rotated the old ones. The next day, the other two went flat (again, one of which had only 15k miles), and I had to be towed.
The circumstances are pretty upsetting. I have no reason to believe that the shop damaged the other two tires or put the wrong ones back on. (Of course, if they had, I wouldn’t know.) Still, I would have hoped that, when I brought in a car right before a holiday weekend with two vandalized tires (different model tires on opposite corners of the car), they would check to see whether the other two tires had leaks. They didn’t, because apparently putting a tire in a tub of water is a service they charge $ 10/​tire for. (They didn’t even suggest it at the time, though.) The tow driver said the oldest tire looked totally shot; why didn’t Albany Tire tell me that when rotating it?
Maybe they did nothing wrong up until the second time I brought the car in (three roadside assists later); I really can’t be sure. But I do know this: (1) they were not particularly sympathetic to my situation, which really did suck, even the parts that were not their fault; (2) it took a look of arguing just for them to give me a discount that was similar to an on-​line coupon on Unilocal,just as a courtesy; (3) after the owner agreed to give me the discount, he didn’t bother telling the guy at the counter, and he was gone and unreachable when I picked up the car, so I had to wait for him to return from lunch; and (4) the owner did not apologize for that.

This is a real tire store. They know how to fix flats without trying to sell you a new tire or tires and they don’t wreck your rims when they repair the tire. Honest and friendly. I had tried other places and will only go to Albany Tire in the future, whether for new tires, flats or smog checks.

Great guys. Fixed my slow-​leaking tire for me on a Saturday morning, for $ 25. No pressure or sales pitches. Service was a bit slow, so be sure to bring something to read or have somewhere you can go in walking distance. I walked up to El Cerrito Plaza; there is also a Peet’s Coffee shop not too far away.

friendly service, honest, no upsell. went camping, thought i’d destroyed not one tire, but two. headed here on the advice of local friends.
they could have easily taken me for two new tires AND an alignment but did not even go there, instead checking out tire integrity and alignment and verifying that all was well (one tire had a nail that was so short it didn’t even puncture, but there’s no way I would have known that). i can not express how deeply appreciative i am that these folks were so honest and so kind. if ever in need of tires or related services, i’d come back here in a heartbeat.

I’ve come here for routine steering/​tire service for the last few years. For my last visit they were able to patch my six month old tire that unfortunately encountered a vicious nail. Saved me from having to buy two new tires (large, low profile, $$$)! They’re always efficient, honest, and quick!

POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE CHAD.
I don’t know what happened with quality this place was known for, maybe it’s gotten coated over from tire dust. Anyways, I had called in to get a tire replaced, got a fair quote for a used one, came in and literally waited after people and another phone call when I had got in BEFORE them. Then after waiting a very slow half an hour this guy Chad brings the replacement tire and looks at mine and sees some wheel cosmetic damage (which I deliberately said wasn’t the cause of the flat) and says he can’t do anything due to liability. Douchebag move.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve needed 3 tire repairs — I guess my husband and I just have a knack for picking up nails. Each time, Albany Tire has been reasonable, relatively quick (or accurate on the time estimate), and open when we needed them. Ambiance-​free inside, but you can wait at one of the many coffee shops within walking distance.

I called them up to get a quote for smog check, and I was able to get a same day appointment. When I checked in, I mentioned a coupon on their website that I want to use, and he just took it off the final cost. Also, the test was done quicker than he estimated. Keep up the good work, highly recommended!

I have been going to Albany Tires and Automotive for many years. They have serviced 3 of my cars. Always incredibly helpful and reasonably priced. I dropped by to see if they could do a smog test without an appointment (though I do recommend calling ahead just to make sure you can get your car in) they took care of it in less than 30 minutes and I was on to the rest of my day. I have also replaced tires with them on all 3 of my cars at one point or another, always the best pricing in town. I highly recommend Albany Tires and Automotive.

I’ve been going here for over 20 years with my cars. John and Gary have always been super nice and helpful over the years. I know that they will do good work and they will not cut corners. I have always been treated with respect and they are very good at discussing what your options are.

I just up to North Cali and still getting use to the area. My tire kept going flat, I had no ideal where to go to get it fixed. My Grandmother In-​law recommended this place and I was not disappointed. They’re very friendly. The analyzed my problem with tire and what needed which unfortunately meant buying a new one. But, it was time replace anyway, so it not too much of a lost. They even told me about some future concern that I needed to be aware of. I was very satisfied with they service.

I don’t write many reviews, but I feel so good about these folks that I might as well share it. Here’s a company that delivers great service and charges only for that.
Overall, Albany Tire treats their customers so well –in a matter-​of-​fact way. When I left today, i said, «You guys are the best.» The staffer didn’t react much. I said «I guess you hear that all the time.» He said, «Yes, but we like to hear it.»
They are the champions of «underpromise and overdeliver.» For time, they encourage me to call and see how long it will take to get to my car before bringing it in. And it they find something small, they’ll usually charge just the minimum estimating cost.
I’ve lived near them two years, been there three times, all for tires – electric cars don’t need much else! One tire was unrepairable. They got me a replacement quickly, at a competitive price. Two other times were slow leaks. I got the offending nail plus a bill for $ 25, and was in and out in less than an hour.

Good price & excellent service
This morning i went to costoco
I need two rear tire
I went to Costoco get estimate they told me we have a stock
You can come back tomorrow
This morning costoco say to me we don’t stock tire .but you can buy 4 tire we have
Does not make sense to me
After i came here. Give me good price
Much cheaper then costoco price
I really like this shop

I have been going here for over 5 years. It was really disappointing what happened last weekend.
I have been consistently bringing my car to Albany tire for oil changes and services. Last week the engine light was on after an oil change at the shop and parked for 4 days, I brought it back in. They couldn’t figure out what was wrong but still charged me for half hour of labor. Nothing was done. Chad initially recommended a timing belt change but my car has a timing chain. Until I pointed it out, he then printed out a long list of service items that should be caught up. I don’t know if I can trust them to do the right services in the future and will not bring my car back.

Although I really love Unilocal as a resource, I don’t write a lot of reviews – so when I do, it is significant.
I’ve been taking my vehicles to AATS for well over a decade. Knowing several of the guys who work there pretty well, I trust them implicitly. I’ve had countless instances of getting a «worse case scenario» estimate of hundreds of dollars – only to have the final bill come in at less than $ 100 because it turned out that only a minor repair or part was necessary (yet they could have easily passed off the more expensive repair with me being none the wiser). Those are the kinds of surprises I don’t mind and the kind of integrity that I appreciate!
That said, what really sold me on this place was, many years ago I was stuck in Redding with a car problem. Feeling like I was getting gouged by the local dealership, I called AATS for some advice. Despite the fact that I had only been there a few times (at that point), one of the AATS mechanics remembered me and my vehicle and then offered to talk to the guy in Redding. After doing so, he then explained the problem to me and laid out exactly what I should accept from those guys in the way of an «estimate» and proposed work. As a result, their estimate magically became lower and I was on my way home much quicker than initially expected. That kind of customer service goes a LONG way in my book and AATS has been my «go to» mechanic ever since.
On top of all that, I’ve never had a problem getting in quickly for an appointment and have even been «squeezed in» for a same-​day appointment on a couple of occasions when emergency repairs reared their ugly head.
Quality work, fair prices and outstanding customer service. I simply cannot say enough about this place. 5 stars does not do them justice – if I could give them 10 stars I would.