O’Brien’s Tire & Auto

Great shop with a great owner. I have been taking my vehicles here for years and always receive great work and great service. Recently had a timing belt kit that failed that cost me a fortune. Fran O’brien went to court with me to sew the manufacture. With his support and knowledge we easily won the case and I regained all of my losses. I Highly recommend this shop for any auto job needed. From plugging a tire, to an oil change to body work. They do it all and know what they are doing. Thanks Fran!

My family recommended that I go to O’Brien’s for car maintenance (they’ve been going there for years) and I haven’t been disappointed at all. I’ve gone to O’Brien’s twice now to deal with two separate issues and I have to say, as much as I hate dealing with any car issues, Fran and his team made it such an easy and pleasant experience. Prices are beyond fair and turnaround time was super reasonable. Fran & his guys patiently explained what the issue was, how they had to handle it, and any maintenance moving forward. I felt like I was treated as though I was part of the family and I really, really appreciate it. I’ve referred them to my friends & family and I will definitely be bringing my car back to them!

I have had another great experiences with O’Briens Auto Service Center. The most recent was this morning my car has not started since December and Steve came to my house, got the car started and I was able to drive it to the shop with out getting a tow truck and get my fuel filter replaced and he was great! I will definitely refer them to my friends and customers.

Went there this morning in a scramble after locking my keys at the pump at Wawa.
Although cars were on the lift, they did not bat an eye at helping me with a lockout.
Fair price and got me back on the road in a few minutes.
Friendly guys and would try them next time my truck needs maintenance.

I had my first experience with this shop (and the O’Brien family) yesterday after I wasn’t able to get a hold of my regular guy in time to get my car back on the road when I needed it. The staff was assuring they’d have me fixed up in no time (which they did… a little over an hour to fix two bent wheels and a full set of new tires) and my wait was entertaining to say the least. Fran is a colorful character who cut me a fair deal. I’ve bought many tires in the past as someone who was formerly commuting over a hundred miles per day, and not only was the price very reasonable, my car is handling as good as it did new. This shop seems to have the expertise and service I’m looking for and I will be back next time my car needs work.

I went here 13 months ago to purchase a tire and they were nice enough to fit me in before the 4^th of July holiday. It was nice of them but they charge around 10−15% more on tires than most places. It was worth the price for the convenience and emergency. While I was there, I was I persuaded to purchase a warranty for the tires in which I was told I wouldn’t have to pay for a new tire if I hit another pothole or nail etc. I went in today for them to honor the warranty but the warranty didn’t cover the whole tire. In fact it only covered 75 $ out of 210 $ for the tire. He went on to tell me how the tire was worn down and they don’t cover it when the tire is worn down. Why would I have purchased it in the first place if it wasn’t going to cover the full price for the whole 18 months.
Anyway the service is adequate and the guy is pretty friendly. Don’t buy any deals because he’s a quick talker and will tell you whatever he has to, to get a sale.

I love this shop I wanted to share how I found O’Brains tire & auto and my experience with their service.
I’m what you would call a super commuter and on my way home to Reading Pa from Cinnaminson Nj my car broke down in the center line of Vine street Expressway. What made matters worse, it happened during the height of rush hour. After a hundred failed attempts to get ahold of my husband. Panic mode set in and so did the tears!
As a female with NO knowledge of any car maintenance except for maybe hanging a air freshener on my mirror. I called my local shop who told me they didn’t service Philadelphia area. So I started to call what felt like a thousand shops. Everyone told me it would be over a hour. Finally I found O’Brains. The gentlemen that answered was so sweet and so so SO reassuring. And truthfully hearing him say (I’m on my way) made me cry more. Finally someone was gonna rescue me. Lol Within 10 minutes the young man was on site. We sat in the traffic for a good hour and the whole time I was dreading the cost.
Cha Ching as every minute passed!
Finally back at shop I was greeted by Mr O’Brain himself. He said his guys were checking the car out but asked if I needed anything. I was worried about how I would get home and he said (RELAX! If my guys need to keep the car overnight I can call a car rental service for you). After about 10 or 15 minutes one of his mechanics came in and asked if I just had a new battery installed. Which I did a week or so prior. He then went on to explain that it was only a loose battery cable and the shop that installed the battery never tightened down the cable. Mr O’Brain said your car is ready. And that he was only charging me for the tow. Which was like 50 bucks or so I just remember it wasn’t expensive at all but truthfully I would have given him 500 bucks for saving me! Lol Finally in the car my husband returned my call. After taking 5 mins to yell for not answering his cell and saving me. Lol I give him the details of what happened.
My husband explained it was a perfect opportunity for any shop to take advantage of someone and jack up costs. This is now our go to garage for everything. We recently visited with my daughters car that was acting up and yet once again Mr O’Brian shocks me with his service. He was very honest that the car needed a lot of work which we knew already. Now other shops would see dollar signs and jumped on the opportunity to take advantage, But instead he broke it down by things we needed to fix immediately (safety) and other repairs that we could do over time. O’Brains has truly saved my tail on so many levels. Prior to O’Brains we paid outrages prices for car service and repair to only be stranded on 676. I don’t worry anymore and It’s not often you find a shop that is honest knowledgeable and reliable. And I’d rather drive the farther distance to come here, instead of going to a local shop and having them mess things up. Worth the 60mile commute to his shop for car repair service. O’Brains even showed me how to refill my own washer fluid. Lol
Thank you Fran O’Brain for always saving me! You truly have one of a kind service. I will alway recommend everyone to your shop.

They sent me out of their garage with a brake caliper unbolted. I had another mechanic take the wheel off because it was making noise, and the caliper was dangling. When I called them to ask about it they said they «never even looked at that brake» even though I was there for a state inspection and they had all 4 wheels off to put new tires on. When I gave the owner a hard time about it, he called me an a$$hole and hung up on me.
He did call back later and offer to put new bolts in and do my inspection again for free even if I got all the work done at another place. Although I probably wouldn’t go here again, the owner does seem knowledgeable and is an interesting guy to talk to otherwise.

This place is terrible; untrustworthy, overpriced, and arrogant. They couldn’t pay me to let them work on my car EVER again.
Not only was I treated with the utmost disrespect, but I was conned in to believing the services performed would cost one single base price. Little did I know, it would actually end up costing me twice that amount after each ammendment (from the proprietor) to the bill. Refusal to release a vehicle until I pay an amount I didn’t agree upon? Looking back, I should have called the cops. Unfortunately I was too afraid and shocked at that time.
If I can conclude anything from my run-​in with this business it is; there are no honest mechanics, and every review made to this place must have been produced by relatives. No true customer could have ever had a good experience here.

I had 4 tires delivered to my door from
(I’ll be writing a positive review about them next). The UPS delivery man actually recommended I go to O’Brien’s to get them mounted. Upon meeting Fran, I told him about the UPS recommendation. He knew exactly who I was talking about and told me he did work on that guy’s personal vehicle. Fran also informed me that I could get the tire delivered to his shop from Tirerack with no shipping! If I knew then… Anyway, I began to tell Fran how important a proper balance is on a Jeep to prevent «shimmy» at speeds. I didn’t need to tell him that, he knew. My tires were installed quick, are balanced great, and the install price was VERY competetive. Once I get my full size spare, I will be back to O’Brien’s to have that mounted

My experience with these guys was excellent. Far better than I would have expected. They really took care to fix a problem caused by another repair shop (Firestone) and they even stayed late to do it so I wouldn’t have to take public transportation to get home that night. I’m a very happy customer.

I’ve been to O’Briens twice. Once to have an inspection done (which seemed fine enough) and another to diagnose a repair.
The owner (Franny O’Brien) has a stories for days. Listen between the lines.
My red flag was the owner’s retelling of his shop installing a subquality part, per a customer’s request, that resulted in a near-​miss accident bad enough it is inspiring the customer to sue the cheap-​Automotive-​parts-​store that sold the part. Mr. O’Brien was right when he said you don’t mess with crap quality parts for something as important as a tie rod or brake pads. But what garage 1. Tells the customer a cheaper option exists if they don’t trust it (the customer likely wasn’t parts-​savvy enough to know that on their own) 2. agrees to *install* such terrible parts if they know it could fail? Regardless of what the customer is ”willing to pay for’?
The complaint that brought me into the shop most recently was a vibration and noise problem from, I suspected, a bad wheel bearing.
They diagnosed the car with, as above, a bent tie rod and offered to repair it for around $ 350.
Feeling uneasy after hearing the story (specifically, how do I know what quality parts are *actually* going into my vehicle? And I watched as they were price quoting on a discount auto parts site), I took the car to another shop nearby.
Cost of walking away from O’Briens after they looked at my car and used the code reader? $ 95.
At the new shop I found out the offending noise was a shot wheel bearing. I also learned (and was shown the pads to confirm) my brakes were nearly gone. So I spent less than 500 and got new brakes, rotors and a new wheel bearing (a time intensive task) and have the assurance that the parts didn’t come from the cheap-​Automotive-​parts-​store across the parking lot… but a real parts supplier. And I’m getting the bent tie rod repaired for good measure.
Go to a mechanic you trust. I don’t trust these guys. Your mileage may vary.

I recently went to O’Brien’s with my sick car for the 2^nd time. This time the culprit was a huge screw sticking out of my tire. and I also needed an inspection. They do it all so it was basically one stop shopping. Seriously handy to have a garage so close that does tires stuff and everything else.
The staff is super friendly and helpful. They also don’t try to treat you like you’re an idiot. A common problem when women go to a garage to get their car fixed. My brother is a mechanic and he says I got a great rate and he was relieved to know I was taken care of in Philadelphia. I surely recommend this place to anyone who is in need of a lil automotive healing.

I always recommend this shop to friends who complain about their mechanic.
Fran O’Brien is the emcee in the most unusual car shop in Philly!
Sure his shop has all the things you would expect; Inspections, Car repair, Tires… and some things you probably have given up on like fair prices and honesty. But the most unusual thing about THIS shop is the atmosphere: this is no regular waiting room, where tired, suspicious customers sullenly wait for the bad news. In this waiting room you’ll get to experience the enigma that is Fran O’Brien, part game show host, renaissance man, kindly uncle, stern father, jokester and story-​teller. Watch in fascination as he, in turn, scolds a young man for letting his Inspection expire, gives an old guy a break on a tire, calls around for the best price on a part, tells a story about converting his Jetta to bio-​deisel, helps a lady find a new (used) car, and answers about a hundred phone calls.
Fran knows all his customers and all their cars. His personality is BIG and so is his heart. You can tell by the easy way that he interacts with everyone and the thank you cards on the walls. As a customer, you may occasionally get scolded, but for my money, I wouldn’t have it any other way.