My teenage son’s Toyota Sienna started smoking and shut down far from home. Joe was great to work with and went the extra mile to not only repair the car but test it and really reassure us that all was well. I highly recommend Joe’s shop!

Thank you Joe!
My daughters' car decide to break down leaving Arcata in the late afternoon. We called Joe and brought it in and even though it was late in the day, he had it diagnosed, got the part delivered and had it fixed within an hour!
Highly recommend Joe for an experienced, reliable and honest mechanic!

If you want to be treated right, make sure you go to Joe Mello's Auto Repair. A satisfied customer, Rio.

They were friendly and helpful. I called day of and they were able to fit me in for an oil change. They also inspected my car to make sure it was ok for me to drive South and found that I needed new tires and that I had a nail in my back tire and helped me find new tires locally taking away the stress from that situation. Also, they have a super cute friendly dog!

By far the best honest most kind mechanic in town. Have trusted him for years with my vehicles. I was running late to pick up my truck. He stayed open and missed his Dr. appt just to make sure I had my vehicle before he closed for the weekend. Never over priced always on point, quick and helpful. Its refreshing to have your vehicle worked on by good hearted people such as Joe. :) Thank You! :)

Joe is great! I was having trouble getting my Subaru Baja into gear and I feared a big problem was brewing. When I arrived, Joe offered to test drive it immediately; afterwards, he suggested I start with a tune-up, and booked me an appointment for the next day. The car was fixed in a couple of hours - he was right, all it needed was a tune-up. The car has given me no trouble in the month since then. Excellent customer service, and no doubt the lowest cost around. The other mechanic at the shop was also quite pleasant. Overall, a great experience!

I brought my Rav4 to Joe, and am completely satisfied with his work. He did not waste my time and money with a diagnostic report, but instead went on a test drive with me, and put the car on the racks to determine what was wrong with it. It had been making a lot of uncommon noise.

He found out that the roof racks were not tamped down properly and in the process of putting my car on the rack, found that the struts and shocks were bad.

I really appreciate how efficient he was, and how he took the time to patiently answer all my questions, which I repeatedly asked him. (I am suspicious and clueless when it comes to auto work).

I felt his price was fair; his customer service, efficiency and knowledge exceptional. I am so glad he is in Arcata.

I am new in town from the East coast, and my car has been acting up. I don't have a regular mechanic that I know and trust for years, or any connections here yet to refer me. I needed someone to look at the vehicle and let me know the deal. Joe Mello took time out of his busy day to talk to me when I came by without an appointment - he gave careful attention to his initial examination and expert advice for a follow up. I am so grateful to begin a good relationship with a long-time community mechanic and service shop. Thank you!

This was my first time with Joe and He removed my old gas tank and replaced it with a tank I furnished. Unfortunately the tank I furnished turned out to be defective because the gauge sender would not seal correctly. I filled it up and it leaked like a sieve. At first I was upset but Joe said bring it right back in. He put the van up on the lift and drained the tank, removed it and reinstalled the old tank with all the fittings. That solved the problem but the manual said it had been installed wrong. I took the tank and the gauge to German Motors and they said the tank was bad and they had found other after market tanks with the same problem. They also said the manuals are full of "misinformation". I apologized to Joe who was pretty upset. He had even offered to return my money because I thought he had done something wrong. I was wrong. I would recommend him anytime based on the fact that he worked hard to get me in and worked just as hard to make it right. I took it in the next day for a smog check and it passed with flying colors. Thanks Joe, and next time I'll try not to give you a heart attack. I think you will find that this shop will go out of it's way to get a job right, just like he did for me.
Jeren C, Bayside

Getting ready to send my daughter home to Colorado for Christmas, and we notice a rattle under the car. Normally, she takes it over to Toyota, since her Prius has been under warranty, but we decided to try Joe Mello's garage. When we called him he said he'd look at it as soon as we could get there. And that's exactly what he did! I also want to mention that I found his shop to be very clean and tidy for a auto repair garage. Joe went with us on a test drive and then put the car up on the racks to further examine it, the problem was figured out an we were so grateful. Because it was a only a rock that was caught up in the wheel behind the brake pad, it did need immediate service. We were quite relieve needless to say! Joe did not charge us for his time and we want to say he is honest and professional. We will definitely do business with him if needed in the future as well as highly recommend him to the community!

I have been bringing my vehicles (4x4suv, truck, and a Honda Accord) here for two years and am so happy to have Joe as my mechanic!!!

He is always honest and more than fair ! He always is cool enough to bring me under my vehicle and show me things and answer questions.

Often beating other mechanic shops in the area in price without a shrug about it and can get your car in and out in a timely matter!

I send all my friends here and definitely recommend him.

Joe is the man! Perfect for college students who don't know too much about cars as he won't cheat you or overcharge you! Honest about price, lets you know before hand, and doesn't really charge to look at it. Small business so be respectful with appointments and dont miss them!

I'm a mom with a college kid ... I don't know the area so I really rely on YELP and the reviews. The old Jeep was guzzling gas and running rough so I gave my son the addresses and numbers of two places. In between school and work he checked out both. The first place was big and had a lot of employees.. and charged over $100 just to have them look at the Jeep. Pretty standard I guess. At Joe Mello's he said, "he's not all warm and fuzzy but he's cool and knows his business ".... this is from a 20yr old
As it turns out Joe is our new go-to guy!!! He was honest, very reasonable priced, and took the time to talk to both my son & me about the repairs etc. THANK YOU JOE!!

What a great shop they sure know what there doing wish there where more shops like them he's got such a great Assistance

I've been taking my car to Joe for the past couple of years and each time he has taken care of it properly! He is honest when it comes to estimates and he does not try to cheat you for the money. He gets it done and gets it done right at a fair price.

This guy is THE man. He has gone above and beyond to help fix my 76 Toyota chinook multiple times now. He stayed in the shop on Christmas Eve last year to make sure we would have our home back for the holiday after a ball joint went on the 23rd. He won't try to smooth talk you, he's very real and will take the time to explain to you and show you what's going on. Highly recommend him, the most trusted mechanic I've found in this area!

Friendly, knowledgeable, trustworthy and efficient service. I came in for an oil change and was very pleased. He also took the time to look my car over for obvious impending safety or mechanical concerns, but by no means appeared to be looking to 'sell' me on added services. Bonus points for a well mannered friendly shop dog. I will definitely return here if I need anything else done while I am in this area.

I have worked with Joe for over 10 years and have always been extremely pleased with his work. He is honest as the day is long and will only do the work you need. I have had Joe keep my 1999 Dodge 2500 Ram alive and kicking (over 275K on it and going strong). He was the only one in the county that could figure out what was going on with my Toyota Corolla's fuel system. He is just an all around good guy that you can trust your repairs to. He is about making it right, not about lining his pockets.

Honest, reliable, fair and he makes 'em run. Recommend highly

I moved to Arcata in '98 and Joe has worked on every vehicle in our family since. Most recently he replaced the catalytic converter on my wife's Toyota for about $300 less than what the dealer wanted. A couple of years ago when we discovered a bad wheel bearing on our boat trailer the morning before we were supposed to leave for Ruth Lake, Joe found the right bearings in Fortuna, went and got them and got our trailer fixed by the end of his work day. When our daughter blew a head-gasket on her Subaru on her way home from college a few Christmases ago Joe was able to get that job done in just three days, giving her enough time to continue on with her winter break plans. My old work truck would have probably gone to the scrap yard years ago if it weren't for Joe being able to diagnose and fix all of its little problems without costing me an arm and a leg. Joe is an old-school mechanic who knows what it takes to fix something and not one of the modern guys who just keeps changing parts until the problem is accidentally solved.

And his dog Cozzie is a joy to visit too, just don't toss her ball or she'll never let you leave!

I have used Joe's auto for over 10 years and have been extremely pleased. Joe does great work and stands behind it. He is honest as they come and won't take the job if he can't do it right. Highly recommend him.

Joe helped me make it back home after my car unexpectedly broke down in Arcata. He was professional, knowledgeable, patient, and willing to work with me on the cost of the repairs. He showed me...

Joe helped me make it back home after my car unexpectedly broke down in Arcata. He was professional, knowledgeable, patient, and willing to work with me on the cost of the repairs.  He showed me what was wrong with my car by taking the time to pull out a manual that had the image of the inner workings of my vehicle's engine. He took time to explain the problem so that I could understand.  He expedited my car repairs, was efficient, and effective. He didn't BS me. I greatly appreciated his honesty and concern. My vehicle now drives better than it did when I bought it.

Nice thing about taking your car to Joe is you know he is going to treat you fair. No need to question his estimate. If he can't fix it right, he won't do it. He has maintained all of my vehicles for years and I cannot say enough good about him. Honest as the day is long.