VIP Tires & Service

I have nothing but good things to say about this place. Twice they have helped us out with very serious safety issues, and they didn’t even charge us the 2^nd time. Workers seemed knowledgeable. They work a bit slow but their quality of work is good.

Terrible service. Unprofessional;and their lack of consideration for family members who needed to get home for work in southern Maine was obvious. We ended up buying the part ourselves in Rockland and delivering it to them, after most of the day passed without them even looking at it. Do not use this place. It has a bad reputation I found out after the fact!

I can’t really recommend taking your car to VIP unless you’re in a real hurry and money is no object. They will almost certainly have the parts in stock, but they will charge you through the nose and act in a corporately subservient sort of way that feels a bit creepy. I don’t really need my mechanic to call me ‘sir’ every time.
I’ve had a couple so-​so experiences with VIP:
First time, I was quoted $ 750 for a brake job. With a bit of sticker shock, I went across town to East Side Garage, where I got the same job done for $ 525 total.
Second time, I came in with what I thought was a slightly weak battery, only to learn I needed to get an alternator replacement. Fast-​forward a week, and the alternator they installed stops working outright, stranding my wife roadside: I had to bring the car in twice before they finally acknowledged (after five guys clustered around my car) that it wasn’t a slipping belt, but a faulty part. This was replaced at no additional charge.
I generally find local garages to be more affordable and straightforward, but if you’re in a hurry and need to get back on the road that day, VIP are your guys.

On a recent trip to Belfast our vehicle started making a strange noise. Once we arrived at the inn we spoke to the innkeeper who directed us to VIP and said they were very good to deal with. It was a Saturday morning and extremely busy. We explained our situation and the noise and the lady working the desk asked one of the mechanics if he could take a quick ride to hear the problem and if we needed to leave the car she would schedule us in. The mechanic took a ride, heard the noise, put the car on the left and discovered a loose heat shield that was just hanging on. He removed it, they did not charge us and we were on our way within 20 minutes. I would highly recommend them.

This is a good place to go and get your oil changed and your fluids checked, especially if you are suspecting that there is something wrong with your car. If there is so much as a hint of a problem, they will quickly tell you something like «your car will blow up immediately unless you have a million dollars worth of work done on it and, coincidentally, we just happen to have an opening right away!». I usually leave there feeling like I’ve been stolen from, even if I have just gone in to buy a «Little Tree» air freshener. I always look carefully as I am heading towards the door because I am half expecting to see a couple of big-​necked goons standing there to turn me upside down to shake every last bit of change out of my pocket before they let me out of the store. Yeah, it’s tricky for us non-​mechanical types to go to these places and not get taken advantage of. If you don’t know anything about cars, don’t trust these guys to help you out… they are too busy scheming a new way to rip you off!