D.H. Walsh Automotive

We took our Volvo xc90 here. Wow, Michael is friendly, honest and explained exactly what was and was not wrong with my car. He even filled up my spare tire.

We took our 2000 Honda CRV in over a year ago, not running all that well. We told Michael that our son was going to Arkansas (Arkansas!) for a year and needed a car that would make it. Michael looked at the car, tuned it up and said the car would be fine, and that it still had many thousands of miles left on it. Our son is back now, the CRV easily making it there and back again. Thank you Michael for the work and the peace of mind!

Really great service. Michael is the sole mechanic here, and he is very thorough. He realized that I am on a tight budget. I have a 1991 Volvo wagon and he pointed out what had to be fixed immediately as well as recommendations of what should be done next.
He will spend a lot of time to detail what service and maintenance is needed, down to showing you the broken part. He gave me a cost estimate for the work that needed to be done, and the resulting work was right on budget.
He welcomes any questions by phone. He’s very friendly and takes great pride in his work and it shows. Definitely book your appointment. He may take an extra day longer to get the work done, but that’s only because he takes on sever cars and again, he’s a one man show fixing cars and answering the phone!

This place is awesome. Mike is the most honest and sweetest mechanic you will find. It wasn’t a quick repair, but he was the only one working when I brought my car in. I would definitely go back here and recommend it to anyone!

Michael is an incredible find, and I was fortunate to have him work on my Volvo. Not only is he honest about what he would or wouldn’t recommend, he also takes the time to fully explain how everything works and why he would suggest or not suggest certain repairs. I brought up some ideas from my online research, and he was already well-​versed in what I was talking about and able to discuss with me. He did a terrific job on my car and was super friendly and comfortable to work with. He even took me out for a test drive to show me some things and explained a number of other tips. I can’t recommend him more highly. I’ll definitely be coming back and am happy to have found someone I feel that I can trust.

I brought my honda fit in for an oil change and engine check. Mike replaced the spark plugs at about ²⁄₃ the cost of an estimate I got for that same job in SF. The engine is totally better, finally, after 5 mechanics not knowing what to do. So glad I found him.

What a nice guy. It’s hard to find a mechanic you can trust these days — this guy is a real gem. Your car is definitely in good hands here!

Michael is the greatest! I have been going to him for the past year, and he’s always been helpful and responsive. I found Michael when I was researching mechanics for my 60,000 mile tune-​up (I have an 2006 Volvo S60). I called about 6 area shops and Michael was hands down the best — most reasonably priced and he talked me through everything he would do during the servicing. It’s so nice to finally have a mechanic who explains things in plain English! I’ve taken my car back for oil changes and a few other small issues, and referred him to my roommate, who has taken her 2001 Subaru there a number of times as well. I’d recommend Michael for any of your car needs — he’s definitely the best mechanic I’ve ever worked with!

My Corolla needed immediate attention to deal with a serious oil leak. Michael took the car in immediately, did an analysis of the problem, consulted with me on possible remedies, decided on a course of action, did the repair, and had the car back to me all within eight hours. He did a great job of explaining what he was doing, and the car has been running smoothly ever since. Careful, thoughtful, highly responsible work!
Mark M.

Michael. What a great guy. Brought my Subaru elsewhere for a simple problem, and they didn’t even check or do what I told them and insisted I needed to bring my vehicle back for a $ 98 diagnostic! I was furious and found D.H. Walsh Automotive and called. Michael was to attentive and told me to just drop by before the end of his day. Fixed my little problem and I was on my way. Exactly what I told the other guys what it was. Don’t know why auto mechanics assume they can rip off women. So happy to have found someone honest, knowledgeable and informative. After a year of searching for a mechanic for my baby, I have found him!

My Toyota had developed a fairly annoying shimmy on the freeway, and because I was in the east bay for a few days, I decided to take it here rather than my usual place. They kept it a little longer than they’d promised, and when they returned it, I was given a rather vague answer, «the front end is worn,» which later changed to something much more mystifying and odd, «the front end is SHOT.» They seemed a little brusque, and left the beige floormat and steering wheel greasy as well.
Yuck.
However, after looking at previous reviews and how many people swear by this place, I figure they must have been having some sort of an off day. Still… I really don’t think I’ll be back.

I’m going to go with the others.
Michael is honest, reliable and a joy to talk with. We’ve used his services for over 10 years; I trust his opinion on cars implicitly, and I wouldn’t go anywhere else.
As someone else stated– he will tell you everything wrong with your car and then prioritize it for you, and help you work out a repair plan that fits your budget. I’ve never once felt that I was told to fix or authorize a repair that was unnecessary. It’s such a relief to have a mechanic I feel is that honest!

I wish there were more than 5 stars. Michael is an incredible mechanic and a heck of a guy. I will not trust my Volvo with anyone else. In Michael’s mind my 1998 Volvo wagon with 135K miles is just being broken in. I met customers of Michael that have 300k miles on theirs and still going strong. Always available when the client is in a pinch. He gives you a thorough review of what «should» be fixed and what can wait. Even pillows to fall on if you had massive work done and just looked at the bill. Actually it’s not a shock, he won’t repair something unless he contacts you directly and explains the issues and what they cost. Never any surprises and true honesty

Being a female, it’s hard to find a shop where you feel you aren’t getting the wool pulled over your eyes and an extra $ 500 (or more) pulled out of your pocket.
Michael is honest, and when in a financial crunch, can help you prioritize the right-​this-​second repairs from the you-​can-​wait-​a-​few-​months ones. Even though it’s sometimes a pain to get my car to or from the shop in Albany, it’s worth it knowing that the repairs have been made, are of a superior quality, and are done with quality parts.
That being said, the original David Walsh (of D.H. Walsh Automotive) was my stepfather, and he sold the shop to Michael several years back. I am a bit biased. But I don’t trust anyone but Michael with my car.

Mike consistently provides excellent personal service. He has often gone out of his way to fix my Volvo on short notice, is flexible, easy to work with and calls back promptly. Prices are very reasonable and he doesn’t cut corners with shoddy parts or add uneccessary repairs.
Definitely recommend him for Volvo repairs.

Michael has helped my family and I with our cars for years, as our reliable and honest neighborhood mechanic. He always is able to get us in when we’re in a jam and he does a thorough job which we’ve been 100% satisfied with, every single time.
His specialty is Vovlos & Toyotas, but you will always see 8 or so Volvos parked alongside the shop! He’s worked on our old ’88 Toyota Corolla wagon, countless resurrections really, and my old ’99 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS for a major 120k mile timing belt change and a blown out spark plug «incident».
DH Walsh is a great and honest shop!

Michael is not only an honest, capable mechanic, he’s a funny, helpful guy with a gift for the gab (he is from Dublin – Ireland, that is, not CA). He’s consistently made time for me, been patient and helpful and explained everything with zero patronizing – as a single female who knows little about cars, this has been especially appreciated. If you drive a Volvo, bring it to DH Walsh. Michael’s prices are on the high end, but less than the dealership, and in this case, you do truly get what you pay for. He’s always going the extra mile – opening early or staying late to accommodate my schedule or throwing in an extra service gratis, so the price is truly worth it. Five stars and then some.

Michael is a superb mechanic and a prince of a fellow. You can’t do better than this guy.

Michael (The new owner) is the most honest and amazing mechanic in the world! He is AWESOME! We had a 4 runner, and decided to buy a new car, and limited ourselves to Toyotas or Volvos just to keep him as our mechanic! go here if you want your car fixed and don’t want to get ripped off!