East Bay Auto Repair & Towing

Helpful!
On time service on a Saturday wen we could not find any other service station helpful.

I bought a BMW 540 I with Air suspension, the air suspension was in bad condition, I looked up in the area for BMW mechanics and this shop showed up.
I called and made an appointment, they claim that they have a way to diagnose the problem and would let me know, they also charged me 150 for the diagnosis, two days later they call me and said the diagnostic failed and could not find the problem and told me to take the car somewhere else, once I find out the problem they said to come back and they would fix it, in way they did not know what was wrong with the air suspension, THEY DO NOT HAVE THE TOOLS TO FIND OUT AND SHOULD NOT MILK THE PERSON FOR 150 OR RETURN THE MONEY.
I called Bavarian Professionals, and Boy are they good, in one hour they had the problem solved and to find out it was as simple as the air bags had a slow leak.
HOW MUCH MORE BASIC SHOULD IT BE??? They fixed for 600 dollars.
I do not recommend this East Bay Auto Repair as you never know how much they will go to assault your pocket book.

East bay was horrible! If there was a rating below 1 star, that would been my rating. They charge me close to $ 200 for repair, diagnostic, and labor when nothing was done. Had to visit them 3 times and upon each visit a new story comes up. I just needed a brake and line inspection!

I brought my car in to get a diagnostic and the service was excellent. My questions were answered thoroughly and the staff was friendly and very helpful.

If you don’t mind venturing into the hood, this place is legit.
This is my go to place for smog checks. Good prices, honest, and knowledgeable staff. You can also walk down the street and get a bowl of phở while they’re working on your car.

For smog check:
They did a poor job estimating how long it would take to smog my vehicle. After hearing 15 minutes a couple of times over an hour and 15 minutes, I felt like I should have drove a little further to a slightly less expensive smog check.

great hard worker. you can trust

please do not tell me your shop can work on a Prius, set an appointment for me, and then tell me you don’t know how to do the work once I’ve already taken the time out to drive the car there. FAIL.

The service was so great here, I signed up for Unilocal so I could leave a review. This after using the site for years — yes, the service was that great!
I called around to find out about getting my transfer case leak and rear main seal fixed on my ’06 Xterra. I first called and spoke with Tony, who gave me the most realistic idea of what it would entail and how much labor would be, so I went in for a true (free) estimate.
Once there, Danny let me know everything going on, and was just really fantastic and kind. My car was fixed on time, and for the exact agreed upon price. I’m convincing my guy to get some auto body work done there.

Why I will be going back to East Bay Auto:
1. Accommodating: I moved to Oakland having left a great mechanic back in SF and needed my air filter box changed (the screws had been stripped by an Oil Changers). All I had to do was come over (didn’t make an appointment) and Danny took a look at my car right away and fixed it within the hour
2. Affordable: For the air filter job, they only charged me $ 20!
3. Honest & Straight forward: Danny and his staff are helpful mechanics and not off-​putting salesmen. I really appreciate the time they make to help you get your car fixed and their openness about what’s actually going on (ex. they take the time to show you on the car and provide a clear and simple explanation).
For the air filter job, they could have recommended that I buy an entire new box, same with the oil filter (also messed up by Oil Changers), with each costing well over $ 400 a piece but they let you know the difference between what is possible and what is necessary and its for that reason primarily-​having a mechanic who let’s you know your true range of options at a fair price-​that I will definitely be going back to East Bay Auto Repair & Towing.

This place is EXACTLY what I wanted in a car repair shop. Honest, personable, cheap and extremely qualified.
We’ve been bringing our ’99 Malibu there since Phoenix Auto closed down 8 years ago or so, and we couldn’t be happier. When we first brought it there, I asked Danny to document everything that was wrong, and then work with me to knock things off the list every few months or so. We haven’t had to bring it in for a couple years now, and even though we are about to hit 185k miles it’s still purring like a kitten (a crappy ’99 Chevy Malibu!).
Should have reviewed this place a long time ago, but either way, it’s great, I love it, and they’ll have my business for as long as I’m in the Bay.

Danny and Tony run an honest and competitively priced auto shop here! I’ve been coming religiously since Wal-​Mart TLE stripped a bolt in my oil reservoir and the lower block of my engine dried up. Ever since then these guys have handled everything from replacing engines to basic oil changes and tune-​ups. They’re great guys, and I’ve never had a problem that they couldn’t fix. Awesome guys and awesome service!

Why I haven’t reviewed these guys years ago is beyond me. Danny is awesome. They are fast and cheap. Definitely recommend for smog or major repairs.

Preface: I almost NEVER write reviews either way, but felt compelled to write something after my experiences here at East Bay Auto.
About a week ago, I took my truck out of storage and decided to get back on the road. It wouldn’t pass smog (at Econo Smog, who were rad to deal with). The tech their said I probably needed a tune up and it would pass no problem. So I take my ride to East Bay Auto, and Danny says that I should have an inspection rather than fork out for a full tune up, since the truck otherwise runs fine. I’m stoked at his thoughtful suggestion. I end up paying about $ 400 for the inspection and what turned out to be a catalytic converter replacement. A little bit pricey, but worth it since he gets me in and out the same day.
I take it back to Econo Smog the next day. Pass! Stoked. East Bay Auto would have gotten 5 stars for this transaction, IF I didn’t come back.
A couple of days later, the truck is dripping A LOT of oil from the front. It’s old, so I’m not shocked. Now I am not the smartest man, but I have decent mechanical aptitude, and I KNOW HOW TO USE GOOGLE. So I check out the forums, and folks are saying it is very common for the front oil seal to go out on this particular model.
It’s anywhere from a 30 minute to 2 hour job depending on skill level, and literally $ 10 in parts. Throw in another $ 20 for new belts because YOU HAVE TO TAKE BELTS OFF TO ACCESS THE SEAL ANYWAY.
I’m in a hurry, and not entirely confident in taking apart my ride yet. So I call Danny up, and he says I should bring it right in. He quotes me $ 295 for the oil seal with labor (and tells me something to the effect of «who knows what else they might find, like the timing chain gasket is blown etc), and AN ADDITIONAL $ 95 for belts.
There is no way this adds up. I had a really good first impression from them after the cat replacement and the staff’s very kind attitudes, but given this ridiculously inflated price for a relatively simple job, I doubt I’ll be going back.
I’m very disappointed. Given the number of minor repairs my truck needs, it would have been dope to just have one guy to take it to, and he could have easily made all of that money and then some off of me if he’d been honest, because even though I’m capable, I’m lazy and time is money. But I’m not an idiot. I’ve never had a «my» mechanic. Unfortunately, these guys ain’t it.

This place thorough! I brought a savage car that had more problems than a little bit. I took it to another auto place and they could not tell me little stuff that turn to big stuff later. I must say Danny is informative on what you need and want sell you what you don’t need.
The prices are very reasonable and I wish that I took my car their first to get everything that was needed such as breaks and lights and smog for my salvaged vehicle. I probably could have saved me a couple of hundred dollars!!!
I am a Happy customer and shall bring my car here again in the future!!!

MY WHOLE FAMILY TAKES THEIR CAR HERE FOR SERVICE!!! danny, andy, and the crew are awesome!!! anytime there is something wrong with my car i’ll take it in and itll be done the same day! the prices are great and the service is even better… I think that this is the best auto repair shop in the world. all those other reviews that gave them low rating are trippin on ACID! they tell you whats wrong with your car before they do anything then you decide whether you want it or not. They have realized that they will get more business being honest with there customers rather than telling them BS to get a quick buck. my family and I are customers for life!

Amazing, honest, reasonable prices!
I was refered to this shop by a guy that works in the same building as me, and I am so thankful that he did.
I have a 2002 BMW 325i, which can only mean one thing… Expensive repairs! I had the problem diagnosed by another shop (a well-​known shop), and it took all day to receive a diagnosis. I wanted a second opinion, so I went with Eastbay Auto Repair. Within 2 hours of my car being towed away to thier shop, they called and explained to me what the problem was… Competely different diagnosis than that other well-​known shop, and thier diagnosis made a whole lot more sense. Turns out that the other shop was going to have me pay for a job that was COMPLETELY unnecessary… (Never again…)
After leaving my car with them for a weekend, on Monday afternoon, everything was fixed. My car sounds amazing. They replaced a busted Power Steering hose and my alternator for just $ 770– a big difference from the other shop that was going to have me pay $ 900 for an unnecessary repair– which by the way would not have solved nor even made the problem better.
I am very pleased with thier work and customer service. Writing this review just one day after picking up my car, I have already recommended them to someone I know and I recommend them to all of you. They have made a new LOYAL customer :-). You, Eastbay Auto Repair and Towing, are truely appreciated.

I’ve been going here for maybe three years now. and it’s my go-​to place to get anything done on cars. I refer my friends all the time.
Recently, I was here to get a smog check on a 1997 Mustang. The work was done pretty quick and electronically — the smog certificate gets forwarded to DMV.
GOOD SHIT.

East Bay Auto Repair is the place you can take your car to get fix for a good price. Just recently I came in to get my AC fix. And I came out a satisfied customer. What can i say, Nothing beats a hot day with working AC System blowing at you. Thanks East Bay Auto for your great service.

Don’t go here. I took my vintage Ford truck here several times, because it was near my house. I spent over $ 1000 with these guys, and they still didn’t fix my issues. They told me some BS. I brought the truck back in several times. I was having major issues with my brakes. Eventually I sold my truck, and the guy who bought it took it to a REAL mechanic who fixed the brake issues in no time.
Sadly, this experience has made me skeptical of mechanics who don’t speak English. I’ll just leave it at that.