All American Automotive

Worst car repair experience ever! I was referred to them for an engine rebuild for my 1959 Chevy Impala. The estimate was for $ 5,500. The total end cost was $ 6,704.82. That’s $ 1,200 over the estimate. I understand that going over the estimate is common, but I was NEVER called to get an okay to go over the estimate! They went over the estimate by over 25%. When I asked why it went over and complained that they had not gotten my permission to go over, they said it was because the put newer parts into the rebuilt. When i said that wasn’t fair, they said they would strip the engine of the newer parts and put lesser quality parts on. So they basically held my car hostage.
I paid them the $ 6,704.82. and washed my hands of it.
I had a compression check done 1.300 miles after the rebuild and learned 3 of the 8 cylinders were not responding when the car idled.
Avoid them like the plague!
They ripped me off TWICE!

I have read some of the reviews from my fellow Unilocalers and don’t understand the 1 star ratings. We are a 4 car family and have spent way too much money on repairs and maintenance. I apologize for this lengthy review but I’m sure it is worth reading.
My youngest son has a 2003 Prius and for the last 4 months have had issues in the morning with being able to start it up. I took this car to another mechanic that I’ve been dealing with for at least 6 years on 3 different occasions. Each time the car was returned to me with «there’s nothing wrong with it». The last time I insisted that he change the battery so I wouldn’t have to worry about my baby being stranded somewhere with a non working car. I was told that the battery is on a «forever backorder» and is not available. WTH
Being that we live in San Francisco, our cars must be moved on street cleaning day. I called AAA to have the car towed to another mechanic since the other one had no solution for me. AAA sent me a truck to jump the battery vs. tow it and the tow truck driver recommended that I take the car here since Larry’s Tow has all/​most of their trucks serviced there. I called and got «Bill» who was most helpful. We drove the car down there and asked if he would trouble shoot the starting problem & fix it for us. Bill explained it a way where I understood. My son has a giant woofer in the trunk and it might be the reason why the battery was drained so often. He ordered a new battery for me and everything was resolved in a day. I want to go back to the other mechanic and tell him what happened but I want to keep my options open in case I need him in the future for whatever reason.
My son also had a flat which he repaired but it turned out that it should be replaced so he did not charge me for the repair.
I don’t know who Patrick is that I’ve read in several reviews but maybe he’s gone. If you need your car serviced, ask for Bela or Bill is his American name. The most honest and knowledgeable man I have ever met in this business and I have met quite a few in my days.

I have been COMPLETELY satisfied with the customer service and great repair work done on my 2002 Chrysler Sebring for years now. Pat, the head service manager, is super-​friendly, knowledgeable, and explains ALL of what is being done to your vehicle and the charges.
I have taken my car in many times for routine oil changes and bigger servicing and have always felt the shop charged a FAIR price for the work done. Pat does not «UP-​SELL» me on things I don’t need or can afford. Pat tells me the FACTS about what my car needs and lets ME decide what to do… I like that approach.
LOVE this Service shop. It is also very CLEAN, and well organized, so I feel «safe» leaving my vehicle at this shop even if it is for overnight or a few days…
This shop also works on most Makes of cars, I believe… so that is a PLUS!
I highly recommend this business!
Scott Whitesides (San Francisco)

DO NOT TAKE YOUR VEHICLE HERE. THE OWNER SCREWED ME OVER AND CHARGED ME $ 217.50 FOR FALSE LABOR CHARGES THAT WERE NEVER PERFORMED.
In January 2016 my car wouldn’t start. The tow truck driver recommended this place so I had my car taken to this place. Turns out I needed a new key. Patrick orders the key from Mercedes and tells me he needs to spend time programming it so it will work with my car. He charged me 2 hours of labor. But after I had to take my car into another shop major repairs, the owner there told me that a new key shouldn’t cost more than $ 300 and THAT NO PROGRAMMING IS NECESSARY BECAUSE THE KEY IS ALREADY LINKED TO THE CAR WITH THE VIN INFORMATION. MERCEDES DEALERSHIPS in SF and Marin also confirmed that NO PROGRAMMING IS NEEDED FOR THE NEW CAR KEY. I texted Patrick that I wanted to get a copy of the receipt for the key he ordered from the SF MB dealer and that I learned no labor for programming the key was required. He never responded. I told him that both Mercedes dealerships and my mechanic said no programming was necessary yet Patrick charge me $ 217.50 in Labor Charges. He charged me $ 414.16 for the key itself. Not only was I charged for labor not necessary or performed, Patrick Banta charged me a 18% mark up over SF Mercedes retail cost of the key which was $ 337 per the parts shop.
Patrick was also arrogant and dismissive of my business. When he wouldn’t take a personal check for payment, I said that it would have been nice to know this fact upfront. He responded that he doesn’t have to inform or notify anyone of anything – there are no signs indicating what type of payment is accepted.
DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR HERE.

I took my car there since AAA recommended them. They did a great job explaining exactly what was wrong with the car and how much it would cost. They also recommended different options based on my budget and priorities. In all, great experience and I absolutely would go back.

The worst place in the whole world to take your car!!!
Do yourself a favor and never pass close by.
My husband took his car there today for a simple job in his Cadillac Escalade before our road trip to LA to visit family and friends.
After a whole day of waiting and awful costumer service the car was «said to be ready».
My husband brought the car home, we loaded the car with our luggages and our 2 babies.
We were driving to grandma’s house when after 5 minutes in the car we see smoke coming out of the engine. It was the scariest moment ever in my life. I was afraid the car would catch on fire with us inside. We pulled over. I got out of the car. The car was pouring oil on the street.
Scared, preoccupied and sad because our trip was ruined I had to call a cab in the middle of the night and had home with my 2 babies while my husband stayed in the car tot have it towed.
This was so far the worst experience and nightmare in my life and I wish nobody would never go through what we have gone because of All American Automotive lazy unprofessional and disrespectful job.
Shame on you All American Automotive

Pat was sooooooo helpful!
He did an amazing check on my car. Just was on a road trip, car got overheated in SF on a hill and he was ON it as soon as I pulled it up to the lot. Finally resolved a problem nobody knew with what happened to my car. Thank You!!!

First my apologies to Pat for taking this long to write this review since this took place in March of 2015. My first contact with Pat was over the phone seeking information, the air suspension system in my Lincoln Town car had gone out and I was calling around just asking questions. When I stumbled on All American Automotive and Pat Banta.
After explaining my situation Pat gave me options and explained approximate cost guesstimation on replacing the system, and went on to tell me about a conversion kit that could save a substantial amount of money. However he did say he was not sure if these conversion kits were still available.
After doing my due diligence I found the conversion kit consisting of 2 coil springs and 4 shock absorbers. Another call to All American Automotive and this time I spoke with Bill another Master Technician and was informed this was what I wanted and All American had experience in installing these conversion kits.
Long story shortened I ordered the conversion kit, had my car towed to All American Automotive, and finally met Pat and Bill in person and had the work done. The job was performed in 1 day and the price was more reasonable than what I expected.
Pat and Bill both took the time to supply the information I needed to make an informed decision regardless of whether they got the business or I went some place else. They truly are Master Technicians.
I’ll will be back when I need automotive work done in the future. Thanks Pat!!!

They were awesome! Our 2004 BMW broke down in the City on a Sunday at 4pm and we were towed there by AAA. The next morning they diagnosed the problem & had us on the road by late afternoon. Total coolant system replacement that has been working great ever since! Very professional and knowledgeable. Would highly recommend.

Got as lucky as you can get when you have to get your car towed off the Bay Bridge.
Pat called me promptly at 7:45 the day after and got me out of there with a new alternator by 3:00PM.
The price was in-​line with my expectations. Pat explained everything, and also pointed out a few belts that they should replace for minimal $$$. They have a 2 year 20K warranty too.
A few other niceties – their shop was clean, and their bathroom was the nicest I’ve ever been to at a service station. They also washed the car as an added perk.
Honestly, I’m not a car guy, but American is smart for adding those extras. So even if I don’t know how to properly inspect their work, it gives me confidence that they give a $#!+ about their customers.
Thanks, I’ll probably be back for more service when the unfortunate time arises that I need it.

What happened to this place?!? I have been taking my car here for service since 2011 but have never been treated this horrible before. I went in for an oil change and came out spending close to $ 700. When I spoke to the owner about what I didn’t want for example a new windshield wiper blades which I could change myself, they got mad at me. The mechanic literally grab my old wiper blade and threw it on the counter right in front of my face and patronized us rudely before storming off. I think that behavior was childish and totally unnecessary on his part. Never coming back here again.

I’d give this shop and its owner, Pat, ZERO stars if I could. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT take your car here.

Very happy I just found this place to work on my 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Pat was awesome! I will be back soon.

The friendly folks at All American Automotive really helped me out. They were able to fix my car on short notice. I needed their assistance going to get my car, and they happily obliged. My car was at their garage for about two hours. When I came back for it, the problem was fixed and the car was washed! They gave me an spectacular quote, and I drove away. It is great to know a place where quality honest work is being done.

I just ran over tire treads on the Bay Bridge at about 5 pm. Every place I called turned me away as it is right before New Years and people are closing early. This place I just pulled right into and was assisted immediately. Very friendly and helpful. Totally reasonably and I was fixed and out in 20 minutes and they even fixed my front plate! Thanks guys!

Yes, there are honest, generous mechanics in San Francisco!
Yesterday my Prius stalled at the end of the Duboce off ramp. After the tow to All American Automotive, Patrick had his Toyota specialist do a thorough diagnostic of the car. After 2 hours of testing and a test drive, my car was given a clean bill of health, and I was sent on my way free of charge.
And, the shop is orderly, clean, bright. Thanks, Patrick, you rock!

My friend suggested I take my ’99 Ford Explorer to Pat at All American after he’d helped him on multiple occasions with his food truck. I had a battery terminal corrosion issue and got the truck towed early one weekday morning. I drove home by the end of the day. Pat was incredibly friendly and thorough in his explanation of the problem. Since the truck has more than 120k miles on it I’ve gone back for a check-​up since that first time and again got great customer service. I even received a call a month or two later to find out how things were going and ask if I was satisfied.
I can’t disagree more with the negative reviews. I was referred by a friend, and I also referred a friend, which speaks for All American Auto’s professionalism, I think. All of us have been to see Pat multiple times over the past couple years and have nothing but good things to say.

I have an older Jeep and if you’re a Jeep owner, you know that sometimes the automotive universe conspires against you. However, Pat and the All American Auto team are the guys I trust when things go wrong. I’ve taken her (my Jeep) to them twice this year and both times, left satisfied with their work and smarter. Pat has walked me through the issues, why I’m hearing what I’m hearing or why she’s running like she is running and for me, that’s gold.
When dealing with an older car/​truck it’s easy to get taken for a ride financially. However Pat has always been honest and candid with me, his prices are competitive, and I know what I’m getting involved in (financially and time-​wise) before I say «do it».
Just like you need a good accountant, doctor, and lawyer in your corner — a mechanic like Pat and his team at All American Auto are indispensable.

My car (1995 Volvo 850 Wagon) had a dead battery, and the hood release was caught and wouldn’t pop open. I tried to get it open for a while, failed, called AAA, they sent out a tow truck today, whose driver tried to get it open for a half hour with me. Also failed. I called the two independent Volvo shops I’ve worked with before, know, and trust — they both said «can’t do it today, but it’ll cost at least $ 120 (and hour) plus probably replacing the part».
The tow truck driver suggested his buddy’s place, this shop, and that they’d be able to do it today. I liked the driver (Louis of Larry’s Towing), so agreed.
The shop mechanic took a screwdriver, wiggled it around for a minute, and popped the hood — I was SURE he’d have to at least jack it up and go in from underneath. He then started slow-​charging the battery, said come back in an hour. I did so; he hacked a hood release pull out of zip ties, as he obviously didn’t have the original part, and if we closed the hood to drive home, I wouldn’t be able to open it again.
The zip-​tie hack works as well as the original lever ever did. The car battery is charged. And, when I said «so how much do I owe you» the boss said, «nothing, happy holidays» and sent me on my way.
Total repair cost: $ 0. Another honest mechanic in San Francisco found. I’ll still probably take my car to Exclusively Volvo (or Centrum Volvo) in San Francisco for anything major, since they specialize in just my car, but I can recommend this shop as an honest, reliable car repair place, and that statement is worth 5 stars.
EDIT: And they seem to have a Unilocal ad going for a free tow to their shop; if I didn’t have AAA, that’d be really good to know.

Larry’s Towing picked me and my car up (water pump, pulley, and belts broke). I had no idea where to take my car where the mechanic would rip me off. AAA named off a few places. one of them BMW. I said «NO! they charge way too much!) So the driver from Larry’s Towing suggested All American Automotive.
My first impression of the garage. Very Clean!!! The technicians were all very professional. The guy that fixed my car (forgot his name), but he was very good! Luckily they were not busy when I got there around 10.30A. They were able to take me in, call in the parts from Burlingame, and I picked up my car by 5.30P. Pat (Owner) explained the work, showed me all the broken parts, and even showed me a virtual demo of how the piece is supposed to work. Pat broke down the price of every single item.
$ 130 diagnostic charge and $ 130/​hour if you decide to have them work on your car.
Don’t let the name of the business fool you. Pat (owner) is a very knowledgeable. He no longer works as a technician and runs the front desk so he is more hands on with both the customer and the technicians.
Before you take your car they wash it :-) I was very pleased with the service and the repair. I finally found a car repair place that I won’t hesitate to go to next time (let’s hope not anytime soon).
Pat was very good to talk to about my car and gave good advise.
Loved you Pat, but I don’t hope to see you anytime soon! ;-)