Clement Street Garage

I have lived in Sf for 15 years and this has been my auto shop for belts, pads, and other little jobs. I get clear quotes, on time service and good work. Good guys over there

These guys did a perfect job putting Clear Bumper on my BMW 550i. That is the protective film for the bumpers in case people are bumping you on the street. Anyways these guys did a perfect job putting the film on in the first place and I have been back twice to have them fix it from people hitting it and they have never charged me and fixed it on the spot.

I live close to this shop but I would rather take a drive to south SF or even the east bay than come to this shop. Extremely rude and would over charge you every chance they get. Stay away from this place.

I was really impressed by the service I got at the Clement Street Garage. I called mid-​afternoon with a few problems and asked if they could take me before the end of the day and they let me come in for the smallest issue right then. It was originally supposed to cost about 20 dollars but they did it for free.
I went back the next day for my other problems. They took my car apart and told me they’d have to order a ridiculously expensive part to fix one problem but that if I didn’t mind waiting they could try to find one in a junk yard somewhere for me for free or very cheaply since it wasn’t dangerous to drive it as is. They’d also checked some other issues on the car and were honest in telling me that I didn’t need to deal with any of it now and what to watch for in the future to indicate that I should bring it back to get the work done.
I’ve never ever had such a great experience with a mechanic and I highly recommend them. They were very honest and straightforward with me and took the time to explain all the details so that I actually understood what was happening rather than having to rely on their judgement. I will definitely go back for any car issues I have.

My Smart Car had a problem that caused the driver-​side door to scrape the front fender everytime I opened the door. I asked for an estimate and the technician asked if I had 10 minutes. After about 20 minutes and with help from a colleague, the door was fixed at no charge to me. Incredible! They saw that it was a simple repair I could never have done myself. I am very grateful and will definitely return.

Thank you for an awesome job with my car window tint. This is my second time getting my car windows tinted here. My Prius looks so good now yay!

If you appreciate your time and money never show up here!
Too many things to be listed that made me lose my patience and then sanity.
But there are some good news: after terrible experience with Clement Garage: 1000 attempts to communicate with staff and be understood, I finally found REALLY good mechanic, will be happy to reference him to anyone who needs.

I went to Clement Street Garage for a smog test without an appointment, and they were able to get me right in. The mechanic I dealt with was on hold and talking on the cell phone the entire time he was taking my information, but he still managed to give me some attention. He quoted me around 30 minutes, and finished in about 40. The price was quite high for a smog test at $ 69.99, but they seemed competent and sent my results right to the DMV, so I have no major complaints. Had the cheaper smog test stations machine not been out of service, I would have likely gone there instead simply to save money, but all in all, they got the job done.

Came here about 3 years ago to do control arms, alignment, and to put on a new set of rims/​tires. Alignment was out of spec and they forgot to balance the tires even though I was charged I believe $ 12/​wheel for balancing. I had to balance and align the car at another shop. Called the manager of this place telling him what happened and he refused to reimburse me for the alignment or balancing.

I will NEVER return. This place just really screwed up to the point of causing me undue stress.
I came here before to get my car checked for a strange noise. Found out it was probably my transmission. They changed the transmission fluid, but it never fixed the problem and I needed to take it to a tran-​shop. Anyway, came back not too long ago and it was such a bad experience.
They were working on my car and learned that my fuel pump was «done». When myself and my car arrived (by tow truck) they left it outside and had one of the workers bring out some spry fuel to test it… he brough out window cleaner. Hmmm.
Then the old white guy said Id have to change the fuel pump… that was going to be a lot of money. Said that another guy would call me back regarding me bringing in a part. Never got a call until I called near closing time. Was told that I can bring in a part. WAAAY cheaper for the part at Kragen… Thanks Kragen… Rushed it over to the shop before they closed.
Was told that it would be done the next day… next da came = Nothing. No call, nothing. I called and was told it would be done in the morning the next day. Called in the morning… I was told they would call me ASAP when ready to pick it up that night. NEVER got a call… waited… called all day and there was no answer. Called again and again and again. Finally went to the shop and realized that they were closed!!! I NEEDED MY CAR like two days ago!!!
The next day came… they were closed becuase of a freakin’ holiday… Finally I left a very upset message and recieved a call from owner (i think). He appologized and said the car was really all alone and that the guy at the shop had never came in the day before or some crap…
Went to pick up my car pissed… (I had to rush around and find a rental just to get to work). paid the bill. The guy was nice and all… but NEVER NEVER NEVER again!
+1 Star — They installed the part correctly. (im assuming since the car runs now)

If you want your mechanic to call you and tell you what is happening (rather than you having to call every other day to find out what is going on), DO NOT take your car here.
If you want your car to be fixed in a reasonable amount of time, pick another garage.
Milton had my BMW for a month and could not figure out what the mystery noise was. Finally, when I could not be without it any longer, I gave up and took it to the BMW place further away. They had it done (not just figured out, but done) in 6 hours.
Additionally, Milton returned my car to me with the steering wheel ON SIDEWAYS.
Clement Street Auto was close to my house, so it was convenient. And Milton was really nice and apologetic. But sheesh!

my car actually came back with more problems than before. my car not only came back with more problems, it came back smelling like smoke/​cigarettes. I had to smell the smoke each time I turned the engine on. It was a VERY nasty smell.
the problems with my car still exists, which is why i am now bringing my car to the dealer. money was received but they couldn’t fix my car. i was very upset and disappointed!
if you can’t fix the car, you should have been up front and telling the customer. Now you have a VERY UNSATISFIED customer!

I really wanted to like this place because they were close to my house. I guess that’s what the first star Im giving is gonna have to be for.
I came here because I was having overheating problems with my 04 SRT-​4.
These are my rants with this place:
1. Right from when I arrived in front of the garage it already had a vibe of a ghetto place.
2. The person who was in sales and in charge of greeting customers and quoting service charges had bad customer service skills… I mean really bad customer service skills. He asked me what problem I had with my car when I first got there and he seemed like he couldnt give a rat’s ass about fixing my car. After finishing up the paperwork, he said we were all set and I had to ask him before I left if he wanted my keys or not to drive my car inside. Complete joke!
3. The workers were smoking inside the place, I felt like I was in Nevada! Like I said… ghetto.
4. They really dont make you feel they want your business. At least I didnt feel that way.
5. I had to call them and get updates on my car. They DID NOT call me ONCE at all to tell me what was up with my car.
6. They close at 6PM and I had to call at 5:50PM to get an update on my car. If I didnt call, God knows what wouldved happened then. They probably wouldved kept my car inside and closed the gates without telling me.
7. They answer the phone with a «Hello» like it was their home phone I was calling instead of stating their business name. I always had to ask if it is Clement Street Garage to make sure it was the right place. (You gotta admit… thats pretty ghetto for a «professional» business)
8. The last time I called the place because they instructed me to call back, they hung up on me! I called about 5 more times with just getting the voicemail and when the person finally picked up the phone and I asked him what happened, he just mumbled something under his breath. Unbelievable!
8. When I finally was able to pick up my car, I found it outside the garage with the hood still open, windows rolled down and my keys dangling in the ignition ready for anyone to come and steal the car. My steering wheel had grease stains all over it and also a pen mark that wasnt there before.
The reason why I gave the second star is because on their Unilocal page they posted that if you mention Unilocal,they would give you 10% off labor fees and they did honor that.
I just really hope that their mechanics aren’t as bad as their salesperson and that they really did fix the overheating problem.
Im sorry but I dont think I would ever recommend this place to anyone I know because as you can read above, I had a horrible experience coming here.
I really dont know what the other reviews above me saw in this place but I wouldnt be coming back here, thats for sure.

My car is a ’99 BMW 323i, and I’ve only had her since 12/​2009, and she’s my baby. My boyfriend and I drove up to San Francisco over Memorial Day weekend for my birthday, and we were planning to make the drive back to Orange County on Memorial Day. Long story short, my car overheated and wasn’t holding coolant, so we had to use my bf’s iPod to find a shop that was open that day. 12 shops into the search, Clement Street Garage was the only one open, so we had AAA tow us there.
When we got there, the Russian (?) mechanic that helped us was super friendly and super helpful. He told us to go grab something to eat while he looked over the car. I was on the verge of freak-​out b/​c I had to call my boss and tell her I likely wouldn’t make it to work the next day, AND my bf and I had nowhere to stay, AND there was nowhere to put all of our stuff that was in my car.
It appeared that the thermostat had jammed, which caused the expansion tank to crack. He showed us the 3-​inch crack, and explained EVERYTHING, including the fact that I might be able to get by with only replacing the expansion tank, but that there would be a high risk of the thermostat jamming (again?) and something else exploding (i.e. the radiator!). Unfortunately, they couldn’t get the parts that same day b/​c everywhere else was closed for the holiday. So we left everything that didn’t fit in our little backpacks in the car and used the fabulous public transit system to find a motel (see my review of the Lombard Plaza Motel).
The thermostat was, in fact, jammed (they showed us after they had taken it apart), so I was really glad that I had followed their suggestion to replace it as well. That cost $ 90 and the expansion tank cost $ 84. The owner actually apologized for them being so expensive, but I had expected much worse since I’ve got a BMW. It did take longer than expected to get it all done b/​c they had a little trouble getting the parts (again, BMW issue), but *I* felt bad b/​c the mechanic had put off a dental procedure to fix my car for me. All told, with labor ($ 110/​hour with a $ 100 minimum, I think) and parts, the bill came to $ 528. Not cheap, but fair. Plus, it included a nationwide lifetime guarantee on the parts installed. Plus, nothing was missing from my car, not even the big handful of change in the front that I had forgotten to take out, nor had anything been touched/​moved. I would use them regularly if I lived in SF, and I definitely recommend them!
This is one of my MANY reviews on Unilocal from my San Francisco Birthday Trip 2010, so feel free to check ‘em out!

Had my Protege5 serviced here many times. You don’t need to make an appointment. I always get my car back the same day unless they need to order a part for the job. Friendly and most importantly HONEST staff. I took my friend’s old 94 camry for an engine light check and general inspection since it had recently stalled a couple of times. The staff found several issues and gave us a detailed explanation and quote for each item and to my amazement suggested that some of the issues didn’t need to be addressed at that point. My friend then asked if they should change the brake pads as well since she can’t remember the last time they were replaced (so probably way too long ago). The staff checked the pads out and again suggested that that was not required just yet.
Well, I had mechanics suggested services that weren’t required for another year (timing belt in one instance). Even worst, I had mechanics suggested a part replacement for something that didn’t even exist for my car (yeah, ridiculous right?!). But I’ve never had someone honestly tell me, «nah, you don’t need to replace that. That’ll last for another 6 months.» This is what you’ll get from Clement garage. Honest services. You can’t put a price tag on that. Their prices are average so you can go somewhere else if you need the absolute cheapest service.

This is the place to bring your car — any car, model, year.
I found The Clement Street Auto Garage 10 years ago and never
had to look again for another car mechanic. I’ve sent many
friends here — all happy and grateful to finally have
car repair mechanics they can trust. Milton, the owner
and his crew are superb.
You’ll get excellent service, honest pricing, detailed description of what the problems are and the best and least expensive way to repair your car. I can’t recommend The Clement Street Auto Garage enough.

I’m not quite certain that Bob went to the same place I did. I was referred to Clement street garage by a co-​worker when I needed my shocks replaced. I checked Unilocal also to be sure. The garage is upstairs, so look for the red ramp leading up to it on the right.
I stopped by Wednesday to drop of my 2002 Toyota Tacoma and picked a rental @ Hertz. I came back Thursday to find that the used shocks that my buddy and I installed were damaged by the previous owner so Milton couldn’t reuse the top plate from the coilover.
The catch? I had just dropped my rental before getting dropped off. Not so enthusiastic about paying another $ 70 per day for a rental (I’m 24 so I get an extra $ 35 fee per day, FML.) Before I could comprehend it, I had the keys to Milton’s Jeep in my hands and drove it over the weekend while my truck was being repaired. Having only met him once previously this was totally unexpected (and shouldn’t be expected.)
Needless to say, my repairs were completed quickly and the truck is running as it should. I’ve been by now and again and Milton is one of those genuine people you’re lucky to meet. Even better since he’s one of those «honest mechanics» that are even harder to come by.
Kudos:
Honest.
Good work.
Friendly.
Can source parts from salvage yards if requested.
He has no problem installing parts purchased online.
Would I go back?
Yes, I have been back a few times and will continue to for any truck troubles that might come up. I try not to do too much Urban Offroading, but some of the streets in S.F. make me feel lucky I have a truck. haha.

I own two cars — one’s an 11 year old Toyota SUV (my «dog and kayak truck») — and one’s my Porsche. Great cars both, but the Porsche requires a skill set not found at a Jiffy Lube, even to just change the oil. One of the biggest surprises in moving to SF is: no Porsche dealership in the city… the nearest one appears to be over the bridge in Mill Valley, which would be fine for buying a new car, but not exactly convenient for repairs. (Seems to be a perverse extension of SF’s «we don’t do chain stores» philosophy.)
So, mein klein deutsch Auto forced me to take it somewhere it has never been: a non-​dealer garage. After a lot of careful research (above and beyond Unilocal — sorry Unilocal) I settled on this place. I felt like a nervous dad dropping his kid off at pre-​school for the first time. (Uh, since I only have dogs, I had to imagine what that would feel like… so, probably an exaggeration, eh?) It was kindofa test for these guys: just an oil change, and see if they could find the cause of a small oil leak (I already knew what it was — a cracked «O» seal.)
I dropped the car off on a Saturday morning (appointment was required.) The guys were courteous, asked the right questions, and had my car back to me in 2 hours. They found the cracked seal, changed it and the oil filter (correct thing to do) and replaced the oil. Total cost: $ 141. (Same thing at a dealer would have been… more. Trust me.)
Great stuff, great people. I can breathe a sigh of relief.

I’m a fan of this place. Been here a few times (my car and my girlfriend’s). They seem a little disorganized and are a little more expensive than your run of the mill place, but I generally go here because they seem honest.
An honest mechanic is a precious thing.

Really friendly guys that my neighbors sent me to. I thought there might be an oil leak. They were kind enough to point out that there was no leak. However, they thought I needed new brakes, new struts, a new drive belt, new tires and even suggested I might need work done on the transmission. Had I trusted them, the work would have come to over $ 6,000!
I took the care to Unilocal’s #1 place, Action Auto and Robert felt there was NOTHING wrong.
From now on, I will only go to Action Auto. If you go to Clement Street, you should know what I experienced. Great guys, but this is what makes them so easy to trust.