The Garage Auto Services

I went here to get a inspection for a car I was buying. I felt very comfortable and was quoted a price for some services for the car. I got a brake flush and an oil change that fit the quote and each time I used this service, I had my car back in a few hours. Thanks for the recommendation to City Car Radio who also talked to me with honest and fair treatment.

I’ve had my 2002 Acura RSX in for routine maintenance at The Garage twice. Both times everyone there has been simply stand-​up, professional, fantastic people.
Background notes on my car: it’s a six speed manual in a city full of hills; it’s a black leather interior that’s been full of Black Rock City’s white gypsum three times. I don’t treat it *poorly*, but I do ask a lot of it.
Before my car’s last great cross-​country journey to sell it to family in DC, I had The Garage give it a once over. My requirements were vague, but they understood what I meant: «what will be an issue over the next few thousand miles, and what could fail while I’m camped in the snow in southwest Utah in December?» (I asked a lot of this car.)
They gave me a call back the next day with a detailed system-​by-​system breakdown of what maintenance they recommended immediately, a few things to consider, and a few things to be aware of, but which didn’t warrant any work yet. They had per-​fix labor and parts estimates at the tip of their fingers, and worked with me to figure out a cost-​effective way to do the brake work I’d need without spending a fortune overhauling it. (My family likes fixing cars, so I figured, leave that to them.)
They got their work done quickly and on-​price, and the car performed flawlessly on the trip. (Trip tip: get a new battery. Dead batteries in rural West Virginia are something I’m glad I avoided.)
My dad and brother just did that overhaul of the braking system, and said, «your mechanic did great work. they didn’t cut corners, and they were spot on with what they told you were upcoming issues.» So, even though my car is no longer mine, I wouldn’t hesitate to take it to The Garage for work in the future.

To search for a competent, and trustworthy automotive repair shop is not easy. Be sure to check out the Garage on 10^th street. The customer service is the best — they are friendly and totally professional. They take all the time needed to make sure you know exactly what the problem is, and every detail to get the job done. I would not think of taking my Volvo anyplace else for any service — minor or major. They are professional and so easy to deal with. Completely honest and thorough.

These guys are so great — super honest, stand-​up, and fair. I first came in about 6 months ago when I knew I needed a new alternator. They quoted me a range of price, depending on the exact parts I would need. The same day I came back to get my car and, lucky me, my parts were on the very low end of what was needed (I cross-​checked the pricing on-​line and the total cost was on the low end). Tony mentioned a tail light was out and fixed that for me too.
Fast forward to last week when I got a «fix it» ticket for another out tail light. The next day I had an extra hour so drove down to The Garage to see if they could help. Unfortunately, I wasn’t too thoughtful about my timing, as I arrived at 5 pm, when everyone comes to pick up their cars. Tony, though SUPER busy, was kind enough to tell me that he would help if I could wait a bit. Between customers, Tony changed out my bulb and didn’t charge me a cent! I tried to pay to no avail. I had to Unilocal them to let everyone know that Tony and his crew are where it’s at. Thanks guys!

I recently needed to get a 55,000 mile service for my Audi A5, and after getting a quote from the dealership of nearly $ 800, I decided to call The Garage for a quote. They quoted me very reasonable price, and when I arrived the next day for my appointment, David couldn’t have been more helpful. He explained everything they would check and even gave me a coffee shop suggestion since I wanted to work while waiting. When I returned David gave me a detailed explanation of what was checked and worked on, and his initial quote was spot on. David even washed my car for me before I left. Great work, and great service.

I called this shop because I have had work done here (TWICE before — 2 cars — roughly $ 18K paid by insurance). So I called because I got rear ended (again) and as you know, you can choose whatever shop to get the repairs done and luckily this time paid for my whomever insurance hit me. So I called here hoping to bring the shop some repeat business in hopes that in the future I can get some discount in the event I have to pay for my own repairs.
But the guy that picked up the phone didnt seem to care about my repeat business — just said «yeah we here, bring the car blah blah» didnt even ask my name, didn’t look up my record.
Car damage/​repairs etc is expensive. If you don’t care about my repeat business I’ll just take the car to the shop contracted with the insurance company and they Guarantee the work done versus me bringing YOU my business.
So that’s what I did. If you treat me like a number — you’re just another body shop to me too.

Came in under budget in half the time quoted, and negotiated me an incredible rate on a rental car to boot. Will only bring my Prius here from now on.

I went to this shop a long time ago to do my brakes. They actually told me to come back a month or two later cause the pads were still good but if i wanted to change them i could. So i came back 2 months later and they changed it.
I could’ve left and gone to another place, but they were honest.
I now go to their Burlingame location as it’s closer to my house

Great service here. I came in for an oil change and last minute needed to replace my HID light which they were able to do. No problems!

They took me in immediately when I called. I explained to them my issue of having a flat tire the night before and a check engine light, and that I needed to be on the road to pick up my little girl a few hours later from school in Menlo Park. They seemed very understanding even though I knew they were probably busy. They prioritized their work around MY time constraints, and I am grateful for their willingness to do that. I also highly recommend their kind services to others.

Charge twice what other places charge (example: wanted to charge $ 294 to replace a thermostat on a 2006 G36, other places in town charge $ 165; charged $ 140 «diagnose» what was wrong with my radiator, place across the street said they do that for free).
Go anywhere else.

My Acura TSX died and while I thought it was just the battery, I ended up stranded when the battery couldn’t hold a charge. Had it towed to the Honda dealership, which quoted me an exorbitant amount to switch out the alternator– the likely culprit. I decided to shop around and called The Garage to get a quote for a new alternator install. Tony advised me that while it might be the alternator, it would be wise to check for other causes. Impressed with Tony’s thorough explanation and willingness to answer questions, I had my car towed over to The Garage and they looked at the car diagnosed the problem and diagnosed the problem the same day.
Turns out that both the battery AND alternator needed to be swapped out. However, the cost to repair both, including the cost of the tow, was *still* less than what Honda quoted me to repair the alternator alone! Further, Honda quoted me 2 – 3 days to receive the alternator from a vendor and install it, but Tony was able to get the alternator installed by the end of day. The price was exactly what I was quoted and Tony was professional and courteous through the entire process. He guaranteed parts and labor for 2 years, as well.
After driving the car away, I noticed it idled a bit rough and called The Garage back. Tony immediately offered for them to take a look. Again, they fit me in as soon as I got there, diagnosed the problem within an hour, and had me back on the road within a couple hours– with a complementary car wash!
Long story short– this is a trustworthy, efficient, effective repair shop with highly reasonable prices and excellent customer service.
As long as I’m living in the Bay Area, I’ll be bringing my car to The Garage for all services.

These guys have nailed customer service. Brought the family car in to check out an unknown rattling noise. After diagnosing the problem, Tony gave me two options on repairing the car: the inexpensive option and the more expensive option. After explaining to me the purpose of the part and the function of the part, Tony gave me his recommended course of action which was the less expensive option. With the background on the part and its function, I was able to make an informed choice on how to fix the car. Also, during the entire process, from booking an appointment to picking up the car, Tony was a professional. Finally, the Garage calls you and follows up on your satisfaction with the appointment.
Can’t ask for much more from your local shop.

Brought my wife explorer here to The Garage, I told Tony it was making noise, and he found it to be the wheel bearing and is now quiet like before. He noticed a leak with the radiator and recommended replacing that. and I had him check my AC, and he recommend not to fix it as too many things wrong with it and would be too expensive if did. So i took his advice, and saved some or alot of money. Would recommend and would come back here again.
Thanks Tony.

DO NOT GO HERE TO FIX YOUR CAR.
Here is my story and I have the documents to prove it.
I paid «The Garage» almost half what the local VW dealer quoted me to replace the:
1. timing belt
2. water pump for my 2006 Jetta GLI.
I maintained the car VERY well.
The timing belt was supposed to last for 90,000 miles.
It broke after 30,000.
The warranty at ‘The Garage’ only covered me for 12,000 miles. So what is the point of them telling me that the belt was supposed to last 90,000 miles?
I was then told by their representative on the phone that the technician they hired was fired but they could not tell me why.
Did they stand behind this huge loss for me? No!
Will they stand behind you when your timing belt goes bad that they installed?
If you want to gamble then go right ahead.

Been meaning to write a review about these guys for awhile. I’ve never ever met mechanics who stand by their work the way these guys do.
Two great experiences:
1. I brought my oldish Honda CR-​V in to get my brakes replaced, but when I got it back, there was a strange rubbing/​ticking sound coming from one of the wheels. I called and told Howard and he told me to bring it back. They took it for the day and made some adjustments. When I drove it away, I could still hear the sound, so they took it another day and made more adjustments. Finally, it was fixed and they didn’t charge me a dime extra for their work.
2. This is the best: I took my Honda in to the SF Honda dealership on Van Ness so they could replace the death trap garbage airbags that might have killed me if deployed. The guy at the dealership shop asked if I wanted a free 5-​point inspection. Sure, why not? I then got a call from the dealership that I’d need to replace my timing belt and bushings for a total of close to $ 1,500. I told them not to touch anything and instead called The Garage to get a quote from Howard. He said he could replace those parts for closer to $ 1200 and that the bushings weren’t even a big deal, so I took it in to The Garage. A few hours after dropping it off, I get a call from Howard. Turns out my car doesn’t even have a timing belt, it has a timing chain, which doesn’t ever need replacing! The Garage saved me from getting completely ripped off for $ 1,500 by the racket they call SF Honda.
I can’t recommend these guys highly enough. Solid work and real integrity. I’ll never go anywhere else in this city.

I just took these guys my 2002 BMW 540i for some maintenance work and a few repairs.
This business is great. Here’s why:
1. Everyone I encountered was *very* friendly,
2. Tony called me 3 times to let me know what they found and their recommendation,
3. They asked for my approval for any work that cost me money,
4. They didn’t try to sell me work that wasn’t necessary,
5. It was recommended that I delay some non-​essential work so I could save $ later on labor,
6. Reasonably priced,
7. Quick turnaround, and
8. The hung out a few mins past 5:30pm as I was running late to pick up my car.
This is one of the few times I left a mechanic and didn’t feel ripped off. In fact, I felt that the $$ I spent was a value for what I got; not only the work, but for all the things I listed above
Would I bring my cars here in the future? Absolutely. You should too.
Can I give these guys 6 stars?

I’ve had two friendly experiences with The Garage but, being a first time car owner (in this country), I’m learning that you need to be very specific about what you ask for!
The first experience was when I was looking to buy a car in September 2014, I found them via Unilocal.They completed a pre-​purchase inspection for me and were very thorough, friendly and honest.
I ended up buying a different car of the same model (a 2005 Mercedes) and they emailed me proactively on the year anniversary of the pre-​purchase inspection, as the service was due. As it turns out, I needed to service my car anyway, so I booked in to see them for a second time. Before I booked in, I asked (via email) if they were comfortable servicing German cars and Danny confirmed that they were.
When I dropped it off, I mentioned that it needed a B service and they nodded, so I assumed they’d perform a regular B service. Their inspections turned up a handful of work due (brake pads/​rotors, air filter and battery) — the first two of which I agreed to verbally over the phone. I also mentioned that the computer had mentioned topping up the car with a quart of oil, which they assured me they normally check and would top up if needed.
The work was done quickly and well and I picked up the car later that day, a grand poorer but with the re-​discovered ability to brake confidently!
This weekend I was driving on the highway and the same oil warning came up. How odd, I thought. I checked the service receipt when home and then looked up the Mercedes B service checklist and noticed that they hadn’t performed the oil change and brake fluid change Mercedes mandates.
Called up the Garage this morning to clarify this and this apparently they check the fluid but unless either the fluid is dirty or the service computer mandates it, they don’t perform either service. My understanding is that by saying «B service due», this was implicit (since Mercedes themselves include this in their list of items). What I think happened here was a difference in understanding about what Mercedes considers a B service and what the Garage considers a B service. This is acceptable given that they’re not affiliated with Mercedes but for anyone looking to get their regular service here: make sure you tell them what you need done ahead of time!
In the meantime, since I live about 30 miles from the Garage, I’ll probably give somewhere more local a try for the oil and fluid change.

Honest mechanics that don’t try to rip you off with extra charges and services you don’t need? What? What parallel universe am I living in? These guys are pretty much the anti-​dealer mechanic shop. They only give you straight talk and recommend services you actually need for a reasonable price.
Example: I asked them about one of Honda’s major mileage checkups which run quite a bit at the dealer. The guy just said — let me check out things inside the car and I’ll just tell you want you need to service. It ended up being way way less than what the Honda dealer was asking. Plus the mechanic gave me a detailed breakdown of everything he serviced and why. Wtf? Try getting that at the Honda dealer.

My mom’s car was towed here for a starting issue (recommended by insurance). The guys were courteous, knowledgeable, and prompt. Everything was fixed by the estimated times, even on Christmas week!
The prices were very reasonable, and we didn’t get hit with any surprise repairs or fees. We couldn’t be more happy to find this shop, and the best part is the 2-​year repair warranty.
Years ago, I was a service adviser at an independent repair shop. I can say with certainty that these guys provide phenomenal service.

Yet another visit at the Garage today.
This time for a dead battery.
Not a problem for Warren or the Garage team and took very good care of me once again.
Replaced old OEM battery with new powerhouse Interstate unit featuring a whopping 850 cold cranking amps.
The garage also competently cleared out all error and fault codes and messages associated with low voltage battery issue.
Finally, they performed safety inspection, road test, while ensuring no error or fault codes returned after new battery was installed.
Nicely done, Garage!
5-​star service and follow-​through.
All is well once again in the home front!