Auto Solutions

We brought our Prius in for standard service and we were treated so well that we then brought in the Celica. We are now an «Auto Solutions» family and will be bringing in the new Miata when/​if it needs work. We have recommended our friends see Bruce Good and his team at Auto Solutions whenever they have car needs. Barbara M. San Rafael

I was having difficulty getting a used car to pass smog. At another shop, I had the exhaust manifold replaced … and yet could not get the CAT monitor to run. I brought my car to Auto Solutions. They claimed to have seen this before and offered to do an inspection. They came up with a possible solution. Long story short, I agreed to the work they suggested which included REPLACING THE FRONT AND REAR CAT. It didn’t solve the problem. The CAT monitor would still not run and the car would still not pass SMOG. After another «diagnosis» (and another $ 125) Auto Solution’s diagnosis came up empty. The owner blamed the car, fuel, tire pressure, tire size … anything as possibilities, and told me to go to a dealer to figure it out.
I went to the dealer for a diagnosis. Before «plugging» in the Dealer’s computer, the Tech noted a «massive exhaust leak» and believed it was either a cracked manifold or an issue with the CAT itself. The exhaust manifold was brand new. I took it back to the first shop I had it replaced to check their work (CR Automotive). They also noticed the «massive exhaust leak». The leak was coming from the new CAT Auto Solutions just replaced. It was not seating correctly on the manifold causing the leak. All involved agreed that «massive leak» would not allow the car to pass SMOG. CR Automotive correctly sealed the CAT and the car immediately passed SMOG. Despite fixing SOMEONE ELSE’S work, CR Automotive did not charge me. I called the Owner of AUTO SOLUTIONS letting them know it was THEIR work replacing the CAT that caused the subsequent problem and cost me an additional $ 285 to identify and correct THEIR mistake. The owner said, and I quote «There are no guarantees. We wash our hands of this … good luck…».
These people are nice on the surface, but when it doesn’t go their way, they cut you loose and will not back their work.

Auto Solutions helped me replace a coolant reservoir damaged by rodents. The mechanic did a great job putting in the new reservoir. In the process, he also fixed a nagging electrical problem that had been draining my battery. A two-​for-​one deal!
They even gave me a ride to my house in San Rafael. Great service… thanks!

It’s been almost six years since my last review and still five stars! I’ve been taking my car to Auto Solutions since 2006 and have never been disappointed. The staff is helpful, knowledgeable and fair. I moved to Richmond in 2010, but trust Auto Solutions enough that I drive across the bridge for regular maintenance and service.
When I was rear-​ended a couple of years ago, I took my car to Auto Solutions. Bruce Good (the owner) worked with the insurance companies and took care of everything for me, from replacement of parts to body work to painting. All I did was use a loaner (yes, a loaner from an independent auto repair company) and pick up my car a week later, good as new.
One of these days, I suppose I’ll need to find a good auto mechanic in the East Bay, but that day hasn’t arrived.

I received an insulting letter from the owner of this shop in response to my review. He called me ignorant and called my behavior hurtful.

Bruce and his team are the best. Always accommodating, friendly, and their prices are usually better than other repair shops. They are able to fix just about any problem I bring to them and apprise me of upcoming issues/​maintenance. Can’t say enough about them.

I bought a car from Auto Solutions 6 weeks back. The price was reasonable, the car is in top condition (so far :), and got the title and registration by mail without going to the DMV.
Bruce assured me that the car was in good condition but was okay if I wanted to get it inspected by a third-​party.
Generally, car buying appears risky for a person who doesn’t know how to buy a used car, but I am glad that I came to Auto Solutions.

We always feel in good hands when we go to Bruce, super nice, helpful, honest and hard working owner. He changed my battery himself when I showed up without an appointment.

Great service, good prices, good people.

I have gone to Bruce Good at Auto Solutions for the last three years. The repairs are excellent and prices are fair. I have been amazed by their customer service. I am always given a loaner when my car needs to be in the shop and very recently I drove to work and my car smelled like gasoline. I had a meeting in the city that night and didn’t know if I should drive it. I called Bruce who sent his top repairman Seng to my work place. Seng checked out the car and decided I shouldn’t drive it. He took my car back to the shop and left me the car he had driven as a loaner. I have never seen that kind of care and service. I pray Bruce never retires, I don’t want to go anywhere else!

I visited Auto Solutions after seeing one of their cars on craigslist. They do consignment sales. After test driving the car at Auto Solutions with a very pleasant sales person, I made an offer on the car, contingent on getting a pre-​purchase inspection through a third party mechanic. The next day Auto Solutions called to inform me that the vehicle’s owners had agreed to my offer. I told them that I would set up a pre-​purchase inspection as soon as I could, and they encouraged me to get the inspection, told me «there was no hurry». So far so good. I set up the inspection for the following Monday (this was a Friday and the mechanic I chose was not open on the weekend). The next day Auto Solutions called me with the news that someone else had made an offer on the car without requiring a pre-​purchase inspection. They had sold the car to this other person.
Obviously, I wasn’t happy with this news. Auto Solutions explanation: it was their duty to sell the car as soon as possible. While we only had a verbal agreement, I felt like they could have at least let me know that they would sell the car if someone else came in and offered to buy without an inspection. In my opinion, this isn’t a very good way of doing business. I was probably being naïve, maybe I should have asked them to take the car off the lot, but I just thought that, at the very least, they could have informed me that this scenario was a possibility. And on top of that they told me that there was no hurry to get the mechanic’s inspection. I was ready to buy the car, all I needed to know was that it didn’t have any serious issues. I never got that chance, and I wasted my time in the process. I’ll give them two stars for being polite.
I wouldn’t return to Auto Solutions because if I found a car I liked and we came to an agreement, they might sell it behind my back again. I don’t have time to waste on games like that. I’ll be taking my future business elsewhere.

Auto Solutions staff is friendly and Bruce is wonderful. I will continue to go there for all my car needs.

So far so good…
I have always been a little bit cautious of car shops since my Dad is a mechanic so he has always done my car repairs and maintenance for me, but then he moved away…
I have been coming here for a little over a year now. Mainly just to get my oil changed, but I also got 4 brand new tires here.
Bruce is honest and helpful. He recommended a tire brand that is not well known, so they were a little cheaper but just as high quality as the more expensive brands. This shows me that he is trustworthy. They have also been able to fit me in on short notice.
I will definitely continue coming here in the future.

My Camaro Z28 had a head gasket failure and I spent $ 6000 at Marin Auto Solutions for a complete engine rebuild. Marin Auto Solutions offered a one year warranty on this rebuilt engine. Less than three months after the work was completed I noticed a puddle of oil on my garage floor. Marin Auto Solutions tried to diagnose the problem and confirmed that the engine was leaking a substantial amount of oil. Marin Auto Solutions called the engine rebuilder they had subcontracted (Jack’s Engine Supply in San Leandro) and then asked me to drive directly to this shop where they would take care of the problem.
So I drove all the way to Jack’s Engine Supply in San Leandro where the mechanics tried to find the exact cause of the oil leak. They could not find the actual source but determined that the leak must be the result of a part that Marin Auto Solutions assembled when they installed the engine in my car. Therefore they refused to cover the costs under their own warranty and told me that fixing the problem would be the responsibility of Marin Auto Solutions.
The next day I went back to Marin Auto Solutions and they tried to diagnose the problem one more time. At this point I already lost 3 days of work and I drove 250 miles from one shop to the other. Their final written diagnosis is that the oil «is leaking from the distributor and perhaps from o ring coupling. Oil level sensor in oil pan is leaking. Drain plug is now leaking, small amount of dye noted on timing chain cover bolts.»
I was very surprised to find out that Marin Auto Solutions not only did such a sloppy job but also refused to cover these clear defects under their promised warranty. Marin Auto Solutions agreed to cover some part of the labor costs but still wanted me to pay at least another $ 500-​$ 600 to fix some of these oil leaks. They claim that all these defects are in no way covered under their warranty because it is not the engine that is leaking but the distributor seal, the o ring, the oil level sensor, the drain plug, etc.
At this point I decided that I am better off to cut my losses at this shop. I do not believe they would ever be able to fix it and they clearly do not stand behind their work. Another more reliable repair shop is now fixing the leaks. The new shop confirmed that all these leaks are the result of mistakes during the engine installation. Please note that my car did not lose any oil at all before the failure that led to the engine rebuild. Now I could not even park my car in my garage because of the smell of burned oil and the ever increasing big puddles of oil all over the garage floor.