Marin Express Lube & Diagnostic Center

Refused to turn on air compressor for a customer that gets oil changes past 10 years. I’m looking for a new spot for car service.

I don’t know why this place has some bad reviews. I have been their customer for many years with many different new cars I have had and they have always provided me an excellent oil change service with a smile. They are professional and compared to other places their prices are pretty fair plus you don’t need an appointment. I highly recommend this place to anybody with the need of a quick and economic oil change, tire rotation and smog check.

No problems here getting a fast & simple oil change done. I had to bring my own oil and filter because my car requires a special type of oil, and I wanted the OEM filter used. They were fast, careful about my car’s clearance as it sits very low, and charged a very reasonable $ 26 for the labor. I liked how straightforward everyone was, and that I was able to watch them work. Good place for a fast oil change!

It was a good place back in the day .
Customer service sucks cashier
Attitude. .
Way too much for a oil change
Never going back
41.35 for an old truck 98 Dakota
And they charge you for their employees work
16.00 plus parts 25.95 .
Is a ripoff! !!!
You want me to pay for your employe to uncruw a bolt and use the machine !!
No good ‚…never going back .
I’m going to Miss Jose and the crew because they been there for many years but I think they cheap boos no giving any rise soon.
Personal choices people.

If I could give this company 0 stars I would.
I went to Marin Express Lube to have a Smog Check. My check engine light was on in my car before the test. I was not aware prior to this test, that a check engine light would cause an automatic fail.
Even though this company knew my car would fail, they performed the Smog Check and charged me about $ 45 (other places in the area charge $ 30). When the manager came to me to explain why I failed, she said it was only because the check engine light was on. However, they wanted to perform the test «just in case» it passed. Why would they test my car if they knew I was going to fail prior to completing it? They wanted to make a quick buck off of me. A good business practice would have been to turn on my car, see the check engine light and send me away to get it fixed before running the test.
After telling me my car failed, the manager tried to sell me a Diagnostics test for $ 95, then fix «the problem» for more money, and then re-​Smog Check my car at a discounted price of $ 35. When I said I was not interested in that, and I wanted to take my car, she lowered the diagnostics test to $ 75 to try to make the sale.
I still was not interested and felt like I had been gouged on the original charge but didn’t want to stay there any longer, so I paid and left.
I took my car home last night and had my boyfriend look at the car. I’m not sure what he did under the hood, but he said nothing was wrong with the car. When I turned on the car this morning, the check engine light was off. I went to another Smog Check location this morning, and my car passed very easily.
This place shows bad business practices, and I believe knowingly made me pay for a Smog Check that they knew I was going to fail.

DO NOT USE THIS SHOP ! I took my 2006 Ford Escape in for an oil change.
When I got home I looked at the bill to find they had charged me for additional oil than the capacity stated by Ford. I returned to have them remove some of the oil.
The next day there was a puddle of oil under my car. I went to another shop and had them put it up on their rack to find they had cross threaded the drain plug and now it was impossible to tighten it. I had to take the car to another shop to have the oil pain replaced. DO NOT PATRONIZE THIS SHOP. David D (San Anselmo)

please avoid this place at all costs, they are all crooks & thieves

Please do yourself a favor and don’t ever come to this place, they actually don’t care about their customers, only about charging you as much as they can! Just like other reviews said! My story goes like this: I needed to smog my car and a couple of days earlier got the car out of the mechanic shop, since they had the battery disconnected for a long period of time all the sensors and computers pertinent to a smog check were reseted, so you need to drive your car, i brought my car with about 70 miles after the battery got reconnected and hopeful that it was enough for the smog, well i parked my car and the shady technician, who was very unfriendly took the car, drove it around the lot a couple times (which is not regular practice) tried to get my car into the pit but my car its lowered, so he realized that the bumper wont clear the metal frame around the pit, he drove it through anyways, damaging the bumper, and damaging it again when drove it off the pit! Careless of course because its not his car! I told him you can’t put my car there it’s low, but he didn’t even listen! They told me my car was ready and the owner tells me my car didn’t pass smog! He told me the levels were too high! That it might be the catalytic, spark plugs, oil, etc they will have to check it! He was already trying to get more money out of me, as i mentioned before the car was just picked up from a major tune up! Everything was new, even the timing belt! So i was in total disbelief! He dare me to take my care anywhere else and a lot of bs about how my car is never going to pass! So i took it to 2 different smog shops, only that this smog shops were TEST ONLY! And thats what you should do, since they wont fix your car, they wont try to scam you! So this 2 shops, 2 completely different ones, even at prices, one costs 29 the other 99, both connected the car to the machine and both show me the machine computer saying NOT READY, in a big red rectangle! So the asked me if my car was recently serviced, i say yes! And they told me i need to drive it more before its ready for smog! So the technician at this terrible establishment just proceeded with the smog, just so they can charge me! And of course it wasnt going to pass since the machine its telling you, this car is not ready to be smogged! PLEASE AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS, they are not even the most affordable ones! Btw i writing a complain with the BBB!

Stopped in because I saw the Unilocal deal they were running and was promptly greeted with a smile. They said my cars oil change would take about 30 minutes and it was right on the money. Friendly staff and great prices.

I have been going here for about 5 years now. There are many reasons I do. First off their prices are the best in Marin. They are a family run business. The guys who work on the cars there are the same guys from the big dealerships. The place has a unique charm all its own. The word here is diversity. There are guys from Mexico to Southeast Asia to all over the world. The man who owns the place is reasonable. He will negotiate prices. Will you find that anywhere else in Marin? I think not. Also they have a guy who can drive you back & forth for longer jobs, that’s nice. Inside the convenience store is one of the larger collection of candies I have seen this side of the Pecos river. One Christmas the owner gave me & my boyfriend a 49er’s blanket. I have always gone there for oil changes, axel rods, smogs, anything to keep my Toyota running. Thanks for the affordable great service I appreciate it!

NO STARS if there were negative stars I’d give this business one. Man… the people that work there have no clue what they are doing. Some of them were busy watching TV. $ 55 for oil change and tire rotation. I was a fool to stop by this place. I wanted to get smog too but NO WAY after looking at them do my oil change… never stepping into this place again for sure.

I thought I had a totally bad transmission problem after going to two repair stations in Marin. Each place gave me an estimate of $ 1500-​$ 2300 to repair. I told them I had the transmission repaired months ago, but it landed on deaf ears. I stopped inro Marin Express Lube just to get a 3^rd opinion. The GM ran a diagnostic check to find out it was a problem with the solenoid connected to the transmission and the cost to repair it was only going to be $ 344…Van the mechanic made rhe repairs in good time… Thanks for saving me money and time. The third time was the charm

Avoid this place. The owner is a crook. My review will probably get filtered for saying that, but it’s my experience. Avoid at all costs. Go elsewhere.

I had an oil change, brake job,& smog check on my toyota camry, they gave me a great price overall,& i really enjoyed there nice & welcoming service. The owner was really great to me & I REALLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO EVERYONE!!! :)
p. s.thank you alot.

Watch your wallet here…
Was charged 2.5 hrs. total labor to replace thermostat that was causing car to overheat. This place should just be used for smog check and oil change which is straightforward…
Also they wanted $ 75 plus 1 hr labor to change expansion tank on radiator. Bought it online for $ 38 and took me 15 minutes to fix.

I think this place is a lot of hype.
The last time they changed my oil they told me I needed a special expensive oil filter and cannot check my transmission fluid because I have a volvo. Add $ 15 to the basic price.
The next time there was no mention of the special oil filter. I asked the mechanic and he said I dont need one. Then as I went to pay, the lady, who seemed she was the owner or owner’s wife, comes out with a petri dish with what looked like sewer water in one side and pristine ruby colored transmission fluid in the other. She tells me my trans fluuid is kaput and there is a huge problem and need to have my transmission flushed. I asked her how much that costs and she says $ 230.00. I tell her Ill talk to my volvo mechanic friend. She says she will match any price.
He checks it and the fluid is fine. He also adds the petri dish trick a common scam that oil change places do.
This place is fast and efficient (or it seems that way), but I hate feeling like someone is trying to screw me.

I have taken a variety of cars here for repairs over a period of years. They usually do a good job for a good price. Peter, the owner, is a nice and fair man. He is one of the few mechanics who I really trust. His wife Wendy who works there is nice too, but not as knowledgeable about cars as Peter. Their staff of mechanics appear to be competent.

I got that dreaded Smog Check request on my registration form this year. Being the first car that I’ve actually really owned and taken care of by myself, I am pretty intimidated by any car maintenance required. So where did I go for service station reviews? Unilocal of course!
I found the Marin Express Lube & Diagnostic (which is literally 6 blocks from my house) and read the fab reviews. What I loved about them was that they reviewed everything I needed to get done. Oil Change & Smog Check… Done, sign me up! One stop shop. I love it.
I pulled up to MEL&D and was automatically serviced. The guys took my info, I told them what I needed and proceeded to sit within the waiting room. I swear I was there for 15 minutes when Wendy (I believe her and her husband own this location) told me my car was finished. She went over all the prices with me, told me that they had already sent the smog check to the DMV and that my car was finished. I was really really surprised. I was also surprised by that the Oil Change that was less then the Pennzoil 10 Minute shop I usually go to.
Everyone was really friendly and got the job done. I’ll probably be back again. I love when dealing with car maintenance is hassle free. They didn’t take advantage of me and the service was quick. My kind of place.

I have been taking my cars here for routine maintenance for years.
Talk to Peter and negotiate a better price. Their service is reliable and their prices are very reasonable…

I stopped by Marin Express Lube earlier this year for a regular oil change and had a positive experience. So much so that I came back a week later for a smog check!
The full-​service oil change (which does NOT include vacuuming or window washing but does include everything else) was $ 36, and I had a $ 4 off coupon from the phone book. My servicer was courteous and did a great job with my car. He did not try to sell me anything, which was a welcome change from my Pennzoil visits. The oil change lasted a bit longer than I’m used to, roughly 20 – 25 minutes, but was still reasonable. Window stickers work as coupons for $ 3 off your next oil change, which makes returning a decent value at $ 33.
My smog check experience was great. The entire process took about as long as my oil change, so no complaints there. The servicer and office lady were both friendly, and everything went smoothly. I used a coupon from the phone book once again – $ 15 off of $ 65 – with not even a faintly dirty look from the employees.
Overall, I recommend stopping by Marin Express Lube when you need basic service done. They do NOT try to sell you things here that you do not need. In fact, they encourage you to get a second opinion from your mechanic of choice, and they will meet or beat the price you were quoted if you come back. I would keep coming back here, but I stopped driving to work and take the bus instead, so my car is never in San Rafael. But if yours is, then come on by!