San Francisco Auto Repair Ctr

Hey I have been lookin' at the reviews and noticed that most of the complaints are from a while back...maybe these things should have an expiration date? Anyway, i was recently at the shop and had a pleasnat experience (if having a broken down old VW can be described that way in ANY context not including Angelina Jolie?) Pros: null Cons: null more

Gary has been a great help with the valve lash on my 1970 solid lift cam Z/28. No job is to big for Gary, he took care of my 1968 Camaro 4 speed and power steering conversion back in the day. more

I have a new favorite mechanic shop in San Fran. A smog shop is a smog shop, and car repairs are car repairs. Or so I thought. Then I met Gary, the new owner of this old shop (they have been there forever). He took the time to explain things to me, my car had failed smog, but it was ONLY the check engine light. It has been on forever. Literally 6 years since I bought the car new. The dealer would turn it off and a few weeks later...blink. On again. Anyway, he explained in detail what they would do to diagnose it. And then he called me and again, explained what needed to be done to fix it. Anyone here know what a purge valve is? I do NOW! more

I wish I had read all the bad reviews. I took my 88 Toyota pick up there for a water leak. They charged $280 to replace a hose. Then they told me my brakes were gone and a wheel cylinder and the master cylinder were leaking and the truck was unsafe to drive. Their quote was $700 for repairs. Fortunately I did not go for it. I got another quote for $450. When I took it in the mechanic pop off the wheel and "surprise, surprise." No leaks. Brakes at 80% in the front and 60% on the rear. There is no way this company made a mistake. They were obviously lying. more

Took my car in for a smog and oil change. Prices were VERY competitive, they squeezed me on on a busy SUNDAY...and while working on it replaced a burnt out bulb that I had forgotten to tell them about. Pros: Fast, reasonable price, flexible timing open 7 days Cons: None experienced by me more

To the previous reviewer: I am in the service business and have been for 30+ years. What I think might have happened is that you called someone and wanted to take THEIR time which translates to taking MONEY from them. With no or slim chance of you coming in? Could that be it? So maybe they were at fault but you did not get bAd auto repair from them so how could you rate them a ONE? more

My interaction with this place sent up a big red flag. I called to get a quote for a fairly significant repair. I explained that I had already received a diagnosis of the problem by a dealer service center here in the city, had a quote, and was shopping for the best price. Instead of simply giving me a quote, the guy on the phone played the game of first wanting me to name the quote given by the dealer. I told him that I wasn't going to negotiate that way, and that he should simply give me the best quote he could and still make a reasonable profit. He refused unless I would give him the other quote. After going back and forth like this 3 times, he told me, "It's customers like you we don't need." And hung up on me. No joke. The ironic thing is that I actually have been a customer in the past. Needless to say, that's the end of that relationship. I called 3-4 other places the same day to shop around (with a resulting price spread of several hundred dollars) and, perhaps not surprisingly, everyone was quite straightforward about giving me a quote. It's the sort of thing auto repair shops and potential customers do hundreds of times every day. I think the episode was quite telling; it evidences a business philosophy that values looking for some angle to play (albeit in a rather unsophisticated way) instead of basic candor and respect. There are many, many auto shops in this city; I wouldn't deal with guys like this. more

These guys are out to take your money. I've had an overheating problem with my 92 VW and have had to take it back to them three times. They still haven't figured it out and every time I bring my car in, the make a laundry list of parts that need replacing. Guys, my car is a '92, of course sh**t needs replacing. But do I look like I want to pump $1000 into my car every month? Pros: Nice guys, on the surface. Cons: Dishonest, disingenuous, disgraceful. more

Made an appointment & dropped the car off for routine maintenance. Pros: Jerry might be ok, easy to get to by bus Cons: expensive, crowded, jerk manager more

A cool little shop hidden in one of the last industrial sections of the Mission. The shop used to be hidden behind some great art covered walls but the city made them paint over the "grafitti". Pros: open 7 days, friendly, BAGELS! Cons: not cheap more

I have an '02 Chrysler and the air bag light has flashed since I got the car a year ago. Dealer looked at it a few times and charged me for it but couldn't make the light go away. SF Auto Repair fixed it! It took a few days but they figgered it out! And then they told me about two other problems on my car that were covered by the factory even though I am past my warranty. They could have sold me this other stuff but they sent me to the dealer to get it fixed free! Very cool of them. Pros: Ride to Work, Pick up FROM work, Capapble Cons: Busy Busy shop more

I am mid-level on this garage. I brought my car in there and spent several thousand dollars on it. They did a good job but I can't get rid of the feeling that I was being taken advantage of. I never have gotten that feeling at my favorite shop in town (Cole Garage). more

Just got back from this shop and my smog passed. They run a sale on the weekend for a smog test: $29.95 including smog certificate. Pros: fast, nice, interesting business Cons: small sign more

I had two experiences with these guys - both bad. The first involved an old muscle car that needed a drum brake overhaul. The quality of the work was fine but the bill was heavily padded. I was charged for parts I supplied and overbilled on other parts. The bill also contained misc. items that were clearly inaccurate like four cans of Brake-kleen. Who on earth uses four cans of Brake-clean for a drum replacement?!! Pros: Always open, Never busy Cons: Dishonest more

Very professional, friendly service. They even delivered my car to my house! more

The good news is that when I found the place, I did feel like these guys knew what they were talking about. This time I went in for a smog, and the wait was a little longer than stated (par for the course with shops). They do not guarantee that you'll pass and they do not offer you a refund if you don't. The price for the smog was $93 after tax - be sure to use their online coupon for $10 off a smog if that's out of your budget. Pros: Friendly, Knowledgeable Cons: Tad bit expensive more

I have lived in San Francisco my entire life, and in the Mission for a good part of that, but had NEVER been to this shop. Never even knew they existed. I found a flyer under my windshield wiper and went in for a smog on a SUNDAY!!! Can ya believe that? What cool guys, they took care of my smog, and recommended a few other things AND they fixed a problem that even the dealer could never get uite right. Pros: friendly, cool, got it right, unbelievably fun more

Took my car to SF Auto Repair, they gave me a ride to BART, they fixed my car right the first try, tey picked me up at work and they gave me a T-shirt! What more could one ask for? Oh yeah...the place has ATMOSPHERE! Theres more knick-nacks there than at my grandmas house. They even feed you on "Bagel Fridays", also I am taking Jerry's auto mechanics class so I can work on my car myself! Pros: ride to work, open 7 days!, high tech equipment more