Berkeley Auto Service

I just stopped by this place to see about an oil change. There was an employee out front chatting with someone. I pulled up, got out of my car and neither of them acknowledged me. I stood there for a second in the driveway and then said «hello.» One of them turned to me and dismissively said «I’ll be right with you my man» before turning back to his friend, ignoring me while I stood there in the driveway. Customer service, let alone common courtesy is definitely a lost art. I’m never going back here again.

I’ve brought my 2004 Jetta TDI here for two years now. Mike, Roger, and the team are as good as it gets: fair, communicative, and honest.
I’m not mechanically experienced but I’m interested in what needs doing and why — I take each problem as a learning experience. These guys always seem to have a part around from a previous job that they will dig up, unprompted, to explain how and why it needs service. They always lay out my options and give me time to consider them. I only hope they’ll continue to be around as long as my trusty Jetta.

Yes, a great and honest mechanic DOES exist and his name is Roger. This place is the best.

Backed my car up into their fence, leaving a screw indentation in my Audi A8 L’s bumper (when I confronted them after noticing another car’s bumper touching their fence and taking on damage due to their incompetance, they made threats of violence towards me and attempted to demean me and name-​call). It was only there for an oil change, but they couldn’t properly put the air intake back together and the engine light came on after. Taking it back four more times to have them try to put the air intake back together resulted in the engine light still being on– I had to make a special trip to the dealer to have the air intake reassembled properly. WATCH OUT– they said they can work on an Audi A8 and this was my experience. TOTALLY UNPROFESSIONAL with a «STREET» not an «EMPLOYEE AT WORK» attitude. They threatened to come after me and steal my wheels if I would state where I «parked them.» OVERALL RATING: TOTAL DOUCHES who mess up and OIL CHANGE AND DO UNRELATED DAMAGE TO THE CAR.

These guys are awesome. Straightforward, succinct and helpful.
I took my old (old) Audi here to assess whether the car was even worth fixing and these guys laid it all out on the table and provided honest feedback. An itemized and detailed work scope was provided with a follow up visit that was equally as clear and detailed when I picked up my car. These guys walked me through all of the parts that needed replacement and the labor was clearly delineated.
Trustworthy with great customer service. I wouldn’t take my car anywhere else!

Way cool! Dan helped me out big time today!
Check engine light came on while driving across the Bay Bridge and the motor lost most of its power only giving me enough power to maintain freeway speed and get off the freeway. FYI I was over 100 miles from home
I called Berkeley Auto Service since it was the closest shop on Google maps. Dan said they were all booked but since I was still drive able he would at least hook it up to diagnostic and let me know whats up. Turns out there was a loose wire at the turbo solenoid (no turbo, no power). He spliced a new connector and sent me on my way.
2010 Jetta Sportwagon TDI
Thank you Berkeley Auto Service!!!

I’ve had on-​going issues with my VW, and all along the way Mike and the shop have been courteous, thorough, and awesome. I’m hoping the latest repair of replacing my alternator will do the trick. Mike took the time to talk to me at length about my concerns and showed me an alternator part and tried to explain how it works! I will always come back to this shop.

These guys know what they are doing, and do it well!
1999 VW Passat serviced today to replace a cracked oil pan — great service, care and advise on maintenance!
You will be in great hands here!

What a good shop! I just called in today to schedule an appointment. Unfortunately, they won’t have any time available until next Friday, but they like their potential customer. The guy at the other end of phone asked me a few questions about my concerns, then recommended to me a couple of auto shop closed by. This five starts is for remarkable customer service. Thank you.

This place is f4king (!) awesome! I saw them turn away business because the people wanted something that would not help them!
They are not fancy. Just really good people offering a good service at fair prices.

Mike was very thorough in explaining the issues I have going on with my car. He was able to discover an issue caused by my last mechanic and fix that along with analyzing my emission failure and the potential for future costs. If I choose to stick with my Audi for the repairs needed, they will be getting my service. I’m glad I chose to stop in.

If you own a Volkswagen there is seriously no better place other than the dealership to get your car serviced.
These guys treat you well and fair. Dan the man. Check them out.

The last of a dying breed of honest mechanics.
Ive been coming here a while now and they are always honest about what i need to maintain my audi and keep me safe and running. All the mechanics seem to be very knowledgable of cars overall, but their expertise on vw and audi is unmatched. I went to the dealership a few times and realized they were overcharging like crazy. I WILL NEVER EVER GO TO A DEALER FOR ANYTHING unless it is free. These guys have even done jobs or fixed little things for free since i have become more of a regular. Great shop! Greater mechanics. I will not go anywhere else. Not even if its a little cheaper. I have done that and have had one too many bad diagnosis’s and ended up spending way more.

Good work & good staff! I bought a Living Social deal for 2 synthetic oil changes (w/​tire rotation) for the price of one. Although the location isn’t that close to home the reviews were good and the price was good as well so I opted in and glad I did.
*1^st visit was fairly quick, we were next in line and waited.
*2^nd visit wasn’t so quick but Ronnie (the manager) did tell me earlier in the week that he’d been busy and when I got there he told me it would possibly be a couple of hours before they could get to my car so I expect a bit of a wait. My daughter and I walked to get lunch and catch a movie about 12:15 by the time we got back my car was done (4:00)!
With finding something to do in the area, it was painless.

You often have to wait a bit for something like a simple oil change, but the wait is well worth it. Roger does a great job of taking care of our Volkswagon.
We usually take our VW there for oil changes and then ask him to troubleshoot any specific issues we’re having. He correctly identified and solved a rough starting problem (was the fuel filter) and didn’t feel like I was getting charged more than was due. He also does all the preventative maintenance you should do on your car while you’re there. I don’t have a garage or tools anymore, so it’s great that Roger and his team does this for us.
Roger and his team always call before they do anything above what was quoted. We’ve always gotten our car back on time and in great condition.
Anyways, if your VW takes special oil (most of the new ones do), taking it to Berkeley Auto Service is just as expensive as the «quick» places, but the quality of maintenance you’ll get is way higher. If you can take the wait, and not having your car for the day, totally worth it!

Great place to go. The owners are personable and extremely knowledgeable, but most importantly they’re HONEST. I went to an official VW dealer in Sacramento and told me I needed to do about $ 1300 in repairs and upkeep for my brakes and my radiator. They told me my front and back brakes were shot, and I was basically on the verge of of my car not being able to brake, and I needed to replace a few pivotal parts of my cooling apparatus for the car. Now, anybody who tells you that your car is about to explode and the sky is falling is a bit untrustworthy, and since I heard great reviews about this place I decided to get a second opinion. They agreed to the radiator needing to be upkept and the front brakes needing to be replaced, but the price: $ 750. The back brakes still had 30% left on them and didn’t need to be replaced yet they said. I said yes, and within a day my car was back and running.
I highly recommend this place!

Everyone’s review did not let me down! I’ve been searching high and low for a place to get my VW repaired and Roger was the man! Thank you!

My Audi A4 had problems with throttle body.
Guys at Berkeley Auto Service repaired my car very quickly and made a discount! Great service and perfect quality of work — I recommend this Auto Service to everyone who has problems with their German cars!

Why can’t every auto shop be as honest, awesome, and fun to visit as this place? I wish I *still* owned a VW so I could come here and:
1) Be 100% sure I was dealing with honest people
2) Be 100% sure I was getting good service
3) Be 100% sure my car was actually getting fixed
4) Be 100% sure it would be fixed on time.
5) Be 100% sure I wasn’t being jacked (especially important for women!)!
Too bad other shops don’t emulate these guys! I miss you BAS!

I CREATED A Unilocal ACCOUNT JUST TO WRITE THIS REVIEW
Great shop great guys. I’ve never been a customer here but they took time out of their day to help me, trying multiple variants to get the job done, and did it all for free.
Roger is friendly and courteous with charm befitting your best friend.
After fixing the issue he got ecstatic and went for a fist bump while smiling enthusiastically.
He even got my puppy a bowl of water to boot!
Highly recommended. I’ve never had such a good experience with a mechanic before and I’ll be sending all my friends here from now on!