Oceanworks II

I generally fear car trouble because you have to have a lot of faith in your mechanic that he won’t overcharge you, and that is exactly what happened here. Chris quoted me $ 600 for a fuel pump that is pretty common and after doing a lot of online research and calling local part shops I got quotes as low as $ 100 (online) and as high as $ 350 (in person pick up at o’reilly in Oakland) but nowhere near what Chris wanted to charge me. I’m really disappointed as I came here on a recommendation and could not afford to tow my car to a new place so I had to buy the part myself and bring it here. The labor seems on the expensive side of normal which is ok, but I if you use this shop I would definitely look up the cost of parts before agreeing to anything with them. I will definitely not be back – a shame because they took me in on no notice and Chris seemed like a generally nice guy but ended up trying to take advantage of a broke naïve college student.
*also, after I said I would bring the part myself Chris told me that would be okay but called back ten minutes later with what sounded like a small threat: «if you bring me the part I won’t guarantee the labor. If it stops working again I will not be responsible»

Can’t say enough great things about Oceanworks 2! Been going to OW & OW2 for over 10 years now, and the whole outfit is top-​notch! Down to earth, honest and professional staff all the way around! Chris and CJ are very knowledgeable and willing to take to the time to do get the job done right EVERY time! I don’t think I’ll ever take my car anywhere else. Do yourself a favor and give them a try, you won’t be disappointed!

Four years later on, I’m still going to Oceanworks II. Chris and the guys are my heroes. The one time something went wrong with a repair — they fixed a wiring problem that had caused the brake lights to malfunction, and the problem reappeared five months later — they squeezed me in at the last minute, fixed the problem and secured the wiring so it wouldn’t happen again, and didn’t charge me a dime.
Oceanworks has repaired my truck many a time, and they’ve always charged me a fair price and stood by their work. That’s why I’m still a loyal customer.
I have recommended them to friends and neighbors on numerous occasions, and every single one has thanked me for the recommendation.

I’ve been going on and off to Oceanworks 2 for several years (on the off times I go to Diablo Subaru in Walnut Creek mostly for oil changes etc.). I own a Forester, 2000. Chris is extremely pleasant to deal with, their work is outstanding and they quoted me a price which ended up cheaper. They are honest and have saved me lots of money over the years. I highly recommend them.

I think Unilocal practices are suspect at best, which is why I only post the good reviews.
Oceanworks 2 is a fantastic shop, and they are very efficient.
honest and straight-​forward, Chris took good care of my car. They came in under the estimate in $, and time.
car: Y2K Forester
I will for sure be going to them for any future mechanic needs, if you have a Subaru, I highly recommend this shop.
As well there were other makes of vehicle in their shop. So they service other vehicles, but you should really get a Subaru.

Fantastic customer service and knowledgeable staff! I came in the door and Chris knew me by name, even though he had never seen me before and we had only talked briefly on the phone the day before. He spent 20 minutes testing my car, and driving around with me to see how I drove it. I have been having problems with my clutch, and Chris gave me some pointers and options. He did not try to sell me a new clutch because he said it did not have to be replaced at this time. I was not charged anything, and I now feel more comfortable armed with some new driving tips and potential replacement options going forward. A refreshing and beneficial experience!

Subaru and American car owners should come here for maintenance. This is your spot for high quality and thorough mechanical work on your car. This is my mechanic for good.

Bought a used car from Chris that he’d done extensive work on. My regular mechanic confirmed the good quality of the work. Chris was great to deal with, clear communication and excellent customer service. I’d feel good about bringing a car to him for service.

I brought in my 98 Jeep Cherokee for an inspection as requested by my insurance. Made my appointment, came in, when I returned they said that the drive belt noise I’d asked them to look at was a worn drive belt & idler bearing.
Which would be OK, except that neither one of those items were more than 1,500 miles old and both were in great shape. I mean, like, brand new.
I tightened the drive belt a little bit myself and the noise vanished.
So, for my $ 95 inspection fee I get what, exactly?

Consummate professionals.
I brought my PT Cruiser (aka PT Loser) in at 730am on a Friday without an appointment because my car was running like S. I told CJ the details and he said he only had time to run a diagnostic ($ 95 computer scan) on it because he was super busy. I said go for it. Fast forward to noon and he tells me the scan says my cam shaft sensor went wacko and it’ll cost $ 65 for the part, which they have in stock, and it’ll take 15 – 20 minutes ($ 30) to replace it. I gave CJ the green light and paid over the phone. I then picked up my car after hours that evening (parked on the street with my spare key and receipt in the glove box) and it’s been running smooth ever since. Thanks CJ!
Note: $ 95/​hour for labor and $ 95 for a diagnostic.

This place came highly reccommended from a good friend who said he trusted them implicitly.
I came in with a 97 F150 work truck saying that it’s running rough and is in dire need of a tune-​up, possibly more. They call me back to say to say it needs a tune-​up, and the serpentine belt looks like the original and is about to break and pointed out a couple other non life threatening oil/​power steering leaks. Of course it needs a tune-​up, how much? 500 or so plus 150 or something for the belt. Most expensive tune-​up i’d ever heard of considering it don’t have a carbeurator and it has electronic ignition. Just pull out the old crap and put in the new. but i was extremely busy and had no time to either deal with it myself or take it elsewheres. Might as well change the oil I says. I use the fully synthetic stuff. ‘We ain’t got it in hand, just the regular type.’ Fine I says. In the end the bill came to 830. $ 60 for the oil change (really?, even for the cheap oil), $ 100 for them to repeat back to me that it needs a tune-​up and diagnose that it needs a new serpentine belt, $ 500+ something for the plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor, pcv valve, air filter and fuel filter. 150+ for the serpentine belt.
The funny thing was that I remembered changing the belt a couple years back when I replaced the water pump. Went home to check the receipts and sure enough, it was less than two years old.
In any case, the work they did seemed fine. The truck ran better after the tune-​up,
I was a fool to trust them on a friend’s reccomendation and should have been very up-​front about asking exactly how they were charging me. (the $ 100 initial inspection took me for a surprise and so did the $ 60 oil change, the rest I knew I was being charged a lot for but went ahead on my own volition with full knowledge. — except that they were actually kind of scamming me on the belt (I’ll go ahead and assume it was an honest mistake, and that somehow the 2yr old belt with less than 8000 miles on it looked like a 15 yr, 140,000 mile one)
In the end I would say just go to the dealer and save yourself some $$.

Have been bringing my car here for about six months-​totally happy with the service. They always offer to show me the old parts that need replacing without me having to ask. They also tell me things that need to be done right away versus stuff that can wait and save me a bit of money.
Chad, one of the mechanics, gave me a ride to the BART and he was super friendly and knowledgeable. He is also an art teacher and an urban farmer! Chris is always friendly and gets my car in very quickly.

I’ve brought 3 different cars (2 Subarus and a Ford) here since the mid 90’s and I’ve always been pleased with their honest, timely, and dependable service. Chris is very forthright when it comes letting you know the repairs your car needs ASAP and what should be done at some point. I’ve had them do everything from an oil change to extensive engine work. Prices have been fair; you may find someone to do the work cheaper but when it comes to car repair the price is not always the #1 priority. You need to know that the work is done right, and have always felt that way here.

I started bringing my Subaru here a few years ago after reading the great reviews, and I’ve been a loyal customer ever since, and have spent thousands of dollars there. I really feel treated well and have referred a lot of my friends there.
The prices seem fair to me, the work is done promptly, and they are just really nice.
I read another review where a young female said she felt she was treated poorly, and I though I’m sorry she felt that way, I’ve always felt great about how I’ve been treated by Chris and everyone there.

I gotta say, the experience could not have been better. I just dropped off the car and they called and told me the price, it was reasonable so i said go and the work was done the same day. The only thing wrong with having all these good reviews is that people set their expectations too high, but really, you wont find a better place in the area until they get too busy.

My family has been going to Oceanworks for years, but never had a reason to go to Oceanworks II as all our cars are Hondas /​Lexus etc. Finally had a reason as my GF needed her 60k service on her Hyundai.
I am happy to say that Oceanworks II is as good as Oceanworks 1, and Chris is an awesome and honest mechanic.
#1) He quoted me $ 550 for the job, and then the final price was $ 480. Are you kidding me. A mechanic charging less than the estimate.
#2) During the entire diagnostic, he didn’t find a single thing that was wrong with the vehicle or needing to be worked on. WHAT? A mechanic that can’t find anything wrong with your car?
Honesty, professionalism, classy, affordable, and a damn good job. I will be back.

I’ve got nothing but good things to say about my experience with Oceanworks II. Chris is friendly, honest, and quick too. The past two times I’ve taken my car in I’ve gotten it back the same day. I’m glad that I’ve finally found an honest mechanic that I can take my car to. In case you haven’t heard, they don’t grow on trees…

I have been going to Ocean Works II for years. Their work is excellent, their experience is invaluable, and they are always there to help you. I completely trust their work. If you have car trouble, this is the place to go. Chris and CJ are caring and honest and really know what they’re doing, as do the other guys. There are lots of auto repairs in Berkeley – but Ocean Works II is Number One in my book.
Allen–

I would write a lengthy review, but I’d simply be repeating what every other 5 star reviewer wrote. They have been so helpful here, and have gone out of their way multiple times to make sure the job was done right, with the utmost patience and care. I am often amazed with the service I get here compared to every other mechanic I’ve ever been to. Thank you Chris, CJ, and the to the rest of the guys at OW2.

Well I suppose that I learned some valuable lessons by dealing with these garages. Here are some of them:
— Read EVERYTHING you sign very carefully.
— Don’t take your car to a garage if you are a younger female and expect a fair price.
I took my 2000 Saturn in to Oceanworks based on Unilocal reviews because it was having trouble starting. I figured it was an alternator, battery or starter (not many other options in that scenario!).
I don’t want to rattle on and on, so long story short they were charging me over $ 450 to have the starter changed. To take my car out of their garage I had to pay a $ 95 diagnostic fee. They quoted me over $ 250 for a new starter and I found one from autozone in Oakland in stock same part for $ 170 after the core refund. They acted kind of goofy when I said I could get my own part and my husband ended up calling them. After talking to my husband they dropped $ 50 off the diagnostic price AND promised to give us back our core refund (which should have close to an additional $ 50). Satisfied, I left the issue alone. When I went to get my car, my bill was still over $ 400. I asked about the core refund that was missing and I said, «well, will you at least give me my core back if you aren’t giving me my refund?» They answered «No, we need the core so we can get the refund…»
Um, yeah. Now a lesson that YOU should learn:
— DON’T take your car to Oceanworks II