Planet Auto Repair & Muffler Service

Took my car in to get a simple tune up for my Mustang. I noticed immediately that the car wasn’t 100%…didnt have the pick up as it did. I called them up and told them and they told me to bring it back in but I live in the city and happened to be the area which is why I went. But I planned to go back… however a week went by and my engine was really acting up so I took it in to a local shop. They took a look under the hood and noticed that the spark plug wires were not assigned properly (evidently each wire has a dedicated spot in the distributer cap and can’t be mixed up) and a plug was very loose. Well the fun begins because my top end is now shot and I am looking at over a a couple of grand to fix. I called Planet Auto and spoke to Alek or something like that… the owner and he becomes defensive and instead of offering any solution, insists his shop did a proper job and that I should have brought it back when I called and blamed me. Yes, I should’ve brought it back, but they should have done the job properly in the first place. Disaster!

Just came in for tire issues. Saw my car right away and fixed it quickly, didn’t even catch his name. He didn’t take payment, but I still feel weird about not paying. Please message me if you change your mind and would like to charge for the great service.

Great service. My fan belt broke and I managed to get the car on El Camino, across the street from these guys. They managed to get the car into their garage, ordered the part with two minutes left before the same-​day-​delivery cut-​off time and I got my car back 2 hours later. Fantastic!

These guys are great
I had a flat tire and they repaired it immediately and got me back on the road
I recommend them most highly
Dr. David Fetterman

I am a very happy customer. While driving yesterday, I had a nail enter 1 of my tires, called Planet this morning to see if they can fix it today. Not only did they fix it, in 15 minutes while I waited, they put it back on my vehicle. The customer services is fantastic, and I highly recommend this place, and will return again!

These guys are super nice and trustworthy. I have taken three different cars here over the years and have always received excellent customer service from Clay especially, and Alex. They know I don’t have a lot of dough and they help me out all I can which makes me want to cry with appreciation. I always feel taken care of. Thank you so much Planet Auto for being the best place ever to take your car!!!

Work in area/​had very dead battery and AAA tow. Didn’t know where to go/​know any mechanics in the area but ended up here by chance and was glad I did. Honest owner, kind, conversational when it is not too busy and a true automotive enthusiast. Will do more business as it comes!

This is the best place for your car! Clay is so nice and respectful. Took my car in and it was serviced within the hour! Fantastic staff and very reasonable prices!

The best service ever! I called 3 other places and Planet Auto was the least expensive for headlight replacement. They were so quick and extremely nice. I will go back next time I need anything done on my car.

Great service! Just moved to California and needed to get a smog test done on my car before I could register it. I called in, they said come on in, I’m there in 3 minutes and they finish within a half hour. Very friendly, welcomed me to the area, and I received all the paperwork required and they sent the digital file to the DMV.

I dropped by Planet to see if they could suggest any modifications to my exhaust system to make it a little quieter (my car has two glasspacks in its exhaust system). I didn’t have an appointment, and they were very quick to put the car up on a lift, take a look, let me look under there together with them, and come up with options.
The muffler they suggested for the car wasn’t in stock, and when I asked for a price I was a little surprised how expensive the part itself would be. The quote for labor was really reasonable. The man I talked to — I believe he was the manager — also encouraged me to consider if I really needed the modification, and I didn’t feel pressured at all.

I got a flat tire today and dropped by to see if they could fix it. Had enough air in the tire to make it there. They were not able to fix it (pretty big hole). But they put the spare on for me and directed me where to go for a new tire. Great guys, great service.

I used to sort of like these guys – I live 3 blocks away so mostly it was convenient. They did pretty good work, usually quick and thorough. However I have always felt like they charged high, and there was something weird about how they always ended up having to do more work than they quoted me, but not because they found new problems, just because «oh you always should change these things together» or «this part wears out this other part so we’ll just go ahead and replace it» but somehow that doesn’t make it on the quote.
I don’t know if it’s the old stereotype about car places ripping of women or younger people as much as they can, or if they rip off everybody. But I just took my car there to get my water pump changed (it had a leak), and even though they quoted me an exact number for the work (305), they charged me over $ 250 extra to change the thermostat too. When I had them explain it, they said labor was so much because the thermostat is in a different part of the engine but you always change it when you change the water pump. Then why isn’t that part of the quote?! It’s a total rip off because other people quoted me comparable amounts and presumably wouldn’t have added almost 300 on top of that.
Plus, when I argued about it with them, they admitted they put the wrong amount on the bill for the pump ($ 120 instead of 76) and over $ 80 extra for labor, «somehow, I don’t know how that came out of the computer…» They still overcharged me but did refund me about $ 116, from simple «entry errors». They are either somewhat incompetent and sloppy, although quite nice when you talk with them, or they are engaged in regular fraud. I don’t know which, but I’m simply done taking my car here and spending $ 700 every time they tell me I need $ 400 worth of work (because frankly, this is not the first time by any stretch. Just the most obviously messed up).

Awesome service! I love the guys at Planet Auto!
My 1998 VW Beetle suffered an exploded catalytic converter, but I continued driving the car. Stinky smoky exhaust and the thought that I was contributing to the ozone depletion prompted me to make a visit to have an after-​market catalytic converter installed. Was in and out in less than two hours, and Clay treated me like a VIP.
Took my car in for its smog test and she passed with flying colors!
A great place on the Peninsula to take your car for muffler and exhaust repairs.
***** FIVE STARS *****

All women beware! I was a satisfied customer of Planet Auto for 2 years. However over the past year it has became clear they were taking advantage of my loyalty and lack of car knowledge. The most recent episode was when I went into the shop to make an appointment to have new tires and alignment performed. The service rep, came out to my car (Audi Quatro) got the car identifying info (so good so far). Then he proceeded to put his foot on my back bumper, push down and proclaim I needed new shocks. He then went to my front bumper and completed the same maneuver. It is important to keep in mind I had been getting ALL of my service completed at Planet Auto, and new shocks had never been mentioned.
The service rep on the spot told me the tires would cost $ 1000 and the shocks $ 1000 as well. He then proceeded to call me at my office an hour later and indicated the shocks would cost $ 1500!
I had such a queasy feeling in my gut. I proceeded to call around other automotive shops. The same tires with alignment were 15% cheaper at several shops.
More importantly the other shops wanted to do a more extensive evaluation of my shocks before indicating shocks were necessary.
I settled on Eurotech in San Carlos. When I went in the owner said: «Let’s go for a test drive to evaluate your shocks». He took the car over speed bumps, on the freeway, and through hairpin turns around town. He noted to me what to look for if I need shocks: leakage, squeaking noises noticeable while driving the car, and excessive bouncing
His diagnosis: Your shocks are fine. They were in such good shape he couldn’t even given me a time/​mileage estimate of when I might need new shocks.
Net net: Tires and alignment $ 850.00 (same tires recommended by Planet auto) and no shocks saving me another $ 1500! WOW what a lesson!

Definitely recommend Planet Auto. Knowledgeable, honest, and fair. I’ve been taking my trucks here for 7 years. They won’t try to BS you and upsell you into crap you don’t need (like blinker fluid), and if something major is wrong they’ll let you know the severity of the problem and how long it can wait if you can’t afford to get it fixed right now.

Clay, who I believe is the owner was so helpful. I was in need of a smog check for my registration and had previously lost my wallet on the airplane a few days prior. I was a bit stressed about the wallet issue and Clay said it would be no problem to work it out. He completely lifted a stress off my shoulders and was helpful, kind, conversational and nothing but of service. I plan on returning here for future car repairs and maintenance!

LOVE. Love, Love this place! They always repair my cars in a timely & cost effective manner AND give me a ride to work! But the true testimony to their integrity is the extra mile they go when there’s no money to be made. Last month my daughter’s car broke down in Arizona & Clay helped me judge whether she was getting good advice from the mechanic in Phoenix (she was, thank goodness) which really put my mind at ease. Then today he was happy to help me in my decision about which auto body shop to choose when my car was rear ended and needed an insurance estimate & repair work. Having a mechanic you can truly trust is a Godsend!

As much as i do not like writing negative reviews of businesses, I have to do it for these guys. I took my car here for a brake job in August of 2011. I was not satisfied with what they did. In the days following the completion of the job, there was noise when I would press on the brake. I took it in again and they had the car for the entire day. They told me that they were using parts that were made in china and they’re not the best… WHO SAYS THAT TO THIER CUSTOMER?
They charged me over $ 600 for a brake job that was sub-​par. While i understand that brake jobs are costly, i would have expected better service, better parts and an overall better job with the brakes.
Only a year and half later, the brakes needed to be done again.
needless to say, i will not be going back to these guys for anything.

I’ve taken my 2003 Saturn Vue to these guys for over 4 years. Brakes. Barrings. Smog. Oil Changes. Wipers. New Steering Column. And I have had nothing but great service at reasonable prices.
I’m a woman and have never come in with a man, nor have I ever even mentioned that I have a husband at home (as of nearly two years ago now, I do) and I can honestly say that I have always been treated fairly, respectfully and professionally. I have asked stupid questions. I’ve told them about noises that don’t sound right to me and I’ve asked for estimates before approving the work. Never had one issue that some others claim to have as a result of their gender.
These guys are good mechanics. They are honest and they treat people well. That’s not easy to find, especially these days. After some not so great experiences elsewhere in the area, I have trusted Clay and the team with my car the whole time I lived in Menlo Park and think you should too.