Kenco Automotive

I have had two of my cars worked on there recently. Had great service! The first car they fixed and issue with the electronics, the engine and power would randomly shit off. Second time I had oil change and new tire put on.

I have been coming to Kenco automotive for a while now and I trust them to get any major repair done right and the customer service is superb.
First experience I brought them a 1998 Oldsmobile cutlass that had a leak on the head gasket and the owner advise me to do a full head gasket job and replace all the seals and also some other tune ups for a car with 60,000 miles on it, needless to say the Oldsmobile now has 130,000 miles and the parents could not be happier with the car. at the time I was a recent college graduate and Chris and the owner work with me to get a very competitive price on all my repairs.
Second experience a 1997 Toyota 4runner which they replace the head gasket seals, fixed a fuel injector issue, shocks and other tune ups for a car with 150,000 miles. The 4 runner is now at 200,000 miles and runs like it just rolled out of the dealership. they knockout the work in less than 4days and the process was painless. Even though they were $ 50-​$ 100 dollars more expensive than the competitors I chose Kenco Automotive because their initial estimates are very accurate and they will get you on the road ASAP.
Third experience, I did not shop around at all this time, I did my homework on parts pricing before dropping my car off with Chris and he got back to me with a reasonable quote and I gave him the go ahead and in less than to days I had my 2002 Chevy Avalanche with new shocks, new brakes (including emergency brakes as well), serpentine belt, oil change, and brand new tires (Chris help to get the best deal possible on a great set of tires) Chris further saved me money and helped me stay under my initial budget by suggesting to hold off on unnecessary services that could wait for the next major tune up.
Bottom line– They have earned my trust (hence my first Unilocal review) and if you got any major work to be done on your car I would bring it here first if you live in the Newark /​Fremont area.

Terrible! Terrible! Terrible Shop to deal with… I’ll stay away from this place…
I brought my 1998 Honda Accord to this shop to do a major tune up and a leak from the engine almost a month ago. The next day after picking up the car the leak got worst. I took it back to them to fix the leak and they did but it created another problem, I hear a loud screeching noise as soon i turn on the engine and it gets louder when I step on the gas. So I took it back again and left the car for the whole day, when i got there at 5:00pm I turn on the engine and the noise still persist it’s like nothing has been fix, they ask me to bring it back again because they close at 5:30. For the 3^rd time, left the car at 8:00am then I called them to check and they told me the car is fixed and ready, when i went to pick it up the noise still there. Ask them how come they can’t fix it, the mechanic told me they we’re too busy working with other cars and that the other mechanic didn’t have much time to really work on it. I was really frustrated but i tried to be patient w/​them. Fourth time «today» they ask me to bring it back again and the owner Jim saw me waiting outside and ask me what’s wrong and i told him the car still not fix! He told me well the noise is not going to go away until you replace the Alternator. They told me about the axle from the beginning and I got it replaced but they didn’t say anything about the alternator. I got really upset and told him how come all of a sudden you’re telling me now that i need to replace my alternator when you have all the time to tell me from the beginning, he just told me that he’s not going to rebuild it for me and just walked away. He’s such an inconsiderate person. Got really upset and just left the car to the mechanic. No apologies or what so ever from any one from this shop and no one seem to care how much trouble this is causing me.
Gave them way more time they need to fix the problem but they still can’t fix it. Terrible! Terrible! This is the worst auto repair I’ve ever been into. I wouldn’t take my car back here ever not even for free. They’ll just add more problems to your car instead of eliminating them.

I took my car to this place to get an exhaust leak fixed. After looking at my car they said it needed 2 new headers. After paying them over $ 500 to repair it I took the car home and it scraped on the speed bump in my parking lot. I have had this car for 4 years and it had NEVER scraped on speed bumps! I took it back the next day and the guy worked on it again. After that it did not scrap right away but a few months later it started scraping on every little bump. I took it back and the first thing this guy said was «I’ll look at it and tell you how much it will cost! When I reminded him that he said I had a 1 year warranty he said „I’ll fix it but I’m not going to be married to it!“ This reaction caused me concern, so before I took it back the next day as he asked. I took pictures of the under side of the car. The exhaust was clearly hanging because it had been improperly installed when the headers where replaced. I even took pictures of an exact same car in my parking lot and the exhaust on that car was 4» higher than mine. After taking my car back he told me that the «the exhaust was installed properly» When I disagreed he said «You have low profile tires. That is what is causing the scrapes» I have stock tires, always have! I then showed him the pictures of how he repaired my car and how the exhaust on the same car should look. At that point he walked out got in his car and peeled out of the parking lot. This is at best a unqualified, incompetent mechanic who will not back up his work. Don’t risk getting ripped off by someone that will not stand behind their work and runs when confronted with proof of their failure. If you want to see the pics I would be glad to send them to you, just message me! I would NEVER use the mechanic again!!!

I’ve been using Kenco for 3 years and always been impressed by their excellent work and fair prices, regardless of the size of the job. They really value their customers and have been so helpful with the smaller jobs like repairing tires and fixing electrics on the spot. Recently they repaired a broken hitch and rewired my electrics after the trailer I pulled damaged them, and did a top quality job. Chris, Jim and the team are top quality and I recommend them very highly.

These Guys are Awesome! I was considering buying a used vehicle and called them up for a pre-​purchase inspection. They kept the shop open an extra 30 minutes just to work me in. They did a test drive, engine inspection, and elevated the car to check out the frame. They actually discovered that the car had been in a sizable collision that had screwed up the alignment (of course the seller had no idea that the car was previously in an accident). I am so glad that I visited them and would highly recommend that you and anyone you know go to Kenco.

I have been going to these guys for over 2 years and I have not had a bad experience until recently. When the crunch came, I felt abandoned and the owner– Jim would not deal with me. I called for him a couple of times and he did not even meet me after I talked to him to make an appointment– He was obviously avoiding me. What happened was that they recently worked on my car fixing a broken water pump and while it was there, I decided to change out the radiator, hoses, and thermostat. This was my teenage daughter’s car and one day before I was to go on a 2 week vacation half way across the world, I found out that the radiator developed a leak for which I would have to add coolant more times than one. So, before going on vacation, I informed my daughter to watch out for the coolant display light and if it came on to stop the car and add more coolant. While on vacation, I received an email from her that things were fine with the car but on the 3^rd day after leaving, I talked to my daughter and she was stranded since the car overheated and later found out that the engine was damaged due to the overheating. To cut a long story short, she towed the car to Kenco’s with the help of my mother in law who was home watching my kids. I called Jim Kennedy the following day and he would not acknowledge the root cause of the problem was the leak in the new radiator they installed 1,000 miles earlier. Again, when I got back home to US from vacation, he would not talk to me or help me shoulder the costs since he was somewhat responsible for installing a bad radiatior that develped a leak. They were quoting me about $ 2800 to fix the engine/​head gasket replacement and was even telling me to scrap the car since it was not worth putting more money to fixing it.
I know there are plenty of good reviews on these guys and I felt the same way but when you get in a problem like this, they will turn their backs on you. I towed my car from their shop and currently deciding on a shop I can trust and will back me up.

I have to write this review as Kenco saved me $ 600! My service engine soon light came on and I took my Nissan 3.5 to my regular auto repair shop. They did a diagnosis and told me both solenoid valves needed replacing — $ 650. And they charged me $ 45 for the diagnostics!
This mechanic has always been good to me — but this seemed like a lot of money. My friend recommended getting a second opinion at Kenco as they had been going there forever.
First contact on the phone with Chris was extremely pleasant. He really has an excellent manner — and meeting him in person was no different — really great individualised customer service. When I picked up my car about 4 hrs later (yah it was quick!), Jim explained he had done a diagnostic test (for free) and had changed the oil as it was really low. This was a recommendation on the diagnostic code to try first before changing out the solenoids. Well, the oil was low and just changing it did the trick. The engine light has remained out! The other shop didn’t even consider trying this. Jim also explained to me exactly how and when the sevice light had come on.
As a single woman, I really appreciate the honesty from this company — not to mention the excellent customer service. I am sooo happy I didn’t have to pay out all that money! Thanks Kenco for a wonderful auto experience and you are now MY mechanic!

These guys are great. I’m used to obnoxious service at car places, but the guys I met here were friendly and respectful. They give free inspections to AAA members — something most AAA shops charge you $ 100 for. On top of that, they diagnosed and reset the SRS light that had come on in my car in about 10 minutes and didn’t charge me.
Can’t speak to the quality of their repair work, but you can definitely count on these guys to provide honest appraisals and approachable service. Judging by the other reviews though, it seems like they do reliable work too.

Wow! First time customer and it won’t be the last. I called at 8am and asked if I could bring my Lexus RX300 in to look at the transmission. They said bring it now and I did. A few hours later they gave me a status report by phone. A few hours after that my wife was using it for grocery shopping. Impressive. Very friendly, very quick, and reasonable prices. Saved me money not going to the dealer. A+

I’ve been going to Kenco for years and was referred by AAA. Which I thought was a pretty good referral for a auto repair shop. The last time I had to take my Jeep in I had to call a tow truck. On the way to Kenco the tow truck driver said he tows car to Kenco but never away from there. What a referral that is. They fix it right the first time. They know what thier doing and most of the time it’s fixed the same day. They also give a discount to AAA members. Check them out you won’t be sorry.

We have a 1999 Ford and a 2000 Volvo. Whenever they need standard maintenance or repair, Kenco Automotive is our go to Mr. Fixit. They keep our cars in good running shape. Whether it’s tune-​up, oil change, brake work, etc. — they are honest, reasonable, and reliable. Thanks Unilocalers for sharing — we found Kenco because of your great reviews. Thanks to Jim, Chris and crew for keeping our cars on the road. Great work, great job guys!

I love Jim and Chris. They’re so nice to me. And honest. They do a great job keeping my Toyota van running well and keeping me and my kids safe on the road.

Absolutely wonderful experience. I brought my 2002 Saturn in with a very vague problem. They easily could have tried to sell my a new transmission (which would have also meant a new clutch and a nice profit for them).
I dropped the car off late Friday afternoon, and by 8:45 Monday morning, they’d called to tell me it was just a clutch cable and it’d be ready that afternoon. What a pleasure to find a good — and honest — mechanic.

This shop is awesome! Chris was great at the desk, Jim (owner and mechanic) is really honest and knows what he’s doing. I had a problem with my small utility /​boat trailer and they really took care of me. Got me in quick and took care of my trailer at a very fair price. It’s great to find an honest shop.

The shop is very honest and that should be rewarded and that is why I signed up.
Here is my story.
I was told by my friend that my radiator hose may need to be replaced. I checked Unilocal and found out that this shop is good. I called first and Chris gave me a quote: labor (at least half an hour, 47 something) and part. Fair enough.
I drove there and Chris went out for lunch. I asked the boss if he can help me to check if the hose needs to be replaced. He checked carefully and said «I’d like to take your money but I don’t think it needs to be replaced.» That is great.

I don’t give out 5 stars easily but this place is as good as it gets in auto repair. I was told that my truck needed all four ball joints replaced to the tune of $ 700+ by Big-​O tires in Newark. I didn’t think it needed them so I read the reviews on Unilocal and decided to give Kenco a try. I am glad I did! it turned out to not be ball joints at all but tie rod ends. These guys are reputable, honest and very quick. I dropped my truck off at 8:00AM and had it back by 11:45AM and the bill was about a third of what Big-​O had estimated for the wrong thing! Not to mention Kenco also lubed all the ball joints and other lube points and gave everything a once over at no additional cost.
I would not hesitate to bring my baby back there again, they’ve earned my business.

Well it’s summertime and I was taking the kids camping in the Sierra’s and I decided to have a «TuneUp» on the old SUV. Since I am towing a trailer it was time. I looked up on Unilocal and Kenco came up with a 5 Star rating.
This may be hard to fathom but Kenco is an HONEST MECHANIC SHOP… I know your thinking, NO, It can’t be, but yes it’s true. I’ve had to pinch myself twice.
Here’s the scoop, I worked with Chris and he gave me a true reasonable price for a 60,000 mile tune up and he rotated the tires for free. While they were tuning the SUV up, they found a hole in the radiator, ugh… just what I needed. But they gave me a great replacement price and had a new one installed the next day!
YES, THE NEXT DAY!
The SUV hasn’t run this good since I bought it in 1996, and the camping trip went off without any problems. I can’t say enough good things about Kenco.

Took my Lexus in for the first time today just for some regularly scheduled maintenance. I have a mechanic that I’ve used for many years, but he’s located in the Peninsula and I now work in the South Bay. I read many good things about Jim and his honest way of doing business. When I brought my car in, I was not disappointed! Unlike some shops, Jim doesn’t tell you that you absolutely have to get things done or else. He’s pretty straightforward and gave me a quote on my other car that needs some mechanical work done. Not only were their prices reasonable but they got me in and out pretty quickly. Highly recommended!

I was referred this car place by many of my coworkers. They’ve been going to this guy for years! And now I know why!
This guy, Jim, he’s upfront and honest with you. He’ll give you the exact reason as to what’s wrong with you car, what needs to be done to fix it, and a fair and reasonable quote to get it done!
Never had I had such an easy time getting my car repaired. One of my tires was wobbly and needed balancing. I went to Jim, and he said that the tire needed replacing because of a knot. He asked about my other tires, and when the last time I replaced them, because if anything, they all might be getting bad soon.
I told him, what the heck, replace them all (he was asking $ 60 a tire, not bad!). The next day when I bring my car in, he calls me and says that I don’t even need to replace my other three, they’re all brand new, and the tire that I needed replacing wasn’t even the same brand as my other tires! How honest is that! Jim could’ve easily made an extra $ 200 (tires and service) on my naïveté, but he chose to tell me what exactly needed to be done.
Needless to say, I paid for one tire and walked away with $ 200 in savings. :)
Definitely awesome.