Berkeley Auto Repair

Shawn and Melissa are top notch, reliable and honest!!!

Bob's saved us today: it was a Friday afternoon, the car started doing something wonky (chugging), and they were still open. We called in, dropped by, and were on our way in less than an hour: Bob's replaced the very part that was causing the problem, with their customary smile. These guys are incredibly generous with their time, especially for recurring customers like us, the loyal Volvo types that are willing to endure trips to the service center for the safety and drivability of these great cars. Best Volvo place in Berkeley!

My Lexus IS250 was making a droning noise from the driver side tireaxle area so I suspected a bearing was going out on the vehicle. I took the car into the local Lexus dealership where they confirmed the bearing issue but then came back with a litany of other problems they said required attention and a quote of over 2k to fix them.I decided to get a second opinion and after reading reviews online called Berkeley Bob's for a quote. The price for the work on the bearing and other issues was much lower than what Lexus had quoted me so I took the plunge and decided to have my car serviced outside of the dealership for the first time in 7 years of owning the car.Wouldn't you know it, Berkeley Bob's disagreed with Lexus's assessment of necessary repairs and we decided to replace only the bearing for $250 less than what Lexus had quoted. Bob's was able to order in the needed parts for overnight delivery and fixed my car the very next day. I'm happy to report that it has been running great ever since!Even though I was nervous about having my car serviced outside of the Lexus dealership, Colin and Sean at Berkeley Bob's helped set my mind at ease by being informative, communicating frequently, and having outstanding customer service!!I highly recommend having your vehicle serviced at Berkeley Bob's.

Honest and reliable.

Last summer, I had to come out to the Bay Area to visit my Dad. Fortunately, I was able to borrow a car (2004 Volvo) to use during the visit from some friends who were away. Question: What's worse than having your car break down when you're away from home? Answer: Having the car you've borrowed from friends start to emit billowing clouds of smoke, and make chitty-chitty bang-bang noises when you're trying to cross the Bay Bridge two days before they're supposed to come back... eek.After being put on perma-hold at a few shops, I was lucky enough to find Bob's. Chris (the counter guy) was courteous and calm in the face of the time pressure and managed to get my car into queue for service the next day. They even gave me a ride to the place I was staying (fortunately just up the hill in Berkeley), and offered to come get me when the service was complete. Later that day, they called and told me that the repairs could be done the next day, and would be around $350. I authorized the repair over the phone after calling my local (in CT) mechanic, who told me, he'd charge me around $500 for the same repair. Next day, I picked up the car, which drove like a dream, they actually charged me slightly less than they quoted ($320) and I was able to breath a sigh of relief. I can't recommend these guys enough.Moral of the story: don't borrow your friends cars when on vacation, but if you do, and bad things happen, Bob's can help you out. My biggest regret is that they aren't here in CT.

my husband's 2005 toyota was making some screaching sounds when he would turn to the far left -- he had figured it was some belt making the sound and that it was loose and needed replacement. I made the appointment and brought it in based on reviews that I found on the Car Talk show on NPR. Most people seemed to have a positive experience. I bring the car in, they tell me about 2 hours, I walk to Berkeley Bowl for some reading and lunch, came back and they said, there's no noise... we looked and drove it around but couldn't hear anything...me: hmmm, okay... weird... so they offer to take me on a ride to listen for this sound.. the guy drives, I have the window and am trying to hear for it but it's just not there! anyway, so he says, I can replace it if you want me to but if it were my car, I wouldn't and plus, it's like $80. so I opt to not replace it and they were kind enough to put back in a part of the inner bummer that was coming off. no charge, no hassle, honest dealings. I would use them again if I had car problems.

Last month I had to come out to the Bay Area to visit my Dad. Fortunately, I was able to borrow a car 2004 Volvo to use during the visit from some friends who were away. Question: What's worse than having your car break down when you're away from home? Answer: Having the car you've borrowed from friends start to emit billowing clouds of smoke, and make chitty-chitty bang-bang noises when you're trying to cross the Bay Bridge two days before they're supposed to come back... eek.After being put on perma-hold at a few shops, I was lucky enough to find Bob's. Chris the counter guy was courteous and calm in the face of the time pressure and managed to get my car into queue for service the next day. They even gave me a ride to the place I was staying fortunately just up the hill in Berkeley, and offered to come get me when the service was complete. Later that day, they called and told me that the repairs could be done the next day, and would be around $350. I authorized the repair over the phone after calling my local in CT mechanic, who told me, he'd charge me around $500 for the same repair. Next day, I picked up the car, which drove like a dream, they actually charged me slightly less than they quoted $320 and I was able to breath a sigh of relief. I can't recommend these guys enough.Moral of the story: don't borrow your friends cars when on vacation, but if you do, and bad things happen, Bob's can help you out. My biggest regret is that they aren't here in CT.

I found Berkeley Bob's through NPR's Car Talk forum, and have been using them for the past 4 years. My service has consistently been thorough and professional, and I really appreciate the post-service updates on my tires, brakes, etc.. While service costs are slightly higher than other Toyota places, I always feel like I get what I pay for. They pay great attention to details like greasing my door hinges and topping off my fluids, are always honest they don't tell me I need frivolous services and never make me uncomfortable by trying to sell me things I don't need.

Okay yelpers... here's the deal, If you have a Volvo you have to have to have a Volvo mechanic. Not a guy that does it all, not a guy that specializes in euro cars, not a guy that worked on one one time in the 90's whilst on a synthetic drug wearing glitter.... A Volvo mechanic. These cars a just too quirky and have volvo specific problems. Believe me, good Volvo mechanic will be able to diagnose your problems faster than your therapist can say childhood issues. That being said Bobs is good. Chris the main man at the front desk is an enthusiast and active in the local bay-area volvo club check out his super modified wagon... It'll beat your cheesy boxster and knows and loves volvos. These guys will take in your car, give it the love it deserves and send you on your way. check 'em out.

I just took my Volvo in to Bob's for a batch of little repairs. Their price was waaay lower than McKevitt's why are dealers always so expensive? and the service was friendly and fast. They called me about two hours after I had dropped it off to give me an update; McKevitt always takes about a day to get back to you. I've brought my car to Bob's a few times over the years, and I've never really had a problem. The only reason I haven't gone exclusively to them is that one time their computers indicated that some software hadn't been installed in my car, and the dealer said it had. I never found out who was right, but I have read that dealerships have the most up-to-date machinery for checking these things, so I was inclined to think Bob's was wrong. However, they did a great job today, and I'll definitely be going back.