Jim is my go to guy now for all my machining needs. He is highly skilled, fast and responding, and…read morea great guy to work with. Highly recommended A+++

From the owner: Bay Machine Works provides precision machined parts and assemblies of all types. We provide…read moreone-of-a-kind prototypes to production parts in all types of materials. We have made components for: bio-medical devices, precision laboratory instruments, vacuum systems, the semi-conductor industry, earth science down hole experiments, protein crystallography robots, photoemission spectroscopy, photonics, automotive, motorcycles, and just about anything you can think of, we can make!

These guys are so easy to deal with and will come through for you. Price was reasonable and…read moreturnaround time was even better. Just what I needed.

I emailed Mark with a welding repair I needed while I was in the area and he responded within 10…read moreminutes. I got tons of quotes and Mark gave me the best price by far! He was done with my repair in about 15 minutes. No complaints! Thanks Mark!

Mike's a great guy easy to work with great attitude. He got my job completed with a smileread more

Reached out for help with custom residential metalwork. Mike generously squeezed me in on short…read morenotice and was both precise and quick in workmanship. I'm very happy with the result and the quote. I'll be sending my business to Howlett first, in the future. PS If you get a chance to visit, the machine works is an amazing place; if you need to build or modify any metal, they have the means.

The coolant expansion tank on my E46 -- and if you know, you know: the E46 is arguably the best…read more3-series BMW ever made, the last one built before the brand decided that every car needed to look like it was designed by an angry PlayStation -- exploded in the parking lot of the Oakland Whole Foods. Not overheated. Not leaked. Exploded, in the way that E46 cooling systems eventually do, because BMW in its infinite German wisdom decided to make critical cooling components out of plastic that becomes brittle after fifteen years and then shatters without warning while you're deciding between organic and conventional blueberries and wondering why "baby" bok choy here were the size of my fist. AAA towed it. The dispatcher pulled up the list of nearby shops and Wise Auto Tech had the best ratings and could look at it that day, which on a Friday afternoon in the Bay Area is the mechanical equivalent of getting a same-day dermatologist appointment. It also happened to be blocks from my Berkeley pied-à-terre, which felt like the universe apologizing for the parking lot coolant geyser. Not much to say beyond the basics, and in a shop review the basics are everything: they were friendly from the moment I walked in. They finished the job the next business day. The bill came in at the low end of what I'd been quoted online by other shops, which in 2026 -- a year in which every dollar has been asked to do the work of about a dollar forty -- matters more than it should. I felt slightly guilty asking about the 10% AAA labor discount, the way you always feel slightly guilty asking for a discount from people who are clearly already being fair, but they didn't bat an eye. Here's the detail that stuck with me: when I picked the car up, I noticed they'd plugged in a loose fog light wire -- something that had come undone during an ill-advised encounter with a parking block weeks earlier, something I hadn't mentioned, something that had nothing to do with the cooling system. They saw a loose wire and they plugged it in. That's the kind of thing that tells you more about a shop than any Yelp rating ever could. It means someone under that hood was actually looking, not just fixing the thing they were paid to fix and closing the hood and moving on. Quick, friendly, honest, reasonably priced, and fastidious. That's the whole list of things you want from a mechanic, and most shops manage two or three of them on a good day. Wise hit all five. Recommended.

I can't believe I haven't yet reviewed Wise Auto Tech. I've been taking my car to Wais, owner of…read moreWise Auto Tech, for about 15 years now. My car is 25 years old, and still running like a champ, thanks to the expertise and quality work consistently performed by Wais and his team. Wais and his team are knowledgeable and well-versed in all things automotive, honest, and their pricing is fair. You don't have to worry about being ripped off here or sold on things you don't need. My partner and my partner's neighbor have also been loyal customers of Wais for years. I spoke with another customer while waiting one time who has been a customer for nearly 30 years. Wais has a loyal following, and for good reason. On top of being a great mechanic, Wais is also a genuinely nice, stand-up guy, and always pleasant to talk with. My car is my baby, and I wouldn't trust it to just anyone. I am confident entrusting it to Wais and his team, and recommend them for all your automotive needs.

They are the best Honest reliable - we have used them for…read moredecades and are always satisfied with the service Kerry and Rollie

Benner Auto has worked on my 1958 and 1973 Thunderbirds. They are honest, hardworking, and…read moredependable. I feel so fortunate to have found them. Don and Mike are very knowledgeable and really care about doing a thorough job. They don't cut corners. They stand behind doing quality repairs.

I had a Zeiss operating microscope mounted on the ceiling that needed to be converted to a movable…read morefloor stand. Kevin did an outstanding job by fabricating an adapter to fit the microscope onto a pole, which he mounted onto a heavyweight umbrella stand on casters. Thanks to his craftsmanship, I've now got a usable operating microscope. Incidentally, Zeiss Inc. (which has a headquarters in Dublin, CA) refused to give me any help. Custom machinists like Kevin are hard to find, especially with his talent.

I contacted Kevin Binkert at Standard Metal Products to fabricate a relatively small aluminum part…read more(4" x 9" x 5/8") that would be used in my stereo system to play vinyl records. He was able to create the exact piece I had in mind based just on my free-hand drawing. After several visits to get the precise dimensions correct, the project was completed. The final product is beautiful and works exactly as intended. Plus, it makes beautiful music! Kevin was a pleasure to deal with and put a lot of time into getting it just right. I would wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone who needs custom metal work. Thanks Kevin!