I purchased a used VW GTI with a spongy clutch that collapsed on me. I took it to the VW dealership in Oakland and they quoted me $7,500 to replace it with yet another problematic VW stock clutch. I called around and spoke with Ronnie that quoted me $2,900, which included a Sachs performance clutch of far better quality than the VW stock clutch being offered by the dealership. I had it towed to him from the dealership. It took a number days longer to complete the task than anticipated, and I was the primary caller checking in on the status. That said; when I did pick it up, it was great. The car runs better than it ever has. Ronnie showed me the old burnt out clutch and the it's springy and loose, as one would expect. The engine is fully engaged now and the car runs powerfully. I will take other vehicles to Ronnie in the future. I highly recommend. read more

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jaguar owners stay away!!! owner ronnie wasted my time after agreeing on the phone to a service for a price. when i get there he tried to double the price, talked over me and said if i dont like it i can go. complete scammer!!! read more

So I was down in Berkeley for clients and my van wouldn't start. To have my van towed home, would've been well over $1000 since I live north of Sacramento. We tried jumping it, checking fuses and nothing. I called a few places and only Ronnie assured me that he could get it in and checked out. I had it towed over and then I sat waiting on pins and needles to find out what was wrong, luckily it was just a starter solenoid. I was quoted a fair and affordable price and the work was done same day. I'm so thankful for these gentleman workers and their kindness, calmness and respect while explaining what was going on. Thank you so much read more

Adams Autoworx Albany - My Van - Auto Repair Near Me - Albany, California

I'm new to the area (originally from a small town), and my in-laws recommended Adams Autoworx Albany. The folks at Adams knew them and spoke so warmly about them--it immediately gave me a good feeling, like I'd found a shop that really values community. After my experience, it was clear why my husband's parents have trusted this place to care for their cars for decades! I brought my car in for a coolant hose replacement, but I also needed a specialized size tire replaced. I'd planned to get the tire handled somewhere else, but Adams was able to order and replace it within 24 hours--and their price was so good, I just had them do it. That kind of quick turnaround tells me they've got solid relationships with their suppliers. The whole experience was smooth. Melissa got me a ride home after I dropped off my car (which I wasn't expecting!), and she asked really smart questions about what I was experiencing with the car--super knowledgeable and helpful. Ronnie sent over a detailed inspection report digitally, rating each suggested repair by importance, and Melissa called to walk me through what really mattered. I got regular updates from both of them, and they were always consistent about what was happening next and what to expect cost-wise. Oh--and my car was done a whole day early! Overall, I felt really taken care of. The service was great, the communication was even better, and it felt like the kind of place I'll definitely come back to. Highly recommend. read more

Don't recommend. The quality of their service is not what it use to be when it was Nippon Motors and Tom owned the business. They just don't do a thorough job. And sadly they are particularly rude and condescending. read more

Took a week to get me these bs codes and charged me $250 for a "diagnostic" and couldn't even tell me what was wrong. Ronnie said he called out a specialist but I'm doubting it because when I took it to another mechanic they gave me actual codes and a description of cost to repair in less than 24hrs. When I read the comments for Yelp reviews it appears this isn't the first time they've done this. Bad business. I called and explained my situation/car make/model and asked if it was a project they'd be willing to take on before I even showed up. Waste of time and costly to be without a car for a week I just to receive that kind of disrespect. read more

Adams Autoworx Albany - Auto Repair Near Me - Albany, California

I don't trust Adams Autoworx and I can't recommend them. It started with an email advertising a special $49 price on a full synthetic oil change - there was no footnote and no fine print indicating any additional fees. That is a great deal and I needed an oil change, so I made an appointment. Turns out they failed to mention a $15 surcharge they called a mandatory "California Oil Recycling Fee." This is total BS. Yes, they need to dispose of the oil properly, and yes, they are charged some state fees for oil recycling - but those fees generally add up to less than a dollar a gallon. There is no "mandatory" $15 State fee for an oil change. When I complained about the hidden "mandatory fee", they said it's hard to make money in this business (cue the world's smallest violin). They deducted my fee because they didn't want a bad Yelp review, and that's why they got 2 stars instead of the 1 star I would have given them. So they broke my trust with that - and to make matters worse, after the oil change they gave me a list of "recommended" work that came to a total of over $7,000! On a well-maintained Toyota vehicle with less than 60,000 miles on it. I left there and went to a mechanic I do trust and after looking at everything that was "recommended" by Adams he said I only needed new brakes and transmission fluid change, for a total of about $1000. Sorry, I just can't trust Adams Autoworx. read more

Adams Autoworx in Albany was formally known as Nippon Motors for decades. And I happily frequented them for decades. Tom eventually sold Nippon to Adams Autoworx. And I continued to take my cars to Adams Autoworx. I never found the same level of competency as I did at Nippon. The final straw was when Ronnie at Adams Autoworx called (when I dropped off my car for regular service) and stated that one of my wheel studs (bolt) was completely stripped out. He replaced it and showed me the damaged lug bolt. I stated that in order for this to happen 'his' shop failed to properly torque the lug nut on the previous tire rotation. This is the only way this can happen! At this point I developed a absolute distrust of Autoworx and finally found another repair shop nearby that turned out to be excellent. Mid-September 2024 I received a formal document from 'Bill' the owner of the Adams Autoworx group stating that I declined critical service suggestions at my last service (approx April 2024). He states that I declined replacement of the 'timing belt' and that my 'brakes and rotors' needed replacing. And further stated that these issues are dangerous and the car could suddenly stop running due to the timing belt. My current trusted shop advised that I do not have a timing belt. I have a timing chain and they don't need replacing. They further stated that I have 80% brakes remaining and the rotors are in perfect condition. Side note: I have a 2019 Honda Civic Sport model with 35K miles mostly local driving. read more

Adams Autoworx is my go-to for reliable car repair and fair pricing. The Service Manager, Ronnie, is fantastic. He's a great communicator and will thoroughly go over the itemized estimate before any car repairs are done. Service is fast and dependable. Location is convenient to public transport. I highly recommend Adams Autoworx. Superb car repair. read more

Honestly very upset 450 dollars in labor and 2 brake bulbs that don't work. Save your money for a place that will be upfront and honest. I work in the area and the location was convenient but 200 for a diagnostic and had to bring in my car the next day just for them to charge me another 200 to say they couldn't do the work they said they could do. What was the diagnostic fee the day prior for? Oh but GOOD NEWS! they gave me 50 bucks back so I only paid 400 dollars for them to keep my car for 2 days with and still have inoperable lights. Love that they're looking out for the people of Albany, Berkley and El Cerrito! Check their google reviews (I should have) they have 1 star. read more

Went to this establishment in Castro Valley and in Albany for my Honda CRV regular maintenance. They were courteous, honest, and clean; I even got a free ride home and pick up when my car was ready. read more

Ronnie was super helpful, they helped me right away. The undercarriage came loose and they fixed it on the spot. I will definitely bring my car back. Also they have an adequate parking space so pulling up isn't too stressful off San Pablo read more

Adams Autoworx Albany - Auto Repair Near Me - Albany, California

This isn't an honest establishment. Had my car towed here for an unknown problem with the car shutting down. I told them don't change the battery as it's new. They charged me several hours of labor just for diagnosis, and changing my battery and selling me a new one when my existing one was new. They had a lot of slick words to let me know why they couldn't proceed without making sure the battery was good. Bill came out over $2G and a conclusion they're not sure what it is. I negotiated it down 10% and they said that's the best they can do. However, I took it to another shop and within 5min they told me it looks like a bottle of detergent in the back of my trunk was leaking and probably shorted my fuse box which wires and box will need to be replaced for less than what these guys charged for an unneeded battery change-- and work they claimed to have done. They told me they tried all of this and that and couldn't figure it out. They probably didn't even look at the fuse box area. The place I went to was Steve's European Automotive across the street from Weatherford. Old-school, trust mechanic. If it's not dealer work on warranty, don't go to Adams Autoworx Albany. Worst place ever. While they were quoting work, they said depending on the problem, it might cost $5000-$10,000. A total scam. You've been warned. read more

Fantastic professional service. Ronnie was great to work with and the mechanics did a good, clean job of installing the newly designed cat shield on my 2023 Prius. I highly recommend Albany Autoworx. read more

I recently went back to this business with my car. The owner would not stand behind his work and was very rude to me. I would not recommend this business in regards to your car needs. I tried to go to a local business and this is the thanks I get! Other local businesses will now not refer any business to this location because of how unprofessional I was treated. Do not go here!! Beware of this business. If I could, I would not give this business any stars. read more

I seldom leave reviews and when I do, they are generally very positive. However definitely got very bad vibes from this mechanic today. I've worked with Adams Autoworx before. They gave us a very competitive price for replacing the master cylinder on the clutch of our 2013 Jetta Sportswagon TDI, and I thought they did good work at a great price. Based on that experience I've taken the car back to them for regular oil changes (been 4-ish times now). The last time I took it by, the tires needed to be rotated and they extended a price of $60 (at a tire shop they will generally do this for free) and $30 for changing the air filter (literally the removal of four easily accessible screws). Both prices are high so I took it to a tire shop that did it for free and did the air filter myself which took a screw driver and about 4min. I brought the car in today for an apt I made about a week ago, for an oil change. I asked how long they needed and was told that they would need 2.5hours. They extended a price of $150, which they said includes an "inspection". The check engine light is on and I figured they would check that during the "inspection" and let me know something... anything. When I picked up the car they told me that the check engine light was on and that to look into the problem it would cost another $180-ish. I asked what they had "inspected" and they told me they looked at the dash lights. They said if I had mentioned the check engine light or left the car for longer, they would have had time to look into it. For reference, you can get an oil change on that car for $120 in about 15 min at a drive up Jiffy Lube, but I actually value having a skilled mechanic take a little extra time and check for safety issues. I called another mechanic that was on my route home. I brought it by, they hooked it up to a computer, gave me the error code (so I could look into it) and told me what they new about it, for free. in about 3 minutes. For reference, it was a common malfunction that those cars have with the intake manifold. nothing that needed immediate attention, but will result in decreased performance. I know it's not easy to make a living out there and people are almost always trying to get more labor for less money, at the expense of service providers. I have worked in production shops and I am happy to pay a fair price. The past few times I took my car to Adams for maintenance work, I received mediocre to poor service at very high rates, with many justifications. They offered a competitive price for a big project, but have proved to be very expensive for everyday needs and maintenance related issues. I will not be returning. **Also note: they solicited a review via email, and I tried to post this, but they blocked it with an error warning for spam. lol read more

Every time I bring my car in for service I end up leaving there feeling like I really got my money's worth. Service is friendly, professional, & they go the extra mile for you with an extra discount. I love this place! F Sumelius read more

Ladies I would not recommend coming here. They will take advantage and price gouge. I ended up getting my car towed to another shop because I was surprised at how dishonest they were being from the start. Long story short - they estimated me $1,875 for a number of repairs. I decided to cold call other shops and ask for the cost of labor and materials for the same services. (I gave them no info or indication my car was already at Adams) I got two estimates for LESS THAN 700 DOLLARS. From reputable shops with 4&5 star yelp reviews. When i called to tell them im moving my car then they tried to offer to do everything for $900. if you would do it at half the price why try to take advantage? Honestly the pinnacle of dishonest mechanic taking advantage of a woman who THEY THOUGHT didn't know better. read more

Cleared my check engine light and told me the problem for no charge! Great service. Highly recommend!

Very courteous and prompt. Ronnie and his coworkers took care of my van needing alignment after getting new tires. They were very personable and helpful. Ronnie even took care of the plastic screws on the rear license plate, no chargel. I was asking about a tune up and was told I didn't need it. It's hard to find honest mechanics who have your best interest in mind. It was my first time using their services but definitely won't be my last. Highly recommend this business! Thanks guys! read more

Had been using Nippon Motors for years and was skeptical about the change in hands. But Ronnie remains as office manager and the shop mechanics are as good as they were under Tom. We just returned from a round-trip to upper Michigan--about 4,000 miles worth of driving. Adams serviced the car before we left and we made the trip with no car problems. Thank you, Bill, Ronnie and co-workers. Gale Justin read more

Adams Autoworx was new to me. I brought my 2019 Mazda 3 to them for its 10K service. I was concerned because you don't know the quality of a new shop's work until you experience them. I was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness of the shop, their service desk and the professionalism of their service manager, Ronnie Lewis. It helps if you know someone at the shop and I remembered Ronnie from Goodyear tire service shop in Albany. Everything from Ronnie's friendly greeting, his phone call to discuss recommended additional service needs and phone call to say the work is complete all were handled professionally and efficiently. In addition, they sent me an email that included the details of their inspections and servicing needs which act as a detailed reminder of the work completed. We added replacement of the cabin air filter which they had in their parts department. Having this speciality replacement part came as a total surprise since most shops don't carry this part and has to be ordered from Mazda. Ronnie along with two technicians run the shop. It's not a big shop but it appears capable of handling all service needs and most repairs. Now I know them and I liked how they treated me. I'll be back for sure. read more

Adams Autoworx in Albany traced down an intermittent cabin cooling system problem on my 2001 Tundra and fixed it on the same day. They were helpful and courteous throughout. My thanks to Technician Tenzien Khems and Service Manager Ronnie Lewis for their excellent work. read more

I absolutely discourage anyone from getting car repairs done here- they WILL take advantage of you. The starter on my Volvo went out- something that was determined by the AAA repair technician who came to look at my car in the first place. My car was towed to Nippon. When I arrived to Nippon, they said they needed to do an inspection, even though I already knew what was wrong with my car. They insisted they needed to do it, and charged me $75 for the inspection. The man who worked in the office (not Tom) pretended like he was doing me a huge favor saying "normally we charge $100" which is probably not true since that is WAY too much for a primary inspection to begin with. After the inspection, they came to the same conclusion that I had already told them- my starter needed to be changed. I asked if they would apply the inspection charge to the repair as MANY places do, but they said no. Having a broken starter and needing to get my Volvo back in working order so I could get to work the next day, I couldn't drive or tow my car to any other place for another estimate. They ended up charging me $673.44 for the repair. The average cost for a Volvo S40 Starter Replacement is between $459 and $496. Labor costs are estimated between $105 and $134 while parts are priced between $354 and $362. Even accounting for the $75 inspection, they overcharged me by more than $100. The worst part is that they did it all with smiles on their faces, constantly reassuring me that they were giving me a great deal. I'm surprised by all of the 5 star reviews- I will NEVER come back here. Tom was kind and at least seems to not be aware of the extortion that takes place just outside his office, but the other employee in the office is extremely dishonest. read more

Ronnie and the staff of Adams Autoworx go out of their way to make the whole experience transparent, straight forward, and as easy as possible. From their clear initial diagnostic with photos and levels of urgency via text and/or email, I really appreciate knowing the whole picture before signing off on any work. They stick to your budget and give you honest advice for what's needed and when. I know take both of my cars there (Prius and Honda van) and I am a satisfied customer. See you at my next scheduled service! My family and I feel safer knowing that Adams is taking care of our cars. read more

Average service that cost 60% more than other places. It seems that they have a deal with tow away companies to tow your car there, including AAA, under a pretext of getting a discount, then jack up the price so much that the discount doesn't matter. I wish I would check on-line before I had the work done. read more

Last October, I had my Lexus towed to Nippon Europeans Motors garage on San Pablo Avenue. They asked for $700 to have the starter and battery replaced. I thought those parts should last for a few years. Their warranty is either 3000 miles or 3 months whichever comes first. Early this October, I was not able to start my car again. I was so shocked that my car needed the starter to be replaced so soon.  In no way I will bring it back to Nippon Europeans Motors for repair this time as I paid prime price for unreliable parts and service there exactly a year ago. I do not recommend this shop at all. And watch out for the technicians who are so verbally combative! Vin H. read more

Here's the thing. It all started off really well. Tom seems like a SUPER nice man and I truly think he knows what he's doing and that he generally cares about his customers and his business. I think that maybe he has a mechanic or two working for him that, well, not so much. I have a 2003 BMW that I brought in with front CV joint issues, a relatively common occurrence in these cars after 60K miles. Since they are not in one piece as they are in most cars, you must replace both sides/axles at the same time so that equilibrium is maintained. Fine, that makes sense. He told me up front what he would do, how much it would cost, and he stayed on target for that, and was really nice the whole time. Unfortunately, he or his mechanics either never fixed it or did it incorrectly, and when I went to Moran Motors in Berkeley very shortly thereafter (for a different reason), they pointed that out to me. I was livid. I also then noticed that they had removed my metal "BMW" license plate frames - the very nice, expensive METAL ones with the BMW logos on them - and replaced them with cheap plastic ones that said the name of their shop on it. I WAS LIVID. Seems petty, perhaps, but they stole my frames from me and when confronted, claimed they hadn't. How then, to explain that your Nippon frames are on my car? "Oh, uhhh... let me ask around...." So now I had to deal with getting him to fix the CV joints again - he claimed I must've hit something and damaged them in the week between - and get him to replace my frames. Well, after many phone calls and trips back and forth, let's just say that he only fixed the damaged CV joint (coincidentally on the same side I initially went in about). I took his crappy plastic frames back to him, and waited in vain for the replacements he said he ordered. I never understood why he would just keep lying, but I eventually gave up and didn't bother going back. I was so disappointed and deflated since, as I said, all started off seemingly very well. You really can't trust anyone, such a huge bummer. read more

Really great service. Owner is very careful to always let me know exactly what my car needs, and doesnt, and what he will be doing to fix problems. Very straightforward and NEM always gets the job done right the first time, not lazy like some other car shops I have visited. I drive here all the way from San Jose just for the service and honesty. Also, NEM will never keep your car and prolong/drag the maintenance time for no good reason. Very very reliable. I recommend this shop to all of my friends and family. read more

I would like to thank Tom and Juan for their excellent service, communication, honesty, and general friendly demeanor. After a nail punctured my tire for the second time in three months, I was not looking forward to purchasing a new tire. They attempted to patch the tire, and told me that if the patch didn't hold, I would have to get a new tire. The patch lasted for a few days, then bam - deflating. Normally this wouldn't have been such a dire situation, but I was needing to drive ~500 to see family in three days, and boy was I grateful for N.E.M. They fixed my tire in a day. One day. Amazing. I appreciate their service so much, and cannot praise them highly enough. read more

So I'm driving and then all of a sudden, my car decided to die on the Bay Bridge. I was like ummm car, we are on the ^$#^%#@^$%&% Bay Bridge. You can't do that $%## over %$#%#$% water! That was the conversation that I had with my alternator. Apparently that's why it decided to stop working. So I was towed to a random, AAA-recommended place where they looked at my car and fixed my alternator at a reasonable price (we aren't supposed to put prices, right?) They even put a new belt. They also included a AAA-discount. It was scary for me because it was like Russian Roulette for mechanics. And I just had to choose and tell the tow-truck driver where to go. The man that helped me was AWESOME. I have serious trust issues when it comes to mechanics. Well, when it comes to life. But he was super helpful and there was another customer that had been going to him for over 25 years. The only thing I've done consistently for 25 years is eat meals. So I took a chance and they worked on my car. He also arranged for a ride to the BART station so that I could get to work in time for my meeting. The car was ready within 24 hours. Yes and YES! I plan to come for my oil change. I love my car! It's a Mercedes and Nippon specializes in European cars. It's a 2003 so I'd like it to last until 2033 :) read more

The other 5-star reviews were right about this business. I took in my Land Rover with a strange problem, and they fixed it. But that's not why I'm giving them five stars. The manager Ronnie is friendly and upfront. He kept me informed as the mechanics figured out what the problem was, and the price was fair. Professional staff, great work. p.s. I'm a woman who's been treated badly before at dealerships and autoshops, but I got none of that at Adams. read more

Excellent service and mechanical work! Over 10 years of faithful work for my Honda I am offering a high recommendation to anyone that you can trust Tom and his business! You won't be disappointed! He is fair, honest and an excellent mechanic. He'll make your car work beautifully at the most reasonable honest price! Trust him! read more

I've taken my car here twice. A friend of ours recommended them. I have a Mercedes e500 and needless to say maintenance and repairs can be outrageously priced. My first trip there, I had to have work done on the air struts. They searched around for the best price on parts. Although the entire service was expensive, it was much less expensive than the dealer and I felt Matthew really had my best interest and not the profit of the garage in mind. I recently returned due to the crankshaft position sensor and other issues. Again, the team at Nippon was great. The car was ready for me the same day. This place is highly trustworthy and I won't take my car anywhere else. read more

Tom is exactly what you want in a mechanic. He's honest, easy to work with, and he clearly takes pride in his work. I first came to Tom 8 months ago when I had a drive axle break and puncture my transmission case. He gave me a quote assuming he could find a salvage transmission. When he couldn't, he rebuilt the transmission and welded the case and honored his original quote, despite a rebuilt requiring many more hours. This weekend, I noticed a very slow leak in the case. I called Tom and he patched it. When I asked him how much I owed him, he told me not to worry about it. He takes pride in his work. I live across the bay in San Francisco, but I'll be bringing my VW to Tom from here on out. read more

DO NOT take your car here! I had them do some work on my car, and when I picked it up there was a crack in my windshield. They denied it was them who caused the crack. I asked if they had made notes of any damage to the car when I dropped off the car and they did not. They said they couldn't prove it was them who caused the crack. No shit, that's why you mark down any damage when the car is dropped off. Now I have to go through my insurance get my windshield replaced. If I could give them 0 stars I would. What a bunch of crooks read more

Don't walk Run They are dishonest Tried to tell me my brakes were below 3 Drove up the bill to 1900 Took the car to Honda It just wasn't so They are crooks It wasn't my first visit, just know now what o suspected read more

Great work, friendly staff, clean facility. Overall, an extremely positive experience.

My dad and I have been bringing our vehicles to Nippon for a few years now. Tom and Ron are my go to folks for any of our repair needs. They are always on time and make sure I understand what is being repaired and recommend preventative measures. HONEST! read more

Tom and his crew are absolutely the best. We had a starter problem on both of our cars which they were able to diagnose and repair. The moment we walked in the door Ron treated us like long time customers. They did such a good job I had to write my first review! This the type of shop that gives local businesses a good name. Thank you Tom and Ron. read more