After visiting VW of Oakland and AVS in Berkeley, I continued my search for a go-to garage that specializes in VW/Audis. That search ended when I came across Auto Plus. Decided to just randomly stop in to talk about quotes on a 30k mile service. After talking with Ali (and seeing other reviews) I felt assured they'd do a good job while charging less than the others. This was on Monday; on Wednesday morning I brought the car in. That's when I met a mechanic named Harris. Just like Ali, Harris was very friendly, assured me they'd have the car finished by end of the day. Love that these guys are so close to El Cerrito BART cause I live right by Downtown Berkeley BART. When I came back my car was all done, Harris explained to me what they did and let me know that my car was in great shape. They recommended new shocks but didn't push it on me, which I appreciated. The final cost was very close to the original quote I got from Ali. Thanks Ali and Harris for a great experience! Will definitely be back for future services. read more

Auto Plus is an honest and competitively priced shop to take your VW/ Audi or Mercedes for almost all of your repairs and maintenance. For the past two years, they've performed oil changes, minor/major scheduled maintenance, brake and rotor replacement and timing belt replacement. They do a good job of explaining why they do what they do and often show you the old/worn part afterwards. Depending on the job, they'll offer a range of parts to accommodate your budget (e.g. OEM vs. high-performance parts) and I've never felt I was being pressured to purchase anything I didn't want or need. Saturdays are by appointment and they don't have a waiting area (the small space probably helps keep their costs lower), but they are a 15-20 minute walk to El Cerrito Plaza which has coffee shops, etc. The El Cerrito BART is behind the plaza. On occasion I've seen them working on Japanese cars too so you may want to call ahead to see if they can help you. read more

Great place! They are really nice, took care of my car problem that I've been experiencing for 3 months. I highly recommend this place.

Went in today as a new customer and Harris took care of me. I needed a tire rotation and oil change. The service was great, and I waited in the comfortable waiting area. I just moved to the area and wanted to find someone other than the Stealership. Harris was great and the other customers looked happy. I'll be taking any VW and Audis here from now on. read more

They were supposed to replace the side mirror and charged over $800 for the service. They simply replaced the outer cap which was cracked and didn't actually screw it into place. Fell off two days later. I wouldn't trust them to do anything. read more

Naim at Autoplus has been a godsend for my family over the past 18 years. Being a school teacher and single mom, people and businesses like his make all the difference! He has always found a way for me to save money and save my car! Three years ago I purchased my friend's 2004 Prius for a great price and it had been running fine until my college age daughter got stuck on the road and I had it towed to Autoplus. This was the first they'd seen of the car. After looking at the car the next morning, they said it needed a new battery (not the hybrid one) and a pump. I called Toyota to compare prices and what Naim charged was way below Toyota. I should mention that the car had been making funny noises and I brought it to Toyota earlier and they said that the cost just to look the car over would come to a few hundred dollars. That's about what we paid to Naim for the battery and the pump! Beyond his incredibly reasonable rates, he is honest and friendly, and always available to discuss options around car purchasing and options for solving problems. This last week I spoke with Naim several times about how best to choose our next car, since the Prius has over 200,000 miles and is not terribly reliable. He was patient and helpful as always, so I thought I would finally write my first yelp review. You cannot go wrong with Autoplus, Naim will give you honest answers and do the best you will find anywhere. read more

These guys are now my goto for VW servicing out here. Standup folks who don't rip you off. Very upfront and honest, professionalism and common courtesy at its best. read more

Walked in on a super rainy day because my car wouldn't start the morning before. They were so incredible kind and honest. I don't live in the area, but if I did i would most definitely go back if I needed to. read more

Took 2006 Audi A3 for a misfire . He immediately told me it was carbon build up in my valve. Showed me picture before and after and gave me a reasonable price for the repair. Very knowledgeable and friendly. I will definetly bring back my cars ! read more

Since my initial review on December (now February) Auto Plus has been harassing me with phone calls. They must still be on denial! Nothing personal here, I don't know none of the employees or owners of this place; therefore I have no reason to make up a story here. What for? I wrote my experience, my honest experience! Both good and bad. Accept it or leave it alone. Thanks for motivating me to write an update here. What a continuing experience. See you soon I guess! read more

I have been having problems with my car for weeks. The VW dealer in Oakland said my 2003 Jetta needed new throttle body and catalytic converter costing $3,000. I didn't have the money I left. A friend changed the throttle body but there was still problems with my car. I saw the shop and drove into Auto Plus on a Saturday and even though the shop could tried to charge a arm and a leg they didn't! The mechanic , a very nice man, took time to really look at my car and find the real problem was a broken wire and he made an a adjustment to the new throttle body. A super small charge vs. what the dealership would have had me pay. They are honest!!! And Good!!! Wow, I never thought I'd live to find a great auto shop that doesn't cheat women because could. THANK YOU AUTO PLUS! You are the best! read more

We recently moved to the bay area (hercules/pinole area) and have been looking for a new regular mechanic to go to. I found Autoplus through the Berkeley Parents Network and went there for an oil change and a coolant leak. After promptly completing the oil change, Naim found the coolant leak and explained the cause and the expected repair. I left my car there and was given timely updates every time I called to check on it. They gave me an estimate before they did any work and there were no surprise costs at the end. I was overall very satisfied. We just bought an Audi that we are hoping to keep for a long time and having a local honest shop makes me much less nervous about maintenance and repairs! read more

I took my son's Subaru to Niam and Ali for major service - timing belt, water pump etc. They completed the work on time and the car runs great. Highly recommend; fair pricing as well as excellent work. read more

Kudos to Auto Plus for fixing our overheating Jetta as a "walk in" (roll in?). It was too risky to drive back to SF to our regular mechanic, so they took it in then and there. It's ready to drive 24 hours later. Awesome!! read more

I came here last weekend for oil change service for my Benz. Not only was it fast but it was extremely cost effective! Please call NAIM today. I will be back for future services! Awesome read more

I've heard changing VW batteries can be tricky so I thought I'd just pay to have it done rather than risking it myself. I called around and found that the battery itself would cost about the same as the dealer but Auto Plus would do the labor for a fraction of the price. Dropped the car off, went for a stroll, and 20 minutes later I was good to go. Friendly, fast service. Awesome. read more

This is the best spot if you need a Brake and Lamp Inspection! It's really hard to find a certified inspection station around here. I searched all over the east bay for an inspection spot and every shop wanted to charge way more - so they are super reasonable. Their team is quick and reliable too. If you need a Brake and Lamp inspection, this is the place to go! Thanks guys! read more

I wouldn't take my car anywhere else for service! I needed my alternator and battery changed as well as an oil leak identified. I was worried that the oil leak would turn into a major repair, but the tech said it was just a loose oil filter and so I got an oil change also. It was such a relief to not have a big problem and they really have my trust. I had another repair done at Auto Plus a few years ago and had the same experience. Auto Plus is my go to for all my car service and they're highly recommended. If you want a service you can trust, don't go anywhere else, go to Auto Plus. read more

I really wanted to give these guys a chance, seeing as how they are close to my house and I always see their place packed with cars (including Volkswagens). I wanted to trust the reviews on here. Beware of misleading consistent good work according to the other reviews. I was led astray by them. And I follow yelp for many parts in life. Unfortunately, after having my pcv recommended to be replaced after diagnostician said that was what needed replacing with the code reader. Wrong. Engine light came on again two days after the work was completed. I called Ali to discuss, however his response was more than disappointing. "When you fix something on older cars (2002 vw), sometimes other things break" and claimed no responsibility, however he did offer me to bring it back in for a mechanic to look at it (with the full fee to look). No thanks. I would rather not risk further misdiagnosis on my dime. Story continues. My fiance took his vw there as well. Thought it may have a different story than mine. Worse!!! Really disappointed in their shotty mechanic work. Especially when they deny and won't own up to their own mistakes. I'll leave the drama story for my fiance to report firsthand. Now that I've wasted my time writing this review, I hope at least someone will benefit from this and save themselves the trouble. read more

Dear Sir/Madam: The reason for this e-mail is to inform the excellent service provided by Auto Plus located in Albany in my BMW 1987 and Toyota Pick Up 1989. The honesty of the mechanics is unparallel specially now in days; consequently I will continue to take my two vehicles to Auto Plus and continue recommend friends to them. Sincerely, Hernan Barron read more

I live in Chico, CA, and as I was headed home from the bay, my Volkswagen leaked all of its coolant at a gas station. I promptly called Auto Plus in Albany, and they said they would do what they could for my car. A few hours later, they called me back and told me exactly what I thought had happened: the water pump and the timing belt system on my Turbo Beetle needed to be replaced. What a shame, but they gave me a great price and got the repair finished in time the next day. Very friendly, honest, people! read more

One power window appeared to have stopped working. I tried to troubleshoot after reading about power window repairs online with no success. Selected Auto Plus purely on basis of other good Yelp reviews and easy to find location. Ali said he'd call me with estimate within an hour. Ten minutes later, he called to tell me window mechanism wasn't broken at all; I'd accidentally engaged "lock" button. Duh! Ali could have called me in an hour, told me he'd fixed the problem and charged me a bunch of money. He didn't do that. He was kind, patient, and HONEST. I will take my car to Ali the next time it has a real problem (or an imaginary one). Yay, Ali!!! read more

Great service, VW dealership quoted me $8000 for a transmission swap but the team and auto plus managed to get my car running with a software reset and a couple of hours of labour cost. read more

The folks at Auto Plus were so friendly and helpful! I went in for a break and light check, and they were extremely helpful and as accommodating as possible with my schedule and needs. I was really worried because I've had a lot of car repair costs lately, and was not looking forward to the steep cost for this procedure that other places quoted me. However, Auto Plus quoted me the cheapest price that I was able to find for brake and lamp inspections in the area. They were done with my car within an hour and even fixed a light for me for no extra cost! I was able to drive back to work that same day and had no further issues at the DMV. Thank you, Auto Plus!! read more

ABOVE AND BEYOND! (2014 update to my initial review) From 2007 to 2012 they did everything for me and my two cars. Totally honest, excellent and on time work and nice guys to boot! Two years ago I moved to the East Coast. The radiator they put in for me a few years prior to my move ago broke this week and the guys at Auto Plus went above and beyond talking to the parts supplier in Oakland and on the east coast, my east coast mechanic and the corporate office in order to get it replaced under warranty. To be honest, had I left it to the local parts supplier and my new local mechanic, I'd be paying for a new radiator out-of-pocket. But Naim was 100% on my side and worked the phones with everyone involved to help me get a free replacement radiator under the lifetime warranty. How awesome is that! I move far away and they still do their best to help me out. If you are reading this, turn off your computer and take your car to their shop, you need not look any further! Cheers to Auto Plus! read more

Because of the great Yelp reviews, I took my Beetle here. The first two times I went in, the same mechanic provided me with detailed information, options, and reasonable pricing. read more

Great honest mechanics . Take my s4 here . Naim , Ali , and Miguel Are superb mechanics and very nice when fair when it comes to repairs. Compared to other local Audi shops they usually charge much less . read more

Excellent service. My car just recently began acting as if the clutch was broken (appeared to slip in various gears). The price on a clutch repair was going to be $600-$700. After bringing it to Auto Plus, they drove it around and concluded it was in fact not the clutch. Opened the hood, secured the distributor cap cables and voila, problem solved. Thanks Auto Plus! read more

Super honest, do a great job for a great price. Ali and Naim will take care of you. They specialize in Audi/VW but also work on different makes. You'll be happy you came here! read more

I wouldn't hesitate to refer anyone to Naim. I found him very professional, informative and was surprised at the cost - I was expecting it to be higher. I took my car in for brake service and everything went smoothly, no surprises and completed on time. read more

Nice people but how many times do you have to call to get a call back? I must have wasted hours calling and being promised that I would get a call back, only to call and be told that the person with the information had left for the day or that they had to call the dealership and it was already closed and that they would call tomorrow and call me back. Never happened. Called again, we'll call you back, never happened and so on. This must have happened at least 7 to 8 times and I finally just gave up, it would have been a lot better if they had just said we don't want to help you, thanks! Maybe if you have a car with a lot of damage and they know it will be a high $$$ fix they will actually call you back but don't count on it. -S read more

I've never written a yelp review before, but after yet another amazing experience at auto plus I decided I had to write my first! For the last couple years, I've brought both my Mercedes and my VW here and nowhere else! Ali and Naim are both AMAZING mechanics who are very straight forward, kind, professional, and won't rip you off. They have always provided very fair prices and superb service, in addition to being patient with my many questions and actually teaching me a lot about my car. Every time I come here I am confident that my car will be well taken care of, and at a VERY reasonable cost. These are hands down THE BEST MECHANICS in the Bay Area!! read more

Niam's "Auto Plus" is the only mechanic that I recommend to my friends, I have been using his services through my last 4 cars and trucks. All work was done to my satisfaction. For my living, I service and repair marine drive systems. Peace. read more

I came for a timing belt. 2 weeks later the engine light turns on - had it checked with a different garage - a sensor next to the timing belt went bad because it had coolant on it. I called to complain but was told the other mechanic is a liar Steve's Auto). Why bad mouth someone else...? The guy I spoke with kept saying "honestly, honestly..." as if I expect to get anything but honesty from anyone. All is all it was a bad experience for which I was denied compensation, though their repair ended up costing me an additional $500! Stay away! read more

Sorry to talk about any body's els review but when you are use to taking your car to a poorly educated mechanic in there neighborhood, when you finally get a good mechanic who know what there talking about you usually tend to blame them for having to fix the problem vehicle that was put upon them. So if they weren't to follow correct methods some other problem would of occurred and they would also blame them for that occurring issue to!!! You cant help every body who isn't use to good service!! read more

I needed a brake and light inspection for DMV. I called this place and they had the lowest price ($120 + $8 for certificate). Other places I called ranged from $140-$200. I also needed a smog, and these guys said they "might" be able to smog my car (?!). Quoted me $50 for the smog. I saw the Yelp voucher of $150 of services for $100. I read the fine print and saw no restrictions regarding inspections, so I purchased it, figuring it would cover most of the inspections. Took my car in same day I called and was told the smog machine was out of order. Seemed odd that they didn't mention that on the phone. Not sure how they "might" smog my car if the machine wasn't working. Then I told them I had the voucher, and was told that it was NOT good for DMV mandated inspections. I mentioned that I had read all the terms and conditions, and found no restrictions, but they initially insisted it was no good for the inspection. However, when I showed them the voucher, it seemed they had not understood that I'd already paid for the voucher, and at that point they agreed to accept it for the brake and light inspection. They were nice about and didn't argue. An hour later they called and said they were done. I got my certificate and that was it. They were quite polite and friendly despite the mix up regarding the voucher, which I think should be fixed by Yelp. In the end, I got my inspection for less than 1/ 2 of the first place I called, and my car passed, so I'm happy. read more

So I am driving across the country, and brought my car in for repair work. I made the mistke of telling them I was leaving...BIG MISTAKE. I had just bought brand new tires and had an alignment done at Goodyear and they told me I had a radiator leak, so I brought my car to autoplus for that repair, because I was stupidly faithful to them. To start out with, they insisted I needed new shocks and struts. I had the repair done, plus the radiator. I reminded them my car takes special coolant, and they said "Oh of course we know this.". My car was driving funny on the way home, so I brought it back for them to check their work and they said it was fine. Anyway, a week later I was driving to Tuscon and my car overheated. Turns out they used the wrong kind of coolant. I had to get my radiator flushed. Cost because of their negligence- $70. Then my car was driving so badly I took it in for repair work in Albuquerque. Turns out they put my shocks in wrong- they actually SUPERGLUED my shocks on, since they had broken a bolt on the shock plate. I needed to get the shocks redone plus an alignment- cost $200. Also- because they put my shocks in wrong, my brand new tires were ruined in less than 1,000 miles. Cost- 2 new tires once I can afford them. I would consider taking them to small claims court, but I would have to go back to CA to do so. The total cost of their negligence and crappy work will end up likely being about $500. They may seem super friendly, but I'm telling everyone not to go there.....don't be fooled! I now wonder if I even needed shocks to begin with.... read more

My ol' Jetta got excellent service at Auto Plus. I can't remember the last time it ran this silky smooth. On top of this, Naim provided an honest assess of services needed, which saved me a few hundred bucks compared to if I had gone with the advice of a certain dealership. I urge you to give them a visit next time you need your ride cared for. read more

I've been bringing my car to Naim for several years. Being a woman, car maintenance can make you feel a little vulnerable and you don't really know who to trust. Naim has always been honest and his prices are very reasonable. I don't take my car to anyone else. Highly recommend Naim/Auto Plus. read more

I have been taking my car to Ali and Naim for more than 20 years, and have always had unmatched service. I have been to several other local shops in Berkeley and Marin and none compare. Several other repair shops charged me exorbitant amounts for small services but it seemed like little of substance was done. I'm usually ushered in and out like I'm on an assembly line. Conversely. I always feel like I get great care - and my car does too at Auto Plus. They communicate well, take their time diagnosing and explaining, and the service and workmanship is great. Furthermore, Ali and Naim tell me exactly what the issues are and what the remedy is. I also love their new location, and happily work on my laptop in the very nice lounge area they have. This is a big plus for me, as it is quiet, clean, and very comfortable. Kind of like being in a cozy room in your own home, and not the auto-repair shop. Once, when they were so busy they could not fit me in for several days, I went somewhere else in Berkeley, also a well known shop, and left having spent $900 plus on things I really didn't need aside from an oil change. I won't stray again as I know this would not happen at Auto Plus. Ali and Naim are very honest, have been in Berkeley for many years, and I know I can trust them when it comes to my car. Now that my kids are diving we bring all three cars to them - Mercedes, Volvo and Volkswagon. I am so happy they take such great care of us all. read more