The worst customer service I've ever had in my life. Everybody talks super loud almost screaming at you. No etiquette at all. Even the manager can't handle anything. I used a Groupon so they wanted to charge me extra almost the full amount as you'll get an oil change in different place. Thought to save 20 $ bought a coupon for 2 oil change ,where every oil change were supposed to cost 44$ but they wanted to charge me extra 26$. Just trying to fool you. The regular price for synthetic oil change cost 68$. The worst body shop for changing oil ever. They made huh a favor for waving 26$ which they wasn't suppose to charge me anyway. The worst place ever. If you get used to get a good customer this place definitely not that one. Just avoid this place and save your nerve. read more

I'm currently waiting for my car to get an oil change. I did some research. I was going to go to Sears but the reviews were horrible. So I came across here and the reviews were great! So far the staff are super friendly! I grabbed the working oil for my car. I have a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. I bought the basic oil change deal but my cars needs the synthetic kind. They were nice enough to let me pay the difference and upgrade my groupon. So far it's a great experience! read more

Great, friendly, and fast service. Paul drove to US to change, mount and balance our tire. He helped us out right away and we didn't even have to tow! read more

I brought my car here twice last year after getting a Groupon for oil changes. The service was prompt and the waiting area is pretty spacious compared to other auto shops I've been to. The only complaint I had was that all four hubcaps fell off my car after I had new tires installed here. Luckily... I decided to get a car wash right after I left the shop so the guys at Millbrae Car Wash (http://www.yelp.ca/biz/millbrae-car-wash-millbrae-2) managed to find 3 of them. [They also guessed that the mechanic put the lug nuts on before the hubcaps instead of over them.] The fourth faced a different fate; I imagine it came off somewhere on El Camino Real. I called California Auto Center later in the day; though the girl who answered said it's pretty common for hubcaps to fall off after a few years, I found it pretty coincidental that all four came off with relative ease literally minutes after I got my car back. She did agree to order a hubcap (at the shop's cost) to replace the one that came off on the road and have all four put back on the next time I came in. Other than this issue, I was pretty happy with the service and work done and found the prices to be very reasonable. read more

These guys were awesome. Super honest shop. I came in with an alarm that had suddenly started going off randomly after a car wash. I was going crazy and just looking for a way to make it stop. The guys here pointed out where I might disable the alarm horn (they didn't actually do it for liability reasons, which is totally fine!) and told me how to do it safely (only while parked). For free! They recommended I check out a Volvo specific service for the rest. Invaluable help for when I desperately needed some quick advice! Would absolutely come back again. read more

Sweet, honest, friendly and helpful people running this place. I had a great experience here working with Ryan and the rest of the crew. I came in because my check engine light was on. After running a diagnosis, it looked like there might have been something wrong with my throttle body. After initially recommending a new throttle body since the idle RPM was too high, the owner let me know immediately that they had been mistaken and that RPM could sometimes be high after an initial cleaning. I have nothing but good things to say about this shop and completely trust them with my car! read more

Spent over an hour looking for a tire repair place that was open on a Sunday. (Worst day of the week to get a flat) Nearly all shops are closed on Sundays but California Auto Center was open. The were very friendly and welcoming. Took care of my flat tire repair in no time. Great place to have your car taken too. read more

I went in earlier today (10/10/15) for an oil change. I have had oil changes here in the past and they are always great and friendly. Today I was extra impressed with the service, so I thought I'd share. The service rep in the front-wish I had got his name-was so nice and professional and my car was done within 30 minutes. They always explain what is going on with my car, and never try to push extra services or fancy oils or filters, the way most oil change places do. They're great. And all of this for $25! read more

This is a great shop! Staff is super friendly, helpful, and honest! Highly recommended!!!

Brian and the team at California Auto Center are THE BEST! My partner and I started bringing our Honda Hybrid here for our routine maintenance after calling around for quotes at dealerships and highly-rated shops from Colma down to San Mateo. Brian is HONEST and consistently gives us the LOWEST QUOTES, TOP-NOTCH WORK, and SUPERIOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, far beyond what you'd receive at the dealerships and elsewhere. For today's 60k service, Brian charged us HALF the price of what the dealership charges, with a friendly and jolly smile to boot. Stop your Yelp search and bring your vehicle here! You'll be more than satisfied! read more

Long overdue review...While getting a tire changed in SF on a 06 Saturn Ion I asked to get the brakes checked. The tire shop in SF--Mission Tires--told me I needed to replace them and the cost would be ~$450 to replace the rotors and brake pads. Appalled, I listened to them say the brakes only had 500 miles left before failure. After hearing this I was hesitant to leave the shop without getting them replaced but I came to my senses while I was waiting for the tire to be replaced. Then, to get to the point why I am here on this page, I took the vehicle to California Auto Center ready to practically pay anything below that price. I walked in with a coupon I received in the mail and they took the vehicle back immediately. Ten minutes later they tell me my brakes have 30% tread left and don't need to be replaced. Amazing! They could have made money off me easily but decided to be fair and honest. I will surely be back when the time comes, not just for this car but for my VW as well! Thanks! read more

Believe every 5 star review you read...this place is ETHICAL and HONEST and PROFESSIONAL!! I brought my '98 Volvo with serious brake issues to them after getting a quote of $1300 from another mechanic (and I live in Pacifica). After performing the initial diagnostic of $800, Ryan informed me that they discovered other issues during the test drive that would bring my total up to $1100. Bitter pill to swallow but Ryan assured me that all repairs were necessary and made sure not to soak me for unnecessary ones. I was constantly kept up to date with developments and am very very pleased to have my car back on the road! Great customer service, competent, thorough and just a real pleasure to do business with!! read more

This was my first time coming and everyone at the shop was extremely nice and professional. Felt very welcomed and they took their time explaining what I needed and any future repairs that my car might be needing. Definitely the place to come from now on. read more

I came in with a leaking tire and in need of a tire rotation. They completed the service quickly and gave me some recommendations for other repairs needed in the future. I highly recommend California Auto Center! read more

10 STARS!!!! I would give them 10 stars if I could. They were so helpful and kind. We were traveling when my brakes went out on a Friday night. They worked overtime to get them taken care of as well as took care of another issue they found on the van. All while being very professional, courteous, and helpful. They communicated well with me and kept up to date on the progress. Their location is very convenient. Alex and his team are very knowledgeable and thorough. Highly recommend them!!! they went above and beyond to make sure all of our needs were accommodated. Thank you so much! Keep up the great service!!!! read more

Now that I'm a yelper I feel obligated to write a review for this shop. I've been a customer of this place for over a year. Since I own a really old car, I am a regular customer of this place. I keep coming back to this place because they are honest and sometimes even go out of the way to help. At one point, I asked them if I need to replace the strut because it feels old. They probably could make over $700 out of it but they told me my strut is still ok. Another time they came pick up my car without charging me. Anyway, I'm a happy customer and I won't hesitate to recommend them. read more

Service is always impeccably polite. And yes, they get the job done at a reasonable price. I have always been well informed of the charges beforehand and was told to get a second opinion before they start any work. It is a no brainer to return for any car jobs of mine. read more

These guys are awesome. I got an oil change here, they let me bring my own oil and filter and gave me a great deal on the labor. I think they adjusted my brakes as well because they felt a lot stronger. They were also super honest about nothing being wrong with the car except for low tread on the front tires. Honest and reasonably priced service, and super nice people...can't go wrong! read more

Check groupon for their special deals!! I bought two full synthetic oil changes for $70!! Overall good service, nice people. In and out maybe a little over 30 mins. read more

I took my Honda Prelude in for an unexpected repair based on a recommendation from a friend and received phenomenal service from the entire staff. They were extremely thorough and went above and beyond with my repair. (They also went into great detail about which repairs were necessary vs which repairs were "nice to haves" and I truly appreciated the honesty.) They got the job done quickly and the price was more than reasonable considering the number of things that were wrong with my car. I will be recommending this place to all of my friends and family! read more

Had 2 tires shipped to them then setup an appointment to mount and balance. Got there at the preset appointment time and was told 1.5 hours wait. 30 minutes later was told they are working on it and will get me out earlier. In the end it was over 1.5 hours to get the 2 tires replace on my vehicle. Why even have a appointment ? read more

I needed new brakes so my sister recommended I get it done at CA Auto Center since it is walking distance from my house. Got my car back the next day and it drives as good as new. 5 stars for quick and most importantly, efficient, service! Also, I thought it was nice of them to voluntarily replace my super worn out windshield wipers. Thanks guys. read more

Knowledgeable, honest mechanics with excellent customer service.

I went in there for a simple oil change and when they backed my car out onto the street the guy almost totaled it if I hadn't been there. Then left it in the middle of the street. I Will never go back read more

My wife's BMW X5 ran into some problems today. We had the battery changed at Autozone next door but didn't realize the car had to be reprogrammed. When she drove out of Autozone, the instrument cluster and lights were inoperable. I spoke to Andrew at CA Auto Center and he said he could reprogram it in 30 minutes. It was past his hours of operation, but he was willing to do the job for us. The job took about an hour and charged us a fair price for the job. I'm glad we found these guys and would definitely go to them for future auto repairs. There are so many auto repair places on El Camino in Millbrae to choose from and it's not easy to find an "honest mechanic" but I think we just found one today. Thanks Andrew! read more

I went there for an oil change for my car. Their service was fast and nice, but the quality of oil they use was poor.

I don't like taking my car to the shop ever because I find most of them untrustworthy for obvious reasons. I saw other reviews here as well and gave this place a try. I was impressed with their work on my car after the accident, you can't tell it was scratched up before. They also helped me do a brief inspection on my car and found some leaks that could of been a bigger issue if I ignored it. I was able to replace car parts so I didn't have to worry about future problems. Give this place a try if you're looking for a trustworthy mechanic. If not, pick carefully. read more

Very friendly and helpful staffs. Got my car service here, I had good experience and would definitely come back again.

I brought our Volvo XC70 to install 4 tires and an alignment on 12/7/16. We completed a road trip to SoCal over the Xmas break and I'm pleased that we had no issues and went quite fast going down the Grapevine. I'm happy to report that California Auto Center used stick on wheels weights which are hidden and more appropriate for a vehicle with alloy wheels. This is something that I did not ask for or expect since I had clip on wheel weights before. Kudos for going a great job and doing it right. read more

Paul was great. Took care of my car quickly at a very fair price. He talked me out of some work that I didn't actually need, saving me $100.

Got an alignment here and both Kimo and Po were great. Especially Po, who was very patient with me and my particular issues with the steering in my Mazda. They did an excellent job and the prices were fair. read more

Came in for an oil change and received great service. I really liked the fact that unlike most places, they didn't try to sell you on a bunch of unnecessary things or take advantage of you. Will definitely be back! read more

Friendly staff! Brought my car in for oil change on Saturday with an appointment, and it only took them 30 minutes! Comfy waiting room, and plenty of good restaurants nearby while waiting! read more

These guys are as good as everyone says they are. I contacted them for a buyer's inspection. Since I was considering buying a Toyota, I also called a local Toyota dealership, and it seemed like they would have done the same checks, just at a much higher price! And my situation was complicated. I do not live in the area, but was considering buying a car from a private owner in Millbrae. The owner agreed to bring in the car for an inspection at my expense, before I flew out to buy it and drive it home. I called California Auto Center same day to explain the situation - that I would be paying and the owner of the car was not to get the report, and I would call them afterward so we could go through the findings. The person on the phone said they do not like to take cards over the phone, but would talk to the manager/owner about it. He called back in a few minutes and we agreed on a way to make it a secure transaction on both sides. They then called the car owner and tell him payment was complete and he could bring in the car. After the inspection was complete, they not only emailed me the report, but also called and went through the report line by line! Listening to them, I could tell they checked every single thing they had access to, including checking the computer for any pending error codes. They even told me the spare tire and jack was missing! If I had looked at the car myself, I wouldn't even have thought to look for it! For people who understood they were not going to get repeat business, these guys sure put everything into this service. Their customer service was exceptional - they called me back several times during the day to update me - and the technical service was top notch. I'd recommend them to anyone living in the area, and i can only hope I relocate to SF so I can use them more often! Kudos Po and Kimo! read more

when a local tire store treated me poorly, i contacted California Auto Center because of their proximity to BART. they couldn't have been more polite or more accommodating and installed the tires that i ordered from tire rack that day making them the heroes of this saga. read more