Me and my husband have been Kevin's consistent customer over the years and he never failed to satisfy us with excellent customer service. I have referred my friends and my manager at work and got very good review as well as to how she was given the same level of quality service. Kevin is such a wonderful owner to talk to and very accommodating. read more

I've been bringing my car to this shop for repairs on and off for more than 10 years, so I had a long history with them and trusted them with my vehicle. I had never used them for autobody work before because I honestly didn't realize they offered those services. After my car was involved in an accident, I decided to have the autobody repairs done there as well. Before I even dropped off my vehicle, I spoke with Kevin and clearly explained the repairs I wanted done. We discussed the work beforehand, and he agreed to take care of it. My car was still drivable and did not need to remain at the shop, but I chose to leave it there so they could work on it while the insurance adjuster came out to inspect the vehicle. What happened after that was extremely frustrating. I ended up being without a vehicle for two weeks because the rental car companies nearby were completely out of vehicles within my insurance rental limit. Meanwhile, Kevin kept my car at the shop for nearly a month and did not actually do the work I had requested. When I finally questioned what was happening, Kevin claimed he didn't know whether I wanted to keep the car. I honestly couldn't believe that explanation. He had my phone number and could have easily called me if there was any question. More importantly, I had already told him what I wanted done, and we had discussed that I intended to keep the vehicle because the damage was relatively minor. I was later informed that approximately $6,000 in storage fees had been billed to the insurance company while my vehicle sat at the shop. From my perspective, this was incredibly frustrating because my car was sitting there for nearly a month while I was left without transportation, yet the repairs I had specifically requested were not being completed. When I called Kevin out on the situation, he then attempted to do some quick repairs. Unfortunately, the quality of the work was extremely disappointing. Some of the parts and repairs looked incredibly cheap and poorly done. He also disconnected all of the cameras on my vehicle, claiming it was to save the battery. That explanation made no sense to me because the work being performed did not require the vehicle to be running. After more than 10 years of bringing my car here, I have never felt so disappointed or taken advantage of by a business I trusted. I gave them the benefit of the doubt because of my long history as a customer, but this experience completely changed my opinion. This was the worst autobody experience I have ever had in the Bay Area. I will never bring my vehicle here for autobody work again, and based on my experience, I cannot recommend this shop. read more

Work quality seems to be fine. Their price is near or more than what authorized dealers are charging and not using OEM parts.

Super friendly. Great prices. I've been going to Chows for 15 years and they really take care of me and my car.

Kevin is amazing! Best guy and great service. Our go to for my family as well. Can't recommend enough!

Kevin and his crew always do an amazing job, paying attention to every detail and offering an honest and low price compared to other garages. Most importantly, I trust that they're doing the right work on the car and not ripping me off. They'll also fix little things that they see without charging for all those tiny extras. You can tell they take pride in their work. read more

Good service good workmanship! Kevin is very helpful and explains the details of what's going on.

Very responsive and knowledgeable car specialists Larry and Kevin here. Took my Toyota Hybrid Prius for catalytic protector plate installation. Totally recommend these guys! read more

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Been going to Chow's for many years now and always very thorough and knowledgeable! Both brothers are good guys who care about their customers! It's hard to find honest mechanics these days and these guys are the best! Will continue to have my cars serviced by them! read more

First of all, I want to state that I am not a technically car repairer, I know nothing about auto repair, if If I'm wrong, please forgive me, but I can assure you that what I said is the truth. Usually I go to Honda Service Shop to repair and maintain my car. I had a lot of friends who advised me not to Honda Service shop , it is too expensive, they advised me just go to a auto repair store, so this time I listened to them and looked for a repair store online that is close to me. I called the owner Kevin for a price, and I took pictures of the car issues (side mirror cover missing + bumper scratches) and emailed to him. He replied that it would cost around usd1000. Then I came to his store. Kevin simply checked my car and updated the total cost to usd1600: mirror cover usd200 + bumper usd800 + left front light usd600. I asked him if it could be cheaper because i won't report to my insurance and i will pay for it myself, he said he had given me a very cheap price, he didn't even charge for the labor operation, and he stressed that i must pay cash. Finally, he asked me to write down my phone number and address, then I left him the car and the key, but he didn't give me any receipt. I went home and told my friends, and my friends were all feeling incredulous, asking how I could not get a receipt, in case something happened to the car, I didn't even have any evidence. So I called Kevin again next day and asked him about the receipt, he told me categorically that I didn't need one, so I thought maybe it was a small and private auto shop, and I let it go. A few days later, he called and said that my mirror frame was damaged and the cover he bought wouldn't attach to the damaged frame, so I needed to buy another part and add usd100, I was busy at work and there was nothing I could do about it, so I had to accept it. But then I remembered that he told me that day replace for the whole mirror is 500. but I only chose to change the shell cover, because I think there is no need to change all since the mirror part is good, but now he added usd100 more, I think it might be better to change the whole side mirror since the cover is usd300 now. Kevin said on the phone that if I change the whole mirror I have to pay Usd500 more for all the internal parts + Usd200 for the cover part. I said you told me that day the total price to replace the entire mirror was usd500 and I have also asked other stores, other stores also told me the same. He insisted that it is the cheapest price. Anyway I have to pay usd500 more, a total of more than usd2400 if I still want to change the whole mirror. So I had to give up. At the end of the phone call, I asked him how much the total price is, he told me it would be usd1862. I was shocked and I asked him whether he could lower the price, and in fact he told me on the phone the day before yesterday that it was only usd100 more, why now it was usd282 more. He said a lot of jargon that I did not understand, and then said that he could give me two dollars off. I asked him how much the part was, he told me it was more than 90 plus tax is usd102.50, I asked then what is the extra usd182.50 for, he could not answer that but he kept insisting that he already offered me the cheapest price. I still disagreed with the price, at the end, he agreed reluctantly with usd1800, which is still usd100 more than the part.I am not a bargainer, then I had to accept the final price, but I feel that his price is very opaque, there is a feeling of being cheated. Later, I went home and told my friends about it, all of my friends thought that I was being unjustly ripped off. They asked me to go back to bargaining, and get a clearly answer that he stressed there is no charge for labor, then what is the cost of this 100. Also, let me be sure to get a receipt. I went to pick up my car yesterday and asked him same question again, he still didn't answer me and refused to give me a receipt. I was afraid that I would have no proof afterwards, so I asked him if I could Venmo instead of cash, and he agreed. So I made a note on Venmo that it was for the mirror and bumper repair, and probably because of that, Venmo deducted a $34 fee from him, and he was very upset and he tried to get me to call my bank to get the money back, but he finally gave up. To sum up, I do not know how to repair a car, I appreciate his work after I look at the repaired appearance. He did a great job on repairing, but his behavior of hiding prices and misrepresenting prices makes me very uncomfortable. My friend said it's costing me double for its price. Of course, these are just their speculation, I'm not sure how much indeed. I can only say that if you know cars, and you know the real price of the parts, you can go to his autoshop. However if your were like me, do not know anything about cars, DO NOT GO THERE. read more

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Kevin from Chow's Automotive was more then helpful in fixing and blending my fender that some guy kicked, and for the cost of things he did it as quickly as possible. Would highly recommend more people to come here to service their car! read more

Chow's Automotive - Auto Repair Near Me - San Francisco, California

Best place to get good work done for your car. Affordable, trustworthy, and a lot of parking.

Long over due review!! Larry has a big heart and is in the business for the right reasons to help people out with issues they have no idea about and not taking advantage of them! Thank you for everything you have done for me over the years and I always send all my friend to support your business. Your friend AJ and Larry (the dog). read more

Nice brothers. I have been taking our cars to them for service and body work. Some of the best work over the last 15 years. And they are top notch. So caring and nice. This past week, my husband was traveling and they had finished with his new paint job...but since they knew I had only one car garage with 2 cars to deal with. They offered to keep it in their shop until my husband returned so that I wouldn't have to juggle two cars by myself. They knew (since I live in the neighborhood) that I would have to park on on the streets so they helped me out. Another time, I needed to fax a document...and I didn't have a fax machine so I went to them to see if they could help me and of course Larry said...sure. Man, they are just so kind. As a 15 year customer, I wouldn't take my car elsewhere...nor should you. read more

UPDATE: Again, Larry and Kevin are really honest mechanics, who really care about the lifetime of your car. I just went there for my timing belt/water pump and a few other replacements. In the past, I have not been very good to my car, but NOW it's in tip-top shape, and they told me I should be good to go for another 30K without worries. Phew! These guys were so kind and they seemed very honest. 2 other friends of mine had gone to Chow's and both highly recommended these guys. One funny thing that happened is they replaced my license plate frame from the dealer with a fancy silver CHOWS AUTOMOTIVE frame that I noticed a couple of weeks after my visit into their shop. Where did my lovely black, plastic authentic Honda of Princeton, NJ frame go? Ha- oh well, it was cracked anyway. Good guys, good service, good prices, honest and reasonable... Friendly and oh, they drove me to the BART station! read more

These guys are awesome. I had my car repainted there and they're not like cheap shops that just sprays on paint while the parts are still intact with the car. These guys took apart my car and painted it. They took great care of my car in a timely manner or even faster. These guys are honest and trustworthy, and best of all, they don't lag! highly recommended. read more

Not only did Larry save me $700 (vs. another shop that quoted me 1200 for the same job), but he finished it in less than a day. A month later, my brakes aren't working very well. So I call and he tells me to bring it in on Friday. While the tow truck guy is loading my car (no brakes in downtown SF=bad), Larry calls. He wanted to make sure I'd bring my car in, cause he was worried. Then, when it turned out my brake fluid was leaking, he fixed it for free, and in record time. I recommend these guys to anyone in SF. Great mechanics for a good price!!! read more

Best place around! The staff here is super knowledgeable, honest and get their stuff done! I brought my car for an oil change and for a removal of a matte wrap from my hood. I was super satisfied with the service and overall experience! read more

I rarely give out five star reviews, but in this case, if I could give them the option of more than five stars, I would. I would agree with the other reviewers that the owners are honest and trustworthy. I had the need to repair some scratches on the car; my wife asked about a repaint job, but Kevin was adamant that it was not worth it given the price and would recommend cleaning/touch up paint. He told me to bring it in the next day and it would be done by the end of the day. I brought it in a few hours after the place opened, and Kevin mentioned that he might not be able to have it done by the end of the day, but a few hours after delivering the vehicle, it was ready for pick up. The results were remarkable. The car looks like new from afar; you can barely discern some of the deeper scratches only with careful scrutiny. They even cleaned the exterior of the car for me as well. The proprietors easily exceeded my expectations, and gave what I believe was a reasonable price. I did not shop around for a better price given the overwhelming positive reviews that I saw on this site, but I doubt that it could be beat. read more

Came here to get my A/C in my Mercedes checked recently. Had the pleasure of meeting Larry who fixed my issue and informed/educated me on things to keep in mind in the future. Appreciated the quick turnaround, thorough evaluation, and customer service - will definitely be back in the future. read more

I had to write a positive review about Chow's Automotive Larry is a great reliable and nice person I met. I was on the freeway it was a Tuesday rainy afternoon and my right windshield wiper broke. I was near by and said I will bring it to Chow's Automotive and hopefully it can be fixed. Larry replaced the right windshield wiper for free. I was so relieved to have it replaced by Larry he was my life saver that day cause it was raining really hard. Also did a great job replacing the timing belt on my Honda 97 Civic. Thank You Chow's Automotive Awesome Work! Iris read more

Honestly I cannot believe I have never reviewed Chow's. I've only been taking my cars here for the past 9 years, wtf! Where do I start? How many times have they gone above and beyond to provide amazing customer service for always a reasonable price. I cannot say enough good things about Larry and Kevin and all the TLC they have given our cars over the past 10 years!!!! read more

Chow's Automotive was absolutely FANTASTIC! My car was recently rear ended on the Bay Bridge and I had the good fortune of bringing my Subaru to Chow's. Kevin and Larry did a great job! They were Professional! Reliable! Honest! They did all the work on time! They even matched the original paint-job in luster and quality. I had a very very positive experience at Chow's under very very unpleasant circumstances. Getting in an accident is never good but I found a Body/Engine shop I can trust...that's Priceless! Our cars go there for everything now! I've never handed out 5 stars before but they deserve it! read more

This place is the absolute best place and my first choice. I used to work down the street and they were also so helpful to explain what they are doing, how they could save me money, and what to not worry about. I now live in Hayward and when I got into an accident, I immediately called them up read more

I grew up in smaller towns, where your mechanic was someone you knew and trusted - like a great hair stylist or family doctor you see regularly. Brothers Kevin & Larry at Chow at my San Francisco equivalent. They are honest, trustworthy and know me by name (I'm also a neighbor living on the same street as their shop and they say hi whenever I walk by). My car is old - 19 years old with over 200k miles! - so when something needs to be repaired, I'm often interested in if it can be fixed rather than replaced and try to keep my costs down, while keeping the car safe and running smoothly. Chow has been a great partner in that. I've never felt like they tried to upsell me on something I didn't need or put in work that wasn't required just to rack up a bill - something I've experienced at other mechanics. All in all, I trust them and their judgment; and know that they will keep my car running for years to come. read more

The best auto-shop ever! It's tough to give five stars to a place that's supposed to take your money, but I can't say enough good things about Kevin. He has excellent work ethic, and so does his associate, Larry. They exceeded my expctations, both in terms of money and time it took them to fix my car. I'm their customer for life. However, I hope I don't have to goto a garage frequently though :) Thank you once again guys! read more

I should have written this review a long time ago. I'm so impressed with how professional, fair and personable everyone is at Chow's Automotive. Larry and Kevin are two very experienced and meticulous mechanics. Anyone who've interacted with them would vouch the same. My wife and I live in Hayward and we've been going to Chows for a few years now. Before that the Toyota dealership .. what a mistake that was. Our Corolla suffered a slow leak in the front left tire. I went to the dealership, they insisted on nothing was wrong with it and blamed a small blemish on the tire for the leak. They marked the tire that had the blemish and it was the rear right tire! Completely opposite of what I told them and instantly invalidated me as a logical human being. LOLs. Chow's was not only able to find the leak in the front left tire but also able to repair it for free along with my schedule maintenance! No wonder, these guys have their own business because with services like that, they are a jewel in the Bay Area and I hope they will be around for a long time. TLDR - Initial discovery of Chow's: Hit deer, dealership overcharged, Chow's fixed it for way less and less time. Amazing, mic drop. read more

I decided to bring my Supra in to fix my passenger fender due to my car being initially very low after installing my aftermarket suspension. In addition, I might as well have them repaint my front bumper since there were many rock chips and had fat scrape from someone backing into my car. All in all, the job was superb, great service, prompt turn around, and they even polished my headlights with no additional charge since it looked extremely old and yellowed. Awesome experience! read more

After getting my 06 Highlander smashed in the frontend by a CRAZY midaged lady who ran a red light while talking on the Cell PHONE! GET OFF THE DAMM PHONE. Man, she caused over $15k in damages on my new SUV which I barely put 11k miles into it! (I drive a gas saving car for work commute). One more year and it would've been paid off!...but enough of my ranting. These guys took care of my truck. Got me all OEM parts (Insurance wanted to put reused and imitation parts instead...bullshit! For them, ....penny saved). They helped me steam cleaned the engine and cleaned up my car. Right now, it's purring like a kitten. They're honest brothers doing great work. They take pride in their jobs. Along with other yelpers, they changed my crappy toyota license frame and gave me a nice "Chow's Automotive" frame....I guess I'll be doing advertisement for them while driving around! read more

My Toyota Scion XB was unfortunately one of a 5 vehicles that collided by a drunk driver. I was told by my AAA adjuster that using their preferred auto shop is recommended but I decided to go with Chow's Automotive. I have used them for years, I trust their work, and I have always been a happy camper. Sure enough, Larry and Kevin assisted with my entire claiming process, done the job in shorter than expect time, and the repair work & paint job were done beautifully as I expected. The level of service, craftsmanship, and professionalism are consistent and above par. I highly recommend Chow's Automotive. read more

A friend told me about the Chows. They are fantastic: trustworthy and reliable. They are on the opposite spectrum of the kind of slimy dealer mechanics I've encountered on occasion in the past: you almost have to convince them you need to buy a new part, not the other way around. read more

Larry and Kevin (brothers) at Chow's are a haven in the world of auto problems. They've consistently been readily available and offer solid work as well as reasonable rates. On top of that, they're friendly and remember who I am! I just finally had to write in because our car wouldn't start this afternoon, and Kevin offered to stay there late (past 6) if the tow truck hadn't yet arrived. It's looking like our car will arrive in time - or just in time - yet that was a supremely kind gesture to offer peace of mind and convenience. I am anxious about what potential problem(s) await their discovery, yet also feel at ease knowing that I won't get ripped off and that repairs can be made within a reasonable amount of time. Considering there are only two of them, they are super efficient, knowledgeable, organized, and extra hard-working, yet always as pleasant as can be. I am really grateful to our contractor who introduced us to them and feel that it's a service to share them with others.... read more

I am a bit reluctant to write a review because I don't want them to get so busy that it's harder to schedule my car for repairs. However, these two brothers, Larry and Kevin, are such great guys and do such fabulous work, that I must. They are both very honest upstanding fellows -- Kevin does body repair work and Larry does mechanical work. They've been taking care of our cars for over 10 years and we couldn't be happier. Their prices are reasonable, they do and deliver as they commit, and they are open on Saturdays which is not common for many of the independently owned places. I like going to a place where I know who will be working on my car and can trust them. read more

My 2010 Honda Fit got vandalized when it was parked at the parking lot at work. My friend highly recommended Chow's automotive to me because they have taken care of all of his cars. Gave them a call on a Saturday, and they guided me from towing the car to their shop to handling all the insurance claims. Everything has been very good. Although my insurance only authorized for aftermarket parts on my 7 years old car, but they replaced them with the factory parts with reasonable price, excellent body and mechanical work. My car looked like brand new when I picked it up. Thank you both Larry and Calvin for taking good care of my car! I will definitely bring my car back if my car needs any major work done even me living 40 miles away! read more

These guys are really great. Every time I need something done Kevin takes care of me. Their body work is outstanding. I've had multiple things painted there and the quality is great, very little to no orange peel. Prices are very reasonable. read more

If your looking for a fast, reliable auto body shop, this is the place to go. The guys at Chow's Automotive are so honest is shocking. They don't try to rip you off, they tell you exactly how it is and how they can save you money. I won't take my car anywhere else!! read more

Reliable and trustworthy. I brought in my truck that had a fender bender. They delivered on time. Good folks.

Great service, I was thinking about getting a transmission flush and he said no you don't need it yet come back later! Thanks.

I have been coming to Chow's for the past 6 years, for body and mechanic work. Kevin and Larry are very honest people. Every time I get my car back, it runs and looks brand new. Thank you Kevin and Larry, keep up the good work. If you need work done on your car, come see Chow's. read more

I had a little scrape with another car on a Thanksgiving road trip. Nothing major, but cosmetically an eyesore. Trouble was, my insurer AAA wanted me to go to "their" repair shop, and knowing my deductible was high, I anticipated a whopping estimate. A whopping estimate I got. They wanted to replace the entire side panel, at well over a thousand bucks. I asked if they could simply bend it out and touch it up for the time being, but they said it would be cheaper to replace the whole thing. That's when I called my mechanic Victor (from T-H Auto Repair in South San Francisco - another super reputable, amazing local treasure) and he referred me to Chow's. Kevin at Chow's was super cool, friendly, and gave me a range of options. He said that he could, indeed, bend it out and make the car's appearance passable until I had the money to do it right. I gave him the green light to do the work. Less than 3 hours later, Kevin called and said the car was ready to pick up. It looked amazing! Not only did Kevin fix the panel and door so well I could hardly tell there was damage, but he fixed a burned out taillight (didn't even ask for this), refilled the washer fluid, touched up some other scratches, and gave me a price break on the estimate because it took less time than he thought. Total cost: 200 dollars. I told Kevin he had a customer for life. These guys rock. Can't recommend highly enough. read more