I would never recommend this shop. I brought my car in for a tune-up because my brother-in-law had recommended them. I was given a quote that I reasonably believed included both parts and labor. After the work was completed, I was shocked to find that I was charged an additional $2,000 in labor costs. In my experience, mechanics provide estimates that include the total cost of the repair, not just the parts, so this felt extremely misleading. To make matters worse, the quality of the work was disappointing. After the tune-up, my car actually ran and sounded worse than it did before I brought it in. Between the unexpected charges and the poor workmanship, this was one of the worst experiences I've had with an auto repair shop. I won't be returning and cannot recommend them to anyone looking for honest pricing and quality service. read more

Dave has serviced all of our family cars for 30+ years and is always honest and thorough! We will cry when he retires some day! read more

Not reliable: kept the car for two days to run an engine diagnostic test even though he didn't and couldn't do anything with it - but he didn't call to let me know. Not trustworthy: quoted a price for a job then presented a bill 50% higher because he added a fee for work that he previously said he didn't do. I'd recommend swerving this place read more

I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this business! Cornerstone Auto Center provided me with Great Service, reasonable priced and Great Customer Service. I was in a HURRY after my battery died, the owner got me in and out in 17 minutes. I made it on time to my business meeting. Thank You Corner Stone Auto Center! read more

I would give it a negative 10 stars if there was an option do do so. Wow. Where do I even begin? A complete lack of a customer service, total incompetence and overcharges.   Brought my car for a simple smog check. Received it back with $200 charge for the "fixed engine light" which is still on, and they didn't even attempt a smog check. What?! Oh and I got yelled at when I questioned the $200 charge. I would not recommend this place to anyone. Do nnot trust this plave! read more

It's amazing to see and read all the comments I've had perfect work coke on both my bmw and dodge Durango and he has done amazing work. He doesn't talk much ( I like that personally) but he is very knowledgeable and knows what to do and how to do it. Has always had my cars done in a fashionable time and was very reasonable with price. It's truly amazing to see that people had bad experiences cuz I take it to him faithfully read more

Dave and Sam are quite a team of reliable and trustworthy car care specialists. We are so fortunate to have them in our neighborhood where we can drop off and pick up with great convenience. For tire repair and oil change the turn around time has been speedy and dependable. We highly recommend this business for car care and maintenance. read more

Absolutely awful experience. Zero Customer service, the main mechanic (David) is beyond rude and got agressive with my husband when we questioned why our Mini Cooper was running worse then before we dropped it in and why the requested smog check wasn't done as we requested. He is out of integrity, dishonest and shady. Stay away from this place! read more

This is our go to shop for both our vehicles. I just had my front brakes completely redone and was completed in a day. I highly recommend Cornerstone for your automotive repair The shop being at the bottom of Keller from our house is a plus! read more

One of the worst auto center in the Bay Area!!!! I'm sorry that I had to put one star!! I wanted to put an empty spot however, it wouldn't allow for that. Anyway, California should revoke his permit to service any vehicles!!! The customer service is the pits!! The auto mechanic knowledge is lacking!! My brother took his truck for a diagnoses because the truck would not start. This would happen intermittently. The owner told me over the phone that if he doesn't see a problem, there is no way for him to diagnose what the problem would be. That bothered me, because, this is why we bring the vehicle in to be examined and put through various test to determine the fault. Why does he have test equipment???? My feelings are that he may not have the knowledge to troubleshoot properly. The owner, replaced a couple of parts and said it was done. When my brother arrived at my house, the truck wouldn't start again!! Same problem!! I took his truck to my mechanic, who troubleshot the problem and found that that starter had a high frequency short. The starter was replaced and the problem was resolved. Now, Cornerstone Auto Center performed maintenance on my brothers truck back in December or November of 2023, that involved replacing the front struts, springs, and shocks and bushings. Today when my mechanic resolved the starter issue, they found that the bolts on the front struts that Cornerstone replaced were loose!! This is unacceptable due to the possibility of an potential accident which could have caused a fatality!! I strongly suggest that everyone who reads this reconsider patronizing this facility ever again!!!! read more

As of 1/1/2012, Do not, I repeat do not use this place, period!!! I discovered that This place recently ripped my elderly cousins off!!! & he lied to them. I'm not a rookie about car repairs. He overcharged them big time!!! His description of worked completed is hardly legible! The Parts from several auto parts store was far less expensive, $145.00. The shops cost ( I kid you not) above $700.00 EACH!!! In addition that particular year/make & model is not equipped with the part(s) (that he- the mechanic, man in charge or principle of the business lied about) in the first place!!! He said the parts were replaced, but what a surprise when we inspected the car and the old parts (no need of replacement) were still in place!!! I could go on & on, but it's really not worth it because my family will NEVER EVER EVER NEVER go to this shop again. Just speaking what I know. Frankly if anyone trusts this place or allow this shop to perform any work on their car(s) after this TRUE TO LIFE, PURPOSEFUL ILL WILL DECEITFUL ACT would be a blockhead, dunce, dolt, ignoramus, imbecile, cretin, dullard, simpleton, moron, clod; informal nitwit, halfwit, dope, ninny, nincompoop, chump, dimwit, dingbat, dipstick, goober, dumbo, dummy, ditz, dumdum, fathead, numbskull, dunderhead, thickhead, airhead, flake, lamebrain, zombie, nerd, peabrain, birdbrain, jughead, jerk, donkey, twit, goat, dork, twerp, schmuck, bozo, turkey, chowderhead, dumbhead, goofball, goof, klutz, sap, meatball.. Granted some may have had pleasant experiences. HOWEVER, DO NOT DISREGARD WHAT HAS RECENTLY HAPPENED, I'm not telling a lie or stretching the facts. IF YOU LET THIS SHACK PERFORM ANY MAINTENANCE, TAKE IT TO A DEALER IF POSSIBLE & CONFIRM WHAT YOU PAID FOR!!! read more

Sometimes you just go somewhere and it turns out that the place is great! I wasn't in a situation where I could do some yelping to see if there were any good mechanics for me to take my car to. I literally saw white smoke come out of my tail pipe and pulled off the 580 at the first exit I saw. Rolling up next to the liquor store I was covered in a billowy blanket of white clouds, if this had been a dream it would have smelled like cotten candy. I was not in a dream but in reality and it smelled like a whole lotta $$$$ was going to quickly exit my pockets. When I got out of my car to look for an address to pin point where I could direct AAA to toll me to I noticed that I was 10 feet away from an Auto shop. I pulled my car in and spoke to the mechanic, Esturado ( i know I'm butchering his name right now) was nice, to the point, gave me a couple scenarios of what was going on with the engine and a quick quote and a cost benefit analysis. None of that sales pitch, pushy stuff or sleazey feel to him. He directed me to Jennifer and I spoke with her about my situation, we ordered the radiator and other parts for the mechanic to start on the car immediately. Jennifer and Esturado did manage my expectations that if the gasket had gone I might have to leave it for a week..... Long story short, I got a ride from a friend out of the place, got a call back in the afternoon, everything was replaced and I didn't have to replace the gasket. Whoahoo!!! I drove out of the place with a new radiator, they fixed my headbeams and got a oil & filter change all in a shot. Oh yeah David, Jennifer & Esturado are pretty cool people. Plus it does say something about a shop when they've got other cars their to work on and they aren't collect dust or cob webs. Looks like business is good, people are satisfied and the prices are reasonable. read more

Called in and asked if they can smog check my car bc of the dmv notice etcetc. They said they weren't star certified but still can still check the smog and take car Le of the smog check. Brought in the bmw 328i and then was turned away bc they couldn't do it. Makes no sense. My fault for not knowing it needs to be STAR certified to have it taken care of. They didn't sound like they knew what they were talking about. Bad communication. read more

5 stars for being very nearly life savers! I was driving down 580 when one of my tires blew out - like, giant gashes in the sides. Luckily I kept control of the car and pulled off at Keller, and to my surprise and good fortune Cornerstone Auto was right there! I coasted in, and the helpful mechanics immediately saw what the problem was and started to take the old tire off. They were super quick in putting on my spare, and incredibly friendly. They only charged $10, which was very kind! If I had another emergency while on 580, I'd definitely come back. read more

I have been to Cornerstone Auto Center four times, and they have always provided courteous, excellent service at a reasonable price. Only one time did I think they charged a bit too much, but you can't really argue if they do the work immediately and do it right (they charged me $25 to install a new battery - which took five minutes). However, an oil change is only $25, and I think that is reasonable. In addition, they do not try to sell you anything you do not need. But they will let you know if they see something that needs fixing in the near future. Many of my neighbors use Cornerstone and are also happy with the work that is done there. They referred me to Cornerstone. I'm going by there soon for a brake job, and I will report back if they either earn another star or lose one. read more

I recently brought my car here for some serious problems that ended up being a broken head gasket. I did so because this station was close enough to my house that I could drive the car there without it overheating. I was concerned about doing so because of the reviews here, but I couldn't get the car to the mechanic we usually use in San Francisco. I called them once before about a repair on a different car, and they quoted a fair price, even though I didn't use them, so I felt good about trying them this time. They did very good and quick work on what was a time-consuming job, and were reasonably priced. I'm very happy to know I have someone close to my house where I can get work done, and will use them again. read more

Got my car smog checked here and was as easy as it gets. Was in and out in 10 minutes; mechanic who helped me was efficient; and it was only $40. Super glad they are in my neighborhood! Thank you for the great service! read more

I can't promise that you will complete a smog check in 10 minutes at Cornerstone Auto. But I did this morning! I had my DMV paperwork on hand and showed up at 8 am; my car passed and I was driving out at 8:11. Again, your results may vary depending on circumstances. But in my case it worked! read more

David is top notch. He has been our neighborhood mechanic for 17 years. I would never go anywhere else.

Dave is a great mechanic. Very honest and reasonably priced. We have taken all of our vehicles to him for years. Highly recommended.

I cannot reccomend this place at all. I have witnessed the customer service (or complete lack there of) that my father experienced, and I find it terrible. The main mechanic there is not reassuring with his own work. He slapped together my dads car, and when he came to pick it up, ONE OF THE TIRES WAS INEXPLICABLY BLOWN. Mind you, this was AFTER the mechanic claimed that he test drove the vehicle. Shady to say the least...On top of that, after leaving, the car was running badly after a $2500 job. The mechanic didnt believe my dad when he said it wasnt running right, so after a debate, he finally took the car back and after two days, reached back out. Upon arrival, he shoves the keys at my dad and commands "DRIVE IT." No explanation, no apologies, no appreciation for his business. This guy preys on the customers desperation and I strongly feel overcharges for a catalytic converter issue in this case. Terrible attitude, customers are stressed from the start, we dont need to get more once we walk through the door. read more

This shop is a rip-off!!! The owner uses old parts and has a major attitude with younger african americans. I've brought two cars there and have left completely disappointed. Once I brought my car in for a master cylinder and he supposedly fixed it...took it to Lexus dealer and they told me that he installed it wrong and it wasn't new. David totally denied it. He eventually fixed it. I took my other car there to fix motor mounts and he charged me $400 for them to break two weeks later. Just because this shop is on the hill, doesn't mean that he's honest or that you're getting great service. DO NOT TRUST THIS PLACE!!!! read more

Pretty disappointed with David and will not be returning. David was referred to us by a friend so we were expecting a good experience with him. Sadly that wasn't the case. David quoted us $650 over the phone when we asked how much it would cost if we brought a transmission for him to install into our car. We explained we'd already bought the transmission and installation was all that was needed from him. When we dropped off the car and transmission, he wasn't as friendly as we expected considering we told him he was referred to us by one of his customers. David's not a smiley or friendly type of mechanic. I was initially surprised to find out he's Korean, since I'm Korean, and I appreciate supporting my fellow countryman. Plus, I figured that since he saw me being a fellow Asian, that he'd make sure our car would be taken care of. Unfortunately, that's farthest from the truth. David told my fiancé that he didn't remember the conversation on the phone and quoted us a new quote of $775. When my fiancé asked why the increase, David said because "you're an outsider". My fiancé asked what he meant by that because we were referred by one of his loyal customers, so we figured we were at least an insider by association. David said "outsider because transmission came from outside the shop". We were taken back considering we spoke to him on the phone and had already explained that we were bringing the transmission and he had quoted $650 with that knowledge. Despite the surprise quote he gave us when we dropped off the car and transmission, we decided to still have him do the work because our car needed the new transmission regardless. David told us the car would be ready by Wednesday. We dropped off everything the Saturday before. We didn't hear from him on Wednesday so we called him to find out the status of our car. David said he was behind on work and would have our car ready the next day, Thursday. The fact that he didn't even consider giving us a courtesy call to let us know was a little aggravating. We picked up the car today. We were excited because I needed my car operating again. Even today David continued his award winning Less-than-stellar service. My fiancé asked him what the warranty is on his work and he said there is none. When asked what happens if a bolt comes off or something happens; David says all bolts are on tight and no warranty. Then to add to the cheerfulness of his service he says that he doesn't know how long the transmission will last but it seems to be working okay and he's done, then hands over the keys. Hopefully, we don't run into any problems with the installation he did. The transmission itself already has a 3yr warranty so we feel good about that. We don't know if the car will keep running okay or for how long. We don't know if his installation is good or if it causes problems with other parts of the car...we just don't know. And honestly, that's not the feeling I want from a mechanic that I'm entrusting my safety and my life to when I'm patronizing his business. If we end up with problems we're definitely not returning. If we end up with no problems we're still not returning. David lost the opportunity to have a new, loyal customer. So we had another mechanic take a look at my car and ran a diagnostic test. Sure enough a code immediately popped up. After the new mechanic looked at everything he discovered the pan was bent and was pressing into the filter. Which was causing the code to pop up. Also, the mechanic told us that David used the wrong transmission fluid for my car. So he had to flush the transmission out and put in the appropriate fluid. The new mechanic ended up removing the pan and bending it back correctly and now the code isn't popping up. After an additional $300 to correct David's mistakes, my car is now okay. read more

I have taken my cars to David at Cornerstone and have always had great service at a fair price and with nice service.

We love our neighborhood mechanic! He does a superb job and is efficient in every way. Very reasonably priced.

I highly recommend Cornerstone Auto Center. My car has 250,000 miles on it and needs regular work. Dave and Henry charge fair prices and do not try to push unnecessary repairs on me. read more

You will find great service at this local auto repair shop. I've been going there for years and I've never felt like they've tried to sell me anything unnecessary, basically it's good honest service. read more

Good price for smog check and the owner is always friendly and willing to take care of my smog without an appointment. I appreciate that I don't have to make an appointment and come back for this. read more

the people who work here are honest and do good work. they are committed to doing what is right and even giving you options on what is best. cheaper than the dealer and incredible service. if i need to fix my car this is easily one of my first choices. i dont need salespeople upselling me repairs i want good work at a fair price and this describes cornerstone. i have had oil changes here and due to the service of these folks i have a reliable car. i have gone in several times for them to check things and they have never tried to upsell me or sell me something i didnt need. i feel like when i go to some auto repair they tell to do certain trying to take advantage of my ignorance that has never happened here i recommend these guys to all my friends who have also had good experiences at cornerstone read more

My whole extended family has been using Cornerstone for several years with NO complaints-- which is so miraculous, I keep thinking I have to write a good review someday. David is straightforward, extremely knowledgeable, and does great repairs at good prices. My car is 21 years old with nearly 300K miles, and it's still running fine after several years with minimal repairs at Cornerstone. We have Toyotas, Subarus, Hondas, Volkswagens, Nissans, and Cornerstone has done great work on all. And last but not least, the staff isn't cocky or condescending or overly flattering and saccharine towards customers. Just professional. What a welcome change from other shops in Oakland! read more

I can wholeheartedly recommend this place. I've had excellent service on my minivan every time that I've taken it in. Follow-up service has been great. I had a problem with a vacuum leak fixed a few months ago. A couple of days ago I took it back when the check engine light came on again. Turns out that the hose had come off the PCV valve. Diagnosed and fixed for no charge! read more

Cornerstone Auto is great! I live close by and recently had a battery issue so decided to give them a call. They were knowledgeable, courteous, fairly priced, and open on Saturday which was great for my schedule. I was in and out in 10 minutes/car good to go. Very pleased. Will definitely check them out for other types of service. read more

I took my car in for a smog check because this place is close to home and it has good reviews. I asked David, the owner, when he thought he can get it done and he said he can do it right away. I was on my way 15 minutes later. That's the fastest smog check I have experienced. I like this place. read more

Gone here a few times for service. They always give me an estimate about wait time. Oil change took 10-15 minutes. Staff is friendly. Apparently they've been there 18 years! I would recommend this place to anyone nearby. read more

I have been going to Cornerstone Auto for 10+ years with my 20 year old car. David has ALWAYS been courteous, honest, and does quality work. I live in Oakland, work in Berkeley, and have recommended Cornerstone Auto to my colleagues who live in SFO. They have taken their vehicles to David, and have been very pleased with David's service. read more

We have a 96 Mazda that kept flashing the check engine light. I like to think I'm a bit of a backyard mechanic and tackled the project myself. It looked like the problem was the warm up catalytic converter. After some research, I found the converter was no longer available, anywhere. I was convinced we'd need to get a new car before the next smog test was due. My wife said, "Why don't you have Cornerstone have a look at it." After contemplating her lack of faith in my mechanical abilities, I swallowed my pride and agreed. Dave confirmed the cat. converter was no longer available but suggested he take a closer look as it was unusual that a cat would fail in a low mileage car like ours (125K). He found a small crack in the exhaust header that was allowing air to get in the exhaust before the cat and was throwing off the sensor reading. He fixed it, I passed smog, no need to buy a new car. The only draw back was the wife was right .... again. read more

I've been reading the reviews on this auto shop and decided to give it a try since I just moved into the neighborhood. There have been mixed reviews, mostly good and some bad. I, however, found the owner quite nice and after reading the previous one star reviews I was very disappointed in the reviewers. Some said that anyone who would go to this place is basically stupid and needs to get their heads straight. I think those people simply went to Cornerstone on the wrong day or wrong time. It was a very quick oil change, but Jennifer was kind and quick to show the price and what was put into the bill and David was able to change the oil and give me advice for the next time I go traveling, like checking your brakes, tires, etc. For those who think this place is a rip-off should notice the new and good products that they use here, which are, yes, more expensive, but will help you in the long run. I recommend this shop to anyone, except thick-headed people who don't see the value in this shop and insult the people who go and not the shop itself. read more