By far one of the best experiences I've had with a mechanic. I worked with Allen a couple weeks ago when my car broke down in San Francisco (a piece broke that stopped my car from shifting). I didn't have a mechanic in the area so I chose Excaliber on a recommendation-based on location-from Roadside Assistance. Allen fixed my car, communicated with me every step of the way and the pricing was extremely reasonable. He even offered to drive me to work for an additional fix I needed. I paid for the part on order up front and Allen was great about following up. I'm selling my car, but when I buy another, Excaliber will definitely get all my business. Thanks Allen! read more

Wow. wow, wow, wow. I created a yelp account just to review this place, I'm so impressed. All the great things people are saying are true and I can't believe it! I'm under-educated about car maintenance and went in to get my older car's oil changed. Instead of being hustled and rushed and condescended upon, Allen invited me sit down in his office, explained what they were doing, caught a dead tail light, they actually washed my car without me asking, put air in the tires, and he even offered me organic veggies!!! (not part of the normal service, but just had a CSA delivery) AND it was done in 15 minutes. I left with a full report about how my car was doing and a lesson in basic mechanics... He showed me fuel pumps, explained what I can do to keep my car running for years to come and said if I'm ever in a hurry, they have a 'loaner' car they can give me while they work on mine. I felt respected, and (gasp) inspired. A trip to the mechanic has never been my favorite errand, but I will look forward to the next one. Seriously, he's amazing. And his staff was super nice and efficient...thanks Allen and co! read more

Alan is a heck of a guy; calm, composed, makes you feel very important. He even takes the time to explain to you various topics about your car; I feel almost guilty taking his time. His staff are top-notch mechanics and overall the experience is very friendly. read more

Alan at Excaliber is the real deal. He's gotten me through 3 cars, and now that I'm driving a new Honda he's insanely faster and more thorough than their weak and backed up Honda service dept in Oakland. I won't go anywhere else as long as I live in the Bay Area. He explains everything, is woman friendly, asks before he does anything, and doesn't mess around. His crew rocks as well. I trust Alan implicitly with my wheels; don't pass it up. read more

Alan the head mechanic and proprietor is a gem among gems in this town. I had the good fortune of getting connected to Alan when he was first getting started almost 20 years ago. He's a great guy. He everything people want in a mechanic. Fair, honest, communicates clearly, calls you back when he says, explains as much or as little as you want to know, and is a kick-ass mechanic. He will do little things for you with no appt, and no charge. He has creative solutions for tricky problems. He's just a great guy and a great mechanic. He has never had to market or advertise because his customers are so loyal and word of mouth is all he's ever needed. It's like finding that great old country doctor, you stick for life. I've had no car for over 10 years and just got one and popped over and it was same-as-ever, he took time with me to catch up and get started on my vehicle. I've sent 15 people to him at least, over the years. I don't want to embarass him but since I was one of his first customers years ago, he did me solids that stil legendary to this day. He once came down 30miles on the 280 at 7am took my busted car, and gave me his so I could get to work. Got me towed back to the city. That's just beyond anything I've ever heard of. He would never take advantage of anyone. Never cheat. Never make a problem that didn't exist. He is really what everyone wants in a mechanic. Great skill, great honesty, great communication. Fair hourly. Kudos to Alan! read more

My car feels brand new. Amazing. Alan came highly recommended by my co worker. I've never really done anything to my 2006 Scion XB that has 68k miles and I bought brand new 7 years ago. Toyota said they did a mini tune up but never replaced any real parts. So not much of a tune up there. They just called it a 50k maintenance to make it sound better than an glorified oil change and charge a couple hundred more. Well I did spend a nice chunk of change today, but i got VIP service, Alan dropped me off at work and picked me back up (I work nearby) OMG they washed my car, vacuumed. Who does that? Might be a small fortune I paid today but it was all well worth it knowing my car was having a "spa" day if you know what I mean. And she's going to treat me well for another 60k miles before she gets one of these "spa" days. Just a quick mani pedi oil change till then. Thanks Alan to you and your awesome staff. read more

I decided to try this place out due to their excellent reviews. Sadly my experience was the absolute opposite. I always request mechanics leave empty fluid bottles be left in my car so I know for a fact what they used, as I am VERY particular of what is put in my car. Alan, who was friendly, said that he would use Redline mt-90 gl-4 transmission oil, which I requested, in my car. Unfortunately, they used a gl-5 oil, which is NOT good for my transmission. They did at least acknowledge the error and changed it, which required a considerable amount time out of my day, but would have earned them two stars, until of course they bolted their advertisement license plate bracket on my car with security bolts, which REALLY angered me as it took considerable time finding the right tool and removing it. I'm afraid that I cannnot recommend someone who cannot follow directions, and locks their advertisments to their customers cars without asking. read more

I pulled into the parking lot for my pet food co-op (next door to Excaliber Autoworks) on Saturday with a completely flat tire. I had somehow managed to get a butter knife embedded in my tire. :-( I figured that tire had seen its last road trip and was fully expecting to have to buy two new tires (can never buy just one, right?). Kasie, from the co-op, recommended that I have Alan look at the tire to see what could be done. She said if he couldn't fix it, he'd help me get new tires. Alan was able to fix the tire, put it back on the car for me, checked the air in all my other tires and even washed my car while I went next door to pick up a package from my co-op! Although my car wasn't in for mechanical reasons, I had such a great experience with Alan and his crew that I will definitely be taking my car there in the future! Great service, super friendly and nice people. Highly recommended! read more

I went here because I live close by and the yelp reviews were great. I brought my car here thinking that I was leaking oil and Alan told me it was just water from the AC. Other guys could have lied and took me for more money but Alan didn't. He's honest and that's all I want from my mechanic. read more

Alan Takeshita and his mechanics know what they are doing. I was going to do a bunch of work myself on my 1995 Mazda Miata, but I ran out of time and asked Alan to do the work. His crew put in a new radiator, all new hoses, a new clutch, and new front brake rotors. Before getting the work done I called around to a few local shops that were highly reviewed on Yelp, and the other shops didn't seem to entirely know what they were talking about. For instance, why would you NOT replace the main seal while you have the transmission out anyways? It's only a $25 part, but if it goes out later, you're going to have to take out the transmission all over again and charge another $500. Do it now and I'm happy to pay the $25. Some places said "only replace it if its leaking" -- really?! On a 17 year old car? Anyways, Alan is the opposite -- he knows what's important in an engine, and he gets the job done right. He doesn't go in for the extra stuff that doesn't matter, but he does recommend getting some premium parts that really make sense. Anyways, I'm so happy to have found a mechanic I can rely on. read more

Excalibur and Allan are the best! A friend referred me to them 2 years ago saying he was incredibly trust worthy, fast and didn't cost too much. That's exactly what I get from them. Clear and honest communication, fast turn around and super non awkward interaction. Allan is awesome and we always share funny car stories. Don't take my 2 cars anywhere else. read more

I was referred to Alan by a longtime customer. Too many good things to say in a short review. Most importantly, as a woman with limited knowledge about cars, I always feel that Alan is straightforward and honest, and not trying to sell me something that I don't need. He is knowledgeable and thorough, and a pleasure to work with. I drive all the way from the East Bay and fight Bay Bridge traffic to take my car to his shop. I can't think of any higher compliment than that. read more

It's hard to write a review of this place without sounding like they paid me to write it, but as hard as it may be to believe, this is a terrific, honest, efficient, reasonably-priced auto mechanic who gives incredible customer service. He's told me I didn't need work on my brakes that I thought I did, delivered my car to my house when I couldn't get there to pick it up, and done his best to save me when my car died on a Friday afternoon when I had to drive from San Francisco to San Jose that night. I found him on the Car Talk site and gave him a try because of all the raves there, and he deserves them. Only downside is that he's located a little off the beaten track in the industrial area near Bayshore and 101, but he's great about shuttling you if you need a ride and providing loaners---including his own car! Five stars are not enough. read more

alan at excaliber is amazing! i was referred to him by a friend who's been bringing her cars there for 10 years. she has a fleet of cars (daily drivers/ classics/RVs) and she swears by alan. he always shows you the problem in the car, sends you home with a box of defective/worn parts (just to prove the repair was necessary), vaccums and washes my cars, and gives advice on which car to buy next time. read more

Asa woman, I truly believe that most mechanics don't take me seriously or try to take advantage of me. I am not a trusting person to begin with either so when I first went to Alan at Excaliber, I was a little wary because he seemed a little too good to be true. But after going through 3 different cars with him I don't trust anyone BUT him. He gives top notch service and tries his best too accommodate your needs including giving you a loaner car if you need it. He even has my car washed down at the shop sometimes (which is great since I never get around to it on my own). His prices are reasonable and he is very personable. He actually teaches me about my cars so that I don't feel like an airhead when I talk to him about it. I would never send anyone (that I like at least) to anyone else because that would be a disservice to them. read more

honest to god, you will never ever find a better mechanic. honest, reliable, cost-efficient. found him when my truck broke down on the way to la, would drive back from la to have him work on my car these days. fantastic. read more

A friend referred me to Alan and Excalibur. Alan was super accommodating and friendly and took my car in right away. I told him I was planning on going away that Friday (I brought the car in on Tuesday) and he said he'd try to have it done by then but was honest and said most likely it wouldn't be done til the following Monday. He told me he hadn't really seen this particular problem before but could definitely fix it. It was an odd situation where the shifter was stuck in park and not budging at all, with the key stuck in one of the on positions and unable to take out of the iginition. He was really helpful and called me with the estimate and told me again it would probably take til Monday but he'll try for Friday. Friday he called me and said it was all set! I was so excited for my trip but it got cancelled last minute! But how awesome that he made such an effort to get it done for me so I could (potentially) go away for the weekend. When I went to pick up the car, he showed me the old parts and what was broken and a diagram of what was done and explained it all to me. The old part that was broken is a mystery but he was able to replace it and fix it and it works like new now! He even vacuumed and washed the car for me! It was all clean and fixed up ready for my road trip that never happened! He was very professional and friendly and even offered me friendly advice about loaning my car to friends (which is how the problem happened), and gave me a bit of a discount as well, which was very much appreciated! I would refer him to all my friends and definitely go back for any other issues. read more