Pulled up at 1pm on a Tuesday... Was out of there in 15 minutes. Mention the Yelp special and you're out the door (with electronic filing, tax, etc.) for $40 flat. Try looking around at some of the other places on Yelp and after their "specials" you're still on the hook for $50-60. read more

Disclaimer. I didnt actually get svc there. One star because they weren't open at 8 per their hours which suggests everything else could be bad. read more

I have been bringing my cars here since 2000. Don & his wife have always been professional & kind to me. They have also raised a Family during these years. I have recommended this shop to many friends & acquaintances..Basically Don has literally saved my life on several occasions. Most recently he dropped a new engine in my Cadillac Seville. The car had always had electrical issues & Don ended up loaning me his own car. I have been completely happy with my 'new' Izuzu Trooper & Don keeps it in excellent running order. How many mechanics do you know who would loan, then trade you their car when your's becomes irreparable? That's just one example. If there were space, I could give you many more. A couple of hints = 1).Take your car in early before they open at 8. This gives them plenty of time to diagnose & repair your car quickly. 2). Refrain from taking your car in on Thursday or Friday before a busy 3 or 4 day weekend. This is their peak repair time & it adds more stress on them & you to try & squeeze you into the 'Que.' 3). Save major repairs for Summer, when folks are on vacation & their business is slowest. You'll get faster service & there won't be any 'turnover' pressure. Lastly, the gas station next door is owned by others. They can place alot of unpleasantness on the auto shop for limited parking space, congestion,& other things. When you get a call that your car is ready for pick up. Please show up promptly. This makes it easier on everybody. I will leave my contact info in case anyone wants additional details. Thanks Nguyen's & Family & Happy New Year! As ever, Alan (weathersaloysius@aol.com) read more

Literally only took 11 mins from start to finish, very quick and professional. Don is a man of few words but gets the job done! $40 with the Yelp special and DMV report, can't be beat! read more

After putting over $50 worth of gas in my car at the pump, I asked about getting some air in my tire in the repair shop. The guy in the shop clearly didn't care that my tire was almost flat and couldn't be bothered to let me use the air hose. So, down the road I went and that's what I will do again when I need a smog/service/gas, etc . read more

I have been bringing my car to Don for over 10 years. I trust him with my life. He is the most honest, reliable, reasonable, and hard worker out there. I can't imagine taking my car to anyone else. read more

Funny my smog check was $55 for 1998 Honda. They were kinda dry with me . I had to ask if i passed.

4:45 pm on a Saturday. Tire is completely flat, and I think I'm screwed. I call, they tell me to stop by. I roll in, and they usher me out of the car. They take the tire off, check it, repair it in 15 mins flat, and only charge me $20 (as compared to the place that the Toyota dealership has recommended me to in the past, which charged me about $35. My car is prone to getting things in the tire, what can I say? I've had lots of experiences getting my tire fixed.) Not only were they able to accommodate me immediately, but they were friendly and professional. I'm assuming the tire will hold up, but in a pinch, it was the best service I could have asked for. read more

We took our truck with a leaking tire here late one day (just an hour before they closed) and Express Auto Clinic was like a dream come true. They fixed it on the spot, in a jiffy, the cost was so reasonable, and everyone was super nice. We were so thankful and so impressed! read more

I've been a customer of Express Auto Clinic since 2014, primarily for smog checks. In December 2016, I also had Don, the owner, replace the master cylinder. In September 2016, our old Honda failed smog and in diagnosing the problem Don also discovered that the new master cylinder had also failed and that we needed a new catalytic converter. Instead of replacing the catalytic converter, which would have been the smartest, most economical thing to do. Don tried every option in his smog master's bag of tricks. The visit ended up costing almost $1000. Yes, we ended up passing smog, but at a cost that would have covered the cost of a new catalytic converter. The catalytic converter still must be replaced and the new master cylinder is an aftermarket part from Don's dicey parts supplier. Part of what we pay for in a mechanic is their expertise and good judgment about when to bite the bullet on a significant repair. For 28 years, I've gone to mechanics that I could trust in that regard, and my old cars have continued running reliably and for far less than the price of a new car. This was an expensive lesson in experimenting with a new mechanic NOT recommended by a friend. read more

I stopped by for a Smog and Oil Change on a Friday morning. Was helped quickly and out of there promptly, no more than 20-30 minutes. Pretty good overall price at ~$80 for both. Not the warmest of workers, but they did the job and got me in and out of there! read more

Great fast easy 30 min smog check, even managed to run across the street and grab lunch

Air conditioning stopped working on Saturday, Memorial Day weekend, brought it in and they determined that only a coolant recharge was needed and not a system overhaul. Job completed in 30 minutes, AC works fine now. Honest evaluation, quick repair, reasonable rates and open Saturdays. read more

Quick and cheap for a smog test. $40 and fifteen minutes later I was out the door. Nothing fancy, but who really cares.

Bottom line: They're honest, do great work, go above and beyond and are fairly priced. At the end of the day, their pricing was less than half of the dealer estimate for the same work on my timing belt (Toyota 4-Runner) and associated parts (water pump, idle bearing for tensioner, idler for timing belt). I went in there for just a timing belt change, and upon inspection they recommended that I swap out the other parts, but did so without any additional labor cost! All replaced parts were there for my inspection when I picked up the car. In addition, they topped off the coolant, changed the oil, swapped out the wiper blades and corrected a very annoying noise caused by a loose heat shield - again all at no additional labor cost! It doesn't get any better than this! My only suggestion - they should add the use of test messaging for notifications. FYI - Express Auto Clinic was referred to me by Steve at nearby Benson Tire & Auto Service (2101 Park Blvd, Oakland), another great shop. And Steve also referred me to Alphonso (owner) over at Performance (635 E. 12t St, Oakland) for body work on my other car. Between these three great small businesses, we're in great shape! read more

I always get my gas here at the gas station and was really excited to find them on Yelp with a coupon for smog check. They smogged my car in less than 30 minutes and gave me a great price for my front brakes... Nice honest people... I'm definitely coming back for future service on my car. read more

I just got my car done here about an hour and a half ago. I was in and out in fifteen minutes, and the service was very friendly. If I hadn't been in a rush I also would have asked about an oil change. Next time! I highly recommend this place. Of all the shops I've had my smog checks done, this one definitely had the cleanest and most comfortable waiting area, even if it was small. read more

This place was great! I drove up around 915am and my car was smog tested immediately by a friendly worker enthusiastic about diesel cars. I was out 20 minutes later. Be sure to mention the yelp deal, which gets you smog tested with a certificate and information sent to the dmv for $40. read more

Went in for my smog test, they looked busy, but it was only about 15 minutes before i was leaving. Fast, friendly, cheap ($40 tax included).

gotta give a solid review here. they changed the clutch on my truck but one of the parts starting making crazy noise shortly after (might have been a bunk throwout bearing probably not his fault). i brought the truck back and they fixed everything asap with no questions asked and with new parts. "dont worry, it is under warranty" and bam it was fixed. thanks! read more

Thank god I found this place. I live in SF so naturally looked for places there. Drove all around the city because machines were broken or line was full if repairs and smog checks were being turned away. Finally got to a place that wanted to charge me $70 which seemed too high at first thought AND I read yelp reviews that said they'd done $45 and still wouldn't give me a lower price. After calling a few places in the city the lowest price I could find was $50 but now every place had closed. I was heading to Oakland for the night anyway so checked a few places there to find this place which was a block from where I was staying. Super friendly service, 10 minutes in and out, and $45 TOTAL - lowest place I am aware of that exists in Bay Area. Highly recommend even if it's driving across the bridge just to avoid almost twice the cost. read more

Good place. Needed a smog check for 2011 Sub Impreza. It failed, because for some reason the check engine light was on. Don suggested it might still be under warranty, I should call Subaru. Did so, one year too late. Long story short, he tried to save me money, then fixed it himself at basically no charge. 100 miles later ( by law) I returned, it passed right away. Total was $62, including the recheck. I'd definitely recommend him. read more

I had them do my smog check and a radiator flush. It was quick, painless and reasonably priced. What more can I say?

I needed an oil change and the smog check and didn't feel like waiting around for a long time. Found this place on Yelp like several other folks, and it was exactly as reviewed. 40 minutes for smog and oil, Yelp smog price and $30 oil change. Smooth operation, totally fine for what it is, and nice not to have to decline getting random weird things done to my car that I don't need. read more

These guys have been prompt and helpful every time I've had an issue with my car. They are reasonably priced and get things done quickly.

Don is the best mechanic around! He is honest, reliable, and friendly. I took my car in because it was stalling and he took it for a test drive right away. He determined it wasn't the transmission and told me to come back the next day after ordering the right part. I will continue to come here. I have finally found the right place. Ladies you don't need to worry about anyone trying to swindle you. Don, thank you! read more

Very reasonable. Do not try to convince you to do unnecessary work. Nice and reliable.

This place really surprised me with how accommodating and efficient they were. No lie. I had a dead battery. Since I live only about a half mile from his shop, the guy told me to walk over there, and he'd give me a ride to my place to jump my car. Successful jump, and I follow him back to the shop, where he installed my new battery, replaced a corroded post had me on my way--all in under 15 mins! He didn't even charge me for labor. I've never heard of such a thing. Including the new battery post, it was under $130. Made my morning. quickly. read more

Don is fast and can work on pretty much anything but he is also very honest. The parts distributor he uses gave him a bad part and instead of charging me to put a new one in, he replaced it for free when the replacement came in. Also, the price here is way better than the dealership and better than other mechanics I've heard of. There needs to be a special rating for places like this. read more

They might be fast, friendly and cheap but be careful they don't try some shady stuff with you like they did with us. We used to go there all the time and were very happy with the service. Then when they replaced a part in my wife's car, the guy, Don, who runs the place, tried to send her away without showing her that he had actually broken something else... a plastic panel behind the front seat. Luckily, she noticed it before she drove off. It was an expensive piece to replace. When she pointed it out to him, he tried to act like it was not a big deal. And the crack was like three feet long. I think he knew he was going to lose money on this repair and decided to try to play it off because she was a girl. I had to go back and talk to him before he agreed to replace it. (He should have offered in the first place... He should have pointed it out to her!) Then it started to make sense why the oil light went on right after we had a major tune up from him in the past. And why my "new" brakes started squeaking 2 months after he replaced them. We just can't trust him now. read more

Friendly, super fast service and a great price for my smog check. I was in and out in 15 minutes, even with one customer ahead of me.

Got a smog check and an oil change, and was in and out in under 30 minutes. They were very friendly with a great price and zero pressure to purchase anything else... they didn't even try the tired "dirty air filter" routine. I'll definitely be back, and would recommend them to others. read more

I went here 10 years or so ago for smog check with old owner, was fine. New owner took over a few years ago. My wife has had them replace radiator and do some other work. She liked the low prices and has been happy with the work. They didn't try and BS her. So when my starter took a dump I went in. Got it fixed and a smog check as well. Price and service good, and I felt comfortable with Don. He seemed like he knew what he was doing, seemed to be honest. Another shop had told me I needed a $700 idle control motor(one of those places that said "Oh, you need this, that, and that....). Don cleaned out the throttle mechanism (& told me ahead of time that he'd charge me if it worked and not charge me if it didn't), and got everything running okay for a nominal fee. So I'm pretty satisfied, will return in the future. read more

I went in for an oil change, and I knew I had an exhaust leak, the mechanic said "you're car too loud", I said I know but I'm here for an oil change, maybe we can fix the exhaust leak too, he says. "No your car is too loud" and he shakes his head. A lady comes out with a clipboard and asks me what I want, oil change, she gives me a quote. I pull the car in the, the mechanic tells me I have a crack in the catalytic converter, and I say, "so I can't get an oil change?" He says, "no, it's too loud". We all congregate in the office he tells the lady something she "backs down", he gets on his computer and tells me the catalytic converter is $700. I'm not prepared for that so I say no, and ask him about the oil change and he says no. I took my car to another oil change place on Park Ave and they took care of me fast. They said the converter wasn't cracked. Hmm. I went to Los Angeles and went to local mechanic where I used to live and they showed me the exhaust leak and it was a just a tear in the pipe, they fixed it for $150. The mechanic at this place either doesn't know his cars, or he was trying to scam me. The service is terrible. Don't go here. read more

I see Don fairly regularly, as I bring my work cars here, and those cars are not in the best shape. Don and his crew do seem able to fix just about anything on just about any kind of vehicle. I'm always skeptical of mechanics, but they have yet to disappoint me. The prices are reasonable, maybe not always the cheapest but, then again, they do really good work. The only cons I can think of are minor: it's on Broadway, which is always busy, seems to be under constant construction and can be a bit of pain when you need to park or something; English is obviously not their first language and while that's never been a problem it has lead to a few "what?s" and "say that again..."s, but, meh, whatever. They're friendly, efficient and have never done anything without first asking permission to do so, which is key to a good mechanic. In fact, I think there've been times when I had to say yes twice, like they were just really making sure or something. read more