I called this place a day before and asked for a quote for a tire rotation, oil change and time needed. The lady that answered said as long as I arrived by 5:00 it would take about 30 mins. So I came by the next day, she remembered my call and knew exactly what I needed when I walked in. I came around 5:10 and I was literally done by 5:40. Everything was so fast that while I was helping other places, I didn't even notice that my tires had already been rotated. Great, honest service. I would recommend. read more

Our car was having some trouble with grinding when braking. The mechanic we've typically gone to is closed on the weekends, and I wanted to have it looked at sooner rather than later. I found Express Auto Clinic on Yelp and decided to visit them. Don was able to take our Mazda 3 and about an hour and a half later we picked it back up with the rotors replaced. The car is braking *much* smoother now. Don was great, he showed my boyfriend and I the problem with the rotors and test drove our car with us to check it out further and for him to show us what he meant about the rotors. I appreciate how painless he made these repairs for us, and his handling of the process from start to finish. Don and the staff here are all great and easy to work with. Highly recommended. read more

LONG OVERDUE: I brought my 2012 VW Golf TDI with 120k miles here over two years ago for the overdue timing belt change. I don't know the guys name, but he did it at 2/3 the price and was very honest in this repair! He even showed me the rollers he replaced. read more

When my daughter's car was vandalized, I had no idea where to send her for repairs (I don't live in the area). I found this place on Yelp and was very impressed by their assessment, repairs and expediency. They were very helpful and communicative about the repairs. Plus, the were able to do the welding on site and quickly. read more

I've been going her for a little over a year now for various automotive needs (smog check, replace water pump, recharge AC, etc.). They provide fast and effective service at a surprisingly low price. I've never had to make an appointment and have been in and out in under 30 minutes each time. 12 minutes being the fastest time (smog check). I will continue to happily service my car here. read more

Express Auto Clinic - An inside view while waiting less than 10 minutes for an oil change. - Auto Repair Near Me - Oakland, California

Super helpful and quick to resolve some issues with an old Tacoma we have. Will def return

Short and sweet. Fast and painless. I ran over a screw that got embedded in my tire. I went in, the screw pulled out, the hole patched, put more air in the tire and I paid. All in 10 minutes-- even less--total! read more

My Toyota Yaris needed the water pump replaced and a new driving belt. Trying to avoid the dealership, since they did quote me $550 to fix the issue, I tried shopping around though it was a little bit of a challenge since some places were closed for the week due to the new year. Luckily, Express Auto Clinic was open, though not on new years day, I was able to bring my Yar Yar in at about 10am the day after and it was ready to be picked up at 1:45pm. The guy that worked on my car was nice and I was charged less than half of what Toyota was going to charge. I may have to bring in my car again to have the belt tighten, but otherwise, she runs good. read more

When you're stuck in a strange city with a borrowed car and something goes wrong ..... The S.U. and I were house-sitting in Berkley while visiting our newly mom-ed daughter in Oakland. Our host's car failed to start. Even after we jump-started the car, it failed to hold a charge. There I was, walking into a strange random shop near Kaiser in Oakland, stressed and vulnerable. Don lent me a portable jumping battery with my out-of-state license so I could rescue the car and drive it over. He checked the battery and the charging, diagnosed a bad battery, replaced it and .... our adventure in Grand parenting continued. Thanks Don! read more

Don't need to say much about this place. JUST come here for smog. Can't beat the price ($40) is a good deal. Last time I went to "this place" on Park St. and Buena Vista, Alameda, charged $80 w/ coupon. So far $40 is the price to beat, JUST COME HERE. Maybe a little hard to find for some people, turn into the gas station and it's there, if you went pass 40th St. then you need to stop and reverse. *NOTE - This is my first 5 Star review! So you know how good this place is. read more

I was really excited to find this place since my tire was experiencing a slow leak. They were very accommodating and fixed the leak with a plug for $20 right before closing. They said that my tires were all the wrong pressure and so they fixed it. They said that the light will go off and it never did. I checked the tires and they filled it to 45 PSI and my tires are supposed to be 30/32 PSI. After I deflated my tires the light went off. read more

I rolled into a parking lot on San Leandro St. between High and Fruitvale and was told the smog test would take an hour and cost $100. No thank you. Down the street, smog test was $55 but the smog tester wasn't in. Driving through Oakland there are a ton of places to get your car smogged, but for some odd reason all closed on a Friday at 9am. I drove towards home and rolled into Express Auto Clinic. $40 and fifteen minutes later my Honda was celebrating passing the smog test. Who would have thought it would be cheaper to get your smog tested in North Oakland than in the hood? read more

Initially I took my 97 honda civic in to get the radiator flushed (it needed it and was acting a little hot when going up mountains, hey its an old car!) and an oil change. Don informed me that I had a crack in the top of my radiator and it had to be replaced. He showed me the crack and called over and got the part to fix it that day. He charged me $230 for the new radiator piece, coolant flush, and oil change. A week later my car was running hotter than before, I knew something was wrong. I called Don and he told me to bring it on down so he could take a look at it. He told me it could be many things, but the easiest to check would be the thermostat, he offered to order the part and do it for free and to come back the next day. He in fact did change the thermostat for free and it was the problem and the car is now running beautifully. A big thanks to Don and Express for not hustling a bunch of money out of a young girl with no real experience in mechanics. I wish more businesses went above and beyond the call of service. I will definitely be back for all my future car maintenance. read more

Good, honest mechanic. They don't have in-depth knowledge of complicated cars, particularly newer ones with a lot of electronics but if you have normal, basic issues they will treat you right. read more

1. Express Auto Clinic's price on the brake job was 40% less than Stauder's said it would be. 2. Don, the owner and head mechanic was honest enough to say that only the fronts needed to be done. 3. He drove me the 7 minutes bacx to my house and picked me up. 4, The job was completed in just three hours, and he used high-quality Japanese brake pads---I looked them up on the Net. Top-notch. 5. When completing the job---which was only to include the front brakes--he noticed a squeak from the back brakes. He fixed it at no charge. He also adjusted the hand brakes and rotated my tires at no charge. 6. The brakes work perfectly. If that's not worth 5 stars, I don't know what is. read more

This is a great spot for a low-cost smog check. I drive a hybrid, so I was normally exempt from needing a smog check to renew my California vehicle registration. The laws have changed recently, so I had to get a smog check this year. I called a few shops and was shocked at the variance of prices FOR THE SAME SERVICE. Some places charged as much as $90!!! What?!?! And yet Express Auto Clinic charged $45. I stopped in on a random Thursday afternoon. No appointment. I was in and out in 20 minutes. Easy Peasy. I will most certainly return next year. The shop isn't the most fancy, upscale, cozy place... but who cares: the price was right!!! read more

I've been going to Don for more than 3 years now. I've taken my most problematic cars to him and he always gets the job done. He has also saved me money a couple of times by referring me to other places that could get me parts for less $. I appreciate that kind of honesty so much! Don is cool with me because we've known one another for a while now, but sometimes he isn't the most friendly or patient with new customers. I sent a girlfriend to him a few months ago and she had a less than desirable experience -- I think it's one of those things where you have to establish a relationship with Don and his place. I am a loyal customer! Even when I was living in Alameda I'd drive my old beater all the way up to North Oakland just for an oil change. That's how 'rad' Don is (to quote Robert G.)! read more

Easy, cheap and fast. I went in on 7/11/11 and Don told me he'd be done in ten minutes. He was right. And it was just $40. No frills but you won't be there long. Will happily return next time. read more

I Own a 2017 Nissan Versa, Which I leased in 2018. I did not need breaks done until April of 2021 3 years after the purchase of the vehicle.. So I took my car to Express Auto Clinic.. Which I would not recommend to anyone.. I 300 plus dollars for the front breaks to be done.. The guy was suspect from the beginning, another story.. When my breaks were complete I had to go back because it seem as if the breaks were to tight and were applied when driving as if pressing the gas and break paddle at the same time.. The guy send they would lossen up.. I had to go back again because while exiting the freeway I would hear grinding and sometimes I would not.. He told me to come back and I did then he told me that 4 more times.. And here it is not even 6 months and those breaks are metal to metal.. The guy refuse to cooperate or admit he made some sort of error. He said a my warranty expire and that my breaks or like that cause if the way I drive. .. Very unfriendly shop and sometimes would pretend not to speak English well .. BEWARE I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS SHOP TO THE WORSE PERSON I KNOW... read more

Short and simple, here is why we'll go back to Don and Express Auto Clinic: Professional, efficient, service exceeded expectations leaving us extremely satisfied, and fair and competitive prices. Plus we got the feeling that he really cared about us and taking care of what we needed done on our cars. Can't go wrong here imho. read more

Two stars for fixing and replacing my starter plugs. Minus three stars for telling me that my axle boots were on their way to breaking, but no, I didn't have to worry about it because they had at least a month left in them. A day later, following Express Auto Clinic's advice, I drove my car to Carmel and HALFWAY THERE the axle boot breaks on one side. So I drive home to another mechanic and the OTHER axle boot breaks just as I'm pulling into the shop. This could have been potentially dangerous and the EAC guy couldn't even warn me appropriately. Liars. Dirty dirty liars. read more

I've never gotten a smog check before, so I can't compare this place to others out there. What I CAN tell you is that I went in on a Tuesday around noon, and I was out of there in under 15 minutes! Woo Hoo! This little lady does NOT have the time to be waitin around for a smog check! From my seat in the tiny waiting room, I was able to see the computer during the test. Everytime the gauge went into the red, I nervously clenched my hands hoping that I would pass. Luckily I did! Also, the yelp price applied to my chevy colorado (for those of you that drive trucks - BONUS!) for a whopping total of $40. Now If I could just get my registration that low... read more

Was in Oakland with some time to kill. Needed and oil change/rotation. EZ breezy.. no appointment. Out in less than 30 minutes. Drawback: not much time 'killed'. I'll get over it though! Thanks Dan. Will be back read more

Super friendly folks. Best of all, when they said they'd do an oil change in 30 minutes, they meant it. My car was ready after a quick stroll to Pied Ave and back. Two thumbs up. read more

I called a few auto shops in Orinda and found out that they all charged around $100 for a smog check. $100? Hm. Thanks to you Yelpers I found this place and was able to get a smog check for $40! I dropped by at around 10 AM on a Wednesday morning and Don had it all done in less than 20 minutes. =) Highly recommended! read more

I was desperate for a quick smog check and found Express Auto Clinic on Yelp, so I stopped by at 5:45pm (15 mins before their closing time) and was in and out before 6pm passing my smog test with flying colors for only $40!!! They even send over the test results to the DMV electronically so you don't have to worry about following up or sending a certificate by mail - awesome. This was about four months ago. My Acura has about 140k miles on it and is long overdue for a new timing belt so I asked Don (the owner) how much it would cost. He quoted me $350 when others were quoting me at a minimum $700-750 for the same work. I had the timing belt work done a couple of weeks ago and was quoted the same price that Don told me 4 months ago, $350. I also had to have a couple of broken engine mounts replaced and was given a fair price. All said, I had all my belts replaced, and two engine mounts replaced for under $700, and so far my car is running as good as new so the workmanship is solid (as far as I can tell - not a car pro here). I'm still amazed I got all this for less than what others were quoting me for the timing belt work alone. This is a great family run business with super customer service and fair prices/reliable work. They even gave me a ride home from their shop when I dropped off my car - I recommend this shop without hesitation for all your car needs. read more

This place is both cost EFFICIENT and time EFFICIENT for you! $40 dollars for your 15 minutes of wait. I brought my BMW Z4 in for Smog check, didn't worry about not passing. After smog check, i saw the "ABS break" warning light on, so they explained that its due to the fact that only two rear wheels were spinning for the smog check process. Driving 10 meters the warning sign went away. So I even learn a little about my car!! The girl at the cashier desk was friendly and helpful too :D read more

Went here to replace a front head light and a tail light. The total w/ parts and labor came to 35 bucks and only took 30 minutes. They were happy to let me stand around and watch to make sure I was satisfied w/ the work, which I was. I would recommend this shop for a fast, cheap, but still good quality auto repair shop for basic tune ups and fixes. For longer, potentially more complicated jobs, I would check out a shop like XYZ Motors (if you can live w/o your car for a few days). read more

Called many places for for an oil change, all were booked, but got an appointment here right away. They were professional, very quick (express!), friendly and did the job in 15 minutes. I'll be back... if I'm ever in Oakland and need an oil change. Thanks! read more

Smog time, again. Arrived around 9am, no appointment. Took about 20 minutes. Easy peasy. It appears they are now Star Certified if your registration requires that of the facility you take it to. read more

Courteous, professional, and fast! The staff is great. Great place for an oil change or smog check!

DON'T GO THERE!!!! YOU WILL GET RIPPED OFF!!!! Took the car here for rear breaks change and AC fix (wasn't blowing any cool air at all). When job was done I asked if the front breaks were ok and I was told they were. A week went by, two weeks went by and my breaks are still making noise and AC still doesn't work! Went there to tell them and now they tell me the front breaks are the ones making noise and not the rear ones (and this is without them even checking the car!!! just by having Don's wife standing outside and listening to the noise). I guess she knows better than the actual mechanic there! Very disappointed. I have always taken my car here but know I won't anymore! I got ripped off and it wasn't even cheap! They have lost my business. read more

I had a smog check done here recently. I was in and out within 15 minutes on a weekday after work, no appointment. The owners are really nice. read more

This is my go-to oil change spot. No nonsense. Just quick and quality service. Drive through service is great for people without a lot of time. Prices are reasonable and workers are knowledgeable. read more

Walked in, got a 15 minute estimate for my smog check. We walked over to a cafe nearby and had breakfast. By the time we got back, my car was ready to go. $50, everything included, for my suv. Don't expect super friendly, attentive service- but they will take care of the task at hand. read more

I went here for a 2nd opinion on my vehicle and they said the same thing as the original mechanic.

This is the most honest and affordable mechanic I have found in Oakland. Don was knowledgable and easy to communicate with. You can actually talk to a mechanic at this shop and get straight forward service. I will definitely return to this shop whenever I need service. read more

I went in for an oil change, and Don noticed that two of my brake lights were out. I'm grateful for his attention and great service! I was in and out of the shop in about 30 minutes. read more

I found Express Auto Clinic on Yelp when I was looking for a mechanic to do a used car inspection. I was looking at buying a used Honda Civic for my mom and needed an honest and neutral opinion on it. Don and his mechanic looked everything over for me, and wrote down a list of the repairs that might be needed. He clarified which repairs were safety-related, and which could wait, and gave cost estimates for everything. He told me he thought the car was a good one and had been well cared for, but they were asking too much because it wasn't a clean title. (Long story I won't go into here.) Then he printed the Blue Book valuation for me, and sent me off to negotiate with that and the list of repairs in hand. I didn't even need to make an appt., they test drove the car within 10 minutes of my showing up, and the cost was $50! Yippee! I will definitely get my oil changed here, and any repairs that come up for my '06 VW that I don't want to take (read: pay for) at the dealership. If you have a used car, and/or want to get one inspected, I'd recommend bring it here! read more

I have been taking my cars to this auto shop for years, and they are always quick, friendly, and professional. Their prices are competitive, and I have never had to take my car back for any reason after they have fixed it. I would recommend this auto shop to anyone! read more