First Street hires unqualified backyard mechanics that do third world work at first world prices. Anything more complicated than an oil change you'd be better served going elsewhere. Reinstallation of my new engine was done poorly and when I pointed it out, the owner only said thank you for bringing it to my attention. If that this low quality of work and service is what you'll settle for, then First Street Automotive may be a fit for you. read more

Whenever my car is having trouble my first call is Russ. He is honest, reliable, and has integrity. Each time I have had to bring my car in I've been in a desperate situation and he never once took advantage of that. He works with me and is very understanding. If you are looking for a new mechanic look no further, First Street Automotive is everything you need in an auto shop. read more

When no other auto shop downtown could help they could for fluid. They rock ! Saved the day. They are your first " go to ".

If you are looking for quality services, look no further. An honest car repair business, priceless. 16 years ago I happened upon First Street Automotive when i moved to Novato, and Russ charged me $50.00 for what I had been paying $250.00 at my old mechanic. I kept waiting for him to give me the rest of the bill and he said, " I don't charge people for a full two hours, if I didn't need to work that long, and I've been a loyal customer ever since!!! read more

I can't say enough good things about First Street. Russ and Dave were amazing partners at figuring out what was going on with our old suburban not passing smog. They were patient, responsive, thoughtful, and most importantly - really knew their stuff! On top of it all, they knew we were on a tight budget, and did a great job at helping us make smart decisions throughout the process to contain costs. Since then we've brought all of our cars to First Street and know we're in good hands with honest guys that know what they're doing. A real find! read more

way to expensive come on 900.00 for an alternator crazy 1750.00 for a clutch I am so crazy for not going somewhere else read more

Beyond excellent customer service!! Owner, Russ and employee, Angel are honest, know exactly what they're talking about when it comes to your vehicle!! Very fair pricing and quick service! Highly recommend for your automotive needs!! read more

I recently moved to the area and was looking for a reliable and trustworthy mechanic for some basic maintenance on my SUV, as well as a repair to my heating/cooling system actuator. Everything was completed in a timely manner and at an affordable price, and on target with the estimate. I am very happy with the work and will be back for all of my future automotive maintenance and repair needs! Thanks Russ! read more

The owner Russ met me and I knew immediately that I would have a great experience. Honest. Genuine. Competent. A pretty good combination. I thought I had a bad battery. He and his team looked at it right away. He said that it checked out perfectly fine. I asked to pay him for checking it out and providing me some peace of mind. He would not take payment-- just smiled and wished me luck. I don't live in Novato, but I think I will drive there just for that kind of service and honesty. read more

We have been servicing our vehicles at First Street Automotive for a few years now and Russ is a stand up honest business man. Our vehicles are always repaired in a timely manner. We love and trust First Street Automotive. read more

Horrendous place. Do not recommend. Russ constantly inflated the pricing on different occasions. He was completely rude, used foul language with me which was completely uncalled for, and his service was awful, if they even serviced to begin with. Fellow mechanics were unhelpful, the place looks ran down, and is located in a dingy part of town. Would not come back here again. read more

A hidden gem! Russ and David know their trade better'n most. I could tell from the beginning of conversation about my Dodge Caravan alarm/ immobilizer kerfuffle. I'd been looking for someone who was familiar with the woven modules that made this thing the headache that it had been for about a month. The first locksmith left scratching their head...as had I after hours of research, familiarizing, and several work around attempts. I was beginning to think I'd have to cut the whole system out and cross my fingers. David hammered it out with a particular scanner that most wouldn't know to hang on to. I got outta there for well under the estimate I was fearing with a very patient and detailed explanation and further tips and advice on the matter. There is nobody I've ever heard of that can make this troubleshooting nightmare look easy...I really cannot say enough about these two. High integrity auto ninjas to the rescue! Check 'em out... for the win. ​ read more

Still grateful for the referral from a trust friend to bring my broke down Honda accord to first street automative. After a major overhaul my car is running like brand new one year later. Excellent customer service. The owner Russ was very helpful and genuinely kind read more

This place is highly recommended. They are very knowledgeable and prompt with their service. The owner "Russ" is a easy going guy that will work with you on receiving the best price for the service, this especially goes for those that are white knuckle fisted:) Sum it up... This place does quality work with cost and customer service in mind. Mo read more

Great service and great commitment to customer service - beyond pleased with the diagnosis and price - Russ is the best in the neighborhood

A long overdue review. Honest business you can trust. I've been going there for several years now. A small shop, neat and organized. They fixed my truck so well I haven't needed to go back. But brakes are almost due. read more

First Street Automotive (Galli Automotive) is now my local Novato go to mechanic shop. Russ Galli is AWESOME ! Russ is fair and honest. His mechanic is also a very knowledgeable mechanic. His shop rates are very fair. He also works on my daughters car and my sons car. He completed the work in a very timely manner. read more

The 3 times I've used Russ, he has fit me in the schedule either same day or has my truck finished next day, let me remind you re threading and tapping new threads for new spark plugs are not that easy,especially 1 that He changed on the back side of motor pretty much touching fire wall with barely any clearance. From my experience I recommend first street auto motive. read more

Wanted to write this review for some time,Dealing with an honest,down to earth person in Russ has renewed my faith in mankind and mechanics! Russ is extremely Capable,courteous, and fair. I have used Russ for all my automotive needs and have never experience a negative issue. He always responds with a positive outlook and gives reliable solutions and prompt service! Give this business a try and prove me right! Sincerely John R. read more

Great Service!!! Fair prices, knowledgable crew and the old fashioned customer care that we grew up with! Highly recommend Russ and the crew!!! read more

Russ is a great shop owner, not afraid to get his hands dirty to make sure they keep up with the schedule. Always fair with his charges and doesn't ever give me the feeling that they are replacing parts that aren't broken because I would never be able to tell the difference. I've been going to him for years and wouldn't take my business elsewhere. read more

Russ was amazing. He dropped everything to help us get home. He did the job himself. I was so impressed.

I don't write many reviews, but I had such a good experience with Russ at First Street Automotive, that I feel compelled to let other people know about it. First of all, Russ doesn't have any signs at his business saying "Review me on Yelp!" nor does he suggest it. I appreciate this in a business because so many businesses do ask customers to review them, and I think it adds to the watered-down, inaccurate reviews that are out there. Back to Russ: he is down-to-earth, gracious, calm, and prompt--doing business with him will restore your faith in mechanics. Russ diagnosed my problem the same day that I called him (I needed a new alternator on my 2004 Honda Odyssey) and was able to have the work done the following day. He quoted me what I thought was a very fair price (I had already done some Google research on average costs), and even though he told me the car would probably be done around midday, he was able to get the work done before 12:30pm so that I could pick my toddler up from preschool on time. When I went to pick up my car, Russ told me that my oil had also registered very low so he went ahead and changed it for me (I had forgotten to tell him this so I was happy that he did that), and he still came under my quoted price by $1.00 because replacing the alternator did not take as long as he thought it would. I was astonished that he had been so transparent and honest about how he was charging me, as I would NEVER have been the wiser if he had simply charged me the original quote plus the cost of the oil change. It's so rare to encounter this type of business out in the world. Also, his shop is organized and clean with lots of sunlight; I don't know why this seems extraordinary in the world of mechanic shops, but it did to me and I appreciated it. I would highly recommend Russ and the guys at First Street Automotive. read more

I never write Yelp reviews. Within 24 hours of calling Russ at First street automotive about my failing water pump in my chevy k20 I was back on the road with a brand new one. He is very good mechanic that is HONEST and has GREAT PRICES. He's the mechanic you wish you knew about before. read more

I drive a 2002 Ford F150 pickup that has 313,000 miles on it. I work in the east bay and live in Novato. In the past year I have had several code red emergencies that have required immediate repair. A friend referred First Street Automotive to me and I have thanked him several times for this Novato secret. Rus, the owner is a great guy, he has taken the truck in with little or no notice. The service is quick, clean and well done. The prices are very fair and he advises you of issues that might be on the horizon. The mechanics are equally as polite and professional. I highly recommend this fine family run business. JF read more

This place is great. Honest, fair pricing, and great customer service. Since finding them 5 or 6 years ago, it's been a huge relief to know that I'm leaving my car with people I can trust not to gouge me and to do great work. I wish I could give them more stars. read more

Stopped by this place to get some work done on our 2nd car. It is sort of a hidden spot that really isnt too easy to find. It is under new ownership and we both really like this gentleman. His prices were reasonable and the service was professional and fast. We will try this spot again. read more

I've been taking my car here for oil changes and basic maintenance for almost two years. Russ is friendly and honest in his pricing. I would highly recommend this shop! read more

Russ Galli was unreliable, careless and negligent with my car, a very poor mechanic, rude to me, his customer, disrespectful, extremely unreasonable, emotionally unstable, and very immature, unprofessional, and out of control, in his behavior. To begin, my car's window mechanism on driver's side wasn't working - I couldn't roll it up, so I brought my car to First Street Automotive, because the owner Russ Galli promised that if I bring it in early in the morning, he could have the part by 2:00 and have the window installed by the end of the day. Russ was extremely careless and negligent with my car. First he left my ignition on halfway, the first time for 15 minutes, draining my battery juices. When I saw this, I told him to be more careful and make sure he turns it all the way off. He made excuses without simply apologizing. Then he pulled the car into the garage to find out what part was needed. After about an hour he came out and told me he would order the part. Then he broke his agreement about getting the car done that day - he wanted to leave early to go to a game with his son, and I would have to leave the car overnight (he had to have known this, the day before). This was not what we agreed on. So now I needed a ride home. Most reputable repair shops provide a shuttle service. But Russ very reluctantly agreed to drive me, (which is the least he should do) telling me he would not pick me up in the morning to bring me back to my car; that I would have to find another way. (I'm 62 years old and the bus stop is about a 20 minute walk - mostly uphill. it also had been raining on and off and was expected to pour the next morning.) He had torn the car door apart and he left it that way with my car door wide open. Before I got into his vehicle for him to drive me home, I told him to shut my car door - not to just leave it hanging open with all the inside parts exposed, not even pulled into the garage all the way, and it was expected to rain more, and also he was leaving the car alone to drive me home. He told me he would not close my car door and insisted on leaving it open. I told him I wanted my car door closed (I had lots of stuff in my car too!) Then he started yelling at me like a maniac, telling me, "Don't tell me what to do in my garage! it's my garage and I'll do what I want!" I told him that closing my car door is a very reasonable request and that my car wasn't even pulled into the garage all the way! So I went and closed it, then got in his vehicle. As Russ drove, he continued to yell in my face about it being HIS garage, and he can do as he pleases. I said, "Not with my car!" Then I held my ears, telling him I didn't want to discuss it anymore. Then he started jumping on his brake, then accelerating, then jumping on his brake, over and over, even at a red light with a car right in front of him. I tried to ignore him, and then he turned around and headed back to his garage and I asked what he was doing and he said he was taking me back to my car and "Good luck." When he got out and began putting my car door back together, I noticed he had left my ignition partly on AGAIN, draining the juices from my battery all that time which was for more than an hour, even after I had previously told him to be more careful and make sure it is turned all the way off! Again he did not even apologize. I was furious and upset, but maintained control, since he was going to drive me home. I was glad we came back, or my car battery would have been dead by the time it was discovered the way he left it. I no longer felt my car was safe with him, and I knew I wasn't safe in his car with his psychotic driving. I WAS angry that he had wasted my day, when I could have gone elsewhere if he'd been honest the day before and told me he had no intention of fixing it the same day. I took the car to a neighboring auto repair shop and was told to bring it the next day. The next day When the new mechanic looked at it, he immediately came back and told me that the last person who took my door/window apart, had broken off a small part, then tried to hide it by TAPING it back on without informing me he had broken it! Then he went to work and fixed the car, including the broken part, which I had to pay for when I got the car home, I called Russ and let him know that I was just informed that he had broken the part on my car door/window and I told him I expected him to reimburse me for his damage. He started laughing. I kept asking him if he was going to reimburse me or not, YES OR NO?. And he kept laughing obnoxiously while I repeated, "YES OR NO?" Finally, he relented and agreed to reimburse me. I said, "Thank you," and hung up. When I got there, he tried to blame his screw-up on the new auto repair shop. I told him I was going to tell them that he was trying to blame it on them. Outside, as I pulled out,he began jumping up & down, yelling a lot of silly gibberish at me, like a madman! read more

I brought my 2002 Ford Excursion to Russ because I thought I had a Napa AutoCare warranty issue from some work that was done at a shop in Cloverdale. Russ and his crew spent 3 hours tracking down the cause of my issue and found that it had nothing to do with the warranty work. Since it was not warranty work, Napa AutoCare would not pay Russ...so after another hour putting everything back together, he only charged me $75 for a 4 hour diagnosis that would have cost me $400 anywhere else. Super friendly, genuine, local guy...I am big fan of the shop now. read more

Completely agree with other posters, this is a great place to take your car. Russ was very friendly, professional, and communicative with me in diagnosing and repairing a bad solenoid in my Toyota Corolla's EVAP system. read more

First Street Automotive did a great job on replacing the head gasket on my range rover. It was a fair price done in a timely manner. Russ made it as easy as possible for me. I have not had such a positive experience with a auto garage for years. read more

Excellent service. Fairly priced, honest, and friendly. Russ the owner is exceptional....highly focused on customer service. He has done a number of jobs for us and we have always been impressed. Oil changes are priced less than the fast drive-tru oil and lube facilities (and you never know what oil you are getting at these places). read more