When the engine light on our 2009 VW Tiguan came on, we took the car into Royal Motors VW dealership in SF. We were charged a $180 service fee to look at the car, then were told that the intake manifold needed replaced to the tune of $1500. We were outraged that such a new car should require such an expensive repair, and they told us, "Yes, it's a fluke. But the catch is it's no longer under warranty." Hoping to find someone who could do the work for less, I started calling around. We had taken our car into German Auto Service once before for a standard oil change & service. When I explained the situation, Chris was surprised that our car needed such a major repair, and even more so that this part wasn't under warranty. He told me to bring the car in and he'd take a look just to verify that this work was required. A second opinion sounded good to us. Chris and his team verified that, yes, the part needed replacing. However, he didn't just stop there and quote us on the repair. He called his VW contacts, gave them our VIN, mileage, etc. and asked them to please look into our warranty. He found out that the part WAS in fact under warranty and arranged for us to take the car into a different VW dealership to have to work done for free. Wowee!! Talk about above and beyond! Chris charged us nothing to look at the car, managed to uncover that we were entitled to a free replacement, and gave us the ammo we needed to get our $180 refunded from Royal Motors. Mechanics don't always have the best reputation (Royal Motors, case in point), but Chris and his team were astonishingly proactive, honest and just plain helpful. German Auto Service has just earned itself a family of loyal customers. Thank you!! read more

I love German Auto Service! If you have any kind of German car they are experts. Not only are they good at what they do, they deliver my car when its done! ( I do live nearby , but still!). If they don't know what it is they call in people that do. However, it is pretty rare they don't know. All in all, they are fabulous. Hats off to the boys! read more

As an L.A. native that started law school in Milwaukee and then transferred to UC Hastings in the City last August, I was at a complete loss when looking for a quality shop to service my beloved Mercedes-Benz S Class. Having always taken the car to my local Mercedes 'stealership' for service, I was a little nervous about taking it to an independent shop, yet the amazing reviews here made me take the chance. Definitely one of the best automobile-related decisions I have made! Chris and his team provide concierge-level client service combined with the technical expertise one expects from manufacturer-trained techs, all while delivering a much more reasonable invoice than any Mercedes-Benz dealership I have ever worked with, either in the Midwest or the West coast. This last service visit, I had Chris search for a loose key I managed to lose while driving (I placed it near the gear shifter). After searching for longer than I care to admit, I dropped the car off fearing any nicks or scuffs on the otherwise immaculate interior panels since they would have to remove the center console to find said key. Imagine my surprise when: a) they found the key, and 2) you would never be able to notice that there was MAJOR interior panel removal and replacement. Chris came through once again with excellent work and an even better price. Additionally, when dropping the car off for service, not only will Chris have one of his guys drop me off at the Alameda Ferry Terminal so I can get to class, but he will even deliver the car to my home and leave the keys at the apartment management office since I often get back to the Island well past his shop's closing time. I have NEVER had this experience with any independent shop. For these reasons, I cannot think of another shop I would ever take my car to when in the Bay Area. As a highly detail oriented individual, I offer my highest recommendation. read more

I am a mechanic myself but didn't have the tools necessary to do the work myself. Their service was able to receive my vehicle, give me a ride back to work, complete the repair and charge me a fair price all within six hours. I will recommend this business to anyone I can't personally help at my shop and will continue to trust them with work on my Mk IV Jetta. Thanks Chris, Rob and Tyler. read more

There's probably a saying out there that goes something like "if you own a German car, you better be friends with a German mechanic"...well this review is only about 8 years over due, but since I don't feel like a customer, it slips my minds to post one. From the first time I stopped in for an oil change and met Chris and Oskar, I knew I was around car guys, who liked to work on cars, German cars. Since then I have had all maintenance, mods and other big projects done here. I consider it time I get to spend with friends. If you want you and your car to be taking care of by a group of GOOD GUYS and feel like you got more than you paid for, stop in, ask for Chris (you probably won't have to, since he greets everybody) and tell him Roman sent you... read more

We're so glad we met Chris and found German Auto Service. The prices were reasonable and customer service was excellent. Chris is just an awesome guy who is very communicative and takes extra steps to make sure you feel safe leaving your car in their hands. We've definitely found our go-to guy when it comes to our BMW. read more

Chris is my guy. He takes car of our 1985 Porsche, our 2006 Mini Cooper, and our 2012 Audi. He has never let me down. If something took longer than expected, he went the extra mile and made my experience Exceptional! Make him your guy too. read more

I think this is the first service / company review I've ever written. But I simply MUST write this review because I am incredibly impressed with German Auto Service. Chris and his entire staff are very professional. Their workplace is well-ordered and immaculate. They communicate well, describe mechanical issues with clarity and precision, and they are always informative with respect to various repair options. Even with my older car (complicated by the fact that it also has a veggie system installed in it), they have yet to see a problem they couldn't fix, and at a consistently reasonable cost. I should also note that the people at German Auto Service also unfailingly "go the extra mile" in terms of service. I've lost count of how many times people have talked to me over the phone about a car-related question I've had, allowed me to swing by the garage to diagnose a problem (free of charge, of course!), dropped my car off at my house after working on it, offered to let me use their shop truck if a repair took more than one day, and on and on and on. In short, I cannot recommend German Auto more enthusiastically. If my doctor did his job as well as Chris and company do theirs, I'd live a very long time . . . kind of like my car! read more

Got my smog check done here. Took 20 minutes. Quick, painless, professional. Will definitely be back.

Alameda German Auto has always taken extremely good care of my vehicles. I have had a lot of bad experiences in the past with auto shops but they have time and time again made me feel at ease and well taken care of. They have been honest about which work is necessary and which they think can be done in the future. They have always asked me about my schedule and done their very best to work with my needs and timeframes. The work that they have done has been consistently excellent My last car I had taken to another shop and they had charged me a couple hundred to fix what they told me was the problem. After another week or so passed the same issue was happening, my steering was slower and unresponsive. I was recommended to Chris from a friend and they fixed the problem right up (the very serious problem concerning my drive shaft) at a very reasonable price. I trust these guys and they would never charge me for something they didn't fix. The price represents the work and the work is good and lasts. Thank you guys for always having my back! Best read more

We have found our new mechanic! When our other mechanic (Buena Vista and Webster Street- you know the one) literally said he was sick of working on my car because he couldn't figure out what was wrong with it and couldn't "be bothered" to try any more, my husband reminded me that there is more than mechanic on the island and encouraged me to branch out. Not only did german auto accept the challenge to find the problem, they did so, albeit on the second try ;). Did they make me feel bad about the fact that I had to bring my car immediately back in after the first "fix"? No. Instead they opted to not return it until they sorted out the issue. Working fine ever since! Chris and his team are great! read more

Took my mini there after a Walmart snafu (long story). My car was stuck there for almost 3 weeks while I waited on an insurance claim. They guys, and especially Chris were all awesome and provided excellent customer service. read more

The mechanics at German auto service are very nice. The warning light for the tire pressure came on when my husband & I were on our way to pick up my son at Oakland airport on the way to Santa Cruz. Searched Yelp and this auto shop has high review. They checked the tire pressure on all tires and test drove it around. Thank you so much. read more

I brought my (older) Audi A4 here for its 80K service after my longtime mechanic in SF retired. The service cost actually came out under their original estimate! Friendly service, reasonable prices-- will definitely be back. read more

Chris and his staff are awesome!! I've been taking my cars there for a couple years and they are always fairly priced and get they get the job done right and quickly. Highly recommend German Auto Service. read more

Amazing service these guys are great! I was told at a local tire store that I needed the brakes, shocks and struts replaced. I took my car into German Auto and was told everything was in great shape and no work was needed! So glad I went there for another opinion. I'll definitely be back when my car actually does need work done! read more

I cannot even begin to sing the praises of Chris and the rest of the crew. They are the most thoughtful, considerate, and helpful mechanics I have ever encountered. On multiple occasions, they have gotten me out of tricky situations. The first one was a simple fix, of replacing my gas door which had fallen off. They ordered the piece for $12 and didn't charge me to install it. Other quotes I got for the repair were $150+. This brought me back when one afternoon around 4:45, my driver side window refused to go up. It also was starting to rain. I arrived just minutes before German Auto Service closed at 5pm, and they were very busy finishing up their scheduled repairs for the day. I was willing to wait until the following day to have the repair done, but Chris was very thoughtful and took the rain into consideration and insisted that I leave the car with him then, as he would stay late to do the repair. By about 6:30, the repair was done, and at a very affordable and competitive price. Over the past few years, there have been multiple additional situations like this. For example, today I stopped in to talk about some repairs that I'll be needing in the next few weeks. Chris and his crew were again very busy and understaffed, but insisted I let them take a look at my engine to be sure I had enough fluids to sustain me until I had time to leave my car with them. They topped off my oil, coolant, windshield washer fluid, and power steering fluid at not cost, just because they're nice guys. I seriously can not thank them enough! It's so rare (impossible?) to find a place like German Auto Service, and if I could give them a thousand stars, I would in a heartbeat. read more

I'm a bit surprised at some of the negative reviews here, There will always be some bad experiences, but my experience with German Auto Service has been nothing but positive. As noted by others, the mechanics are very good. Chris solved an electrical problem with the door alarm system on our 1990 300SE that others were not able to fix or didn't want to touch. He (or perpaps it was Rob) recently solved another electrical problem with the interior door lights, which they tracked down to a faulty relay switch. These are aggravating problems to diagnose. I'm working with them now on replacing the cruise control amplifier, which I had repaired at General Development Labs in Morro Bay, so they don't object to you parting out the repair and them doing the pulling and re-install. Same with the passenger side rear view mirror, which I picked up on eBay rather than buying new from Mercedes. Oskar the owner is a highly factory-trained German mechanic (Porsche, as I recall). His father was in the Panzer Corps and got shot up pretty badly on the Russian front, barely escaping with his life (most of the others in his tank were killed). Not that this is particularly relevant to customer service per se, but he is in my opinion as good an owner of a shop as you could possibly find. The premises are as clean as I've seen a shop, and the rest room is treated as if it were in his own home -- which the shop is, in a way. He is a very good operator, imho, as well as being a very good guy to boot. The only reason I didn't give the shop 5 stars is because of price. I don't recall what the shop rate is, but repairs will cost more than the ordinary garage shop that you might otherwise use to change the spark plugs (but less than the Mercedes dealer). The cost of parts appears to be the big problem here, especially on parts that are available only from Mercedes Benz - like an O2 sensor needed in order to pass California smog test. They make money on these parts costs too, and I suspect the markup is not inconsiderable. For instance, I had two front motor mounts and the rear (transmission) mount replaced. The two front mounts cost $28 total at AutohausAz. GAS charged $132 for the two mounts, 4.7x the price. This was a repair I could have had done at a local repair shop, but I didn't because I like the people at German Auto Service and I'm not trying to nickel-dime them out of their business. They do a very good job. -- Roy Zider And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. (Luke 10:7) read more

The reviews posted are pretty much accurate. What you get is friendly service by Oscar and his son Chris. Work orders are hand written and estimates are spotty. Their philosophy is that they will do what is necessary and do it well. They may or may not call you for permission to perform additional work and they may or may not call you to tell you that your car is ready. When you pickup the car you may be pleasantly surprised to find it detailed. This is the shop for you if you implicitly trust them with doing what is best for your car. This may include using non OEM parts for the spark plugs, coolant, etc. They are convenient and cheaper than the dealer but if you cannot deal with their less than German efficiency with paperwork and notifications this is not the place for you. read more

Booked my car in for its 80k service. Chris was great. Called me to walk through repairs I needed know and those which were not essential but I'd need in the future and what a quote would be. Really liked the approach they had. Car feels great with the repairs they did. Best service experience I've had. read more

These guys are simply amazing. Very friendly, fast services, and know what there doing. I own a Porsche and its hard to find someone who really knows what there doing at a reasonable price with quality work. After searching for 2 weeks when my car skipped timing, needed a clutch, and more work. I was tossed several ridiculous prices with guesses of what multiple issues would be I was losing hope in finding a good shop in the bay area.. but after 10 minutes of speaking with Chris (owner/manager) i knew immediately i was at the right place and my search was over. work was done in December 2015 .. now 7/20/2016 8 months and 10k miles later my car still runs amazing and gets all the attention that it should. Will recommend these guys to everyone!!! read more

Chris and his mechanic, Marco, saved my day on Friday when our 2003 Porsche 911 had battery problems. I needed to be somewhere before noon, and Chris didn't have the exact battery in stock, so I purchased a new battery from O'Reilly Auto Parts and Marco installed it for me. He wouldn't hear of taking money from me, even though the shop was full of cars being serviced. I set off for my meeting, and I noticed that the voltmeter on the dash was at a steady 12.5 volts, so I returned to see Marco. He put a meter over the battery terminals with the engine both running and not running, and the reading was the same. Chris diagnosed that the alternator wasn't charging the battery, and that a new one was needed. The bad news was that the Bosch alternator was $1,100, plus labor, you know the rest. Added to that news was the fact that the shop was full, and Chris said that they probably wouldn't get it done that day. My day was ruined, and the bank balance was going to go down :( I called my husband to give him the news, and he said he needed to "make some calls" before giving the go-ahead for the job. He was able to find a lower price for an alternator, so I told Chris and he offered to match the price. He even loaned my his company truck so that I could make my appointment on time! To make things even better, when I returned the truck at 3pm, my car was done, new Bosch alternator and new serpentine drive belt installed. The price was exactly as Chris quoted, and the quality of work was top notch. I don't write Yelp reviews that often, but Chris' commitment to the customer compelled me to do this. He is a good man; he and his team do great work. read more

I came in with my 2013 golf gti mk6 for a front splitter install and they did an amazing job. Ali, Tyler and Dylan worked on the car (as I wandered around monitoring the cars and such) and the quality of work done was amazing. Everything was done in a timely manner and they were all very friendly, answering all my questions, and making appointments was a breeze. Definitely coming back and can't wait for more parts to install! read more

Great service. Took my BMW 3 series in and Ali and his crew diagnosed the problem and did what it took to get the job right. Very knowledgable staff and a reasonable labor price. Definitely satisfied by how the car feels now read more

I have found that these gentlemen are superb in quality service and speed. They are less expensive than say the dealerships that are nestled directly across the street. I was very happy with their work, customer service and affordability. I will use them again! read more

I've been going here for about 5 years now with my German cars. Chris takes great care of me and is extremely reasonable and fair. They always give you the straight scoop. Sometimes if my car is still under warranty the dealer will suggest certain repairs that aren't covered, I'll call Chris and he'll give me the thumbs up or thumbs down on whether I really need these "repairs". They're kind of like the mechanic relative you wish you had. read more

These guys are fantastic! I have taken my 2008 Passat in 2 times in the last year. The first time was for a peculiar issue but never the less these guys figured out what the issue was and promptly fixed it the same day. My experience today for rear brakes was also a great one. I do a lot of commuting from Alameda to San Jose and we all know the nightmare 880 is!! I brought it in this morning and I knew it could be very very expensive as I could start to smell my brakes burning, not smart I know but my work schedule has something to do with it. Anyway, they said " I just got by with it not being ridiculously expensive. They put my rear view mirror back on with out asking and my car looked beautiful upon pick up washed vacuumed and running like a champ!! Thank you gentlemen and GO RAIDERS!!!!!!! read more

My experience was not nearly as inflated as these other patrons. I dropped off my car at 8am and we both agreed it'd be ready same day. Or at least I'd know what is wrong. So day one came and went and no one answered the phone when I called. 5 pm they were closed. Now I'm without my car and made to take public transport to the city the next day. Day two, numerous calls and messages to the shop but Ali would not return my call. So finally at 4pm I had to demand to know where my car was! I was told it was done and at the car wash being cleaned. So now I'm ok. At least it's done right? Wrong. I get there at 4:30 and my car is parked out back, dirty, so no car wash, and no diagnostics done. No special MB OBD meter ever placed. In fact nothing was done to my car for two full days. One day repair remember. Ali says they were short handed and very busy. That's great but don't tell your customers you're going to do something then not do it and leave them hanging for two days. Sorry, I can't see going back here. With any vehicle. Like I said, Im sure it's been great for most but not for me. I feel completely used and lied to. My business is not appreciated. read more

German Auto Service deserves 10 stars, period. Chris and his crew are just awesome. I took my car in for a dash light reset, and subsequently got their opinions on an engine issue I had recently. Several of the techs stopped what they were doing and took the time to explain to me what could be causing the problem with the harmonic balancer on my car, and made sure I understood what to look for if it ever happened again. It was clear they all were passionate about what they do, and made the well-being of their customers a top priority, not from a business perspective, but from a human perspective. Chris and company at German Auto Service are great people, who also just happen to be great mechanics who care about the work they do and the customers that come in to see them. I highly, highly recommend them! read more

Jaime why did you leave a negative review and we can clarify that Chris doesn't sit and count cash? Wow. As a business their is payroll, taxes and bills to be paid more than ANYONE can ever know. He is also helping to take care of his kids while his father in law is battling for his life and his wife is taking care of her dad. So while you complain about your CAR people have families and lives and some are actually fighting for their lives and "we" are concerned about your red carpet status and your car. Please have respect because you don't know what people are going through. read more

When I moved to Alameda I had no idea how to find a good auto service shop. I came across Oscar her at German Auto Service, and I am glad that I did. The owner, Oscar, and his staff are great. They always find time to fit us in and they do a great job at a much cheaper price than Mercedes. If you need auto service for a German vehicle this is the place. http://www.farmersagent.com/jodinikaeze/marketing/landingpage1.htm read more

If you own a German vehicle and want it good hands, then this is the place to take it. I just had my vehicle serviced by them & the owner Chris was honest and upfront. I highly recommend German auto for all of your vehicles needs. I am glad to have a shop like this on the island to take my car to and can rest assured that it will be well taken care of at an honest price. I wouldn't even consider taking my vehicle to any other place in Northern California. Yes I do love my car that much. You guys went above and beyond. Upon picking up my car I noticed it was washed and detailed I was very pleased. You guys rock! read more

The shop was willing to work with me about some concerns I had with the service to my vehicle. I couldn't get the repairs completed my car needed, but the staff is amazing! read more

I have had an amazing service experience with this establishment. Ali was friendly, empathetic and honest with servicing my car. He was concerned about the amount of time they would have to keep my car and kept me apprised of when I could pick it up. I found the cost of repairs very reasonable. To top it off they delivered the car to my home freshly washed!!!! Omg who does that? This place does. I found a permanent place to take care of my car. Thank you!!! read more

This shop checks all the boxes. Courteous, old-fashioned service, professional/competent mechanics; shop is neat as a pin & easy to find. Chris, Rob & Ali are outstanding. They installed wiring harness & coded taillights for my 2016 VW Golf R. I can drive with confidence knowing the work was done with expertise. read more

I really had high hopes for this business. I read a lot of reviews and most that I read inspired some trust. But unfortunately my experience was rather alarming. The shop is clean and all the men that my wife and I dealt with were extremely friendly and courteous. Normally, just for positive people skills alone, I would rate two stars instead of one. But just wait till you get to the end of this story to hear what this business does to people. We brought our Mercedes SUV in for two reasons - an oil change and an inspection because there were rattling noises coming from the front suspension. I dealt exclusively with Chris (the owner of the shop) when I brought the car in. I told him of the noises and that I felt unsafe driving the car with my 3 year old. He said they would check it out. When I found out that the price of the oil change was the exact same as the Mercedes dealership price ($180) I was pretty surprised. The whole reason for choosing a competent German car mechanic is to avoid the exorbitant price gauging of the luxury dealerships. However, I didn't mention anything about price and I crossed my fingers that the quality of service would hopefully be worth it. But things only got worse.... I should have known when I got a phone call from them asking if they could push back the pickup time because they were so busy....When my wife picked up the car, she was told by another employee that everything was fine, however it was clear that no inspection had taken place because the noises had not gone away. If this were a computer repair shop or something less safety-intensive than cars, this oversight on a busy day could be more understandable. But every time you get into a car, your safety is on the line. My son's safety was on the line. And they neglected to inspect highly problematic noises that were causing unsafe turning. As soon as I drove the car again and saw that nothing had been inspected, I begrudgingly made an appointment at the Mercedes dealership. They immediately diagnosed the noises and had to replace a long list of parts. The noises were gone and proper steering function was restored. It was not a small issue. To pour salt in the wound of spending $180 on an oil change and not having a seriously unsafe mechanical issue inspected, I found German Auto Services license plate frames put on both front and back license plates. COMPLETELY without permission. Nobody asked me or my wife if we wanted their business advertising on our vehicle. How can you possibly think this is an acceptable business practice??? Altering people's cars in unwanted ways without even asking permission??? I could have left it at a bad yelp review for just the lack of inspection. But this predatory violation has pushed me to contact the Better Business Bureau. I don't think it's unreasonable of me to expect the vehicle's safety issues to be inspected. Nor is it unreasonable to expect our vehicle to not be altered in unwanted ways without permission from the owner. read more

I love this place! I come here for everything that I need done on my car. The staff recognizes me too which is great. They have always provided me with excellent service with their honesty and reliability. On several occasions they have gone above and beyond giving me the best deals for their high quality service. In addition, doing small things here and there such as adding a key chain to my keys or even cleaning my windows when I get my car back were subtle and suprising and left me a happy customer. They know how to take care of their customers and their work is exceptional. Definitely my go to spot and would recommend it to anyone with a German car. read more

These guys do great work and it won't cost you what the dealer charges. Customer service is great and they are honest about repairs and what's needed. It's all you can hope for from an auto repair shop. read more

I've taken my Audi A4 to German Auto Service a couple of times and have always left less than happy. Their estimates can be vague and more times than not much lower than the final cost of the repair. Be wary. read more

So I would normally take my car to the dealer as I'm always concerned about the quality of work and knowledge of the mechanics but Ali and his group and the best of the best. Started taking my Benze here based on the other Yelpers comments and could not be happier and a far bit better off. I had the Automatic Body Control fail and looked at the cost of replacing all the nitrogen accumulators, what I was able to find was this would be about $2,800. I talked to Ali about it and told him I had seen the oil leaking from the car. He told me the computer fault code was for the main hydraulic pump and just the replacement part is $2,000.00!!! These guys dug into it and based on knowing the system was leaking found the failed seals in the high pressure line, repaired them, flushed and calibrated the system for $600.00!!! You cannot find a better group of knowledgeable guys anyplace. If you have a German car don't take it anyplace else. read more