I go out of my way to take my old Audi to Griffin Motorwerke. I trust them to keep it running for as long as possible. Their skills are comprehensive, and they're very resourceful. I was lucky to hear a meeting of the staff discussing a repair to another customer's car. I was so impressed by the seriousness, professionalism, and the focus on doing the best thing for the customer. Thanks, Curly, Terry, Nate and gang! read more

08/6/21 - I took my Porsche 911 in to replace clutch, flywheel, etc. I was told my ims bearings also needed update based never been changed. I gave approval. When I went to pickup my vehicle Nate the sale/service advisor told me I had to pay for 6 quarts of oil. I did not understand based on initial discussion, nor did I agree. He ended up charging for 3 quarts. Later I noticed oil drippings underneath on the ground of my garage. I called and Terry told me to bring my vehicle in. As soon as I walked up to the counter Nate started challenging me in a debate, "how do you know it's not motor oil?" I don't. I know I did not have oil leakage on my garage floor before the job. They looked and the oil filter was drenched in oil, leaking. Nate said they were not at fault. I immediately after went to a Porsche specialist, who stated when you Change ims bearings you remove the oil filter. I spend $4500.00 and they cannot be thorough and replace the filter. I spoke w/Nate Sharing my sentiments of dissatisfaction. Terry (owner) suddenly started telling me, "never fucking come here again." I was in disbelief of the level of disrespect. The disregard over a $40 filter what happened to customer service satisfaction. My $4500.00 repair is still under 1 year/ 12,000 warranty. But, Griffin makes excuses not to warranty work. Telling me, "never fucking come here again" over a $40 dollar filter. I spend $122.82 to replace oil filter and the oil leakage stopped. My experience was unfortunately negative. read more

Extremely knowledgeable staff, excellent work, and enjoyable to deal with. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Will be coming back for sure. Thank you! read more

nice shop, nice people, but incorrectly identified options on a Porsche Boxster. I thought they are Porsche specialists, oh well ...

These guys really know what they are doing. The customer service is amazing. The shop is super clean and organized. If you need any work done on a German car or even a Tesla these guys can do it. I would recommend them for German service in the east bay!!! read more

This was my second time using Griffin Motorwerke -- the first time was for racing harnesses in the front seats, and all went smoothly. This time I had racing seats installed and a minor engine problem fixed. If you read on you will see that it did not all go smoothly the second time, but Griffin handled the problem professionally and really went above and beyond. I would give them six stars if I could. Because I had to leave the car overnight and I live about an hour away, they were very flexible with me on scheduling. They were even nice enough to arrange for me to pick up the car on Saturday morning, when they are normally closed. When I picked up the car and started to drive home, an engine problem occurred and I had to turn around and take it back. Griffin immediately arranged a rental car for me which I drove home. On Monday when their technicians were back they discovered the source of the problem. I track my car regularly, and that's pretty hard on it. From what I understand it is likely that the problem had nothing to do with their work, and it was just a coincidence that it failed after their repair, but Griffin took full responsibility for fixing it at no charge. Not only did they take care of the problem, pay for the rental car, and drive my car back to me after it was repaired, but they did all of this cheerfully and never even suggested that the problem may not have been their fault. That is what is known as menschlichkeit. I spend tens of thousands of dollars every year on car maintenance and upgrades, and I have been to many shops in the Bay Area (from San José to Stockton). I have had good experiences at a few, but mixed experiences at most and some very bad experiences at others. Griffin is one of the few shops that I can recommend without hesitation. The only bad thing I can say about them is that they're too far from my house. read more

After two months of costly nonsense at a nearby VW dealership, I brought my 2019 e-Golf to Griffin Motorwerke. Great experience. MG's employees are personable, truthful and knowledgeable. And their prices are reasonable--on average, 25 to 30 % less than quotes I got from dealerships. read more

Nino and Curly and the rest of the guys at Griffin are awesome! These guys were able to answer all of my questions, and were about to install the parts on my Tesla Model 3 in a reasonable time! Their professionalism is why I keep coming back because it's top notch. I've been going to Griffin about 3 times now to install new parts, and I there is no doubt that I will come back if I need them to install anything else! read more

Curly, Terry and the whole gang are great at what they do. First time reviewing, but I've been coming here for years with multiple Audis. I've never had anything but impeccable service, mods & repairs. I recently had SEVERE suspension, wheel and brake damage on a brand new car, which was somehow returned to me driving better? These guys are extremely diligent and safe partly due to their years of racing and ongoing weekend track experience. No one likes to visit for repairs, but Curly and the team make it as smooth as possible! Best euro shop in the East Bay! read more

First time doing service here. Nino addressed my concerns before my appointment. Had my ''14 Tiguan brought in to install an aftermarket intake manifold linkage arm.took them a little over half a hour, which was to be expected knowing that stock factory composite materials are fragile. Nino quoted me a fair price for labor and also topped off fluids. Great service and shop over all. Would come back for other services in the future. read more

I thought these guys had a good rep. I took my 02' B6 Avant in on an emrgency when I started to feel wobbling and shaking. I thought it was tranny or drive line related. They get 1 star for taking me in w/ short notice. They had my car the entire day and diagnosed it as a bent rim (19's) so I thought it might have made sense since I remember hitting a pot hole the same morning. They put on my spare and I drove the car home. On the way home it started happening again! Griffin charged me for two hours of labor and at the time I happily paid. So im sitting around thinking WTF... these guys couldnt diagnose a sore thumb if it smacked em' up side the head. I took all four of my rims to Rite Way in Walnut Creek. They checked them out as being straight and balanced so another WTF!!! I researched and took the Avant to another shop in San Pablo. They diagnosed the problem as a bad LF inner CV joint. I opted to replace the entire LF drive shaft. They quoted me for two hours so I booked an appoinment as I sourced my own parts. Returned a few days later and they knocked the job out in an hour and thats all I paid even though I was quoted for 2 hours. I called up Terri at Griffin and wanted some kind of compensation for them mis-diagnosing my car. Nothing they can do!!! WTF, not even an oil change! I should have figured that these guys suck when it comes to VAG! All they had in their service garage (which was another 2 blocks away) was Japanese cars! Heres some better suggestions if you live near any of the shops im recommending... BRRacing (Los Gatos), Milts (Vallejo), TOMAS sport tuning (San Pablo), East County European (Brentwood), Edge (Dublin). You wont get jacked at any of these places. I can vouch for each of them =) read more

Are you planning to restore a treasured car for the future? Griffin's team led by Terry Griffin excelled in excellence in the areas of well designed improvements, safety, looks, and interior design for comfort. Last week's project on my '74 VW Super Beetle excelled them all. An engine mount extension caused some minor shifting problems. Instead of fixing it with nuts and bolts, they used rods and pipes to weld it in place. The fix was a complete success. The car now rides like the Baby Porche that it is. My Baby Blue is good for 100,000 miles now. Thank you to Terry and Bryan for the good welding at Griffin Motorwerke. read more

It's been a few years since I've used their services, but when I was living in Berkeley Griffin Motorwerke saved my life (or at least my car, my job, and my sanity) about a half-dozen times. I was young, living in Berkeley, and working at the Berkeley Humane Society. I had a pretty hefty rent for someone working for peanuts at a job I loved, and I had a car which had seen better days. She was a 1989 VW Fox, and when I first brought her to Griffin's she'd clonked out on me nearby, and it was the first place my bf and I could push her to. Over the course of about two years, the owner (I can't remember his name, but he wore black turtlenecks and swore WAY worse than a sailor) must have fixed my car's multiple failings at least five or six times. I sometimes felt uncomfortable with his vague misogyny and very, very foul mouth. But each time, he must have sensed my desperation for my car (I was travelling alot every weekend) because he fixed it for free several times and for ridiculously low prices (as in charging me only for the parts and no labor) other times. He always said, "I know you'll come back with your new car when you get one," to explain why he did these good deeds. I feel bad that I moved to the city shortly after getting a new (used) car, and haven't been back to this place. Although he had his faults, I am forever grateful to Mr. Griffin for giving me a break (and brakes, literally) when I really need it. My old car ended having the broken hood fly up at the windshield while I was driving across the Bay Bridge one morning, and that was the last straw for me...it was scary enough for me to realize that the car had finally lost its last leg. If ever I'm in Berkeley when my car breaks down, I'll go here and pay full-price with no questions asked. read more

I was really disappointed with a recent service at this shop. I brought my 82 VW Vanagon in before a long road trip to have it inspected and have two specific things fixed: a transmission leak and a starting/stalling issue. While Terry the owner is quite knowledgeable about these old vans, the guys that do the work are not. I spent over $1100 for the service and a day later I noticed a puddle on the driveway where the transmission still leaked. then the van broke down in the middle of the roadtrip and we had to have it serviced for a week in Oregon because the starting/stalling issue was not fixed either (in the end it was an engine issue, something that had been going for a long time yet Griffin did not even suggest this). I was thankful to find a shop on the road that fixed the issue for good, and taught me a TON about my van. when I returned to Griffin after the trip to explain my frustration with the job they did (or did NOT do) Terry got very defensive and rude about the situation. I am sure the things they did fix were right, but if they never addressed the issues I brought it in for fully after keeping my van there for 3 days and charging me $1100+ I certainly would not return nor recommend this shop. read more

I just took in my tiptronic B5 S4 for a bunch of transmission work. Originally my warranty was going to pay for it all so we spec'd OEM parts but then the warranty company found a technicality and left me out in the cold. Terry & Curly worked with me to find the best solution for my chipped car and worked out a deal with LevelTen in New Jersey so that they can build up bullet proof transmissions here in California (rather than freight the entire tranny across the country and back.) Griffin tooled up the shop to rebuild/service the tiptronic and in short order I had a bullet proof transmission with LevelTen guts along with a LevelTen torque converter and valvebody. The performance parts ended up on par price-wise with the OEM equivalents. The new trans feels refined and sane around town but really slams when you give it some juice on the highway. The shifts are cleaner than before and I'm now spec'd for all of the future mods I plan to make. I am once again extremely happy with my experience at Griffin and impressed with their commitment to customer service. read more

I've been coming here for more years than I can remember. Cars I've brought over have been Subarus, VWs and Audi. Service has been excellent for routine maintenance and for stuff done to make your car faster. All work has been done right and if there are adjustments needed they have been happy to accomodate. Terry the owner is also a funny guy. While not P.C. I enjoy his banter about politics, George Bush etc. It's nice to visit a shop where the employees are all enthusiasts, not 9-5 employees. read more

The mechanics at Griffin are professional, knowledgeable and responsive. They clearly care a great deal about cars. They won't beat around the bush or sugar coat anything but I don't get the typical, macho mechanic attitude from them either. They have a solid base of regular customers, meaning they can't always fit you in immediately, but they seem pretty good about responding to unexpected requests. For example, my engine light went on a few weeks ago and they were able to run a diagnostic for me that day, while I waited (10 minutes). They're also only a 15-minute walk from the North Berkeley BART station, which makes a difference for a working girl like me. read more

* Great customer's service - from initial phone call (handled by the owner) through the appointment checkin to the drive off * Great shop for car enthusiasts - open to reasonable modifications and always helpful with recommendations * Waiting area with row of Recaro's, fast WiFi and (some) coffee * Not cheap, but well worth the price - final bill was reduced as some jobs took less time than expected Suggestion: I'd like to see better coffee machine read more

These are the go-to guys for my 2008 Porsche 911. Super nice, super professional. All the work they've done has been rock solid. And even though they always seem slammed, they manage to squeeze me in last minute. read more

I can't speak to all the recent negative reviews but from my experience Terry, Curly and the rest of the crew down at Griffin Motorwerke has been nothing but fantastic to me over the 4+ years I've brought my 2007 S4 to them for work. These guys really know cars especially Audis and their passion and care really shows for it. Yes their rates can be expensive but hey you get what you pay for right? The team down there has never tried to rip me off and has always given me honest advice whether it was regarding repairs or installing a wicked downpipes and catback system. Yes the team there can be blunt but their downright friendliness and honestly quickly warms up on you. And anyways I'd rather them be blunt and honest with me than nice and exploitative. Griffin recently moved and though I haven't checked out their place yet, looking at my previous experiences with them I'd highly recommend Terry and his team for service or performance upgrade... heck I'd still be going here if it wasn't for the fact that I'm now in the South Bay. read more

I just stopped by around 1 hour ago and picked up my MOTUL and Redline fluids for my RX7 here. This was the closest redline dealer I could find to Oakland. The customer service was friendly and prompt, no waiting and watching employees stare off into space or BS. They are well staffed and specialize in AUDI and VW from the looks of the lot. Glad I got rid my my Audi but if I still owned one and was to lazy or incapable to work on it myself, I would take it here. Thanks Griffin Motorsports. read more

Griffin has been around forever, and they've always been a reputable shop. The past few times I've taken my car here, they've been exceptional. I normally take my Bmw to Bavarian Professionals up the street, but if they can't accommodate a particular date, I go to Griffin. So I tend to bounce back and forth. All I can say is this: Customer service is friendly and professional, prices are competitive, and the work is high quality with good communication, and it's finished within a timely manner. Bonus: Fieldwork Brewery is right next door! Bonus: always a pleasure to speak with a living legend--Terry Griffin. read more

My daughter attends Berkeley and went to retrieve her car from the parking structure in the evening and it would not start. We found Griffin Motorwerke by searching the web. I called them the next morning after they opened and they were booked for a month. However, Nate the technician, understood that this was an emergency for my daughter. He advised to please have her get the car to the shop and said that they would do everything they can to help her out. Even though they were very busy, they resolved the problem for her and helped her get the car back within 24 hours. The cost was reasonable and they were so kind and professional. I highly recommend this shop. It is rare to find this type of service and kindness today! read more

Curly took great care of me! I had them install a new exhaust on my Cayman and they got me in and out right on time. I needed to ship my old exhaust to the manufacturer and they even offered to box it up and ship it out for me to save me the time and hassle! Awesome service over there. read more

I've been Terry's customer for over 30 years! Terry and Curly are trustworthy, very knowledgeable, experts at diagnosing the issues, have a team of excellent mechanics, and keep my cars running great! read more

This is the place to go if you want your car to get the best service with knowledgeable, no nonsense people! They take better care of my car than the high end dealership! read more

One of those places which leaves you spellbound! I had to get a few mods done for my VW GTI. The job was done with utmost perfection and in a timely manner. Although my assignment was small compared to what they do generally, Terry stayed back late in a Saturday afternoon (when they are generally closed). Apart from the job on my car, talking to Terry was quite a learning experience for a amateur enthusiast like me. The man carries a lot of experience and loves to talk! Stories of his personal experiences left me overwhelmed! The store is stuffed with all kinds of performance add-ons you could think of. I am definitely coming back here for all future mods to my car! 5 stars :) read more

I'm not sure what rock Elton "the reviewer" climbed out of, but he is probably one of the low grade mechanics down the street. I've been a customer of Griffin for over half a decade and his team is the only team I trust my classic 928 to handle. As to honesty, I've had Terry come in way under his original estimate a number of times as he found a part at a better price and passed the savings on to me. More than that, the one time I thought I had needed a serious repair he came back with a solution that saved me a 1/3 of the cost - and he didn't have to as I fully believed I needed the repair. I have also seen him back his work. When a new part failed soon after they put it in, Griffin not only replace the part but also did it at no additional cost. I said this on my original review and I will say it again - If you are the jiffy lube, gloss it over, do not really care about your car, let's do this as cheaply as I possibly can type, you are at the wrong shop - go to Costco. If you have a performance car or prefer to treat your car like it is one - go here. I would also be highly suspect of people claiming they went here and got "ripped off". There is at least one garage claiming to specialize in Porsche work trying to steal Griffin's customer base. I know - I've gotten their stupid flyers on my windshield at BART (which I *hate* btw). That competitor appears to over promise, over charge and under deliver. I have seen Griffin stand by their work. They build long term relationships with their customers and you don't get that by being any other way than honest, fair and good at what you do. read more

I want to start first by saying that I usually don't ever leave reviews but this time I felt compelled due to the series of events that occurred here at this business. I've brought my BMW here a couple of times now but no more. I first called and spoke to Terry, he gave me the run down on the service that my car needed plus some performance upgrades, he said that his shop is like a "porn shop" for cars and that he is the ""dirty old man". Honestly I found it amusing at first. Brought my car car in, had some work done and left. The next time I walked in, Terry was telling an explicit sexual joke about a leprechaun or something and a few of the office staff members did not look amused at all... he then hugged the blonde lady in the office and slapped her butt in front of everyone! On my third and final visit while I was waiting my turn in the waiting area, he referred to another customer as a "cheap ass hab nab Arab". I was completely blown away by thIs as I am from the Middle East and could not believe what I had just heard. I didn't even stay to leave my car, I will find another place and I hope no one else has to deal with this. read more

Terry, Nino and Curly do a great job of getting your car and you in and out in a pleasant, efficient and cost effective manner. They've always been helpful with automotive information even prior to bringing my car in for its first service with them. They've made some suggestions on work to be done but also when items are unnecessary or can wait. Services and call backs are timely. Keep it up fellas! read more

I came here to figure out if I can replace a weird missing part on my racing harnesses. This place has EVERYTHING and the people there are knowledgeable and friendly. I really enjoyed my experience there and all the help they gave me. Will definitely use them again when possible! read more

I don't really leave yelp reviews very often. I have been a customer here for a little over a year and had an 09 A4. I would like to say that Terry and Curly are the best, nicest, and most importantly most honest mechanics I have ever worked with. EVER. I highly recommend them to anyone that has a german car that is in need of service. I went to them with an issue that another mechanic had done on my car before I had known better, another mechanic advertising that they work on these cars for an oil leak. Well they fixed it so great that it practically dumped oil everywhere. These guys went through and corrected that persons shoddy work. And my car ran like new again. Unfortunately it was purchased used from a shady dealer and was having some new issues, about a year later, noises coming from my timing case and Terry who I highly praised let me know that the factory seal on said case had appeared to be tampered with at some point in time not during my ownership of the vehicle. But most importantly he was willing to take the time with me who was obviously panicked to take a peek at it on the spot. I was very upset but happy that my mechanic would tell me this to save me heartache and wallet ache with the A4. I joked and said the car would morph into a new TDI, and it did, and I will be seeing them for all my mechanical needs. They are the best in my opinion. Terry and they people at Griffin are awesome, love what they do, and it shows. If I could give 10 stars for customer service and quality of work I would. read more

Wonderful. Solved a problem (engine light on) for much less money than I expected. Very prompt, quality service. I am a bit frustrated with the maintenance expenses associated with luxury cars (this is my first and last!) but very happy with the service and expertise of Griffin. read more

This shop is amazing! I bring my '08 TT in for "things", and we figure out what she needs. Expert staff. I drive from Palo Alto to get my car worked on here. read more

These guys are pretty right on. They always fix what they say and clearly communicate what's needed. They've saved my 911 from the garage more than once. Would definitely recommend them. read more

No matter what you need, regular maintenance, or taking your GT3RS to the track these dudes have everything covered. I have just purchased my 3rd VW and my partner has had 1 VW and 1 Audi. We have been seeing Terry and Curly since 2006. They will never steer you wrong, they will always be honest, they will write EV-ER-Y-THING in the notes. I have never had more trust in a mechanic in my life and this is not our first pony show. Even though between them all they know probably everything that has to do with these cars, they are never pretentious. Folks are always chatting up Curly, Terry, Nino, and the rest of the dudes, in the retail space. They are a community shop with everyone's best interest at heart that also have the know-how to put 13 lbs of stuff in your 10lb engine bay. I have used them even when I live 400 miles away, I have sent a friend to them who turned his MK4 golf into a homemade R32 and drove it to Alaska when he was visiting and needed help figuring things out. I know I rambled on, but please do not hesitate to call them up. You will get everything you pay for. I have never been disappointed, and it has been 11 years. All my love to the whole shop. read more

*Honesty* My first car was a 1988 (yes 88!) VW Rabbit GTI. Griffin did some modification /enhancements, and the regular tune-ups on it back then (I reached over 250K miles on that car). I now have a Cayenne, and only allow Griffin to touch it for the regular maintenance, tune-ups, and brakes. Terry is a straight forward guy who knows his stuff as well as his team and their work. Enough said - 5 stars read more

We've taken several of our VW's and Audi's to Griffin Motorwerke over the years, and I can absolutely attest to the fact that these folks are the best auto mechanics in the entire East Bay. They are impeccable and attentive, and will do everything possible to get you in and out quickly at the lowest cost. They always call immediately when the find an issue, and are excellent about telling you whether or not it needs to be done. Then they always go the extra mile (!) and pay attention to every detail. I want in for an oil chance and a spring tune-up for my 2017 GTI, and they took the time to run the codes, clear the codes, print them out for me, and tell me not to do anything about any of them, but we'd just keep our eye out on all of them in the future. They researched roof rack options, gave me details, pictures and email updates and were super chill when I decided to put that off till later. They now have an email notification system sending appointment reminders and followed up with a digital copy of my rcpt. Plus, the shop is huge, and extremely clean - the mechanics has the space, time and tools to do what they do and do it right. Terry, Curly, Nino, Chris and the entire team are outstanding. Bottom line, the best auto shop in the east bay, period. read more

Terry, Curly and all the staff and tech's are most incredible, I wish I could provide all the names, anytime I stop by or call in they are there to, always follow through, all I can say is highly recommend to stop by and let them help you. Thanks to all of you read more

Griffin installed MPP Sports Coilovers (plus toe/camber arms) on my Tesla Model 3 Performance. Their team is very knowledgeable in this area and especially with the Model 3. After discussing my goals, they recommended a ride height and alignment that has made the car feel just right. Very happy with the result. read more