I had to get work done on my car recently, having heard that loud rumbling that typically happens when your muffler or some part of the exhaust system develops a breach resulting in what sounds like a 1967 Charger with thrush packs. Since I was hesitant to just go to any muffler shop for fear of being ripped off, I first too, my car to my mechanic, who promptly told me it was definitely the muffler. She also suggested that the best thing to do was to take the car to Johnny Franklin's on Bellam in San Rafael. The guys there were courteous and professional through the whole experience. When the car was up on the lift, they showed me exactly where the problem was and provided a written estimate, which was within the cost ballpark I'd expected after researching costs of various exhaust replacements online. The work was performed quickly and within 45 minutes, the car was ready to go, purring so quietly I'd wondered if it had EVER sounded so quiet previously. The only flaw in the process was that I had given them half the cost in cash, and used my credit card to pay the balance, at which point the card was run through for processing and I was instantly told "oops - rang up the whole amount." Of course a credit for the difference was also then immediately put through, because they're honest guys. However it also meant that until the credit back went through the system, the bank put a hold on the entire amount. This is something that's happened to me before at various other places (a restaurant, a hotel) so I wasn't completely shocked. But it definitely is something you need to pay attention to. Not just here, but wherever you use a credit card. And it will not stop me from saying these guys are great at what they do. read more

Ok, so here is my update only three days after my last review: After spending the weekend driving my M3 with my custom exhaust system fitted with race-style mufflers, I felt that it was just too loud (normally I love loud exhaust systems...but I couldn't even listen to music while driving). I called the shop and spoke with Don, explaining my issue. He said to come back and they would install a different set of mufflers to reduce the drone/noise. Again, they did a great job fitting the new mufflers, and I was pleased with the result. When I went to pay/settle the bill, I was expecting to pay for the second set of mufflers, etc. However...NO! Don took care of it and only charged me a small amount for labor...even though it was originally MY FAULT for choosing the race-style mufflers to begin with. I was already pleased with prior work done by this shop (including exhaust system installation on my BMW M5 a couple of years ago), but the customer service I have experienced this time makes me wish I could give them 6 stars! As long as I am living within driving distance of Jonny Franklin's, they will always have my exhaust business. read more

Great shop. Brought my muscle car here on the advice of H&J Tire, who are the best at what they do. I wanted a dual exhaust setup put on my beast, but I knew next to nothing about such things. After asking me what I wanted, the guy helping me recommended the Flowmaster 40 series, which would give me a nice rumble but nothing over the top or super obnoxious. I put my trust in their knowledge and was not disappointed. After an hour or so, my car was ready to go. Exhaust tips looked great, the monster sounds nice and mean! Couldn't be happier. Thanks, Johnny Franklin's! read more

I was just there today,with my dog, at the advisement of Volvo of Marin. I needed to have my muffler moved back into place after backing up into an uneven driveway, and it going askew. They were so awesome and nice, and it took no time at all for them to get the job done for 30! yes...30 dollars! Unheard of. I thought I was going to pay hundreds. I will always recommend these folks. Kudos to Volvo of Marin for telling me to go here instead of their garage at the dealer. Now, if we can find skull shaped exhaust tips, we will be really good to go. read more

Just a great bunch and very honest. Highly recommend and couldn't have been happier. I was surprised when others quoted me thousands, they fixed it with a simple 10 cent part. read more

Super happy that found Johnny Franklin Muffler (via Google search - I drove by the place a hundred times and never noticed it. I brought my old(er) car into a local tire shop to look at my exhaust. I backed over something and the exhaust was quite loud. The counterman looked at the car quickly and quoted me $500 to fix. I decided to not have them do the work. Next stop was Johnny Franklin's Muffler They immediately took my keys and put the car on the lift. The mechanic, Carlos, fixed the existing system in under 15 minutes. Total bill was $20. Johnny Franklin's Muffler is the only place I'd bring my car for work on Exhaust (or shocks)!! read more

Great friendly customer service, very efficient, fixed the rattle from the rear shield on an old Subaru in minutes! I will definitely be back for any future jobs and highly recommend! These guys are great! read more

Been here a few times for muffler installations on trucks. Always great.

I've had an embarrassing rattling under my car for a couple months and was finally fed up with it. Took them no time to find that the catalytic heat shield would rattle when revving and they reattached it. Only took a couple hours and got a call that it was done. The cost of repair was so minimal that it shocked me. They even tightened up some bolts and sensors along with everything else. So glad these guys were recommended to me, and I will continue to use their services with out any hesitation. Thank you again guys, outstanding work. read more

I had my catalytic converter stolen and Johnny Franklin's was fantastic in helping me navigate the insurance process and doing the work really quickly. They were so reasonably priced that I ended up paying less than my deductible, despite the extra work for welding rods in place to deter future theft. A pleasure to deal with. read more

Reasonable prices, fast service, what more do you want? Well I wanted a cool sounding custom muffler for my Beemer and they actually put on three different choices for to hear. read more

After two failed appointments with a well-Yelped shop down by my office (seriously, who waits until a customer shows up for a scheduled appointment to tell them that the shop's running behind and they'll need to reschedule to another day...twice?), I came back to Yelp for a recommendation closer to home. Johnny Franklin's looked great, and after a quick call to Don (very personable), I lined up a stop in for the following day. Showed up mid-morning today (no appointment as they run a first-come, first-serve shop) and had the car up on a lift within 20 minutes. The job itself was really simple- just swapping out exhaust tips on a new car- but the technician performing the work took the time to make sure everything was aligned *perfectly* and asked my opinion multiple times to get everything just right, even grabbing a ladder so I could look down onto the tips as fitted to see how it would appear "on the street" when finished. I'm the kind of guy that prefers to get my hands dirty on my own car, but for things like this where I can't do the job in my own driveway it makes a huge difference having a shop that's so willing to work with customers and let them poke around the car while they're working (yeah, I'm also that guy who wants to lurk over the tech's shoulder just to watch them work). After some more pleasant conversation with Don to wrap things up, I was out of there for $40, which for the amount of time and care taken for the work, was a steal. I think future exhaust changes are coming down the line, and now I know exactly where I'll take the car to have them done. Highly recommend this shop. read more

Johnny Franklin's Muffler - After, filling out those exhaust cutouts to look worlds better - Auto Repair Near Me - San Rafael, California

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The high ratings held true! Drove in on a Thursday afternoon and for $170 and 45 minutes later I had a new muffler and exhaust routed to the rear of my Tacoma pickup truck. They did a nice job bending the piping over the rear axle. Great customer service. read more

Friendly, fast, high quality service at a low price. What's not to like? Call ahead to make an appointment or just drop in.

I had a chair that needed a small weld, so I stopped by Steve Zappetini & Sons - there was a guy sitting in a chair not doing anything - the weld size i had on the chair was the size of a dime. The guy so very rudely said "That will be Fifty Bucks! - Minimum charge" No sign of friendly, customer service. Really disappointing because of their excellent history. Needless to say, $50 was way too much for a 30 second-dime size weld job. I went to Johnny Franklin Motors and the guy there was GREAT, super nice and did the job free of charge. That's how it should be in this world. I do not support Zappetini's!! JOHNNY FRANKLIN MUFFLERS IS EXCELLENT! Thank you! read more

These guys are the best. Extremely professional and the attention to detail was very much appreciated. Great work, fair price and quality service. read more

Johnny Franklin's Muffler - Auto Repair Near Me - San Rafael, California

Went to Johnny Franklin's as a first time customer on a recommendation from my auto mechanic. They were busy so I had to wait a bit but once they took my car in they were really fast. Took care of a few small things for me and brought the car around. I asked how much I owed and the response was no charge. He said, it didn't take us that long, that's it....have a nice day. I didn't expect that however even if there was a charge, and honestly there was time involved so there should have been, I still would be writing a 5 star review. Polite, and professional, great team there. read more

Based on the reviews, I stopped here in the middle of a short road trip to get a couple of exhaust leaks fixed in my old Toyota. The guys were friendly, fast, and more than fair in terms of pricing. Of course, the quality of the work was great as well. There is good reason for all of the 5 star reviews. I live 40 miles away but would consider coming back for any other exhaust work. read more

I was referred to Johnny's to have my heat plate removed and received friendly and great service. They were so kind and did not even charge me, will definitely go back for future service needs! read more

Don is the guy that you can count on . Honest and very helpful. Needed his help to pass my smog and he took care me . read more

Johnny Franklin's Muffler - Auto Repair Near Me - San Rafael, California

Clean, Efficient, Friendly! The guys running this place are good. I had a muffler replaced and they took great care in getting the job done to my satisfaction. The manager Paul knows his mufflers. He has great customer service and helpful advice regarding the care of your car's exhaust. If you want quality work, go to Johnny Franklin's Muffler. read more

It's true. No question. The best muffler shop anywhere! I called ahead, they had the catalytic for my old '02 Dodge Ram Van. I was in and out in less than an hour. I had a seat looking through the window into the shop and watched the technician cut the old one off, grind the edges, prep the new one, arrange the angle of the muffler pipe and weld it on. They are professionals and proud of their business. I got some great tips on other things talking to the manager. My mechanic didn't want to do the job but he said to expect to pay $500.00+ Johnny Franklin's quoted me 450 over the phone and the final bill was $435.00. Why would you take a chance on anyone else?? Thanks guys. read more

Impressive to say the least. Don knew his mufflers. I did a lot of research on what mufflers I wanted for my fox body mustang. Everything he said correlated with the research I did. I ended up with the exact exhaust note and volume I wanted. He was also able to diagnose what had been done incorrectly by who ever welded the previous exhaust system on. The welds they did look excellent and you simply can not beat the price. I can count the number of shops that have impressed me like this on one hand in nearly 25 years of dealing with shops and mechanics. As long as I live in the area I will be a dedicated customer. read more

I recently needed a catalytic converter and discovered this place was 1/3 the price of my dealership. Went on a Tuesday and met Paul who not only explained what a catalytic converter is but showed me photos of a glowing one. Incredibly straight forward, handsome and polite man. Came back on Wed. to have the work done and met his brother who not only chews tobacco and spits AS HE TALKED TO ME....but he is a massive smart alec. Not one single word he said to me was anything but a joke of some kind. Not knowing anything about catalytic converters or cars in general I didn't find this type of joking funny. AT ALL. When I got my car back it rumbled like an old jalopy and made a terrible sound so I had to go back to see what was wrong. Spoke to the normal brother, Paul and was relieved they would look at it. I still don't quite know what was wrong other than the CC was touching some kind of bar they had to bend out of the way on my second visit, and again the smart alec brother was working that day, just made joke after joke about how messed up my car was and did I drive it through a forest. I don't even know what that means. He wouldn't say, he just kept making jokes about my car. WTH? Seriously? I would go back if I needed something but never ever on a Wednesday to be teased by the tobacco spitting brother. Ask for Paul he talks like a normal person and is very considerate. I hope I didn't mix up the names of the 2 brothers. Don and Paul...ask for the normal one and I'm pretty sure they will know which one that is. read more

I've been meaning to write this for some time...I had my catalytic converter replaced months ago and as luck would have it that stupid "check engine" light came on. I was advised by another company to take the car back and "demand" that they fix it. Well, I went in to Johnny Muffler's all ready to make a scene (well, a small scene...) but Donny with no questions asked simply took my keys...ran out to my car and within minutes....returned and said everything was good to go. I'm like,,,good to go as in get the heck outta here??? No, he said they replaced the catalytic converter and everything was good. No hassle, no begging, no explanation on my part needed. Just done. Now, that's what I call customer service. Hands down, I would recommend this shop for servicing of cats or mufflers or maybe you just want someone to be nice to you.... Thanks, Donny! read more

This is where you want to take your vehicle for any exhaust needs. They are the type of shop that you can trust. I have brought my cars here over the years and have never had a bad experience. Don will provide options that will work with you budget. I recently visited with a mysterious exhaust noise (a crooked mechanics/auto repair shop's dream). No, "it might take 2 hours, or maybe 5 hours." They are all about repeat business and that is why I have brought them all of my vehicles over the years. I would recommend them to your mother. 5 stars. read more

Don set me up with an awesome resonator delete on my 2019 audi rs5. They were able to make it interchangeable with oem pipes as requested and made it even easier for me to swap than I originally thought. Very reasonably priced as well. The car has some sound to accompany the power now! Thanks guys. read more

I took my car there for a muffler swap. Like always customer service was amazing. Highly recommended. The best in Marin county read more

Johnny Franklin's Muffler - Auto Repair Near Me - San Rafael, California

Excellent professional service! These guys were able to help me get in and out in less than a day! Affordable prices I highly recommend these guys for your service needs! read more

My first time going to Johnny Franklin's Muffler was 20+ years ago in Santa Rosa. They have installed Flowmaster on 3 of my cars. Now that I live in Peninsula, I decided to go to their San Rafael location. Don helped me out. He worked on my car at their Santa Rosa location years ago. They are super friendly, always smiling, and treat you like a family. I love Johnny Franklin's Muffler! I will never go anywhere else. read more

Just took in my 65' Corvette in. What a great shop! Honest and patient with me to explain the advantages and issues with a rebuilt car.

Top notch service! First time here today, and I was recommended by a friend. Service was instant, resolved my issues in under 15 minutes and had me back on the road. Price was more than fair to say the least. Good shops are hard to find and this one is one to remember. Highly recommend them. read more

Don and his team replaced my headers on my 69' Mustang. He discovered that the engine mounts had pretty much cracked in half and replaced those for me as well. Straight forward service, honest prices, and a good clean exhaust tone all thanks to these guys. Their excellent service has made me a customer for life. Thanks Don! read more

Wouldn't go anywhere else for exhaust. I've had my Scout and Tundra worked on here, have had many other vehicles worked on at other shops in the area and have not been nearly as satisfied. When you ask for a Flowmaster here they give you a Flowmaster, hasn't been the case with other shops in the area which have tried to get shady with me. Haven't heard any leaks or rattles ever from work at Johnny Franklin's, not the case with other shops I've been to in the area. Lastly you can't beat their prices and great easy going attitude. Tip: pay cash and save them some fees and they will usually pass the savings on to you. Always a pleasure to deal with, wish they were open on Saturdays as I live in San Francisco now, but I am willing to sacrifice a half work day to take my vehicle to Johnny Franklin's as it is well worth it. read more

This review is not for a muffler repair but another automotive repair. I was driving down Bellam Blvd & my tire blew out. I pulled into the Circle K Gas Station. Having forgotten my phone at work, I was on a lunch run at the time, I didn't have my roadsite assist phone # or policy #; it was saved in my contacts; so much for technology. I walked to the tire place, next to Johnny Franklin's but I was told they didn't have a means to repair/replace a tire "in the field." I was given the number to a towing company; useless without a phone. I walked next door to Johhny Franklin's, asking if they knew of a local repair shop. The manager asked one of his mechanics if he would walk across the street to assist. Antonio walked over & changed my tire for me, working with the crappy scissor jack the auto manufacturer includes. I was so greatful for his help, I gave him a tip, which I hope, equalled two hours of his pay. I know this much, if I DO need muffler work; I'll be going to Johnny Franklin's for sure!! read more

Don and his crew are personable, fair and honest. I highly recommend them and wouldn't think of going anywhere else for my exhaust needs.

Another business trying to make a buck in a nice, friendly way.

Very nice Guy, and they did a great Job replacing my Center Muffler with straight Pipes! Awesome!

A trusted friend referred me to Johnny and Frankie's. My problem was not muffler related it was that my driver's window was not operating properly. What was needed was a welding job to re-affix a part to the window guide. What would have been at least a hundred dollars (or more) at a dealership cost me ten minutes and $15.00. At the same time I was treated like a valuable customer! Wow! That's more than a good business it's being good people. The truth is this is a valuable business they should have charged me a minimum one hour but I'm not complaining, I wanted the problem fixed and it is. Thanks! read more

Went there once to get a few broken exhaust hangars replaced. I was in and out in a matter of minutes and they charged me so little for the repair I remember being pleasantly surprised. Was just looking up their number so I can get an estimate for struts. read more