honest & kind, old fashioned & down to earth. my truck had this grinding noise. i first had it diagnosed by a SF city's legacy business auto repair shop. they said because noise travel everywhere, so they can't say for sure its source. after advising me to change several parts unnecessarily, eg, axle shaft, etc, the grinding noise persisted. they failed to find its origin. next, i sought help from a Costco's auto program repair shop. they showed off to me how they make use of misc fancy, allegedly expensive diagnostic tools. yet, in the end, it was a waste of time. then, i sought help from Powell's Hydramatic. Sam simply rolled up his sleeves and manually break the relevant components apart. within hours, he pinpointed the source of the grinding noise being the failed propeller shaft, even showed me the heavily grinded parts. therein lies the strength of Sam, old school, he could grasp the problem by understanding how all the parts work as a whole via his 70+ years of experience, and hands on approach to the problem. appears to be a hobby shop for Sam, he still has that spark of curiosity in solving automotive mechanical problems. decades passed, yet he likely is still very much that same young apprentice who first came across Hydramatic transmission when GM first introduced it, not swayed by the greedy and bureaucratic corporate culture of prevalent auto repair industry. and Maria is honest, caring, and resourceful in getting parts for her husband's mechanical hobby. Sam and Maria are honest and competent. and very convenient too to visit because their shop is just 5 minutes walking distance from 16th street Bart station. read more

Powell's HydraMatic - Auto Repair Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

What a great experience. Maria was absolutely wonderful -- kind, patient, and genuinely pleasant to talk to. You can tell she really cares about customers. I brought in my 2005 VW New Beetle Convertible, and the whole process was smooth from start to finish. The shop itself is calm and quiet, almost like a library -- very different from most auto shops. I was given clear information, no pressure, and everything was explained in a straightforward way. Customer service was excellent, no hidden charges, and the car was handled with care. Overall, a very positive experience. I'd definitely come back and recommend them to others. read more

what a great experience Maria you are the greatest, such a sweet lady, so polite so caring to talk to, and the shop is so quiet, like a library. took my truck in gave me a quote over the phone and no hidden charges and back in two days. awesome experiance read more

Fantastic place! A local business that is run with efficiency and integrity. They gave us a fair price, fixed the issue, did not try to upsell us and were transparent and timely. Definitely recommend them!!! read more

Called the shop on Monday and explained that I'm having transmission issues. I was referred here by another shop who recently performed a rebuild for me because Powell is an ATRA member and should be able to perform warranty covered work. The woman I spoke with explained that they're running with minimal staff at the moment but would call me back by end of day to give me an update on when they could take me in. End of day Monday, no call. Tuesday, no call. Wednesday, no call. I finally call back Thursday morning and speak to the same lady, who seems like she could care less about not having followed up. She asks to put me on a brief hold so she can check on availability. She comes back and explains that they're still running short-staffed and couldn't get me in. Totally understandable, I ask when I can make an appointment for the future. She seems stunned/confused by the concept of scheduling work in advance and tells me that's not an option, they're not taking on new work. She gives me a very half-hearted unreassuring offer "to put me on a list and call me when there's time." Save yourself the time and effort and look elsewhere. read more

Powell's Hydramatic transmission repair was recommended by my regular mechanic. Good call. I brought my 2011 Mustang in for a very bad transmission problem. A new tranny would have been about $5,000 or so - plus labor, but Sam fixed me up perfectly with his expert repair. The estimate was $650, but I was ultimately charged thirty dollars LESS. The car drives great now. Wow. Go to Powell for the job done right the first time and at a very fair price (and avoid at all costs going to any gouging dealership repair shop). read more

Great family business run by Maria, Sam and their son. They do great work on all types of transmissions and even do work for other shops that send them their tough jobs. Forget about Aamco, check out Powell's Hydra-Matic. read more

In summary: The best garage I have come across in the Bay. The good: I do most of my own maintenance on my car, but there's only so much I can do having only taken Auto I in high school. Therefore, for bigger jobs such as CV axle replacements, clutch replacements, etc, this is where I take my car. I drive a modified 1993 Corolla and I'm very picky about who I allow to touch it, as most garages don't listen or care about customer concerns. They do. But not only do they listen and care, but they're actually HONEST! I've never been to such an honest garage in my life. If something doesn't need to be done, they'll tell you, straight up. If they notice another problem while working on the car, they'll let you know of it, and how urgent the problem is. I've also noticed that the quality of their parts suppliers are top notch. I went through 2 Kragen driveshafts within about 5000 miles and even though I had a replacement warranty on it, the third time I tossed it and let them throw in a brand new axle. Viola, no more problems, no more downtime, and no more paying for labour to fix it over and over. Not to mention, their prices are actually quite similar to what Kragen charges! As other reviews have noted as well, they are a family business, and don't treat you like you're just some idiot who doesn't know anything. I've had experiences at other garages where it seems that the mechanics talk down to me, as if I didn't know anything on the subject, but I never get that feeling here. There's a very warm feeling here, and when I call to make an appointment I'm never rushed off the phone as if I'm a nuisance, which again I have gotten the feeling from when calling other places for quotes. The bad: They don't do everything, yet. They're supposedly looking for another mechanic to help out though so they can do more diagnostics and other tune-up jobs such as timing belt changes. I hope they can make that happen! Overall, I highly recommend Powell Hydramatic. read more

These guys are honest, friendly, and are good at communicating the status of a repair.

Professional mechanics. The first time I've had a repair shop tell me not to get an expensive service.

First ever yelp for me, but I'm compelled.. simply put. very kind and understanding, happened to have the part I needed and fixed my car quick. I trust them and feel they are honest and knowledgeble. Thank you Sam! read more

I echo others. This is a fair, trustworthy, small business worthy of your business. They stand behind their work and will make sure your car is working. They are just a block from the 16th St Bart for those who can take public transportation. I highly recommend this garage and family-run business. read more

Brought in my '91 Jeep to get the transmission fluid changed, they did a wonderful job. They are very friendly, honest, reliable, and affordable. read more

Ok Yelpers, if you need tranny work done, Go Here! They are the nicest, local been there 30 years Maria and 46 years for the owner.. Now in truth I have not gotten the full repair yet, but let me tell you no one and I mean no one has been so nice and truthful as Maria has been, My story starts with getting brand new cv boots put on a block away and while we all thought that was the issue, turns out its the tranny. Thank every deity out there the car stalled in front of Powell's. Maria was so sweet when I walked in and tried to find someone to look at it right away, they were full up and it was the end of the day, she called me the next day told me two fair options, I asked her what I owe her up to this point as I had signed a form agreeing to $160 in diagnostic work, she said I owed her nothing. We decided to tow the car to our house till we get our tax returns to pay for the rebuilt tranny, which they do that work all in house. Maria again super nice hung out with me while I waited for the tow. She also told me some great options for making payments, I have never heard of a garage willing to work with the customer like that. She Rocks. I will be back to give my little car it's heart transplant as soon as possible. Thanks again Maria! read more

Maria and Sam are absolutely amazing. I was referred here through Larkins Brothers since I had issues with my transmission where oil was leaking from in addition to oil leaking from the axle as well. Sam was so kind he took my car in to check it even when he did not have to, but he did so anyways, which I truly appreciate him for, as well as Maria who has been so helpful throughout the whole process. My car has been having issues prior to coming here, and thanks to Sam and Maria, I was able to finally get my car fixed and ready to go. They are honest, kind and truly are remarkable for the customer service they provide. I highly recommend them, as they are very trustworthy which is hard to find these days. Thank you again Sam and Maria for all of your hard work and honesty, and for making my life easier with all of your help. They truly deserve 10 stars. I will definitely be coming back if I need any other transmission services in the future! read more

3 days after dropping my car off I still hadn't received a call regarding an analysis or estimate of my car's mechanical problem. When I phoned, they said they hadn't looked at it yet. Meanwhile, I've been without a car for 3 days and they could have just said they were too busy, etc... I won't be returning. read more

My clutch burned out on me 36 hours before I was supposed to leave on a major road trip. Powell Hydramatic was amazing. They arranged the towing of my car to the garage (and ended up throwing that in for free), got me a great rate on a rental car for the day the car was in the shop, and was able to get all the work done within 24 hrs. Five stars! read more

Just wanted to say thanks to Powell Hydramatic for their courteous, knowledgeable and professional service. Had them rebuild my 90 Volvo with a AW70L trans that died on me. What could have easily been overlooked by another shop was not by Powell Hydramatic. They informed me there was water in the trans and trans oil in the radiator. Ruptured trans line in the radiator caused the clutch material to lliterally fall off. I shopped around and even though I found someone who would do it for a little less, I felt more comfortable bringing my car there just not only because of their reputation and long standing presence, but also because they are a ATRA Certified transmission rebuilder who stand behind their work. Price was competitive and strongly recommend this business to anyone who wants great service at a reasonable price. Great job guys! read more