Great service he was so helpful definitely a place to go. He took his time and did all he could to try and fix my car even though he couldn't cuz it has to be done by dealership ugh read more

We have been in business in San Carlos for 35 years. The Vancea Brothers have always given us the best service we have ever experienced for automotive repair service during all the years we have been in business. Our company is extremely grateful for their service and glad that we came across them. Adbag, Inc. read more

Vancea auto service is a family owned and operated business and it shows! I called because my cars AC had stopped working. Sam called me immediately and I was scheduled in the next day. They were quick, responsive and communicative about my repair and gave me multiple options. I've often been upsold on car repairs, walking away wondering if I was being taken advantage of. This was not the case at Vancea. I will definitely be back and they have earned my business long term. read more

Updated. The guy says it's a different business, so I'll give you the details and if it matches, you decide. I was sold a car from a home residence, when I went to pay the guy had me make it out to Vancea Auto - which he claimed was his auto detailing service. And it turns out the car had a salvaged title - only mentioned at the end after I'd paid for inspection. I had it inspected by an independent mechanic. It passed an inspection, but a year later the front wheel went out. I had it replaced 4 times by two different mechanics but it kept happening. The second mechanic found evidence of a prior wreck and suggested the frame was bent. Basically the car was a lemon and I was out my $ plus a lot of time. The story: it's my own car, my family car driven for the past 5 years etc. I just work at a autobody. The likelihood: it's a salvaged car rennovated and sold on the side to unsuspecting buyer. Caveat emptor. read more

Very honest, reliable and I like the services provided - because they gave me a ride, called me for updated services BEFORE they did it. They also provide refurbished car sales...but since my friend purchased her vehicle there over four years ago, they've taken care to make sure the car runs well. We saw their ad on Craigslist which cited it had body damage, and rebuild. When we went and looked at the car to make sure it wasn't some scam. The price was right in that it was all I could afford for a car that didn't have over 40,00 miles on it. We did minimal research on the car (CarFax, etc.) and saw that it was a salvaged vehicle. When asked them about it, they said they didn't know precisely the accident because they bought it at auction, but that the chassis was solid (which I confirmed independently). They took cash and threw in new tires for me. read more

One stop shop! Samuel, one of the owners is awesome! Honest and knowledgable, he will always tell you how it is. I moved to the Bay Area 3 years ago and never went anywhere else for my car repairs. I also recommended him to all my friends. read more

I had only great experiences with Vancea brothers, they fixed my car for a low price and it didn't took to long to have it back!

Let me start by saying that these guys are trust worthy and reliable. I trust them to come up with the right set of issues and fix them. I've been taking my cars to Vancea Auto Service for 3 years. They used to be reasonably priced, however their labor prices have risen recently. Also, in my experience you should do some research on part costs and work with them on getting cheaper parts. i.e. if you don't work with them they can be pricier than the competition. read more

I liked these guys. A lot. They gave me a ride to the DMV after I'd bought the car and took care of the registration paperwork for me. A few weeks after I bought my Geo, I locked my keys in the car and they came out and opened her up for me. Free. As far as buying salvage goes, I have no complaints about them. They didn't have a big neon sign that said "THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT" but when I asked they were forthcoming. Here's how it went down for me: I saw their ad on Craigslist which cited it had body damage. I went and looked at the car to make sure it wasn't some scam. The price was right in that it was all I could afford for a car that didn't have over 200,00 miles on it. I did minimal research on the car (CarFax, etc.) and saw that it was a salvaged vehicle. I asked them about it. They said they didn't know precisely the accident because they bought it at auction, but that the chassis was solid. They said they could do some glamor work on it for me, but it wouldn't be worth it. It likely had been in a flood, but again, it was all I could afford. They took cash and threw in new tires for me. I've had the car for three years now and it has never given me any problems. The power steering sucks and the AC and power doors are wonky, but its a good car. Plus, the brothers have fixed tail lights and door issues for free. They are good Romanian boys. read more

Over the past 8 years, Vancea has provided maintenance work for all of my vehicles and I have found them to be courteous, extremely trustworthy, and reasonably priced. My current vehicle has over 250K miles and I thank Mercedes Benz and Vancea for the car's longevity and minimal concerns. read more

These guys are shady, they cut corners in repairs (sold me an Audi A4 with a totally messed up wheel spindle, which they made to drive straight just by maxing out alignment settings). I wouldn't trust them ever again. read more

We have used these guys for both our cars and my mother's. I found them to be friendly and quite reasonable. I have been more than satisfied with their work. We found an auto repair that we trust read more

These guys are honest, straightforward, and not in the business of taking advantage of customers. They will stay in touch and keep you updated on everything. It was great that they asked for my approval before doing work - that doesn't happen everywhere. If you have a choice, put your vehicle in their hands! read more

My car needed a tune up and Vancea auto was my parents mechanic so I thought I would take it there. This was a huge mistake! It started to seem like every time I took it there it had something else horribly wrong with it! My car had never been particularly problematic before. I finally started to get really fed up because I had spent a few thousand dollars and my car was still running like crap. I came back to get repairs on my car, complaining that the car wasn't right, my car was running really hard after he replaced an engine mount. It went from purring like a kitten to sounding like a diesel truck on its last leg! Daniel treated me like a was a dumb woman who didn't know what I was talking about, he actually had the gall to tell me that my car had always sounded like that and I just never noticed it!!! After I got it back the last time I was done! Daniel (one of the Vancea brothers) guaranteed me that it would be fine until it's next tune up in 3,000 miles... not a week later my car started stalling out and shimmying!!! And this was after 6 months of taking it back practically every month! I took it to another mechanic and it turns out that Vancea auto put my vacuum hose on wrong, it was loose and coming off!!!! DO NOT GO TO THIS MECHANIC!!! THEY ARE VERY SHADY!!! On top of all this my sister and her boyfriend bought two salvaged cars from them. The first one broke down every 2 weeks... So they bought a second car to replace the first. The brakes were shot so they had to bring it back in the first month and then they finally got it back after being told every day that the car would be ready for over a week. This car cost my sister her job! And after the brakes had been "fixed" they were driving about 2 weeks later and THE BRAKES FAILED!!! They got in an accident, thankfully they weren't on the freeway when it happened! The car got towed to Vancea auto and they "couldn't find anything wrong with the brakes." He basically told my sister that she was lying about the brake failure and that they (Vancea auto) had done a great job... When we questioned him about the brakes he (Daniel) got really defensive and started back tracking. A subordinate let slip that they didn't prime the brake lines before returning the car to us! Any mechanic worth their salt would prime the freaking brake lines after they had worked on the brakes and let the car sit for 2+ weeks! If you want a good mechanic, look elsewhere! read more

Beware of these characters. I had a big engine job done. They are the worst mechanics I have encountered. I am not even sure that it is just incompetence or if they are delibertly dishonest, just cant say what it is. , But they are really really bad mechanics... this I can tell you without hesitation. read more

We have been using Vancea as our "go to" mechanics for 10 years. They are honest, direct, thorough and stand behind their work. The sense I get is they feel incredible responsibility for my family's safety. It's great to know I can rely on them for my five cars and five drivers in the house. read more

I have been fixing my cars at their auto-shop for over 10 years now and I never had and issues with them. They are very professionals and helpful. I did not buy any cars from them, but as I stated it my cars had been fixed at their shop every time. The prices are pretty satisfactory as well comparing with other Auto Shops in the area. Great team!!! Keep up the good work. read more

Consistently professional, reasonably priced, reliable, and courteous. BEST IN TOWN !!!

I have been taking my cars to Vacea for a few years and have been happy with the service. I have no problem taking my car to them. They have been really great finding parts for my older car 80's era. My BMW runs great with 105K miles on it. read more

Six months ago saw an ad for a Subaru, exactly the model I was looking for, on Craigslist with Vancea. These guys were completely up front (it was posted in the ad) that this was a salvage vehicle. They showed me what had been repaired and it looked fine. They were completely open to me taking a long test drive, so I drove it over Highway 17 to check for overheating. It didn't overheat but the clutch went out during the test drive. They came all the way out there to get us after a fiasco with AAA. They were really nice about everything and said they had to replace the clutch anyway. I just had a good feeling about this place and the car so in spite of the clutch malfunction (which they fixed without raising the price of the car), I went ahead and bought it. This car has been up and back to Reno, Davis, and my long commute and it rides like a dream. I feel like I got a really good deal, the car was immaculate, and they were really nice through the whole deal, no hard sales push at all. And the paperwork process was a snap, they took care of everything, I just went to the DMV and it sailed through. I wanted to wait a bit to write the review so the car had chances to show any problems, but 6 months later I can say I'm really happy with this Subaru.and feel like I paid an excellent price for the fine shape the car is in. read more