Oceanworks
Category: Auto Repair [Edit]
2703 10th St(between Carleton St & Pardee St)
Berkeley, CA 94710 (510) 849-1383
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
12 reviews
Berkeley, CA
"Stupid neighbor dented my rear bumper. Went through my insurance. Though the insurance estimate of the damage was about a hundred less then…" read more »
10 Reviews for Oceanworks
Angus and all of the folks here are amazing. I recently bought my first car but before I dished out all of my moola for a car I found on craigslist I took it to Oceanworks to get it checked out. They went over every inch of the car and walked me through every ding and dent. I have never owned a car before and I have only driven a handful of times since I got my license 8 years ago, so I'm sure my questions were quite remedial but they answered all of them and then some. They were friendly and helpful. I would definitely go back there again with my new car!
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I love Oceanworks and wish I could give them more than 5 stars!
I discovered them because my mother has been going there for years, and she's really picky about everything.
Since I've been going (several times over the last few years) I've felt that they deliver fantastic customer service (Thanks, Natalie) and most importantly, are totally trustworthy. These people are more committed to building long-term customer satisfaction than in making a quick buck by taking advantage of you. I feel completely confident in referring anyone to them.
In fact, about a year ago, the question of a "high quality" auto mechanic came up on a YahooGroup I'm on of about 100 local friends. About 5 of them said, "Go to Oceanworks." That's high testimonial, indeed.
Not to sound like I'm doing an "oh yeah? well..." on Ruthifer's review below, but here goes anyway:
Angus & company have seen me through my last VW, a 1985 Jetta; my first Honda, a 1984 Civic DX; my one & only Nissan, a 1984 DATSUN-Nissan Sentra; and now my bestust car ever, my 1996 Civic EX. Quite simply, Angus is what this great nation of ours is supposed to be about:
Angus is a small business owner. He is independent and he tells it like it T-I-is. You say "Angus, can I put this repair off" and he says "sure; let me know how many miles you got on the car before the engine blew up and burned you alive ok?" or "sure, do it in the next 10k miles."
I will never buy another car that Oceanworks can't work on. Screw GM. Screw Daimler-Chrysler. Double-screw VW. End of story.
BTW: Angus really is f'ing HOT. But hands-off him, Ruthifer: I saw him first. 1991 baby! :)
PS. Behind every great man...
Hello to the recently-returned Natalie! Nat rocks the house, keeps Angus in line, and has that honest simpatico I have only found with other transplanted Southerners. Ask her about her Bill Clinton stories. Mmh, if Natalie is standing behind Angus, then maybe she can hold him down while I ... [whoops, that little voice just told me to stop. Sorry.]
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Angus and the gang at Oceanworks are the best. They started servicing my Tacoma 4x4 at 90k and now I have reached 250k. Angus by the far the most honest and technically inclined mechanic I have met, and his staff is top notch. They are definitely cheaper than stealerships and provide much better service. I live in San Francisco and it is worth it for me to get my car serviced at Oceanworks in Berkeley.
Oceanworks is the best. After moving to SF, I tried to "fire" them and get an in-town mechanic. I checked out a few places and they all sucked, so back to Berkeley my Honda goes for TLC. Same thing happened to a friend of mine who moved down the Penin...her car still commutes for care to Oceanworks.
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Angus and Natalie at Oceanworks have saved my ass and more on many occasions. I used to drive a classic 1970 Toyota Corona Mark II station wagon that ran on propane, that broke down every 200 miles or so. I got my car towed to Oceanworks repeatedly and they dealt with my seriously special-needs car very competently. I always left with my car running and with enough cash in the bank to buy dinner. Once they went out of their way to deal with my "Nixon-era tires" as Angus called them, even though tires are not their thing at all. For that, being cash poor, I had to bake them cookies to at least acknowledge their insane generosity.
Now I bring my 1991 Toyota Camry that I got for free to Oceanworks. It's still a crappy car, if slightly more reliable (but much less beautiful) than my Corona. I won't bring my car anywhere else, after all that Oceanworks has done for me, and within my very modest budget.
Here's hoping that one day I can bring them a brand-spankin' new Yaris for an oil change instead of a collosal pain in the ass. If you go to Oceanworks, you'll never have to find a new mechanic again.
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Angus and Natalie are the bomb! Their work is excellent and the pricing fair and reasonable. They're always open to suggesting other options that are within your budget.
After years and years of less than satisfying dealings with mechanics, on cars ranging from early 60s Valiants to early 80s Volvos, I finally found a shop I can most happily recommend in Oceanworks. I don't think I'll ever buy another car unless its one that can be worked on there (I guess that means I won't be getting that dreamy little '66 Fiat 500, oh well).
Angus and Natalie and crew have seen me through one old beat to hell '90 Nissan (which they did tease me about sometimes) and a '94 Geo (Toyota Corolla in drag) that I'd still be driving if it hadn't been totalled by a stop-sign running old guy. Now they are the only people I'd allow to touch my first and probably only ever new car, a '06 Corolla.
I also really love that Angus runs a green business, hardly ever driving a car himself. I always see him at the farmer's market on his bicycle. He inspires me to put fewer miles on the car and more on the bike.
We moved from Berkeley to Mountain View, and when my car failed smog, I set about finding a new mechanic. After going to two different places, I gave up and drove back to Oceanworks. They specialize in Toyota and Honda repair, and my Honda had been taken there by the previous owner, so everything was on record. I was at 220,000 miles. Though some idiot in Mountain View told me I needed a new catalytic converter, Angus of Oceanworks found the faulty part (a small, cheap, plastic part that had recently been replaced), adjusted the idle speed, and had my car purring. No problems when I retested for smog. The rates are great.
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I love Oceanworks! They are honest and upfront about fixing cars.. a rare thing sadly. My 1991 Honda Civic Hatchback has been going to this shop since it was purchased by its first owner, I am the third owner. Nat and Angus let you know whats necessary repair vs what can wait till then next paycheck. As a college student that is uber important! It is also nice plus that neither Nat or Angus talk down to women clients. They also offer advice on what cars are good bets to purchase and will check over a car before you buy it to help people like myself make a informed choice. I am currently a student at San Diego State University and I still bring my car to Oceanworks for all major repairs - the only people who touch my baby in San Diego are the Honda Dealer Mission Valley folks- they change the oil- after Jiffy Lube wreaked my oil pan! Trust that Oceanworks will take care of your baby like they do mine.
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