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Union Street Garage
Categories: Automotive Auto Repair Automotive Smog Check Stations Auto Repair, Smog Check Stations [Edit]
1550 Union St(between Franklin St & United States Highway 101)
San Francisco, CA 94123
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
(415) 673-5728
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 8 am - 5 pm
Hunter M. said: "Had to buy a new tire for my FJ. Looked around at a few places before I talked to Mike at Big O. He was very helpful and friendly on the phone. He even tried really hard to get my tire the same day but had to order it eventually.…" read more »
99 reviews for Union Street Garage
99 reviews in English
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Review from Kiesha R.
8/17/2011
Wow, I see why this place has 5 stars - AMAZING!
I was surprised and dismayed when looking at my DMV Renewal form a mere days before registration was due to see that my 2009 Mercedes ML needed a smog check. Really? Since when? That's apparently what I get for buying a "clean diesel" vehicle. Sigh.
So I did a quick Google search and found a "Certified Test Station" out on California and 4th, pretty close to me. I won't waste a lot of time on this except to say that the listed address was incorrect, I could barely understand what the man was saying to me, and I did not have the work done there because he, in his own words, "did not know if he could do it." Next.
After looking up a few more places, I found Union Street Garage. The quote was cheaper by quite a bit, the guy was friendly and intelligible, and he was willing to squeeze my car in despite the fact that his garage was really busy (and it was).
I dropped it off today around 1:40. He told me to give him a ring if I had not heard from him by 3:00. I did not think by any chance he would have this done in less than an hour, very best case. No problem, I hung out on Union Street and stuffed my face with a burger and fries down the street at Roam, fully expecting I'd be killing more time with some window shopping.
Not at all.
Jon called me at 2:15, DONE. I couldn't believe it. No shady business. And I only had to go to Union St. Who the hell knew?!
I would be happy to come back here for other service needs, and recommend the shop highly. Thank you, Jon (and Joh)! -
Review from Christine K.
Newhall, CA
2/8/2012
Jon and Joel identified the code that caused my Corolla's check engine light to appear, told me that there was no immediate problem, and that I could wait until I returned home from SF to handle it. Jon wrote up a report for my mechanic. I offered payment. He declined to accept any. WOW. Now I'm finding myself wanting to have car trouble on SF just so that I can go back to the U St. garage. Five star service, indeed.
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Review from Ben S.
San Francisco, CA
12/27/2011
Called these guys because I needed a smog check and saw the good review on Yelp. Talked to John for a few minutes and he said that they were pretty packed but if I could get my car there in the next 5 minutes he'd be able to get it done. Sure enough I showed up in about that time and was out of there within the hour. Great service and speed! Don't know how competitive they are on price but it was under $70 which, from other reviews, looked decent for this city.
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Review from MilHouse D.
San Francisco, CA
5/9/2011
GREAT experience!
I visited Union Street Garage because my check engine light was on. Jon and his team quickly ran a scan for trouble codes and then he clearly explained what was wrong and what my options were (this all took about 10 minutes). Jon even told me I should call my dealer because it might be cheaper to get the work done there depending on my warranty. To wrap it all up, he filled all 4 of my tires with air. All of this, for no charge at all.
I totally trust this auto repair shop, had a really great experience, and will definitely come back!! -
Review from Kelly K.
San Francisco, CA
10/23/2011
They were able to squeeze me in for a smog check when I showed up without an appointment. The folks were friendly, honest and knowledgeable. I trust them to fix my car without overcharging, so I'll be back!
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Review from Kaylan S.
San Francisco, CA
4/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
smog check? CHECK
convenient location? CHECK
comparable prices? CHECK
quick and trustworthy job? CHECK
friendly, attentive & honest service? CHECK
will i be back? you can COUNT on that! -
Review from joe z.
San Francisco, CA
12/22/2010
This review is based purely on my smog check there and their extra effort.
After dropping my car off with John I casually mentioned that my driver side lock must have loosened from the rod that pushes it up and down resulting in it falling down into the door. "No biggie if you can't fix it," I said, pointing out I could just pull the door apart down the line. After that we talked at length about how miserable SMOG is and how garages like Johns make no money out of it.
Upon returning to pick up my car not only had they already sent my info to the DMV via scan/bar code, but they had fixed my door free of charge! In fact, John didn't even mention it and I didn't notice until I hopped in my car to pull out.
Most shops would either A. charge for this, even just half an hour, or B. point out that it could be fixed with x, y and z, and should be easily fixed by me.
Granted they don't do much major maintenance, so I'll probably only ever head back for smog, but still I appreciate the customer service! -
Review from John S.
San Francisco, CA
8/15/2010
Yelpers take note: Union Street Garage probably deserves five stars. I'll definitely use their services again, and if my experience at that time is as fine as it was the first time, I will up the ante appropriately. That is all.
Oh, wait, I actually have to write the review.
Yelp can be decidedly unuseful, unfunny, and uncool for many things, especially San Francisco restaurants with pretentious names and/or menus; but in terms of helpfully and accurately rating automotive services, Yelp has been dead on every time.
Enter Union Street Garage. I needed to get my car smog checked, so I drove over here. The guy told me he wouldn't be able to get to it until around 3:30 (it was noon when I came) but that I could either leave it or bring it back. When I showed up again at 3:56, he said he had no idea why he had told me to bring the car in at four. Now, I didn't tell him that he had told me 3:30, and he was clearly joking. It was done exactly when he said it would be, and there were no problems, either with the car or with my experience here.
He's definitely a thorough guy. Both times that I waited, I observed him helping other customers, and he was clear, nice, friendly, and funny. It's tough to find all of those in a mechanic who also does a good job.
Yea for Union Street Garage, even if coming here meant I had to walk around on Union Street for a half hour, desperately in search of a store that sold plain old bottled juice. After seven blocks, I gave up. -
Review from ivy t.
San Francisco, CA
8/20/2011
I got my smog check there recently. They were swamped but still managed to be friendly, helpful, timely, and answered all my questions. In addition to their great service, their price for a smog check is the cheapest I found in the city! Next time I have car problems, I'm taking my car to them.
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Review from Cornelius S.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 5/26/2009 1 Check-in Here
My whole family has taken our cars to John's shop for about 15 years. He is consistently outstanding to deal with: personable, honest, a good communicator. His mechanics are top notch and if your car requires something he doesn't specialize in he'll refer you to a trusted colleague.
"Woohoo! As good as it gets!" Indeed!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/7/2006
More kudos for John. He took over the place from his father and runs a very honest, reliable shop.… Read more »
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Review from Spartacus U.
San Francisco, CA
10/16/2008
My boss takes all of his umpteenth cars here. He's a smart guy so I followed in his footsteps when my cars check engine light appeared.
Jon is not a money grubbing full of crap con artist mechanic. The first thing he said is "I'm not, by all means a german car expert, and here are other places you may want to try if I can't help you."
That in itself is unheard of.
I like. -
Review from Pammy C.
San Francisco, CA
5/30/2007
Ok, I'm a convert (from, what, I do not know - my dad diagnosing my car over the phone? Whatever, who cares. Please stop injecting logic into my reviews). I am also a technological wasteland. Everything breaks around me. In a fifteen minute timespan, I was able to break a computer, a phone, my Palm Pilot, and a friend's iPaq. It was truly a marvel.
So when my car started to violently shake and the "check engine" light started to blink, I pulled my ass over and called John. Or Jon. Whatever. Again, please focus.
John went to pick up my car (about 10 blocks from his garage - uphill, people!) and, within about four hours, diagnosed it, repaired it, and called me with the update. Bad spark plugs - $160!! Including the time he took to walk to my car where I had lamely left it in fear of its life. I was expecting some sort of terrible explanation, likely involving the terms "blown" or "shot." But $160 and four hours? Sold. -
Review from Lisa R.
San Francisco, CA
4/19/2010
If I were to write my own Chinese calendar, this would be The Year of the Car. And no, not in a good way. I love my car, I do. She runs well most of the time, and got me through 4 years of a harrowing commute with no issues at all. And then came 2010. Just a short list for those of you keeping track: 2 times having car jumped, 1 new battery, 1 break-in (resulting in 1 new passenger side window), 1 smog check, 1 door that will not unlock with my clicky thing, 1 big dent with a note "your car has been hit by a rollaway" (rollaway what? car? bed?), and 4 big leaks. And it's only April. Whew.
I hate hate hate taking my car in. I don't know anything about cars, mainly because it didn't break prior to 2010. I feel like I'm getting ripped off. And I generally do not enjoy businesses that only operate when I'm at work.
That being said... I was quite happy with Union Street Garage! I started driving my car one day and found about 3 inches of water on the passenger side floor. I convinced my fiance to take my car in for me, and he took it to Union Street Garage - his old trusty place. The car stayed dry (although a little mildew-smelling!) for a couple months, until the big rain storms of March came along.
I took my car back into Union Street Garage, and John told me that he had already cleared out the blocked drains last time, but he would take another look. Turns out I had found enough leaves to clog my drains again. He cleared them out for me again (free of charge!).
John's parting advice? "Stop parking under trees."
Even I can handle that one. -
Review from Lauren O.
San Francisco, CA
4/25/2008
What can I write that hasn't been written? 46 out of 48 5 stars should tell you. I trust him, he explains things (and not like I'm an idiot) his prices are FAIR, not the cheapest QUOTE (I've been quoted other places high and it always seems to come out higher) but it always seems to be way under what he said it was going to be.
Service and prices so good I feel like I'm ripping him off. -
Review from Alice T.
Newark, CA
5/4/2011
This is the best spot to park if you are ever in the Union Area. Parking is pretty tough once you hit 10:00am. Great restaurants to eat around the area, but parking can be a mess. The people at this garage are really really friendly and kind and I enjoy just dropping off my car and just sitting and chatting with them. They have great service and the location of the parking lot is at a great location as well. Very happy that they are around.
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Review from Kaku Y.
San Francisco, CA
8/22/2008
OK, I finally got my car back from them, and it seems that I am the only unlucky one here (I trusted you guys!!!). I am a kind of a guy who drives cheap junk and ride a $7000 bicycle, but I was totally treated like a second class citizen there because of the car I drive.
Make a super long story short, one morning I woke up realized my car wouldn't move. The engine turns on, but it dies within a minute. So I towed it to Union which John told me would cost about $60, but ended up paying $125.
It was Jan 8, 2008.
They worked on it and called me on Jan 11th saying that I need to fix my computer, and they also told me they are looking for a cheap place to fix it for me, so I trusted them and waited.
Then they called me on May 1st, saying I need to fix my computer still???
Then the next call was on Jul 28th and I finally got my "very first estimate" after more than half a year later which was $750 ( Joel was saying "now we have time to work on your car". What the???). So I say yes to the amount (for some reasons, Joel seemed surprised to the fact that I said yes to the amount. He had a moment after I said yes.) and they told me that they were going to call me in a "couple of days".
Then they called me "17 days" later on Aug 15th. They finally got it running, but they got problems with the check engine light, the blinkers and the emergency flash, so I went in on 19th to check on them (my guy Joel was off on Mon), then they told me now it is $920. They didn't say anything before it was going to be $920. They replaced my battery without telling me anything which went dead sitting in their garage for half a year (it was almost new and still is under warranty today from the manufacture) .
Then I looked into their computer in the office which says that last estimate was "$1000" that I never heard of!
I thought it was fishy, but I told them to keep working on it because I wouldn't want driving around without the blinkers or the emergency flash. However, the $920 and the $1000 estimate stuck in my head and couldn't trust them anymore so I went back in 4 days later which is today and took my car back without the blinkers or emergency flash and the check engine light on. Of course Joel told me that he didn't touch my car since last time.
Anyway, I paid the final amount which was $944 and went home. Joel explained it to me that the $200 difference is the battery and the time "try" fixing it. (Now I know they charge customers for "trying") By the way, for $944, what they did was only to install a computer which someone else fixed for $200 . And what do you know? I fixed the problems they couldn't fix in just 20 min. I am glad that I didn't leave it there.
I actually have a lot more to say, but I wasted 7 month and 2 weeks with them already, so I just want to get it over with. Yeah, John and Joel have nice smiles, but I would never use them again. By the way, I have a phone record showing that they only called me 4 times in last 7 and half month other than me calling or visiting them. If your car have serious problems or have a junk don't take it there, they will work on it like a side project (my car had a serious problem and was a junk). Their concept of "time" is just something else.
When I was in their shop, I heard John asking people the same thing over and over again on a phone "do you need a car over the weekend?"
I heard that phrase 7 and half month ago.
Note: Just want to note that I went and called there almost every day for first two weeks. As I said, John told me he was looking for a cheap place to fix the computer for me, and I thought it was nice and trusted him. And I also did my researches and found couple of computers on ebay to help him out, but John said he doesn't trust ebay parts. Fair enough.
Mean while, I had to live my life so I got myself a Muni pass hoping for him to call near future with good news. Weeks went by and months... Nothing happened. I seriously consider taking my car to other garages, but since I got used to going around with Muni buses, I decided to see the end of it (since everyone is praising their services), but I couldn't.
What really pushed me over to the edge was the fact that John was trying to let me go without the blinkers and the emergency flash. I initially refused it because as a cyclist, I know how dangerous it is to drive around without blinkers in the city.
But I took the car back at the end because of "the estimate" and what he said to me. He said to me that " Joel is going to work on your car. I am busy." He took my car in and told me all nice things but seven and half months later "he is busy"? I am busy too. I wish he had known how I lived my life last seven and half months. Oh, and this is the only garage I have been to that asked me to call in to check on them such as "call us in 3 days" and "call us on Friday to see...". They make you work hard to work on your car. -
Review from Kimberly N.
San Francisco, CA
12/12/2007
Until i totaled my car and made having a mechanic unnecessary, this was my cars place.
John has reasonable prices and explains everything so very clearly. Plus he tells you what you really need to get done, so you don't get a bunch of repairs your car doesn't actually need. What an honest guy. oh and they get your car back to you quick! -
Review from Mimi T.
10/26/2007
The warrenty on my vehicle has recently expired. When it came time to a major service I called the dealership service center (Royal Motors) for a quote on the service. I nearly dropped the phone when they gave me a quote...I definitely dropped the f-bomb or two...
I decided to do some research on Yelp for other service options and compare prices. I found a few places that specialized in Audi, but I saw that Union Garage had great Yelp reviews and they are only a few blocks away from my work.
I faxed Jon my maintenance checklist for a quote..and brought my car in the same week. He was no BS and did the job as he quoted...extremely reasonable. I definitely feel like I can trust Jon and would bring my car back for any maintenance/repair needs. -
Review from katie m.
San Francisco, CA
9/21/2006
Jon is fantastic. When my car battery died earlier this month, I decided to check out Jon's shop because it's much closer than Carlos' shop on McAllister (although anyone who lives near McAllister and Central should go to Carlos). He came over and jumped the car, then drove it down to the shop (about 6 blocks). He's so calm, knowledgeable, and friendly...every customer in there when I picked up my car seemed to be a repeat.
The next time She-Ra breaks down, I'll be back for sure. -
Review from Brandon B.
El Cerrito, CA
11/29/2006
Getting your car fixed is akin to getting a root canal. Its not something you ever want to do, its not something you usually want to spend money on, and its typically not made to be any more pleasant by the people that perform the service.
The Union Street Garage is a rare example of a business that operates "the way things used to be." Jon, the shop's second generation owner, admitted that they are old-fashioned in their approach to building rapport with their customers and being fair with costs.
Given theneighborhood, and what I suppose would be high rent, the shop's hourly rate is a little on the high side at $105/hr. However, the quality of service you receive and the ability of the shopkeeper to clearly explain your options and the work that was performed is paramount to getting a good deal.
Although my repairs have been an inconvenience and thus far have taken far longer that expected, I've felt comfortable with the work they are doing. And moreover, when they realized needed to do more work and keep the car overnight, Jon gave me a ride home across town. How's that for personal service?!
Maybe I'm old school myself, but I'm one of the few people that will still pay more for good service. As long as I need work done on my vehicle, I'll be happy to take it to the Union Street Garage.Listed in: The Best San Francisco…
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Review from Alina C.
Berkeley, CA
8/12/2009
Very honest, reliable, friendly shop. John makes you understand the problem and treats you with respect even if you walk in without the boyfriend... Yes, I'm a girl. No, I'm not stupid.
The only downside to this shop is that their reputation is too good for their own good. I guess my rating is not helping. The point being that they are very busy. So try to make appointments in advance and be understanding if they initially say it'll be ready by 2 but then at 4 it's still not done. They will be very nice about the whole thing, but they do get swamped. -
Review from Jack R.
San Francisco, CA
10/17/2009
Great garage!
I came here for a smog and treated very well. I always come here for oil changes, too. I'll be back! -
Review from Kellser G.
Brooklyn, NY
1/2/2008
John will fix you up.
He'll talk to you like you're a person, even if...gasp..you're a woman.
He'll explain the situation, walk you through the pros and cons, and you'll trust him- you should. He's a keeper.
Never adding on the extra repairs, always going above and beyond. In a world sorely lacking in customer service- he totally stands out.
If I were you I'd break up with that cheating, son of a b mechanic you've been suspicious of all these years and call john, he'll pick up the pieces, with a smile. -
Review from Jeffrey F.
3/23/2008
I try not to add reviews to the obviously well covered (What do you mean we don't need another review for the SOMA Whole Foods?!?!), but since Yelp sent me here, to Yelp I do repay.
Jon was pretty damn good. I needed new tires, those tires installed, an oil change, brakes checked, etc. He guided me through which tires to buy, and told me that we could have them shipped to the garage. We made an appointment a few days later. I come in, I drop off my car, I return in the evening, and everything is done. The tires replaced, the oil changed, etc. It was an extremely low-hassle encounter. They even were careful not to leave oil smudges on the seats, which is a first.
Go Jon go. -
Review from kyle p.
Novato, CA
9/29/2011
Too bad for me I broke down good thing it was 3 blocks from Union Street Garage. Oil pouring out the bottom of my car and these guys had me back on the road in a couple hours. The are very fair and really good at what they do .... they are getting my business from now on regardless of where I break down
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Review from Ryan C.
San Francisco, CA
10/31/2005
[submitted before
haiku time! But no question
it deserves to stand.]
I went there purely based on the good things said here, and can now completely verify everything that's been said before.
My car was just 4 blocks away from this shop and wouldn't start. I explained the problem to Jon and he drove over to my car right that moment. He thought maybe he could get it started and save me $100+ in towing it. Sure enough, he got it going.
Once at the shop, a few quick fixes to some connections fixed the electrical problem that kept it from starting (I was about to replace the whole alternator), while he highlighted a couple other problems I was going to ignore, which were actually rather critical.
All told, I got out cheap, quick, and without all the anxiety. -
Review from nima g.
San Francisco, CA
4/16/2009
This place is your car's best friend. John is amazing, honest, funny and i can not even describe how cool.
I needed a smog test, and the check engine light was on, so i couldn't pass the test. I took my car to Union Street Garage and John hooked me up! Instead of running all these crazy diagnostics and tests that cost a ton of money, called a few hours later and told me what the problem was and the estimate cost. then he referred me to a friend of his who could get my car all fixed up much cheaper! Before you know it, same day i got in, my car fixed and all good to go for a fraction of what it would've cost me anywhere else!
Thank you John!
I will go here from now on! -
Review from Manlio L.
San Francisco, CA
10/1/2008
I fear car mechanics. They're always rude to me. They look at me and see "sucker" printed on my forehead and proceed to charge me thousands of dollars for questionable repairs.
Jon and Union Garage is the first positive experience I have ever had getting my car repaired. I went in with a few things that i thought were wrong. Jon analyzed the problem, fixed the things that needed to be fixed, and told me what to look for on the other stuff. I ended up spending an eighth of what i thought it would cost. I will definitely take my car there again. -
Review from Jonathan B.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 9/2/2008
How awesome is Jon?! A few months ago I had my clutch replaced, at a reasonable price. Now, it turns out my transmission needs to be rebuilt. Well, Jon checked it out, confirmed that that's what I needed to do, and instead of taking the job (which I would have easily given to him) and possibly charging me more for labor, he referred me to another place that was dirt cheap both for parts & labor.
Jon is truly the most honest mechanic you'll find. He even gave me some tips and things to watch for in case I decided to scout out a couple of other Transmission shops, so I don't get robbed.
This will forever be my 1st stop for all my car troubles.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/27/2007
I brought in my VW Jetta just to get an estimate on a breather tube that was broken. Jon was too… Read more »
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Review from Michael K.
San Francisco, CA
9/24/2008
I've been taking my car to Jon ever since I moved to SF back in May of 2000. The great thing about him is that he actively tries to save me money by either suggesting I get parts elsewhere and have em shipped there whether it was the tires from Tire Rack or the aftermarket exhaust header pipe that I saved well over $200 on. I used to know a good amount about cars (rebuilt an engine on my '84 Honda Civic) but over the years that knowledge has atrophied quite a bit from lack of use but I know that I can trust Jon and when he tells me something I find myself breaking the rust off my knowledge and thinking "yep that makes sense"
My only knock would be that they are always overwhelmed and it was hard to get my car in there to just get looked at sometimes but that's a small price to pay for going to someone I trust. -
Review from Me Y.
Oakland, CA
5/25/2008
This garage, Jon, his staff and the work they do is nothing but top notch. I have always been treated as family and the fact that they kept my beater of a car running far longer than its natural life is a testament to their skills!
Thanks Jon - I'd give you 10 stars if I could! -
Review from David O.
San Francisco, CA
5/13/2008
This guy Jon told me a great story about 'Car Talk' the NPR radio show. He had noticed that there was an inaccuracy in something they had put up on their Car Talk website about his garage and he rang them to give the the heads up. He got through to one of the brothers, who was obviously in a rush, and told him there was something inaccurate about their information on their website. The guy said was it wrong good or wrong bad and Jon said well, wrong good for me I suppose. The guy yelled back well whaddaya calling me about then? and hung up.
Have had my car serviced here several times, he gives good advice and the price is always what he said it would be. And the car runs better afterwards. A man of integrity. Go there. -
Review from Roland S.
San Francisco, CA
8/10/2008
I have been riding, driving sailing and fixing things with engines for a long, long time. My first ride was a '53 Hudson. From time to time, I have to let the pros do the work.
The Union Street Garage is the real deal. Courteous. Knowlegable. Professional. Fair-priced.
My first and only choice for reliable work in the City. Sure, I'll let anybody do something simple and greasy that I don't want to do. But for an accurate diagnosis and getting it right the first time, this is the place.
Move over, Tappet Brothers! -
Review from Diane S.
San Francisco, CA
8/7/2006
Went in for a smog check a while back- service was smooth and painless. Went in with a problem with my car starting, no charge for them to just check it out and the owner Jon was super cool about not wanting to diagnose it or try to tell me something needed to be fixed if it really didn't or if he wasn't sure. I feel really good about going here and not getting "taken" - which is always good. Turned out there wasn't a problem they could find- and I don't think he's going to charge me for checking, just a great guy all around.
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Review from phil h.
6/9/2006
I really like this shop...Jon gave me a quick diagnosis when I brought my car in, explaining the possible problems in a way that even a non car guy (ie phil h) could understand. Their hourly rate seems a bit high, thus only four stars, but I will definitely return because I trust them to do a good job and not rip me off.
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Review from Brianne K.
San Francisco, CA
11/16/2006
As a woman, it's hard to find a mechanic that you can trust. I'm ready to admit that I'm a complete idiot when it comes to cars, and I think that mechanics can smell it on me. But I fully trust John and his staff...they are knowledgeable, kind, and trustworthy. I've taken my car in a couple of times, worried that it was about to spontaneously combust, but John has always explained what was wrong in a very basic way (so that even I can understand), and has either fixed it or just told me to quit worrying and sent me on my way. Union Street Garage is the place if you want an honest mechanic in the city!
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Review from Yak T.
San Francisco, CA
4/11/2011
I live in the panhandle but have been coming "all the way up here" to get Jon & his crew to work on my car. It's amazing that despite how busy these guys are and how much business they consistently get, Jon still makes time for every customer, explains every issue in detail until you're satisfied, and is 100% honest and fair. I'd recommend this garage to anyone and am never going anywhere else as long as I live in San Francisco.
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Review from Mary B.
San Francisco, CA
5/20/2007
This place is great! John is very trustworthy and doesn't pull the wool about anything. I took my SUV in, got an estimate, and pow! it was ready in no time. The final cost was true to the estimate. Would definitely go back if anything goes wrong again.
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Review from Garrett M.
San Francisco, CA
3/4/2008
A good honest mechanic, shop, John will shoot it to you straight and explain your options and what he thinks is the best course of action. He charges a higher labor rate than other places, but he doesnt do the typical overcharge of hours that other places do. I've gone to him twice now, and each time I feel like I'm getting good value for my money and honest treatment. Highly recommended.
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Review from Scott H.
San Francisco, CA
1/14/2010
I really think these guys don't know what they're doing.
I had two issues with them:
Problem One: Check Engine Light came on due to faulty 02 sensor. They didn't even realize that my car had two (2) 02 sensors. One is located before the catalytic converter and one after. They tried to diagnose this and didn't have a solution without wasting more time and money to figure it out. He said that it didn't really matter as long as the car was driving fine. The issue is that it DOES matter when you need to smog your car for registration.If you have a warning thrown when they run your on-board computer, you are NOT passing smog. The test ends there. It also matters as the bad 02 sensor decreases fuel economy. From what i've read, it's about 2mpg.
Problem One Solution: I borrowed an OBDII reader from my buddy at work. I took the codes from the reader, Googled them and figured out the problem in an hour. I called O'Reilly Auto Parts, told them the make, model and year of my car and got the correct 02 sensor (before the cat) for $108.00. It took me two bolts, unplugging a connector and 10 minutes to replace it. I didn't even have to jack the car up. FIXED!!!
Problem Two: Differential fluid was leaking all over my rear brakes on the rear driver side. He replaced the inner axle seal and brake parts. Net result, I lost over $700 dollars. Why? The repair failed.
I took it back and they re-did the seal for no charge. However, after differential fluid leaks all over the brakes, they are compromised. What did Union St. Garage do? They just cleaned the brake parts and put the same set back on!! He said that they were clean enough. They should have replaced all the brake components, since that's what they had initially done and what I paid for. They have no issue eating the cost of a $10 seal, but obviously don't want to pay another $100 for brake components. SHADY!
After the second seal replacement, the repair has failed again!! I will not be bringing the car back for another "fix", as the seal is obviously not the issue and they couldn't figure out the root cause after seeing the car twice!
I did some research on Google and found that this is a known issue with 3rd generation Toyota 4Runners. I spoke to an independent Toyota specialist (located in the Sunset) over the phone and told him what had happened. He knew exactly what I was talking about the second I told him. He explained a couple scenarios that would cause the issue and had a few options for fixes. He knew that the seal was not the issue, but a symptom of a bigger issue. He asked if Union St. Garage had bothered to check the bearings or other parts that would cause the shaft to rotate improperly which would result in premature seal wear. Obviously, they had not.
I should have my car properly fixed by another mechanic next week. Unfortunately, I'm out $700 for useless parts, labor and unskilled mechanical diagnosis.
I really think these guys just have a library of Chilton Manuals, crack them open and guess at fixes. I'm curious to see how much of their business is repeat diagnosis & repairs.
Also, be prepared to wait at least 15-20 minutes to have someone take care of your paperwork. The secretary is somewhat helpful, but the owner is all over the place. He's either over explaining something technical to a customer who's eyes are glazed over, on the phone or unprepared to get you in or out of there in a timely manner.
Awful experience from start to finish.
