Union Street Garage
Categories: Auto Repair, Smog Check Stations [Edit]
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow1550 Union St
(between Franklin St & United States Highway 101)
San Francisco, CA 94123 (415) 673-5728
9 reviews
Neighborhood: Mission
"I discovered Euro-Japan Auto Works about 6 years ago when I first moved to San Francisco. I was very happy with their work and really…" read more »
49 Reviews for Union Street Garage
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.
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.
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This place is great. My breaks had been squeaking for 3 days but I couldn't get to a mechanic till Friday after 2pm. I called this place to see what they could do for me on such short notice. At first he said he couldn't fit me in and told me to hold. The next thing I know he's telling me to come down to the shop. I couldn't believe it! That short of notice of a Friday, WOW! When I got there he explained what was wrong with my breaks and said to come back in 1 1/2 hours. Sure enough, I got a call and was told to pick-up my car in less than 2 hours. I was able to spend my weekend worry free, knowing my breaks weren't going to give out. I don't like car accidents, but who does? I will definitely will be going back for all my mechanical needs.
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Honest mechanics are rare. Union Street Garage has them. They are more than willing to give you free advice to save you money, even if you are clueless enough about your issue to be easily duped into spending money. Before you pay big bucks for a repair you're not sure of, drop your ride there to see what's really going on.
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The BEST. Hands down. John is awesome, and everyone that works there is so friendly. There's not much to say except my Grandfather, my father, and now I use this garage..they're definitely doing EVERYTHING right!
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.
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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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These guys are fucking awesome. I rudely barged in there and essentially demanded that they stop what they were doing to put license plates on a jag-u-aaaarrre, AND THEY DID. They didn't have the part to attach the plate to the back, it was a special order from the dealer, but they were able to remove the back panel and attach it somehow. (I blame my attitude on the car, after 15 minutes in there I'm making Leona Helmsley look bashful and sweet).
Anyway, within 20 minutes they had the job done. And they tried to tell me it was no charge. Hells no! John finally said he'd take the paltry sum I offered him, wrote me a receipt, and jovially told me "now get on out of here". My kind of man.
Go here. They will not rip you off, it's old school mechanics (every time I see a mechanic with an electrical machine that scientifically tallies up the mythical repairs, I know I need to bring lube. Lots of it).
The lube comment made me space out. Anyway, they're good people. Try them!
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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.
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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!
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I had a wonderful experience here. Now after five years in the city have a place to take my car and feel safe about it. John is great and deserves all the reccomendations and positive yelps he gets.
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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.
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i love this place, ive only been there once to get my rear brake light replaced and within twenty minutes, they had fixed it and best of all, didnt charge me for anything. i was expecting to pay at least for the lightbulb. needless to say, ill definitely be back again next time when i need a checkup. the only downside is that theyre not open on weekends but with this great of service, who cares.
ill be a loyal customer for sure.
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Yes, John really is all that. I had my car serviced and fitted with new tyres last month and I just felt so relieved to find someone so honest and efficient. As a female, I always feel slightly anxious going to garages, thinking I'm going to be majorly ripped off, but the prices here were excellent. I was really impressed.
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Since I'm writing reviews today it must be raining, Just wanted to say thanks to John for saving me $3800 on a Transmission I did not need.
I'll spend it else where now, but I'll be back to give you my business next time I need it.
John is da bomb. He knows everything about cars and has a really great way of explaining things in complete sentences and paragraphs such that muggles like me can understand what he's saying. He also - and this is important - TAKES THE TIME to talk to his customers. And he'll go into the pros and cons so that you feel that you are making an informed decision.
The hourly rates are high, but you can be sure the work is done right, he stands behind his work and parts, and I've gotten the impression a couple of times that he has cut me a slight break on the labor.
They put in a replacement part a couple of years ago (memory fails me, I can't remember what it was - something to do with the brakes maybe)...John warned me that it was a rebuilt part and might fail, but the alternative was super-expensive, and on a rusty '88 Honda Prelude, you don't want to go high-end! Anyway the part failed about six months later, right after it was out of warranty but John replaced it for me anyway. I had to pay for about half of the labor, but not for the replacement part. I thought that was more than fair; it's what you get from a neighborhood family business, it's just more face-to-face and personal, somehow.
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.
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I never thought that I could or would give such high marks to a mechanic, but this place is truly amazing. The owner Jon was so great - as a female I have always felt like I was getting worked over in the car department (I am the type of person who always walks away from an oil change with a new pcv valve). He really walked me through everything, with refreshing honesty. It was all really reasonable too, and they kept calling me to check in about what it was going to charge. You can tell this is a great place just by how people were chatting away with Jon as they happily dropped off, picked up and paid for their work. Do you ever see people looking happy while they do that?
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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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I called union street garage after hearing from a different garage that they didn't know what was wrong with my car. They suggested that it could be the transmission and I should talk to a specialist. I know almost nothing about cars, but I was 100% sure it was not even close to being related to the transmission. After reading some yelp reviews, I decided to try out the union street garage. It's super close to my apt and open early enough that I can drop it off on my way to the bus stop. They called me within hours that day and told me what the problem was, how much the cost was, and when it would be fixed. Problem solved! The prices were reasonable and they were very flexible in accommodating the day/time that worked best for me. I'll never go to anyone else!
I brought in my VW Jetta just to get an estimate on a breather tube that was broken. Jon was too busy to take me on, but the repair was so simple he told me to just buy the part and do it myself as he'd probably only charge me somewhere between $20 and $30 for the repair anyway. He even gave me a quick explanation of how to do it.
I thank him a lot for his time. Another place gave me an estimate of $175 for the repair, but now I'm only paying $6.95 for the part!
THANKS JON! I'll definitely be back if my car needs anything that I can't handle myself.
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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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I went to this shop based on Yelp reviews and I have to say, it was as positive of an experience as everyone stated. Professional, positive, honest. I feel so comfortable to have found my new mechanic!
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.
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I've been going to Union Garage for almost 20 years now. In fact my 93 Volvo has always been serviced there. Jon is great. He is always willing to take a look at the problem and for small things he doesn't even charge. He is honest and he does the work right. I leave the car with him and I know that Jon will fix what needs to be fixed and not overcharge me for it. I recommend Jon to all of my friends.
I've been taking my car to Jon and his staff for 14 years. Not only is he proficient in making adequate repairs, but he's a straight shooter in letting you know which problems are necessary versus precautionary. Given the comparisons I've heard about other mechanics, this is one I trust and would recommend highly.
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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.
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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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Union Street Garage has a couple of things going for it.
First off, the service there was beyond exceptional. I don't pretend to know the first thing about the inner workings of an automobile, but Jon did a wonderful job of explaining just what was wrong with my poor, tired car, and what needed to be done to get it back in tip-top condition.
Second, Union Street Garage is at a lower elevation than my apartment, meaning that all I had to do when my car wouldn't locomote with confidence was put it in neutral and roll down the hill.
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Surprising that I can get my car fixed in the Marina without feeling robbed afterwards. Jon is very good at what he does and takes the time out to explain a lot of stuff. He also is very fair about prices.
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i've never actually had to take a vehicle here, but I called to get some advice on a knocking noise in my 7 year old Maxima that I am trying to sell. Jon at USG was great! He talked me through what the most likely causes of the noise were, and suggested fixes for it. No wonder this place is 5 stars!
I will definitely recommend USG to friends!
Just had my brakes fixed here. Jon (the owner) was great, fair, honest and i would definitely go back. They got the job done in the same day too.
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John is pretty much the most honest person I've ever met. I'm talking George Washington honest. And the man knows his automobiles. I'd drive from LA to get my car fixed here...if it wasn't broken.
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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Last week, after 2 1/2 years of easy driving, my car had its first hissy fit. There are two problems that almost always cause me a meltdown: car problems and computer problems. Because I'm proficient in fixing neither, no doubt. The boyfriend drops a new battery in, which seems to make the problem worse. A quick check of the yelp reviews led me to the guys at the Union Street Garage. Placed a phone call, then dropped the car in front after hours and the staff had my car fixed within a day- for about $70 and that includes a much needed oil change! I don't know how they know I'd been remiss at doing that (kinda like I can tell when a chick removes her makeup or just piles mascara on top of yesterday's) but they didn't even bust my chops about it, just told me to stay on top of it. They made a situation that would normally stress me out quick and painless. I wish I could give them more stars.
I've been taking my car to Jon since I moved to San Francisco in 1997. I live only 1 block away so it's super convenient. But that's not why I go there. The service is excellent, the prices are fair. I always feel like they are completely honest. (As other women out there know, you usually feel like you're being taken for a ride [g-d, what is with me and the puns lately?] when you go to an auto-mechanic, repair shop, tire store, etc.) I couldn't recommend anyone else more highly.
This garage is great--John is an honest mechanic. As a female in my 20's I dread going to mechanics I don't know since they often try to get as much $ out of me as possible. But I had a great experience at this garage. John told me what my options were, as far as parts and their prices, before I even came in, then, once the work was done, the bill was exactly what he originally quoted me. He is very straightforward. I highly recommend his garage!
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I used to think it rocked. It still does compared to most other places, but now I go to Robert at Action Auto Care and am a lot more pleased with the speed and price of the service. John's just way too slow for me...
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Jon is great. He is honest and gives it to you straight. A good shop is a hard find -- this shop wants you to come back instead of ripping you off the one time they see your car.
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I went to the Union Street Garage based on the reviews of other Yelpers so I just want to confirm everything that everyone else has said. Y'all aren't full of sh*t...John rocks!
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