Palo Alto Auto Repair

When I emerged from work one day to find a flat tire, I rolled up my sleeves, put on the donut and cruised in here and they fixed it right away. It was reasonably priced and fast. I've also had an oil change and tire rotation done here. They did the usual car mechanic thing and suggested I do about $500 more worth of work, but weren't pushy and I declined. They also have some great coupons on their website - check em out! Bottom line: They get it done, fast and for a reasonable price. Gas is a bit on the pricey side, so you might want to choose a different station for your every day fillups. But hey, this is Palo Alto...

Due to an unfortunate tire accident on the road on a Saturday afternoon, I had to pull over and get my tires fixed right away. This place was soooo kind to me. My car required special tires but the staff ran out to get one to replace it in a matter of hours. I am so not a car-saavy person, so I was panicking the entire tire, afraid I was going to be ripped off. But the total bill wasn't scary at all and I appreciate the fact there was a service station still working on a late Saturday afternoon.

***This Shell near Stanford is a decent spot for gas (prices were okay) and offers a Yelp check-in deal (though it is not a great one--free vehicle inspection from the on-site service garage); unfortunately, there are roads around this Shell where there are not many gas stations; because of that, this gas station can get busy and it can be a tight squeeze*** There are not many free parking spaces available if you just need to pick up something from the gas station (they have a few snacks and drinks available).

Good for late night gas, and cheap smokes also has a service station that my job takes all its company vehicles to...with no complaints I just got the free service inspection ticket for checking in through yelp imma try it out next week for my new car, ill give a review afterwards.

Smog Inspection: 5/5 Professional service, fast, and cheap with the Stanford coupon discount (~$38 instead of $60+ around here). Vehicle Inspection/Check up: 1/5 The mechanic gave me a list that totaled around $2000 in repairs for my car when it was perfectly fine (had a few other mechanics check the car to make sure). Seems like they are trying to use a scare tactic to bring in more revenue. I suggest if you want to do an oil service or vehicle check up, go to a more reputable mechanic to do the job. I thought it was sketchy that the Stanford coupon gave a free under-the-hood car inspection from these guys. I even asked for the full inspection for $20. Maybe this is a way to make those time spent worthwhile. Bottom line -- you get what you pay for!

Took the car in for a CEL on a Saturday. They were a bit busy, so they told me it could take a while. They quoted me $110, which seems to be fairly high even in the Palo Alto area. They called me about 4 hours later with the diagnosis (catalytic converter problem). I was told that replacing the catalytic converter is an expensive operation, so I should wait and see whether the problem reoccurs. They cleared the CEL. It came back on 3 weeks later. I appreciate that they were able to service me even on a busy Saturday, but $110 for a CEL seems excessive.

I got a smog check here the other day. Overall, it was a pretty smooth process and the Stanford coupon ($30 off smog check) makes it only $37, which I understand is a very good price. You need an appointment for the smog check, but when I called them the day before my appointment at the DMV to register my car, they were able to get me one after 5 pm on the same day. The guys helping me were really nice, the smog check went fine (my car passed) and the price was right, so overall it was a good experience. My two complaints are: 1. It took an awfully long time. I'm not sure how long these things normally take but I was there about 45 minutes which seems long to me. They also don't have a great waiting area. There's a bench but it's in the sun (although one of the guys dragged over an umbrella for me to make it shaded) and then there's a tiny convenience store but that doesn't have any seating and I don't think you're really encouraged to hang out there. I did though, because it was really hot that day. 2. They fiddled with the steering wheel position. When I got in my car it seemed like they had really tilted the steering wheel back and it was so uncomfortable for me to drive it that way but I couldn't figure out to adjust it. When I got back to work I called them and asked them what they had done with it and they swore they didn't touch it and they just adjusted the seat. I started to think I was going crazy. Today I looked online and figured out how to rotate the steering wheel (its the lever that's...on the steering wheel, duh) and got it back much closer to where it was before, so its all good. But they definitely moved it! I'm not sure why.

Convenient location, right down the street ish from work. It's SUPER busy all the time. I mean SUPER busy. Especially at lunch time and rush hour. Expect to wait and people are kinda rude. Prices are higher than other gas stations in area, which sucks, but I guess because it's convenient I'm willing to pay the extra cash-o-la. The pumps are easy to use and it's usually pretty fast to get in and out once your in. People fly on the El Camino though, so be for-warned. Overall, an A-OK kind of gas station. Wish it wasn't so expensive and busy, but I guess I should expect it being that it's in Palo Alto. I'll continue to return because it's close by.

I've had two flat tires fixed here and both times the people were friendly but all-business. They get you in and get you out - no-nonsense style.

I came here for a smog check a couple weeks ago. The man who rang me up and gave me my paperwork was really nice and personable. They also have a $20 off coupon you print from their website, which makes the whole thing about $40, $50ish with tax. If you have the Stanford student coupon book, there's a $30 off coupon (which I found AFTER my smog check, doh.). The guy broke down the different numbers that are on the smog check report, which was helpful. And told me that my brakes were in good shape. caveat: I'm not actually sure what's a normal price for smog checks in the South Bay, I mostly came here because it was close to my apartment.