Auto inspection service near Palo Alto, CA

This is my go to mechanic shop. My car is a 1991 Toyota Celica that was a gift from my grandpa before he passed so with that sentiment I'm trying to restore her to classic glory. This is where Chris and his trusty crew, Izzy and CJ come in. My upper engine and cooling system needed an overhaul this time but now it sounds quiet, smooth, with better acceleration while curing the overheating problem I was having. Thanks guys for the great work! Douglas J. Berkeley, CA Toyota Repair

I called Angus with a question on possible engine replacement of 01 Camry with a seized engine. I have to say, he spend a good bit of time explaining to me the pros and cons and concluded that it was not just worth the effort! My impression of him is that he is very knowledgeable and possesses excellent judgement!

I have been taking my cars to Say Ray since 1969 - 43 years. When I was out of state for 7.5 of those years, I called them for help with my car and they were always responsive. I drive from Pacifica to take my car to their shop in Palo Alto. Would never take my car anywhere else! -Amy Vossbrinck

Our Palo Alto auto repair facility has been providing top quality auto repair and maintenance services for 50 years! Since 1962, we have been family owned and operated, and we love serving Palo Alto, Mountain View, Menlo Park, and Stanford with reliable auto repair that’s done right the first time.

Car shaking while driving at speed. Seemed obvious alignment problem. Had alignment done. Received car back WITH NO COMMENT. I drove car and shaking still there. Took car back to tire/alignment shop. Now they tell me it’s the shocks. Something they probably should have noticed and told me already. But I know a little something about cars and it didn’t seem right to me; the car clearly passed the bounce up-and-down test. So I took the car to Expert Auto Care (EAC) being reviewed here. They put the car up on the rack, and within minutes came back to me to show me rattling tie-rod and bad ball joint…OBVIOUS, they were so bad. On the opposite side they showed me an adjustment nut was rust-locked into place and rounded-off. It obviously didn’t happen within the last week, when I had the alignment done, because of the corrosion. You would think the alignment shop would have noticed and told me that too. And how the heck could they do an alignment with either of those problems??? Also, they showed the tire shop we got the tires from (not aligned so), used a single 6oz weight for balancing. EAC said maximum single weight to use, according to state regulations, was 2oz. This is something else you’d think would be noticed by the alignment shop. All in all, EAC ball parked a couple of thousand dollars to service a $2000 car, and suggested it might be better to buy a new/newer car, and we should go home and think about this. Which was very good of them. (Not that I wasn’t going to do that anyway). On the shop wall there is cost of service, and the 20-25min diagnosis should have run between $60-$95, but EAC charged me nothing $0. Which was very very kind of them. I can highly recommend EAC for, at least, diagnosis service honesty. And, based on EAC’s diagnosis (which they showed me) I cannot recommend “Wheel Works of Mt. View” for suspension work.

I had problem with the engine with my Mercedes and was cautioned about visiting a dealership. A friend recommended this shop and I drove there .Although it was far from San Jose I am glad I did that . They did a good job and fast and were very courteous... I am very happy with their workmanship and reasonable prices. I just wanted to share my good experience with everyone. Two thumbs up! Azar S.

The BEST tire place! The atmosphere of the business is very relaxed and friendly, and they make sure that if you decide to wait there, you're totally comfortable doing so. But more importantly, they're fast and efficient, polite and courteous, and have good pricing with no tricksy upselling. I've bought tires here and had them checked just for tire pressure; nobody made me feel dumb for requesting that simple service. The wonderful person who helped me today was Kurt, and if you ever get to deal with him, he's an angel. He was super kind, knowledgeable, and respectful. He's a huge part of why Redwood General Tire will continue to get my business for years to come.

I took my car to Alex about a week ago. One of the best mechanics I've ever been to. He took the time to check what's wrong with my car and got back to me with a fair estimate and price for labor. I recommend California Auto works to anyone looking for a FAIR price and a good family business. Anyone telling you otherwise is just looking for a cheap deal versus good honest work.

Excellent quality of work and friendly staff. Tom Jameson