Reliable Shop in San Francisco Bay Area

[Kookie]

Hi All - Just purchased an Avant(B7 Avant, 6MT, Alcantara, Brilliant Black) will post pics later.. for the interim..

-Who do you use?
-Why?
-How are their prices vs service quality?a
-Do they warranty their work?

Thanks for any and all input! I am relatively new to the Bay Area.

H

[miggity02]

I use Griffin Motorwerke in Berkeley. They know their stuff and their labor rate is reasonable at $115/hr. They just moved to a new shop with a state of the art underground alignment rack, so if you're planning on going low you can still get a good alignment. The rack comes up under the car so you could be sitting on the ground and still get aligned. You generally have to make an appointment a couple days ahead of time and they will always make sure everything is squared away before you leave. I don't think they have any issues with warranting their work or products.

[dylanmau5]

I agree, Griffin Motorwerke, I love these guys! Super nice, helpful, knowledgeable, and thorough.
http://g-werke.com/

[1.8Turbo4me!]

I need to go check Griffin's new shop location some time this month. For their new move, they have a moving special for the month ($100/hr labor rate from their usual $115 and 10% off all Griffin installed service parts). At least that's what I received from their email.


For the OP, there are a few tuners here other than Griffin (REVO). There's also Tomas Sport Tuning in Berkeley (REVO) and 034 Motorsport in Fremont (APR & Unitronic).
Then there are other shops that specializes in Audi/VW of course. 2 I've been to are Advanced Autowerks in S.F. and 2M Automotive in San Mateo.

[RS4nication]

If you are in SF proper, out in the Dogpatch - Advanced Autowerkz
http://www.yelp.com/biz/advanced-aut...-san-francisco

I have only tried them out once for an oil change, but the crew was super professional and really open to just talking cars. I just happened to ask if they do carbon cleaning when I was scheduling my oil change appointment and they were like we have a couple cars in here now that were getting theirs cleaned... so when i came in to drop off my car they remembered and showed me a couple manifolds on the work bench and started explaining a ton of things about it.

Once my I use up my last AudiCare covered 45K maintenance... i'm probably going to take my ride to these guys as long as I live in SF.

[034Motorsport]

Not sure if you are in SF Proper, but we are down in Fremont and are by far the largest Audi Tuner shop in the Bay Area. Besides being a full service shop, with an in house dyno, we also manufacture a plethora of aftermarket and OEM-replacement parts for the B7.

Feel free to give us a call here @ the shop!

510-657-6707

[doobiesdaddy]

If you are in SF proper, out in the Dogpatch - Advanced Autowerkz
http://www.yelp.com/biz/advanced-aut...-san-francisco

x2
These guys are great!

[neoprufrok]

i have to strongly disagree about Griffin. They didnt tighten my cars lugs all the way once and left one lug off. My wheels nearly fell off my car. Then they tried to tell me someone tried to jack my rims and didnt finish. Seriously? How dumb do they think I am? Im a goddamn cardiac surgeon for christs sake.

[mark22il]

I used both this shops and both great professionaly and they also treated me great as far as customer service.
Prices are the best i found here (SF-Burlingame) for and audi expert.

Euro Motorcars
http://www.yelp.com/biz/euro-motorca...:audi%20repair

Burlingame Independent
http://www.yelp.com/biz/burlingame-i...:audi%20repair

[Mark916]

When I used to live in SF in the Sunset District, I used to take all my Bimmer's to Andres @ 1634 Taraval Street, www.andresforeign.com Both my E30 M3 and E36 M3 where serviced at this shop, but you see all makes of foreign cars here. I've seen Ferrari's and classic Lambo's at this shop. he's even prepped a few GT3 Porsche track cars you occasionally see in this shop. And his prices are very reasonable, as far as any warranty, I'm not sure of, but I never had to bring my car back to be re-checked after work was completed. He also owns a body shop in south city somewhere. Or he used too.

[1.8Turbo4me!]

i have to strongly disagree about Griffin. They didnt tighten my cars lugs all the way once and left one lug off. My wheels nearly fell off my car. Then they tried to tell me someone tried to jack my rims and didnt finish. Seriously? How dumb do they think I am? Im a goddamn cardiac surgeon for christs sake.

that is totally unacceptable and dangerous. very fortunate you didn't get into an accident.

my only experience was having them installed revo. after install, i went to get gas a few blocks away and check under the hood. what i found was my battery cover not in its place and was above the engine cover or the intake area. hate to imagine what damage it could've done. definitely carelessness. also a reminder of always taking a few seconds to check under the hood after getting the car back from any service doesn't hurt.

[thegame]

i have to strongly disagree about Griffin. They didnt tighten my cars lugs all the way once and left one lug off. My wheels nearly fell off my car. Then they tried to tell me someone tried to jack my rims and didnt finish. Seriously? How dumb do they think I am? Im a goddamn cardiac surgeon for christs sake.

Cosign. The first few times they were fine, everything went well. Then after one job, my hood didn't look like it was closed. Underneath it I found that they left a giant wrench and a torx bit along the hood, one hose clamp on throttle body wasn't tightened up. Your experience may vary.

I'm also curious as to what other VW/Audi shops are out there besides the big 3.

[piaadoll]

Doc Rich - Seriously!??! That's horrible! Unbelievable story.

I'll have to disagree with 2M Automotive in Burlingame. Brought my car in there last year with a hard start problem. They were gracious enough to pick me up when my car was done. However, they made me feel like I was crazy. Even laughed at me because they said my car didn't replicate the problem. No joke. They insisted it was the battery (hello, the battery they changed out was about a year and half old if that). They gave me what they called "a deal" since the battery was "only" $30, but the labor was $100! Don't think my hubby can easily drop the battery in there? Suffice to say, the problem still exists and it takes 2 to 4 turns of my key to start my engine. When I got my car back, my windows wouldn't roll up and down from my key fob, so I brought it back. They said they couldn't do it. They actually told me to go back to the dealer to reprogram my keys. I had to insist that they could. I had to mention that other mechanics (and audi friends) were able to reprogram the keys. They told me to bring the car back so they can diagnose the problem, from how they treated me, I just didn't go back.

Lived with this issue for a year (long story)....and now my car is currently with my original mechanic. My car is getting some love at East County European Autoworks in Brentwood, but I trust Freddie with my car, hands down. He used to be the head tech at Livermore Audi before opening his own shop.

[neoprufrok]

Doc Rich - Seriously!??! That's horrible! Unbelievable story.

I'll have to disagree with 2M Automotive in Burlingame. Brought my car in there last year with a hard start problem. They were gracious enough to pick me up when my car was done. However, they made me feel like I was crazy. Even laughed at me because they said my car didn't replicate the problem. No joke. They insisted it was the battery (hello, the battery they changed out was about a year and half old if that). They gave me what they called "a deal" since the battery was "only" $30, but the labor was $100! Don't think my hubby can easily drop the battery in there? Suffice to say, the problem still exists and it takes 2 to 4 turns of my key to start my engine. When I got my car back, my windows wouldn't roll up and down from my key fob, so I brought it back. They said they couldn't do it. I had to insist that they could. I had to mention that other mechanics (and audi friends) were able to reprogram the keys. They actually told me to go back to the dealer to reprogram my keys. UURGH. They told me to bring the car back so they can diagnose the problem, from how they treated me, I just didn't go back.

Lived with this issue for a year (long story)....and now my car is currently with my original mechanic. My car is getting some love at East County European Autoworks in Brentwood, but I trust Freddie with my car, hands down. He used to be the head tech at Livermore Audi before opening his own shop.

That's horrible Dawn! I don't know why people would treat people like that in this day and age of internet and car forums.

Yeah, it sucked. When I brought it back to Terry he looked at me like I was crazy. And then when he took the rims off and saw what happened, he tried to give me that "I can't believe this happened to you - amazing you weren't hurt!" If I was hurt, Griffin would have seen a giant ass lawsuit headed his way. I mean what person stealing my rims (stock by the way) would untighten 4 bolts and take one completely out... on each wheel? That was the end of me going to them... and after all the money I dropped in MTM suspension, chip and exhaust on my B5 S4.

I just don't get how shops don't realize how important sales and finishing touches are. Doesn't matter how great I am with sewing on the heart, if the sternum falls apart after I fix a broken heart, no patient would come to me or be referred to me.

[NERO Quattro]

Doc Rich - Seriously!??! That's horrible! Unbelievable story.

I'll have to disagree with 2M Automotive in Burlingame. Brought my car in there last year with a hard start problem. They were gracious enough to pick me up when my car was done. However, they made me feel like I was crazy. Even laughed at me because they said my car didn't replicate the problem. No joke. They insisted it was the battery (hello, the battery they changed out was about a year and half old if that). They gave me what they called "a deal" since the battery was "only" $30, but the labor was $100! Don't think my hubby can easily drop the battery in there? Suffice to say, the problem still exists and it takes 2 to 4 turns of my key to start my engine. When I got my car back, my windows wouldn't roll up and down from my key fob, so I brought it back. They said they couldn't do it. They actually told me to go back to the dealer to reprogram my keys. I had to insist that they could. I had to mention that other mechanics (and audi friends) were able to reprogram the keys. They told me to bring the car back so they can diagnose the problem, from how they treated me, I just didn't go back.

Lived with this issue for a year (long story)....and now my car is currently with my original mechanic. My car is getting some love at East County European Autoworks in Brentwood, but I trust Freddie with my car, hands down. He used to be the head tech at Livermore Audi before opening his own shop.

Wow Dawn, that' s unacceptable especially since I have recommended them in the past. Makes me think about looking for a new mechanic....

[1.8Turbo4me!]

^ agreed. any shop that mistreats their customer or makes mistake and denies it is very unacceptable.

piaadoll - it's a shame you had that horrible experience. i've mentioned them here before, so i apologize if you heard it from me. it's shocking to hear since i go to them and never had issues. hopefully for them, it's just an isolated incident. a good and trusting mechanic is really hard to find, glad you have Freddie.

[vortexjunkie]

If you guys are driving towards the center valley for service why not go to JHM?

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

[Nateness]

Not sure if you are in SF Proper, but we are down in Fremont and are by far the largest Audi Tuner shop in the Bay Area. Besides being a full service shop, with an in house dyno, we also manufacture a plethora of aftermarket and OEM-replacement parts for the B7.

Feel free to give us a call here @ the shop!

510-657-6707

+1 for 034. There are many other shops closer to me, but I still prefer to take it to 034 because there is no other shop that has the technical experience and the willingness to innovate on non-stock applications. They are also great if you want to do OEM maintenance, such as timing belt or clutch. 034's attention to detail is very impressive. When I stopped by to check up on my 2.0L build to take a look at the progress, I discovered that they had repaired a faulty coil connector (instead of making me replace the entire harness) and "simplified" my vaccuum line system to clean up the engine bay and reduce opportunities for vacuum leaks in the future.

From hardware to software, this shop offers complete turn-key solutions, which is a huge convenience compared to dealing with hardware-only and software-only vendors. For anything car issue or modification that I want done, I consult with Christian and the guys at 034 first.

[piaadoll]

Nero/ 1.8Turbo... No worries guys!! I was ready to try a local mechanic, so I did. They have TONs of 5 star reviews on Yelp so I really thought I'd have good service and they'd diagnose my problem.

I left thinking they would try to change this and that and charge me and still not resolve my hard start (which seems that's the road they were heading).

When I told Freddie they changed my battery, he asked me if they tested it (which Freddie always does and gives to me) and stupid me, said they didn't. Could've saved me $130. I should take a picture of my invoice and post it on yelp. LOL

$100 labor for installing a battery when it probably takes 15 mins if that. *sigh*

[Kookie]

034 in the area is a nice surprise. Problem solved!

I'm in SF Proper, live in the Upper Haight.

[fussball]

+1 for Advanced Autoworks in Dogpatch. I had them do some serious work on my Stage 3 B5 S4 Avant, and though it was still expensive in the end, they discounted the labor and threw in some extra parts for free. Knowledgeable, honest, and friendly plus in the city!

[Kookie]

Well, I ended up going down to 034. It was one of the best shop experiences I've ever had. Everyone was super friendly, my tech (John) thanked ME for bringing my car in.. Adil took us on a tour of the ENTIRE shop and the manufacturing area; pretty much joked around with us the entire time. I ended up snagging a Cupra R Lip while I was there after Adil pointed out that they have them by the barrel full (literally). This is by far one of the most professional and clean shops/manufacturing facilities I've been in. They come highly recommended as it is, so I can only resonate what the community thinks! Thanks 034, see you again soon!

[Dolphin_Vic]

How are you doing lately Dawn??

[piaadoll]

How are you doing lately Dawn??

OMG Vic! you are so funny! how's the family doing!? I'm doing ok. Just got my car back from some major work, but totally worth every penny. I'm back in Audi love again. What's going on with you??

[gfxninja]

i usually take my car to rennwerks (http://www.rennwerks.com/) in campbell since they're open on select saturdays. theyve done a coilover install and regular maintenance on my car. theyre pretty good!

[neoprufrok]

How are you doing lately Dawn??

The OG's are coming out of the woodwork again! LOL