Art's Automotive - Berkeley, California

Ian Kidder

Great repair shop for all of your Japanese vehicles. Prices are fair for services and they are by far the most transparent shop I have ever worked with. They will not proceed with work until you authorize it and the whole team is easy to work with. I moved to SF since I started bringing cars here but still make the trip to Art’s because it is worth it. Highly recommend to anyone with a Japanese car.

Michael Del Polito

This place is as great as the other comments said. Highly recommended by friends, I feel they are fair in pricing, quick with service, and do excellent work. Highly recommend if you hate stressing about crappy scammy dealers.

Yumehiko Hoshijima

I've had a Gen 4 (2010-14) Subaru Outback serviced at Art's for the last three years or so.

Their hourly labor rates are in line with independent mechanics in the area, and the shop insists on using high-quality parts (which may make their services slightly more expensive, but is worthwhile).

They are thoughtful and transparent about what maintenance needs to be done, and they advise against maintenance that might be cost-ineffective. For example, Art's recently discouraged me from having an A/C diagnostic after I told them that having super-cold A/C was not that important to me.

They also clearly think carefully about maintenance schedules. For example, my Gen 4 Outback is driven less than 5,000 miles/year -- and Art's consistently has been helpful in advising what maintenance should be considered on a time-based schedule (as opposed to a mileage-based one).

Don't be deterred by the fact that they don't allow for online appointments -- calling them is a breeze, it's helpful to talk to one of their service managers, and they can usually accommodate you for work within 7-10 business days or so.

Art's is what an independent mechanic *should* be, which is a rare thing.

Morgan C Bessette

Way overpriced and fairly rude. They probably do a good enough job based on other reviews (and the only reason why I'm rating 2 stars) but I got the same work done elsewhere (A/C compressor replacement, which also came with a 2 year warranty) for over $1000 less without having to wait a week for an appointment

Maggie Mahaffy

2005 Honda, 81,952 miles, yes, I know...
Lute & Chris, Art's staff have provided expert, personal care for many years (except for brief moments of insanity when I took it to the dealership). I always expect the repairs to cost more (dealership PTSD)! Still giggling over one of the mechanics talking about Dancing With The Stars!

Rick Bowles

Outstanding! I had some questions about my 15 Gen 3 Prius. Spoke to Chris and he is super knowledgeable, helpful and gave me some great advise. Thank you Chris!

Anne

I haven't even got my car back yet, but these guys are wonderful. they have gone above and beyond fixing a water leak repair, which I know can't be their favorite, for my 20-yr old car which officially falls outside of their serviceable car cutoff age. they call each time the plan deviates even slightly from what they told me last. very helpful, so nice, and so committed to fixing this bummer of an issue i brought them.

Emery Herman

Very good service! From the other side of the country, Paul took his time helping me understand and diagnose what was wrong with my 07 camry Hybrid. Thanks again for your patience and sharing your knowledge with me. This is the kind of company you hope to find when you're in need of help.