Got a BMW, Mercedes or Volvo? Tired of getting reamed up the ass by dealers in the Bay Area? Then you should check out Auto Analysts Embarcadero Auto. They're an independent shop in San Francisco that does great work at a fair price. Weird, huh?
Auto Analysts is now Embarcadero Auto.
When I first moved to San Francisco, I went to someplace called Pete's Garage that did good work on Japanese cars. But when we bought a 1995 BMW, we had to find a new (and more conveniently located) mechanic. That's when I walked next door to my office and tried Auto Analysts Embarcadero Auto. I noticed that most of the local NBC-TV affiliate employees took their cars there, so I tried them out.
When I walked over to pick my car up, a man in his 60s walked over to me and said, “You are new here. I am Cesar, this is my shop.” Needless to say, I was impressed that he knew his clientele personally. Frankly, he couldn't have made a better first impression. From then on, I took my car there for every service and every problem.
SERVICES:
Oil change, Detailing, Troubleshooting, Repair, Safety Inspection, Pre-purchase Inspection, Diagnostics and probably other stuff
MAKES:
Most European cars, including Volvo, Mercedes, and BMW
CANDY:
Yes
After a few years, they moved to their current location at 5th and Howard. It's not as convenient sometimes, but they've done a great job maintaining my car, and it now has almost 250,000 miles on it.
Embarcadero Auto is an independent shop.
As an independent shop, Auto Analysts Embarcadero Auto doesn't have nearly the overhead of a dealer. So they charge you what it costs them in parts and labor. Period. No funny stuff, and they'll walk you through all the charges if you ask them. They have nothing to hide, and they do good work—I should know, I used to race in my youth, and know my way around an internal combustion engine.
Don't believe they're trustworthy? Check out their reviews on Google. Or look them up on Yelp. (And, hey, why don't you believe me? That hurts. It really does.)
Also, if you're worried that taking your car there will void your warranty, relax:
Federal law prohibits new car dealers from implying or denying warranty service because routine scheduled maintenance was performed at an independent repair facility.— Magnuson-Moss Act (1975); Title 15, Chapter 50, Section 2301-2312
And you can be sure that I'm not being paid for this endorsement in any way. I mean, there was something they said about free movie tickets or something, but I wouldn't take them.
I haven't been to the theater since I went to see “Avatar” and now I just feel dirty—that wasn't a good movie.
