Cowden Automotive

I cheated on my mechanic...oops. However, this is my official side mechanic! I just needed a tire, and mike was able to give me his best recommendation. He ordered the tire and it was there SAME DAY. I love it. He also pointed out something wrong with my car and gave me great advice. He knew my loyalty to my mechanic, so he wasn't even doing it to upsell me. He was going above and beyond to bring things to my attention. Human decency at its finest! When I drove back to LA, I was able to talk to my mechanic about it. Thanks mike for your attention to detail!

I started going to Cowden Automotive back in the '90's and after buying my Prius in 2008, started letting Toyota Services take care of my upkeep and repairs. Big mistake. Came back to Cowden in 2022 where I received efficient, reliable, lower-priced, clearly-explained service and repair without attempts to sell me anything not necessary. Plus, the guys are such a pleasure to deal with!

$105 Oil change. Yikes that's expensive. I'm in South San Francisco & I can get an oil change for $80 here.

Absurd pricing for suspension control arm bushings. OEM is less than $500 for the parts.

The reasons for my review are multiple, this place is way overpriced, the baseline fee was a ridiculous $190, which turn out to be a waste of money and time since I ultimately ended up taking the car somewhere else to be fixed. I started to get a bad impression when the person helping me didn't know that my car doesn't have an alternator. And basically was pushing me to replace a part, half-asing the pricing and hedging on information. He was not only unreliable but also rude and condescending. I admit I don't know much about cars but I did not appreciate being berated for asking questions in order to understand the warranty that I would be purchasing if went ahead and replace the part. after that it was an easy choice and took my business elsewhere.
A quick update: I'm really glad I took the car to another mechanic, it turns out that the recommendation provided in this shop was totally wrong, the part I was told to replace was in great condition and did not need to be replaced at all. So not only is this place unreputable in my eyes but the person took advantage by charging me a 'base rate' to check out the car, and tried to scam me even more by lying that I needed to replace a part turn out to be great condition and would cost $390 plus labor. If you go to this place be careful.

I've taken my BMW here multiple times and will continue to do so. Justin and the team always take care of me and are super pleasant to work with! Appreciate all the help and hard from you guys!

Cowden Automotive is my new mechanic! I took my older van in for some AC work, which they performed quite well.

I knew there was some other work that needed to be done on the van, but I wanted to see how the did on the AC before I committed to deeper work. Justin did a diagnostic and confirmed the work I knew needed done. I appreciated that.

He worked up a plan to do all the work at once to save in labor costs. The turnaround was fast, service was top notch, and the van runs so much better! I'm getting at least another hundred miles per tank now!

Thank you Justin and Cowden Automotive, a job well done!

Justin the owner is super nice and reasonable. Oil change was quick and easy - got quote and booked appointment through yelp.

These guys are AWESOME! I will never, ever take my car to the dealer again -- Justin explains exactly what's needed, patiently answering any questions, and then they do the work faster, better and cheaper than any dealer. Twice now, they've fixed a small broken motor in my 2004 Honda Pilot (one in the seat and one in the heater), helping me keep a good, solid car with a great engine safely and comfortably on the road. Both Justin and Mike are friendly, thoroughly competent guys, as are everyone there I'm sure. I will never take my cars anywhere else!

I recently needed some repairs to my 2013 Infinity and Justin at Cowden was recommended.
I wish I had know about him (professional very knowable) and this repair shop sooner.
Great timely service at reasonable cost, including follow up.
I's recommend this shop the everyone.

Ed Schnaars

Professional integrity is all but non existent and work quality is sub-standard at best.

After doing business for over a decade with the original owner Paul Cowden, it is truly disappointing to see the decline of what used to be a top notch auto repair shop.

I brought my car in to be serviced for a loud 'clacking noise' emanating from the wheel of the car. It took two back-to-back trips (September/October 2019) to Cowden who never accurately diagnosed the problem; but instead charged me over $700 for parts and labor that were entirely unrelated to the problem.

I finally took my car to the BMW dealership who promptly zeroed in on the 'clacking' noise...which was a wheel bearing rubbing against the rear tire!

This was a basic repair job that could and should have been easily detected and repaired on my first visit to Cowden.

The time,energy and money I wasted was significant.

I would discourage anyone from doing business with Cowden Automotive because their professional standards, workmanship and integrity at this juncture leaves a lot to be desired.

I strongly recommend going elsewhere.