Stress-Free Auto Care

It was a real pleasure to take my car here! I will be back. It is hard to find a dependable tire shop where the techs are professionals, the service writer explains everything up-front, the facility is clean, and at a value. I needed four new tires and an alignment. The manager, Roberto (thank you!) was focused on ensuring my health and safety as much as he was dedicated to helping me choose the best tires.

I am extremely happy with my new tires, they are so quiet!

Had a coupon for an Oil Change at a great price.
They honored the coupon and did a great job. Kept me informed at all times via text.
Did not try and up sell me other services that I didn't need.
Recommended.

WARNING: THEIR ALIGNMENT MACHINE IS (ironically) OUT OF ALIGNMENT. AVOID.

First, I have to say that the people running the place are very personable and the webcam to watch your car being worked on is a neat, modern touch.

However, no matter how nice of an establishment this place may be, it can't be ignored that their inadequately maintained equipment ended up costing me hundreds of dollars in new tires and new alignment.

Of course I'll give the details, because it pains me to have to negatively review a place so I won't do it without good reason. To wit:

I came to Stress Free late last year to get a 4-wheel alignment for my AWD vehicle after rolling over some of the potholes left by the heavy rains from earlier in the year. As mentioned, the customer intake experience was fine, and while the cost of the service was arguably higher than average, they finished on time and provided the expected chart of results, stating that one of the aligning bolts in my car had been bent which meant that my car was left with a non-correctable slight pull. They offered (without any pushiness) to order a new part to fix this but stated clearly that a new alignment would cost the full price. No worries there, but I passed on the offer.

A short while later it started to rain heavily, as you may recall. My car was having traction issues (scary at freeway speeds) and when I got home I saw that one of the front tires had worn all the way to the wires! I quickly proceeded to freak out, chalked it up to old tires (20k miles? I want to say... not actually old at all), and went to the tire place to get 4 new tires (it's required for my AWD if the tires are worn). Good enough I thought, although that steering pull was annoying.

A couple months later, I noticed an abnormal amount of wear on the inside of the front tires. Remember, according to the post-service report, the alignment settings were supposed to be in line with factory spec, so this kind of wear was quite unexpected, especially since I hadn't hit any potholes or such in the time since. Bad camber setting?

I ended up taking the car to another shop (that's known for being more performance-oriented) and what they found led me to writing this review: The tires weren't mis-cambered; instead, the toe-in was wildly out of spec (over 1 degree, which is a lot) which caused the front tires to feather and wear abnormally fast, and also contributed to the steering pull. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that aligning bolt I mentioned above, and in fact this other shop mentioned that nothing would bend it short of a major collision.

Once this second shop performed a new alignment on their properly-maintained machine, my car started tracking straight again. At the conclusion of this service, this shop suggested that the only way my car could've ended up in this situation is if the previous alignment (from Stress Free) was done on a heavily miscalibrated machine so that an out-of-spec setting would give an "in-spec" reading.

In summary, despite Stress Free's efforts to provide a satisfactory customer experience, I cannot ignore the fact that their poorly-maintained equipment ended up costing me around $1000 in additional costs as well as leaving me with incorrect information about the state of my vehicle that took considerable time to correct. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that their equipment will be in good working order by the time any reader sees this review, so all I can really do is suggest that anyone looking for an alignment should "steer" clear of Stress Free in San Mateo. Sorry guys.

The whole process from making an appointment to getting my car back was a super easy experience, truly stress free like their namesake.

The car only needed a brake fluid job, but they still took the time to perform a detailed inspection report that called out future maintenance items and potential/current problems, and they were still timely with the original job. This really impressed me as it shows their attention to detail and reassures me that I've put my vehicle in good hands.

While I was waiting for the car, I was able to get work done with their free Wi-Fi, and the waiting area was stocked with water and snacks. I also wasn't upsold on anything nor pressured or subjected to any shady tactics, which was pleasantly surprising.

Oscar, my service advisor, did a great job processing through an unexpected volume of customers that all came in within the first hour of opening, and Sanjeev, the general manager, was very courteous and professional when processing the car out back to me and answering my final questions.

Overall, this was very different from my other auto mechanic experiences, and I'm so pleased with my first interaction with them that I'll be a repeat customer with all my vehicles!

Super straight forward and easy process, I'd completely recommend this location for people who need their car cared for.

I booked an appointment for an alignment after getting new tires online via their website; took less than 10 minutes. Confirmation emails and texts were sent to me. On the day of the appointment, I dropped my car off right at opening and I was the first one in line (I love to do things when there's less people, I don't know how busy this location gets in the afternoon). Sanjeev took care of getting all the paperwork done.

I originally scheduled my car to be picked up at 4PM, but I got a text that it was ready at 12PM. Gotta say even if they are busy, they get their work done! I received a detailed report as well outlining some basic checklist items (brakes, fluids, filters, etc). I didn't even know my Tie Rod needs to be replaced soon. This was all a courtesy check and they provided pictures for everything too. I really appreciated that.

Price seemed reasonable and detailed reports with pictures. I'd say this place does seem to honor their "Stress-Free" name. For someone who usually works on their own car (I cannot align my tires myself LOL), I think this is a place I'd still take my car to for bigger repairs!

Very good service and very satisfied with the work!! Nice hardwokers!!
I liked it because they estimate the cost and they always let you know what they are doing to the car!

I had fantastic first and second experiences with them. They have invested in a state-of-the-art computer system that makes scheduling and repairing cars fast, high quality, and simple to experience. They also provide detailed documentation on current repairs and costs. Additionally, the company includes a list of other maintenance needed with the estimated costs. So far, I'm really impressed.

A full inspection report on my 2019 Mazda CX5. I can see under the hood what I don't even see before. With Michael Hoyt & Joshua O., I am at ease to say the least. I will be back with my wife's car.
Completely satisfied.

I freaking love this place mainly because I'm a stress nut so finding this place is a blessing. They are so good with answering the phone, their lobby is super cute I would spend all day working there if I didn't have an eight month old. They have a refreshments area with a microwave, and even offered a ride home. Their pricing is very competitive and their inspection reports are A quality with photos. Absolutely love this place.

My battery was buggy and had to be replaced. It was already end of business day and I had to get my car fixed as it was "Back to School" the day after. I called Stress-Free and they were courteous enough to bring me in quickly and replace my battery in 30 mins. Sanjeev was just amazing and the man who made it all happen. Thanks guys for such an great customer service.

Very nice shop for all your needs. They are not cheap but fair prices. Excellent reports that show you what needs to be done. Service advisor Michael was great guy and very helpful. Thanks all!