The Model Garage

This is a review for 2 visits to this place for my 2013 Corolla. The place is professional and people efficient. The most important thing: you don't feel scammed by bills which point North, while service points South.
They agreed to take in my car early for 60k mile service after I requested that my wife is feeling anxious about the due service. That earned me brownie points with her, too.
On both times that I have been there, they have not recommended any costly changes or predicted doomsday if I didn't go in with an expensive maintenance.
Bottom line, I trust them. I trust that their prices are genuine. I paid 1/3rd of price here than what Toyota dealership had quoted and got better service.
Can't wait for the next service.

I did not bring my car to The Model Garage by happenstance. I had an emergency just before Thanksgiving and went to Ackerman's. Bruce Ackerman could not handle the work immediately and he suggested The Model Garage. A reputable mechanic actually recommending another dependable Volvo mechanic? Go figure. I have been to two "expert" Volvo mechanics before and been dissatisfied with the results and was wary.

Don was kind enough to take a look right away and solved the problem and that electromechanical issue stayed fixed.

The Model garage is not inexpensive, but excellent mechanics rarely are but their work is impeccable and they are honest about the cost. Volvos and indeed most European cars are expensive to maintain, having owned a BMW 540i before I don't know if I owned the car or the other way around...

I highly recommend Bruce, Robert and Co. They do great work.

I love this garage, and have been coming here for years, whenever I was in the Bay Area. Always reliable service and really good information about my cars. Great place!

Robert and the team go the extra mile to make sure my car is running safe. I have an older vehicle and it has had intermittent issues. Every time I need a repair, big or small, I know I can take it to Model Garage and get honest help. They are all really friendly too and the place feels like family. It's so comforting to have a mechanic that cares.

I really appreciate their attention to detail and impeccable customer service!
I wouldn't take my car anywhere else.

This is the go-to place if you want a clear explanation of how to care for your vehicle and good folks who have integrity who can help you diagnose problems. They did engine, brake, electrical, and steering component work for me while teaching me a lot about vehicles in general. I'd highly recommend them. It seems everyone with a Volvo already knows about it, but they treated my 4Runner with a lot of care. One of the owners took it out himself on the highway 8 or 9 times until my problem was sorted out.

The other thing I appreciate is that they give you options: do this because it's important, you'll never need that, you should probably get this taken care or sometime, etc. They also explain the trade offs with different methods and prefer to do things the right way. There's a sense of craftsmanship here that I appreciated. They won my business.

After years of disappointment in bringing our dealership-bought Prius back to the same dealership for service, and being treated like unwelcome guests, we were THRILLED by our treatment, service, competence, friendliness, and fair pricing by The Model Garage. Honest, hard-working intelligent folks. Won't ever bring my car anywhere else from now on.

Found these guys when I first moved to CA back in 1986 -- yes, 30 years ago -- and they have been working on my Toyota's ever since. For many, many years, their resident female mechanic worked on my car -- as a single mom I just thought that was extra cool. But all of their techs are stellar and I trust them implicitly -- with my life, really, when you think about it, since it's a car.

I can always count on them to be honest and up front about what I really should spend money on and what I can afford to wait to have done. They know who I am when I call, and are always super helpful and accommodating. They are all just really good people.

I literally would never buy a brand of car they don't service because I cannot imagine not using them as my mechanics.

Got my old van inspected to make sure all was good to move across the country. They seemed honest and straightforward. Didn't try to sell me any unnecessary work. And even spent a few minutes showing me how to check a few fluid levels under the hood. Very helpful!

The kindest, most sincere place I've ever been to! I wish I had gotten the name of the man who helped me with my tires.

This was the first place I saw while I was driving so I pulled in without giving them a call first, and he just dived right in and was so careful with my car. Told me exactly what was wrong and helped me fix it up.

I get a little nervous coming into car repair shops because I feel like sometimes they overcharge me when they see that I'm a woman and I make it obvious that I know nothing about cars - because I really don't.

If you want a place that will be completely honest with you & put extra care into their work, come here!