Art's Automotive in
Berkeley (CA)

Have you ever left an automotive repair place and felt good? From the moment I called art's automotive and chatted with Brad about my tires and Subaru tire pressure monitoring system, I felt like I was getting honest advice and opinions with no pressure at all. They are my new automotive experts in Berkeley!

Been there many times for all kinds of issues with my Prius. They're not the cheapest, but they're definitely the best value and they do the best work. Even better than the super expensive places like Argonaut.

They do good work, like any good mechanic, but the prices are insane, and the communication and honesty is questionable. Because I was busy, I let my SO take her car to them, without my supervision, which was a mistake. Along with brake work, they decided to give her an oil change "service" that she didn't need, after only 1,000 miles since the last one, and on top of that it was $400, just for the oil change 🙄 To be fair, she signed for it, after being given paperwork that she didn't pay attention to (because she's not gonna know what's legit and what isn't) and I was too busy to check due to travel - but it's still ridiculous - there was a clearly visible sticker that showed the mileage of the last oil change. If you go here, make sure to have someone who knows about cars (and your car's history) double check what they are proposing, before letting them just "do whatever" and overcharge you for unneeded services.

I purchased 4 Hankook tires from them a year ago. I recently blew out the sidewall of one of the tires because of a road hazard. I came in on Monday and Lute checked the tire to make sure it was still under the warranty. It was, so he promptly started the warranty claim process and ordered a new tire. I came back on Tuesday for a quick tire change and then I was on my way. I would definitely recommend Art's Automotive, and shout out to Lute for the great service.

Lute and Chris were both great! I like to know in detail what’s going on, and they were more than happy to answer all the questions I had! They were both great at communicating, and are clearly passionate about their work. Driving feels pristine now. I was relieved at the lack of BS or upselling. They were very specific about what service options they were recommending and why. The several points where I might have anticipated a potential upsell, and they consistently did the opposite. EX: “We could replace this for a few hundred bucks. But if you don’t mind just taping it up, you can just do that instead and keep an eye on it.” I didn't mind, and they even offered to help tape it up! Most importantly I never felt pressured, or at all steered into paying for higher cost ‘quality of life’ options. Nothing on my invoices felt frivolous or gouged. Prices were competitive, especially given the area and quality of work. I've brought two cars here, and will be returning with both.

Came in looking for a quick diagnoses after my Subaru kept stalling. They squeezed me in that day and immediately fixed the problem - my go to auto shop

Incredibly kind and professional people. My first experience - I thought my new-to-me car needed an anti theft device for my catalytic converter. The shop squeezed me in just a few days after I called. When I arrived they discovered it already had a cat shield. They suggested I just leave it as is for now, and one of the mechanics even reset my fuel gauge for no charge. They were very thorough in explaining everything, pros and cons, in a way that always felt respectful. I’d highly recommend this spot to others.

Arts Automotive really saved me. Every shop I smoke too was saying I was gonna need a new transmission and spend $6-8k. Jared was so kind and knowledgeable and knew of a fix that subarus need sometimes and asked if I wanna start with that $100 fix. That was exactly what my car needed. They are very trust worthy, they absolutely could have told me I needed a new transmission and taken on that expensive job. Instead they were just so helpful and honest--I will be taking my car to Arts Automotive as long as I live in the Bay Area!!!

I’ve been a loyal customer of Art’s Automotive for over twenty years and never written a review, so it’s way past time that I do so now. Art’s is hands down the absolute best auto mechanic period. I have had the pleasure of working with Lute and Chris who are two of the many outstanding employees for literally decades, which tells me that aside from being an excellent auto shop, Art’s is also an excellent employer. Art’s has always gone above and beyond in their service. Unlike other establishments, never have I even remotely felt taken advantage of. You could do nor find no better auto mechanic.

I highly recommend!! My car suddenly stopped while driving—several shops were thinking it was a transmission issue that was gonna cost me 5k. I know near nothing about cars so I don’t know what they did, but they said lots of Subarus need this fix—and it cost $100. They also changed my oil & got me back driving 3 days later. My car has been running great, no issues, the past 6 months since that happened. One of the employees also really clearly explained everything to me (although I’ve since forgotten) what it is they were doing. I’m not a man and at every auto shop ever they have treated me like I couldn’t possibly understand—not at Arts! 100/10 experience!

My daughter accidentally put the jumper pack cable on the wrong terminal in my Prius. Well as you can guess I'm any car this can completely destroy the car. "Luckily" it only blew out an expensive fuse strip that was $$$ they replaced it and when the car still would not start they did not just give up, call me and say sorry your car is destroyed. Instead they kept looking & eventually determined that the fuse at the battery needed replaced as well. They fix it and the fuses that weren't put in the correct place due to other people my daughter knew trying to help her without having the knowledge to check a fuse and put it back in the correct place! I'm very satisfied with their work they have worked on it twice now, both times due to the inexperience of my kids but they didn't overcharge nor try to get over on me and replace things that weren't necessary. This in itself is extremely important to me because they could have easily tried especially when dealing with the kids who were inexperienced and look like an easy mark!

Based on something another shop had told me, I came in expecting to need definitely one and probably both front and back brake pads replaced on top of my regular service and having to spend 700-1400. I am also a person who could not more clearly know less about cars. The folks at Art’s inspected everything and very kindly let me know that the brakes that “definitely” needed to be done were absolutely fine and nowhere near needing work and the other ones (that actually had more ware and tear) would be fine til my next service. They did the regular service for my mileage and graciously saved somewhere between 400-1100 bucks. As a woman who had been fleeced by unscrupulous auto shops in the past and who it would be frankly not hard to fleece again in this way, I so deeply appreciate this place and am happy to bring my car here again and have recommended to friends.

I have been bringing my 2004 Prius to Art’s for 20 years. They have always been skilled, honest, reliable, and on time. They are creative and helpful when there is a less expensive solution to a problem. For example, my exterior mirror got snapped off and was banging against the side of the car. A normal repair would have involved removing the car door - 2 hours of labor. Art’s was able to fix it with duct tape and declined to charge me at all! Highest possible recommendation.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

So grateful to the team at Art's Automotive for taking our car before the holidays when we had an unexpected repair needed. They got it fixed right before they closed for the holidays. We really appreciate their quality work and timeliness in getting our car back on the road!

Never thought I'd find myself writing a review for a mechanic, but here I am because I had a fantastic experience at Art's Automotive today! They were thorough, honest, and clearly explained the inspection report helping me understand what services were needed, what might be coming soon, and what was in good shape. Their prices are fair and they communicated before performing any services to get a green light (no pun intended) from me. I would absolutely recommend Art's and will be coming back in the future :)

Fantastic knowledge to help with a transmission issue. Did a general search on the internet and found an article written by Paul Cortes. With a phone call to Art's Automotive to talk to Paul he helped me in detail, on how to make the repair. He sent out the part and I made the repair to his instructions. Several weeks later and over 2000 miles the 2005 prius is still running on the repair. Don't know any of the guys personally but if their anything like Paul, I would trust taking my car there for repairs. As I said I made a phone call because I don't live in CA. Paul was friendly enough to help a Toyota owner in PA. What does that tell you about Art's Automotive. Sincerely Barry (Prius Repair Guy)

Highly recommend! Art’s was thoughtful and helpful every step of the way when I brought in my vehicle after the catalytic converter was stolen. They even gave a discount when they found out my insurance wouldn’t cover much of the repair. Everyone was a class act and very knowledgeable.

This shop is INCREDIBLE!! I was in the market for a used car and had a long back and forth with Chris at the shop about the vehicle I was looking at. He pulled records for me and advised me on a good purchase price and any issues I could expect from the vehicle. Did I mention he did all of this for FREE?! The vehicle is also an old Saab which can be hard to service, but he told me Art's would help me out with the car whenever I need. I really feel that I can trust the shop to give me honest advice and genuine car services. Go to Art's!!

We have been taking our cars to Art's for 15 years now, and have had consistently excellent service. They are efficient, communicative, respectful, and do a great job of keeping our cars running smoothly at a reasonable price point. It can take a few weeks to get in for a regular service, but when there is an emergency/urgent situation I have gotten service much faster. Once, my fan belt broke on my way to work, about 15 miles away. I didn't know what was wrong but Lute managed to diagnose the problem over the phone. I got my car towed to Art's at the end of the day and they fixed it for me in 24 hours. I had anticipated going many days without a car! I always recommend Art's and really appreciate them being there.

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.

What can I possibly say about my neighborhood automotive store that has not been said already!? They are absolutely the best in business-- professional, knowledgeable, honest and good people. I have been doing business with them for the last 15 years with our 4 Japanese made cars for the whole family. We can trust Arts with our cars 100% . They give us their honest opinion and let us decide what we want serviced and when. We have never had any unexpected issues come up because these cars are kept in best shape by Art's. Thank you Art's Automotive! You guys are gold!

I absolutely recommend Art's Automotive. They are truly amazing to work with - kind, knowledgeable, prompt, honest, and professional. I had SUCH an above and beyond experience- best service ever. Plus very reasonable pricing, incredible value, and proactive communication with my auto insurance. I am forever grateful to Lute for all of his help - such thorough and swift communication, trustworthy advice, and expert knowledge. He answered my many questions with patience and compassion. I felt like I was in such good hands.