I brought my 28 year old Cadillac in for a smog test. First of all, it wasn't easy to find a place that would test it, and the few I found wanted an outrageous amount. Then I found Japan Auto Repair. Not only were they immediately able to take it but their price was the best I'd ever seen for any car, not just an old one. The work was done quickly and the staff were very nice, friendly and capable. I will choose them for my other three cars when the time comes.
Thanks, great job!
My first time at Japan Auto Repair. The staff is friendly, the information they provided was accurate, the garage looks clean and well organized. My car needed extensive steering and brake work done and it was finished well within the expected time frame. I don't have the knowledge to accurately price compare, but for the work that was done the cost seemed fair to me. I will be back.
We have been bringing our cars for repair to Japan Motors for years, starting when we lived in Marin County, and even now making a special trip across the bridge now that we've moved to SF. They are the only shop that we trust, they do a great job at a fair price, and are wonderfully nice people to work with.
My 1993 GEO tracker always needs special attention. The "Car Doctors" at Japan Auto have kept it healthy for many years.
They are the Greatest!! John Benus
When my car needs help, i always call my "Car Doctor" at Japan Auto who have always helped my classic GEO Tracker to a full recovery. They are the best!! Thanks from John Benus.
They do an excellent job and I know my Honda CRV is always in great hands with them! I completely trust them for any of my car's needs. In addition to them being excellent in what they do with car repairs/oil changes, the customer service is always excellent as well and they have a great staff!
The entire crew was great. Dario, my mechanic, diagnosed and found the problem. I'd spent thousands with another garage trying to cure a check engine light issue that could have damaged the catalytic converter. The old garage told me I didn't need new spark plugs or ignition parts. The car is a 2003 350z with 91,000 miles. Dario examined the plugs and ignition parts and said they were worn out. He replaced them and the car runs like new. No rough idling, no check engine light. If I came here a year ago I would have saving lots of money, time, and headaches. Thank you JAR team and Dario!
Japan Auto Repair has been great with my 2003 Lexus GS300. They’re just as good as the dealership mechanics. I’ve had questionable experiences with other mechanics before I did any business with Japan Auto Repair and. I will only do business with them.
Japan Auto has been providing excellent service on my Lexus for many years. The staff members are all warm, polite and helpful, scheduling is smooth and easy and they accommodate waiting when I want that option. And they love dogs!
I always receive the best service at Japan Auto Repair! They are ready to service my vehicle at the time of appointment, and it is ready on time. They value my time, and they value the work they do. Dario is the best mechanic, along with the other professional staff. Thank you Japan Auto Repair!
Always outstanding quality service, customer relations and auto maintenance at Japan Auto. I’ve been taking my car there for over 20 years and have never had a bad experience!
Thank you for another great experience.
Linda Lewis
We decided to try Japan Auto after years of very expensive service at Toyota of Marin. We made an appointment with a very pleasant woman who asked pertinent questions to decide what service we needed. We brought the car to their garage. The same woman we spoke to on the phone checked us in. The work was done in a few hours and we received a text alerting us to pick up the car. The cost for this service was about half of what we had been paying at Toyota. We were very pleased with the whole experience. We have a Prius and a RAV4 and we intend to have Japan Auto care for all our service needs. They are a class act.
Place came highly recommended from a friend of mine. I don’t see how. Took them two days to replace it instead of spark plugs and then they tried to charge me 1800 bucks when they quoted me at 1080. I repeated the quote back to him two times and they said yes and I said get the work done and when I came to pay it, they tried to charge me another 700 something dollars. So now they’re putting my old spark plugs back in. Would never go here again Would never send anybody here.
Walked in and asked how much for a tune up because I knew I had a cylinder misfiring. They told me they needed to run diagnostics first. Long story short, I paid $600 for them to tell me what I already knew and that it would be at least $1200 more to fix. Ended up doing it myself for $200 in parts. They took advantage of me being in a bad spot, took my money and time. Super untrustworthy.
I’ve been a loyal customer of Japan Auto Repair since 2010. They do excellent work at reasonable prices. As the customer-facing part of the team, David is always a pleasure. He communicates throughout the process in the most competent, informative, and reassuring way imaginable. Josh, Hannah, and the others are also dependably pleasant and knowledgeable. My wife and son are now devoted customers too. We all feel our vehicles are in excellent hands and will be keeping them there.
I've brought my cars here over the last several decades but I can't recommend it anymore. I have a Nissan that is stalling a lot, and I asked Japan Auto to work on it. They kept it for a week (!) and, when I paid $1500, "guaranteed" that the problem had been fixed. Well, it stalled leaving their parking lot, and hasn't stopped stalling. And it has new problems that didn't exist when I brought it to them. They would not "guarantee" they wouldn't charge me more to take it back and work on it more. There are other mechanics that can competently work on Japanese autos. Not here.
I’ve been lucky enough to call Josh my mechanic for over a decade now. He is kind, thorough, and honest. I trust his recommendations completely— he’s never tried to upsell or over charge, always clearly explaining the pros and cons of any services that could be deemed optional.
It’s such a relief to be able to trust a mechanic fully. My car (and yours!) are in great hands here.
Great friendly service and honest communication. Had a 2011 Subaru burning oil, and a new engine was built in a cost effective way replacing components that were to far gone on a 200,000 mile car. I couldn’t be happier!
Japan Auto has been a wonderful experience having our truck fixed. Josh and his crew did incredible work and very efficient. They clearly are knowledgeable and get the job done. Thank you
I took my car into Japan Auto Repair and I have finally found a great Mom and Pop shop that is worth going to! The people there were professional yet friendly and communicated very well. When I asked about the repairs that my car needed they where honest and explained everything. I have been looking for a long time to find a small shop I can rely on to fix my car. I hate going to dealerships for repairs...no one seems to care and I always feel like I am getting ripped off. These guys took the time with me and genuinely showed they care about the quality of their work. Thanks! I will be back!
Anyone can make a mistake once in awhile, so after 15 years of excellent service I wasn't too upset when they screwed up once. Or should I say, they forgot to put one screw in. New suspension rattled and clunked on uneven road surface. I brought it back to the shop and the next morning by 10 am my truck was dropped off at my house driving perfectly again with a big apology. Truly an outstanding shop! Thanks Josh, David and Ray!
Amazing crew at Japan Auto Repair. They really look out for their customers.
I did a pre-purchase inspection at Japan Auto Repair. They did a thorough job with the inspection, and found a few problems including a screw in the tire! They showed me all the issues one by one and suggested that I take pictures to make a compelling case for my negotiation with the seller. As a result, I was able to get new tires from the seller on top of an already pretty sweet deal. If it weren't for their great work, I would've driven home with a leaky tire and pay to get it patched, and I'd pay $$$ shortly after that to get the other nearly worn tires replaced. Thank you!
I really appreciate this mechanic shop because they helped me out on a late Friday afternoon. Service was fast, thorough, and they were polite. The price was reasonable and transparent. I can't speak to how well they do large repairs, since I didn't need that, but they did a good job for what I needed. I will consider coming back here again.
I found this place after getting screwed and disrespected by the local San Rafael Toyota Dealership.
To the others that have complained here:
Go to the dealership! I am sure you will be happy somewhere corporate that really could give a shizzm less about you or your car. When you complain there, they won't even respect your concerns with a response. They will also charge you 3-4 times as much. So quit complaining about cost. If cost is an issue, go to the Grocery Outlet parking lot and find a mechanic there. Quit complaining about stoopid stuff and be better support for local small businesses.
I will forever be a customer here for all my service needs for my truck. They have gone above and beyond every expectation I would ever have about a shop of this caliber and have taken care of me and my truck when over a dozen there would not even attempt the work I needed done.
Thank you for all the commitment and effort in your profession and thank you for the exceptional customer service experiences that I have had the opportunity to be on the receiving end of.
I will forever be a customer service of establishments like this one. Thank you for being amazing!
Cheers -
I brought my Tacoma in for servicing. I needed break inspections. The young gentlemen said no problem and away we went. He noticed the mileage of my vehicle and asked some questions on my maintenance history. I had not changed most of my fluids since having the truck. He gave me a recommendation with cause and effects of not changing fluids could Potentially cause harm my vehicle. With the most detailed information I received. I made a accurate decision to preserve the life of my truck and change the fluids. I asked if I could stay and learn a little about what he was doing and he had no problem with me watching and asking questions. He was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. I highly recommend this shop to everyone.
Have been a client of Japan Auto Repair for some 25 years, now and have great confidence in their work. Prices are reasonable, everyone from the owner, Kenzo, down is helpful and attentive, and they stand by their work, even beyond reasonable
guarantee time. We intend to keep our two Japanese cars under their care for as long as Japan Auto is in business. Strongly recommended.
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