This rating is based on customer reviews, inventory size, pricing, and service quality
Based on recent feedback, San Mateo Auto Works in San Mateo, CA trends positive—about 89/100. Standout theme: exceptional, neighborly customer service with staff who diagnose small issues, install bulbs/batteries, and explain options. Pricing is mostly fair, though a few note higher-than-competitor costs. Parts access is mixed: some find shelves well organized and parts easy to locate; others report out-of-stock, misdirection, and slow pickup/phone waits. Parking/access gets mixed notes. Some reviews appear to reference a nearby parts retailer, so attribution is partly unclear, but overall sentiment toward the shop is strong.
What clients say about San Mateo Auto Works in San Mateo (CA)
I had an extremely disappointing experience at San Mateo Auto Works and would not recommend this shop.
On Wednesday, April 29, I went in person to schedule service for Friday at 8am. Since the main person in the office would not be there on Friday, the price and service details were supposed to be set up ahead of time. I was quoted $799 for an oil change, coolant service, spark plugs, and serpentine belt for my Honda’s A14 & 5 service. The quote was clearly discussed, and he repeated “just so we’re on the same page” multiple times while confirming the price.
I was also told my information would be written down so everything would be ready for Friday. However, when I arrived Friday morning, nothing seemed prepared. They had to ask again for my name, phone number, email, and address, and they rewrote the invoice.
That morning, I asked to add a transmission service because the last time it was done was around 37k miles. The updated invoice was written for $991, and based on the conversation, I understood that the transmission service was included in that updated price.
When I returned around 2:10pm to pick up my car, the interaction became extremely uncomfortable. I was trying to get clarification on the price and services performed, but the employee working with me, who I understand is the owner’s son, became aggressive, raised his voice, put his hands up repeatedly, and spoke to me in a disrespectful way. During the interaction, he was also on the phone with the shop owner, so the owner was aware of how the situation was being handled.
As a young woman, being yelled at and spoken to aggressively in that setting made me feel especially uncomfortable and intimidated. I asked him multiple times to stop being aggressive toward me, but the behavior continued.
I stepped away to call my mom because I felt uncomfortable, and he continued yelling from a distance asking if I was going to pay. My mom could hear him raising his voice over the phone. I eventually had my mom and stepdad come to the shop because I felt intimidated and just wanted help resolving the situation.
During the discussion, I was told the transmission service had not been done, even though I believed it had been added when the invoice changed to $991. Both the employee and the shop owner denied that I had asked to add the transmission service, even though that was the reason I believed the price had increased. There was also confusion about the original $799 quote, with the shop owner denying over the phone that a price had been given on Wednesday. I would not have agreed to leave my car for service without knowing the price first.
Throughout the entire situation, I stayed calm and was only trying to understand why the charges were different from what had been discussed. The employee attempted to explain the charges, but the explanation did not match the agreement from Wednesday or what I understood had been added Friday morning. Once they said the transmission service was not done, I told him I would pay the original price his father quoted me on Wednesday, but he did not want to honor that at first.
My mom also tried to calm the situation down, but he continued getting heated instead of helping resolve the issue professionally. This uncomfortable conversation went on for about 20 minutes before they finally agreed to honor the original quoted price.
The lack of organization, unclear communication, price confusion, and aggressive customer service made this one of the worst experiences I’ve had with a business.
I originally chose this shop because it had good reviews online and because I have had positive experiences with Pablo’s Auto Body nearby. Unfortunately, my experience with San Mateo Auto Works was completely different. Maybe other customers will have a better experience, but based on what happened to me, I will not return or recommend this shop.
I took my car in for some routine maintenance, and these guys really know their stuff. Quick turnaround and fair prices—totally relieved I found a reliable spot for repairs. Definitely recommend!
I’ve been here twice now and had really positive experiences. The first time, Will (office manager) scheduled me in super last minute before I had to leave for a trip, and the second time, I brought in my husband’s car because the check engine light came on. Turns out I had only forgotten to screw on the gas cap after filling the tank. It was such a stupid mistake on my part, but he went ahead and filled my tires and didn’t charge for a thing. Will is that neighborly mechanic you can trust, and this is the only place I’ll bring our cars from now on.
We’ve been servicing our cars here for years. Wife’s old car died during rush hour one night and got towed to the shop. Car worked fine next day when the shop checked it out and drove around - they suspect some fluid sloshed and killed the engine. They didn’t charge us even though spent time on it. We’ve been bringing our cars here since and have always been happy with the honest service.
Needed an oil change for my Mazda CX-5 and found this place on yelp. I can tell you I was very pleased with the service. There’s a reason why this place has such high ratings. Not only did they complete my service earlier than expected (few hours), they rotated my tires and filled all the fluids (ie window wiper fluid) for free. Best of all, they made the maintenance dashboard light go away (typically something I had to go to Mazda to get done).
They also did not try to over sell me on anything. Will (office manager) was very honest in explaining to me when a full check up would be necessary. Before going, I called multiple places and not only did this place have the best price, they proved why they have 4+ stars.
5 stars! Highly recommended!
My family and I have been going to San Mateo auto works for many years now. They are reliable,honest and knowledgeable mechanics. Even after moving to San Jose from San Mateo I still bring my car here because I know they are reliable. Great mechanics are very hard to come by and adding honest to that is priceless. They are mechanics that work on engines not work on repairing scratches on your vehicle. You need to go to a body shop to repair dents and scratches.
In the past, I’ve been to shops where they are willing to do basic buffing or small paint jobs on small scrapes or nicks in the car. I was an idiot and scraped the size of my car against a retaining wall. There was a white scratch on the side of my car about 10” long, 3” wide, but super shallow and seemingly all cosmetic. So I thought I’d swing by this place to see if any of the mechanics would be willing to help a girl out and use a soft cloth to buff out the scratch. The owner of this shop immediately claimed that there was nothing he could do about the scratch, and he’d have to replace the entire side of the car plus the bumper (also slightly damaged) and that it would cost me nearly $3000!!! He also started pointing out old nicks and scratches and quoting me prices on those too. When I asked specifically if he could at least attempt an easy wipe down/buff the scratch (I didn’t care about actual repairs), he said they had a $100 minimum, and basically didn’t want to even try and help.
So I went down to Belmont to SPITERIS, where the gentleman was so nice to me! He looked at the size of my car, inside and underneath, and said besides cosmetics, everything looked fine. He also wiped the scratch dust off completely with a wet towel so the car looked like nothing had happened! This gentleman also said that if I wanted to replace the (somewhat) damaged bumper, at most he’d charge me was $250!
This place might have good service and do a good job on cars, but they definitely don’t help out out of the goodness of their hearts so beware! If you’re not paying, there’s no good customer service here!!!
I took my Honda Pilot in to have them look at an oil leak and they fixed the problem in no time for no charge. They run a really tight/clean ship and know what they're talking about.
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