Really honest mechanic! He would tell me what didn't need to be done right away if it was expensive, and even sometimes fixed little things for no charge while he was repairing my Jetta. read more

Very reliable, Norik is also knowledgeable, and experienced. I have been a customer for over 15 years and there has been no problem that he can't solve. read more

I've been taking my MB 1998 C280 (aka "The Gunther") to Auto Alpina since I bought it in 2010. No one else is allowed under the hood. Period. No joke. Nourik is brilliant, warm, friendly. and honest. If you want reliable, approachable, and cost-effective bring your baby to Auto Alpina. If you want a fabulous waiting room experience an computer output invoices, go..I don't where really. I only go to Auto Alpina. read more

Norik is the best and most trustworthy mechanic that one can find. He appears to be doing this because he loves cars, not because he is trying to extract the maximum amount from you. He's always pleasant and honest to a fault, and as a result I have recommended this place to numerous friends over the years (who seem to share my experience). This is also the most reasonably-priced garage that I have been to (and I have been to quite a few in the Berkeley/El Cerrito area -- the hazards of only having owned old European cars); on the odd occasion that his price seems a little high, it is only because he has actually fixed the problem, unlike a few other places that charge less but don't appear to have done a thing. I have also gone into some of the auto parts/tires store in the vicinity, and all the owners there also speak very highly of him, which also inspires confidence. This is one of those places that's so good that one selfishly almost does not want to review it for fear that one will have to wait even longer if more customers patronize it (not that the shop isn't packed already!). But be warned that this is not the place for everyone. If you're in a tremendous hurry and there are a bunch of cars in this place, you might have to wait a bit while Norik chats with the other customers and spends a little time giving their cars his undivided attention. And I've also noticed that sometimes he's reluctant to fix a problem until it gets more severe, usually because he thinks that fixing it might open another can of worms; this is great if you're budget conscious and are not anal about addressing every minor niggle immediately. And finally, since Norik is the only one who does all the paperwork, you have to make sure that he is at the shop and hasn't stepped out if you want to pick up your car. He usually answers the phone personally when he's in, so call before you head over. So even if you'd like to deduct half or one star for the above hassles, Norik's competence, honesty and good humor add more than that to the postive side, so I'd give this way more than 5 stars if I could. read more

I'm a mechanic and have been working on cars for 7 years. Whenever any of my friends ask for a shop recommendation I send them straight to Norrick. People always want a mechanic who won't rip them off. Norik is honest and trustworthy, does good work and doesn't charge an arm and a leg. If anything he under-charges for his work. As a bonus he looks like a relative of Einstein. Great shop and I've had nothing but good work done there. read more

If you want to keep two beloved old cars running you HAVE to know Norik. We have a 1977 Mercedes Diesel and 1985 Peugeot wagon he keeps in tip top shape for us. read more

Norik is absolutely awesome! I took my 95 Chrysler lebaron here 3 weeks ago to do a overall check before making the drive form San Francisco to Seattle. I expected some problems as the car had been making funny sounds and the check gear sign started blinking the previous week. I spoke with him the Wednesday before my scheduled Saturday departure. He said to drop off the car on Thursday morning, which I did. That afternoon I got a call from him saying the car needed new back breaks and the wheels were about to come off the axle, that's how worn the wheel bearings were. This was just the emergency part - my engine was also not stable and a few minor things that he said could wait. He was able to give me a more than fair estimate of the fixes. I went ahead with it and he had my car ready by Friday afternoon!!! I made the 800 mile drive without any problems and my car is running like a charm. I would highly recommend this place, and Norik will tell you what is absolutely necessary and what can wait if you're on a budget. Best of all, you get excellent and fast service from an honest mechanic who knows what he's doing. I will definitely stop by Auto Alpine when I return to the Bay Area for a car check :) read more

Fantastic service! I had to have a new alternator put in my Mercedes, and they did it in ONE day, and came in $50 less than their quoted price. The owner is so nice and really knows his stuff. I was beyond impressed with the whole experience...I will be going here for all my services and repairs! read more

I want to cry. After seeing so many rave reviews on yelp, I decided to take in my wife's immaculate 2005 CLK-320 for some repairs. A little oil was seeping onto the exhaust manifold, causing it to smoke. Also, whenever we drove over a speed bump, the front coil springs made a squeaking sound. When I took the car in, I had to wait in line to see Norik as he was busy running around trying to help everyone else. When my turn came, he took the car out for a test drive, and declared he knew exactly what was causing the squeaks. He said it was the rubber bushings in the front end. Great! I thought. He told me to come back before closing, and the car would be ready. An hour later, he called me and told me that the front brake pads were worn, and he suggested replacing them, which would cost more. No problem, I told him go ahead and change the pads. When I returned that evening, he pulled out his handwritten invoice. I saw "replace engine mount" listed. What? When I asked about the engine mount, he apologized, and said he got mixed up because there were 3 CLKs in the shop that day. He corrected the invoice. He told me that when they changed the valve cover gaskets, a bolt was stripped so they had to retap the hole. Fine. He also mentioned that in addition to the pads, he replaced the rotor assembly too. Yikes. Dollar signs started ringing in my head. He also changed the rubber bushings which were causing the squeaks. The final bill came out to over $1400. Ok, as long as the car runs good. As I drove home, I heard the squeak again as I went over a bump. Then as I rounded the corner, my front brakes started screeching every time I lightly pressed the pedal. I inspected the brakes, and discovered what looked like metal clips wedged between the rotor and pads. The next day, I drove back to the shop and told Norik about the brakes. He pulled out a flashlight and looked, then said it was "normal." He used a screwdriver to pull out the metal shreds from the brakes. That sure didn't look normal to me! Then I told him about the squeaks going over bumps. He took me along his test drive, and confirmed the squeaks. He told me to leave the car, and come back in the evening. When I picked up the car later, he told me more of the rubber parts needed lubrication, so that's what he did. He took the car around the block and I still heard the squeaks. He then took the car with me in it through a heavily potholed street, he wanted me to listen which side it the sound was coming from. He ran the car through the potholed street 3 times, and I was cringing. He put the car up on the lift, then started pounding around with a rubber mallet. I told him I was pretty sure the problem was the shocks, but he disagreed, and said it couldn't be the shocks. More pounding. I was getting a bad feeling about this. Then he took it through the potholes again, more cringing as the car hit bottom. Back in the shop, he put the car on the lift, and instructed his workers to drill some holes in the bottom covers, and secure them with plastic cable ties. Then he drove through the potholes again. By this time, the shop was ready to close, and I told him no need to try any more...I just wanted to get out of there! Look at the yelp reviews carefully. All of the good reviews are on the older side, and there are no very recent good ones. That should tell you something. Yes, he was very busy, but in my opinion, too busy to keep tabs on what his workers were doing. His workers didn't seem genuinely happy about working there. That's the impression I got by watching them for about an hour. Since Norik hand wrote everything on his invoices, the burden would be on you to keep your copy to prove what he did (or didn't do) in the future because he has no computer records. Fast forward 3 months.... the oil from the valve covers began leaking again, and the squeaking from the shocks was still there, but not as bad as before. How can the gaskets go bad in such a short time? Where they made in China? Did the mechanics forget to tighten the valve cover bolts?? Norik's work had a warranty, but I didn't have the receipt. (We just moved) Rather than taking it back to Norik, I decided to take it somewhere else. The new mechanic did a pre-inspection, and found that both front tire rims were warped and dented because it looked like "it was driven through some deep potholes!" Pieces of the tire had also broken off in little chunks. And when he changed the valve cover gasket, he said a new bolt was needed because it was stripped (although Norik claimed they re-tapped the original hole, which is now confirmed not to be true) New mechanic charged me $400 to replace gaskets, which are guaranteed genuine Mercedes Benz. Their work is also guaranteed for 1 year! So now, after all of this, I still need to straighten out the front rims and get new front tires, which will cost an additional $800, thanks to Norik at Alpina. read more

It's hard to pick one shop from all of the San Pablo choices, and Auto Alpina's smallish space does little to distinguish itself on the outside. But, if you're not looking for white lab coats, valet parking, and inflated repair costs--and would rather go to an honest shop with competent mechanics and ultra-reasonable rates, Auto Alpina definitely deserves a look. Norrick has an engineering background, and thinks through every repair rather than just throwing the book at it. He'll give you an honest assessment of what your car needs and what it doesn't, and talk you through the reasoning that led to his conclusions. His bread and butter is '80s and '90s European cars, especially diesel Mercedes, Volvos, and watercooled VWs, but he's also well-versed in all Japanese cars. Great shop, great staff, no frills. read more

norik is seriously the nicest and most honest mechanic that i've ever known. the quality of work is very high. the prices are really astounding with how reasonable they are. the only issue is that norik manages several shops and it can take quite a while to get your car back. if you have patience or don't need your car back the very next day this is the best shop you'll find. highly recommended for older mercedes diesels! read more

Always a pleasure to do business with a professional, thorough and honest businessman. I can trust that my car is cared for properly without fear of being overcharged or scammed into doing unnecessary work. read more

Where do I start? Nourik is simply outstanding. He is a wonderful man and and excellent mechanic. He is honest, respectful and a BMW guru. He is THE BEST. My 2008 BMW X5 has been giving me lots of headaches. Nourik did the diagnostics and gave me a workable plan to fix the most critical things first and others over time. His prices are reasonable and he even fixed many things for free. I will not take my car anywhere else. Thank you Nourik!! This is Mary. You are incredible!!! read more

Norig, owner of Auto Alpina, is trustworthy, competent, friendly, looks out for his customers' pocketbooks, and is not so great at customer service. Definitely trust your car to Auto Alpina, and know the extra few minutes you may spend trying to get Norig on the phone will pay off in low prices and sound work. read more

Norick at Auto Alpina is an old-school mechanic and I mean that in the best way. As an alternative to a dealer service department, coming to Auto Alpina is a no-brainer. I have had my European cars serviced here with generally very good results but for two issues which sort of put me off. I am more sanguine about such matters now, and I understand that the shop is small and maybe the issue was with the other techs in the shop but who knows. The first was the length of service: maybe two weeks to complete a job that would have taken another independent shop two days. The amount of money saved was negligible, however, because Auto Alpina removed my hood, and when they put it back on it never quite closed or fit the same way. The second instance was with another car and they had to put the wheels back on but somehow they reversed them (I have unidirectional tires), so the left wheel was put on the right side and vice versa. Now granted this was not a huge deal but details are details nonetheless. Still, I do think Norick is very knowledgeable and very honest. Definitely talk to him first about the particulars of your service requirements. read more

I couldn't have had a better experience. They had good estimate on brake work and did an excellent job with the service. Nourik is very experienced and works with care. A very genuine 5 star experience. read more

I love this place. They are trustworthy, laid back, competent, and the price is right. Norig, the owner (the friendly white-haired guy), is very into being Armenian, so mention it if you are and you'll probably get a good conversation out of it. read more