I've been coming to Barron Park Shell since 2009, and George has been my mechanic ever since. He is one of the most honest and knowledgeable mechanics I've ever met. I always know that I'm getting trustworthy advice and quality work. Even though I moved to San Jose, I still make the drive to Palo Alto to have my car serviced by George. That says a lot about how much I trust him. Highly recommended! read more

Very rude and hostile service. Stopped in for gas and air. When I asked for the air to be turned on, the owner, insisted on charging $1.50 for air, when I told him it's legally required to provide the air for free in California, he got hostile and rude and started raising his voice about how its not, and he has a sign he bought for $5 to say as much. When challenged on this, he got louder and more hostile. read more

Into my third decade with Dave and the crew, second car. Dave keeps my 1999 Camry on the road and in great shape. He is so knowledgeable and always explains what is needed and what he will do. Rates are always reasonable. I have recommended Barron Park Shell to others. My car and I are both old, but we have miles left in us and Dave will make sure my Camry makes it to the finish line. read more

I'm will be speaking about the gas station itself . As a tow truck driver it's hard for us to find a bathroom . I always use it here . I asked the old guy if I. Could use the bathroom he said it was broken I doubt it . After I even offered to buy something to use it he said no. I'll be back later today with someone different looking see if it's actually broken . Thanks for nothing read more

Dave at Barron Park Shell Is The Best! Only Place I Go He Has Helped Me Out More Times That I Know! Service Is Perfect and Prices very Reasonable! read more

Very fast service and staff was friendly and they had a large assortment even refreshments. Great convenience store for When I got gas before I went back on the road read more

Based on our couple of decades working with them, I can say that Dave and Tom at Barron Park Shell are the best of the best-expert, fair and very personable. You can't go wrong here! read more

I've had a good experience and a bad experience here. The only reason I am giving 4 stars is because Dave is a nice guy. Someone overtightened my lug nuts so tight that I needed a breaker bar to get my rims off. Well the last rim I broke the special key trying to get the lug nut off. I brought the car into Dave because I thought he would at least help me get the bolt off because someone at his shop put it on too tight. I wasn't expecting my $40 I paid for my special rim key that I broke due to the over tightness. Just wanted to have the bolt taken off so I could give the glitching car back to Honda. Instead he charged me $40 for taking it off. ‍ I don't feel good about this. Again, I think Dave is nice. Just don't like what happened. read more

I was sent here by a neighbor (thank you, Deborah) and spoke briefly to Dave and Tom. I needed a smog test, but the smog place tech sent me back to verify that the catalytic converter on my old VW Jetta was up to code. I came back here and they put my car up on the lift and helped me take a picture of the part number in a couple of minutes. When I offered to pay for their time and incredibly courteous service, they refused to accept any money. I will be back here the next time I need work on my car. Thank you! read more

Long time customer of this business with excellent service! Appreciate their quality and prices.

I was buying a used car and wanted a shop to give it the once over to try to avoid the lemon purchase. Problem was that the seller was very busy, we had a hard time scheduling a meeting and my options for shops was slim. Most shops close at 5pm and I couldn't meet the seller until 4:30pm. I called Barron Park Shell on the recommendation of another Palo Alto Shop after he couldn't meet me at 4:45pm. David agreed and said to bring the car buy. He didn't promise a full car inspection that usually costs $100 and takes 1-2.5+hours. But, we did meet and looked under the hood, checked the basics and then we talked about it. We spent several minutes (me tailing him on every move) looking at the car and then another 15 minutes talking about the car, who owned it, where they serviced it, etc. It was obvious, David pointed out immediately it had Toyota filters (oil and air) and that it was dealer serviced. Just as the seller said. David probably took 30 minutes to look at the car and then talk over the purchase. In the end, he didn't charge me anything and he stayed past 5pm to look at the car. I have never taken my car there before, he didn't know me, but he took time to look at the car, walk through it. I couldn't ask for more in that situation and was very happy with the help given. Recommended. read more

Barron Park Shell - Barron Park Shell. Look at the price of gas!! And, that probably wasn't the least expensive station at the time either. That's a Sable:-) - Smog Check Stations Near Me - Palo Alto, California

If I could click 10 stars, I would. Barron Park Shell is a major reason my wife and I want to remain on the mid-peninsula, indefinitely. We consider them part of our team just like doctors and dentists. With cars in our household from the 1960s to the present, I trust Dave and his staff without reservation. They are especially careful to actually diagnose any reported problem before recommending labor or replacement. Dave has saved me money and lost time sticking to this strategy. I'm aligned with his approach that "OEM" parts are vastly more preferable than generic aftermarket parts whenever possible. read more

I needed some oil in my car. I called them and asked. The guy on the phone said come by and he will help me. He came out looked at my car's oil level. He did tell me that he does not know what is the manufacturer recommended oil for my vehicle is, so I googled that info. After we got that info, he got the oil and poured it into the vehicle. He provided the funnel. Tested it again. Showed it to me. We decided to add another bottle. After all that work, he charged me for the oil. Now that is customer service! :-D read more

Thanks to Dave for putting in the time and effort to discover what needed to be fixed in order to have our car pass this year's smog test. Taking it to the dealer and one other car repair place didn't work, so am very thankful for Barron Park Shell and Dave! read more

This gas station ranks among my top 6 gas stations. For $3.15 a gallon, this is pretty expensive compared to your average gas neighborhood dealer. Quality wise tho, their gas is very smelly so you know it's dank as fuuk. Even their standard quality gas smells straight fyre. Don't even get me started on their Shell V-NiTRO+ Premium Gasoline™. That shit gonna fly my car to the moon. The only reason I did not give this fine establishment 5 stars is because they don't give out free nozzle condoms. Good thing I keep a nice stack of those bad boys in my back pocket so no gonorrhea for my car. Thats how the car aids epidemic started in the 70s. read more

There are straight-up, honest guys with excellent service and good value/price. Echoing the other reviews here, Dave's a great guy and they will make sure to help you out the best they can. Had a problem with the car that was totally unrelated to the tires purchased from here, and they helped me a BUNCH without charge to ID the problem (ended up being a corroded wheel), then pointed me to another GREAT wheel seller (America's Tires in Mt. View). I have no clue about cars other than that they transport me from point A to point B -- but these guys have earned my trust and customer loyalty. :) read more

Dave provides outstanding, honest service. I called in a desperate panic about my potentially overheated engine and was instructed over the phone how to add water to make it safe enough to drive there. He took me despite being booked out for months and I got there right at closing (to the minute) with the friendliest of greetings and not a touch of disdain. The next day I was kept informed of the various inspections and testing sand nothing was found that warranted action. After all this time and labor I wasn't charged a penny. This is a place and person I 100% trust read more

Dave and company are the best kept secret for experienced and customer-friendly (read: endearingly honest) auto service. I've had good and bad mechanics, and Dave & the staff at Barron Park Shell blow them away. (Dave should give classes to other shops on the benefits of being straightforward and customer-friendly!) I found Dave half by accident (my first house in the Bay Area was right around the corner from his shop), and half from fantastic reviews -- and even fantastic reviews can't quite express how much of a RELIEF having Barron Park Shell on speed-dial has been over the years. I've been taking my 17-year old Camry to Dave since I moved to the Bay Area. Having a rock-solid mechanic in your life is like having a tremendous weight lifted off of your shoulders. I know enough about cars to be dangerous on my own, so I stand back and let Dave handle all of the issues. I know enough about technology and have a great feel for when people are being honest with me, and Dave has exceeded my expectations in every regard. I'm curious by nature. At every visit, Dave has taken the time out to explain mechanical issues to me in exactly the terms I can understand. And he's just a good guy. Every reference he's given me (for other auto services, like detailing), have been spot on. He's even saved me money on rentals for the few times he's needed to work on my car overnight. When my Camry ultimately died, Dave had it towed to the shop. He diagnosed it for no charge and advised me to finally "let it go". He could have fixed it if I wanted him to, but he's a good soul and would never steer me (pardon the pun) to a choice that would take unfair advantage of a customer. I am now the proud new owner of a BMW. (Dave was buying a new car at the same time, and we learned a lot from each other by swapping stories.) The BMW is covered by warranty, but I still take it to Dave for regular work. If it's not something that ONLY BMW can do (they are designed for proprietary OEM service, frustratingly enough), I take it straight to Dave. Dave gives his honest opinion of what he can do better than BMW, and if BMW can do it better, he will always tell me to take it to them. I've even been reimbursed from BMW for work Dave has performed. I've referred a number of people to Dave & Barron Park Shell, and everyone I've sent his way has thanked me for the recommendation. It's true that the Shell gasoline is very high-priced for the area, so I almost never fill up the tank there. Fortunately, Dave's shop earns its income from service... and earn it is exactly what he does. read more

Summary: Go to Barron Park Shell, talk to Dave. He will take care of you. My previous review of Lappert's Ice Cream mentioned the mechanical travails of a convertible I had purchased only two days earlier. The seller of the car, a friend of mine, told me to take it to Dave at Barron Park Shell. I was leaving for a weeklong trip, and Dave was fine with me leaving the car there for the week -- his dad gave me a ride back to my place. I asked him to call me when he had a diagnosis so I could make a decision. A few days later, I received a stunning phone call from Dave -- he said that the problem was not one that he was equipped to repair, and he recommended I take the car to the dealer or specialty Saab mechanic. He picked me up at the train station to come and get the car back, gave me detailed advice on how to get the best service from the Saab dealer, gave me the engine computer readouts, and charged me $0.00. I really don't want to have any more car problems, but if I do, I'll go to Dave. I defend the existence of this review with my same-day review of ice cream. read more

I took my 1990 Volvo and 1999 Volvo to Dave for about 5 years, and I was super happy with them. Barron Park Shell is family owned, and I really appreciated the way that they ran the business. They explained things really well, and I was really happy with all the repairs they provided, except one - I had to replace my brakes, and they replaced them with non-Volvo parts, and something about the difference in density in the materials caused them to squeak obnoxiously. I took them back several times, but they were never able to identify the problem. Eventually, I took my car to McKevitt Volvo in Berkeley, who identified the problem, and Scandia Volvo in Sunnyvale, who identified the same problem that McKevitt had and I eventually had them replace my brakes because the sound was driving me crazy. I'd recommend Dave and Barron Park for non-Volvos. read more

Stopped here for gas last night. Place was empty, no other cars... Expensive gas. Okay service. read more

Barron Park Shell - Drive by photo action! - Smog Check Stations Near Me - Palo Alto, California

I'm writing this review on behalf of my boyfriend who recently had some work done on his car. His alternator was replaced for $430. A couple weeks later he went to Auto Zone to purchase a small light for one of the front headlights. His car is a bit tricky for installing it, but it takes no longer than a few minutes. Thinking that Dave at Barron Park Shell would do this out of the kindness of his heart after he spent over $400 there, he stopped by and had him put it in. Here's the kicker...he charged him $10! This is so petty of someone to do considering the fact that he had just spent hundreds of dollars here. You're better off going to a less stingy mechanic. read more

I found Barron Park Shell by pure luck about two years ago, when I needed help with a punctured tire. The first time I came back it was because they'd "rescued" me once before and seemed nice; now I wouldn't go anywhere else. Dave and his crew are are uniformly polite, helpful, great communicators. Dave himself is a creative problem-solver who COLLABORATES with his customers to create good results without taking unnecessary risks or spending outrageous sums of money. It's refreshing. read more

Dave is great. He explains everything and breaks it down in a fair way. Great service and reasonable pricing!!! My 2003 sporty car is doing GREAT thanks to Dave. Call for an appointment. Sometimes he books up a couple of weeks in advance. read more

The guys at Barron Park Shell are a great bunch of guys. I drive a tow truck in the area and have been bringing vehicles to Dave for years. His pricing is reasonable and he's an honest person. I've never heard any of my customers have anything negative to say about him or the quality of his work. This is definitely one of the better auto shops in the area. I will continue to bring vehicles to Barron Park Shell because of this. Thank you for being a quality shop! -Joe read more

Awesome customer service, prompt service and really appreciate the fact that he was honest with doing my oil change! Jiffy lube had ripped me off in the past and I came here and got better and honest service! Dave, didn't overcharge me on anything, nor he didn't try to get me to do unnecessary repairs, like Jiffy Lube did. They sold me & earned me as a client now. read more

This place was recommended to me and I would recommend it to everyone. Dave's a good guy and knows his stuff. I guess some of his staff have been with him for years which says a lot to me. Great service, great work and I think at a very fair price. Wouldn't go anywhere else read more

Everyone who knew of this place had only great things to say. So, when my car stopped working I decided to send it here... and this was my experience: Dave (I'm assuming he is the owner) assured me he would look at it as soon as possible. Let me know ahead of time that they were busy and he may not be able to look at it until the next day. He was patient with my questions and was totally okay that I called every day to see how things were going (I have had some experiences with places that don't appreciate that all too much). When the time came for the diagnosis he made certain that I understood what was wrong and what needed to happen. He took the time to go into great detail about my tires and how things would ideally be handled and then addressed my money issues. He was incredibly helpful! he could have easily told me that I needed four new tires when I really only needed two. While they are not the cheapest place (definitely not the most expensive, either), it is worth it for the honesty and good work. I am definitely coming here from now on for any and all work I need done and will be recommending these guys to all my friends and family. read more

I took my car in for an oil change. While my car was under their care, my window was broken and my car stereo was stolen. I asked Dave,the owner, if they were going to help with the situation by splitting cost of replacing the window (about $80 on their part). He refused and said it was my fault for having a car that was prone to theft and vandalism, and for not filing a claim with my insurance to cover the cost of the incident. With further conversation, he pointed out himself that it would be useless to file a claim on this incident because the cost to repair is less than the deductible. I was already upset by the theft and vandalism, and the business responded by adding on insult (to save $80). This business and this business owner goes in my sh*t book. read more

Dave is the absolute best! He is transparent, resourceful and accommodating. There have been so many times when he has advised me against doing unnecessary work, or found innovative solutions to problems that other mechanics cant figure out. And the work is always top notch. I trust him completely and always go to him first. I know that he will either do a great job or refer me to a specialist. Kinda like that trusted family doctor. For your car. :) read more

Dave G and George and crew are simply the best mechanics in all of California. Took my 2010 Subaru Impreza Limited with a custom japanese built engine in for a tune up. This morning it still ran rough and brought it back and they spent more than six hours today troubleshooting and found a problem that would lead to a very expensive engine rebuild or repair if they hadn't found it. They are honest and charge very reasonable rates. Today was no charge at all of their work! They are the only people I will let work on my cars and trucks. Try them out your satisfaction guaranteed. Thank you Dave Guidion and the whole crew. read more

These guys are the real deal! Dave is honest and tells it like it is. If he can't do the work, he'll let you know. Every time I have brought my car in, in for the smallest of issues, I have been taken care of quickly and done correctly. As a woman, who knows NOTHING about cars, Dave will do what needs to be done and I trust him. Every since Park Motors closed down, my Benz goes to him. Great Team! read more

I shipped my car out to Palo Alto last year so my son who is a student at a local university would have use of the vehicle. Recently the car required 4 new tires and an alignment had not been performed. Did some online research, contacted one garage that did not perform alignments but the owner recommended Baron Park Shell as one of his patrons had used this garage for an alignment and was very satisfied. I too am an extremely satisfied customer. Dave is the owner and head mechanic. He oversees a garage that performs exceptional work. He and his team are highly skilled and Dave is the consummate professional with great integrity. Dave takes a family approach to his clientele, how fortunate I was to find him and I can have peace of mind knowing that he will be taking great care of so important a possession.(car has 126,000 miles so it requires some serious shepherding---lol!) read more

What can I say? This place is the best. I've been coming here to get all my auto work done for the last two and a half years now, and Dave has always been straight up, honest, and fair; he always explains everything to me, patiently answers all my questions, gives me breaks on labor rates where he can; and if I can find a part cheaper elsewhere, he lets me know. One time, I had to replace all 4 tires, and he passed along the discount on the tires to me (who else does that these days?!). There has been more than one instance where I'll ask them to check on something, and he'll tell me if I don't need to worry about it. Like so many other reviewers have said, Dave is someone with true integrity that you intuitively know you can trust. Any time I need work done, I just call or stop by, bring in my truck 2 days later, and get it back same day. I have never had an issue once the work was completed. They always give me an estimate beforehand and have never turned around and charged more. The mechanics here do solid work, and, while paying for expensive auto repairs isn't exactly my favorite thing in the world, I don't trip so much on the cost when I come here because I know it's well worth the high caliber of work and superior customer service I'm getting. My only 2 "regrets": 1) That more people don't ask me to refer them to an auto repair shop, because I would instantly recommend Barron Park Shell. 2) I got a Toyota to replace my old Ford truck, which means I don't have an excuse to visit here as often. (That is a testament to how awesome these guys are, because I'm not the kind of person who normally seeks out gas stations/auto repair shops to hang out at in my free time.) read more

This place is great. I showed up without an appointment. The shop was packed with people. I had a bad tire. It was lunch time. Without hesitation they took my keys and said come back in an hour. There is a really good Chinese restaurant next door. I had lunch and went back. They diagnosed and fixed the tire. And, they only charged $25.00. They deserve a lot of business. Intelligent people with wonderful people skills. read more

Dave and his crew at Barron Park Shell are the most honest, competent and helpful car mechanics I have dealt with. Dave doesn't just stop at the obvious problems, but always takes the extra step of identifying existing and potential issues. I always trust Dave's judgment when it comes to cars, and, yes, this includes Volvos! read more

Couldn't be more pleased! I needed a new battery for my 10 year old car. I arranged to bring in my car the following day and, within a few short minutes, the job was done. I have a new Interstate battery with a 75 month warranty and Barron Park Shell's assurance that if there are any problems they will make it right. Can't ask for better - and in my own neighborhood. Thanks Barron Park Shell! read more

I had just moved here from Ohio and had to get smog checked. They stuck it on the machine, and I suppose the planets had aligned just right so that my car would fail the test by 1 ppm!! That is one part in a million! But instead of suggesting a full diagnostic blah blah blah (read: $$$ since its 100 bucks an hour for mechanic work around here), Dave offered reasonable and cost effective suggestions for getting the emissions down on my high mileage car--a tune-up. $240 later, I breezed through the test (which they did for free after the repairs.) It ain't cheap, but I know it was done right and that's worth the cash sometimes. Although next time, I will just buy a spark plug wrench and do it myself. read more

I signed up for Yelp out of a feeling of obligation to give thanks for this place. Dave, the manager, must be the world's most honest mechanic. I recently bought a used Lexus and brought it here for an inspection - they scheduled me faster than any other place in the area, and at half the price. Since then, I've brought the car in twice, expecting to pay for major repairs - in both cases, Dave determined no repairs necessary, and sent me home with my wallet intact. I can't recommend this outfit enough. Truly wish I could bring Dave back to new york with me, where this kind of honesty and efficiency is not exactly typical in the world of auto mechanics. read more

VW Beetles have wheel-locks that can only be unlocked by a special key. I was in an accident awhile back, and during the repairs, another auto shop removed the original locks (only VW mechanics own the keys to unlock ) and replaced them without providing me with a new key. So when I needed repairs on one of the tires, I took my car to three places: the dealership, Wheel Works and another auto shop, all of whom could not remove my tires because they did not have the key. Finally, someone called Dave Gidlund from Barron Park Shell and he took care of it right away! He rifled through his own shop to find the right tools and lug nuts and saved the day. He was able to solve a problem that three other shops could not, putting an end to my three week ordeal. Dave is fantastic! read more