David knows his stuff. Went in for defrost issue. David recommended repairs that were beyond budget. I asked what can we do to keep me running and lower my repair bill. David cane up with a plan, car not perfect but the repairs done were. . Well done. I am warm now read more

After 8 years of wasting tons of money on my 1990 VW Vanagon money on AC recharges in Vallejo and Orinda to continue to have a leak that both shops couldn't find, I reached out to Berkeley Radiator Works who did my original AC Retrofit in 2018. David (the new owner since the last time I went in) was very helpful over the phone and was confident he could find the problem. I was able to make an appointment to come in a few days later and he found the problem and was willing to warranty the work. I also gained confidence knowing that he had experience working at a Vanagon shop (since these cars are very sensitive/unique) so I also had my engine cleaned for the first time (see pics) and got an oil change. Recommended to classic Vanagon owners! read more

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My Nissan juke was spewing Coolant. Owner David H. Fixed it, plus the radiator and 2 other issues I suspected but had not wanted to deal with. A week later a fourth issue sprang up, which he fixed at no charge. I have total confidence in their ability to diagnose, repair and return in timely fashion. thanks! read more

Sorry so late to leave this review.. Felipe was amazing A kind, caring and very knowledgeable gentleman! If you're having any radiator problems ... THIS IS THE PLACE TO GO ... Had problem with my old 2002 Saturn.. He got me right in replaced The radiator.. excellent overall experience... HIGHLY RECOMMEND... A TRUE BERKELEY GEM!! Thank you so very much for being there when I needed you.. read more

Great work and customer service from David. Very reliable and friendly. Had an issue with my car and he resolved it within minutes. The pricing of the shop was decent compared to shops around. And the quality immaculate. Definitely got a forever customer! read more

My 1987 W124 300e AC have been blowing nothing but warm air since I got it. I went to Berkley Radiator Works which recommended by other shop and had the estimated by Felipe. I upgraded the newer system was $500 plus diagnosed fee of $100, I went ahead although the AC only blow cold for 1 hours I took the car back. I went back to Felipe and found a fail compressor which need to be change, we make the decision to put a new one. Problem fixed! But I have to say that it was not cheap, $900 added to that so my AC upgrade was $1,500. BTW, If you want to keep the parts, you got to let him know in advance. Here again today pick up my car for another leak problem from the old AC rubber lines. Felipe has custom made one because they're no part for the 1987 Mercedes. It was $500 for part and labour after $100 rebate from him. Man, I got to tell you it cost more to maintain an older car. I am pretty happy with the results so I gave this place a 4 stars for fixing those issues and stand for the best result. Remember that you may find a cheaper mechanic although they have to really know what to do. For no time for BS! My fingers crossed, W124 please stop failing... read more

Do NOT go to Berkeley Radiator Works! He quoted me $150 to do diagnosis of my air conditioning problem. I dropped the car off in the morning, didn't hear from him all day, and then when I showed up at the end of the day not knowing what was going on, he said it was $400! AND he still hadn't diagnosed the problem! He charged the AC again, which has been a temporary fix six times in the past at another shop, and added dye, but still hadn't diagnosed the problem! Why wasn't that included in the AC diagnosis? And why didn't he call me to ask if I wanted to do additional work at additional cost???? The car is 20 years old and has 270,000 miles on it... I paid it just to get out of there, but I will never return and now I have to dispute the charge with my credit card company because I was clearly ripped off! Whatever he did to my car beyond the $150 (he failed to explain it) was unauthorized. Bad, bad news. Avoid at all costs!!!!!!! read more

Felipe recored the radiator in my farm tractor. Not many shops around that work on brass and copper radiators. A few months later I got it running and discovered a pinhole leak in the overflow. I called Felipe for advice, thinking it was out of warranty and he said he would come over and fix it. Wow! He came out to Vallejo Saturday morning and fixed it! Something of a farmer fix that we agreed on so I wouldn't have to remove the radiator but he said if it didn't hold he would be back. Old fashioned standing behind your work. read more

Filipe is great. We had a difficult problem with our AC and he took the time to work it out and explain it all to us. Really great service

Berkeley Radiator Works helped me get my Vanagon AC up and running again. They charge a fair price and are very knowledgeable with these older vehicles. The staff is very friendly, patient, and accommodating. They even followed up a week or so after the AC repair to have me bring the vehicle by the shop so they could do a checkup and make sure everything was operating correctly. They have excellent customer service. read more

Reliable, professional and good prices. As an extra, you can always have a good chat with Felipe, a super nice guy. read more

My 2013 Overheated and I brought it into Felipe on the recommendation of a co-worker. Felipe got it diagnosed at no charge and got a new radiator installed the next day for under $1k. He also took time to give me some Watchouts- great experience! read more

I needed a new radiator for my '93 Dodge Ram Truck and called one of my favorite businesses, Berkeley Radiator Works. I've been going there for 30 years. Filipe was easy to reach and as cheerful and humorous as ever. He got me a quote within an hour and the rest happened easily and was even fun. I always walk out of there with a big smile on my face because everyone there is cheerful and having a good time. You will have no problem feeling good about getting your car or truck fixed at Berkeley Radiator Works. I can't recommend them enough. read more

I took my Dodge Ram Truck in to be checked for a non-working Air Conditioning. I was told up-front that it would cost $150.00 to check the system. I dropped off the truck and went for a walk. I assumed he would call me when the truck was ready. He did not call me. When I returned my truck was parked outside, 20 to 30 feet from his garage, UNLOCKED, even though I had a FOB remote, and we all know the push of a button locks vehicles. I asked Felipe why it wasn't locked, telling him tools were in my truck, and did not get a reply from him, he just shrugged this shoulders. After paying him, and being told it could cost me up to $1,300,00 to repair, or more (if there were electrical issues), I left. I drove from Berkeley to San Leandro. In San Leandro I noticed my truck was in 4wd. Felipe had turned the 4wd knob (next to the air fan knob), activating the 4wd, and did not switch it back. Four days later, when I opened the hood, I noticed the knob (cap) that covers the AC Evacuation valve, was missing. Then I noticed another knob (cap) was missing from the AC Accumulator. I found that sitting on the frame. Not a very thorough, or conscious mechanic. These repair shops have expensive scanners and know very well what is not functioning and can narrow down what really needs to be replaced and fixed. Felipe did not get specific about anything, and just told me almost everything had to be replaced, which I know is not the case. He diid not offer to put the $150.00 inspection fee towards the cost of repair. I do not trust this shop. I do not recommend doing business with Berkeley Radiator. read more

Ridiculous experience with these guys. I'll never go here again. I brought in my car to have my air conditioner fixed. They immediately subcontracted the work out to Roger at Berkeley Auto Repair - and his guys somehow dropped my car key (you know, the electronic kind?) and ran over it, rendering it useless. So they couldn't work on my car - but Berkeley Radiator kept telling me they'd get it fixed and "have my car back to me today". I asked for a quote on the work three times, and he wouldn't give it to me - just told me "a few hundred dollars". No quote!!?! Then they ordered the wrong part, and I had to walk a mile to go retrieve my car and bring it home so I'd have something to drive while we waited for the right part to come in. Berkeley Radiator, after 3 days, never called me back to let me know about the part - so when I called THEM, they told me "Oh yeah, the part's here - let me call you right back". A week went by, and no phone call! I finally called them, and they said something about "I was going to call you, just found your phone number..." - but they still wouldn't provide a quote when I asked for one. So I took the car somewhere else - and eventually got my key from Berkeley Auto Repair, who paid for a replacement. Totally lame experience and a waste of time - watch these guys closely, or better yet, find another radiator place. read more

My car loves Felipe!!!! My radiator cracked :( went in @ 8:00am Out by 6:00pm Prices: VERY REASONABLE!!!! The price was less than other places quotes. Service: as perfect as can be:) I am a female, I hate taking my car to any mechanic without a male. I never felt as if they were taking advantage of me :) My car: Running GREAT!!!! Thanks Felipe!!!! read more

Felipe has come through for me again! This man is awesome. I bought a used Mercedes off of Craigslist for 2K. The seller had rigged it to hide the cooling issues and since I'm not very car savvy I didn't notice it as it test drove fine. Then the next day it massively overheated. I took it straight to Felipe. Not only did he fix the cooling issue, he showed me what other damage had been done (bad head gasket) and he coordinated all the repair work at a reasonable price. It would be very easy for a mechanic to take advantage of me but Felipe is honest and straight forward. He went out of his way to make sure my car was fixed right and was running great. read more

Took my Yukon in today for a water pump replacement. From the initial phone call I could tell that this was a quality honest place. Went in and met Felipe such and great genuine guy, checked my truck and told me my options with no pressure. Replaced with factory parts at a really fair price. Definitely will be my go to place for my car repairs, excellent service with even better customer service. read more

Took my car in to have the radiator replaced. Felipe is really nice and quoted me $500 for the repair. Then he called back and said it would be an additional $350 to have the AC condenser replaced because he couldn't fit the radiator in without replacing the AC condenser. Got my car back the next day and was amazed at the quick turnaround, seemed too good to be true, and it was. The air conditioner, which was working fine before the repair, no longer worked. I brought my car back and was charged another $150 dollars to replace a hose. A $500 repair turned into a $1000 repair. I suggest taking your car somewhere more competent. read more

I've brought my car to Felipe for air conditioning repair, and he is the real deal old-school neighborly kind of owner, kind and funny and super straightforward and fair. My car needed an extra repair, and then a malfunctioning part brought me back, but I've never have an issue with availability and Felipe has always taken the time to talk me through things and taken responsibility to fix it without charging me extra when other shops might have. He wants to see a repair done right, and will do what it takes to make that happen. read more

Felipe saved the day! I was traveling and when I parked, all of my coolant ran out, I was referred to Felipe, I walked in with my car at 8:30 am and it was diagnosed, parts ordered and picked up and on my way at 1:30 PM! Turned out it was a cracked reservoir that needed to be replaced along with a cap, my good ole' kia is running great once again! read more

Felipe isn't a business man in the new school - things are pretty informal. That said, he's darned good at what he does, gets it done at a silly-low price & in a timely fashion. Braze a new pipe onto a busted heater core? $30. Need some fittings for your oil cooler? Gratis. Berkeley Radiator Works is rad. read more

Radiator was spewing out water/steam. Looked around and decided on Berkeley Radiator Works. Felipe is friendly, informal and easy to talk to. Timely repair. Took the automobile to the shop in the morning and it was done in the afternoon. Fair price. Shop looks messy, but who cares! If you want to support local small businesses, this is one of them. read more

My AC was broken in my Prius and I brought it to Filipe. He put in a new compressor and that was an expensive hit. And then a few months later it wasn't staying cold so I brought it back. I ended up bringing it back twice to him over the course of almost a year and he stood by his word and got it working right. I think he is a good honest repair man. read more

My car had an intermittent AC problem. My own mechanic had no idea what to do. I took it to an "AC specialist" who said it needed a new (expensive) compressor, which I had them install, but that didn't solve the problem. They fiddled with it some more, but still no luck. I then took it to the dealership, which said it needed another new compressor-- luckily I didn't let them do it. Finally, I took it to Berkeley Radiator. Felipe said it was one of the more difficult diagnoses he's had-- it took several days to figure out. But, he got it right and solved the problem, and at a reasonable cost. If I had taken it to him originally I would have saved myself a lot of time and money. I can't thank him enough for his expertise!! read more

i'd love to work locally, but when i tried to get an estimate for radiator work, i couldn't even get an estimate from Felipe. was told it would cost "about $150" to take the radiator out and see what it needed, but couldn't get any estimate of how much it would cost for the minimum service that might be likely, or what might be the cost in a worst case scenario. since i couldn't get even a ballpark price, when i asked if that removal and install price would still stand if i were to bring them a high-end radiator of my choice i was told they don't install other peoples stuff. i asked what it would cost to have them supply that part, and they said they'd have to look into it; they took my number, and i never heard from them. would you want to pay someone $150 to take a vehicle apart without any idea what to expect after that? personally, i don't write blank checks. read more

Felipe rocks. He provides quality work at a fair price. Does all the repairs in a timely matter.

It's been many months since Berkeley radiator converted the air conditioning on my 1990 vanagon again Westfalia to R134a refrigerant. This involves replacing the compressor (which was bad anyway) and a few other small items. They did a fantastic job, did it on time and were very friendly. The shop looks messy but I wouldn't hold that against him. read more

Awesome service. Quick. Reliable. Friendly. In at 8 am out at 3 pm. Highly recommended.

I went into Berkeley Radiator Works to get a second opinion on my overheating radiator in my 1987 Honda Civic (28 years old with less than 50,000 miles) and always well maintained. I had a previous estimate that required disposing of my radiator and getting some after market replacement at a high cost. They told me it was not reparable.period. Felipe is very nice and immediately makes you feel comfortable. He needed to thoroughly examine the radiator before being sure,, but felt that it would not need to be replaced. Some aftermarket radiators are even plastic from my investigation. He removed cleaned and restored my radiator finding a faulty thermostat in the process. All of this for less than half the cost of the previous estimate. Very pleased!. read more

Great place. When our VW Westfalia camper needed some work on its A/C, the awesome mechanics at the Berkeley Buslab recommended that I go to Felipe at the Berkeley Radiator Works, and I'm so glad I followed their advice. Felipe is intelligent, straight-talking, and helpful, and did exactly what he said he would. Big thumbs up. read more

I was here to get my A/C repaired and I really appreciated the service and attention to detail. It was some time ago and my A/C still works great with no problems. Another shop had lied to me and tried to sell me a whole new A/C unit when the only problem was a bad o-ring. Berkeley Radiator Works accurately diagnosed the o-ring and properly fixed the repair. I did not feel as if I was treated poorly or dishonestly in any way and was very happy with the result. read more