I went to this business for a smog check. I left the car there and Vince called me soon after and said he didn't think the car would pass the test because check engine came on. I didn't realize that some smog test stations would have charged me for the first test and a re-test. I appreciate the call from Vince to notify me that the car would not have passed. I will bring the car back to his business once I get the car fixed and will only have to pay for 1 smog test. read more

Eric is my happy ending to a lousy story. I'll begin at the end. He said, "It cost $100 less than I thought it would because we didn't have to program it after all." The beginning: frantic search to get a quote that was less than the ridiculous one I had for my dead power steering on my Ford Escape Hybrid that I was quoted by the dealer. Eric was the only person I reached that day who 1. asked all the right questions. 2. made all the right suggestions to get him what he needed to give me an accurate quote. 3. emailed me a quote that was $500 LESS than the quote I had, so that I had it in writing. 4. ordered the part before my car could be towed to his garage. 5. completed the job sooner than he said he'd be able to. (Compare this to the guy at another top reviewed garage who spent 10 minutes reading to me from the manual (Eric did his research by himself and got it all organized before he called me back with the quote), gave a list of about 10 reasons why he couldn't give me an accurate quote because he suspected all kinds of weirdness about the diagnosis, and talked smack about other garages in a way that creeped me out... ) SO HAPPY TO HAVE MY MECHANIC AT LAST! Alameda wouldn't have been my first choice for location, but you'll never hear a complaint out of me when I have to make the trip again. I know I'll have a happy ending there for sure... read more

The service is great. I came here on a Friday afternoon to get my DMV smog check without an appointment and they saw me right away. The guys were really nice and my quote was not different than what I paid $80 is a bit steep for the smog check but they electronically send it to the DMV and it was not worth saving $30 to drive out to Oakland to get this done. read more

Nice honest guys. They stand behind their work. Did a belt replacement on warranty even though it had been a couple of years. And they fit me in on short notice. read more

I came here to have some shorty headers installed in my 2013 Dodge Challenger R/T. Eric and the team there did a phenomanal job. I cant be happy enough. Clean install with no leaks. He also went the extra mile and showed me pictures of the install and explained everything in detail. read more

Seems like a good shop, but my innate distrust of mechanics keeps me from being too effusive. The people are friendly and seem to do a good job. Weird place for an auto shop, not that I care. read more

Very sweet, friendly guys that tested me for smog - the experience was very nice. I would go back again for other work.

Eric and his team went beyond what was required to help make my sons car be safe just before I sent him off to College. My son had neglected his car for a while and it was making strange noises when I brought it in the week before he left to humbolt state. Eric responded quickly to me with the list of the problems lack of basic car care had caused, timing chain was one of the major ones, slipping so bad it barely was running the water pump. I explained that I really need the car before we left for Humbolt. He then went at at with full force on the repairs as the Friday before we needed to leave approached it was clear with all the stuff the car needed that it wasn't going to be ready. Eric and he mechanic came in on Saturday, a day they are normally closed and finished the car!!! His mechanic told me he has two kids starting school and was doing the same prep I was, but he came in to help me fix my sons car on his day off. Saturday afternoon I picked up the car and it is great!! This is a great honest shop with real people running it and working there. There are still decent and kind people out there who take pride in their work, this is one of those places read more

Went in for a Smog check and they were so sweet. They were very straight forward, honest, and helpful with all my questions. I'll be back for my next Smog check for sure. read more

The staff here seemed to be all very knowledgeable of my car. They identified what the problem promptly. They even topped off my fluids as well, plus greased my car's struts with no extra cost. Very friendly staff on hand, plus offered service advice that sounded reasonable. Gave me a breakdown estimate of car repair, but were asking roughly what I might pay at a dealership for the same amount of work and parts combined. These guys took a little bit longer than expected to complete a suspension diagnostic then what another mechanic would have done. Another positive the owner gave me a 10 percent discount off. read more

80 dollar for smog check. Shop was clean but small, shop location was four to five blocks away from everything so be forewarned.

Have sent my truck to other mechanics including a dodge dealership and they could not fix my truck. The guys at engine works fixed my dodge pickup informed me with other potential problems and recommendations that I may encounter while owning the vehicle. The parts took a while to get to the shop but that was not there fault as the parts were coming from a long distance. I do not like sending my vehicles to mechanics because of previous bad experiences but the guys at engine works seemed nice and made everything easy and the showed me everything that was wrong with my truck. I would absolutely send my vehicles there again if I had any trouble with my cars read more

Finding a good mechanic is never fun, and most of them will try to nickel and dime you by telling you "all the things that are wrong" with your car. Engine Works was honest and straightforward in their business. I paid exactly what I was quoted. Not only that, my car was ready a half-hour earlier than they had told me! read more

The only reason I didn't put 5 stars is because that is ridiculous. It suggests perfection, and that's just impossible. But enough about that, because this shop rocks. Having come off a severely nasty relationship with the San Leandro "Superstore" (the nearest dealership for my Dodge Caravan), I was shocked and refreshed to deal with genuine people and honest estimates, met with accurate timing and reasonable prices. I had no idea such a thing existed any more. Engine Works took my own shoddy diagnosis of the problem, tested, checked and double checked the situation, and vindicated my belief that I had a bad injector. They were quick, super pleasant and charged exactly what I expected them to. And now my car runs great, thanks to Norberto and colleagues, I'll definitely be coming back from now on, thanks guys!!! read more

OMG, the auto repair shop which I went is amazingly great. They have very good services, and Nolverco was terribly nice. He not only did my oil and fluid change, examine the oil leak problem, and teach me how to check if oil leaks, but he also changed my flat tire and even found my car need to replace a radiator cap of engine coolant. He help me to order and told me which costs about $12, however he does not charge me a buck today. The most important part is that he charged me only about $26(he gave me $10 off!) I told him I would tell my friend to visit him :) Here is their website: (there is coupon!) http://www.engine-works.com/Engine_Works/Services_%26_Coupons.html Okay, I am done advertising this place :P Btw, the address is 1923 Minturn St., Alameda, CA (510) 523-6779 read more

Very friendly and quick service for a smog check, I will come back the next time I need a smog again.

Eric was able to help me figure out why my check engine light was on and help me find a shop that could take care of the problem because they were too busy! Amazing service at this place! read more

I've been taking my cars to EW for a few years. First, my 2001 Toyota Corolla, which they always took great care of for maintenance and, once, replacing the starter. Eric and Norbert were always there to answer my questions, and I know I come across as the typical driver who knows nothing about cars other than driving it, and maybe checking the oil, and changing the air filter... I bought a used 2012 Mazda3s in 2013 and never took it in for any maintenance until now. Except for the time I rolled over a stray muffler on the Park St Bridge... Eric took a video of the underside and showed it to me on the computer monitor. Some scratches, but no leaks or serious damage. I was very impressed and appreciative of their thoroughness! This time I finally took the Mazda in for maintenance. When I drove it away I noticed it sounded and felt worse! I drove it for a couple miles, hoping it would smooth itself out, but it wouldn't, so I drove back to EW. Norbert suspected the tires, which I know need to be replaced, but to be sure he introduced me to Rem, the manager, who drove with me in the car. He confirmed it was the tires. Rem re-rotated the tires back to their original positions and that resolved the issue. Norbert, Eric, and Rem all showed me the issues with the tires and that I should get new ones. I was very relieved it wasn't something more serious. I just want to thank Eric, Norbert, and Rem for their professionalism, attentiveness, and friendliness. Next time I bring the car in will be for rotating my new tires! read more

Last week I had my front brakes changed along with a few other services at Engine Works auto shop. Paid and went home. 2-3 days later my husband took my car to a tire shop because I needed all new tires. The shop calls him, mid-job, to say... hey your front brakes need changing, you want us to take care of this too. Well you can imagine the shock over this news. Tire shop said come down and we'll show you. Sure enough, same old worn pads. Husband immediately called the auto shop and when he told the owner of the find, there was dead silence on the other end. Owner apologized and I brought my car back in. The owner again apologized (very casually in my estimation) and then really surprised me with his next statement. He said...it's like going to a steak house and finding no steaks. I had to ask him to repeat himself because I couldn't believe what he said. I just couldn't even respond to that. He never offered an explanation, he never said anything like...I'm terribly sorry, this is completely unacceptable and I have spoken to the mechanic. I mean...there's a number of things he could have said to make me feel like he took this egregious error seriously. Nope...it really felt like he was treating this like they forgot to change my wind shield wipers. 3 hrs later I went back to pick up the car. The owner pulled up my car to where I was waiting. He got out and gave me another casual "sorry about that" and started walking away. This is what I said to him; I just have something to say before I leave. I had a number of services done to my car and clearly the brake job was missed on the list, mistakes happen. But let me just give you a reality check. In one month my husband and I go to Yosemite where we'll be traveling on brake-challenging, high mountain pass roads. It's pure luck that this mistake was caught but if it hadn't been caught and something really bad happened to us on the road...you'd have quite the lawsuit on your hand (I think I had his undivided attention at this point). If you wanted to really right this wrong, instead of offering me a lame steak house analogy, you'd pick up the tab on this break job (which would have kept me as the loyal customer that I have been). So think about that, you know where to find me. I drove off and haven't heard from him since. read more

My car failed the smog test because of recent work done on the car (battery disconnection during the repair reset monitors such as the oxygen sensor). Owner Eric patiently researched and suggested specific driving patterns to trigger these monitors (e.g. drive 25-30mph for 10 minutes nonstop). After three separate runs and follow-up visits, the car finally passed the test. I consider Eric's help an excellent customer service. Great job! read more

OK, my experience with this shop is not quite the same. I took my Audi A4 for an oil change. I will give them on this particular procedure they are cheaper than the $80 I pay at the dealer for the service, but I checked the oil right after the change, and found a large rat's nest under the hood right next to the fill tube. You make your own decision--would you expect someone seeing that would remove it--or at least let me know? I guess everyone screws up, but it makes me wonder about the thoroughness of some of their service. I drove back and showed it to them because I would want a customer to do that if I owned the shop. So thinking this is just a fluke, I took my Subaru in for an estimate of some needed extensive repair--head gaskets. Quote for the whole thing was $1200 more ($4000) than a Subaru specialty shop for the identical work and parts. I have bought parts for this car at the dealership and the mark up on the estimate was astronomical on the Engine Works estimate. For instance, $18 for a required special coolant additive, that I bought a couple months ago at the dealership for $3.42---that was just an example---there were other, similarly high parts markups. Their hourly labor rate is pretty much the same as a dealership when you see it posted. I will agree they have excellent customer service skills and their shop is clean, but after my experience with the quality of work and pricing makes me think they are cashing their "best in Alameda" award and the line of customers it seems to have brought them recently. To me, customer service does not substitute for quality control of the work and price. Looks to me like the oil change deals are marketing efforts for the more profitable repairs---I do not think any auto repair shop makes money simply changing oil, so that is smart marketing to have a loss leader oil change. I like to support neighborhood businesses, but they need to earn my respect with quality controlled work and reasonable prices. My experience is that both are lacking here. read more

The Engine Works team are the best. They are completely transparent about everything they will do in your service and are eager to answer your questions. No attitude from them at all. Great service in every way and I'll keep returning. read more

My car was running noisy, and I had it in for a service check at Toyota. They gave me an estimate for repair of $1700, basically to replace the entire exhaust system (which is rusty because the car started off in the Northeast). Engine Works solved the noise problem for $100--replaced a gasket and missing bolts. Very convenient location too, especially now that Toyota isn't in Alameda anymore. read more

I have a VW Jetta and just had my thermostat, flange, water pump and timing belt repaired at Engine Works. Though it was upsetting to find out that my car needed so much work, the folks at Engine Works made it as pleasant an experience as possible. Eric kept me informed in every step of the repair process, sending me a video and photos of the broken parts from his iPhone, and he did his best to minimize labor costs. (I researched other shops, and Engine Works' prices were in line with, if not lower than others'.) I live in San Francisco, and Eric even offered to pick me up from BART so that I could retrieve my car. I'd definitely go there again and I will recommend EW to my family and friends. read more

One of the best auto repair shops in Alameda. If honesty and integrity are important to you as well as quality job then this is the shop to bring your car. Been going here for over 10 years and have never been disappointed. They are also great at making recommendations for other work on the car such as alignments and body work. A true well respected auto repair shop which you can depend on. read more

I just knew it wasn't just steam after coming out of the car wash. Something was definitely wrong. Turning over the ignition twice, only then did the steam/white smoke emit from under the hood. No dashboard engine lights came on, no acrid smell.. The car had cooled down after an hour so when Aaa sent Kevin with All Ways Towing, he too did not at first see anything wrong. Of course it was hard to see, now that the sun had gone down. He assessed after about 15 minutes that there was indeed a leak. After another skillful 15 minutes of maneuvering his flatbed tow truck in a very tight L- space with inches to spare on both sides as well as up top, he drove off headed towards a Blanding auto body shop. Alas, they had no night key drop, so he by chance referred me to Engine-Works which was no doubt by divine providence. I am so grateful he did. The next day Norberto called to inform me they were checking the car, but at first did not see anything wrong with it. He even volunteered that their more experienced mechanic will be in the next day to look it over. He quoted a very reasonable estimate for diagnostic and prepared me for labor and parts costs. He even suggested I check their website for coupons. The following day, he calls back with the news the ac hose was too short and there were minuscule tears, with freon escaping. Fast forward---Now, my car, which I depend on on a daily basis to cart the kids, runs great after an oil change and ac and heater are working properly. Thanks Norberto and Eric for making it so easy. Reasonable price and car back to me in a day! These guys are fantastic! read more

Excellent auto shop. They are one of the few shops in Alameda to have dynamo for confirming smog fixes. They fixed my smog problem for less than $200 and were very easy to work with - I highly recommend these guys. read more

I was very disappointed with the staff at Engine Works when I took my Jetta in for an oil change. After being forced to book my appointment a week in advance, I returned after more than an hour to discover they had not even moved my car into the bay. When I inquired why it was taking so long I was told that the mechanic had had to finish something from the day before. I understand that sometimes things happen, but a scheduling conflict on their part is not my responsibility, nor should I be made to wait for it, especially when I am there waiting and the other customer is not. Had they been even remotely apologetic, I wouldn't feel nearly so vehement, but they acted like I was unreasonable in expecting a simple oil change to require less than an hour to perform. The appointment was set at 8 am and, had I been an hour late, it would have undoubtedly been cancelled and/or a punitive fee assessed. The whole reason for setting an appointment is the expectation of resolution within a reasonable time period. That being said, I will seek automotive service elsewhere. read more

They were very courteous. The turn around time was good. They told me everything that was wrong with my car (that they could find). My complaint is that they REALLY over-charge. I called Big O tires and they charge a lot less. And this is NOT a case of you get what you pay for, because Big O does a fantastic job. My bad for not doing more research. Also our bill came to $499.60. We had a coupon for $40 off $400-499 and $50 off for over $500. They gave us $40 off. The thing is, we had just spent $1,300 the week before on my husbands car. Sheesh, only 10 bucks, but reallWe will not go back. I do not recommend them. read more

Update to my previous stella opinion of Engine Works. Over 1 year ago I had brought my truck into Engine Works for major engine work as noted in my previous review. I generally do my own minor repairs as a back yard mechanic. Anyway to make a long story short I typically do a tune-up/oil change prior to the required California bi-annual smog check. Anyway I went to replace/regap my spark plugs along with other tweeks. The spark plugs were so torqued down they sheared off the hex bottoms to spark plugs leaving just the threaded portions in the head. Now if you had an older car that may not have been a major problem but many cars today have a portion of the engine (the head) where the spark plugs go that is deep inside. To get a broken one out would require major engine work & much money if you had someone else do the work. I know a little about mechanics and was able to retreive them after a few hours of persistence for each spark plug. I have a special device that measures the foot pounds (how much force) is required to tighten/ loosen bolts. Any way they were all tightened to between 100 to 120 foot pounds or more. Never in the years of owning the truck have I had to use so much force to change/take out my spark plugs I put in myself. It is my opinion that Engine Works over torqued all the spark plugs as they were the last ones in the head of my truck. As a side note I have done this procedure myself on many a engines & repaired engines on the large cattle ranch I grew up on in South Dakota. Typically to get a major overhaul/service on a sent out head not only do you take off the head from the engine you take out the spark plugs and valve cover & when the head comes back you either put the old spark plugs or new ones back in. Generally what I have seen is the shop that redoes the head does not take out/put in spark plugs. But just as an aside it is possible the shop that put in new valves & ground the head could have put the plugs in themselves. But in my previous experience that has not been the case as the machine shop that repairs the head does some type of sand blasting / chemical soaking of the head & the spark plugs are out prior to them doing that. There were no "pock" marks on any of the plugs to indicate exposure to sandblasting. In my opinion to me this indicates new plugs (or the old ones) were put in after the repair of the head. I believe generally Engine Works may do good work. I have had other repairs done there that were fine. My opinion is that the kid who worked on my car was still wet behind the ears & may not have been the best choice to do major engine work on a car? I was surprised with Eric's reaction when I showed him one of the sheared off plugs that he did not offer something/anything for my trouble as if he experienced my wife's wrath of spending around $5,500.00 for the engine work I had done over 1 year ago it is my opinion that this would be before a judge now. I had a company before myself & in my opinion I would have offered some oil changes or something for a customer's trouble. In a recap my opinion is that Engine Works may be good for some "easier jobs" but in my opinion the major work ( if you don't have time or the knowledge) is better left to the stealer (dealer) It may wind up actually costing you less even though it is more up front? read more

Like others, I came in for a smog check in the middle of the week, and was short on time. They took me in immediately, got it done, gave me my paperwork, and Eric, who seemed to run the place, was informative, friendly, helpful. No miracles happening here, just efficient, friendly, helpful service. I'll take my car back for additional service. read more

I rarely write reviews but I had to write one about Engine Works. First, how great is Yelp? If it wasn't for Yelp I would not have found out how the other place where I used to take my car for years was ripping me off! So I decided to try to find a reputable place. When I saw Engine Works got outstanding reviews (I read every single review) I decided to take my car there because my Check Engine light came on. I need to explain that when I used to take my car to this other crappy place I used to go in there for an oil change and end up spending sooo much money for things that really didn't need fixing. I found this out from a mechanic friend of mine. It was great Engine Works lets you make an appointment on line. I made an appointment for 8 a.m. the next day. When I went into the shop Eric Kwan was at the desk taking the day's orders. This shop is really busy and now I see why. I told him about my Check Engine light and he said they charge $165 just to check it on a system. My heart almost stopped, really? $165 just to check an engine light, seriously? Well all I could think of was the great reviews and I thought oh well I'm here and I prayed that it wouldn't be too expensive. I also thought I probably won't get my car today because they were sooo busy. I went to work and when I went I got to work Eric called me (an hour later) and said it was something small and the light was off and no charge. UNBELIEVABLE! He also gave me a card where I could get my stereo fixed. I was in their database from 2009 when I got a smog check but I didn't realize they did engine work. I know this is my first experience but it definitely will not be my last. Also they have a nice clean shop! Yay for Engine Works! read more

The Engine Works crew are great. I've had a few services and oil change specials done here - all completed efficiently and for a good price. I'm sure that each time I drive out the car feels better than when it went it, and it's only done 15k miles! read more

Engine Works is my go to auto repair shop in Alameda. They are very thorough and professional. Nolberto and Vince are very responsive and helpful. I am happy to give them a 5 star rating! read more

Engine Works definitely lives up to its 5 star rating. I had a 60k service completed on my Toyota Camry and was very impressed on the level of service I received. Eric provided me a quote via e-mail prior to my visit and I was able to book my appointment online (MAJOR PLUS). I felt that I received outstanding service at an affordable price. Thanks to Eric and his team for a job well done and for taking the time to explain everything. read more

This is a great shop to deal with. Eric is a very knowledgeable and easy to deal with. He was able to find the cause of an engine problem that 3 other shops could not. Prices are fair and service is good. read more

Engine works is great! They always provide top notch service and are super friendly and reasonable.

These guys are great. They actually listen to your concern and address it quickly.

My 2010 Prius suddenly had all the warning lights come on and the hybrid drive completely shut off. I understand that hybrid drives are difficult to work on and not everyone does it (in fact three out of the five shops I messaged said they didn't work on them) but I messaged Engine Works that night and within and hour Eric had written me back and told me to bring it in the next day. Within a couple of hours of dropping it off Eric called me back with an update about what his diagnostic said and the steps he was planning to take to confirm his findings. He then called me back again with the results and a few options and offered to give me the night to think about it and held my car for me. He also emailed the error codes from his diagnostic so I could call the dealer to see if there were any recalls on the problem parts. Turns out the part that I need is covered by Toyota for free for 15 years so obviously it's in the best interest of my bank account to take it over there to get the work done. Not only did Eric understand this, he gave me the printout of the error codes and the complete diagnostic printout from his test equipment to take with me to the dealer and gave me a deal on the diagnostic fee because they are just that awesome over there at Engine Works. This is my first experience with this shop but I can't imagine going anywhere else in the future for work on my car (that isn't going to be free from the dealer obviously). read more

I took my Land Rover to Engine Works and it was a very smooth and relaxing experience. Everyone I came in contact with at the shop was very nice and more than willing to answer any of my questions. Everyone there is very professional, friendly and honest and their pricing is even better! I shopped around before taking my SUV in and hands-down, Engine Works was the one to beat! They fixed my alternator extremely fast and I was more than pleased with the work done! They have a forever-customer in me and they come highly recommended! read more