Say... You coax your boyfriend's perfectly maintained '85 DIESEL Mercedes Station wagon from his father's house while in California on holiday. Then... You drive said dealership-maintained car to your hometown where your A.D.D. kicks in and you fill the afore mentioned DIESEL car up with *wait for it* UNLEADED gas. Somehow through the shame...the horror...the hiccup cries and desperate refrains of, "My boyfriend is soooo gonna break up with me" I got the car towed to Greg Bean Auto. A few facts about Greg Bean Auto 1. Greg Bean stayed in constant communication with myself and my boyfriend (3000 miles away) 2. Greg Bean can fly (this has not been confirmed) 3. Greg Bean et al. actually fixed the car in less than a day and fixed the car's power locks too; a job that had been estimated at $900 at the S.F. Mercedes dealership (no lie). He gave us an amazing deal. 4. Greg Bean is a huge proponent of Bio-diesel. Which I don't know much about, but I know all the kids are talking about it so it must be good. 5. Greg Bean doesn't advertise. We happened to find a glowing review on Yelp. G.B. is clearly in it for love of the game and that's pretty cool. In summation- if Greg Bean tells you to drink the Kool-Aide, you should. read more

I had found Greg on Yelp with glowing reviews, so I decided to try him out. Part 1: I have a 02 Mitsubishi Lancer (not EVO) and it had a check engine light on. My friend had checked out the car and said it was a O2 sensor, which I replaced but it was still on. So I went to Greg's for some professional help (on Halloween no less). He was very friendly, did a free scan, and reset my engine light because the read-out was indeed just that. Problem solved! I was able to return the other O2 sensor and save $60! What a Treat! Thanks! :D I wanted to give him 5 stars but experienced a disheartening part 2. Part 2: I needed an oil change (I forgot about it the first time I visited) and I figured I'd give my business to Greg since he's made a great impression on me the first time. Unfortunately it ended up taking way too long and costing quite a premium. I scheduled for a 10:30am appointment and arrived there on the dot. All the car lifts were taken when I arrived and it took until around 11:15 before getting to my car onto the lift. I was called at 11:45 to take a look at the car in which recommendations were given for timing and drive belt replacements. Greg said he will check on the factory recommended replacement times and pricing details, but it seems the computer was pre-occupied with another task. Then a complicated personal phone call came in and I waited again for him to get back to me. I am a very patient guy and always give people the benefit of the doubt, thinking their day is just unusually busy, but it was 12:15pm and I felt I couldn't wait anymore. I found his son Greg Jr. and had him look things up for me. Shortly after, Greg Sr. finished the call and was able to ring me up so I can get going. The price he was going to ring me up for was $102! 0.0!! Needless to say, I was stunned! Now, I have to admit I never asked for a price quote ahead of time, but I figured an oil change could only cost so much! Boy was I wrong! It's especially staggering since I just moved from San Jose and was used to $20-40 oil changes. He told me they charge 1/2 hour minimum labor (based on $100 per hour) and that he used Mobil oil and a Bosch filter - I found it retails total $27 locally, which translates to about $70 for labor. In the end he lowered it to $76 as a first time service. Greg Jr came and gave me the quote for the belts, I paid and left at 12:30pm, still a bit dazed. I felt kind of sick afterwards. Now that I think about it, I never did sign anything allowing for work on the car beforehand. In retrospect, I should have definitely asked for an estimate ahead of time (perhaps one should have been provided regardless?) and spoken up much sooner regardless of their workload. Lastly, I am not saying Greg is not good at what he does, I'm sure he knows his stuff inside and out and has a great attitude, but for maintenance duties there are other places that are willing to do the work faster and more professionally for a lot less. read more

Refreshingly Honest and Fair Priced ~ Regular, Diesel & Biodiesel Cars After picking my car up from Stahl Mercedes, the local dealer, who refused to diagnose my car's problems for less than $1,000 (a simple task that only required plugging a hand-held computer into my on-board computer - a task that is easier than charging an ipod and quicker than checking a voicemail) --- Greg and his son J.R. were able to diagnose my problem for me (free) and fix the problem for under $500. I tell you, I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard the final cost. They are very informed and work on all types of Mercedes along with other cars (I saw German, Japanese and American cars while I was there)... They are especially good with diesel engines and can explain biodiesel to you (I had a long conversation with J.R. on this topic though I do not have a diesel) as well as give you tips on how to keep your car running longer: change your air filter even though it's not indicated in your service manual, get tune ups, etc. If only I had known about them sooner! I would've saved thousands of dollars (unfortunately, that's no joke). I hope that this review is of use to someone. Dropping cash on car repair is never fun, but I highly recommend this place because Greg and J.R. are honest, patient, friendly and your pocketbook will not be abused. Best of luck. read more

Seriously, you probably can't find a more honest mechanic. Two thumbs up: One - girlfriend had been fighting what was thought to be a radiator problem for months already - doing the Midas shuffle and quite fed up. Found Bean on Yelp and crawled the Saturn in. JR took the time to quickly diagnose - actually bring her into the shop to show what was wrong (ended up being water pump, d'oh) - and get it done in a day. She did have a problem with that repair, but to their credit, they came to my apartment to quickly fix it. So the earlier remark about Bean being able to fly - it's certainly plausible. Two - my Jeep got a big red FAILED stamp at Pacific Smog (don't go there by the way - shisters!) and I've been trying to figure out why. Greg Bean does a pre-test (which apparently, shops won't do for you anymore) and quickly found the culprit. The price may or may not be the best, but I really like these guys and am all about supporting local shops (especially if they're doing bio-diesel conversions). At least I know they'll be honest and will help the growly Jeep get a passing grade while I shop around. Thanks guys! read more

Excellent service and quick. At nearly $100 per hour they are not the cheapest, but they are honest and do quality work. Didn't talk with anyone else in the shop, but Greg is a super nice guy. My new go-to spot for auto repair on the Monterey Peninsula. read more

5 Star Service, Product, Convenience What a wonderful experience with Greg Bean Auto Repair. Considering an industry riddled with potholes and less than ethical characters, Greg Bean Auto Repair was a safe haven for me and my Subaru. Greg verbally gave me his opinion and estimate, called to confirm that was indeed the problem, verify the cost, then put all that into action. Thanks Greg Bean Auto Repair! read more

Greg Bean Auto saved my car!!!! I had a check engine light on & took it to another place for a diagnostic. I was quoted "$900-$1000" for repairs. A few days later my car car totally wouldn't start. AAA said the battery was fine. I got my car towed to Greg Bean Auto & Greg (son) help me. He was very knowledgeable & was able to fix all the issues in a timely manner without costing me an arm & a leg!!! Greg Bean is "the man"! I would definitely recommend Greg Bean Auto to anyone that needs car servicing. read more

So I have had one direct time I actually dealt with Greg jr. and it took about a week to get my car back. I'd heard good things, so I was happy to bring my new jeep which my neighbor actually gave me out of kindness. I knew it would copst a bit to get back on the road, but first things first, I asked him to check this thing out, bumper to bumper, it had been sitting for eight plus years, and I wanted to know what I was getting into.So- he changes the rear master cylinder, breaks and something else, real basic part, my friend laughed at me when I showed him the receipt, said it was a fifteen minute jobI guess I ought not have mentioned the car was a gift.But at least the thing ran, and I was only out $545.00. He said that was it. Good to go... I proceeded to change all the fluids and get the jeep in good running shape. I have a friend who is a really good mechanic, he was just busy the time when I got the jeep, but since it had started to miss really bad about a week after Greg jr checked it from bumper to bumper, I just had my friend check it, but not before I changed a few of the fuel injectors, spark plugs wires, rotor, and distributor cap, hoping that would fix the problem. No such luck. He comes over, and he ran a diagnostic on my jeep, including a compression test. Well, there was a crack in the head!!! To find this out after taking it to a mechanic who had given me the thumbs up on it and after spending about $1800.00 to get it all good was a bit frustrating to say the least. I bought another cylinder head and had it replaced almost a grand- and that is a deal In a garage it's like two grand. My buddy helped and we got it done.That was the only time I took my car to Greg Bean, but unfortunately not the last time I got to deal with his handy work. Last week, I bought a Suburu outback from my other neighbor, the jeep has been a strain since day one, so I got the Outback. My neighbor said he was quoted somethingb like $500.00 but at the end of the day, he had to fix something in the front brake or - I'm not too sre. But uit cost him upwards of $1300.00 This repair was a few months ago. My neighbor never drove the car one time. It stayed parked in front of the house. So when he told me how he had Greg Bean work on it and he had told him the thing is cherry now - I only hoped he had caught the guy on a better day than I had.No such luck though. The enguine runs well yes, and I am happy about that. But I read a few of the reviews and saw another outback, and coincidentally, this young man got his car back with no blinkers. The guy had either not connected them or... who knows, but my Suburu has the exact same issue. No tail lights, no signal lights. A definite pull over by the local P.D.at best, But that was not the only thing- he had to remove the mud flap on the rear driver's side to do that last job he did, and I guess for $1300 you can put on your own mud flaps, cause he didn't put it back on. I went over to ask him about the signals, I was as polite as a guy can be. Especially a guy who'd already been victim to shoddy work by the same guy, I said the parking lights and the blinkers don't work, didn't you work on it last? He probably didn't know the car hadn't been driven 10 feet, so it was just as he had left it. Missing mud flap, and parking lights, turn signals not engaged- He was pretty rude, he said "and?" "Well, and you worked on it last, I was hoping you might have some insight as to what is wrong with the lights, $ 1300 is a lot of money to pay to get your car back with issues it didn't have going in" I was amazed because he had such a smug expression before telling me i was welcome to leave it he would be happy to diagnose it for me at $104.30 per hour. I was floored. I told him about the jeep six or so months ago. He said "And?" I asked if it wasn't protocol when going over a car for a customer to run a basic compression check to rule out any serious engine problems. I'm not ba mechanic, and I said that but, that seems liuke one of the more basic things to do when doing a bumper to bumper checking ouyt of a vehicle. The guy looks at me and with much attitude tells me no he doesn't do that, he has a trained ear and can hear anything like that. Well, I had heard enough. I had just told the guy he missed a cracked head and cost me a ton of money I may not have spewnt if he had done his job. He says he can hear an engine with issues. He missed the sound of my engine. I just walked away. the indignance alone of this guy. If I was half as cool as this guy thinks he is, I'd be somebody lemme tell you what. I will never go to that guy again. His dad I hear, put in trons of years and kept his reputation super good. It's a shame when you see someone who just doesn't seem to care about that level of customer service. One star, maybe read more

Had a minor issue with my 01 Pathfinder. Cat converter heat sensor needed replacement. $393 part and labor all in . Found them to be fair, honest and nice to deal with. Making Greg my regular mechanic. Thank you Mr. Bean. read more

Honest, straightforward, efficient, results! What more could you ask for from an auto mechanic. Greg is awesome!

After taking my car to Midas to have the brakes on my PT Cruiser checked out, they informed me of $900 worth of maintenance that needed to happen sooner rather than later. My first question should have been: What were you doing under the hood in the first place? Needless to say, my check engine light came on for the first time ever not 24 hours later. Coincidence? I think not... When I told Greg Bean the story, he offered to take a look at the "cracked head valve gasket" for free. Turns out the gas cap had mysteriously been put on incorrectly (again, for the first time in four years), and this is the source of the check engine light. My points here are thus: a) Greg Bean offered both myself and my girlfriend help and information regarding our car "problems" for free (took him 10 minutes), and with a cheerful, honest disposition. b) I would, and probably will go back to him in the future, as he seems like the kind of mechanic who has too much work to do to bother finding more where it isn't needed. And finally... c) Midas is (rhymes with "spit")! read more

EXCELLENT SERVICE AND HONEST After years of dealing with shady mechanics and being over charged, we finally found Greg Bean Auto. Ranging from Land Rovers and Jaguars to Toyota trucks and Volkswagens...they know what they're doing. We couldn't be happier! Excited to hear they may be offering mobile service in the near future. Mechanics that will come to you....love it! read more

Very nice guy! Helpful and honest. Doesn't try to rip you off. Even when I had a very small thing to fix he did it and did a little more just because he's a good guy! I will definitely go back with all my car needs! :) read more

I really have no complaints. Great service, kind and professional guys. Ive been a few times and have been satisfied every time.

When do you leave the mechanic's in a better mood than when you went in? When you go to Greg Bean!

Greg Bean is the best in the area. HONEST! HONEST! HONEST! I recommend him to all my friends. Its a family owned and operated business. Both Greg and Greg Jr. are helpful, kinda, skilled and brilliant when it comes to auto mechanics. Nobody in the area does it better! read more

After having an expensive job done by greg bean, i took my car to my fathers mechanic to finish gregs job and fix my turn signals which were working before i got it worked on. When Greg bean put my dashboard back together, he apparently forgot to plug in my turn signals. If I'm paying 100 an hour to get my car fixed, there shouldn't be any issues after. So if you aren't some rich jerk, you probably don't want to go there. read more

We were passing through the area on a road trip to Seattle when our check engine light came on. We didn't want to be stuck on the road and found this place via Yelp. He was able to diagnose the problem quickly and took the time to explain everything to us. Friendly service, highly recommend! read more

Had some issues with getting ahold of the shop to see how my car was doing. They didn't seem very organized with voicemails or messages. The inspection we asked for as part of the oil change missed the fact that my battery was on it's last legs so it died on the first day of our big trip. Very stressful to be changing it in the middle of the desert at night. He referred us to somewhere else to fix the air conditioning which was a good referral. read more

I grew up here, Monterey High Class of 87'. So I know how difficult it is to know who to call when you need a good Mechanic. Who do you trust? Well, I found that Mechanic. Go to "Greg Bean's" Auto Repair shop. He was fast and honest. He explained the problems and didn't use, hard to understand, Mechanic lingo. Yes, you mechanics know words that I have to Google to find out what it means. The next time I need any car help, I'm calling Greg Beans Shop. read more

I appreciate this garage. I had my brakes done here a few months ago, and it was a good experience. This week I had my oil changed at Midas, and was told that I needed new struts, new tires, and one other thing (that I can't remember at the moment). I decided to get this confirmed at Greg Bean Auto. Greg examined my car, and told me that I didn't need new tires at this point or new stuts, and that I actually would need a radiator soon (he also showed me how the radiator looked, and explained why it would need replaced). I really appreciate having an honest garage to go to in the Monterey area. I will continue to go here. It was a good experience. read more

honest, friendly and knowledgeable. Fair rates. What more can you ask of an Auo shop. It is a father and son operation, they are both Geg Bean! No other employees. read more

Honest and mechanic usually are never written in the same sentence, but the Beans are honest and GOOD mechanics. They took care of our diesel VW and helped us out for a cross country trip (with free coolant- yep, I wrote "free"). The beans are good, honest men. I can not praise them more. read more

I was wondering whether to buy a Mercedes diesel and went to this mechanic to check out the car. They said the car was in OK condition but needed a few thousand dollars of repairs. Since I got a good price on the car, I bought the car and asked them to do any repairs needed to bring the car up to good condition. They did about $2000 of work on the car and I thought it was in good condition. I moved to LA and went to another mechanic for an oil change and they looked at the invoice from Greg Bean Auto and said that they did only a basic service which would normally cost only $200 but charged $2000. The LA mechanic said I needed a few very expensive parts (several hundred dollars worth) so I decided to get a second opinion. The next auto shop said the same thing. Basically Greg Bean told me he was repairing the car but only did a service and charged me $2000. Now I'm paying $700 to get the car in the condition that Greg Bean Auto told me they were getting it into. I would not advise using this shop because they are not honest. read more