Very knowledgeable!!!! So refreshing to have someone like him in this very niche craft! And very nice human being! ;)

As a Service Advisor for a European auto dealer in the City, I have worked professionally with Wally for many years and have never received anything less than stellar craftmanship and service. read more

I bought a custom leather seat kit and found Wally to install it. Wally is professional, friendly, and knowledgable. It only took him roughly a day to get the installation done and was flexible on the pick up time as I was stuck in meetings when the installation completed. The installation of the seat was impeccable. Highly recommend it if you are looking to switching the factory cloth seat to leather. The comfort and the aesthetic of the seat instantly elevated to a new level. In addition, the cost is reasonable compared to other shops that I inquired (plus they are not in SF) There is a small follow up item to fix the broken seat release cable and Wally was nice enough to offer fixing it for free for me. read more

Metzel Auto Upholstery - front seat - Auto Upholstery Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Had a great experience with getting our Subaru Forester car leather seating repaired today. Our leather seating had torn and when we called Metzel's to see if they could handle the repair, Wally knew immediately where it was located without my even telling him. Apparently the outer "leather" of the car seating is not real leather and it's a known defect on Subarus. We dropped off the car in the morning and he texted as soon as it was done a few hours later. The area of the repair looked brand new. I initially had a hard time remembering where the tear was located! It was fun to see the piece of material he removed & how we could not tell it had even been changed out. Highly recommend coming here. read more

I see there a number of positive reviews. I do not understand why. Wally is a nice guy but, man, did he screw up the top on my VW convertible. Go at your own risk. read more

I have had Wally install convertible tops on at least 2 cars and he did a beautiful job, a 1984 Pininfarina Spider Azura, and my current 1989 Chrysler TC by Maserati with a Ginger-colored cloth top. I would never go anywhere else other than Metzel for convertible tops and upholstery. read more

Without a doubt the best at his craft in the business, you can feel confident that you will be handled professionally, and the product will be outstanding. I should have taken pictures of the entire vehicle when it was done but it was unfortunately stolen during the final process of the rebuild in Texas. read more

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I brought my 2002 Volvo Sedan in for the repair of the driver seat and console. WOW, what a great job and the price was fair. I had gotten other estimates and thought they were to high for the small work needed. If you are need of quality repair, Wally is the person to get it done. I will be bringing my car back for one more repair when I get the part. The customer service Wally gave desires better than 5 stars for sure. read more

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I took my 1999 BMW M3 convertible to Metzel's on two separate occasions. First to replace the plastic rear window and repair the electric motor on the driver's seat, the second time to replace the headliner about a year later as the original had disintegrated over the years. Wally is a real expert and was able to tell me what was wrong, that he could source the necessary parts and how much it would cost. He does excellent, quality work and corrected some previous 'repairs' on the convertible top. It looks great and I recommend Wally 100%. read more

Wally is the king of automotive upholstery. Full stop. Dude is knowledgeable, capable, and dependable. (Those are the best "ables" ). I've known Wally at Metzel for many many years and I've sent scores of clients to him who happily come back to show me his fixes. Got upholstery woes? Go see Wally at Metzel. Honda. Audi. Acura. Lexus. Toyota. Volvo. VW. Chevy. Ford. You name it I bet Wally can fix it. read more

Brought my car for an estimate waited 10 minutes the Asian guy just talking around don't even ask if I need help walked in front of me don't even look at me. What a waste of time . That's not the way you treat customers. read more

Never got a chance to find out how good they are, and here's why; So, I'm on the phone with Metzle Auto Upholstery, and I'm talking to the owner about repairing my car seat. He tells me to bring the car in and he'd see if he could get it done today. So I'm about to bring him my car and give this person $350-$400 to repair my seat. As he's hanging up the phone, I hear him say to his assistant: "Hey, that negro guy is bringing his car in." Needless to say, Metzle auto upholstery will NEVER get a dime of money or my time ever again! read more

Wail did an amazing job on my 2008 CLK550 this last week. He was able to order the top and install in an incredibly short amount of time. I had 3 quotes and not only was his the best, also his installation schedule was the best. I dropped by car off Thursday morning and picked it up Friday afternoon. My "cream puff" is so beautiful once again. Thank you so much! read more

Excellent service. Excellent work. my car top is now two years old and it's still working great looks new and works great. someone ripped my new roof the other night and Wally fixed the rip for me. I highly recommend Wally he does great work he's very relaxed and he's gonna be my go to guy for as long as I need upholstery or roof work. Always willing to help. He's a little bit less expensive than the other quotes I got when my roof needed replacement so he's reasonably priced and the work is excellent. read more

Wally did a perfect job installing a rear folding bench seat for my 1987 Mercedes Benz 560SL convertible. He walked me through the process, communicated well, and finished the same day. He's got decades of car upholstery experience, and being himself an owner of an R107, I could finally find someone that knew exactly what I was talking about when I asked him about my car's rear seat install. It's so nice to have someone of the old breed who knows their stuff on older cars, as well as new ones. read more

Five stars for quality craftsmanship. Needed repair work on driver seat of Jeep, vinyl material 2 pieces. Basic kind of repair job. Didn't know if I could afford Metzel because of the photos of classic and luxury cars. But his labor rate is in line with market, and he got me out the door within 3 hours. I shopped around and other shops were telling me it was bigger job and would take all day and quoted higher. I don't understand the negative reviews. Maybe he works alone and doesn't have front office staff to handle the phones and juggle the paperwork. Also no info about any kind of warranty on his repair work. But no complaints. Bottom line, his work looks great, he didn't try to over-charge, and I found him on yelp. read more

I would avoid this shop. The people who run it are neither honest nor particularly competent -- a bad combination. In the course of replacing the headliner on my car, they damaged the sunroof mechanism to the tune of (according to three repair estimates) several thousand dollars. They did not disclose the damage but charged me full price anyway. I believe that after causing the damage, they did some investigation and realized that the cost of the sunroof repair would exceed the headliner fee by several multiples. So they did the dishonest, expedient thing and didn't say anything, hoping I wouldn't notice. When I confronted them, they at first admitted they knew "there was a problem" with the car, but then denied responsibility and claimed "the problem" they'd mentioned had nothing to do with the sunroof. When the proprietor of a business like this one takes your money for a job performed, he is implicitly making a contract with you that the job has been properly done and the vehicle is being returned to you in the same condition it reached him. To cause serious damage in the course of working on a customer's vehicle and not disclose that damage while still charging in full for the agreed-upon work is a deliberate breach of contract and thus a form of fraud, I believe. read more

Metzel's Upholstery, how is it possible I have not reviewed you after "sew" many years of counting on your professional service!! Wally and his crew at Metzel's are great at what they do! Very easy to work with, won't b.s. you..basically you call them up, tell 'em what's what, you bring it down so they can have a look at the problem (in this case, a decaying/fraying/leaky rag top on an '78 450 SL that had been packed up in a garage for decades!) Well what do you know...Wally had it replaced in a week, at $600 less than the next best quote!! (And the other folks I visited were giving me a song and dance about it taking 2-3 weeks, etc) Pfffft, never mind all that, Metzel's ROCKS!!!! If you need any work done on auto upholstery, headliners, convertible tops, etc...Wally is the one to see!! Honest, fast, brilliant workmanship....and he has a sense of humor...never seems to mind when I ask him (for the 100th time) if he'd heard about the man who "fell into the upholstery machine but was fully recovered!" =o ) read more

I really truly love this place. If I could I would give it 6 stars. Ever feel like you are run down with poor service from places in San Francisco? Ever feel like you are inconveniencing a business to try to get their help? If you have ever felt worn down from those kinds of places come here. It will be like a cool splash of water on a hot face, a nice sigh of relief in a city of congestion and grief. Wally is super friendly; He looks like he just got off a vacation, fit/tan/friendly and he welcomes you with a smile. Let me follow-up now with some background. Remember those horrible storms that hit the Bay Area during the end of December? I found myself on a flight to Baltimore when I got a call from my mom. She called to tell me that my car's rear window had been broken. A tree's limb broke off and managed to break my rear window. My mom was at work at this time and I was in Baltimore. No one was there to protect my poor saturn from further rain intake and more branches from messing things up. By the time my mom was able to get my car to the garage the car had become a bathtub. When I got home from the East Coast it was still raining and it was hard to take the car outside to dry out. There wasn't any sun! A couple weeks passed. We tried to get as much water out as possible and we opened the windows. Despite all of this the car started to smell. You know what I am talking about. That moldy, stinky smell that you know just might be killing you slowly. Green growth started to occur in the trunk. Nothing really worked as far as "surface cleaning" went. Nothing like that was going to work. In the mornings I would find a puddle under the drivers seat which was strange considering the water intake happened in the rear of the car! I was sad. I started to get quotes on getting this shizzy fixed. The costs for fixing this issue were running high...would I need to get new upholstery altogether? Possibly. Basically I was told that if an odor had procured than my fate was sealed. I'd have to gut the beast and replace it with some new stuff. All my mind could think was money!!! Money I didn't have nor did I want to spend. My car was worth less than replacing the interior would end up costing. I asked many people where I should go and I consulted with my friend Yelp. All signs pointed toward Metzel Auto Upholstery. I then called my insurance (Progressive) and was bracing myself to get manhandled by "issues". Unbelievably they recommended Wally! At this point I nearly cried. How could it be that the place I actually had been recommended was endorsed by my insurance? Furthermore, how could it be that my insurance would cover the cost not many questions asked? Fast forward a couple weeks: Wally fixed my car, doing much of the coordination with Progressive and Saturn to get the appropriate stuff so all I had to do was sit around and wait about a week for it to all get fixed. I now find myself with an almost new car (at least inside) and happier than ever about a new business discovery in San Francisco. Thanks to both my progressive car insurance and wally for making this super easy. read more

As it turned out, there was a problem a few weeks later--unclear how the problem happened. But since I had a time problem, Wally had me come right over, and he identified the cause and addressed it within less than 24 hours. He's a really good guy. If you need upholstery or have a convertible top problem, he's your guy! read more

Fantastic service - fantastic work! My dog chewed through my rear seat upholstery and two seat belts. Metzel's quote for repairing the upholstery and installing replacement seat belts was cheaper than the dealer's estimate for just the seat belt installation! Wally was charming, the work was done in a day and it is just beautiful. You cannot tell there was ever any damage. By the way I have never seen any cars blocking the sidewalk outside the business (see negative review) read more

Original Review: 9/24/2010 Wally was enjoyable to work with from the very first phone call to picking up the car. After explaining what was wrong with my convertible top, he let me know all of my potential options (and their associated costs). He reserved confirmation the top could be repaired (as it had warped a bit after separating from the back area) until after he had a chance to take it off and and work with it in his shop. That seemed fair, even if it took an ounce or so of trust. I brought it in the next morning, and he promised to let me know within a day if the top could be salvaged. The very next morning he called to let me know that not only could the top be salvaged, but he had completed the job and the car was ready to pick up. The total was the lowest of the estimates he gave me, and it was ready before I expected. Most importantly, the job was done very professionally - the top looks good as new. Clearly he has been doing this a while. He said he tends to just take jobs when he knows he can do the work well. I like that approach. Update: 7/21/2014 The fix he applied (sewing in a new clear back section to my 1999 Porsche Carrera Cab convertible top) is still going strong. When I had it repaired, he told me to only expect the fix to last about three years. Here we are almost four years later, and the fix looks as good now as it did when I left his shop. His work continues to exceed expectations. Since then, I drove the car from San Francisco to my new home in Cary, NC, and had two kids. Thanks again Wally for the great work. read more

Had a tear in my over 10 year old convertible top, and my trusted auto body shop recommended Wally at Metzel. I can see why. Wally was low-key, easygoing, knowledgeable and managed to repair the defect and fix another problem that had bothered me for years. And without an appointment. Great experience, and I wholeheartedly recommend them. read more

Metzel Auto Upholstery - Auto Upholstery Near Me - San Francisco, California

What horrible customer service. I called with a simple question and problem. I needed the rear plastic window piece installed on a soft top, supposedly one of their specialties. Instead of helping, or even listening for that matter, the gentleman assumed in didn't know what I was talking about, assumed I didn't have the right piece , and then proceeded to laugh at me, basically treating me like I'm some idiot and making me feel like a fool. The guy was a class A jerk. He not only mocked and laughed, said he couldn't do the job and did not even try to listen or offer any sort of solution. I wish I could say that I'm exaggerating just a little, but unfortunately I'm not. I would not recommend this jerk to anyone. I'm close to assuming that he is inept at his job and that's why he had acted in such a manner. Bad service, bad look, bad manners. Never again will I even consider using his service. I'm actually never one to leave reviews but this guy was so bad that I had to write this. read more

Had the soft top on my Audi cabriolet replaced, due to the back window popping out, and decided to get a small tear on the seat repaired at same time. Fabulous service, great quality and quick turnaround, at a very reasonable price. Thank you Wally! I've been telling my friends and my mechanic about your service! read more

After a huge food spill for a non-profit I did some volunteering for, an organization with great intentions but a nonchalant attitude toward & inadequate care for their volunteers, my car's back seat was completely ruined and the stench of degrading food - curry at that - rendered the car almost undriveable. I was at a complete loss and initially attempted to clean up this mess myself until realizing that there was no way for me to take care of this now huge issue. Using the car professionally was impossible. Long story short: once the insurance claim was filed on the recommendation of my regular mechanic of 30 years, I found Metzel Auto Upholstery. That in itself was a miracle because insurance companies generally know auto body shops but getting to a specialty shop like Wally's isn't as easy as one would think. Once there, I was pleasantly surprised and really appreciated the service and expertise in getting the job done - in addition to dealing with the insurance company adjuster. The car is an older model Mazda 3 for which the seat and the carpet had to be special ordered. Yes, all that curry penetrated into the carpet via the cushion and the metal underneath the seat. It was a big clean up job that Wally and his crew handled expertly. The result was amazing: no more smell and a car with an interior that is like new. Highly recommend this place! read more

SOMEONE PUCTURED A HOLE(BURN) IN MY MERCEDES e350 Convertible mercedes Benz referred me to Metzels. From the first friendly phone call till the picking up of the keys (less than 24hrs later) i was impressed beyond belief.....Wally and AAA rep handled all the paperwork and negotiations.( around 7,000) and I just brought the car to clement/26th ...parts where brought in from Germany but within a week......next day after dropping car i was texted that it was ready!!!! Totally new ragtop and interior liner replace without a flaw....makes my 5 yr car look brand new again..Wally is friendly, informative , knowledgeable and more importantly, honest. Can't thank enough...made this a smooth easy process....Thanks to MB for referring Wally and many many thanks to Wally and crew for an excellent job...my new go to place should i need my MB repaired for any reason.... read more

Perhaps, I just had a bad day there, but I came in with my car one day to get the interior replaced for it. When I came back to pick it up the next day I found a tiny, but noticeable scar on the right passenger end wheel-well, and that same spot little light won't even work anymore. My car is old, but not beyond that much disrepair. I couldn't really take it anywhere to get some reimbursements because I didn't have proof that it was there fault. I'm not saying that they can't drive, it might've been an accident that they didn't notice when they where moving tools around between it's cramped lot of Saabs, Volvos, BMWs, and Mercedes. read more

Metzel's actually did a good job repairing the soft top to my MINI Cooper convertible, but it's too bad that they can't be trusted not to steal things from inside the cars they work on. While its my fault for leaving a $150 pair of sunglasses inside when taking the car in, I would expect more from a business that advertises itself for such high quality work. If you must work with them, which I recommend that you don't, double and triple check that you've removed all of your belongings, or they might turn up missing. It was extremely disappointing that I had to take my car to them because it was vandalized, and they made the whole situation worse. Avoid if possible. read more

So I took my freshly knifed Miata convertible top over to Metzel's. I was greeted by a grouchy man who seemed completely uninterested in helping me. He told me there wasn't anything I could do about patching it and that it'd cost me $1800 to replace the top. He never asked if I had insurance to cover the replacement. I did and promptly took it to Alioto's on Folsom St. for the repair job. read more

I had a convertible top replaced here and the replacement was actually pretty good, but the problem was that they looked through my glove box and took some of my stuff. If you do get any work done here, make sure you take out anything that's worth keeping. read more

Just got my 1994 BMW soft top replaced here. Amazing work and ready when promised....what a treat.

Better than new! The owner recommended a cheaper place for my really worn out truck seat and said he would have to "do it right" for more money. I came back a month later and left the truck there overnight. Well he sure Did It Right. Solid, professional job. It feels like a whole new truck. Thanks Wally! read more

I have had Metzel repair two tops, both vandalizations. They did a good job on the first one and OK on the second one, which was both a robbery and a vandalization (in my garage). When the rains came this year, I had a major leak in my new top (BMW), so I had my husband take it in to see if he could plug the leak. Apparently he was puzzled, but did something (we'll see if it works). BUT... I had left my ipod nano plugged in inside my glove compartment. It was totally invisible. I had tried to get it that morning but my husband had my keys so....the ONLY place the car was located that day without being locked was at Metzel Auto Upholstery. Period.There is positively NO OTHER OPTION but that the ipod was lifted while there. Period. End of story. Why do I care about a measlly 4GB ipod nano that has gone through the wash and survived? Because 1) this whole thing was started by someone breaking into my car 2) there is an implicit trust relationship that should come into play when you leave your car with someone to work on. My husband did call him and he responded that the only person who worked on my car was his cousin who has worked for him for 10 years without a problem. He would not entertain even the possibility. Great. It's just that there is no other option. I played the music in my car the night before, and counted on it being there when I got the car back. I liked Wally and he has a good reputation. I thought I had found someone who I could trust to fix my convertible tops. I will now have to look elsewhere, as I am tired of having people ready to take my things at every turn (like the guys at the car wash who took my phone charger - why???) I am not wealthy. My car is old (94). I work and am trying to make ends meet like everyone else (news flash - that's not the point anyway). I wouldn't dream of stealing something from someone. It really rips at the fabric of basic trust that we need to be able to live together. THAT is why is bothers me,and why I have taken what I consider to be the extreme step of writing this review, my first ever. Bottom Line: assume that everyone, even those who should want your business, will blatantly steal from you, and will get away with it. Mind your stuff so you won't feel violated like I do. Make sure you leave no valuables in the car. Better yet, plant something and see what happens. Good Luck out there.... P.S. One more thing - if I am wrong about this, I STG I will return and tell you so, and add back the stars that I would have shown for Wally. On the flip side, if anyone has a similar experience now is the time, and this is the place. read more

This place was awesome. I'm not much of auto-aficionado so when I accidently gashed the leather back seat of my Honda, I was at a lost. After taking it to Honda for a quote (and realized that'll screw you over at every possible chance), I crossed the street to Metzel's to see what they could do for me. A knock on the door, a quick inspection of the work and I got a quote I couldn't believe (we're talking about $600 cheaper then what Honda was willing to do for me). I jumped at the offer and they pulled the seat out. 48 hours later and I had my seat back in brand new condition. Better still, the original quote was honored with no add on fees. Overall, I had a great experience with this place! read more

This was a great place, Wally gave me a price than other places I looked, repaired the arm rest upholstery in my car like new, and had it done early for me since it was the last friday of the month so I could get out of the downtown area before critcal mass started. I was extremely pleased with the price and the quality of work and it matched the interior color perfectly. Friendly guy and he explained the work to me ahead of time so I knew what he'd do and what to expect. read more

Uber kudos to Metzel auto upholstery for the FANTASTIC job they did on my car. I accidentally made a 1-inch gash on the rear back seat of my new M3 (lesson to all, *never ever* sit on a leather seat with a pair of scissors in your back pocket). After going apoplectic over having ripped a hole in my 5-day old car, I gave Metzel a call based on a referral by BMW of San Francisco. I spoke to Wally, who like the posting below described, does indeed look like he just got back from a restful vacation....very tan and relaxed. He asked me drop by that same day and I got an estimate, and had the gash fixed the next day. They did an excellent job; I literally cannot see where the gash used to be. I'm sure I might have gotten the job done for a marginally cheaper price elsewhere, but my concern was to get it done right, professionally (you know what they say about pennwise/pound foolish). There's definitely a reason why these guys have been around for over 70 years. read more

If you're going to spend money on your upholstery...have it done RIGHT! Pay less elsewhere and you will get an amateurish job. I was referred to Wally by an insurance adjustor who has interacted with dozens of outfits over the years. Wally has LOTS of upholstery in stock and helped me select one that was a perfect match. Instead of replacing the entire seat he had a remedy that ended up looking GREAT and doing the job! Also had him do a headliner that is perfection! He also showed me a spot he repaired that while not obvious, would have continued to tear. I've heard from others about the cost of upholstery jobs and Wally was right in the ballpark. Also saw a classic car he was working on in his shop and the craftsmanship was awe inspiring! His workshop is well-organized and spotless, a testament to his work practices and attention to detail. Want a cheap job? Don't bother Wally. Want someone you can trust with your classic car to do it justice...Wally is your man! read more

Great people to deal with!!!! They put a convertable top on my car and did the BEST job! You guys are very nice to deal with. Thank you!!!

He quoted me $500 to replace the driver side seat cover on a Mercedes Benz c230. I got another referral and got it done for $180 - overnight service. Shop around this guy is over charging. read more