Went to them to assess and address issues with our car in preparation of a smog check. Charged nearly $600 for identifying/addressing primary issue of a loose gas cap. Denied finding any other major issues. Lo and behold, we didn't pass the smog check and now, will owe more $ to another car repair shop plus the DMV. This place is a scam. read more

I really wanted to like this mom-and-pop auto body shop, but unfortunately my search for a good, reputable, and affordable mechanic in the East Bay continues. My first visit was for a clogged sunroof drain that was causing water to pool on the driver's side floor. While the drain issue itself was fixed, the car was returned to me with a large wet puddle still inside, despite my asking that it be dried as part of the service. Not a dealbreaker, but disappointing. I brought my car back a second time for more extensive work. The quote ended up being higher than the dealership's, but I chose to move forward because I value supporting small, local businesses. Unfortunately, there was miscommunication around when and how I would be able to pick up my car. Despite clearly explaining that I would be working until after their closing hours and attempting to pay upon drop-off. I was left without my car for the entire weekend, which added over $100 in unexpected rideshare costs. When I asked whether they would consider covering those rideshare expenses, given the circumstances, I received a very unprofessional and unpleasant email response from an employee named Brian. Additionally, while waiting to be picked up, I overheard staff engaging in gossipy conversation about another customer, which I found disrespectful and unprofessional. Between the communication issues, added costs, and overall lack of professionalism, I won't be returning. read more

I paid $700 for them to fix my AC and it didn't work. They had told me they "thought" their solution would work -- and they sounded pretty optimistic about it -- but they couldn't guarantee it. Foolishly I took the gamble, only to have them call me first thing the next morning and inform me it hadn't work. I had to pick up my car, still with no cooling system, and leave $700 poorer. Not only will I never take such a bogus offer again, I will never set foot in Oceanworks garage ever again. Beware of their "offers"! read more

Trustworthy, skilled, reliable, honest, excellent work! I have a 2002 year car and a 2010 year car. Both are in great shape thanks to OCEANWORKS . read more

Oceanworks was quick and friendly and diagnosed my car's check engine light quickly. They checked to see if the parts needed were under warranty, which made the experience much more affordable. I'm grateful to their wonderful service! read more

I went in for a transmission fluid change. They called back later, saying they inspected my brakes as well and found the pads and discs worn with one at 0MM metal on metal, as well as a faulty caliper. I was surprised because, while I knew they were due for a change, I hadn't noticed any issues while braking. They estimated that it would cost a few thousand dollars over two days to fix. Worried to be driving with no brakes, I had the car towed to another shop for a second opinion. The tow truck driver looks at the brakes and says "there's pad there, you can definitely drive on these. If they're charging that, then I'm in the wrong business". The estimate from the 2nd location? About $560, noting that there was still pad left on all four tires and no noticeable damage to the calipers or rotors. Estimates from several other shops ? Between $800-1300 max. read more

Oceanworks is not the friendly neighborhood mechanic that they are made out to be. They proved to be extremely unhelpful and inflexible in helping me with an issue that they caused. They installed a faulty starter in my car, refused to give me a refund when I had it looked at elsewhere, or any consideration whatsoever. Basically got told to "kick rocks" unless they looked at it themselves. If a car stops starting a week after a new starter is installed and then a new starter (from a different mechanic) leads to the car running perfectly, gee maybe you guys installed a defective starter! But that was not sound logic according to Oceanworks. They can stick to their policies all they want but at the end of the day pissing off customers and wasting their time (and money) is not good business practice. They should've made it right but decided that it was their way of making it right or nothing. read more

Oceanworks was recommended to me by several trusted friends who had gone there in years past. I took my vehicle in for front brake service (warped rotors), a simple enough job. I was informed that there was nothing wrong with my front brakes, but my CV joints were "leaking excessively." Mind you I had a full pre-purchase inspection done on this vehicle 5k miles prior and noting was noted with the CV joints, but that's fine, boots fail, whatever. I approve the work. Oceanworks does me the solid of taking off my factory Toyota axles and joints and replacing them with some non-OEM garbage that after driving the vehicle for about 200 miles begins violently shaking the front end. I take it back to them. They advise me that they can't get replacement OEM parts within the month. I ask to have my factory Toyota axles reinstalled, since this literally wasn't a problem before I went to their shop. "Sorry, we threw them away." Cool. They proceed to replace the non-OEM axles and boots with the SAME SET of aftermarket gear, which of course doesn't solve the problem. The new axles and boots not only shake but loudly "CLANK" every time I start and stop the vehicle. Not only did Oceanworks provide substandard parts and service, turning a perfectly fine front end into a rolling disaster, but their wonderful service rep Shelby had the audacity to GASLIGHT me into thinking it was my fault, telling me I use the vehicle beyond its limits. It's a 6000lb AWD SUV that I use to get groceries and go to the airport, girl please. And the icing on the cake? They didn't fix the front brake issue. If you're thinking of going to Oceanworks, I encourage you to sort the Yelp reviews by most recent and you'll see a very obvious pattern. This shop has gone down the drain. read more

I've been going to Oceanworks for over a decade. When they took on ownership the quality of the work suffered and the pricing went up substantially. I have to say, they've always been good to me. Treated me well and with respect. So I have no problems with the way they engage. But the pricing just has gotten out of hand. I left them and went to Steve's in El Cerrito. But they closed their doors. I'll need to find someone else. I can't afford Oceanworks. read more

I've brought my cars here twice- once about a year ago they quoted me $170 but after it was done charged me $280 - kind of a pain in the ass but he said the job took longer than expected so I paid it and it didn't bother me much. The most recent experience with them is what really won a bad review and 1 star rating. I called in and asked them if they would do a full diagnostic inspection on a 1988 Jeep grand wagoneer which had been sitting in my driveway for over a year. I made it abundantly clear that this car was in rough shape and they agreed to look at it for me. Fast forward 6 days after getting it towed over and I haven't heard from them, so I call back and they tell me they now refuse to work on my car... what the hell? It cost me $250 to get the car towed over and now I have to spend another $250 to get it back because they changed their mind? Huge letdown. I would never give them business again after these two experiences. read more

I had the front struts replaced on my Lexus CT200h and Oceanworks did an excellent job. They used OEM parts and did it for 25% less than Coliseum Lexus. Chris was very experienced and responsive. My car rides rock solid now. read more

Chris and his crew are very professional and make sure to keep me updated on the status of my car. They do their best to make sure that the repairs they recommend are necessary, and also suggest cheaper alternates when possible. Case in point, they let me know when what seemed like a faulty air pump could be addressed instead by replacing one of the engine belts. This ended up being much cheaper. I trust Chris and his crew to work on my vehicle and recommend them with no reservation. read more

2 stars for the final bill and for lack of communication. I brought my 2017 Subaru Impreza in today for a standard oil change and tire rotation. Chris called me back within 2 hours letting me know my car was done and ready for pick up. However, he also stated he inspected my engine air filter, found it to be dirty, and changed it. I never authorized for him to swapped it out. He should have called me to ask for my permission prior to doing the work. When I went to pick up my car, he informed me my bill was $190, with $30 of it for the air filter (I previously changed the air filter myself for an OEM part and it only cost me $15). Meh I'll live with this. So $160 for oil change and tire rotation?? I brought my car in last year for oil change and tire rotation and the total was $70. I mentioned this to Chris and he immediately took off the cost of the tire rotation from my bill. Final bill $120. Very disappointed with the service. I'll be bringing my car elsewhere in the future. read more

I'm hella sad about this place . Heard great reviews of it from older male friends so I called to take in my old ass car which I knew had a lot of issues , they told me they'd give a full diagnostic and help me out . I always have issues with car places because I'm a young woman and the dudes there acted like I was an idiot . Aside from that , they fuckin didn't call me for a week after I dropped off so I called and they said they didn't want to work on the car anymore ... idk man I wasted $250 on a tow over there and $200 for them to do jack shit . Save your money and time and don't give oceanworks your biz read more

One of those remarkable shops that combines real courtesy with total competence. Needed to solve a problem in time to get one of our trucks to an important job. Tried five different shops beforehand, nobody would touch it because it required a combination of creative thinking and a ton of experience - and it needed to be done the same day. Chris, the manager, missed his lunch break to try and figure out what the hell was wrong. Pulled up all sorts of information on the net, and quickly zeroed in on a solution that turned out to be dead on. Charged a fair price, and that was that. Great vibe in the shop too, friendly and no-nonsense. read more

I've been going to Oceanworks II many times with my GMC Sierra pickup truck. Chris and his team have kept it running in excellent condition for the past two years. Their wrenching skills are superb. Their customer service always keeps me happy. read more

Update, After communicating my displeasure with the repairs that were performed, they apologized for the mistake and made it right. Hard to find shops willing to admit their mistakes and make concessions. I trust them completely and highly recommended them for automotive service and repair. They just earned all my business and referrals. Original post below. Well, I won't be going back there. The car was misdiagnosed and the less than $100 dollar repair costed me over $800. I know the auto repair business well and really feel taken advantage of. read more

I started going to Oceanworks II when I first moved to the Bay Area. I have a Subaru Outback and over the course of a few years, had a number of services done at Oceanworks including an accessory belt, A/C hoses and recharge, and a general inspection. Initially, I found Oceanworks to be somewhat expensive, but satisfactory for straightforward repairs. For example, they did a fine job with the A/C work, initially recharging the unit and then later diagnosing a hose leak. However, when I asked them to diagnose a problem with a failing Throttle Position Sensor, they never figured it out, and I ultimately just did the repair myself. The reason I stopped going to Oceanworks was that after a general inspection, they recommended I replace my windshield wiper blades and the gasket on the plug for the oil pan. First, the idea of paying a mechanic for a wiper replacement (they quoted 30 minutes) was pretty laughable. Second, I asked them to do the gasket, since I was about to leave for a cross-country trip and didn't have time to do it myself. About 2000 miles later, I found that I had been leaking oil across the country because they didn't tighten the oil pan plug all the way. Honestly, it wasn't the worst mistake anyone could have made, and no damage was done to the car. However, I was never very impressed with Oceanworks II in the first place, and this was a good reason to stop going. read more

Well I suppose that I learned some valuable lessons by dealing with these garages. Here are some of them: - Read EVERYTHING you sign very carefully. - Don't take your car to a garage if you are a younger female and expect a fair price. I took my 2000 Saturn in to Oceanworks based on yelp reviews because it was having trouble starting. I figured it was an alternator, battery or starter (not many other options in that scenario!). I don't want to rattle on and on, so long story short they were charging me over $450 to have the starter changed. To take my car out of their garage I had to pay a $95 diagnostic fee. They quoted me over $250 for a new starter and I found one from autozone in Oakland in stock same part for $170 after the core refund. They acted kind of goofy when I said I could get my own part and my husband ended up calling them. After talking to my husband they dropped $50 off the diagnostic price AND promised to give us back our core refund (which should have close to an additional $50). Satisfied, I left the issue alone. When I went to get my car, my bill was still over $400. I asked about the core refund that was missing and I said, "well, will you at least give me my core back if you aren't giving me my refund?" They answered "No, we need the core so we can get the refund..." Um, yeah. Now a lesson that YOU should learn: - DON'T take your car to Oceanworks II read more

I think their work is horrible. They try to make you think you need more things for your car, but you really don't. They couldn't even find the vin number on the side of my doors. They said that I don't even have a vin number on the side of my doors. It just proves that they don't know what they are talking about. There is a vin number on the side of my doors. I just had my breaks changed and they told me that i needed new breaks. Very Highly NOT RECOMMENDED. read more

I brought in my 98 Jeep Cherokee for an inspection as requested by my insurance. Made my appointment, came in, when I returned they said that the drive belt noise I'd asked them to look at was a worn drive belt & idler bearing. Which would be OK, except that neither one of those items were more than 1,500 miles old and both were in great shape. I mean, like, brand new. I tightened the drive belt a little bit myself and the noise vanished. So, for my $95 inspection fee I get what, exactly? read more

$1200 for a routine two wheel brake job. And I found this out at the end of the day when I had to call them because they had not called me with the estimate or to say, "this is what we found..." they just went ahead and did the work. Nice move O.W. II. End of the day -- way to put the pressure on. Why so expensive? "Our machine is the latest, it has gyroscopes to keep the resurfacer even... and our price reflects that." Okaaaayy, maybe if this were a Ferrari shop, but I'm driving a '90s GMC. Go figure. P.S. I believe that Oceanworks (I) and Oceanworks II are completely separate businesses. I believe one does foreign and the other (II) domestic. read more

Been using Oceanworks for over 20 years. Always great advice and competent service! I go out of my way to go there. Fair pricing also! Angus, Nathalie and now Chris are great! read more

Chris and Andy were very helpful and informative. This is my third time taking my car to get serviced at OceanWorks II. They answered all my questions and provided great service. I had issues with passing Smog. I took my car to the dealer for a quote. Andy and Chris provided a better quote and better customer service. I didn't anticipate all theses issues or realize how much labor would be required. They fixed my catalytic converter and spark plugs in a reasonable time. I recommend their service and will be going back to them. read more

The manager at this place, Chris, is really helpful and informative. He's happy to break down all the prices for you and all your options, let's you know what you can afford to wait on and what should probably be fixed right away... You'd think you could expect this from every mechanic, but that's not really the case. Plus the price he quoted me for the repair were lower than any of the other places I called (including, of course, the Saturn dealer). The only reason I can't give 5 stars is because I got the car back almost 2 weeks behind schedule. Granted there was an extra part needed, and he said he had some employee turnover, but still... Overall a good experience though. read more

Oceanworks Berkeley - Auto Repair Near Me - Berkeley, California

I started bringing my Subaru here a few years ago after reading the great reviews, and I've been a loyal customer ever since, and have spent thousands of dollars there. I really feel treated well and have referred a lot of my friends there. The prices seem fair to me, the work is done promptly, and they are just really nice. I read another review where a young female said she felt she was treated poorly, and I though I'm sorry she felt that way, I've always felt great about how I've been treated by Chris and everyone there. read more

I brought my car here last week because the air conditioner stopped working. They were recommended by another mechanic who I had called first based on proximity to my apartment but that mechanic doesn't do hyundais anymore. I'm so glad they pointed me in the right direction though. So I dropped my car off nice and early (still got to work on time - yeah!) and asked them if they could also check out my check engine light that popped on the same time the AC broke. Sure, no problem. I got a call later that morning. Well the check engine light gave them 7 different codes, which is kind of a lot. So they talked me through how it might be something with the computer. Computers are super expensive. Instead of jumping to "we need to fix all 7 of these codes" or "we need to order and install a new computer that costs more than your car is worth" they said "we want to spend some more time with this." I said sure. They kept it overnight. They next morning, before lunchtime, they called and told me how they cleaned up some corroded wires and zip tied a wire that had been shorting out against the exhaust pipe. All repaired just like that! And the AC worked again! And I could pick it up that afternoon! No expensive computer (I honestly would have just called it quits on my old car if it had come to that), no expensive AC repair, and no random extra expenses thrown in. These guys are so great. I'm so glad they took the time to get to the real root of the problem, and their labor rate was not bad at all. Definitely bring your Hyundai here if you want it treated right. Thanks to Chris and the rest of the team! You've earned yourselves a repeat customer! read more

Chris and his crew at Oceanworks II always does a great job taking care of my two Infiniti's when something needs to be fixed. Chris is always upfront with his pricing and tells me which parts he needs to source and replace before he starts the job and always finishes on time. I would highly recommend Oceanworks II. I recently had my brakes and an oxygen sensor replace, they took care of both within a couple hours. read more

My family has been going to Oceanworks for years, but never had a reason to go to Oceanworks II as all our cars are Hondas / Lexus etc. Finally had a reason as my GF needed her 60k service on her Hyundai. I am happy to say that Oceanworks II is as good as Oceanworks 1, and Chris is an awesome and honest mechanic. #1) He quoted me $550 for the job, and then the final price was $480. Are you kidding me. A mechanic charging less than the estimate. #2) During the entire diagnostic, he didn't find a single thing that was wrong with the vehicle or needing to be worked on. WHAT? A mechanic that can't find anything wrong with your car? Honesty, professionalism, classy, affordable, and a damn good job. I will be back. read more

Super informational about my car. Not to mention they were able to resolve the problem-- I would go as far as saying they are honest about your problems and not in it to charge you crazy amounts of money. Will definitely go back for any other mechanical issues. read more

I would like to give more stars - they changed my breaks and they luckily work pretty well. However last time I brought car there they estimated oil change + filter change + tire rotation in ~60$ Final bill was ~150$ which is insane. Sorry folks that was my last service with you. read more

Four years later on, I'm still going to Oceanworks II. Chris and the guys are my heroes. The one time something went wrong with a repair - they fixed a wiring problem that had caused the brake lights to malfunction, and the problem reappeared five months later - they squeezed me in at the last minute, fixed the problem and secured the wiring so it wouldn't happen again, and didn't charge me a dime. Oceanworks has repaired my truck many a time, and they've always charged me a fair price and stood by their work. That's why I'm still a loyal customer. I have recommended them to friends and neighbors on numerous occasions, and every single one has thanked me for the recommendation. read more

I was extremely impressed by Chris when I stopped in last week. I had a problem with my headlights, and after making the time to fit me in same day, he checked it out and quickly determined it was something far simpler than I thought. He told me what to do and said the visit was free of charge. Although short and simple, it was extremely generous of him not to charge, and his customer service and knowledge was fantastic. I will absolutely trust to go to him with any future problems I may have with my Kia. read more

Had a great experience with this shop after getting no satisfaction, & potentially ripped off, by Michael Stead Ford dealer in Walnut Creek. Thanks so much, Chris, for your exceptionally prompt & accurate service, replacing the right headlight on my Milano. While Stead told me I needed to replace the 'entire light assembly' for about $700+, Oceanworks simply replaced the bulb for about $170. That was mostly labor. I'd rather pay for the actual labor than for a pricey Ford part I didn't even need. Honesty is everything to me. Chris rocks it as a super-nice person too! read more

Have been bringing my car here for about six months-totally happy with the service. They always offer to show me the old parts that need replacing without me having to ask. They also tell me things that need to be done right away versus stuff that can wait and save me a bit of money. Chad, one of the mechanics, gave me a ride to the BART and he was super friendly and knowledgeable. He is also an art teacher and an urban farmer! Chris is always friendly and gets my car in very quickly. read more

I think yelps practices are suspect at best, which is why I only post the good reviews. Oceanworks 2 is a fantastic shop, and they are very efficient. honest and straight-forward, Chris took good care of my car. They came in under the estimate in $, and time. car: Y2K Forester I will for sure be going to them for any future mechanic needs, if you have a Subaru, I highly recommend this shop. As well there were other makes of vehicle in their shop. So they service other vehicles, but you should really get a Subaru. read more

A friend came here a few years ago with a truck issue ... a loose bolt on a vehicle, serviced by a shop 3 hours north of Berkeley. Chris and his guys called the other shop, took care of the issue... super helpful! Fast forward 4 years. I buy an american vehicle... there aren't many shops in Berkeley for american vehicles... REALLY GLAD I brought my vehicle in for scheduled maintenance, brakes, etc... Chris was happy to put on some parts that came with the purchase of my used vehicle (unlike the silly 1 star review below)... Chris and his guys are great, suggested i wait on certain items. Great work guys! PS - these guys also work on Subaru's...and will be working on my classic truck as well read more

This is my go to mechanic shop. My car is a 1991 Toyota Celica that was a gift from my grandpa before he passed so with that sentiment I'm trying to restore her to classic glory. This is where Chris and his trusty crew, Izzy and CJ come in. My upper engine and cooling system needed an overhaul this time but now it sounds quiet, smooth, with better acceleration while curing the overheating problem I was having. Thanks guys for the great work! read more

This place came highly reccommended from a good friend who said he trusted them implicitly. I came in with a 97 F150 work truck saying that it's running rough and is in dire need of a tune-up, possibly more. They call me back to say to say it needs a tune-up, and the serpentine belt looks like the original and is about to break and pointed out a couple other non life threatening oil/power steering leaks. Of course it needs a tune-up, how much? 500 or so plus 150 or something for the belt. Most expensive tune-up i'd ever heard of considering it don't have a carbeurator and it has electronic ignition. Just pull out the old crap and put in the new. but i was extremely busy and had no time to either deal with it myself or take it elsewheres. Might as well change the oil I says. I use the fully synthetic stuff. 'We ain't got it in hand, just the regular type.' Fine I says. In the end the bill came to 830. $60 for the oil change (really?, even for the cheap oil), $100 for them to repeat back to me that it needs a tune-up and diagnose that it needs a new serpentine belt, $500+ something for the plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor, pcv valve, air filter and fuel filter. 150+ for the serpentine belt. The funny thing was that I remembered changing the belt a couple years back when I replaced the water pump. Went home to check the receipts and sure enough, it was less than two years old. In any case, the work they did seemed fine. The truck ran better after the tune-up, I was a fool to trust them on a friend's reccomendation and should have been very up-front about asking exactly how they were charging me. (the $100 initial inspection took me for a surprise and so did the $60 oil change, the rest I knew I was being charged a lot for but went ahead on my own volition with full knowledge. - except that they were actually kind of scamming me on the belt (I'll go ahead and assume it was an honest mistake, and that somehow the 2yr old belt with less than 8000 miles on it looked like a 15 yr, 140,000 mile one) In the end I would say just go to the dealer and save yourself some $$. read more

I generally fear car trouble because you have to have a lot of faith in your mechanic that he won't overcharge you, and that is exactly what happened here. Chris quoted me $600 for a fuel pump that is pretty common and after doing a lot of online research and calling local part shops I got quotes as low as $100 (online) and as high as $350 (in person pick up at o'reilly in Oakland) but nowhere near what Chris wanted to charge me. I'm really disappointed as I came here on a recommendation and could not afford to tow my car to a new place so I had to buy the part myself and bring it here. The labor seems on the expensive side of normal which is ok, but I if you use this shop I would definitely look up the cost of parts before agreeing to anything with them. I will definitely not be back--a shame because they took me in on no notice and Chris seemed like a generally nice guy but ended up trying to take advantage of a broke naïve college student. *also, after I said I would bring the part myself Chris told me that would be okay but called back ten minutes later with what sounded like a small threat: "if you bring me the part I won't guarantee the labor. If it stops working again I will not be responsible" read more