Greg Bean Auto

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!

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!

I am crying big time! We moved from PG to Phila, PA in July and no place here even comes close to Bean’s Auto. Greg Sr. and Greg Jr. are the most honest and genuine people you will meet. We used this business for years, now I have to say, our Range Rover was always the topic of conversation and helped support the Bean’s business (and hobbies) since it had it’s fair share of time there. I and my family cannot say enough good things about the Beans, great place and great people– miss you! Please fill our void and take your car/​truck/​rv to them, you will not be disappointed.

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.

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

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.

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! :)

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

I had found Greg on Unilocal 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 ½ 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.

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

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.

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.

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»)!

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.

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!

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 Unilocal 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!

Brrrring! Brrring!
Me: Hello?
GF: Honey, please don’t break up with me!
Me: What?
GF: Promise me that you won’t break up with me!
Me: What’s wrong?
GF (Crying): I put gasoline into «Lola’s» diesel tank
Me: Where are you?
GF: Pacific Grove, CA
Lola is the 1985 diesel Mercedes station wagon that has been in the family for 20+ years. Lola is in immaculate condition and has only gone to the Mercedes dealership for all services, even oil changes, since new. Lola was now dead on the side of the road.
Anyway, a quick trip to Unilocal and I read a review from Urban T about Greg Bean. We had Lola towed there. Greg Bean did a great job, and it really didn’t cost too much. We had him fix Lola’s power locks, too. Lola has never been happier!

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 Unilocal.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.

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.