REN Motorsports

The best shop I have been to. Dennis was thorough in checking my newly purchased used car and went through the previous owner’s old service paperwork to determine what services have been done in the past. The price was more than reasonable. A very happy customer!

The owner really know exactly what I need. The service is super quick, price is such reasonable. Talk to them if you have any issue with ur viechile, and you will be pleased.

My friends just referred this motor shop to me. We went there for tire replacement. The service guy there is nice. He helped me inspected the four tired and suggested I replaced four of them instead of two. I listened to their advices. he identified the tire model and gave me a price cheaper than the one i found on discountedtire. I left the car there overnight. They called me the next morning said they saw the oil change stick and notified me it is about to change. they can offer me a free oil change if I want. I can’t believe it is true. But it turned out to be true. When i got my car out of their shop, I have 4 brand new tires and free oil change. Thanks REN motosports. Definitely spread words out.

They work fast and their price is unbeatable, awesome guys! Dennis is very helpful and informative.

Really bad experience. Price is a little bit cheaper but no enough expertise and no credibility at all.
I used to use this Ren garage to do oil change because of cheaper price. But this time, my engine light is on. They changed charged me and changed the sensor. But they can’t fix the problem. So I find another garage. Most disappointed thing: they didn’t admit they have changed the sensor for me afterward when I need the warranty for the sensor. I don’t know where you got all the components.
Most ridiculous! Once a time, one mechanician can’t inflate the tire correctly. I need have a friend to fix it.

Really disappointing experience. I came here because of the recommendation from a friend as well as good reviews online. However, the experience turned out to be a huge disappointment. They stained the interior of my car like a MESS after the job. The leather of my front seats were all stained with grease/​oil everywhere and the floor mats suffered the same. Had I known that they would drive my car with greasy clothes and shoes with no protection (no paper, cover, or nothing), I would have gone with a more decent shop. Now I need to spend $ 200ish to get the interior detailed — what a slouch!

Taken my car there for repairs after my friend recommended mr. Kuo, the original owner. Repair job was mediocre after couple of visits, still has little problems. Apparently mr. Kuo was no longer there, not sure whether it affected the quality of this place.

Honest, friendly and reliable ALL describe REN. Although I rarely write reviews, their exceptional service convicted me to log on and give them 5 stars. This was my second experience here and for second time, they exceeded my expectations. I rolled in this afternoon after seeing my tire pressure monitoring system go off for three days. I walked in, told them my problem and they were willing to help right away. After locating and tugging away at a stubborn nail, they removed one longer and thicker than a ball point pen! I thought my tire was a goner seeing the size of that thing, but they were able to plug it up nice and tight. Dennis, one of the guys who works there, was very friendly and humorous throughout the whole process and extremely informative with all the questions I had. I will come back with any car problems in the future and would recommend this shop for your car’s needs!

Been bringing my cars here for a few years now. My review is for brake services only. So, prices to get your brake pads replaced vary dramatically from place to place. Somehow these guys can do it for around half of what others I’ve gotten estimates for. Suspicious? Don’t be. The previous brake jobs (I almost typed «bake» jobs) done here have lasted as long and sometimes longer than my previous shops. They quote you an estimate and that’s it, no upsell, no bs.
Downsides: if you speak anything other than mandarin, then speak slowly. Don’t be afraid to ask them to repeat something if you didn’t understand. Their promise completion times don’t always pan out. In fact, I’ve always had to wait beyond the promised time. Why not a 5-​Stars from me? On my last visit, I waited one hour beyond the promised time and no one offered any updates while I was waiting. No big deal, just plan ahead.
I rate this place a star above average for price and quality of work (not customer service). Would I recommend this place? If you can live with the no-​frills atmosphere, definitely check them out.

This is the shop that I can trust.
I bring my R53 JCW to this shop for break and oil change. The work is nicely done, and they give me a free check up and suggestions how to maintain the car. The price is reasonable, so in the next week, I bring a E46 M3 there for oil change, alignment, changing the muffler, people who work there are professional and enthusiastic for cars, that’s why I trust them.

I used to do oil change at that place. Now moved to Dublin, it is kind of far. Therefore, today i went to a local shop for my «check engine light» problem.
It is a four star local shop, they read code and told me it cost 150 dollar for just checking the problem. I came back and called REN motor and want to have a second opinion. The mechanic just heard my code p0441, p0446, p455, he told me it is kind of gas leak. There may be many sources for such problems. But I should first check gas gap and see whether the problem could be solved.
They can definitely ask me to go there and generate some revenue. But instead they give suggestions. This is not the first time. Last time, I want to change something inside the car, they told me to postpone for some more time.
They are chinese ppl. Language may be a barrier, I guess this is why some bad comments are here. Don’t expect an experience like a Mercedes Benz dealership, then you will be fine.

Here’s my experience. Walked in. Stood around looking for who the hell worked there since nobody was really wearing any mechanic shirts or anything. I stood there forever and not a single person came up to me. I was asking some of the guys if they could help me, and they replied back with some mumbled english and walked away. Great.
I just left after that. One star for failing to even notice a customer.

I love Ren. Great prices very thorough, doesn’t overcharge or do unnecessary work. Last time I came in he fixed my problem without charging anything as only a few tweaks were required.
He can be tough to understand at times given his English is not great, but he is always making a huge effort. I have rarely met anyone that cares as much about the cars as him (his son races and the dad builds the cars for him).

Max takes cares of my Evo for maintenance and service. So far he’s done a great job and he gives a pretty good price. They are obviously big-​time car enthusiasts who put a lot of effort into taking care of their customers’ cars.

Basically if you want a spot on the money review — Austin N. — has done a better job than I could do.
His experience basically mirrored the one I received from this establishment. I had wanted to write earlier, but was a bit put off and wanted to wait (and cool down). I’m sure the place is fine for oil changes/​tire work — but on the more complicated stuff…
Recommend you move on.

If I could give Mr. Guo 10 stars, I would! I have tried a few highly Unilocaled Mechanics around San Mateo, and Ren Motorsport is by far the best. Mr. Guo was knowledgeable, confident and honest.
Here is what happened. My 94 Camry barely failed smog test last Saturday. I went to E & J Auto Repairs as recommended by the smog test-​only place. The owner of E&J told me that he need to charge me $ 130 for a diagnosis. When I pressed him what could go wrong with my car and how much it might cost to repair. He kept saying he wouldn’t know and eventually threw out a few terms, like «oxygen sensors», that would cost me up to $ 200 plus labor, which he charged by the hour. Sure, I don’t know much about car repairs. But I am sure that smog test failure is not something so uncommon that a mechanic cannot give a few good guesses? Does one need a «diagnosis» to know that one needs Advil for headache? And, obviously, after I spent $ 130 diagosing with you, what else choice do I have besides having you repairing my car whichever way you like? Too easy money, dude. Obviously I walked away.
Fast forward to Ren Motor, whom a friend of mine from Mountain View (!) recommended. I got there at 8:50am. Mr. Guo looked at my smog test report, examined under the hood and then told me that my car’s timing is not right. He pointed to me the numbers on the side of the engine using that special flash light (I am a research scientist and I have to admit that I was impressed by the ingenious design of car engineers). He then tweeked a few things here and there. Then he told me that it’s fixed. Total time: 20 min. No oxygen sensor mentioned.
Really. That simple. And my car passed smog test! Now, here is the best part: Mr. Guo didn’t charge me a penny, because he didn’t want to charge just for a «diagnosis»! So let’s see: you have one mechanic who obviously has no clue what he is doing and insists charging you upfront $ 130, and another who fix your car in 20 min at NO CHARGE. No brainer, is it?
Thank you, Mr. Guo. I give you 10 stars!

I like to support independent shops but the experience I had was unprofessional, shoddy, and downright wrong. Take into consideration that I have done business here before and was pleased with the service (changing tires, quick and a fair price) but this rating is for my most recent situation which outweighs my previous experience.
Brief overview: Go in for timing belt; timing belt done quickly. Couple weeks later power steering leaks and smokes; find out that the wrong fluid was put in. Bring in for warranty work, reluctant but takes the car in. A week goes by and no communication on the shop’s part. Call in and says they don’t have the part will look into it. Overall wait 2 weeks without a vehicle and end up with the same problem but now with a power steering pump that whines and is stiff. Rigged the car with seafoam/​injector cleaner, as an act of spite (speculation with justification)
Read on for details.
First off, the mechanic works on vehicles with no regard to the environment. He starts working on the timing belt on the street while pulling coolant hoses and power steering lines off letting anti-​freeze and oil leak onto the ground. Regardless, the job was done quickly and other than what will be explained, was done correctly.
The power steering fluid that is required by my vehicle is stated on the cap of the reservoir as ATF Dexron III, which is automatic transmission fluid. The fluid that was put in was regular power steering fluid. He argues that its all the same and it’s just a different color. All hydraulic oils have different properties and will have different swelling effects on rubber gaskets and o-​rings. I could not get the concept through, even though it is stated ON THE CAP! He reluctantly takes the car in for warranty service.
Mechanic does not call about the status of the vehicle and I have to inquire myself to find out what is wrong. Another thing is that the owner/​mechanic doesn’t speak English very well making it difficult to communicate.
Two weeks go by (having to find alternate ways of commuting to work) and he ends up having to use glue to plug up a leak which did not fix the leak and now has new problems of stiffness in the steering and a whining pump. AND he still refused to put the correct fluid in and put red power steering fluid and not ATF believing that he knows more about the vehicle than the manufacturer. I show him the clearly embossed etchings on the cap once again with no effect.
Lastly, which is honestly the most unprofessional act was to rig the vehicle by dumping some sort of engine cleaning solvent (seafoam) which creates immense amounts of smoke from the tailpipe as it cleans. This created a huge smoke screen which could have caused accidents while driving the vehicle from the shop. This lasted from San Mateo to Foster City, roughly 4.5 miles. Having used such products (recognize the smell and behavior of the vehicle) and seeing as there should have been nothing done to the internals of the engine, this is the most probable cause.
For reference, I have 3 associates degrees in automotive technology and work at NASA as an engineering technician. I have experience and knowledge in hydraulic oils and in the automotive field. The vehicle was brought in for time sake but normally I work on my own vehicles.

My car’s DC connector wasn’t working after a trip abroad and on my way to the South Bay, my cousin recommended REN. I was sure it would take at least an hour like other mechanics I’ve seen to get service, so I budged a good two hours.
When I arrived, a man immediately stopped his work, asked me to show him my problem, and within 5 minutes fixed it! I asked him how much it would cost, and he said it would be alright and walked off and back to his work.
Like my cousin said, good and kind people work here (though there may be a bit of a communication barrier if you don’t know Mandarin Chinese).

Very honest people & they definitely know what they’re doing. I get oil changes here & regular check ups on my car.
Sometimes I pop in and bother them with my little paranoia’s, ie: I swear Im hearing a squeaking here. I think my transmission is going to fall out! And they’re pretty patient with me & they thoroughly check my car out and let me know what I do and do not need.
They don’t over charge & they’re fast.

Let me precede this review by indicating what I look for in an auto-​repair shop:
1. Honesty
2. Good prices
3. Ability and willingness to communicate
I have been to REN Motorsports twice so far. The first time was to get some brakes/​oil change/​fuel filter change and the second time was to have some squeaking noises when turning diagnosed.
First Visit:
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I called on Saturday morning, confirmed they were there, and drove up (from Menlo Park) to have my brakes changed and get oil/​fuel filter change.
The owner was attending to one or two customers ahead of me, so I did have to wait a bit. Note, most of their clients are Chinese, so frequently, you won’t know what people are talking about, though from what I gather, talking about life, kids, and of course their car.
When I finally was seen, he quickly and immediately had me drive my car into the garage and elevated it so he could check out the brakes. Sure enough, they needed replacement. However, unlike another shop I had gone to, he indicated I wouldn’t need the rotors replaced. Instead, he machined them (evened them out) and just replaced the front pads. (Back brakes were still okay.)
Then, I asked him if he could change my oil. As he had done with a previous customer, he immediately checked the oil dipstick to ensure that I actually needed an oil change. And to my surprise, he said, no, you don’t need it yet. Probably another 1,000 miles. Come back then. Talk about honesty. I had earlier witnessed him do this for another customer, so clearly he doesn’t try to rip people off.
Then I mentioned to him about how my car would not start and that I hadn’t changed the fuel filter in a while. So, he went ahead and removed the fuel fitter from underneath (a somewhat difficult task), and checked if it had dirt inside, and sure enough it did. So he went ahead and changed that, too. Prices were reasonable and service was pretty quick from the moment he started working on the car. I did have to wait a little initially as well as while we waited for the brake pads to be delivered
Second Visit:
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I just went today to have my car diagnosed for a «squeaking noise» whenever I turn. As before, there was one customer already being attended, so I had to wait about 5 minutes. At which point, he said, alright, let’s check it out. I drove around the block to reproduce the noise, and he immediately said, nothing to worry about. Once we returned to the shop, he demonstrated that he could reproduce the noise by shaking the car, and that it was simply the bushings. I asked if he could replace them, and he said yes. Also asked about alignment and balancing, and he said, just keep driving on the tires… and come back in 1 – 2 months, to have tires, bushing, alignment, and balancing done all at once… no point in doing it for the remaining tread-​life. Will be back for my oil change and/​or the tire change next…
Shop has had a race car inside being worked on the two times I’ve been there, which is cool for kids to look.
Another Update
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I took my fiancéé’s older car here to get an oil change and general check-​up — it’s a 1993 325i BMW, so it’s seen better days. He changed the oil and checked to see about leaks — indicated the power steering fluid typically leaks in BMWs of this year, and that it wasn’t leaking to a level of concern — and that everything looked alright… So, again, impressed with the level of honesty and experience. Price for the oil change was reasonable — since I requested synthetic and it’s a large engine, it cost a bit more, but no more than any other place I’ve been (and probably a bit less). I’ve also gotten my car’s oil change done here at least once again, and just went back today, and he checked and said it’s still good for another 1000 miles… so I’ll be back then! (I don’t drive that car a whole lot.)