Dale’s Auto Service

I can’t say enough good things about Dale and the staff at Dale’s Auto Service. They were skillful, resourceful and thorough in repairing my Saab station wagon. They communicated clearly about the problems, the charges were surprisingly low, and they were kind and considerate throughout the process.

Dale and Phil have been fixing my Saabs since 2001 over in Potrero Hill. At their new 150 Turk location they’re providing the same excellent service. They’re incredibly experienced with Saabs and always provide good estimates and top notch communication. I recommend them without reservation!

Best place to take your ride, especially a Saab. Have been coming to Dale for years.

I will travel over Phil and Dale to get to these guys with my Saab. They take such good care of my wheels that I can drive a really sweet car and not worry about it breaking down. These guys are the BEST.

I’m sad that Dale’s Auto got pushed out of Mission where I could walk over. I don’t like new location, but I trust them so much I will continue to go there — just picked up my car this morning that needed a new water pump. I’ve been taking cars and having Dale and Phil work on them for about 20 years. Also feel it’s a perfect place for women to take vehicles and be treated with respect. I’m sixty and had many bad experiences before finding them around 40. Just wish they weren’t on Turk but will continue going. It’s worth it.

I will miss Dale’s Auto formerly located within virtual walking distance in my neighborhood. He extended the life of a previous already defective used SAAB beyond expectations. He took care of my old white Volvo which, thanks to him, the engine still purrs and drives smoothly. His new location is too far for my personal convenience, unfortunately. But I assure any woman, single or otherwise, that Dale and his crew, in my experience, deliver utmost respect and reliability many other mechanics fail to deliver to women customers, even in this day and age. No fancy talk, just plain speak. Dale is no-​nonsense, direct, super efficient and extremely fair in pricing. Previous to finding his business, I rarely patronized the same auto shop unless out of desperation. I felt confident, assured and secure with Dale’s consistently reliable service and error free knowledge when repairing my autos. I patronized his shop exclusively for years. Never once did I have to return my cars to re-​fix the same problem which occurred frequently with previous mechanics elsewhere, as he did it right the first time, all the time. He and his assistant Phil are the best, most caring, most conscientious mechanics I have had in all the years I have owned cars.
I wholeheartedly recommend Dale’s Auto Shop now on 150 Turk Street. Any customer who is not satisfied can only blame themselves for being too emotionally temperamental, or chronically annoying or too bitchy to deserve the type of straight forward friendly, patient and respectfully efficient service Dale Singh provides. Be a respectful, courteous, loyal customer and you will be rewarded with consistent caring service — that is a fact.

Dale is a car-​whisperer. i have a 1987 Buick Century I inherited from my grandfather, and when things go wrong, Dale’s ability to diagnose stuff over the phone is truly impressive. Like Car Talk on NPR. Once I left my neighborhood mechanic who had tried all day to figure out what was wrong w/​my stalled car, I was seriously ready to throw in the towel. My coworker insisted I call Dale before giving up hope. And I’m so glad I did. It was a broken drive train, which Dale diagnosed over the phone. I’ve been relying on Dale to keep my heirloom alive ever since. Beyond reasonable prices. For a reliable, skilled auto shop, Dale and his crew are the answer.

Good service on my old Saab. Friendly and quick.

Dale and Phil have been dealing with my Saab for years.
They’re honest and no frills and upfront.
They’ll tell you if they have used parts they can use to save on costs.
Good guys. Get to know them if you own a Saab.

Love these guys. I have never had such a good auto repair experience. Honestly I shopped around and could have gotten the repairs cheaper but I was willing to pay more for the great service. They’re close to my office plus they got my vehicle back to me usually same day. I really appreciate their hard work and dedication!

Not recommended. Immediately after an alternator replacement my belt broke causing over 1000 $ in follow up repairs. The garage that fixed the car then found the alternator was not properly installed, Dale claimed the belt issue was unrelated to the alternator work. Not trustworthy.

Choosing Dale’s over Planet Saab is a no brainer. Yeah, the shop isn’t as neat and pristine as Planet Saab, but these guys REALLY know their stuff and 1) they are honest and do what they say they are going to do (see my review of Planet Saab from 2011 — a really embarrassing experience for them) and 2) they are cheaper. In addition, they saved all the parts they replaced without me having to ask them to do so. No hesitation to go back and recommend these guys.

Service still great!

I have been going to Dale’s for the last 10 years, first with my Saab and now with my Mazda. I trust Dale and Phil explicitly. I know nothing about cars, and they know that, yet they never take advantage of me. In fact, when I have brought my car in thinking the brakes were bad, instead of saying yes just to get more money out of me, they told me no and I got out of there for less. Anything that actually is wrong with the car, they have always fixed perfectly and for a very reasonable charge.
I highly recommend Dale’s to anyone who needs a trustworthy mechanic.

I recommend Dale’s for keeping older Saabs alive (new and old 900s, maybe not the newer 93/​95s) because they know thee cars well and have the special saab tools and won’t mess things up. I also like that it is a small self run shop, I think those do higher quality work. Rates were good, more than fair, my 900 was ready the next day as promised, and I’m 100% satisfied. So giving them some ups here on Unilocal

Great service, great guys. I called on Friday to get a quote to have my crankshaft seal and oil pump o-​ring replaced, they quoted me $ 200. I asked if they can fix it on Saturday, Phil said to bring it in at 9am, which I did. They had it done by noon and for $ 180.
When I brought my car in it was almost out of gas, when I was driving home I noticed I had almost ¹⁄₃ of a tank, WTF, I think he put gas in my car!!!
Going back for sure!

Just got back from picking up my 1999 Toyota Corolla from Dales Auto Service, and I am totally satisfied with their service. Dale and Phil were able to locate a «thumping» noise from the engine compartment. And they had it fixed in less than 2 hours on a late Friday afternoon. I took the same vehicle to another auto service shop, and they were unable to locate the «noise».They had also had done the 60k maintainance on my 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid. Not only did they do the job in a day, the cost was far less than the NISSAN dealer and other mechanics in the area. Although, the shop looks kinda «funky», the fast and quality repair, and fair service rates is well worth it. When my 2000 Ford Expedition needs service, I will also take it to Dale’s.
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I have been bringing my Saab 9 – 5 to Dale for over two years. He and Phil have been fair and honest. They have consistently provided the right support at the right time. They are great about trying to identify a cost-​effective solution (as opposed to the standard expensive one) to last me a while longer before spending the big bucks. They have never been late and have always worked to offer the help I need. Only once have I had to bring the car back for follow-​up work from a repair/​maintenance and that was a tiny thing. I see myself going to them for a good long while.
So, why four instead of five stars? It may not be anything they can do about. But, repairs on Saabs are pricey. I have spent less here than at other places. But, it’s still not cheap.

Well I have nothing but great things to say. I have read the negative reviews and while I don’t question their story I am surprised to read them.
Anyway I have nothing but confidence in Dale and the people that work for him.

Can I give negative stars?
These guys are shady. shaaa-​dy. I brought my saab in for some major repairs, the bill was pricey, I was suspicious. They had it done all of these major repairs in a day. One of the repairs, an electrical problem, wasn’t fixed — so I called right away. Phil said — the problem was fixed, the bulb must be out — bring it in I throw in a new bulb for you. I checked into everything, yea one bulb was out. I brought i back in — he replaced 4 bulbs and tried to charge me for it. Then when I protested that nothing was wrong with three of those — he pulled ot some old, blown bulbs from his desk and claimed they were mine — which they were not.
On top of that, my heated seats weren’t working when I picked it up the first time, Dale told me it was the heating and it would require alot of time to look into it and that I’d have to leave it with them for like a week, but they’d work out the price with me since they’d already gouged me on my initial repairs… etc. etc. Turned out it was the fuse. To me an honest mechanic would have said — did you check the fuses — First.
Maybe its cuz I’m a woman — but I’m NEVER going back there again — and advise EVERYONE to avoid it. Save yourself the frustration, anguish and MONEY!