Autowise Car Care

I would like to first start off with: «Why does Unilocal only have up to 5 stars? lol» Seriously this place Autowise in Union City is the best Auto Repair place in all of the East Bay and heck, add the South Bay in there as well!
The Owners/​Staff is probably the nicest around! I have been dealing with alot of Auto Repair shops in my day and hands down this place is the best! (Well my Uncle’s too but it’s My Uncle so ya lol).
They are all so knowledgeable and I can truly say «Honest». They are fast, clean, and great hosts! If you ever have a problem with you car you should go there. Even for something small like an oil change and you will find out right away how awesome this place is.
To Autowise Keep up the Good work! — Both I and my Honda Pilot Thank you!

Mark and Lora are really helpful. They saved $ 5000 by asking me not to buy a 2^nd hand car that I was about to buy and you know how much did they charge. ZERO. Good human beings. Didnt avail any actual car service beyond the preliminary inspection.

I would like to share my awesome experience here. I am little late in sharing but i have to write the review else it would be unfair with Mark and Mo. They are really professional n helpful. They give professional n correct advise related to your car.
On 12/​21, my car refused to start on the rainy day and after Geico’s pathetic service for jumpstart, I had no option but to tow the car or find someone who can help. I called up several stores like firestone, precisiontune, blah blah. everyone refused to help and asked me to tow the car to their garage and then only they can check. I called Autowise and Mark, the guy over phone, sent out Mo to help me. It was rainy day here and still, he came and help me jumpstart the car which Geico’s super roadside services could not start the day before.
I did change my battery from Autowise and car runs good now.
I asked Mark to check all oils and he told me that all oils are running good, whereas in other store, I was told to change transmission oil immediately, costing $ 120.
I sincerely thank, Mark, Mo and autowise for their courtesy and looking forward for continued interaction as far as this car is concerned.

I really like the people here — I think that they are trustworthy, they seem to do good work (at least from what I’ve had done here,) and they are really friendly. It’s cool that they will drive you home so you don’t have to wait for them to work on your car.
However, slow slow slow slow. You can expect an oil change to take 3 – 4 hours. I get it — they’re busy — but if you need something done quickly, you probably need to try another place.

Outstanding service and excellent customer service from this family owned/​run business. No job too small or too big in my experience, done by professionals. Highly recommend.

This is a tough one for me.
I was enticed to this place by coupon mailers for basic auto services, and I always love giving local and family owned businesses a shot before chains and corporations. The owner, Mike, and his wife, Lori, were so wonderful, genuine, and honest every time I went in there that I was hooked for years. Every issue I always brought it to Autowise, and they always seemed fair and honest. One time, Mike (the owner) even cut $ 50 off the signed price quote because the repair actually went a lot fast than they had expected. It’s that kind of behavior that made me love them and keep coming back. Love Mike & Lori.
However!
The last couple times I went I dealt primarily with the other Mike, I guess he is their service manager, and my experience has not been as warm and genuine. He talks fast and really pressures high price repairs, even when I only wanted an oil change. I often feel bullied into things that I’m not really sure I want or need and know that I can’t afford. After 3 trips to Autowise and feeling uncomfortable with Service Manager Mike, the final straw happened.
My Honda Civic had a real hard time starting. A few times, jumping it would work, but then one day it just completely died in a gas station parking lot. I called my father-​in-​law (owns a body shop, general car guy) and said that based on what I was describing it was probably the starter. Called a tow-​truck, and the driver took a look at it, tested the battery, in under 10 minutes said «it’s probably a bad starter,» towed me to Autowise, and told Service Manager Mike «it’s probably the starter.» Mike handed me paperwork that said «tow-​in diagnostic $ 231» which is the equivalent of two hours labor. I thought «they’ll cut that down, right? They’ve been fair before, right? No big deal, right?»
Wrong.
In the end, the price they gave me for the part was expensive but fair. And the labor they charged to replace the part was expensive but fair. But you’re telling me that my father-​in-​law said it was the starter over the phone, and the tow truck driver said it was the starter in the gas station parking lot, and yet it took your team two full hours to determine that it was in fact the starter before you even started working on it? I got towed in, I can’t drive away. You’ve got me complete control of the situation, and I feel like you abused me.
It won’t happen again.
Thanks for everything, Autowise. Mike & Lori, best of luck to you. Service Manager Mike: do better.

I’m writing this review because I think this is important for anyone who is thinking about bringing their car there. Long story short, radiator had a crack and the car was overheating. Got charged $ 125 to perform a leak test (to determine if coolant was leaking into the combustion chamber) to see if the head gasket was blown without having to first fix the radiator. The senior technician (forgot his name) concluded that the head gasket was blown and said I would have to spend $ 2600 to fix it.
This was over the phone, and he kept reminding me about 2 – 3 times how long he’s been a professional auto repair technician, about his certifications, and that if he was dishonest, he would’ve charged me $ 500 to repair the radiator and then perform the leak test to see if the head gasket was blown. I honestly don’t even know if he did the leak test. I then specifically asked him if there was any other way the car can be fixed. He said no.
Got my car towed to another auto repair shop. The other repair shop on Clayton Rd provided a free inspection and charged me $ 460 to replace the radiator, coolant, a radiator hose, and an oil change. They also gave me a student discount. Now the car runs fine and no longer overheats.
Prior to speaking with the senior technician, I had called the shop earlier to ask if they can leave the shop open until their actual closing time of 7p because sometimes shops close early if there’s nothing going on. One of the junior technicians said that was absolutely fine and was really considerate about my current situation. And not only that, but after dropping off my car, the other junior worker who was also closing the shop gave me a ride to the Bart station. They provide free shuttle service which I thought was really neat. Customer service up until that point was great.
TLDR: If you have to bring your car there to get more than just an oil change, I would get a second opinion because the senior tech can be a little sketch.

These people are scam artists. NEVER GO THERE. I used to go here for oil changes and they say that the oil change also includes tire rotation and top of fluids. THEY NEVER DID IT. I had a hunch and when I called them and asked they said they always do it. Next time when I was there, I marked my tires and guess what? no tire rotation or no fluids for wiper blades. I called and the standard answer was they always do. I yelled at them and the guy there (Kory or some name) said he will have the other guy Mike call me back which never happened. I called after days and the guy hangs up the phone on me saying never come here if you don’t like. WOW. What a lousy place! STAY AWAY !!!

I received a coupon for oil change from the mail yesterday. I decided to use the coupon and called them this morning to make an appointment. I was told to come at 11 am which I did. They told me it would take about an hour or so to do the oil change and perform an inspection of the vehicle. I told them to check the brakes if they get a chance.
They offered a free shuttle which I took advantage of. The shuttle service drove me back home which was 2 miles away. The driver was excellent and followed all the traffic laws which was very comforting.
I got a call back a couple hours later asking where the wheel lock key was located so they can check the brakes. I told them to check the front compartment and the tool case behind the car where the tools are for fixing the tire. Unfortunately they could not find it so they were not able to check the brakes.
They also reported that they saw my radiator had a leak and needs to be replaced. They gave me an estimate for it. I told them I will think about it and make an appointment in the future. They said ok and told me my SUV was ready.
I rode my bike to their shop since it was only a couple miles away. When I arrived they showed me a photo of the radiator leak and warned me that I can get into trouble if I don’t get that fixed. I told them I will keep that in mind.
The coupon was for 17.95 oil change but I paid 27.95 since it was a larger engine and needed more oil. I did get a 12 dollar discount from the regular price. When I arrived home I checked the oil and it looks new. I tried to check the filter but could not determine if it was replaced. I should have marked the old one prior to going. I checked the radiator underneath and I did see the leak they mentioned which matched the photo they showed me.
Overall I was satisfied and will likely take my SUV back for the repairs they recommended.

So i received a flier for this place, great deal. Came here on a Tuesday, and set an appointment for Thursday. I must say one of the better places to get you car serviced. The service is great, unlike other places I’ve changed changed my oil at, people here are actually friendly. The process is a bit timely, reason why they provide a ride to and from home. My personal experience here has been a pretty damn good one!

Avoid this place if you don’t know much about car maintenance and are not comfortable turning down most of their «suggested» maintenance items.
This place is conveniently located for me. And the customer service has always been great. If they say they will fix something, they’ll fix it and if they don’t fix it correctly the first time (these things happen) they’ll usually do any subsequent tweaks for free. They have also fixed some things for free that they could have easily charged a lot more for.
They have always presented me with a list of «suggested» maintenance items, but I took the time to familiarize myself with these items and asked them direct questions which they answered truthfully. I’d say that we did not follow up on 90% of those suggested items in the past. For big ticket items I usually get a second quote and have rarely found it to be that far off. So, I’ve paid $ 350 on a $ 300 repair because I know these guys will fix it and stand behind their work.
However, due to work, I can no longer take the car in, so it is my wife who has been dealing with them lately. The «suggested» list doubles in size when she takes the car in and they are a little bit more insistent. This is really starting to get annoying and a bad way to do business. Anyone taking their car to them should be warned.
Giving out coupons for cheap oil changes and then following up with a list of «suggested» maintenance items is a pretty transparent tactic actually. It’s not surprising that there are so many negative reviews on Unilocal

I like this place. First time here I came because of the cheap oil change. They gave me great service and dropped me off with their free customer shuttle.

Oil Changes was cheap with the coupon. Also had a coupon for FREE AC inspection.
They took my car for 4 hours for oil change and told me they will call me regarding my AC inception. Got a call saying «AC inception will be additional charge of $ 175». Seriously? Just for an inspection you will charge me $ 175? What about the repairs?
I only visited them since I had the coupon, but will no back again cauz this place looks fraud.

Everyone is very nice and helpful. They definitely let you know every little thing that is wrong with your car. I trusted them more then I do most places, as a women that knows nothing about cars what can you do? As far as being ripped off, I never felt that at all. He showed photos of my problems and gave me a box of parts that had been raced that I didn’t want anyway. They have high standards about how they do things, I didn’t have them glueing my breaks (this actually happened to me) I knew my car was safe when I left. I love the shuttle service, I saved a little on car fair. I will bring my car here again.

I have been bringing our company cars here for a few months now. I am very happy with the service. I usually talk with Lori, and she is always very nice! And when I talk to the others working there, they are jsut as nice! I have never been pressured into repairing anything on the vehicles. They do make suggestions, but it’s never «do this repair or your car will break». I am glad that this shop is here and I hope my company coninues to let us use them!
Add the fact that they drive me back to work after dropping off a car is great!

I happen to love this place. I bring my car in for oil changes frequently and haven’t had any problems… Yes they recommend work that needs to be done but that’s any shop looking to keep your vehicle maintained. I decline the work and they don’t hassle me.
They have a shuttle service and drive me home so I don’t have to wait there. Who else does that? Not Midas.
Plus they remember me! The owners are very friendly and personable.
They can’t be that bad; it’s always packed with customers’ cars. I recommend coming here instead of an oil changing franchise.

I am not going to give «ZERO» stars because Lori is actually really nice.
I am giving one star due to the other reviews… scammers. We have been bringing my boyfriend’s car here for quite some time. Basic oil change recently, they said we needed to replace the thermostat with the housing, flush the cooling, quoting us close to $ 420. Okay, whatever needs to be done will be done. They had also stated that the car was not to be driven until this problem was fixed. If we drove it, there would be a high chance of the car overheating and «our engine would get messed up» Already I was annoyed that day since they kept our car overnight, letting us know 10 minutes before they close. For almost a month, my boyfriend was using my car, making it quite an inconvenience sharing a car. Finally, when we decided to get this «problem» fixed, we stopped by a different auto shop closer to our house…
this is where it gets good.
They plugged in a machine to read the «codes» that Autowise had read. All codes were completely deleted!!! The tech checked the housing that apparently needed to be fixed, and it was not damaged NOR needed to be replaced ASAP. The car was not in any form of «not being able» to drive around. When he did quote us the housing replacement, it was not even close to what Autowise quoted us! The tech was also surprised to see how much Autowise charged us $ 200+ for a diagnostic test.
The fact they said our car was in no condition to drive is what got me so mad. Also the fact that we couldn’t drive it unless we got it done is absolutely ridiculous. MONEY MONEY MONEY!!!
NEVER EVER going back here, and to think they were so nice… terrible Autowise, terrible!!!

My Chevrolet pickup truck was bouncing three or four times after running over a bump. Since it had never had the shock absorbers replaced, and it had 105,000 miles on it, I knew what was coming. Plus, the front end had developed a shake, and the steering just wasn’t as precise as I remembered it being when it was new.
Well, it turned out the steering was a mess. The intermediate steering shaft, the power steering rack and pinion, and the tie rod ends all needed to go. Bummer. The worst thing about it was, I am retired after 15 years of doing safety inspections on big rigs, and couldn’t lie to myself about how serious those problems were. They just had to be done.
I was quoted a very reasonable price for all this, especially considering the amount of parts and the time it would take to fix everything.
It turned out that all this couldn’t be completed by closing time; Laurie called me up and told me about this. When I mentioned that I would just rent a car for a night, she offered to call Enterprise Rentals. Enterprise picked me up at home, drove me to their office, and got me all set. The next day, Enterprise drove me to Autowise after I dropped off the rental, so I could get my truck.
The truck rides like new again, the front end was level (the left front was lower than the right front when I brought it in), and I can once again parallel park without worrying about hitting the other cars (well, no more than before, anyway)!
This is the way to do business! I’ve taken three vehicles to them for major repairs of this nature, and I’ve always been treated this well.

Went here due to brake problems. Steering wheels and brake pedal shook when braking. Was told from here that front and back brakes needed to be fix and that they would do it for 600 $. Unreal price, so I looked for other options. Instead I went over to Guaranteed Motors and Brakes over in Fremont and they fixed up my car for 125 $ and told me that there was nothing wrong with my back brakes at all.
Autowise — not a wise choice.

I took my car here for a second time for oil change because of their ongoing coupon. It’ll cost $ 22 and and some change for a bunch of service they claim they perform (wheel rotation, check fluids, change oil filter, etc.) that are also offered by most, but hey, it’s within walking distance so I go for it. Three or four months ago, they did the same thing to my van, and made recommendations to replace air filter, cabin filter, serpentine belt for a little less than $ 300. I walked away with my oil service done and went home to replace my own damn filters for around $ 35. I was skeptical about the belt. Brought it back this time around, & they made the same recommendations not knowing that I already replaced my filters just 3 months ago. And this time they tried to sell transmission service when I only have 82K miles on it. Already had it done a couple yrs ago at the dealers (which I really shouldn’t have since Honda doesn’t even recommend it until you reach $ 120K).
So, completed this 2^nd oil change with them on ¹¹⁄₁₀. I also have a problem with my steering wheel shaking when I tap on the brakes @ high speed, so I suspected a rotor problem, but wasn’t about to trust this place with this problem. Was just @ T&L Transmission few minutes ago to inspect the brakes and having the rotors replaced now for a much reasonable price than I was quoted by other places. Showed me where the problem is, and asked them to check belt, and saw no signs of cracking or dryness that Autowise pointed out. Mentioned just having oil changed a few days ago and they pointed out my oil filter – definitely not changed just 4 days ago (see picture).
BTW, had the rotors serviced by an out-​of-​town dealer just 2 years ago & problem came back in about 5 – 6 months. Didn’t have time to research & was concerned about the unsteady brakes/​steering wheel while traveling, and damn dealer just resurfaced my rotors instead of replacing them which is more expensive.
Back to Autowise… don’t think that they actually do all these extras… I’m even wondering now if they actually changed the oil! Forget their coupons & do your own oil change next time, or take it to Walmart where they won’t try to sell other services for problems that don’t exist.