Brannan Auto Experts

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Javier M.
a year ago
I had a repair issue with my Navigator on a Friday. I'm from San Diego. I called Brannan Auto Experts, they took me in without an appointment. Kevin kepted me informed of the repair issue. Fixed right with minimal cost. Very good mechanic near Oakland Airport. I was back on the road, and able to drive home safely to San Diego the next day. Thank you Kevin, I greatly appreciate your help. I recommend your shop.

  Susan Benz
a year ago
We ve been going to Kevin for over 20 years. Does it get any better than having a mechanic you can trust? He gives us great service, takes our calls, finishes the work quickly, answers questions, gives us a fair deal along with good advice, keeps our cars running for a looong time, knows his stuff, is on the floor all day, and we ve never had a problem with his work. A great mechanic is a lot like a great doctor, you really appreciate having them when you need them. We can t recommend Kevin and Brannan Auto Experts, San Leandro enough. It was 1997 when my husband was referred to Kevin Nguyen at Brannan Auto Experts, SF for excellent car care. He was referred to Kevin by his co-workers at Anchor Brewing. This started our loyal commitment to Kevin taking care of our family s cars well into 100k miles plus ( VW, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Chevy, Mercedes)Services: Transmission, Carburetor cleaning, Electrical repair, Air & cabin filter replacement, Tires, Auto power window repair, Steering & suspension repair, Auto exhaust system repair, Auto water leak repair, General repairs & maintenance, Steering & suspension replacement, Auto A/C recharge, Electrical, Auto engine tuning, Auto brake repair, Tire rotations, Engine repair, Vehicle Inspection, Transmission replacement, Side view mirror repair, Wheel alignment, Transmission repair, Brakes, Auto tire replacement, Air conditioning, Wiper blade installation, Auto maintenance, Auto brake replacement, Battery, Oil change

  Sabrina Pudoff
2 years ago
Kevin and the team at Brannan Auto Experts are simply the best! I had some issues with my 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid that they were able to help me out with. My issue was due to a specific recall that Ford refused to help me out with because they already replaced it once prior to me owning the car. Kevin kept in constant communication and was always very up front about costs and timeline, he searched for the most affordable parts and checked in with me every step of the way. I am so grateful to have found an honest and reputable shop and will continue to use Brannan Auto Experts in the future!

  Christopher Maloney
5 months ago
Professional, friendly, knowledgeable. The owner of this shop is a true master mechanic with many years of experience. Highly recommended.

  Brett Fontaine
3 years ago
I have been going to see Kevin at Brannan Auto Experts for the last 5 years. I have brought multiple cars to him over that time and have had nothing but great and professional experiences there.Kevin has a keen eye and attention to detail while under the hood. He even took the extra time to walk through other areas of my truck while it was on the lift last time I brought it in. Kevin was able to find a very major issue alongside my steering issue that day. My driveshaft bracket was completely loose and missing a bolt, which explained the loud thunk noise I would hear between shifts over this past few months. Without this fix, eventually my truck s transmission would have been toast!Kevin will give you the ball and let you make the decision with no pressure. He ll be honest about the seriousness of the issue, and tell you if it needs to be fixed right away.Any noise, any issue, any concern, Brannan Auto Experts is where you NEED to take your car if you want an honest and professional repair completed.Services: Steering & suspension repair, General repairs & maintenance, Auto engine diagnostic, Brakes, Oil change

  Jessica Y.
4 years ago
Kevin is simply the best mechanic around the Bay Area. No one compares to his expertise and customer service. He has worked on my cars for 8 years and remains to be the only person I trust bringing my cars to for maintenance. I highly recommend Brannan Auto!

  Mandy Xie
5 years ago
How many people go to an autoshop and have the confidence that the mechanics are excellent and not up selling? This is a branch of the Brannan Auto Experts in San Francisco. I have been taking my car to Kevin in SF for years. Now that this San Leandro location is closer to my home, I started coming here instead. Kevin is at this location Saturdays. Tony who s mainly at this location is as equally capable. They are very professional. I always have the peace of mind bringing my car to their service knowing I d get the best quality of work with the most reasonable price. I highly recommend their shops. Whichever location you pick, you can t go wrong.

  scott hernandez
7 years ago
Dependable, honest place that does quality work. I brought my car in after experiencing acceleration issues likely tied to either the engine or transmission. Kevin and his team were extremely thorough and made sure to do whatever they could to avoid having me order a very expensive part and costly repair. This place is trustworthy and does a quality job. Thank you!!

  Joey Duke
3 years ago
The fellas at Brannan Auto Experts have been helping me maintain a fleet of about a dozen vehicles, and I can t say enough about the awesome service. Knowledgeable, honest, and friendly; what more could you ask for!! Tony and Kevin are the only guys I trust to touch my personal car, and I haven t been let down yet. 10/10Services: Auto engine diagnostic, Oil changeServices: Auto engine diagnostic, Oil change

  Johnson Hor
5 years ago
I was planning on going to Costco, when the car made a funky rumbling noise while on the East Side. I found Brannan Auto Experts near the Costco and asked about my car. I also said did you know there's a Brannan Auto Expert in SF, they said part of the same. No way, I called Kevin, and he confirmed. Cool.Anyway, told him my car was rumbling and felt like it was transforming, the repair guy said he'll take a look. I went to have lunch at BK next door, super convenient. And came back and he said its something to do with the engine. I said no biggie, I have the full warranty thingamabob, and he said to check if its with the dealer or with a 3rd party. So I looked under the spare for the user manual. It was a 3rd party insurer.I said how did ya know, he said its typical when the warranty is over and if a person bought the extra stuff - I did. Better safe than sorry. I said I hope its covered. He said he works with them and can help navigate the process. AWESOME. It was. He took care it, order the parts, and had it fixed. I asked him to do an oil change too as you're gonna be under the hood anyway, why not get that done too. When I got my car, he said everything look good, he did one of those point inspection things - I guess that's part of their grand opening stuff as other places charge for that stuff. Who knows. but cool.One stop shop for everything. Maybe an alignment next time as they do that when I change out my old tires. Another great place to take my car to while on the East Side.

  jean wood
7 years ago
When you have to take your car to the mechanic, you pray that they can figure out the problem and fix it. Kevin worked on my 2009 328xi Coupe and he did a fantastic job.I took my car to a BMW dealership before I took it to Kevin and they did the diagnostic, kept the car for 3 days, charged me for it all and said nothing was wrong with the car.While the problem was hard to diagnose, Kevin took his time, figured out what the problem was and fixed it. He knows cars and thats where you want to take your car. He also regularly communicated about the status and what was going on. I feel very confident with the work he does and would go there any time.

  peter b
4 years ago
By far the worst experience of my life with any mechanic. I imagine that all the positive reviews reflect the unpredictable nature of "repair" work done at this place and possibly how little their clients know about car repair and potential for fraud.The first time I went here for a simple tire repair and they did a good job. Easy job, but still, they did it well and price was reasonable.Then I had an issue with my car failing smog test and since I had no time to check things myself, and I'd already changed oxygen sensors which did nothing, I took the car to Brennan and asked them to do DIAGNOSTICS ONLY. I repeated that many times, simply because the car is a Lexus and parts and labor can be very expensive for it. Kevin quotes me $150 for diagnostics: checking engine codes, wires, spark plugs, fuel pressure and so on.Few hours after I left the car at the shop Kevin calls me to offer to replace the middle catalytic converter on my car. I've already told him that catalytic converters are fine. He insists that if only I'd let him replace the catalytic converter, it will pass the smog, "I can guarantee with 95% certainty" (his words). I refuse. He offers $300 parts and labor. I refuse. He offers 280 parts and labor. I refuse. He offers rock bottom price: $265 parts and labor. I tell him to give it up because I am not replacing a perfectly good OEM cat with an aftermarket one that will last a year or two.I go to pick up the car, pay $150.00 for the diagnostics (they found nothing wrong) and leave. As I am driving away, I notice my engine sounds different. I turn around and manage to get to the door just as they were leaving. I tell Kevim that the car sounds different, he's surprised. He sits inside, agrees that maybe it is different (I KNOW it is different, I know my car too well), and he says that I should come back the next day.Having doubts about his work, I take the car to a highly recommended car shop. They have been in business for 35 years and all their reviews are 5 star. I ask them to inspect exhaust system. They lift the car and allow me to look with them: we find out that Kevin has cut out the middle Catalytic converter (without my permission) and then welded it back in again, without telling me anything about it!!! And then we also find out that both front left and right valve cover gaskets were leaking (easier to see from the bottom).The new third catalytic converter costs around $600 + labor. The welded one can never last as long as the original because weld is weaker than untouched metal (besides, the weld didn't look clean at all).The valve covers I replaced on my own not too long ago and there is no way they would leak suddenly like that.This all points to a simple conclusion: Kevin runs a shady business, baits you with decent work the first time or two, and then ruins your car with unauthorized work, and even is ready to damage it to make extra cash (replacing valve cover gaskets is a $500 job, but if you just loosen the bolts, than it's a five minute job that he can still charge me $500 for).In case anyone has any doubts as to veracity of the above, I can prove easily all of this. For instance, welding can be seen to be recent - old welds age and don't look shiny new. No one has touched my car in a long while (which is why it failed the smog).Oh, and the real reason the car failed smog? The coolant temperature sensor ($17.00 part) was too old. I had to diagnose that myself because, obviously, they didn't. It should've been the first thing to check, because smog test revealed high HC, and that's unburned fuel, rich mixture. Temperature sensor sends a signal how cold the engine is, and if it is too cold, it makes the fuel-air mixture very rich in order to warm it up.All in all, Brennan auto experts should not be allowed to be in this business and anyone going there is likely wasting their money.ps. I also noticed that every time I dropped off my car, the odometer was reset, even though there was no need to disconnect the battery, like when they patched my tire.

  Matthew Holmes
6 years ago
Kevin at Brannan Auto Experts is like a good friend who happens to be an expert mechanic on the level of the "Car Talk" NPR show. He is detailed and thoughtful and actively goes out of his way to save me money (e.g. finding a used fender to replace my damaged one, saving $600 me (50%) relative to the cost at a different shop yet taking more of his time to find it). He goes above and beyond (buffing out a scratch for free). I send my friends and family to Brannan. Kevin's level of expertise, thoughtfulness and integrity represent the gold standard.

  Rebecca Y
4 years ago
Took my car in for routine maintenance a couple days ago. I have been here a few times before for other issues and I receive the best service every time. Honest, good prices, friendly - it doesn't get better than that.

  Keith Lin
3 years ago
Very honest mechanic. Take photos and walk through the progress on what he is doing. Price is good and work is excellent. An honest mechanic is worth it's weight in gold.

  Born to Fish
6 years ago
Cannot go wrong with highly trained mechanics and honest owner...

  Jonathan Smith
2 years ago
I was extremely impressed with the professional atmosphere and workmanship. Really took care of me and highly recommend them to anyone looking for a top mechanic.

  Xiulan Ilash
5 years ago
I finally found my to go Auto repair shop.Tony is very knowledgeable with cars. And super friendly. I will send all my friends and relatives to him from now on.

  Joshua Roddy
4 years ago
Always fantastic service. Always feel like I'm getting their best price and they always treat me like I'm their best customer even though I've only been there a few time over the years.Highly recommend!

  Jorge Chavez
5 years ago
Great service and most of all, very, very honest. They have saved my wife and I a ton of money, and have gone above in beyond in servicing our cars.

  Sherwin Lu
3 years ago
I trust this shop with my car. They are honest and will do the job right the first time.

  Amrit Bath (Amrit)
7 years ago
Kevin is very honest and goes not overcharge. This place does great work.

  Erisha Perkins
3 years ago
Kevin fix my radiator did a really good job

  Alfredo Ramirez
6 years ago
Kevin is the best. Always reasonable pricing and amazing work.

  George chen
5 years ago
Had the maintenance light pop up. After the oil change, no more light.

  Adamma Ison
2 years ago
Attentive, affordable and respectful experience every time.

  Martin Ortega
4 years ago
Best mechanic ever.