Whitmore’s Auto Service

Absolutely love this business! Thanks for all the years of great help Steve, Lou and family! Seriously the most honest and fair people to do business with!

Excellent repair shop and friendly staff, went in for a smog check (although failed) because my car was on transport for 7 days without starting so had to jump my battery which failed the OBD2 sensors. The tech informed me to drive it around for couple days and he would do it again for free (alot of places just charges you again). Also I’ve heard they are closing shop in 2 weeks which makes me sad, alot of my colleague brings their car here for service. Either way it was good while it lasted… thanks whitemore

These guys are GREAT! When my car was due for smog check my check engine light was on and Steve took care of my car over several visits, making sure I didn’t pay too much to get it fixed to pass. Even though they didn’t have the equipment to diagnosis the problem, he sent me off with the information I needed to get it done elsewhere which saved me money! I came back to Steve for the smog and he made sure I passed by telling me to drive it more before it would be ready. I’m all set now (passed!) with no problems! Each time I went to Whitmore’s I got in fast and the entire staff was friendly. While I hope I don’t have any car troubles in the future, if I do I will be going back! Thanks, guys!

HONEST and NOT EXPENSIVE.
Once our RV broke down in San Francisco we were searching for a local repair shop.
Here’s where we found the BEST.
He did all we asked him to, NO EXTRA CHARGES.
Thank you for getting us on the road.

Honest Local Garage…
That’s the best description I can think of.
Do «shiny floors» mean competence in auto repair? It seems some people think they do. This isn’t a shiny floor place; it’s an auto garage that does auto repairs… and auto repairs are sometimes messy. You’ll be fine…
Master Mechanics know their trade… and they reside here. They also reside in the dealership… but at 6x — 8x the price.
Plan on dropping off the car, or scheduling for a very light day for business. They get busy, so plan on scheduling… but you DO get what you wait for.
**Don’t let the décor make your decision for you. If you need Warranty Work, see the Dealer. Otherwise, see Whitmore’s, and get fair repairs at a very fair price.

NEVER RENT A UHAUL TRUCK HERE!
I reserved my uhaul truck almost a month ago for my move today. But when I showed up this morning, the truck was not there and wouldn’t be back for almost 2 hours after the time I had reserved it for.
The woman working was barely apologetic and told me there was nothing she could do. I had to convince her to call around to help me find another truck for today.
I will never again rent a truck from this place or even Uhaul in general. This was unacceptable and the customer service was horrid.

Yeah the shop maybe dirty, but is you ask me, it is proof that work on cars is being done. Besides, it is an auto service repair, cars have dirt and grime. I feel I get an honest answer’s and the work is done honestly. Whitmore’s Auto also has that old time small town feel, in the middle of town. And well, I feel I have honest place to take my car.

great people great work. expert with older cars and great with trailer repairs. Never had a problem when I needed uhaul service. your the best.

Ive taken my vehicles to Mr. Whitmore since I could drive. Ive had so many bad experiences at anyplace I ever try besides his shop. Ive been quoted repairs for other a thousand dollars that he was able to repair for less than $ 500. Always no nonsense this is what you need advice from them. Ive taken several models and makes to him over the years (Honda, Nissan, Chevy, Ford, BMW, GMC, Pontiac, 1970 – 2010) and he has never once sold me repairs I did not need or charged me more than was reasonable. Some people dog on the appearance of the shop, but its just a utilitarian garage, he obviously has more focus on his work than putting up some vinyl signs or inflatable crap. Bottom line ill always take my vehicles to Whitmores and I strongly encourage anyone to do the same.

I stopped in to get an emissions part installed and to get my «Check Engine» light turned off. I did have an appointment in the morning, but they were very busy, so they said I could have my car by noon. I thought that was pretty good, considering how busy they were.
38 minutes later got a call that my car was ready, and the cost was incredibly reasonable. I was very happy that day! Plus, I now have a regular, trusted mechanic for my 1996 Ranger. They will get mu business every time.

Yes, it’s a dump
Yes, I was in and out in about 15 minutes and the service was fine
I paid $ 63.25 for my 2001 Toyota, I passed, no problem
No, they did not try to up sell me on anything or try to find something wrong with my car.
Overall, I was happy with it.

This place is great! I JUST picked up my car and it was making a rattling noise for over one year. Took it to other shops and they were not able to find the problem until I took it here. They fixed it and the price was VERY reasonable. I drive a Honda CRV and the dealership was insanely overpriced. Glad I found this place! Will certainly be going back!

I’ve used these guys twice, as I gathered they were ok from Unilocal reviews. Why the three stars then?
I needed a simple oil change and coolant check…
I made an appointment with them for 9:30am a week prior to going in. I get there at 9:30am and they tell me that the earliest they can get to it is sometime later that afternoon. I own and operate a business myself, and would never wait until the customer arrived to communicate something like that, especially with a week lead-​time.
I say that I have plans for the afternoon, and that I really need the car back by noon. They say they can have it ready by 11:30am. This is better, but way later than my appointment was on their schedule.
Their service was fast once they started, but the communication was poor. Everyone there is nice, but sometimes that’s not enough. Sorry Whitmore’s, you just lost a potential recurring customer.

Ever have your car shut off in the middle of a left hand turn? I did. It’s not fun. This is one of those rare moments when I’m glad the speed limit is 25 mph in Alameda.
So I looked up some local places to take Dan Jumbo to get looked at. I assumed it was his alternator that was shot, so I took him over to Whitmore’s expecting to get it fixed/​replaced/​or whatever needed to be done to get him fixed. As a female, I always feel cautious about taking my car in for service, for fear that the old stereotype will come into play where the male mechanic confuses the helpless female into spending more than she really needed to.
I’m glad to say that I didn’t have to worry at Whitmore’s.
The mechanic looked under Dan Jumbo’s hood and gave me some good tips on how to check, in the future, if I suspect my alternator is going out. He quickly discovered that there wasn’t anything wrong with it, and gave me a simple rundown on what he suspected it could be and what to look out for in the future. He did all this, without charge.
I appreciate that he didn’t try to bullshit me or try to create a problem so I’d have to fork over some cash. He was very friendly, approachable, and honest. The women in the office were also very friendly.
I recommend calling in advance to set up a time to get your car looked at. This place is small, so they can only take so much work. The building is rundown, no doubt about it, but I think thats what makes it great. To me, it shows that they’re more about getting cars fixed than taking your money any way they can like these chain store places.
If I ever have any issues with Dan Jumbo in the future, I’d go to Whitmore’s without hesitation. In one visit, this place has made me a loyal customer.
–Dani

Good price, great service! I needed a smog check for my Corolla and called several sites in Alameda before stopping here. I was quoted $ 63 on the phone and decided to give this place a try. Yes this place looks a little iffy since its a small garage/​office at the corner but don’t be fooled! The service here was awesome and I was very satisfied with everything. The smog check was done in about 15 mins– I was out of there in 20mins and off to lunch!

Plain and simple. The service was straight up fast and matched the rest of the reviews. No surprises on the price. In and out in 30 minutes. Great friendly service — I got exactly what I was looking for.

Needed my truck smogged. Got it done for less than 15 minutes and around $ 65 out the door. Everybody is very nice there. I trust them. Don’t let the looks of the place fool you. I highly recommend this place.
I have also rented U-​Hauls from this place before and again they gave top notch service.
I’m gonna probably get my oil change here next.

Just got my oil change from them today… I called in and the lady on the phone quoted me at «about $ 30» and that it’d be «an hour to an hour and a half wait.» I only live a couple of miles away, so I decided to drop my car off and go for a jog while the car’s in the shop, then come back to pick my car up.
Low and behold — I get there and the mechanic said it’ll be done in 30 min (it wasn’t busy), and the bill came out to $ 28.xx. Friendly folks, friendly service, decent prices. I’ll be coming back.
FYI — I called about 10 different places around Alameda and got oil change quotes from $ 36 to almost $ 50. For an oil change?! Whitmore’s shop appeared a bit run down, but they did the job well. I’d recommend it.

Having been ripped off by Honda Berkeley two years ago, I vowed to never go back to a dealership ever again. So, I took my ’05 Accord here for its 50k tune-​up. I dropped off my car at around 1pm.
At 3pm they called. They asked if I wanted to get my tires rotated; I said no, since I just had them replaced. The lady scratched tire-​rotation off the list, and proceeded to tell me about the transmission fluid change. She broke it down to me as to why it «costs so much,» and then asked again if they should proceed with the replacement.
I’ve never experienced an auto repair/​service shop be so open and transparent — and so nice. The closest analogy I can think of is a mom-​and-​pop shop… for cars! Sure it’s a little run-​down and dirty, but these people are good and honest people.
In the end, I was shocked by the price — shocked that it was so cheap! For an oil change, transmission fluid change, and a 50k check-​up, the total was less than $ 100. And they were able to do it all in less than a day.
Great people. Great service. I can’t ask for more.

Feel pressured to write because some lame-​O with one review (read: fishy shady) gave a one-​star review with a one-​liner. Stopped by this place to get a smog check on my car (I hate DMV), and they quoted me $ 70, but they checked my car first against the DMV system: «have to go to a testing station, sorry. We can’t test your car.» ARG. Why DMV do you hate on me and my crummy little 99 Civic?!
The lady gave me two recommendations just down the street, and I was off. The place is dirty, and it feels like no one’s cleaned (or even thought about it, for that matter) since 1842. But service and help was crisp, and I’ve heard good things about the place. And it turns out this review is a bit more substantive than single-​star single-​review (who, incidentally, recommends Engine Works) «Keith». Peace out.