Carter’s Automotive

I did once an oil change at Carter’s Automotive. Despite the fact that my old car always had Castrol 10w30 synthetic oil, the mechanics from Carter’s Automotive put 5w20 very cheap oil and even have not noticed me. Also they did some inspection of my car and recommended to change a transmission fluid because «it is a little bit dark» and some other service. However, during the next maintenance at different automotive the transmission fluid has been checked with more attention and it was good. I do not understand why Carter’s Automotive has such a high ranking on Unilocal.Considering cost of service vs quality I can give 2 stars maximum.

I had a very positive experience here on my first visit. Friendly, and work done on time.

The guy that I have a crush on at work recommended this place to me. Service is fast and Chris is nice and accommodating. As a woman I did not feel like I was being ripped off. Took my 2001 car in for cylinder issues and I haven’t had any trouble since. Carters Automotive fixed my troubles and saved me from buying a new car.

Excellent and fast service! These guys are the best! Thank you Chris and team for taking care of me once again…

I’ve taken my car here for a year and what I like about it is that they’re organized, it’s clean, they clearly communicate the problem and don’t try to wrestle you into a particular solution. If it’s a safety problem and they will make sure you know what has to be fixed.

I can’t believe I forgot to write a review about my experience with Carter Automotive.
Chris, the owner is hands on, and very competent. I brought my Toyota 4 Runner into his shop. I was taking my family to Tahoe and wanted the car to be road worthy. It is an older car but I love it.
TRUTH: When the owner cares more about your car than you do YOU know you are at the right place. Chris is a great guy and very focused on the quality of his service. He gave me 3 options of things that needed to be done and I took all three and the car drives like new! We had a great trip to Tahoe and it was comforting to not have to worry about whether the care would make it.

My wife and I definitively chose the right shop for our car.
We required tires and oil services for our compact car (2005) and they both were professionally provided by Carter’s Automotive in San Pablo Ave. Not only we received a high quality car service, but also at a price-​convenient one in an industry where you normally only get good service or good price, as if price and service quality were opposite concepts.
Also, it was a nice surprise the honesty, kindness and technical knowledge offered by Robert (the guy in the front desk): he patiently answered our questions on the service we needed at that moment, and also provided us with valuable additional information about other aspects of the car functioning and maintenance (we recently bought the car so we had a lot of questions).
BTW, besides his native language (English), Robert also speaks Portuguese and Spanish, which is great if you feel more comfortable interacting in one of those languages: that is a real PLUS for Carter’s Automotive in Berkeley, a city that welcomes a large population of international students whose English is not their mother tongue!
I definitively plan to use Carter’s Automotive in the future for my car maintenance.

I can’t say enough about how friendly and thorough they are. I took my truck there after getting a Livingsocial and reading all the great reviews. The service was fantastic. I will absolutely be back.

Carters did a great job with fixing a leak with my power steering. They directly worked with my warranty company which I appreciated and the staff was friendly and helpful. Unfortunately, when it came time to have an engine leak looked at they never got back to be. They had originally told me it looked like a transmission leak and they do not do transmissions. I took it to a transmission dealer that said it was not a tranny leak, but an engine leak. I was hoping to once again go back to carter’s but they never got back to me with an appointment, despite calling several times, which was disappointing.

I hate writing negative reviews and delayed writing this one for nearly 2 years. But given all the positive reviews, I want to add my very different experience.
I brought my car in for one simple repair and Chris, the owner, told me I needed a total of $ 1600 work. I agreed to 2 of the 3 repairs he said were needed, but afterwards seriously regretted it, having good reasons (I won’t give specifics as they’re complicated) to think the repairs weren’t necessary. I should have gotten a second opinion.
The third repair he recommended I held off on because I intuitively had doubts. I never got that repair done, thank god. Two years and a few minor repairs elsewhere, the «repair» he wanted to do obviously wasn’t necessary and no one who worked on my car since saw any need for the work Chris wanted to do. Was he scamming me or just incompetent?
But the most obvious and irrefutable evidence of incompetence was around oil. I told Chris my previous mechanic had, for specific reasons, always used 20 – 50 oil. Chris outright refused to use 20 – 50, said it would «damage my engine» and that my car should use 5 – 30. I protested, he insisted and we went back and forth until he finally agreed to use 10 – 30 oil as a «compromise», still insisting that 5 – 30 was the proper oil weight. (And telling me he didn’t carry 20 – 50 oil, very odd considering that several people since have told me that’s what they use exclusively in cars similar to mine.)
Because even after the fact I doubted Chris’ judgment, I asked a friend who simply told me to check out my owner’s manual for oil recommendations. And sure anough, right in my owner’s manual it recommends either 20 – 50 or 10 – 30 oil but NOT the 5 – 30 oil Chris insisted I should use.
What kind of mechanic doesn’t check the owner’s manual re: oil recommendations? Within two months of my oil change at Carter’s, my engine suddenly start «knocking». I went back to 20 – 50 oil and there’s been some improvement but I strongly suspect it was Chris’ insistence on changing the oil weight that caused my engine’s sudden knocking after 7 years of perfect performance.
So to summarize my complaints, Chris 1) did 2 costly repairs I suspect weren’t necessary, 2) recommended a third $ 500+ repair that clearly wasn’t necessary, 3) vehemently refused to use the oil weight I requested and had been using for 7 years with success and 4) didn’t follow the oil weight clearly recommended in the owner’s manual and instead insisted on using an oil weight that was NOT recommended for my car.
Any one of these would be cause to think twice about trusting his judgment.
I’ve never before felt taken advantage of by a mechanic but have multiple reasons to suspect that’s what happened here. I’d steer clear of this place or at least get a second opinon about major repairs.
Chris seems like a nice guy.
Sometimes that’s deceiving.
Get a second opinion about anything Chris recommends and please pay attention to the other reviewers who say something similar. I feel I was taken advantage of, and this is literally the first time I’ve ever felt that way about a mechanic. I wish I’d stayed with my original guy, Johnny’s in Oakland. Their location wasn’t convenient but I never felt they ripped me off. I do feel Carter’s did so.

Carter helped me built my fun little Corolla, they were very informative and helpful. I plan to bring my upcoming car to carters to do performance upgrade as well. Make sure to make appointments before hand since they are quite busy.

I’ve been here on several occasions and am very pleased with the service each time. I called in yesterday at 11am, they took a look at my car by 3pm, and ordered the parts and fixed the radiator today. The man at the front desk called to let me know I could pick up the car before they close at 5:30pm. I told him that my ride wasn’t able to get me over until 6:30pm, and he offered to wait until then. I told him that I didn’t want him to stay later and that I could get a ride in the morning, but he insisted that he wait so I could pick up my car today. I really appreciated that gesture. He also gave me a discount!
I’m really happy with Carter’s automotive and am thankful I’ve been able to rely on them.

Carter’s saved my day! I have a BMW 535, driving through Albany area last week, the engine malfunction lights came on, the car slowed down itself and I somehow managed to park the car at curb.
I was panicking because this is the first time (later on we found the engine of that model had 2 factory recalls), lucky enough Carter’s is just 100 yards away. When I walked in to seek for help, Robert and Chris tried their best to get my car in and work on it as soon as they could.
I was worried if they could fix it since they didn’t list BMW repair on their sign. But after an hour or so Chris explained what was wrong and what they can do (so don’t get discouraged if your make or model is not listed by them). I don’t know anything about cars but just felt comfortable with his explanation. They replaced the oil pump which found was the recall part, and Chris even helped me to contact my insurance to start the claim!
Safety is always the number 1 concern when it comes to cars, my experience taught me that safety also comes from expertise and honesty in car services. Carter’s surpasses the standard and made my day a lot easier.
Now I wish they were closer to my area so I don’t have to drive there for all my future services! Thanks Carter’s!

Hands down the best auto shop in town, if not the whole Bay Area! Been going to Carter’s Automotive for years and not a single problem. Chris is very friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and honest. One thing I like in Chris the most was he would always go the extra mile to make sure I was satisfied.
It’s a fact that stealership are dishonest people and would invent outrageous extra job work that needs to be done because they need to meet their quota! I know coz an ex-​employee has told me!
So any problems with your car, bring em to Carter’s Automotive!

I really wanted to make Carter’s my local auto shop. Had a great oil change and tire rotation. Chris is helpful, kind and pleasant to talk with.
Then, I had an issue with my windows not going back up. Brought it to Carter’s, got a quote, and got charged $ 60 for them looking at it. Would’ve preferred a heads up about the $ 60 charge, but they credit it back if you get the repair done with them.
They quoted me $ 600 for a new regulator and motor. I got this repair done for $ 250 at a shop down the street.

This is my third visit to Carter’s Auto, and I brought my car in for a coolant service, and they did a great job, while doing a thorough inspection of my car free of charge! Robert, who runs the reception and schedules appointments, was very attentive and affable. He’s such a chill dude as well. I paid a reasonable price for the service, and they even gave me a 10% discount after I checked-​in at Unilocal.
Overall, I still would highly recommend Carter’s Auto for its expert mechanics and good old-​fashioned fast and friendly service!

Fast and friendly! They quoted me $ 14 exactly to fix the nail in my tire on my Toyota unlike every other car place that I called who who quoted upwards of 30. Including my overpriced Toyota dealer. I highly recommend!

I have started this review over and over and can not get out in full exactly what needs to be said because the different subjects just have so much detail and this AMAZING knowledge that comes into play in every subject is unreal… Chris is a master mind at his job and knows cars… Thank you Chris for the work to my 350 Z that is now like no other Z on the road…

I had a pre-​purchase inspection done on a used car that I was going to purchase. These guys not only got me a timely appointment, but were able to complete the inspection in a little over an hour. The best part was they saved me from buying a car that needed $ 3000 in repairs!!!
With all of that they’ve definitely earned my business.

SO HERE’S A NEW ONE. I’d been to two shops getting estimates on getting brakes fixed /​pads replaced. First one said I was down to 20% and that I should get to it right away. Second one said, 30%, and gave a better rate. Then I found Carter’s through an Amazon Local coupon for a much lower price, saw the Unilocal reviews and went to see them… «You’ve got a good couple years left on those brakes!!!»
I’ve got a repair shop /​they’ve got a new customer.