The Mechanic

Had the pleasure of using Rene after my wife’s car got in a little bit of a fender bender. I have to say that this was by far the best experience I’ve ever had with a mechanic. Not only did they get me in and out in the same day, but the work was great! They also gave me a ride to work in the morning, which I haven’t seen before!
I can’t recommend this shop enough

I don’t usually write reviews but I am so disappointed with the service that I thought it necessary. I brought my vw jetta in because it was idling rough among various other problems. However the main reason was the engine light was on and I needed to get it smogged. I had two codes that were coming up when I brought it in. I had spend the past few months trying to fix the problem myself and had replaced the spark plugs, temp sensor, and a few other things (none of which worked). So Rene looks at it and recommends 1500 in repairs including; timing belt, tensioner, water pump, coolant temp sensor (which I had recently changed) some general service like oil change, spark plugs (which I told him I had also recently changed) brake fluid, and some other things. He said that we had to replace some of the things I had already replaced because they were the parts causing the problem. He told me It was a lot of work and money but I would like how my car is running now, except that I needed to replace the battery. (But thats easy enough and I can do it on my own.)
It seemed okay but then two days later the light went back on. I checked the code with my code reader and found one of the same codes that I had brought it in for. So I bring it back and tell him and he responds by saying, «its an old car.» I let him work on it to fix the problem and he replaced the thermostat and charged me $ 110 just to diagnose the same problem that he misdiagnosed 2 days prior. He also tells me that the car needs a valve timing actuator which will cost about $ 800. So I decide to see what happens and like he said the light came right back on. So I check the code again and it is the second code that I came in with.
I eventually replace the battery, but my car still died. I look into the problem a little bit and realize its not the battery at all, but the alternator. So all in all I spent a week, $ 2000 and I have had the same two codes I brought it in with come back up, One of which he did resolve, but the other one is still unresolved. I replaced a battery I may not have needed, and I still can not pass the smog test. I know my car is old and can have lots of problems, but misdiagnosis all across the board and charging me every step of the way doesn’t seem fair. Definitely do not recommend this shop.

We have been taking all our cars to Rene for the last 20 years or so. When we first moved here and were looking for a mechanic, we knew almost immediately that Rene was going to be the best just by how clean the garage was. You know when someone pays attention to that kind of detail puts more than just good thoughts into his business. After experiencing his good work, honesty and willingness to go above and beyond on many an occasion these many years has gained our undying loyalty. 5 thumbs up!

We love these guys, I’m just sorry we only see them when we are in some guise of despair…

I’ve been going to The Mechanic for years — they do great work and I trust them. They tell me what I need to fix and what I should fix next time. Love that!

When I was living in Portland I had a great mechanic that worked on both of my cars (domestic and foreign cars). They were such great mechanics that when I moved to the bay area I never thought I would find another great mechanic. I found The Mechanic on the Better Business Bureau website and Unilocal.The service performed on my car was outstanding. My car drove better after I picked it up from The Mechanic than the first day I drove it off the dealership lot. The people running the front office were so friendly and welcoming. When I picked up my car they cleaned my car in and out. I also received a «Thank You» letter for bringing my car in later that week. This is exactly what I want out of a mechanic: welcoming, nice, honest, affordable, and willing to answer any questions.

I absolutely love The Mechanic of Lafayette. Rene just saved me hundreds of dollars after a shady Smog Check shop told me I needed to replace my 3−½ year old catalytic converter. He got me in to his favorite Smog Check shop (the 76 gas station at the corner of Mt. Diablo and 1^st St in Lafayette) the next day, who charged me $ 20 less than the first place quoted me. You have a lifelong customer in me.

If you want a good honest Mechanic who know cars, Rene at The Mechanic is the guy to go to. He will even give you a ride home or to the Bart Station. We have been getting our cars repaired and serviced here since 2008

Our truck was on the fritz. To be more specific the air conditioning was on the fritz. My husband is the car guy in the house and he was able to get us squeezed in at The Mechanic.
We were sure that it just needed recharged. That’s what my husband said anyway. Unfortunately it was more than that. The entire pump was dead.
The truck had to stay for a day. They were very reasonable and didn’t gouge us on labor. Which really helped us in the long run because a few weeks later we sold the truck.
It would have been really hard to sell without air conditioning. Since the price was so good we factored some of it into the resale too. Win, win all the way around.
We will definitely come back again. If my snooty car guy husband says yes then your in good hands.

I went to this ripoff joint a few years ago… thank heavens I had the sense to walk away. Rene told me my car was on the brink of disaster, unsafe to drive and needed 6k of work. I went to another shop, spent $ 150 and I’m still driving the car 7 years later. He is not honest. Period

I have been taking our family cars here for a while. Last week i had a problem with the engine light that they fixed. I asked them for other work, that Rene said i did not need. WOW
They explained the charges, went over everything and did a great job.
A few days later, as it turned out, it was not completely fixed. No problem, they stood behind their work, did more work, and did not charge me for it.
This is the kind of place where I want to take our cars.

Gotta say — we have had nothing but the most positive experiences with Rene & Urban Suburban. After being hosed by Orinda Motors & the Big O right next door we took our Durango to them. They have been fantastic. Professional & kind & always exceeding our expectations. Great Shop. Not sure what happened with the folks who have the negative reviews.

This place is a total rip-​off. Granted, they did do a good job (oil change and tire rotation) and left my car nice and clean. However, they told me that my brakes needed to be replaced — all four. Told me there was 15% left at best. The fact is that I had just had my front brakes replaced less than 10,000 miles ago! The rear brakes are ready for replacement, but not the front too! Me thinks they were trying to scam me! I told them that they had recently been replaced and they looked again and said «well maybe the front are a little better than the rear — but not by much». Just for sanity’s sake went to another mechanic to have them check and indeed they said the front brakes are FINE and have plenty of life left. WHAT A SCAM!!! And, super expensive to boot! Will NEVER go back there.

My experience was poor. I experienced a leak in the transfer case of my 4Runner so I brought it to Urban suburban for repair. A week later the leak reappeared and I noticed what looked like silicone smeared where the leak used to be. So I brought my car to Macy transmission for a second opinion. Macy said they never split the transfer case as required to install the gasket and instead put some goo on the leak.
I had Macy replace the gasket and filed a complaint with the state to get my money back. The state investigated, cited urban Suburban and ordered Urban Suburban to refund my money. I hate being lied to. Use these guys at your own risk.

Urban Suburban is the only place I trust to bring my car. Rene, the owner is so helpful, and always willing to take on your crises vehicle.
Most of us don’t plan on blowing a hose, or having our cars break down — so you really need someone that understands YOU REALLY NEED YOUR CAR BACK! I have used Rene for years to work on my not so young jeep, and every time he and his staff are so accommodating. I live locally, and they are even kind enough to offer me a ride home.
We don’t take our cars anywhere else. How often do you find a mechanic that is honest and on time?

Over the holidays, I was on a cross country trip with my partner. Our car troubles had begun in the LA area– just funny noises. We really thought nothing of it until we were in San Francisco, planning our return trip. The noises were getting louder and losing power. We were visiting with friends who live in the Walnut Creek area. They told us we needed to call Rene at Urban Suburban right away. They had been going to him for years.
Luckily we did!!! As we drove into the lot, smoke was coming out from under the hood. It turns out we had blown an intake gasket and oil was leaking everywhere. Rene had many cars in the shop that day but took us right on in. He went through our Mercedes, from stem to stern to make list of what was wrong. We had a few issues to deal with but Rene told us he could take care of the gasket leak and we would be just fine. Since we got there late in the day, he drove us to our hotel.
The next day our car was finished, Rene picked us up to bring us back to the shop too! He was so great, explaining what to do if we ran into any issues. The car was cleaned and vaccummed, way nicer than we brought it! We were so happy to have it fixed with no headaches. Rene & his mechanics were so eays to deal with and really great at explaining everything. We are happy to know we have someone in that area to rely on if anything like that ever happens again.

I went to Urban Suburban to have my steering pump leak and valve cover leak fixed last November. At that time Rene mentioned my oil pump leaked but said it wasn’t very bad but gave me an estimate for it. Days after the work, I noticed that my car was still leaking a lot of oil. I took it back and Rene said it was a faulty valve cover gasket part and wanted to replace it. They supposedly «replaced» it but my car still was leaking. I then took my car to another mechanic for different problem and he noticed a newer part (the valve gasket cover) was leaking oil and I should take it back to the mechanic to show him, which I drove straight to Urban Suburban and told Rene. He had a guy peek underneath and then said it was my oil pump leaking and the driving was «blowing» my oil back to the gasket cover. He denied it being his problem or part. I didn’t really feel good about that meeting and felt Rene was being rude and very defensive. I took my car to the other mechanic to have the leak fixed today. When he lifted my car, he said it was the valve cover gasket leaking really bad, not the oil pump and it had so much sealant on it to prevent it from leaking he had a hard time removing it. I am fuming that Urban Suburban never replaced the part and just tried to «patch» it and then denied it was his part/​labor that was still a huge problem! I will never go back there. I have kids and I trusted Rene and Urban Suburban with keeping our family safe when driving my car and will never trust his work again.

Urban Suburban was highly recommended to me so I had to give them a try and the inconvenience didn’t matter to me because Rene’s staff was so accommodating by giving rides to and from a local BART station.
My car was ready when they said it would be and a bonus, it was washed.
YAHOO to Urban Suburban.