T & T Auto Repair

I can’t recommend these guys highly enough; they’re good — and honest to a fault.
I came across them as I was walking from Jack London Sq. to Oakland Chinatown; I decided to stop in to ask them about a couple issues — one an autobody question and the other a starter issue.
Long story short: later that week I brought my car in and, 15 minutes and $ 20 later, the auto body fix was done; several days later, after a day in the shop, I got a call stating what was originally thought to be a ($ 300+) starter issue was only a battery issue. Fixed in no time.
Friendly, honest and efficient.

T & T was my 2^nd choice, but my 1^st choice didn’t have availability until after the weekend. I was having issues starting my car and thought my starter was going bad since I still had power from the battery — all my lights turned on fine etc.
There was another review that mentioned other lights turning on after they service your vehicle. Right after i drove off the lot, my SRS light turned on. After taking it back, they resetted the light for me. I hope they didn’t steal my airbags.
I start my car the next morning and I’m still having the same starter issues. Not good… now i have to worry about bringing the car his shop and I could just imagine the problems he’ll come up with and put me in a position to pay for more services.
We shall see…
Update 10/​12/​2015
Decided to purchase a new battery before bringing the car back to Mike at T&T Auto Repair and now my car starts great. Not sure if I really needed a new starter yet, but I learned that Mike doesn’t really look for the best interest of his customers. He didn’t find the right solution for my problem and he called me to pick it up without ensuring that my car is good to go. This is not a shop you want to built a relationship with.

T & T did good work on getting my car up to smog standards, when a local Nissan dealership gave a much higher estimate. I’m pleased with T &T’s timely work

First off I can be a procrastinator, when this is combined with a very busy work/​social life things tend to not get done right away.
About 3 months ago, I got my timing belt and a few other minor things fixed on my car (Honda Civic 2004). T&T was very quick and cheap (about ¹⁄₃ of what the dealer wanted to charge!!). They were done same day, and I was able to drop the car off at my first connivence.
So slightly after I noticed that when I stated the car there was a squeal when started; some belt was not tight enough. I called, and asked to bring it by, they said yes of course. I became very busy, and called maybe twice more while not actually bringing it by. Finally I just showed up one morning, and they took my car on the spot and fixed it and filled my window fluid (which was out). I was expecting to pay something for this, nothing! He just gave me my keys and showed me my car. I will be back for any care issues I have in the future or any maintenance.
Tl;dr: Great, cheap, honest, quick place to get your car fixed/​tuned!

Just got my flat tire fixed my Thomas. Found these guys through Unilocal.Thanks for the quick lift and help. I’ll be back if I need auto help.

good reasonably priced service. only issue is that they are so busy and organization seems fair to poor. always wondered if they took time to check the car or just did routine service and sent me on my way.

I’ve had oil changes and air conditioning repair here, prices are good and car is done on time.
Yes, the place does look a little bit like a junkyard but that’s because they’re busy! And no, they’re not the dealership/​Midas where they have super amazing smile happy customer service, but they are nice and straightforward about everything.
Like someone else said, just don’t expect frills, just expect good priced auto repair.

I took my 1997 Nissan Pathfinder to T&T after it flunked the smog test at a licensed test repair facility. I was quoted $ 1850 for valve job by the smog station and the guarantee that the «Service Engine Light» would be off.
Mike quoted me three weeks and $ 950. I brought the car back two weeks later and left it for a couple of weeks. Returned, took the car for test drive, no pinging and the «Service Engine Light» was off.
Now off to a different «Smog Test Only» site for a smog test, and then a two week wait at DMV to complete the registration.

I am a veteran in the automotive repair field and I am embarrassed to say that the carburator on a friends truck had me all twisted up! Computer controlled car… no problem. This truck was kicking my ass, but I know what I don’t know and I dont know how to properly repair a carburator. So I found this place by referael from another shop and took the truck on over. The service was slow and the communication wasn’t great but THE TRUCK WAS FIXED RIGHT the first time. This is all the matters to me. The price was reasonable and the staff was pretty nice. I felt like I got what I paid for and best of all I got a running vehicle back.

You are not going to believe this. Small claims court here we come. last year we went through mediation with the BBB, T&T agreed to refunding us a portion of our money. Now, several phone calls later and brushed off with the ‘It’s in the mail’ response, I guess small claim court is the only way.
This is so unfortunate. What makes a business treat its customers this way.

Take it from me, nobody knows T&T Auto better than I do. I have been coming to this place for years and years when I had a $ 1,400 bucket back then. Mike (The Owner) as a person is a great personable individual. That being said, we are talking about cars and the service we receive after spending some $.
Over a decade I have seen this business grow dramatically, which led to hiring more inexperienced guys to work (experiment, learn from your car i.e.), versus Mike doing 90% of the actual work before. And now, he has his grown up kids working there as well. One of them might have gone to Automotive College or some sort. But still,… things are never done right the first time, almost all the time. It’s like a gamble coming here, you may or may not have your car fixed close to good the first time or you might end up with Check engine light, knocking, squeaking sound or leaking coolant or what have you.
Even when you thought you were one of the lucky ones to have your car fixed right the first time, but after weeks or a couple of month, …assuming you know your car well and have some kind of basic knowledge about what you just fixed, you will most likely notice the same stuff going wrong the next day, week or in a few month.
The parts he will replace will not be original, unless there is no other choice on the market, or you bring your own. That’s given. I have seen and heard from handful individuals with check engine, airbag lights that came immediately after a service with T&T. Of course you’ll go back, he might turn it off and it might stay off, but it’s very unlikely it’s going to stay off, and that’s when you will go to the dealer and they will tell you what happened and why it happened and how much it will cost you to fix it. Regardless, do not go for any electrical job here, if you have cars that are built 2000 and up, I recommend you find a certified mechanic with your vehicle, which you can find online, or from Diamond Certified Handbook. My guess, American built cars might be easier to fix for T&T, but if you drive a foreign vehicle, you definitely don’t want to pass by T&T. Please!!! I am saving you time, money and some hair lose ;).
BTW, Mike does not have the know-​how for customer service skills, so don’t take it personal, if he walks away or jumps into a car or a phone conversation and drives off while you are talking to him. After all, Courtesy may also not exist at T&T.

Had a buddy recommend this place as my 97 commuting cream puff needed some work. Not knowing much about cars except that when fluids are leaking or strange noises are heard that it’s probably time to take it to the shop, I dropped by T&T and had the pleasure of meeting Mike. He immediately diagnosed the problem and gave me a reasonable quote. Best part was that they did the work immediately! I double checked prices for similar service while I waited and they were at minimum 30% less. Don’t let the lack of «curb appeal» fool you. This is the place to take your ride!

I needed someone to replace my alternator and had been procrastinating forever because I thought it’d be a big time suck. I went in to T & T on a Saturday without an appointment, brought the new alternator, and within an hour it was done, for the right price.
In the meantime it was a pleasant stroll around Jack London Square and a chance to observe local loft dwellers lining up for fancy shmancy single cup drip coffee nearby.
Yes, it’s a cluttered lot. But that’s not a bad thing. I rate a business by their service and price. I’ll be back.

Yes the yard is full of parts and it seems chaotic but the service is good, fast and cheap.

Mike is a great guy and is very accommodating! I’ve taken my 99 Camry in for various repairs as minor as fixing my door handle, to brakes, shocks, wheel alignment, muffler and tire changing. I’ve never been disappointed with the work, and the prices are so reasonable. As a single gal, it’s important to me to have a well-​running, safe car, and be able to afford repairs/​maintenance.
Mike and his crew are friendly and know what they’re doing! Just don’t expect the frills and you won’t be disappointed.

T&T are fast, affordable and great. I always take my lil 1987 Honda here and Mike is helpful, generous and spot-​on each time. GO! Thumbs up.
Just edited my Unilocal score — Mike and the other excellent mechanics are committed to their work. Very impressed with 100% awesome & personable service. Next door to Blue Bottle Coffee, too! YEEEEE

T&T was great… I simply needed my head lamp changed and was quoted $ 60 at the Nissan Dealership for my Altima. I called Mike cuz he had so many great reviews on Unilocal and he told me only $ 25. I said I would come this evening… when I got here he already knew who I was and what I wanted. He got John (I think was his name) to change my bulb right away John was very nice, polite and realized it was not the bulb but the fuse just by looking at the bulb. I was very happy with the service, and price. I was there for about 15 mins paid and left. Mike has won my service, I will return :)

I’m sure they’re okay for small stuff, the owner is indeed a nice guy, I just would not recommend them for larger stuff.
They changed the timing belt for $ 250 plus $ 300 for a clutch, yes a fantastic price. The car broke soon after due to a clutch position sensor broken on the timing belt job. I paid another for $ 250 for 2 sensors for them to replace it, but not labor since it was warranty work (yes, some shops would not have tried to honor this). I left work early to come all the way down to pick it up. The car wouldn’t even move, it was a wasted trip, grr. After returning two days later, the car worked, but ~1000 miles later and moving down to SoCal it seized up again.
We went to a different mechanic. It was the clutch position sensor. After $ 1200, I was handed the sensor I’d recently paid for, which was not new, but clearly 5+ years old, bent and oozing goo on the side. It’s an electric sensor, they don’t get bent in use. I don’t know what car this part had been ripped out of, but it was embedded in on the other side of 8 hours of labor.
It doesn’t end there. 12,000 miles later the clutch seized up in the middle of nowhere, the car leaked fluid on the highway. Thankfully it wasn’t the clutch, just the clutch line which had melted because it had been misplaced so that it was touching a part which heated up. The mechanic pointed out that even though Honda uses rubber lines, the line had been placed improperly, and Hondas shouldn’t break this way. Thankfully this repair was only $ 150, two tows (one 70 miles), and involved getting stranded for a day and a half.
I should have paid more to have gotten the work done right at a good place, like Campus Auto in Berkeley. That place costs more, but is awesome. I ended up paying way more for T&T’s low prices, not just in money but lost time and pain making up for the clumsy work T&T auto unleashed on our car.
Yes, the owner is nice. Some of the guys that crack open your car, though, are inexperienced, and I would advise against getting complicated work done here. I’m sure the owner lost money on the job with me, then I lost way more on it later. These things happen and are part of owning a business, he handled it with more care than many would have.
At the same time, this place broke my car, charged me for a crummy replacement for what they broke, then installed it deep into the car. I was later stranded and had to pay a lot to get to that part to fix it, then stranded again.
I wouldn’t do that to a stranger, let alone a friend.

Jack London Auto Repair (
) is located in the South East corner of Jack London Square at 333 Webster Street.
The best in affordable auto repair in Oakland.
Open at 7 AM, drop your car off, and take the SF Ferry to San Francisco for the day. Return before 7 PM, and pickup your car.
Yoshi’s is within walking distance, so drop your car off, and have lunch at Yoshi’s. I recently had a brake job completed, on time and under budget. I went to Yoshi’s, had lunch, and the work was complete.
It is unknown if the low price at T&T Auto (really Jack London Square Auto) provided, the ontime service, or the lunch at Yoshi’s contributed to reducing my blood pressure.
Mike actually cares about his customers. He would not let my car off the lot without a break job, since they were sticking. He said it was unsafe.
For the best in Oakland Auto Repair, head to Jack London Square Auto at 330 Webster Street. This recommendations is from a complete idiot when it comes to autos. The deal I have with Mike is that I do not open the hood, and he takes care of the rest.

Not sure If I’d ever wanna get my car serviced here. Went in for an estimate for a timing belt and could barely get to the office without walking into a car. This lot is very small and crammed with cars that obviously haven’t moved in years. Reminds me of the junkyard.
Anyways… I would be cautious of this place since this was the only shop that didn’t recommend doing the water pump with the timing belt, since these services go hand in hand.