Dave & Lou’s Service

I am so very pleased to report that Rafael, the mechanic, is amazing at his job. I have a 2003 VW Passat that has been giving me «check engine light» on and off problems for almost 3 years. Some mechanics would just plug in that code reader and replace the most obvious code. Finally, I decided to take it to a VW dealer auto shop to solve the problem once and for all. Big Mistake! They charged me $ 200 for just the diagnostic report, which I knew was bogus (would have been at least $ 2,000 and still would have not fixed the problem!!! They were telling me to replace a part that I had replaced 2 times before due to faulty reads on the CEL and lazy mechanics. Anyway, i picked up my car from there and declined the service (the sales guy was not happy about this). I decided to bring my car into Dave and Lou’s out of sheer convenience from working nearby. I had heard good things about Rafael but I didn’t know he was this great! After about a week of leaving my car at the shop for him to work on, he actually FIXED my car! It was cheaper, accurate, and well-​worth the wait!
Now, every morning I get behind my steering wheel and don’t see my engine light lit up, I don’t thank the Lord, I thank RAFAEL! Thank you Rafael! You are truly an amazing mechanic and know your craft well! On top of all this, he is a very personable, friendly guy. Highly Recommended!

When I had a quote and requested work order I mentioned I want synthetic oil
Next day found out it’snot. It’s gonna cost me another 130 $
Dunkeys!!! It’s a 213 car. It is synthetic

They have very kind staffs. I heard strange noise from the engine and temperature sensor failed. It was Sunday when the body shop was not open. The staff here named John helped diagnose the issue and gave good recommendation though the body shop isn’t open. I could leave my car here and let them fix it the next day, but as I live in the south bay, he said it would be better to tow the car to nearby body shop. They were really kind for the time I was staying there. I felt sorry because I messed up this place with leaking coolant. They were still very kind to me. The shop is also very convenient, too.

Just got on Unilocal and I would like to inform everyone that this station is NOT CLOSED and has not been. This error has been reported to Unilocal and it will be removed.

I called because my tire was leaking air. The woman on the phone was incredibly nice and got me in half an hour later. They did the work in about half an hour and even saved the nails that were in my tire so that I could see them. The prices were very reasonable and the work was great. I will be coming here for many more car related things from now on.
Thank you!!!

Excellent, Honest Service. Pleasant employees and owner. Gas slightly more expensive, but they do (as others have said) wash your windows, check your oil, etc. Repairs at very competitive prices, and you don’t have to worry about the quality of the repair. They do a great job and care about what they do. I will not go anywhere else!

After calling around from rude place to rude place I finally called this place and was pleasantly surprised. The woman was very helpful and pleasant. Based on this alone I recommend them to any and all in need of tires/​car repair.

Dave is one of the last full service gas stations I can find, Sometimes it’s not as easy for me to get out of my car. Dave beat’s me to the pump every time. Good man !

«Hi, I’m buying a used car and I wanted to see about bringing it in and having a mechanic inspect it. Do you do that?»
«…no…we don’t do that.»
Fail.

Yes, they wash your windows for you.
No, they do not carry cigarettes.
The window thing is really nice, but I like to kill two birds, so will likely drive on from here.
I hear their mechanic service is awesome, so yay.

I’ve taken all my cars there for over 20 years and have never had a bad experience. These guys are great and their service is amazing. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for an honest, reputable mechanic

I hopped on to Unilocal today to get the number for Dave and Lou’s because I lost all of the numbers in my phone and its time to call Dave for another repair to my fleet of commercial trucks and my personal vehicles. Was nice to see so many great reviews for this place because they truely deserve it. I was surprised to see a 1 star review so I am stopping in the middle of my day to write this review in response to the 1 star review of Robert B.
I am a contractor here in Pacifica and I have been a customer at Dave and Lou’s for 5 years and have had many repairs done to my vehicles and countless tire repairs due to construction and dumpsite nails and screws.
It is disturbing to see misinformed reviewers slamming one of the last honest and reliable garages left in this area. Let me start by saying this,
Dave and Lou’s has always charged the same price for tire repair, done it correctly (this includes removal of the tire and plugging it from the inside) and I have never had a repair fail. I have even been in one time thinking I had a long screw in my new tire, and it turned out the screw was is in the thicker portion of the tire was short and didn’t penetrate the tire enough to warrant the repair. The tire was taken off the rim, inspected tested and remounted by Dave and Lou’s free of charge while I waited.
If the beef here is referring to the term «illegal», Robert B. has a point and the staff of Dave and Lou’s may have used the incorrect wording in their response to the dispute. There is no «law» governing tire repair. There are however industry guidelines, studies and recommendations by the Rubber Manufacturers Association that many reputable, honest tire companies and repair shops follow for consumer safety and liability reasons. This is part of doing business thoroughly and honestly. Businesses that have the best interests of their customers in mind shouldn’t be subjected to scrutiny as a result of misinformation.
Robert B. should be so lucky that he brought his vehicle into Dave and Lou’s. There are many service stations that will charge 10 $ for a needle/​thread type patch inserted from the exterior of the tire which is the incorrect way to patch a tire and has statistically failed and cost lives and money in lawsuits. If Robert B. wanted to save some money and patch his bald tires he should have gone down the road to Kragen picked up the very same needle/​thread patch kit for 5 – 7 bucks and done it himself.
Bottom line, Dave and Lou’s is one of the best, most reliable, honest establishments I have ever encountered as a person and as a business owner they are invaluable in keeping my vehicles maintained, safe and on the road.
Thanks for reading this far down. For more information on tire patch guidelines I have cut and pasted and excerpt of the RMA guidelines below their website is helpful for consumers,
:
THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXCERPT OF THE 2011 RMA GUIDELINES
Longstanding industry guidelines for passenger and light truck tire repair are now more easily accessible to tire professionals through the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) Web site.
In addition to a wall chart of step-​by-​step, industry-​recommended tire repair practices, RMA offers the information in a free, downloadable format. A tire repair video news release and a consumer-​friendly information sheet also are available.
«Faulty or improper repairs may result in tires placed back into service that are at greater risk of failure,» says Charles Cannon, RMA CEO and president.
A 2006 RMA study of more than 14,000 scrap tires found that 17% of tires had a tire repair. Of that subset, 88% of the repairs were improper.
Among several criteria to perform a proper repair are:
* Repairs are limited to the tread area only (no sidewall repairs).
* A puncture injury cannot be greater than ¼-​inch (6mm) in diameter.
* Repairs must be performed by removing the tire from the rim/​wheel assembly to perform a complete inspection.
* Repairs cannot overlap.
* A rubber stem, or plug, must be applied to fill the puncture injury and a patch must be applied to seal the inner liner.
Earlier this year, a California jury awarded a $ 14 million judgment against an auto dealer for improperly repairing a tire that eventually failed and contributed to a fatal van crash.
«Consumers need to know that to ensure their safety; a proper tire repair takes more than ten minutes and $ 10,» says Cannon. «If someone tells you that, you should take it somewhere else and have it done right.»
RMA’s wall chart is available for purchase at
. A free version of the chart can be download here. A one-​page, consumer-​friendly tire repair fact sheet also is available.
For information about training programs, visit the Tire Industry Association Web page at
.

This place is great.
First of all the gas station is the last place i know of that will actually wash your windows while you there.
As for the mechanic aspect — they are great for basic repairs and services. The staff is great, understanding, quick and honest. The real kicker though is they dont screw you over and try to charge you for every little thing, in fact it is the only auto place where I have seen a service cost LESS than the estimate. That never happens.

I have been to a lot of mechanics, but this place really stands out. All of the staff is pleasant and friendly. They seem sincere and honest.
If you come for gas, they wash the windows… and are friendly about it.
If you come for service they are accomodating, they explain every step, they finish on time and (for me anyways) under estimate.
If you are local they will drive you home while your car is there.
And they are friendly about it. What more can you ask? Gas, tranny, brakes, check engine light… you name it.
I have been here for many needs and never left unhappy.
Would never hesitate to recommend to anyone. Hooray for Dave and Lous!

Dave & Lou’s is the best! I have had many excellent experiences there. Here’s what happened today. I drove in and asked if they could change the oil. They were booked but scheduled me for tomorrow. So I left my car there and was given a ride home, for free. Three hours later I got a call that the car was done! AND, the bill was less than the estimate. This is the kind of thing that happens all the time at Dave & Lou’s. They are the BEST!

This is one of the few gas stations left in California where someone will wash your windows when you come in for a fill-​up.
I stopped in yesterday and had just a small amount of cash on me. I told the attendant not to bother because I would only be getting a couple of gallons of gas. He said, «Listen, if you come in just to buy a soda, we’re still going to wash your windows.»
Nice! I like these people. They have good gas prices, too.

This place is a great place to have your car worked on. The staff is friendly and helpful and they always get the work done fast.

You couldn’t find a better place to take your car for gas or servicing. Just a good old fashioned philosophy to provide honest, great service to anyone stopping at their station. Businesses of all sorts could learn about customer service from Dave & Lou’s

We don’t live that close and will still have our cars worked on here. First rate all the way. You will not find more honest, helpful mechanics anywhere.
The owner must brief the employees on good customer service, because every time we drive our old clunkers in we are treated with the same courtesy and respect no matter who is working.
Just wonderful. I hope they are there forever!

I noticed something was different about this place the first time I stopped for gas and while I was pumping an attendant ran over and washed all of my windows for me (without even hitting me up for some $ ;)
Since then I’ve also had work done on my car here and they’ve always done a great job. It’s nice to find yet another cool local business like this to give my money to instead of spending it «over the hill».