Planet AutoWerks

June 16, I brought my 1996 Turbo 900 Saab in because the CHECK ENGINE light was on. Steve (the owner, I think) in the office hooked-​up the diagnostic machine and told me that the «direct ignition» was on the blink; that the car might die as I was driving or just not start up. «It’s an easy repair; takes a couple minutes but the part is $ 495.»
I paid them $ 198 to fix the passenger-​side front window, and felt the trust in my car draining away. I also felt like he checked me out – measuring me up. I also felt his smile was fake, so fake. Sorry.
I had a suspicion, so today June 18, I brought the Saab to Ed’s Autohaus at 980 Harrison. They hooked-​up the diagnostic machine and then looked around under the hood. «There’s nothing wrong but you probably have a leaky valve somewhere. And there’s a hole in your muffler.»

These guys can do it all! Iv’e asked them to preform work on Honda’s, Toyota’s, Buick’s, Acura’s and Chevy’s. They took them all in with no hesitation. Very professional and dedicated to getting you back on the road. Thanks, Abraham and Steve for running a trust worthy shop in the heart of the city!

Just left the auto shop. I really liked going there. Steve helped me and explained very well the answers to my questions. I don’t know jack about auto mechanics, but he explained it in a way I understood it, lol. I will definitely be going there again.

After taking my 1995 Saab here for years, I was recently shocked to find out from another shop that these guys completely missed the broken struts. I mentioned all the clunking noise I was hearing and Abraham road tested it and had the audacity to report that he didn’t hear anything. Time for a hearing test? The other shop instantly diagnosed the problem as well as a check engine light code which they have been trying in vain to fix all year. So, not impressed anymore and I would say go elsewhere for better diagnosis. The Jay years may have been better.

This was my first visit. It was great to find a shop that understands SAABs. I had a simple problem, a burned out headlight. I had gone to Big O Tires when the other headlight burned out and they charged me $ 150. Total amount at Planet Autowerks under $ 10. Yes, you read that right. Abraham is great. They have my business forever.

Is it possible to be in love with a car repair shop? Well, I am. I cannot say enough about the level of service and the professionalism of these guys! I have gone twice now for various repairs /​service and they have been truthful and fair about the work that needs to be done on my saab. Their work is completed in a timely manner and when my car needed service they were quick to get me in the next day and gave me a reasonable quote. They also called when the work was done and offered an explanation as to why the issue occurred… clearly they know what they are doing! Not that I want to go back often, but when my car starts acting up again I’ll look forward to bringing her back in!

Absolutely the best auto shop I have ever been to!
Steve and his team are incredible at what they do, and their customer service is top notch. The pricing is very very fair, and they are honest and thorough. I’ve been a number of times for everything from small issues, to full inspections, and I feel very comfortable with their suggestions and their help. They always offer to explain the issues and solutions thoroughly.
Definitely make this your auto shop — fantastic people and their work is top notch!

Steve and Abraham are always great about getting me in on short notice when something (inevitably) goes awry with my Saab.

Bought a deal for an oil change, full engine inspection, and car wash. I called a number of times with no pick up. Called and got someone but ‘technically we are closed so I don’t have access to the computers’. «Well could I bring it in tomorrow or the day after and wait»? ‘We’re really busy lady, just call back’. Called again — «Let me see, we’re all booked up until after the deal expires, you shouldn’t have waited so long». Eventually after threatening to Unilocal and complain to Groupon — I was told (by presumably the owner) he could fit me in half a month later — as a favor.
Got my car back — dripping wet. — «Good to go».
«Well,… how does the engine look»?
«Good to go»
… … ‘Ok’. I am pretty sure he hadn’t glanced at the engine– left with a water covered car — fail. He also suggested multiple times that I go to Starbucks or a café around the corner. Wonder why.

I like taking my car here because I feel like I can trust the guy who runs Planet AutoWerks. He’s always really nice and professional.

I read some of the poor reviews here just now, and I had to put in my 5 stars. I love Planet AutoWerks, formerly Planet Saab or Saaab depending on who was asking. I have found this shop to be honest, straight-​forward and extremely accommodating to my schedule. On more than one occasion, I had to call for a last-​minute oil change and minor service — typically the day before or the morning of a long road-​trip. The man who answers the phone was more than happy to squeeze me in. He is very straight-​up about car repairs and he always takes the time to answer my questions.

My wife and I have been taking our Saab here for years. They are always straight with us and do a great job at a fair price. They’ve even told me on the phone how to fix things on my own (like when I had to remove my radio to get the security code to re-​set after I let my battery die — go figure). For some reason, it’s been getting harder to make an appointment there (maybe too many Groupon promotions?), but we’re going to keep taking our Saab there as long as it’s still running and they are still open! Maybe they can get an online scheduling service to help them out with some of these angry Unilocalers?

I got a groupon for a car wash and oil change at planet autowerks. I trashed it due to the unnecessarily hard process of just making an appointment. Maybe its because I had a groupon, but these people could care less about my business,

Hands down, the greatest Saab (if not Auto) shop I’ve ever been to. And I’ve been to quite a few over the past few years… thank you expensive Scandinavian habit.
I took my car here on two occasions. Unfortunately, those happened to be within 48 hours of one another. Fortunately, it was not due to something caused by the shop. After my battery died, they took a last minute request (literally 30 minutes before I brought the car in) to take a look at why my car wasn’t starting, and fixed my battery in a matter of hours.
The next day, I noticed a few lights came on and then my car began to slow to a halt. Turns out the alternator was shot, or at least was about to die. With a tow truck that was +2.5 hours late, I didn’t get a chance to arrive to the shop until 7:30pm. Now, should you look at their scheduled hours, the shop is only open until 6pm. When I arrived, one of the staff, Abraham was waiting to make sure I arrived safely. I have NEVER in my life had someone go so far out of their way to make sure that their customer felt safe. If this doesn’t speak to the quality of a shop, I honestly don’t know what would…
They in turn replaced my alternator within a day’s notice and charged an incredibly fair price. She runs beautifully now. Thank you Planet Saab, you truly are a lifesaver.
To all the individuals frustrated with timing on their Groupon/​Living Social purchase — I want to note that you purchased one of perhaps several thousand coupons and are calling to schedule an appointment at a small shop with two staff members. If you have to wait several weeks, please be patient. They manage an excellent shop and put a bit of TLC in everything they do. Don’t expect a rush job or next-​day service on an oil change that will probably turn minimal profit. If you want quick service, try the Jiffy Lube around the corner…

This is my first Unilocal review, after reading its reviews for years. The terrible service at this place deserves a terrible review (in addition to all the other 1-​star reviews for the same reason)!
I bought an oil change through Living Social and have not been able to get a hold of anyone. I’ve called nearly 3 times a day for 2 weeks with NO response. No one has called me back and I’ve only reached a voicemail.
I showed up one morning at 7:30 and met the owner at the door. He said he was booked for the week but could give me a call if anyone canceled. He never did.
This is unprofessional and beyond frustrating. I will take my business elsewhere.

I purchased a deal on Living Social in June 2012 for 3 oil changes /​3 car washes. Since then, I’ve called every Monday to try to schedule an appointment. I either get:
1) the most generic machine message saying that no one can answer the call. it’s completely unlike any professional business’s answer, which leads me to believe that they would rather avoid customers who contact them and leave messages.
2) the manager, who says that they are all booked up for the next couple of weeks, and that i should try next monday.
then, I see that they are advertising on Groupon and Unilocal,with similar deals.
The scammy thing is, that when the deals expire, the deal value transfers to full price, and doesn’t expire, so it benefits Autowerks to not honor these deals.
This is particularly scummy insofar as these guys advertise a discount to veterans — I’m a veteran, and it’s disgusting to remember that there were indeed scumbags in the military who would screw you over to benefit themselves, while invoking the aura of being a fellow soldier.
I can’t speak to their service, as I haven’t experienced it, but now that I have a trust issue with them, it’s hard for me to feel comfortable leaving my vehicle in their hands.
A reasonable expectation would be for them to contact anyone who leaves a message and propose an appointment time — this is something any reputable service organization would do.
I blame Living Social for this bullshit as well.
Mostly, i blame myself — I will watch out for future deals like this, especially where services are involved, but it’s always a good reminder to not get caught slippin’. thankfully, it’s only for $ 33 bucks.
Obviously, this is a pattern. Hopefully, new customers will take note.

I met Jay at Planet Saab years ago when I owned a Saab and lived in San Francisco. I appreciated his exceptional work ethic and attention to detail. In the years since, I have moved to Marin and still use him. I have trusted Jay and his team with my Porsche and Audi. I don’t hesitate for a minute to recommend him to anyone who asks if I know an honest and reliable mechanic in the San Francisco Bay Area. When my Mini’s warranty is up, I’m taking her to Planet AutoWerks formerly Planet Saab.
Thanks Jay and Team for all your hard work!

Planet Saab has long been the go to place for Saab fixing in San Francisco.
Jay and the guys always take special care of you, and they make sure your Saab is in great shape. Every interaction I’ve had with them has been professional, easy, and affordable.
How many other car places give you a car wash with your service?
I’ve actually suggested to friends that they should get Saabs so that they can take them to Jay. These days though they work on other brands as well such as Subaru, and BMW.
While they don’t do everything they have hookups within the local community.
One time I needed a front window so I dropped off my Saab at the Planet and they took care of everything for me. Their location is conveniently close to the 101 ninth street exit, and parking on Dore street by their shop is free. Another cool thing about them is that their phone number spells Saab which was handy before I had it programed into my cell.

LAZY and slightly inconsiderate. These guys did some major work on my car, which required a test drive (more on that in a sec). I asked them to check my brakes (but didn’t tell them that I was hearing a LOUD metal-​on-​metal sound whenever i hit the brakes). They said they routinely do a full safety inspection, and when i got the car back, he told me I had 25%-30% left.
Really? Yes, if you looked at the brakes from the outside, it did look like about 30% left. But the inside was totally worn out. What happened? I can only guess that they were so lazy they never bothered to take the wheels off to give it a decent inspection like they told me they would. Why didn’t they hear the obvious metal scraping sound? They either did and couldn’t be bothered to deal with it, or their mechanics just don’t give a crap (I had the brakes done later that week and was there when the other mechanics took the wheels off and gave it a decent look — pretty obvious).
Yeesh
(BTW, the «inconsiderate» comment was due to them putting on a license plate frame advertising their business on MY car, without asking if it was OK). Now I have to get a hex wrench to get it off.

I scheduled an appointment for this morning at 7:30 and was surprised when the doors actually opened at 7:30. I just got a used Saab and wanted to change the oil and have them take a look at the vehicle. Steve did a great job getting the service done and giving me a realistic over view of the car and maintenance work that was going to be needed in the future. He told me the timeframes of when he thought the service was going to need to be done by and also gave me the prices for the future work. He was cool and professional and made me feel comfortable. I will definitely be back next time.
To top it off, when I came to pic up my car I saw Steve outside washing my car. Seriously… does this really happen? Well… it just did, so thank you to Steve and the rest of the team at Planet Saab. Keep making the customer #1 and people will keep coming to you!