Precision Tune Auto Care

I’ve been taking my SUV here for a few years to get the oil changed. It’s pretty cheap and we enjoy the sushi restaurant across the street. A year ago this summer they told me I needed new brakes. The woman who is always at the desk quoted me a price over the phone and I shopped around and found that they (Precision Tune) was the cheapest. When I came back she quoted a price that was more than $ 75 what she originally quoted me. When I told her that she gave me the original/​cheaper price. I shrugged it off and continued to get my oil changed there. The brakes work fine and the mechanic was a nice guy.
Fast forward a year later. I brought my car in for another oil change. The engine light was on and for around $ 40 they hooked it up to the machine to figure out what was wrong. When I came back she told me my transmission and engine were falling apart. She honestly seemed giddy to tell me this. When I was leaving the mechanic was politely telling my wife how he could work on it over time to spread out the cost. She (the woman who’s always behind the desk) came out and told the mechanic she already told us what was wrong with the car. The mechanics all seem like nice guys and I doubt anyone of them would recommend spending more money on repairs than what the car is worth. So that, along with her escalating brakes quote the year prior, influenced me to get a second opinion.
I took my car to Warren over on Old County Road. He hooked my SUV up to the machine (for free) and immediately told me my transmission was fine. He did some further inspecting, kept it for the night and found that it was just a few loose coils and a valve that needed to be replaced. The car is running as well it ever has since bringing it to him.
I really don’t believe that the mechanics at Precision Tune are dishonest. They seem like nice guys and like I said I have no complaints about the brake job they did last summer. It was later in the day and close to closing so maybe they just gave my SUV a cursory glance and trusted the computer instead of getting a hands on look; I don’t know. I do know that if had I listened to the woman behind the desk I’d be out thousands of dollars instead of less than $ 500.

Stopped by for an oil change a few weeks ago. Anthony, Joel and Mr. February were super awesome, the service was fast and the price was great!!!
It’s nice to know there’s a shop in town where you can trust the mechanics to give you good honest advice.
Two thumbs, I’ll be back!!!

Alan and Joel were great. Great customer service and they were quick and very professional. Highly trust worthy and they informed me well with all my different options. Come to Precision and they will take great care of you. Thanks guys for getting me back on the road.

I went ahead and took my vehicle in yesterday because the rpms were going up and down in my vehicle. I paid $ 500 dollars for a repair that wasn’t even fixed. They said that it would be another 500+ to fix the issue which didn’t make sense. I was also getting mixed answers on what they did to my vehicle from the mechanic and the person that was ringing me up. I did raise my voice a little because who leaves their car there for two days, they tell you it’s fixed and the same problem persist. I gave the mechanic all the information on my engine which he should of been able to research himself, and the problem still wasn’t resolved. The owners wife also told I hope you get karma in your business?! Which really ticked me off because I paid for a service that wasn’t resolved. They were kind enough to refund 500+ in fees because realistically they were at fault! Please find another mechanics place. A customer should never have to go through what I went through. Let me add my car was a Honda which the new mechanic that I took it to found out what was wrong in 10 minutes and it wasn’t the idle control valve sensor like they said.

Do NOT take your car here… or go there and feel infuriated that you did and leave a bad review like the others

Drove by this morning and saw a sign for «$ 18 oil change». Went back a couple hours later when I had a break and was told that the manager said to put away the sign. The old bait & switch. The place was empty… you can’t honor an ad that was outside just an hour ago? Ridiculous.

I can’t review their service, however I found myself in a situation where I needed to borrow a pair of pliers, and the gentleman working there was extremely nice and helped me out.

I came in about 45 minutes to closing and they started right away! No waiting… the bay area gets so busy, this was the only place I could find. And I saved $ 3 on the job for checking in on Unilocal!Good price too!

I drove by and saw a sign advertising that they do oil changes but couldn’t see the price. I called up and asked how much oil changes are and the woman on the phone said that they don’t do oil changes. Yes, I’m just as confused as you are.

GREAT OIL CHANGE!!!
Loved how I showed up to this place an they did my oil change in 15 minutes, not to mention the price was very low. Before coming to this place I took my car to jiffy lube around the corner from this place but recently jiffy lube stripped my oil drain plug witch caused it to start leaking oil. The mechanic at precision tune auto care replaced my oil drain plug at no charge. What else could I have asked for. They’ve earned my business.

Awesome! I came her for the first time today and i love the service here! I just came in and asked them for an oil change. They gave me a estimate and told me 45 mins. I left for 25 mins and then my car was done! Love the fast service and that the estimate was exactly how much it cost! Will be going back when necessary!

I wanted to update my review for Precision Auto Care since I have used their service many times now. I also wanted to share with you that they do a great and honest job. Plus, with every Unilocal «check-​in,» you get $ 3 off!
They do everything here from basic oil change, to major tune up, to replacing break pads. They’re also a full service mechanic and very knowledgeable with Japanese cars. They told me that my 23 year old Acura will probably last for a long time. It probably will since I only drive it to take my dogs out to the beach and the dog park! I only have about 170,000 miles on it. Don’t get me wrong, interior is shitty, but heck, it passes smog with flying colors and… my dogs… «doesn’t give a dam!» LOL As long as it gets them to the beach… that is all they care about!
Precision Auto Care is located in downtown San Mateo on 3^rd Avenue, and only a few blocks away from Philz Coffee. Yes, you can drop your car off here, and enjoy a cup of Philz, and catch up with your Unilocal,all while your vehicle is being worked on.
I really enjoyed my last visit here chatting up with the husband and wife team. They are so nice and really go out of their way to provide each customer, a personable experience. Best of all, when you come for an oil change, they will also look underneath your hood, and note any preventive maintenance care needed in the future.
Until then, Cheers! ~ :p

Brutal… These guys ripped me off. It was the holiday week where most other mechanics where on vacation so i had no real alternatives to these guys as my car was broken down a block away from there shop. I went for a new alternator and installation which is pretty straight forward. These guys installed an inferior part (rebuilt after market alternator) and charged by $ 265 (before tax) for it! what a joke. Further they didn’t even replaced the belts which after spending $ 100+ in labor you would think this is the least they could do.
These guys are brutal and will take advantage of you if they can. It’s unfortunate that they would be the epitome of a sleazy mechanic trying to rip you off. Stay away from these guys!!!

Despite what Unilocal!says, they are open on Saturdays!
I will say I decided to give this place a try because of their reasonable prices. They did a great job in a timely fashion so I have return and will continue to return. I have premium oil which at most places will cost me a little over $ 100 just for an oil change. Here I am paying almost $ 40 and about $ 50 to also have tires rotated and fluids topped off.
I also enjoy the location! Close to a few food locations, gas stations and 7 – 11!

Their staff is very rude.

Actually, my parents stopped taking their cars here because they felt the business was shady. Being told by your employee that «groupon is just bait» and is for «cheap people» is still 100% accurate. I noticed that after my visit and review you offered the same groupon for a lower price.

Took my 2012 Rav4 here for a 30,000 mile service. They quoted me $ 200 over the phone after I told them the year, make and model of my vehicle. The price sounded reasonable, so I made a weekend appointment. Once I arrived, the price suddenly jumped to $ 285. Still cheaper than the $ 520+ the dealer wanted, so I opted to keep the appointment despite the 30% price increase.
Roughly an hour and half after dropping my car off, I received a call that my front brakes needed replacement. The quote was for $ 220 for new brake pads and rotor resurfacing. Most cars don’t need rotor resurfacing/​replacement until the second or third brake pad change, so this threw me off. Due to this, I elected not to get my front brakes replaced. I received a brake inspection with my 25,000 service at the dealer. After getting home from my 30,000 mile service at Precision Tune, I found the paperwork for my 25,000 service and discovered that all brake pads had 8 mm left on them at that time. The chances that my front pads wore enough to go from a healthy 8 mm to merit replacement in just 5,000 miles is phenomenally small. Unfortunately, it seems like Precision Tune was attempting to sell me new brakes and a rotor resurface at a time when my car clearly did not need them.
A few other developments disappointed me as well. The sides of my doors are upholstered in cloth. Once I received my Rav4 back from Precision Auto, I noticed the upholstery on both my doors was stained in multiple spots with black grease/​oil splotches. This occurred because the mechanic did not clean/​cover his hands before touching the inside my car. I will now need to get upholstery cleaner to rid my interior of the unsightly markings Precision Auto’s mechanics left behind.
The mechanic also broke my glove compartment while replacing the cabin air filter and didn’t bother to fix it. In order to access the cabin air filter in my car, the glove compartment needs to be disassembled. Thirty minutes after getting my car back, I went to retrieve something in my glove compartment, and the whole thing slammed down because it was broken. Frustrated, I immediately called Precision Auto to see when I could swing by so they could fix it. Nobody answered, so I left a detailed message with my callback number. It’s one week later (to the day), and I have yet to receive a call back. I finally gave up, located the schematic for my vehicle’s glove box online, and fixed the assembly myself. Turns out the mechanic failed to reassemble the glove compartment’s internal hydraulic arm mechanism. The good news is that I now know how to completely disassemble and reassemble my car’s glove compartment and replace the cabin air filter.
Overall, my experience with Precision Tune left me feeling irked. Despite their better-​than-​dealer pricing, I will not be returning here for further service/​maintenance needs.

Everything you want in an auto store with incredible prices to boot.
I came in for an oil change and every other place in the area wanted $ 47 to change the oil in my 2009 four cylinder Hyundai Sonata. That’s ridiculous! $ 50-​$ 80 is what you’d pay to get an oil change for a high-​end European import not a simple four cylinder car. Precision Auto Tune did it for $ 18.95 no coupon nothing that’s just the regular price!
But in addition to giving me a great rate they were incredibly friendly and helpful.
Alan and Letty initially told that there would be an hour wait then they said ‘no I think you can squeeze you in and get you out right away’ and they were nice enough to do that.
They did terrific job I’m incredibly happy with them I would come here again and again.
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One more thing to note — -
Had I gone for the $ 40 oil change option that would’ve included, get this, the oil change itself plus tire rotation and a brake inspection and topping off all my fluids and the air pressure on my tires. So for less than other companies want to charge for just an oil change they would’ve done all that.

Thanks Allen for the great job.
We’ve been working on this car since June, and finally 6 months later pretty much changed everything in the car.
He helps us, and worked around our situation. Very flexible.

THEY RUINED MY CAR!!!
I had a 2003 Nissan Sentra. I had a private mechanic for years taking care of my car, but I was stupid and didn’t search for a good one to replace him when he decided to close his shop. I found this place by chance. I started going for cheap oil changes, because I found their coupons in the newspapers.
Oil changes became bigger car repairs. It’s over two years now since they ruined my car, so it’s going to be hard what they did exactly but they did a coolant flush and some other things that «needed» things. Also, after they did their «repairs,» my car began to overheat. They said to bring it back. They looked at it and didn’t find anything wrong.
Long story short, because I took my car for repairs to them my car overheated and died.
I have a new car now and I AM NEVER going to take it there.
If you have a car, NEVER take it there or any other Precision Tune Auto Care. They’re just going to ruin your car.
Also, they’re pretend nice there. They’re really a-​holes.
This is my first review. I had to write this review to warn people.