San Francisco's Japanese Auto Repair Specialists

I'm yet to pick my permanent mechanic here in SF, despite having lived here for 9 years. I gave Pat's the business this week when I needed a pre-purchase inspection on my fly new ride.The place has a good vibe, they processed paperwork efficiently, and called me with the results very quickly. The items found were communicated to me in a decent manner and I feel confident that I'm aware of the condition of the car.The only knock against them is price - $150 for a PPI is expensive. I'll take the new car to them for it's next service, at which point I'll come back to this review.

I love Pat's garage. The first car I ever bought was a subaru wagon. I loved that car, and Pats helped take good care of her. Everyone there is so friendly and nice, and honest. I completely trust them and wholehearted recommend them to anyone. I ran into one of their mechanics on the street last week and I give her a big hug. I recently sold the subaru and bought a Volvo, and had a moment of sadness knowing that I wouldn't be back at Pat's anytime soon because they don't do Volvos.

One of Pat's guys, Rich Young, is a mechanical genius. He can fix anything and does so with a passion so it's not even like work for him. If you asked him the Office Space question of what would he do with a million dollars? - his answer would be to work on cars. He is the Criss Angel - Mindfreak of auto mechanics in how he will just amaze you with his encyclopedia of knowledge on everything Honda, Hybrid, Subaru, Paintball gun, and Filipino food.

Pat's Garage earns my top review. I have been going to Pat's for 4 years and they have always taken such good care of me and my cars. I have never been cheated or lied to or even treated like a dumb non-educated car owner. I have attended the car class and it was stellar. Pat always comes out to say hello no matter how long it has been since the last time I came to visit. He is committed to being clean and green. Making sure that he is keeps up with green business practices. Liz is amazing. One heck of a smart strong woman! Auggie is a true craftsman. He explains things to me like he thinks I actually understand car speak. Most mechanics won't even take the time of explaining anything to you. I have found my car repair shop for life. Sure it may seem that they are overcharging but it is only because they give you real estimates. Most car shops quote a cheap price to get the job and by the time their done there is a 30-40% mark up for additional services they forgot to mention at the time of the quote. Trust me save your time and your money and get some quality work done on your car. My car is happy after yesterday's service and now I can go on my road trip without any worry. Your car will thank you for it!

A day in March. I had dug into the metal on my brakes, because the dealership that had last serviced my car said I didn't need to worry about the brakes for a long time. Augie and the boys at Pat's fixed all this and did the 180,000-mile service the same day I brought in the car. He called me, explained everything, had all the parts in stock. They fixed stuff I didn't tell them about, like now the emergency brake is nice and tight. The car now gets 5MPG more than before I took it in. This weird thing the engine would do at low RPM, it no longer does. The car runs better than it did when I bought it four years ago.A hot day in June. My car gets stuck in the FoodsCo parking lot because I can't turn the key. The steering-wheel lock is stuck. The tow-truck guy tries it, and says a piece inside the ignition lock has broken. Augie explains to me all the disassembly and replacement they have to do. What a pain over some tiny part. OK, I say. During the day, Augie gets the idea of just trying a new key. It worked. No part had broken after all. I was outta there for $60.Best garage I have ever, ever been to.

How do I love Pat's Garage? Let me count the ways:1. When I brought in my old car to have the rusted-out muffler replaced, they told me I needed to take the car off the road, because the frame itself was rusted through (thanks, East Coast road salt) and no longer safe to drive. Wish my previous mechanic had mentioned that two months earlier before I DROVE FROM BOSTON TO SAN FRANCISCO in a car that was no longer safe to drive. 2. When I was shopping for a replacement and was seriously considering one used car in particular, they ran a Carfax report on it, found out the car was salvaged, and then popped it up on the lift and showed me that the entire underside was mostly Bondo. Saved me from a very big mistake, they did.3. They have never overcharged me, oversold me, or underestimated me. Augie always explains exactly what needs to be done, the most affordable way to do it, and what I can get away with putting off for another year -- and he doesn't condescend to me just because I'm a girl.4. The new location is a short walk from Just For You Cafe, which means you can drop your car off for minor maintenance, go get a delicious breakfast, and then stroll back just in time to pick up your keys and drive home.ETA:I don't drive much, so I sold my car on 5/24 and joined Zipcar. But my last act as a customer was to call the garage and have Pat talk to the guy who bought my car and answer any questions he had. If I buy another car, it'll be a Honda, and I'll be taking it to Pat's Garage.

I'm totally amazed by the fact that Pat's offers a free car-care class for women. I showed up for the 3-hour session one gray morning after hearing about it being voted "Best Mechanic" in the Bay Guardian's Best of the Bay 2006 poll. Over the spread of hummus and fruit and crackers and juice, I overheard Pat telling another participant (who appeared to be a regular customer) that he'd skipped his yoga class that morning to do the workshop. The other mechanics strolled in and, in a very laid-back, approachable, informative way, took our small group of women around the innards and underbelly of a car to show us everything from how an engine works to where exactly to pour in more windshield-wiper fluid. Some useful practice on changing a tire and explanations of what all those crazy dashboard lights mean, too--like, if "!" pops up, that doesn't necessarily mean your car's about to die on you pronto, at midnight, in the middle of some deserted street as old newspapers blow by or something. Could very well just be that your gas cap's loose, but if the light's still on even after you've tightened it, the car's computer has to cycle through a couple times to register that the thing's been tightened and, in the meantime, the "!" will stay on, freaking you out. Anyway, interesting info, and handouts galore to take home, plus a tire-pressure gauge and a logo t-shirt (though I'm not sure they do that every time).Pat, Liz, Augie, and John were all down-to-earth and I have to give 'em props for taking the time to offer a class like this. I hope they build it into a series and can eventually offer more in-depth workshops, even if it's at a charge.

Gotta Honda, Subaru or hybrid? Bring it to Pat's. Experts in keeping your car running smoothly and they will not recommend unnecessary repairs (they even can recommend what repairs you can put off to help with your budget). Although they are not always the cheapest, sometimes you have to pay a little extra for quality, and they will not install the wrong part. Which has happened to me at other places. Twice.

I really hate mechanics. As a natural procrastinator, I tend to let it get really bad before I deal with it. Owning a car for me is a recipe for disaster.Enter Pat's. I have a honda, and don't intend to buy a domestic car until they figure it out, which might be a while, if ever.Pat's has been taking care of my car and my wife's car for almost 9 years. They have always been honest with me, and they have provided great service without fail.I have on occasion had a conversation with someone at the garage that I didn't really enjoy, but in those cases, I believe that my best interests were being considered by Pat's. If you have a Honda, this is your place. The new office is kind of out in the middle of nowhere, but it is worth it.

Got Honda? In the unlikely event it breaks, this is THE place to take it. (Hondas never die. They just need to visit Pat's, once in a while.)