Berkeley Auto Repair

*Honesty* My first car was a 1988 (yes 88!) VW Rabbit GTI. Griffin did some modification /enhancements, and the regular tune-ups on it back then (I reached over 250K miles on that car). I now have a Cayenne, and only allow Griffin to touch it for the regular maintenance, tune-ups, and brakes. Terry is a straight forward guy who knows his stuff as well as his team and their work. Enough said - 5 stars

One of those places which leaves you spellbound! I had to get a few mods done for my VW GTI. The job was done with utmost perfection and in a timely manner. Although my assignment was small compared to what they do generally, Terry stayed back late in a Saturday afternoon (when they are generally closed). Apart from the job on my car, talking to Terry was quite a learning experience for a amateur enthusiast like me. The man carries a lot of experience and loves to talk! Stories of his personal experiences left me overwhelmed! The store is stuffed with all kinds of performance add-ons you could think of. I am definitely coming back here for all future mods to my car! 5 stars :)

It's been a few weeks now since Griffin Motorwerke's installed Recaro seats into my VW Westfalia - Specialist M-Grey. Thanks to the team at Griffins, I can say without question the seats are great and exactly what I was looking for! Minor plus: I'm a dog person, wasn't sure how to keep the dogs off the new seats, but the seat fold forward -- NICE!

I recently decided to evaluate Griffin Motorwerke when I was having some issues getting an appointment at my other shop. I am glad I did. Terry the owner took a very personalized approach to taking care of my problem as well as the rest of his staff. I would also like to say that this shop does have a bit of colorful personality, so if you are an uptight individual that is used to going to the Mercedes Dealership it might not be the place for you. On the other hand if you want to go somewhere where service is met with a more relaxed professional approach I believe this would be a great choice. Terry is a character, and in my book that is a big plus, much more interesting than some uptight individual. Also he is a genuine nice guy who is passionate about provided the best in Class service for Mercedes, BMW, VW, and in my case my beloved Volvo C30. Terry has exceeded my expectations and I am very pleased to have found them. They have a new loyal customer, and honestly I am hard to please.

I don't trust hardly any shop with my 2005 S4 Audi Avant, but Griffin is one I do. i'm surprised by the number of low ratings here, but I know cars are very complicated machines. What often seems causal is simply random failure. Just because you had the car in the shop last week, doesn't give it some protective force field to prevent all other failures. That would be nice, but there is no car karma. In fact, fixing one problem could lead to another... If you add new wider rims and tires, you are putting more stress on the suspension and steering parts, not to mention you will be breaking harder, since you now want to drive faster... So plan on some new control arms, thicker sway bars and larger break calipers and rotors. In trouble shooting car problems, it often takes a bit of hit or miss. It's not always as black and white as many would like. You have a slipping belt. Maybe it's old, the tensioner, or maybe your engine is throwing oil and it's going to be a much bigger problem. Knowing your car and it's normal noise/sounds is a good way to help and work with the technicians at Griffin. I've been to them for a couple of strange noises and we were able to identify and replace the parts rather quickly. By fixing the small problems before they became big problems, I probably saved a bunch $$$. The fuel filter/pressure regulator was causing the pump to make a strange noise. It's much cheaper to replace the filter than a pump or injectors... If you are looking for a shop that is passionate about their work, you've found it. They have strong opinions about cars, parts and politics. If you are timid and looking for a soft-touch, PC, salesperson, you might be better off at the dealer. Hanging out in the shop or show room is definitely not PG-rated, so leave your kids at home. Terry and his crew are not racist, but realists. They grew up in Berkeley and know what tolerance is. They also understand the cliques that exist around certain car brands and models. A car is often the extension of a person's personality and identity, and that's the way they treat it.

I've been going to Griffin Motorwerke for a number of years after a recommendation from a gear head co-worker. I've received great service each visit. The one thing I really like about this place is that it seems like a place where the workers really want to work. Terri, Curly, and others are there because they enjoy their work. I was waiting for some paperwork and watching the interaction between the Staff and the mechanics. It was fun to watch as it seemed they were all working hard to solve a mechanical mystery and collaborating while they worked on an issue. I'm an engineer but not a gear head. I'm always interested to see how technical people interact with females. I feel that's another plus of this shop. I never feel talked down to. I had a recent issue w/ failing a smog test due to fault codes. I had my theory about a few things. Talked to Curly about it and he explained technical details to me just as I believe he would have talked to anyone (gear head or not). So, that's another plus in my book. Their new shop is really lovely and nice. Much more convenient then the old location. I've recommended friends to Griffin and will continue to do so.

Very helpful and knowledgeable staff. They gave me a great price on my Recaro Speed seat as well!

This is the place to go if you want your car to get the best service with knowledgeable, no nonsense people! They take better care of my car than the high end dealership!

You guys rock. Car emergencies happen and when my car broke down recently on a road trip, these guys really helped me out. Terry is great. I will always bring my car here from now on. Thanks!

I can't speak to all the recent negative reviews but from my experience Terry, Curly and the rest of the crew down at Griffin Motorwerke has been nothing but fantastic to me over the 4+ years I've brought my 2007 S4 to them for work. These guys really know cars especially Audis and their passion and care really shows for it. Yes their rates can be expensive but hey you get what you pay for right? The team down there has never tried to rip me off and has always given me honest advice whether it was regarding repairs or installing a wicked downpipes and catback system. Yes the team there can be blunt but their downright friendliness and honestly quickly warms up on you. And anyways I'd rather them be blunt and honest with me than nice and exploitative. Griffin recently moved and though I haven't checked out their place yet, looking at my previous experiences with them I'd highly recommend Terry and his team for service or performance upgrade... heck I'd still be going here if it wasn't for the fact that I'm now in the South Bay.