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Sept 2009
Hello BPN,
We just purchased a used Subaru Outback Wagon and we are looking
for a reliable, honest and affordable dealer or shop to get the
car serviced. We have heard nothing but terrible things about
Subaru Albany so we are wondering where everyone takes their
Subarus to get serviced.
Thank you!
rachel
We had a Subaru until recently for many, many years (got so old
it finally had to be junked). We took that car, and now the 2
Toyotas we own, to Dana Meyer Auto Care
on San Pablo, just down
the street from Albany Subaru.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/dana-meyer-auto-care-albany
They're really nice people, do good work, and we've never felt
uneasy about the work they've said needs to be done.
anon
Art's Automotive: www.artsautomotive.com
Kendra
High Street Auto in Oakland, on the border of Alameda. They are
EXCELLENT mechanics and offer great customer service too--transit
to the Fruitvale BART, detailing the car if it repair time is
longer than quoted, internet in the waiting room, plus it's right
at the High Street bridge, a pleasant walk into Alameda.
They fixed an engine growl that the mechanics at two places in
Berkeley said were normal (but I knew wasn't), found the reason
why there was a rattle in the door, and more. My Subaru had never
run more smoothly or efficiently.
441 High St
Oakland, CA 94601
(510) 532-5332
KD
June 2009
Hi everyone,
My husband and I are relatively new to the area and need a
recommendation for a mechanic experienced with Subaru cars. Our
'99 Forester is making some strange noises from one of the wheels
and there is smoke coming from beneath the car (my husband thinks
there might be an oil leak).
Can anyone recommend a trustworthy mechanic?
Thank you!
Lisa
I have a '99 Forester too and have had great work done by
Oceanworks 2
(in west Berkeley, on Carleton at 10th). I had had
another mechanic investigate one problem last year before I
found Oceanworks 2, and they gave me a disturbingly high
estimate; Oceanworks 2 found and fixed the same problem for much
less. Recently they worked really hard over several days to
diagnose a persistent mysterious problem with the cooling
system, and charged me a very reasonable rate for the repair
given how much time they spent investigating it and pursuing
various solutions. Chris, the owner, is extremely easy to work
with -- considerate, patient, thorough, and friendly. It's a
fact of life that a 10 year old car is going to need more in the
way of repairs, and having found Oceanworks 2 has made me feel
confident about our decision to keep making the old car last
rather than buying a new one at this time.
Good luck.
Katie
If you can take your car to SF, you can't do better than
Action
Auto. Run by Robert, the place is a combination of high quality
service and sterling reputation. I'd happily leave Robert with a
signed blank check for him to fill out when the repairs are
finished.
I also drive a Subaru and service it at Action Auto:
2040 17th Street
(between Kansas St & Vermont St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 487-1210
He can understand a budget, and limit repairs for cost, but will
clearly explain the potential consequences. He will never let
you do anything unsafe. He will fix things other mechanics have
screwed up, and not chastise you for ''cheating on him'' out of
convenience. :)
When I first started going to him, I met a guy who had his car
up from San Jose, and I couldn't understand that. But after 15
years with Robert, I do now. I've lived in Marin, SF and
Berkeley in that time, and I use Robert b/c he's the best and
most honest mechanic I've ever met.
Good luck,
Car runs well
Oct 2007
In addition to Unitech in Berkeley, are there any other Subaru repair shops,
preferably in Oakland?
Stuart
I have a Suburu Outback and Mazda truck, found Art's Automotive
on this list, and have never ever been happier with an auto
repair shop. They are friendly, as well as exceptionally
competent and well-organized and responsible.
Here's a fun story, an example of something that I can't
imagine any mechanic or shop I've ever gone to doing. I had a
totally oddball problem with my rear windshield washer last
year- they'd never seen or heard of it before, but thought
they'd most likely find the answer either in the fluid tank
and/or pump or inside the back door panel, and gave me an
estimate of up to $150.
But no explanation either place- they went online to several
sites where mechanics post and share solutions to unusual
problems, but nada. So they called me and asked permission to
remove the interior panels and follow the tubing to look
further for the explanation at no charge to me, just because
they'd become so curious about it. Of course I said ''sure'',
but they found nothing! I was ready to call it into ''Car
Talk'' when a mechanic there remembered he'd once heard of a
similar issue with a Mazda sports model that Mazda solved with
a little in-line valve.
They said, ''we can try out a work-around by retrofitting your
car with this valve, and if it works we'll charge you the
$150., if it doesn't we won't charge you anything for any of
this''. Well, it worked!
They are in Berkeley, on San Pablo right near Ashby, 540-7093.
Cece
Art's Automotive is on San Pablo, just 2 blocks north of Ashby.
If you work in SF you can take the AC Transit bus into the City
form Ashby and San Pablo. They are very honest and reasonable,
IMHO.
Just don't try for an appointment on the day I need one, okay?
Anon
I like Art's Automotive in Berkeley on San Pablo Ave. Not too
far from Oakland and might be well worth the trip.
good luck!
rosie
June 2007
Am looking for a good repair place for a Subaru Forester in the Berkeley or Richmond area. Am unhappy
with Albany Ford Subaru dealership. Recommendations? Thanks.
jbee
Art's Automotive on San Pable near Ashby! I found them on this list, take my Subaru Outback
and Mazda truck to them, and think it's the best auto shop I've ever dealt with hands down.
Cece
I have been going to Bunta at Unitech
(753 Folger) just behind Ashbey Lumber. I started
with Unitech 11 years ago when I had an Isuzu. Then I got a Subaru and after a year of
going to the dealer, was delighted to realize Bunta took care of Subarus as well. He is
reasonably priced, honest, and high quality. I wish he could take care of my new Toyota -
I've asked him to consider adding Toyotas! He is really just the best!!!
Phone number 510-843-9118
My husband's business, Dana Meyer Auto Care fixes Subarus.
They've been in business for 30+ years with a great reputation.
648 San Pablo Avenue, Albany, 2 bl. north of Solano ave.
The number is 527-1938.
June
I have to say that I disagree with the posting recommending
Dana Meyers auto care.
While we were initially satisfied with our service there, for a couple years, our recent
experiences were not as good... when we went to have a hatchback lid repaired (one strut
broke), my wife was told, when she came to pick the car up, that the struts only came in
packages of two, and we had to replace both-- which, of course, doubled the price. And,
they never cleared it with her first. When I brought our other car in for a computer
problem (body control module), I had a lot of trouble dealing with their counter person
who couldn't tell me how long it would take to order the
part and held our car for a couple days before telling me the dealership couldn't get
the part for them. Dana Meyer Auto Repair may have been good before, but we're not
going back.
Jim
I'm responding late to this message, but: for years we took our Subaru to John Wansick
at Fairmount Auto, right by the BART station in El Cerrito, 510-524-0313. We've used him
for all scheduled maintenance and for the occasional problem-fix as well. He's done a
great job with our car, and really takes the time to figure out what the problem is
before starting to do any work (and therefore costing you money), so that he gets it
right the first time. Our previous mechanic had been taking shots in the dark with a
brake vibration issue we were having, but we took it to John and 14 later, problem
solved, never to recur again. He does a great job of explaining stuff, too. He's
friendly, his prices are reasonable and his hours and location are both incredibly
convenient -- you can do your shopping in El Cerrito Plaza while they work, and he'll
call you on your cell phone when it's done. I'm responding about our Subaru, because
that's what you said you have, but he's definitely not
limited to Subarus -- we recently got a new Mazda, and will be taking it to him as
well.
A happy customer
Jan 2007
Has anyone securely installed a Britax Boulevard rear-facing in the
middle seat of their Subaru Forester? We have an '03 Forester
and the car seat technician wasn't able to secure it in the
middle (with the seat belt that comes from the top rear and/or
the lower anchor). It's currently installed and secure behind
the front passenger seat but I guess I'd just prefer it installed
in the center.
gemma
I have an 2003 Subaru Forester too and when I tried installing my
Britex Marathon (rear-facing) in the middle it didn't work also,
so I sympathize with you. It has been 2 years now and I think
being able to use the latch system on the side was a safe
alternative, and it wasn't as hard on my back (reaching in to
carry my child in and out). Now I actually have 2 Marathon's
forward facing in my Forester and my big problem is not being
able to sqeeze another adult between the 2 car seats! - Best to you.
Courteney
Oct 2006
We are ready to upgrade our Honda Civic, which has been so cheap and easy to
repair, to a 4 wheel drive used Subaru Outback or a BMW 3 series wagon. We are a
family of 4 and now that the kids are bigger we will be skiing on a regular basis and
would like a car that is good in the snow but not a huge SUV. I was initially
interested in a Subaru since my inlaws have one and while it drives and handles well
I'm not impressed with the quality of the interior and they have had quite a few
problems with it. I have been doing some research and for not much more money
we could get a used BMW 325 (2003 or 2004) and from what I've read they have
high ratings for quality, safety, comfort etc. The question I have is it expensive to
maintain a BMW and are people satisfied with owning one?
I made that same decision 5 years ago, BMW vs. Subaru (vs.
Passat/Jetta wagon, etc.) I got the Subaru and haven't really
enjoyed it that much. I have numerous relatives who have the
Subaru and love it, but I've found it annoying mainly because the
clutch constantly ''burns'' when I go into reverse. The mechanic
said it is my fault, but this never happened in my old Honda
Civic or in my husband's BMW. I had to get a new clutch after
19K miles, whereas my Honda's first clutch lasted 75K. Also, the
Subaru gets pretty abysmal mileage, 19 or 20 in the city.
When I test-drove the BMW it was of course much more fun to
drive--better acceleration, more sporty, etc. On the downside,
it seemed to have quite a bit less cargo space, and cost about
10K more, so we went with the Subaru. I loved my husband's BMW,
but did not love the repair bills--they were huge, even for
something like an oil change it was ridiculous. So that is
definitely a consideration.
Good luck
Will be trading in the Subaru for a hybrid mini-van, some day
I've had both cars, and I'd vote for the Subaru. I loved how my
BMW looked, and I liked how it handled, but AWD is great, and
you will also get better mileage with the Subaru. I found both
cars to be reliable, but even just routine maintenance on the
BMW is easily twice as expensive as for the Subaru. It sounds
like your only concern is the quality of the interior - I'm
sure the BMW interior is nicer, but if you are using the car on
ski trips and with kids, won't the interior get wrecked up
anyway? My BMW's sure did and I don't even ski.
Fran
Feb 2006
I have a 2000 Subaru Outback. In the back seat I have a Britax
Roundabout for my 18 month old, and a booster seat for my 5 year
old. It doesn't seem that there's room for another booster, yet I
would love to be able to fit something so that I can occasionally
transport another preschooler. Has anyone found any booster or
carseat products that will fit? Thank you!
debra
Curious to see what you hear back. I tried and tried in a '98 Legacy with no
luck. The
only thing that fits is the little booster without a back, placed in the
center. But, our
car doesn't have a shoulder belt in the center, so it wouldn't work for us.
If you have a
center shoulder belt, it should work - and they're only about $20-30 for the
small
booster seats.
Resigned to a minivan...
I don't have a Subaru Outback, but I have been able to fit 3
carseats in the back of a similarly-sized Ford Focus. The trick
is to find the right carseats. There are 48'' across the back
seat of my car, meaning 16'' per carseat. I took my measuring
tape to the store and used a combination of a new high-back
booster, a hand-me-down toddler seat and the infant seat I
already have. While at the store, I did confirm that there are
new toddler seats available at 16'' wide. It's snug and it's
kind of tricky to get the seatbelt in for the booster seat, but
it's a lot cheaper than buying a minivan.
Practical mom of 3
yes, yes, yes. i didn't see the original post, so i don't know
how old your kids are. we fit a britax roundabout, a britax
marathon and a graco seat that's made for
toddlers/preschoolers. it's snug, but it works great. we have a
2003 - it's the same model/size, etc. it took my husband a good
hour to install all of them, but i'm so happy to be able to
keep our beloved outback.
anon
Nov 2005
Hi --
Anyone know of a Subaru repair shop around the downtown Oakland
area. I'd rather take it to a smaller shop rather than a dealer.
Any recommendations?
Dan
Recommended:
Unitech
June 2005
We recently tried to install a Britax Marathon rear-facing in a
2001 Subaru Outback, and could not get it secure in the middle.
We had to resort to the outboard position using the LATCHes, but
I would prefer the seat be in the middle. Per Subaru, you must
use the lap belts (not LATCH) in the middle. But the plastic
''clamps'' on the carseat that are supposed to hold the belt
tightly in place do not hold it. I called Britax, and they do not
keep records of their seats' fit into certain car models. Subaru
refused to opine. Two Berkeley police ''seat checkers'' were as
puzzled as I was. Were any of you out there with my seat and my
car able to get the seat installed in the middle and pass a ''seat
checker's'' inspection? If so, I'd like to discuss how you did it.
Thanks!
kate
We have a Roundabout, not the Marathon, but we have had the same
problem in our Subaru, with the seatbelt not staying tight in the
middle of the back seat. Our solution was to use those big metal
binder clips from office supply stores to hold the belt tight -
two of them for extra security. I don't know if that would pass
with the carseat checkers, but it definitely keeps the carseat
really securely in there.
Jen
Our Subaru Outback was great until we had twins. We lasted with
the two carseats in the back for 18 months and then we purchased
a Toyota Sienna. There was just no way to comfortably (or
legally) sit a third person in the back row. I understand that
Saturn is coming out with an AWD minivan next year if you want
the AWD option you've had in your Subaru and don't like/want the
Sienna. Good luck.
Not a sardine either!
2002
I installed the britax seat facing rearward in our legacy wagon. It's not
an outback, but my guess is that doesn't matter.
The britax comes with a loop of webbing that can be used for this purpose.
I looped the webbing around the fixed support for the front passenger
seat. It does not go on the actual seat, which moves, but on the part
fixed to the floor.
I believe I removed the bolts that support the seat rails (two), put the
loop in, and then replaced the bolts.
We can still move the passenger seat forward and back without interfering
with the tether.
The seat is very stable, much better than the infant seat that we had.
One of the employees at Rockridge Kids (on College Ave.), who has some
training for installing britaxes, said that my installation seems very
sound.
Adrian
We have tethered two Britax roundabouts in our Subaru Forrester with a simple
extra strap (that came with the seat) that loops around the seat leg where
it is
bolted to the floor. Your seats have to be bolted to the floor and I can't
believe
the seats are that different. If you want to ask me some more questions.
Dana and Josh
We have a Britax roundabout in our subaru outback wagon and we currently
have it tethered rear facing. We bought it at Rockridge Kids and they helped
us install it and tether it. Essentially, you can tether it rear facing by
tethering under the place where the front seats go forward and back. I don't
know what that part of the car is called, but the tether will loop under
where the front seats meet the floor. I'm sure if you go by Rockridge Kids
they'd be happy to look at it and help you figure it out. Just takes a
minute. We've found them to be unbelievably helpful in making sure our car
seat was installed properly. Good luck!
Jana
We have a rearfacing Roundabout in our Outback as well. Go to Rockridge Kids
and get a Britax Tether Connector Strap. Wrap it around the seat frame, on
the floor of the car, of the seat in front of the carseat and attach the
tether to that. Ask Christian at Rockridge Kids to show you if you have any
questions, he was extremely helpful when I had the same problem. When your
child turns around to face forward, get a tether hook from your dealer (the
newer model cars may come with these included), and attach it to one of the
three anchor points at the back of the car.
Steadmn
Susan
We have a Saturn sedan (SL1) and a Suburu Legacy wagon. In the Saturn we had
our mechanic install a bolt in the floor of back of the car for when the
Britax seat was rear facing. The Saturn dealer put a bolt in the back shelf
(under the back windshield for when the seat is front facing as it is now.
We just purchased the Suburu which is a 92. A mechanic ordered the bolt from
the dealer and installed it for less than $20.00. The bolt is in the back
somewhere but does not interfer with the opening and closing of the hatch.
The owner's manual of the car includes information on location of
installation. We have traveled with the Britax car seat and just did not
anchor it. It's not as safe as anchoring, obviously, but seemed just as safe
as some anchorless seats. Hope this helps.
July 2004
Does anyone have a good Subaru-authorized mechanic?
Perhaps you can share your dynamite mechanic with me?
Thanks.
Sharon
We've been really happy with
Fairmount Auto (on Fairmount in El
Cerrito, right by the BART station, 524-0313) for our Subaru.
John, the owner, is very nice, and he is always very forthright
about what needs to be done vs. what could be done. He provides
a lot of information in a manner that I can understand, his
prices are better than where we used to go, and he's always been
done with the work on time. We go there even though it's not at
all close to our house, but he opens early (we've dropped off at
7:30 am) and the location right by BART makes it convenient for
us.
Anne
May 2003
We have a 2000 Outback and the time has come for our 50K mile
full tune-up shebang. Could someone give a recommendation for an
East Bay or Peninsula Subaru dealership they have had a good
experience with? We will NOT go to Downtown (Oakland) Subaru on
Broadway.
Thanks!
Jennie
If you want a dealership, I was very happy with Albany Ford/Subaru, where I bought
my car- expensive, but very nice to deal with. But having found
Art's Automotive off
this board, both my Subaru and Mazda go there for everything (even if they don't
shuttle me home!).
Cecelia
Sept 2002
Where can I get a pet barrier for my 2000 Subaru Outback? I'm
looking for the metal barrier that goes between the backseat and
the trunk of the car. I know I can buy one online but I'd prefer
a local company. Thanks,
Laurel
Go to a subaru dealer; they have a pet barrier made for the
subaru. Very solid, made of metal. It is easy to install,
although the dealer can do it for you. You can call and get
prices to compare to online ordering if you desire.
Heather
Aug 2002
Can anyone recommend a good, reliable and reasonable mechanic
(routine maintenance) for a Subaru? We have an Outback, and live
in Rockridge.
Elizabeth
Recommendations received:
Art's Automotive
Autometrics
Jeff Hagan
Oceanworks
RC Imports
Unitech
Marty's Metrix
SOS
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