Independence Auto Service
2415 Old Middlefield Way, San Jose, CA 94043, us
(650) 964-2033
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About this shop
- Hours
- Specialties
- Specializes in Transmission workSpecializes in Brakes and MufflersSpecializes in Engine Rebuild work
- Loaners
- No
- Notes
Score card
They are always honest | 5.0/5 |
They are competent | 4.9/5 |
Their repair price is reasonable | 4.8/5 |
They complete the work in a timely manner | 4.9/5 |
They respond well when they screw something up | 4.9/5 |
They take the time to explain the problems and necessary repairs | 4.9/5 |
They treat male and female customers in the same manner | 4.9/5 |
They are always honest | 5.0/5 |
I would use this mechanic again | N/A |
I would recommend this mechanic to others | N/A |
They fix the problem the first time | 4.7/5 |
The shop is located in a safe neighborhood | 4.4/5 |
The hours of operation are convenient for customers | 4.5/5 |
They are near public transportation (or provide loaners, shuttle bus, rides as needed) | 3.7/5 |
Reviews
Jun 08, 2006
This shop has worked on all three of our Honda/Acura. They
really know their cars, and can explain it in a clear and
reasonable way. I had an 89' Integra, so really needed
their help for quite a number of small problems. I have
not gone to any other shop for the last 7 years since I
found these folks.
Aug 05, 2006
I recently had an oil change done here which included a free
40 point inspection with a coupon available in the Palo Alto
newspaper.
I arrived when they opened in the morning and was out within
an hour. They offer a free local "shuttle", but I wanted to
be there to ask questions about the inspection results. The
owner was that rare combination of friendly and professional
in answering my questions. He gave information at a level I
could mostly understand, and was polite; he was not in the
least condescending to me as a woman. He was patient even
though I was car-ignorant and question-loaded. :)
Most importantly, they did not invent any unnecessary work.
At some shops, they exploit your ignorance to exaggerate the
need for repairs or even break things to fix (I have had
this happen elsewhere.) Of course, free inspections exist so
that mechanics can identify additional repairs or
maintenance to recommend. Here, the only added expense was
an airfilter, which they simply showed to me while pointing
out that it was dirty (it was). In addition, he went over
his recommended maintenance schedule for the future. The
only extra charge was a $2 environmental disposal fee (for
the oil, I presume).
Based upon this one experience, I would definitely go back
there.
Jan 11, 2007
I moved to Delaware recently, and one of the things I miss
most is taking my car to Independence Acura. Seriously! I
took my cars in to Vladimir for YEARS, even for oil changes,
and he is always respectful, patient, and kind, the work
always gets done promptly (and correctly, the first time!),
and the price is always reasonable. His shop is one of the
tidiest I've ever seen, and all his employees are charming.
Someone will drive you wherever you need to go while the
work's being done, or you can hang out and wait. My whole
family takes our cars there. My favorite story about
Vladimir, that to me truly illustrates his integrity, is
that a few years ago, my 1997 Honda Civic was losing its
transmission. Vladimir verified this, and called me to ask
me if I still had a warranty on it. He told me it would
cost about $4000 to replace, and that he didn't want to do
that to me--he suggested I take it to the Honda dealer to
have them replace it for free, under warranty. You can
imagine what happened at the dealer--they pretended to fix
it, didn't, and I had to make them really fix it.
Fortunately, it was free--but it was Vladimir who really
helped me out, and I always compare his ethics to those of
the dealer. If I could only find a mechanic like him in
Delaware...
Jun 06, 2007
The shop does great work! They're very good at diagnosing
non-standard problems. They're very easy to deal with and
will squeeze you in their busy schedule in an emergency.
This is a great place to take your car to if you know
little about car mechanics. Vladimir (shop owner) is very
very good at explaining problems with complex car systems
in very simple terms that anybody can understand.
This the only shop I ever go to because I can count on them
to do quality work every time at a very reasonable price.
Jan 10, 2010
I'm very, very satisfied. On one occasion when Vladimir
couldn't figure out what the problem was, instead of
"trying", he told me I needed to see a Dealer. This cost me
nothing. Three cheers and 5 stars!
Nov 22, 2010
I like to work on my cars myself. Always have, always will.
But when I don't have the tools or the time, this is the only
shop I will bring my car to. It helps that owner is a former
engineer rather than a Devry dropout!
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