Menlo Park Chevron

I just finished a hand-​written thank you note to John and Menlo Park Chevron and was looking for their address when I saw the one star review below. John is so good, and he has fixed so many car issues for our four-​car family that I feel like I am defending a personal friend rather than writing a Unilocal review — yes, he and Menlo Park Chevron are THAT good. They regularly smog all our cars, have replaced brakes and rotors, silenced a crazy beeping horn issue on our ’88 Mercedes (so embarrassing to drop your kid off at school with an out of control horn — yes, it happened to me), and procured and installed a battery for our Mustang GT the SAME DAY we were to deliver it to a buyer (we had gotten into the car and found the battery dead, had AAA charge it so we could limp into John and Menlo Park Chevron — we didn’t want to sell a car with a dying battery — do unto others…) Talk about service! I get that people have varied experiences based on circumstances and maybe even unintentional mistakes, but I have found John and Menlo Park Chevron to always go above and beyond, and at a fair price and within the timeframe expected. Highly, highly recommend.

I dropped my car off around 8am this morning for a smog check, which ideally would have been performed right then since there were no other customers around or occupied service bays, but OK– it’s in a convenient location, so I could come back at lunch. The mechanic is getting into my car to drive it over over to a parking space as I’m walking off. Then he calls hours later, saying he couldn’t do the smog check because the battery ran down on account of how *I* had left the lights on. Uh, if you’re the last to drive and park a car, *you’re* the one who left the lights on. Note: the «ding ding ding» alerted works fine in my car, so it wasn’t like he wasn’t notified the lights were on after he parked. Worst of all, they then couldn’t do the smog check since one of the key engine monitors needs to be driven for ~50 miles to reset after a battery drain, so now I need to drive around pointlessly and go somewhere else where they won’t drain my battery and try to blame me for it.
I’ll grant one star on account of them recharging the battery, making sure I knew I had to drive it a certain distance to reset the monitor, and also because Unilocal only lets you go as low as one star.

These guys are awesome! I went to a few places to have my Yukon smogged, due to a check engine light and they were very helpful! Seriously great service at an affordable price! Cannot get GREAT SERVICE like that anymore on the east bay!!! Menlo Park Rocks thanks guys…

This is the place to go in Menlo Park for auto repair and gas. They go out of their way to be customer friendly with little extras to keep the waiting customer happy,(like their new milkshake machine). Their mechanics are highly trained in diagnostics so you get a full report when you bring your car in for a tune-​up. They are up to date on safety issues and monitor for credit card theft! Plus, you can’t beat the location. Easy in and out. Highly recommend.

I had a nail in my tire and needed a quick fix before heading to work. I called beforehand and arrived around 8:15am. They were done in about less than 15 minutes and I was on my way to work in no time. Very friendly and accessible off of El Camino.

I go here to get my car worked on and the staff is so professional and kind! They always greet you with a smile and do a great job on any work you have done there!

Excellent! Jim, the owner or manager, was a pleasure to do business with. I found a coupon on the establishment’s website for a smog check, the service I needed. I called ahead. Luckily, they weren’t busy. When I went in, Jim wrote me up, asked for my cellphone number, promised to call when my car was ready. Starbucks is a quick two blocks away. He called in less than 45 minutes. What could have gone better?

No way I would trust my car to these people. I went to pump gas but the shutoff valve didn’t work. I ended up with gas all over my car and my feet and legs. When I went to tell them the station attendant what had happened, he told me that it was a continual problem with Priuses and that Priuses had had a recall for that very problem. I called Toyota. Toyota told me there had been no such recall. Since I have never had that problem before, nor have I gotten anything from Toyota saying there was a recall, I believe the station manager lied to me and was very unhelpful. A simple, «I’m sorry, I’ll check the pump and help clean off the car,» would have been the right response.

I have used MP Chevron for many years now. They are helpful, courteous, knowledgable and priced well below the dealer. As a woman, I am always nervous about situations where I do not have a lot of knowledge about how things work. I have ALWAYS been treated with respect and the price is always what they quote. They listen, offer suggestions and have even referred me to another place if they do not perform a specific service.
It’s rare to be treated well and have your service performed on time, on budget and in a professional manner.
The guys here really know what they are talking about and handle each customer with professionalism, fairness and a high level of customer service.
Over the past 8 years I have had my tires fixed (repaired, replaced and checked), oil changed, smog check, and help with engine light.
It’s the best place to get excellent service, quality repair and great customer service.

Menlo Park Chevron replaced a clutch on my 10 year old Honda. After about 6 months, the clutch started making odd noises and I brought it back to have the problem diagnosed. I was told that the clutch needed to be replaced and that they would take care of it at no charge. Only reason I am giving them 4 stars instead of 5 is that I was unware that they didn’t use Honda parts the first time, but I am very happy that they agreed to replace the faulty clutch with new genuine Honda parts this time, and will even provide me with the invoice for the new parts. Clearly the aftermarket parts are not as good. It’s very important to me that they use Honda parts since my old clutch lasted 137, 000 miles before needing repair. If they do work on your vehicle, be sure and ask that they go with manufacturer parts. I have taken our vehicles to the dealer, but the lower cost and convenience of Menlo Park Chevron keeps me coming back.

I have been taking my car (and previous cars) to Menlo Chevron for over 7 years. John, the owner, is awesome. He always remembers me and is very honest. When I have something small, he never hesitates to fix it quickly.
I have never had the dealer call me to explain what is happening with the car. John, on the other hand, always does. The only problem is that the other guys in the shop aren’t as service-​oriented as John.

The station is super clean and John P. is a really nice, professional guy who does his best to please. I’ve had no problem getting all my cars smogged, quick oil changes and flat fixes here. He can get pretty busy, so call ahead for an appointment if you can.
If you have any kind of an emergency give this Chevron a call first, if they can’t help you, they’ll suggest someone that can.
My only gripe is when Johns gone for lunch no one mans the desk, and you could be waiting for a while before you get help.

I’ve been coming here for the past 6 months and they’ve just done a fantastic job every time. I have an older car so it’s not the easiest to deal with but John has provided such great customer service and has not disappointed. I[m glad I found this Chevron to bring my car too because it’s convenient as I work just a couple blocks down. They always have great coupons and deals online too!
As for the other reviewers who have bad reviews, I think when you call and constantly ask them about their deals and promos, it’s going to get old and annoying for them when you CAN just visit their website. Their job isn’t to tell you every single deal of the day/​month, so do your research and if you have additional questions then call or stop by. That’s just my $ 0.02!

Horrible service with borderline competence of mechanics. Completely unprofessional owner who is disengaged from his clients. First, he doesn’t honor the AAA discount because he «no longer participates in the program». The problem is that he didn’t bother to call AAA to cancel the contract and took advantage of the referrals from the AAA website until I complained to AAA. I think all his team is capable of doing is routine fluid changes like the oil. I can’t tell you how much time and money I wasted with these folks. At least John P., one of the mechanics, was willing to take a second look without charging me for a brake problem that was made WORSE after the first ~$ 400 visit. Even after a second visit to Menlo Chevron, I still had to take the car to the dealer who fixed it with a very simple re balancing of the front tires. For the second car (which I left with them before realizing the persistent problems with the first car), a driver’s side window problem continued despite a $ 400 replacement of the entire window motor. John P. was once again willing to address the problem for free, but the owner, John C., overruled him and wanted me to fork out another ~$ 320 to fix a problem that, in my opinion, his mechanics didn’t properly diagnose and fix the first time. According to the owner, I had two problems. First, the window motor blew AND then the window switch blew a few days after the motor was replaced. Of course, his mechanics had nothing to do with this marvelous coincidence. Generally, if their repair fails, they blame the part to protect themselves from having to reimburse you for their incompetence. Consistent with this is a complete lack of documentation of what was done on the follow up visit in order to cover up their tracks (my second visit invoice just said «check brakes»). Do not waste your time and money with this repair shop. I took my cars to this station out of convenience and because of their AAA seal of approval. I paid a huge premium for absolutely no convenience. I am not sure how they managed to obtain AAA approval. They certainly do not deserve it.

I love Menlo Park. Have worked and lived there before. Since it’s right next to Atherton it is swirling with Ladies Who Lunch and the Horsey Crowd. I laugh because moving from San Mateo to Menlo Park means that I have to kick up my morning walk ensemble so that I don’t look like Riff Raff from out of the area. LOL!
My baby needed some Petro and there was MP Chevron. I have a card so I tend to go to Chevron more than other stations. As soon as I got out of my car I noticed how *clean* this station is and the lovely, soothing music playing overhead was a nice touch. Premium was $ 2.39 a gallon which I wasn’t crazy about.
Sorta Stepford in MP at times and that’s how this station was. I’m sure I’ll be back!
:)

I’m giving this station two stars hoping I just caught someone on a bad day. I called them today to get information about their oil changes, and this was the conversation we had:
Them: Menlo Park Chevron
Me: Hi, how much do you charge for an oil change?
Them: Do you have internet access?
Me: Um, yes?
Them: Go to
:Click:
I’d like to point out that their website has no prices. And I had already checked it before I made the phone call.

This gas station is always there to help me out. I get gas here, but I am always impressed with the service aspect of the station. The mechanics will often check little things out here for free which makes me come back for other services.