XYZ Motors

Xiao has long left this shop that he started and has taken over Autohaus in Moraga. Wherever Xiao goes, we follow. See recent review here:

I had to update my review due to a recent experience. I took my car in around ³⁄₂₀₁₅ due to an engine cooling problem. Chris changed the water pump, radiator, timing belt, and thermostat. This cost me a few dollars short of $ 1,200. Fast forward to ¹²⁄₂₀₁₅ and my engine is burning. Since it was in the evening, I managed to cool the car with water and went to my neighborhood mechanic. He told me he noticed corrosion (green stuff) near the thermostat and he thought that was the problem. I told him it was replaced ³⁄₂₀₁₅. He told me I needed to go back to the shop that did the work because it should not have problems less than a year after replacement. So, I wrote an email to XYZ. Chris, who did the work, replied to my message. He told me their warranty policy (1 year and under 12K miles) and it was still under warranty. The work needed to be done at XYZ but he said his availability was limited. That REALLY pissed me off. Then he proceeded to say that he doubted the problem was the thermostat because you couldn’t see the corrosion near it, without even looking at the car.
Prior to all this, I had only dealt with Huei at XYZ and have nothing but good things to say about the service I received from him. When I first met Chris for this big job, I found him arrogant but I figured he must be a good mechanic because I know Huei likes quality. To deal with this issue, I called and requested to speak with Huei, I told him what was going on (although I’m sure he had already heard it from Chris or read my email). He told me he was not sure it was the thermostat and I said neither was I. I just know that I have an engine burning. He explained that their shop was closed for two weeks due to the Christmas and New Years holidays. I said «What are my options?» We agreed I would have the thermostat replaced by my neighborhood mechanic and he would reimburse me for the cost and he did reimburse me. It’s been three weeks since my thermostat was changed and the car has not overheated so I’m pretty sure it was the thermostat.
My conclusion with all this is that I would NOT take a car to Chris again. I still have great things to say about Huei though.

I found xyz motors on a Google search and was in need of a really good mechanic. I had a saturn that was a project car to be re built. Chris gave good service and was friendly, at first. There was thud that would happen after take off and they suggested do a transmission service without telling me that whatever is wrong with the transmission will only get worse after in a car that’s hasn’t been serviced in a while. I ended up selling my first car because the tranny fell apart after they serviced it. Don’t go here they are not fully honest just good in their friendly customer service enough to rob you of your car in the end.

Impressed with the service and turnaround.
Car needed a diagnosis for starting issues — so after checking out the repair shops in downtown Oakland, came across XYZ.
Was able to get it towed to the shop at 930am, honest diagnosis for a starter replacement and got a quote and had service start. Got a call that the car was finished at 1:30, quickest turnaround for a last minute car fix with no appointment on a SATURDAY!
Thanks Chris at XYZ!

Honest, friendly, quick, responsive. Everything you want in a mechanic!

I have a Honda Accord that needed the front and side engine mounts to be replaced. I was told by Honda Dealership it would cost over $ 700 to be replaced. I decided not to have Honda replace them and instead give XYZ Motors a try because of the price, decent reviews and because it was within walking distance to my job.
I dropped my car off the next morning and it was ready by 12:30 that afternoon. I was impressed with how quickly my car was done.
XYZ Motors did a great job with my car, they were fast, professional and much cheaper than other places in the area. I highly recommend them to others that are considering taking their car here.

Brought my car in for an oil leak and left with half a new motor! I had no idea my engine was spraying oil everywhere (call me ignorant when it comes to cars), but the guys here were nice enough to break down everything that was happening and make repair recommendations. They explained everything very simply and offered a very reasonable price for all the damage being caused by my negligence. The only downside was the parts took a little longer than expected to arrive, but who doesn’t want an extra couple days off work! My car came back in great shape and more than likely to make it the next two years I’ll need it to be reliable. I’ll come back here for further repairs without a doubt. You Unilocalers have done it again!

XYZ kicks ass, the people are so helpful and honest, which seems hard to come by when dealing with automotive repair! They replaced a valve in my Prius for less than half of what Toyota wanted to charge me, and got it done in less than a day on short notice. Really great customer service and price.

Okay, but just okay. Good and bad takeaways.
The work they did seems fine, and the gentleman behind the counter is pleasant and friendly. I have kind of a bad taste in my mouth from the cost, however. I understand car repairs can be costly; the problem is that the things I had done ended up costing quite a bit more than the price originally quoted me.
My 90K service was $ 50 more than the price he had given me two days earlier.
The consequent water pump replacement was $ 100 more than the number he gave me over the phone.
I realize neither of these was a written, binding estimate, but I will be very skeptical if I have future dealings with them.

Update: XYZ does tires now too! Order them online, ship them to XYZ and they will only charge you for labor. :)

After noticing my clutch was beginning to slip I called XYZ Friday daytime to get a quote and see when they could fit me in. XYZ not only had the best quote in the area, they were open on a Saturday which meant I waited a day rather than weeks quoted elsewhere.
I had the clutch replaced all in one day and the car has been running great since! Fantastic service.

Whoa, way to go downhill. Xiao left and it now sucks. Never to go again.
They F-​Ed up my timing belt service so bad I had to take it back. In combination with that there is my 100k service. Everything they didn’t do, like flush the transmission fluid, has come back to haunt my cars insides. 8 months later, after the convenient «6 month warranty» has expired.
Later guys, call me when Xiao comes back and teaches you how to run a real shop.

These guys are great. I bring my wife’s car here for oil changes, etc Lexus IS250 2007

I just need to update my review because it seems there are new owners at XYZ and I didn’t want my first review to reflect the new owners.
Not saying the new owners are bad, just saying I don’t know about their services and don’t want to steer anyone wrong.

Over charged me for parts but probably under charged me for time. Took two tries to get the job right.
Noticed freshly cracked internal headlight plastic cover after I recieved my car. Also battery cover was not put on correctly and hood pop cable was not routed correctly, this combination probably cracked the headlight plastic cover when the hood was shut. I admit that I noticed the battery cover was not fitting correctly before this job, but nothing was cracked and the hood pop cable was routed correctly. Called them on the phone 15 minutes after I got the keys, they didn’t notice any cracked covers. :/

Found my new mechanic. Service was fantastic, Huey is great. Fair prices and quick service.

Highly recommend XYZ.
Actually looked forward to bringing my aging Audi in to Chris and Huei, aside from the money it was costing me. They were always upfront with what I had to do and what was optional, as well as what they saw coming down the line. In the end I sold the car because it needed more TLC than I was prepared to dole out. Now I have a new MINI and when it comes out of warranty I will bring it to XYZ for all of it’s needs.
I trust these guys as straight shooters and partners in my car maintenance.

I always take my Volvo S60 here. They know their stuff and are always looking for ways to save me money. And they’re honest, which made me a client for life.
They pretty much do it all. From tune ups to timing belts, I’ve never had work take more than a day with pricing on par or better than online estimates.

I am now a devoted fan and customer. I had an issue with my undercarriage dragging. I pulled my car in @ 4:30 fully expecting to leave it overnight. Chris told me to hang out for a while, and he would give me the bad/​good news.
He raised the car right away and showed me the problem. He said he would try to secure it with what he had available instead of automatically ordering new parts which can be very pricey. His guy did just that: raised the undercarriage and secured it with their own bolts. I was billed for 30 minutes of labor, and that is all.
While my car was being worked on, I had a very educational and enlightening conversation with Chris. He is now my new hero. He runs a very clean and efficient garage, and he is very straightforward and honest. I highly recommend him and will definitely come back for routine maintenance.

My 2000 Saab 9 – 3 was having a coolant leak and I had been looking for a new mechanic. With the great reviews I thought I would give XYZ Motors try. After multiple repairs (new water pump, new sensors, and a new radiator) my ‘check coolant’ light continues to come on all the time telling me it needs water when the reservoir is full. They have caused further problems with my car by doing a poor work and basically told me I should ditch the car since it will just need chronic work. I would advise anyone to go somewhere else if they care about the quality of work done on their car.
Details:
During the first work (replacing the water pump), they apparently didn’t put every thing back together very well, because the main engine belt came off a few days latter (they did pay for that repair). The coolant light was still coming back on over the next few weeks so I still believe they could do a great job and wanted to give them a chance. So next work was the radiator and another sensor and to my displeasure a couple weeks later the ‘check coolant’ light came back on again yet the tank was full.
When I asked about this issue there reply was, «It’s an older car, so the issue could be many different things.» I agree this may be the case, but I feel scammed into many expensive repairs without resolving the issue. At this point I don’t trust them to know how to fix my car.