Howard Ave Radiator

I had some overheating issues with my 70 Dodge Challenger and found the old timers at Howard radiator to be quite knowledgable about dealing with classic car and antique car cooling systems. They can rodout a radiator if necessary or they can just reverse flush a radiator which is safer and more economical. Also received a good tip on how to create an inexpensive mesh filter to trap crud in your upper hose before it gets lodged in your newly flashed out radiator.

Howard Ave. Radiator ROCKS! Rick knows his stuff… that’s for sure! My car was making a rattling noise when the engine was on.
First I took it to Alex at California Auto Works in RWC (who has worked on my car before) to get a quote and Alex told me I had a handful of problems with my car. He «Guaranteed me» all these things were the cause of the noise… with repairs costing over $ 700! I don’t know a lot about cars but I knew his diagnosis didn’t sound right! I took my car to Rick at Howard Ave. Radiator and Rick showed me in about 2 minutes what the problem was and fixed it for $ 139! Noise is gone and I will never go anywhere else now!!! THANK YOU RICK FOR YOUR HONESTY, PROFESSIONAL WORK AND NOT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF YOUR CUSTOMERS… like so many other auto repair shops do. I’ll be back and tell all my friends along the way.

I have a 1995 Nissan 200SX SE-​R. My air-​conditioning wasn’t working and I didn’t know if it was worth fixing.
I happened to visit Rack N Road for a new roof rack, which is on El Camino round the corner. They recommended Howard Avenue Radiator.
I checked out the website, checked reviews and called and they said come in the next day as early as possible, i.e. 7:00 am. I did. As soon as I arrived the mechanic asked me to lift the hood, run the air-​conditioning and he checked the vents and fan were working. The pressure was checked, the refrigerant refilled and the car was ready by 8:00am. There’s a little coffee shop next door for refreshments while you wait.
Prompt service and I paid about the same as I had 10 years earlier for an air-​conditioning recharge at at Nissan dealer. Good work.

I took my Toyota 4-​Runner in because my engine was beginning to overheat. After leaving it at Howard for a couple of hours, they diagnosed the problem as a bad radiator/​fan clutch. They estimated the repair at $ 900! Knowing that a radiator costs about $ 150 and a fan clutch at $ 70, I knew they were ripping me off. I pulled the truck from their shop immediately. I then took my truck to another mechanic who diagnosed the problem (correctly this time) as a water pump. So, not only would I have been in the hole $ 900 for the radiator/​fan clutch (which was not broken!), but I also would have had to get the water pump replaced. I am not sure they even looked under the hood before diagnosing it as a radiator problem. Find another place to go!

I would like to thank Howard Ave Radiator (esp Henry) for taking me by diagnosing and doing repairs on my car right on the spot.
My car would not start, and I had it towed to Howards, whom my husband and I have used for years for repair on all our cars.
I thought I needed a new starter, but Henry came out with a smile, checked my car over, and said all I needed was a new battery. The lights went on in the car which led me to believe it was not the battery, but it was so drained the car would not start.
Anyway, they were able to obtain a new battery in 5 min. and my car was ready to go.
They basically stopped what they were doing, and got me on my way in no time.
It is rare you find old fashioned customer service ANYWHERE, esp in San Carlos, but Howards is the best. We take our cars nowhere but there.
Thank you guys so much. I really appreciate your time in taking care of me. I thought
I was going to have long walk home! :-)

This is the most honest and friendly shop I’ve ever come across. Recommended to me by a fellow who brings all their work trucks there. I was so frustrated by the mechanics I had charging so much and never solving the problems I had. I own a 65 Mustang, 86 Toyota 4W drive, 1998 Lincoln towncar. These guys do the job right, explain the trouble and have surprised me with a repair total far less than expected (than I’m used to paying at the other places). I trust them completely with all my cars. They laughed when I wanted to put WD-​40 to quiet down the squealing belt on my Lincoln, because they knew its NOT the way to solve the problem, won’t fix the squeal. Instead, they were able to align the belt which was difficult because the pulley wasn’t right-​as-​rain in this older car. BUT they fixed it! They replaced intricate parts inside the Toyota oil pump, having to removed practically every part to get to it and didn’t charge me anything major. I was relieved and surprised. I cannot say enough about this place. Lucky to have been referred years ago, I still have money in my pocket, my cars are on the road not in the shop, and I feel safe!

This shop replaced the air conditioning compressor on my car. I learned later that this shop failed to line up the pulley at the front of the compressor with the other pulleys on the front of the engine — a real rookie mistake. A few days later on Highway 101 at rush hour the AC belt came off the pulley because of the misalignment. When it spun off, the AC belt also took out the belts for the power steering and water pump. So, because of the complete incompetence of this shop, I ended up with the AC not working, the power steering not working and the car overheating — on 101 at rush hour. It is almost impossible to steer a car if the power steering function fails, but I’m an in-​shape male and got the car off to the side, mercifully. It would have been impossible for a woman to steer the car. I had to be rescued by AAA. If I could give a «negative star» rating for this shop I would. Buyer beware!

Best by far. Believe it!

This place is friendly and knowledgeable.