Four Star Automotive Inc

Four star has maintained my truck and now my RV, the brakes felt mushy, the master cylinder was replaced and all break pads were scuffed (they had glazed), the brake fluid replaced and bled, now when I go to stop I can feel the RV coming to a stop, thank you’s
For keeping us safe

Santa Monica BMW charged me $ 200 for initial «diagnosis» only to tell me that they would require an additional $ 900 to fully diagnose electrical problem. Smelled a rat. Took my car to Four Star. In one day problem solved for just over $ 800. Should have come here first.

I’m a Four Star Auto veteran customer because I have NEVER been let down in all the years. I’ve been through many cars in several years and each one has done time at Four Star for various problems. No matter the problem Four Star properly identified it, fixed it and got it back on the road. Bruce the owner, and Jeff have auto repair knowledge beyond belief, integrity, and great people skills. After all these years and with the respect I have for them I don’t even question things. When there’s a mechanical problem, I don’t fret. I drop off the car, describe the problem and pick it up when it’s done. There aren’t too many businesses let alone auto repair places I can say that about. Thanks Bruce & Jeff! You’re the best!

I’ve been a customer of Four Star for over 10 years, and have used them exclusively to maintain and repair my pickup and my wife’s BMW. My truck is 17 years old and my wife’s car is 12 years old. With Four Star’s quality maintenance I’ve never had a reason to replace them. I trust them totally with my vehicles. I could not recommend them more highly.

Excellent folks. My 22′ RV’s serpentine belt broke on the highway to SFO late at night. Brought it in to Four Star the next morning — after picking up a compatible belt at AutoZone the previous night — and they had it up on a lift in less than an hour, gave my partner and I an estimate a short time after that, and drove us to the BART station for a day in San Francisco. They called me a few hours later, and before 5pm we were back on the road.
Jeff and the others working there were friendly, professional, and kind. I’ll be bringing my RV back there whenever it needs service, and I recommend you do the same.

I have been bringing my SUV to Four Star since the 1980’s. I first found them while working in Brisbane. I was able to drop off my vehicle, get a ride to work, get picked up at work and taken back to the shop. Great service. Even now being an independent contractor, I would drop off my vehicle to be serviced and fly out of town for work, picking up my vehicle on my return. When during business hours, I would get a pick up at the airport. Besides all the customer service, Four Star finds the problem and solves it. They stand behind their service and I have always recommended them to my family and friends. They keep great records on all work done and make recommendations on what «really» needs to be fixed and what can wait.
On quick services, I have been able to work on line while my SUV is being serviced.
Bruce and Jeff Rock!

Exceptional vehicle service ranging from day to day commuter cars to off-​road trucks. Local FD, big boy 18 wheelers and old school gas guzzlers. Phenomenal service!

This is the second trip to 4 Star Auto for me. Once again the service was excellent. I chose to not do the AC service because it was going to cost a small fortune & since I live on the coast & never use it (also why it isn’t working) I declined the recommendation. There was also another issue or 2 that they fixed. They took photos of the problem issues & explained it to me which I appreciated as well. & once again my windows are free of dog nose prints! Thanks guys!

So pleased!!! Took my 98 chevy box truck here to get smogged. I was in and out in 45 min. Great people who get the job done fast and RIGHT! They are very organized and clean. They are not out to take your money at all and make sure the job is done correctly. I will be going here from this point in for all my commercial truck needs.

Four Star Automotive is the best! I came to know them through working at the Academy of Art University, where they provided excellent, reliable, efficient service on all of our vehicles. I knew if I had a question I could trust their answers and service. I started taking my own vehicle to them and couldn’t be more happy. Bruce is the best; friendly, honest, professional, reliable and so knowledgeable. I have an older car and have debated how much money to put into the car versus just maintain it. Bruce is always fair, telling me exactly what needs to be done but not pressuring to do something that doesn’t make sense for my situation. Their prices are fair and they always clean and detail the car to boot. I live in Sausalito and go out of my way to take my car to their location in South San Francisco. If you want an excellent mechanic, Four Star is the place to go!

Four Star Automotive: honest, professional, reasonable, and reliable. From minor services (door locks, alternators, brakes) to more involved repair (transmission, mufflers, fuel pumps), Four Star always gives accurate estimates, quick turnaround, and best of all reliability.
I have been going to Four Star for nearly 20 years and in that time they have never been anything less than accommodating and understanding. Their pricing is consistently among the most reasonable I have come across, and their service cannot be beat.
I highly recommend Four Star to anyone in need of reliable and honest service for their cars.

I have been using this company for all my company vehicles for the last five years and they have always been fair and professional. I would always recommend them. Bruce and Jeff are great to deal with.

When I first heard abut Four Star, I was excited to see that there is a place that can fix our truck. Now, I wish I never brought my truck over to them!
First off, what they quoted us to fix a simple matter like a windshield wiper was horrendous! It was $ 300+ to replace a windshield wiper and not even the motor attached to it… so yes, no electrical parts needed to be fixed.
Secondly, we asked them to fix our headlights! Instead of fixing it, they pretty much broke it. One day, we tried to turn on our lights at night and it didn’t turn on so we were stuck in the middle of no where and had to have someone come pick us up and then we waited to daylight to pick the car up whihc happened to be an hour away! Ridiculous. Now, they are saying that they are not taking responsibility for the lights! WHAT!!! Now they want us to pay for THEIR mistake?! HOLD ON! I am extermely frustrated with their service and their prices, and I can go on and on…
I would NEVER recommend this place… for my food truck friends, please don”t trust them… they are out to gauge you and take your money and leave you with a broken vehicle!

I’ve been really happy with all the work Four Star has done with any of my cars. I started using them because I heard they provided great service and its why I continue going there. Bruce, Jeff, and Cynthia have excellent customer service!
One particular time, I had them replace the factory tires on my new vehicle and in the process, they noticed a defect with the alignment. They informed me that it should be covered under the vehicle’s warranty, described the issue, and provided the necessary documentation to prove to the dealership what needed to be fixed. Of course the dealership pushed back when I told them what was found, but since Four Star had made me understand the issue and gave right data, the warranty covered the repair.
By the way, it did take Four Star a little time to figure out the alignment issue, but they delivered my vehicle back to my home! What more can you ask for!

they charge 4X for an oil change what another nearby shop charges.
they recommended maintenance work which was not specified in my owner’s manual for my mileage.

I bought an old 1984 toga arrow (RV) from a widow whose late husband had just purchased it from someone else. She didn’t know a thing about it, other than wanting it out of her driveway. I didn’t pay much.
It turned out that the shady previous owner had performed illegal modifications (by adding a catalytic converter to hide smog problems). Luckily, the nice widow lady is also a lawyer, and promised to make good on the necessary repair costs (and go after the previous seller).
Getting any shop to properly handle the «please make this thing emissions-​legal without costing more than I paid for it» job was hard — it’s kind of a risky deal for everyone since you don’t have any idea what the real problems might be until after you’ve dug in.
Enter Jeff from 4-​star. His expert knowledge and precise, insightful communication style made the explanation and planning a breeze.
He and his team of techs put everything back in stock shape, and teased a passing smog measurement out without exceeding the original estimate.
Of course, there were other things wrong too — knowing now it would pass smog, I went ahead with a bunch of other repairs, including tire replacement.
After they started I called and asked what size the tires were so that I could compare pricing with other sources. Since Jeff was out of town, Bruce (an equally patient and talented communicator) went to go check for me. He came back to say that he had done some research and realized that the tires on the coach were the wrong size (too small), and that they had quoted me for these incorrect tires. The recommended tires were $ 25 more each (there are 6 of them). Then he told me that they would cover the difference, since they should have caught it before I asked :-)
Finally all was ready to go — and I was excited to see the wheels that Bruce told me they’d also painted for no additional charge.
Then Bruce called to say that while test-​driving the coach, they’d found a «significant hesitation» that wasn’t there when I brought it in. This was not a happy thing to hear! They would investigate and call me back the next day.
At 9:05am the next day, Bruce called to say that they’d found the problem. The carburetor needed to be rebuilt! (Ack, minus another $ 600) Amazingly, he then told me that they had already ordered the parts and would be doing the work FOR FREE, because they should have focused on overall vehicle health as well as smog measurements when doing their testing.
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To be fair, my ratings are relative. These guys provide better service than other shops because they’re more knowledgeable, better equipped, and stick to a strict standard of customer service (communication + benefit of the doubt in the customer’s favor).
They’re not perfect though — as a buyer: you need to be informed, question things you don’t understand until they’re clear, and demand that you receive everything you feel you’re entitled to under the agreement you’ve reached with the shop.
Anyway, they’ve earned my continuing business. Thanks Bruce and Jeff.

After reading several reviews Im a little scared to say anything positive since most people have had bad experiences. What I can say is that I have never taken a car there ONLY commercial Trucks.
When I took in my first truck I was very surprised at the car service they offered for returning customers to wherever without any questions. I was also impressed by the quick turn around on getting the minor repairs handled quickly.
My second experience was less pleasant because I dropped off the truck described the problem and they assured me they would have it diagnosed and repaired in no time. Well No time turned into a very long time nearly 3 weeks. I was outraged at them practically ignoring us but they made very good on the service stating, «We are not going to charge you for repairs that didn’t fix the problem». They did end up charging more than I had originally expected.
They washed and detailed my truck and I continue to take my vehichles back there for the good people and decent customer service.
The cost is high in some cases but not all. I still don’t feel like they push repairs down my throat just to charge for it.

My dad used to come here back in the day and raved about their quality of service and I know why!
My caddie barely made it there last week and thankfully, I remembered my dad and my employer, Dr. Michael Glafkides, both use 4 Star as their auto care and repair shop, so I called them right away to see if they could help with my brake situation. I had none…
Thankfully, after I dropped my car off, they gave me a ride to my office in San Mateo and knew my car was in great hands!
Bruce was VERY frank and told me exactly what was wrong with my brakes…(they were pretty damn BAD!) and I also had him change my oil. Well, a few days later, my car is back on the road and super cleaner than when I brought it in.
4 Star is trustworthy, efficient, and awesome! Thanks Bruce and Jeff for your help and great work!

I had intended to write an update soon after this, mainly if things got much better — or worse. However, things were about the same… except that my car was nicely washed and semi-​detailed for me to pick it up. A few items that i was expecting an update on (tires for example) were not addressed until I picked the car up — too late to do anything by then.
Anyway — I was OK with how things turned out, albeit way too long.
I have had this car serviced at a number of other non-​BMW shops, and this was what 4-​star was being compared to. That was my honest opinion and evaluation.
Since then, I had received a nice follow-​up call from a lady who asked if there was anything she could do… I said no thanks… it really was too late to change what has happened. I left it at that.
Today, I received a gift from them as a token apology for the experience. While I do appreciate that, I am not going to change my review, since that would be dishonest — and I’m not a politician. I will however give them the benefit of the doubt now, and assume that maybe my remarks have had a positive effect — consider them as ‘constructive criticism’.
Given that there are so many places all around the Bay Area to get my car serviced, I most likely will not be going back there. However, I will no longer advise *against* going there — but advise you to read all the reviews here — both good and bad.
A classic case of YMMV.

I trusted and it was a rip off! I paid 600 $ which was completely over prized, but I needed the work done, since my wheel was making a noise.
They also told me that part of my car was in a bad shape and very dangerous and that I needed to fix it fast!.. The estimate of this work was 300 $ to begin with! I was afraid to drive my car! Fortunately I took it to another shop and they showed me the part not being dangerous at all, little out of shape, I could drive it another year no problem. They changed it for 100 in half an hour.
This «Four Star shop» was exactly the nightmare I always had about walking to shop you don’t know. And yes I won’t do it again. I found a shop I can trust and also private auto workers who are excellent and affordable and true. I regret I had the work done.