Midas

I love Paul! A wonderful, friendly business owner. He has a new customer for life. Service with a smile!!! And my new brakes feel great!
Thanks Paul!

Paul is a great person to work with honest and reliable! I will continue to bring my car here for any small issues and oil changes. He doesn’t try to up sell you on anything just tells you what you need to do and that’s it. Would recommend Paul! and Thanks to Ray as well~!!!
L.S. Bargain Shopper

Great with my daughter! Replaced her batteries in her Leap Pad free of charge while we waited.

This place has great customer service. I spoke with Ron on several occasions and he was very helpful. Patrick worked on my car last weekend and did great as well. I saw how they interacted with other customers and they gave good advice. I will be taking my car here from now on for the routine maintenance. Thank you guys for making my experience easy. It was just a basic oil change but good customer service is hard to find these days.

Midas El Cerrito/​Richmond is awesome!!! I have taken my car there for two separate unexpected events and the service was Great. I took my car here the first time because of proximity to my home and the Good Unilocal Reviews. As always, you Unilocalers did not disappoint. Paul and the entire staff are professional, welcoming and efficient. Not knowing very much about cars, I often get a bit nervous going to a repair shop for the chance of being taken advantage of. Paul takes the time to ask questions, determine the appropriate parts and proceed with excellent service. You leave feeling like you were taken care of by a friend and the cost is extremely fair. I highly recommend this location for your car repair needs.

I needed to get a headlight replaced. I already had the headlight. They told me the could not install customer parts… ok whatever. So I ask for a quote, the price for light was more than 2x the price I had paid plus $ 70 to install the bulb. Wow! No thank you!

I live close to them but would rather, drop off my car somewhere else. Personally i was not treated nicely on my first visit with the estimate a lot over than it would cost. I went there second time for the über inspection since most MIDAS were participating as an inspection stations but they had this big hand written sign hanging on the door that they are not doing UBER. Fine so we do have this Unilocal thing to point out my dislikes. Definately not going back to spend my money there.

They won’t use any parts u bring in not even your own oil and filter. Don’t waste your time here

Got a flat on a car that has an uncommon tire size. When we went to the dealer it was going to cost an arm and a leg for an extremely small tire. So we drove on over to Midas and told them our situation. Paul was such a nice guy and he even made us laugh a couple of times, great customer service. We told him what the dealer was trying to charge us and that they said they couldn’t even get a tire delivered for an entire week! Paul was able to get the tires the following morning and for an extremely reasonable price that we where happy to pay. I would definitely recommend Paul and his team!

Okay Unilocalers and non-​yelpers alike this is as non-​bias as it gets aiight lol
I know by now you may have glanced over the other reviews and read about Paul and there is some debate, some love him some hate him, hes actually a really nice guy but you might not get his humor lol that’s not because he is a jerk, its because he has that kind of humor where hes joking but his face seems serious and you almost cant tell until he starts laughing and you’re like «awwwwkwaaarrdd» LOL BUT that withstanding he’s actually a really nice guy.
NOW, nice guy or not, the question is if he got the job done, well i went for an oil change because i had a coupon from Safeway. I really enjoyed that he wasn’t like «uggghh a coupon» he was very friendly and very efficient.
I have seen a couple complaints about the other employees and yes they aren’t all as friendly as Paul is, and it wasn’t the fastest oil change I’ve ever had but for $ 40 they got it done with a smile so yes I would definitely give them a chance again.

I had trouble with my brakes that caused them to squeak so loudly, that you could hear them half a block away. Now, just for a little background. I took my car into Brake Masters in Sacramento just two months ago for a break job. I have had trouble with my brakes ever since that encounter. Paul and his crew did a great job with my car! Paul and Ron really listened to me about the complaints I had about my brakes and a few other minor problems I was having with my Saturn. I am very pleased with them and I will be returning to them in the future for any other car care needs I may have!

I visited Midas on a Saturday morning to get a basic oil change. Even though I was the third person there, and the first two were getting quick smog checks, I had to wait an hour and 15 minutes before my car was ready. One customer came in after me for an oil change and they said it would take 2 hours. He stormed out, and instead of evaluating what they could do to minimize the wait time for their customers, the staff proceeded to mock him after he left and say «Well, everyone’s different!» No, everyone wants to go on with their day and not be tied to your shop for hours without a car.
I also wasn’t satisfied with the responses I got to a couple questions I had about my car. I asked the guys to check on an apparent leak of clear fluid to maybe see if there was a crack somewhere. After the servicing was done, I asked about it and the guy’s response was that they couldn’t find any cracks so it could be the AC condensation or…“sometimes if it rains outside, you get damp and then water drips onto the ground.” I’m sorry, it’s summer. And we’re in a drought. Try again.
Lastly, one thing that irked me is that unlike just about every other shop I’ve been to, no one comes out to your car to greet you and take your key. I awkwardly sat in my car for a few minutes before one of the employees just happened to walk by my car and direct me where to park. Their focus is definitely not on customer service at this Midas.

I’ve had a relationship with this garage and it’s owner, Paul, for about 15 years now and I once again I was reminded of why I come back to the El Cerrito Midas.
My wife’s car was having a charging problem (Toyota Corolla with over 240k). I knew it would probably be the alternator. The mechanics replaced it and we picked the car up. A few days later when the charging dash light came on again, Paul said «drop it by and I’ll get to the bottom of it». We did so, transportation was arranged for my wife, they found the fault (a bad connection), fixed it and didn’t charge us a dime.
My point is that the El Cerrito Midas is a straight-​up garage, with good mechanics, good ethics and they build relationships with the community.
There is a reason why they have repeat business and good reviews overall.
Good job again to Paul and the staff at Midas of El Cerrito!

Excellent service, great customer attention, and they have completed quality work without overpriced costs. Happy to have reviewed and trusted the other Unilocal reviewers here on this location, and I will be back!

Very friendly and prompt service. I walked in and was immediately greeted. I brought my truck in for an oil change and tire rotation for $ 34.95. Service was done in less than an hour. Only reason why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was because a courtesy inspection was included and I think giving a customer a print out of what was inspected and what the results were would be nice.

Finally found an extraordinary garage in the East Bay. I’d gotten most of my brake system replaced at another garage 6 months prior only to find new problems the other day. When I took the car in to Paul’s Midas Auto service, he and his mechanics were prompt in diagnosing the problem and fixing it at an EXTREMELY reasonable price. These are some of the friendliest, most honest mechanics I have ever met. I will definitely be recommending this place to all of my friends!

These are some of the best people you could take your car to! They have been taking care of myself and my car for 3 ½ years and I have zero complaints! Everything from oil changes to replacing the side view mirror I knocked off while backing out of my driveway. Paul even helped me out with my tail light fix it ticket! I wouldn’t go anywhere else. I have grown to know and love everyone and it’s great to go to a place where they care about you and remember your face!

Went to this Midas to have my air conditioning repaired late in the afternoon while working in Richmond. I was greeted so warmly, and thoroughly entertained by Paul, the owner of this franchisee, who is as good with people as I’ve probably ever seen. Unfortunately Paul had to humorously (okay, hilariously) break the news to me that my AC repair was not as simple as a freon refill. They had tried the freon refill, fired up the «Great Red Shark» (my car — bonus points if you can identify the film that inspired the name!!), but it still blew warm. Paul promptly called his trusty electrical person who was completely booked at that late hour (as I am terrific at procrastinating… a professional of sorts sometimes!) but ensured he’d be available at my next convenience, which was unfortunately a week later as I was headed out of town. Paul sent me on my way, post freon, without charging me, as the work hadn’t been completed trusting that I’d come back the next week. That’s some serious family-​friend style treatment for a shop I’d only heard of through Unilocal.
Fast forward to this morning, my day off. I rolled out of bed, hopped in the car with my kombucha, and drove off to El Cerrito with an empty belly. I got to Paul’s shop and he let me know the electrician was en route and that it could take a while. I sighed and asked if there was any better breakfast option than the three fine dining establishments of Denny’s, Carrows, and IHop within a reasonable distance. Paul laughed and offered to drop me off at a better joint about a mile away. I accepted; anything for a decent breakfast!
I came back around an hour and a half later, sat outside and chatted with a couple of people who had been going to the shop forever (and seemed to know mechanics on a first name basis) and then got the great news that my car was basically done. Even the electrician had a rockin’ sense of humor as he said «shoot, if I knew the car belonged to you, I wouldn’t have been doing donuts in it» ;)
All in all, fair prices, straight up/​stand up dude, and excellent service. Paul is so entertaining that it’s worth a drive from Walnut Creek for even the smallest service. Midas is lucky to have someone like Paul representing their name.
As an aside, Paul mentioned the technical name of my manual pre-​repair air conditioning system: «2 and 55»… lol!

I’m giving Midas the rating more on the description «Meh. I’ve experienced better» than on the number of stars.
First, let me say that Paul seems like a really nice guy that knows his stuff and is very helpful. I would definitely recommend these guys for small or routine repairs. There are a couple of reasons why I was drawn to Midas and will go back (conditionally). I commute to the South Bay for work, so I am usually unable to drop my car off and wait for the service to be done. Midas is open on Saturdays which is a big plus for me.
A second plus is that they are conveniently located next to a Budget car rental and when I recently had a more extensive service performed, they obtained a rental for me for no extra charge (that I could see). Budget also told me that because the car was being rented through Midas, they would waive the under 25 years old charge that I usually have.
Now on to the cons. I called Paul up on a Saturday asking if they would be able to do an oil change/​routine service for me and how much it would cost. He said I could bring it in right away and they could have it done within a couple of hours for $ 35. Given that they were going to check the rest of my car, the price seemed reasonable enough to me. Just for reference, R&R charges $ 50 for just an oil change and Fairmount Auto Service charges $ 30.
Anyway, I had last taken my car to Fairmount for a service and had been very happy with it. But, Fairmount is not open on the weekend and I needed a quick fix because I was planning to drive my 140,000 mile car to LA the next weekend. John at Fairmount had suggested that the timing belt on my car should be checked the next time I came in. He budgeted the labor and parts for a new one at roughly $ 600 – 700.
I asked Paul to take a look at this when they performed the routine service. He said it wouldn’t be a problem and noted that if my car hadn’t gotten a new timing belt within the last 80,000 miles or so, it was due. I agreed and he indicated that this would cost roughly $ 700 – 800. I know that Midas is a franchise so this is where I assumed the difference was made up between them and Fairmount. Not a big deal though.
What bugged me, though, was that after we scheduled an appointment to get the job done, I was handed a bill for $ 950 and he also said that if he needed to change the water pump, it would cost an additional $ 150. Both my dad and my roommate were there when he had said it would cost $ 700 – 800 all in. Maybe I’m reading into this a bit too much, but it seemed like a rather large markup for my taste. If he had just been up front and gave me the number, I likely would have still gone with him anyway.
In short, I’m giving a rating of two stars, though depending on what you’re having done to your car, they could easily get an «A-​OK» rating as well. As I said before, I’ll be happy to go back and give Midas my business for oil changes and routine checkups, but if I’m told something more drastic needs to be done, I’ll see if Fairmount can take a look as well just to get a better idea of the price discrepancy. Despite Paul’s friendliness and helpfulness, I still came away feeling like I had just taken my car to the dealership.

I’d highly recommend that you not be an idiot like me and get up sold (an air filter in my case) on $hit you don’t really need.
My $ 29.95 deal for an oil change turned into an $ 80 bill — partly due to my stupidity, but mostly due to their slick up selling.
I was told my air filter was really dirty and that a new one would help with my car’s fuel economy. I later found out that most air filters costs no more than $ 25 to replace, for which they charged $ 45.
Also, the claim of better fuel economy was debunked — I still get the same MPG when I checked over the span of the following week.
I am definitely not going back.