Roger’s Autoworks

Took my Alfa there for an oil change and smog. $ 190 for the oil change and $ 350 for the smog. Granted, the engine needed some adjustment to pass the smog test but the cost us way too high.

Not what it used to be when Roger ran it. We have switched to Montclair Auto Tech after finding Rogers, now under new ownership, does not offer the same level of service.

I live in San Francisco, but I drive to Oakland to get my car serviced. Why? Because the guys at Roger’s do the best job at the best price. I get straight talk. Nothing more than I need for my car and nothing less. I was having my tire fixed at a place in SF (nail in the tire) and the guy tells me I need a couple things with my car. I told him I have a shop in Oakland. Those two things that the WHEEL guy told me needed fixed? Not so, but new brakes were required. I’m glad I had Roger’s, Paolo and his guys check my car. I know that my car is safe, reliable and in the best condition when I drive it away from Roger’s. Thanks Paolo!

My breaks started making noise and I thought that my rosters were bad. I was on business in Oakland from out of town and I found Rogers automotive on Unilocal.I had been told by my mechanic that I needed breaks soon so I brought by 2009 Volvo in to get new breaks expecting the worst and that it could cost up to 500.00. I left the car planning to come back in four hours. I received a call saying that there had been a rock lodged in the breaks making the noise and I did not need breaks. I was happy and asked what the cost would be and was told no cost. They were so honest and I would recommend them to anyone.

Chris at Roger’s is the best you can find when it comes to servicing Alfa Romeos. He has been in the Alfa business for many years and is seasoned at what he does. He has worked on my 91 Alfa Spider for 2 years now and has worked on the head gasket, rebuilt my transmission (phenomenal!) and recently repaired my A/​C. Pricing is reasonable and Chris has always kept me in the loop while he worked on my car. Keep Roger’s in mind if you live in the SF Bay and own an Alfa.

Service was excellent; I just restored by father’s Alfa Romeo and heard about them through a friend and Unilocal reviewes. Eric and John are awesome. They gave daily calls, updated me on price, drove my vehicle, and told me not to worry about a thing. Pricing was very reasonable.
Their customer service is 5-​star!

If you wondered if honest, well-​priced, independent auto shops still exist in North Oakland… well, they do!
Eric at Roger’s Autoworks took great care of my 2007 Volvo and fixed everything I needed at a great price and did it all professionally with a huge dose of friendliness.
Highly recommended… I’ve been searching for a good Volvo mechanic and now I have one. Blade L. is crazy.

I love the new «Rogers»
I drove by with my 93 Alfa Spider after it failed smog as a gross polluter.
Eric took my car in that day, diagnosed it as a bad catalytic converter, ordered the part and he even drove it next door and had it smogged (Successfully) for me.
All in less than 48 hours and a a very fair and reasonable price.
How awesome is that!
The new Rogers Autoworks rocks!

Roger’s Autoworks provides the best most honest and reliable Volvo service that I have experienced. I have been dealign with them for 25 years. I have had experiences in which another Volvo repair shop in Berkeley indicated that I should perform an unnecessary repair that would have been dangerous to my car. I called them up and they advised against the repair. They only do what is necessary and at a very reasonable price. The new owners are continuing Roger’s quality of service and are even a bit friendlier.

First time customer today. Since I got my 2004 S60 Volvo last year I have been going to McKnevitt. They are nice, but VERY expensive. I have been looking for a place to go since then.
Today something got stuck in my moon roof and it wouldn’t close. Not a good look living in East Oakland. That’s like placing a «Come and Steal Me» sign in the window. So after getting the rudest service ever from McKnevitt. They told me twice that they would call me back and didn’t. Then when I called the third time, they said they could make me an appointment for Monday. Today is Thursday!!! «Really?» Then they said I could leave it there until Monday if i didn’t want it outside with the broken moon roof? «Seriously???» So after calling around places all day, I got a referral from a reliable glass company for Roger’s. I called them at 4:30. They close at 5. I got there and he got it to at least close until I could get there another day to have it repaired, and wouldn’t take any payment from me!
Soooo Impressed.

Roger is no longer THERE!
I had been a loyal fan of Roger because he was great! I totally trusted him and he was fair. But warning, upon my last visit — Roger RETIRED!!! I am so sad. The new people who took over wanted to charge me $ 150 bucks for an oil change. I am so sad. Must find another mechanic I can feel comfortable with.

Folks — hate to say it, but Roger has retired. We’ll see how the new guys are, but the first line was to add services & push my bill up for an item that wasn’t broken & may never break. Hate when the old honest guys move on!

Update… while Roger is good, this skinny white guy that works for him is better. If you have a 850 volvo or newer, request the «other guy» to work on you car. You will be well rewarded.
Yes, it is true as has been stated by other reviews that Roger is a bit, well, lets call is abrasive. If you want a mechanic to hold your hand, or provide you with a bottle of Perrier while you are waiting, Roger isn’t it.
HOWEVER, when I brought my 98 V70 in today because the «Check Engine» light went on (right when I had to get it smogged also), he dropped what he was doing, did a computer diagnosis, identified the problem, and fixed it in under 15 minutes (faulty air gap intake? Who knows with these swedish cars), for only $ 20!!!
For this, Roger’s gets a 5-​star rating. This is the third Volvo i’ve had in the past 15 years, and I’ve gone to Bob’s Volvo on San Pablo, Svensson’s on San Pablo, and McKevit (waste of money). Never again. I’ll give Roger my work from now on.

After Ackerman’s charged us $ 75 to turn off the check engine light after I screwed the gas cap on crooked (took two minutes for the guy to do it in the parking lot), I had finally had enough of their prices, I stopped by Roger’s when my Volvo wagon was stalling. Roger said, Let’s try the cheapest things first.” I don’t recall ever hearing that phrase from the Berkeley dealer and certainly not from Ackerman’s. Car runs perfectly now. Great guys there and my kind of shop.

I have been dealing with Roger for almost 2 years. A month or so after I purchased my European car, she, being her apparently very high-​maintainance self, decided to blow a hose or two. Thus my relationship began with Roger. He’s always been able to fix what’s broke with the exception of a very complicated oil leak. In that instance I was forced to stray, and the outcome was not pretty. I promised my little princess that I would never again let her be manhandled by a less experienced mechanic. And now, as we approach our two-​year anniversary together (valentines day) I can confidently say that if it wasn’t for Roger, we might not still be together.

If you own an Alfa Romeo (alas, all too few of us now) or a Volvo, Roger’s is the place to go for reasonable, honest repairs. It’s a two-​man shop, and both Roger and Chris are knowledgeable, expert mechanics. There are no frills (no detailing, e.g., like my last ridiculously priced repair shop), just honest work.

Roger’s got a rather gruff attitude about your Volvo/​Alfa, but he’ll tell you exactly what you need to do, like use premium gas to avoid a catastrophic tailpipe burnout, and he’ll tell you if it’s worth it to fix something or not. He hates having to hold onto your car overnight, and he’ll gladly get your car turned around before end of business if you get your vehicle in in the morning.
He has a great sense of humor about other repair shops that go out of your way to charge every conceivable fee. He’s got one humorous sign that says something like, «If we’re able to complete your repairs for within the estimate, we will charge a $ 50 fee as our reward for providing you with a good estimate.»
Cheers to Roger for many years of excellent service on our Volvo. If only gas wasn’t so expensive we might’ve kept our ’98 S70.

Roger is the Best!
He keeps my Alfa in top shape and has very reasonable rates!
I totally agree with Cris «If you happen to own an Alfa Romeo, you should take it here»!!

Roger may be a curmudgeon but he knows Volvos and is extremely straight up about what needs to be done and what can wait or (better yet) is unnecessary. Has an «if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it» approach unless your budget is unlimited. Pleased to discover Roger after Montclair Volvo went one too far in recommending unneeded repairs…

If you happen to own an Alfa Romeo, you should take it here. These guys know Alfas like no one else. They also do Volvos. I don’t understand that well. If you happen to own a Volvo you should buy yourself another car.