Bay Area Alternators

FYI they moved to 1640 Davidson St!
They got a tow truck to me in less than 45 minutes. That was quick!

My car broken down on the freeway, and my car was towed there at 7:00 p.m. Jose went out of his way to help me with my car at 7:00 p.m. He is honest and professional. I am very grateful for his help and kindness. I will be sending my friends to him. He is wonderful, and I recommend him highly.

I had a great experience here.
I too was referred here by the driver of a tow truck that picked me up after my car died on the freeway at 7am on a Saturday morning.
First off, Jose came early to accept the vehicle, which was nice. He had skipped his breakfast so he had to close his shop again to go get food.
He tested things like spark, compression, injectors, etc. He thought it was either a bad ECU or distributor. By process of elimination found it was the distributor. He ordered a new distributor for same day delivery (Saturday).
I was driving again by night fall. All for a very reasonable price. This on a day when 80% of shops were closed.
I’ll be back!
Note this is a «mom and pop» shop. Don’t expect all of the fancy glass walled waiting room, refreshments, and schmoozing you’ll get a dealership. But it’s worth it if you don’t want to get the fancy invoice either…

*AMAZING* Service!!! If you ever have any type of car trouble, this is the place to come to! Jose did an outstanding job. He came out of his way to help me!!! I don’t know anyone else who would do that! Super nice, professional, and the work is excellent. My car is as good as new even though it is up there in years. I recommend Bay Area Alternators to any and everyone. I truly believe it doesn’t get any better than this!!! Thanks again Jose!!! Blessings

Jose is the best! I found him after receiving lousy service at AA auto repairs down the street from his old location. He’s my tune up, alternator and all around mechanic. I recommend him to everyone. He’s around to service your car for a reasonable price. I have an older model Lexus and most mechanics over quote for work on import vehicles regardless of the year. He gets the job done efficiently and in a timely manner.

José is AWESOME! My car (1982 Toyota Cressida) died in the middle of 13^th Street @ Harrison this past Friday evening. Not only did this happen after 5pm, but it was at the beginning of the Labor Day Weekend. Major drag. A friend recommended José and I got a tow to the shop at around 6:30pm. José was still there, accepted the car, said the alternator had no juice, and that he’d fix it by noon the next day.
I was back in my car the next afternoon, feeling incredibly grateful and satisfied: not only with the prompt, friendly and professional service, but with the cost. The fact that José would work on my car so quickly — on a Saturday and at the start of a long weekend to boot — was priceless.
I highly recommend José and Bay Area Alternators.

Ravi Shankar, my 97 Rav 4, crapped out on my girlfriend on her way home from work, and this was the first place I could find open past 5:00 after some calling around. Until moving to SF my dad fixed my old beater cars and I automatically adopt a cynical mistrusting approach to any auto repair for which I have to shell out money. Jose figured right away that it was the timing belt (it was) which was a costly repair, however after calling a couple other places for quotes and checking with dad/​former mechanic, Jose was actually cheaper than the other places. It took about a half day longer than anticipated, but it is a big repair, and he threw in a few things free (power steering belt, fixed my cigarette lighter so I could use my car charger, etc), and was overall super nice, explained everything that was wrong and what he did.
But here’s the kicker. Very soon after this, gas pedal was acting funny. Back to Jose I went, grumbling the whole way about all the mechanics’ children I have probably put through college. He not only had it fixed in less than a day («carbon build up,») for FREE, he also WASHED my CAR. Ravi Shankar (or Ravioli, depending on my mood) was no longer under a film of dust, but sparkling white in all his dented 15 year old car glory, as if to say, «I may be used and worn, but I still have my dignity.» This is not to say Jose will do this for everyone, but these touches are why its worth to skip the big showy garages and opt for the small local mechanic way out on 3^rd (but the muni T stops like half a block away so it ain’t no thing).

I have been taking my Jeep to Jose at BAA for 5 years now. I refer everyone I know to him and 3 of my friends have become satisfied customers. José is the best mechanic you are going find. He is super knowledgeable, honest and goes the extra mile for his customers. He is a real gem. I wouldn’t take my car anywhere else!

I had car trouble the other day and when I was helped by a tow truck that happened to by passing by (Lombard Towing — see my other review on them), I ended up here at Bay Area Alternators where the owner, Jose, checked out my car and let me know it was the battery that had seen better days. To my cars credit, I had this battery for almost 6 years. He dropped what he was doing when I got there and got to it. I was in and out of there in a jiffy! He was kind, professional and I felt completely safe being there without thinking I would have to change about 20 car parts on my car and sell a kidney so I could get my car out of there. He even showed me what was wrong with the battery.
When I left, I realized my car stereo thought it has been stolen, so it locked itself… I called up and Jose told me to come on over. He looked it up, checked it out and didn’t get the info, but he spent time on it and promised me a call back with more info. See, my car company makes things difficult… you swear it was a Jag or something… freaking Saturn! The stereo is working and I am happy.
I have nothing but good things to say about my experience at this shop. Ladies… I know how hard it is to find a mechanic you trust. Hey… if I had a spot where I could do it… I would change my own car oil! But you know… city ordinances… and my nails… don’t want to break them! LOL I recommend this shop. If I had a grandma still and she drove… I would recommend this place to her too!