The Showplace Motor Works

I was referred here back in the mid 1990s by a coworker who went to high school with Terry, and I have been coming here ever since. Pre-AT&T park days. I take my wife’s car here too because I trust them and they are reliable. Honest with reasonable prices. Mike is a good guy too. I appreciate Showplace Motor Works!

My family has been going to these guys for THIRTY YEARS. These guys have given my parents, myself, and various family friends top notch, reasonably priced and practical maintenance and repairs since the frickin’ EIGHTIES.
One 1966 Volvo, one 1989 Camry, one 1989 Volvo, one 2002 Prius, and one 1996 4Runner over the years.
My 4Runner has been rolled in Baja, hit on 101, notched up 200k miles, and Terry and Benny have always kept it running smoothly with no drama and good advice on what to replace when, as well as what not to. Same with all our other cars over the years.
They don’t do body work, but have good relationships with body shops around town if you’re prissy about that stuff.
I would give them six stars if I could.

Synopsis: Simply the best.
Dets.: I’ve been taking my cars to Terry and his crew for the past four years and trust them wholeheartedly. They embody the most important characteristics of a great auto repair shop: HONESTY, accuracy, and mechanical skill. They even have a kind and caring «bedside manner».
Prices are more than fair (e.g. half of what stores like Midas charge for a routine oil change). You just feel good doing business here — I will continue doing so for as long as I’m in the area. I’d recommend you do the same.

I had the pleasure of working with Terry and his crew at Showplace Motor Works on my 1974 Ford Bronco back in May of 2015. I had been updating the braking system in my Bronco from Vacuum Assist to Hydro Boost and just couldn’t figure out a few details on my own so I had the truck towed to their shop. When I fist met with Terry, he helped alleviate my concerns because after having had my truck towed to another shop that didn’t know Hydroboost systems it was a relief to finally find a mechanic shop that could help me with my truck. He displayed professional conduct and an outright enthusiasm to help me out. The end result was far superior to my expectations. I highly recommend this knowledgable team!

Terry, Mike and Showplace Motors are the best! I’ve been going there for a few years with my beatster dog walking van and they have done a lot of work on it. Always the most pleasant, professional and affordable service from these guys. I’ve recommended them to several friends and plan on using them for as long as I own a vehicle. Thanks guys!

I brought my Acura TSX into Showplace Motors through a friend’s recommendation. I had been hearing a scratching sound in one of my back wheels while I was driving one day and thought, oh crap, something might be wrong with my brakes — even though I had brought the car into the dealer about 2 months ago for an oil change and overall inspection and everything checked out according to them.
I spoke to Mike on the phone and he was totally flexible in working with my crazy schedule on when I would bring the car in and even when I would pick it up. When I brought the car in that Wednesday morning, I told him that my car had 96k miles on it and I know I’m probably close to needing major service. There was no pressure or scare tactics used to try to get me to try and get it done. I decided it’s probably a good idea since the dealer told me 2 oil changes ago that I needed to change my transmission fluid (but the NEXT time I went, they told me everything was fine… um ok).
Later that day, Mike called me and told me what he found and gave me an estimate as to how long it would take for them to fix it and how much it cost. I told them to go ahead and do the work and asked if I can get the car the next day instead of picking it up in the evening since I couldn’t stay or easily get to downtown SF by the time they were done. No problem!
When I went to get the car the next day, he explained all the work that they did, transmission fluid, air and cabin filters, etc., what they found and told me that my car was in really good shape other than the issue with one of the rear brakes. I have no idea why the dealer shop didn’t see/​note this. They even fixed one of my rear brake lights that had a burnt out bulb.
Bottom line: if you want an honest place to fix up your car, these guys are it. Friendly, knowledgeable, honest and good value. Will be recommending them to all my friends!

I love excellent customer service and Terry and Mike are the best. Everyone at Showplace motors are excellent mechanics and Fabulous people. I asked for a service, to replace my front turn signal bulbs and check out the knocking in the front. Mike spent 5 minutes explaining what he did to the car and how they investigated the knocking. He told me the car was safe to drive, but my rack and pinion would have to be replaced soon. The parts are not cheap, but he went over the car and told me that when the knocking gets a lot worse he would go over the car again and tell me whether it would be worth it to replace. Right now, my car is in excellent shape (Thanks to them) so yes, it would be worth the $ 1100-​$ 1200. But it is not needed right now. They spent a lot of time tightening and tuning and test driving. Total — $ 190.
Seriously! for all the work they do — and they go the extra mile to make sure they check everything. $ 190 was all it cost for a tune up, oil change, and if you have ever tried to change the front turn signal bulbs, you know why I told them to just replace them both!
I can’t say enough about these guys — OBVIOUSLY.
They know how to treat cars and they know how to treat people. These guys take great pride in their work and it shows.

Honest owners and excellent work. Terry and his crew are super professional, very fast at repairs and totally reasonable. The best auto shop I’ve had the pleasure of doing business with.

I went to them on my high school teacher’s recommendation, who is a very long and loyal client of Showplace Motor Works. Absolutely the best experience anyone can ask for. Great service, no bullshit, quick and easy, and most importantly, to a poor young adult like myself, reasonably priced for the level of service they provide.
I don’t have a fancy car. It’s a 09 Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptor with 180k mile from its time servicing the highway fleet. Given its history, the first thing I did after I got the car was to go to a mechanic to do a safety/​maintenance check. Terry greeted me with warmth and gave me a FREE check up. Never expected that. Maybe he can tell I am short financially, or that it’s his way of impressing a first-​time client, but either way, it was a great first impression.
After the first 3k, I took my car to Showplace for a routine check up and oil change. Terry did it in a very timely manner and charged me only 55 $ for everything. He told me with the the condition of my car I don’t need to see him for another 6k or 6 months.
I will keep going to this place for my car service if I keep living in the Bay Area. Much like a BFF hairdresser to a woman, a trustworthy mechanic is priceless to a man. Highly recommended.

Oh Terri and Mike, you both had me at «Hello»
It’s hard enough just getting a single garage to answer their phones or return messages. Then it’s another thing trying to get a straight answer to the question…“Can you fix this?”…“Ugh, I dunno”…“Ugh, if I have the part, maybe?” I was left with the only option of going to a garage a little further from my abode, but when Terri picked up the phone and said…“Yes, we can fix that, we’ll see you in a few minutes.” I was sold!
Long Story short – car was broken into and the electrical was jacked. I rolled into the garage 10 minutes later and was immediately greeted by Mike, everybody is so freekin’ friendly here! After dropping my auto off, I was getting status updates all day and was re-​assured that my car would be ready by the end of the day, wow! Mike even alerted me to some other issues that the break-​in had caused, fixed them and even topped off my oil, what a sweetie!
I’m so impressed by everyone here, I’ll now be trekking the extra distance from now on to get my janky Ford repaired in the years to come. Thank you everybody, muah!*

Honest, fair, friendly, efficient… Terry and Benny are the real deal. They came recommended and are worthy of being recommended. I would send my wife, my mother or mother-​in-​law there w/​o reservation, alone.
’nuff said and hard to find.

I have been bringing my car here for all its maintenance and repairs for the last 11 years. Terry and Benny and their crew are the most thorough, friendly, honest mechanics I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Their prices are really fair, their work is solid and they always explain the work that they’re doing. I trust these guys completely with all my cars and that’s saying something because i’m generally super suspicious of mechanics.
I highly recommend this shop for all your automotive maintenence and repair needs.

Been going to this shop for ten years and never have had an issue. They are reliable, always on time and never try and do work for me that they have not discussed with me beforehand. Also Terry has even talked me OUT of repairs I thought would be necessary (i.e. repair my suspension). Always honest, always trustworthy and sometimes, if my car is too dirty, they have it cleaned. The best.

I don’t know a thing about car maintenance and repair, but I completely trust these guys to care for my 2 cars. They always have the most competitive pricing, and never suggest unnecessary repairs just to make money. They are totally honest with what needs to be done (and what doesn’t– Terry tells me when I don’t need to worry about a noise and we can wait to repair it.)
My cars are always ready when they say– they even wipe my windshields and use disposable floor mats so their oily shoes don’t stamp all over. These details are definitely recognized and a plus in my book!

These guys are great! Terry is awesome. Service is done in a timely and effective manner. Great to have an honest mechanic that gets the job done right! They’ve worked on my Lexus twice and I am glad to now have a neighborhood mechanic that I will go to for many years to come.

There are many situations in life that cause a lot of stress. For example, breaking up with a mate, losing a job, or pouring cereal in a bowl and realizing there is no milk in the fridge. Also fixing and maintenance on a car.
I’ve been coming to showplace motors for years. Terry and Benny have taken away one stress from my life. All the maintenance is done the same day. All the work is honest and done correctly.
Cars can be a headache. Unfortunately living in the big city, a necessary headache. But I’m confident my car will always be running fine after taking it to Showplace. Kind of like knowing that milk will always be in the fridge for my cereal.

I have the utmost confidence in Terry and this shop. I’ve brought two cars (both hondas) in multiple times over the years and my parents brought in cars they wanted diagnostics run on they were considering buying. Each time, ive left spending less $ than i anticipated, in one case no $ at all (due to a loose hose Terry fixed in 10 mins). With my folks, they found frame damage to the car which disuaded them from buying it.
These guys are honest, competent and fast and ill keep bringing my car and referring as long as theyre around.

Everyone knows it is HARD so find a good and TRUSTWORTHY mechanic. Every time I move, the first thing I struggle with is to find a good hairstylist, mechanic and doctors.
Especially for a girl (Iike me), it isn’t always easy to find a trustworthy mechanic because I just don’t understand the language of cars (I admit it).
Terry and Benny were recommended to me by my 2 bosses who are EXTREMELY picky and meticulous. They only trust Showplace and their team with their cars, as Terry is equally careful, meticulous and honest with his work. (From what I understand Terry used to be either Mechanical Engineer or Electrical Engineer before he switch to be car mechanic.)
This is not to say that they are the cheapest, but they are fair and reasonable in their pricing and work. But for sure, they are not ripping you off with unnecessary work.
I’ve been going to Terry for 8+ years. I don’t allow any other mechanic to touch my car — I don’t even go to the dealer anymore.
Hope this help everyone in choosing their new mechanic. Good Luck!

I’ve brought my car (2004 Lexus IS300) here a couple years now for tuneups. Benny & team have always taken care of my car and made me feel comfortable with the work they plan to do. This is definitely a shop that I trust.
I haven’t yet had a major issue with my car that would require more extensive repairs, but if that day arrives, I’d trust Showplace to do the work.

We’ve been driving in from the East Bay to have repair jobs done on our two BMW’s (95 & 96 318’s) for a three years now. These guys are such good mechanics. They worked on a major transmission job on the 96 381i and took it back twice at no extra charge when the problem reoccurred. Same with a heat/​AC problem with the blower.
Its’ well worth the trip across the Bay Bridge to have them work on the cars when we need something fixed.