Berkeley Auto Repair

I finally ended my 8 year unhealthy relationship with the Volvo dealership & moved to Ackerman's! why oh why did I wait so long???Bruce & his staff are awesome-- attentive, knowledgeable & reliable. I get calls if the repairservice is going to be more than originally estimated. the car is actually ready when it is supposed to be, or I get a call if they need more time. I don't feel pushed into repairsservice I don't need. and I don't end up spending %600 every time I walk through the door. I also love the shop's commitment to charitable giving-- don't forget to designate a non-profit & Ackerman's will donate 5% of labor costs to your cause!

Excellent quality and service. Ackerman's has been a perfect match for me and my family. I have always had a 10 year old Volvo and Ackerman's has helped me from pre-purchase inspections through smogs through every possible repair scenario. Bruce and crew have helped me choose models and years with the most reliability and which to stay away from. Since 1996 when I showed up for my first pre-purchase inspection and now 2-3 visits per year per car, 30 plus visits later, I have have been able to get an appt within 2 days except for twice, when I had to wait a week. Repairs have been done promptly and perfectly. I remember once I had to bring a car back because a repair wasn't quite right and it was repaired immediately at no cost. I often use the complementary ride service. If I have a headlamp out or some ultra-simple task like that I call Bruce. Usually I can stop by right then and they change it for me on the spot. Dealers are outrageous and are not interested in older cars. I have had all our work done at Ackerman's. My 1985 240 was showing signs of needing a new transmission - would sluggishly change gears on the coldest of days - and Bruce helped me manage that issue for 10 years - never did have to do that work before she died of other causes at the age of 23. Volvos are expensive but the quality is worth it to me. I prefer keeping an older car longer and paying a local green business to maintain it than buying resource-intensive new car. No Berkeley hippy Mama here- just sometimes practical.

Bruce and his crew are everything a repair shop should be: knowledgeable, friendly, and well priced. It doesn't hurt that they are also community friendly and seem to always go the extra mile for customer service. I dropped my 93 Volvo wagon off for repairs before the holidays and Bruce met me on NYE day, even though they were technically closed. My car was waiting warmed up and toasty right when I said I'd be there. Turns out one of the repairs was a little trickier and I found the same problem still occurring after I picked it up. I took it back the next day and they repaired it for free and even had the car washed and detailed as a kind gesture for not getting it the first time. I understand that cars are tricky and even experienced mechanics make mistakes. The car is driving like a dream!

Ackerman's is absolutely amazing. Bruce at the front desk is very personable and knowledgeable, and their mechanics have been working Volvo's forever. Plus they have their own racing team!I'll make it simple: They do quality service and do not fix what is not broken. The charges are reasonable. I was taking my XC-90 to a dealership before, and after 2 years with Ackerman's can say with confidence; this is better and more affordable service. Plus, Bruce gives great referrals to local shops for tires, radio or body work. Truly 5-star service and it's in the heart of Berkeley, where people love Volvos!

At first I was skeptical about the lengthy list of things my car supposedly needed to have done that was included, in order of priority, on my receipt. But then I started dating a car guy, and the first time he drove my car he told me I had to get something having to do with my drive train checked out right away. I brushed it off, but each subsequent time he drove my car he brought it up, and he was worried. So the next time my car was due for a service I took it back to Ackerman's and conveniently had my new car guy boyfriend meet me there to give me a ride. I asked him to tell Bruce what he suspected was wrong. Bruce Ackerman looked in his computer and said, yep, it worried us too and that's why it's the first priority on the list of things we gave your girlfriend the last time she was here. Not pushy, not warm and fuzzy either, but I attribute that to shyness more than anything. Bottom line: trustworthy.

Prices are higher than average, but the service makes up for it. I had a recurring problem with the exhaust and they fixed it for free! Also, the shuttle service has come in handy several times. I would recommend Ackerman's to all Volvo owners. One extra word of advice: tell them exactly what you want done and what you are going to pay for beforehand otherwise you will have to pay for extra services that you didn't need.

I'm writing another review because we are about to have Bruce and his crew check out a 20 year old Volvo we want to buy. My husband lost his job two years ago so we have to be very careful with our money and we never question price or worry about being ripped off here because we absolutely trust them and our old car runs better since they've gotten their hands on it.I'm really surprised at the comments about snobbiness from other posters here, the car we take in looks like crap and is OLD and we've never felt that ever, they even wash it for us!

I was a newcomer to the Volvo world, but Bruce and his team did a thorough analysis of the used Volvo I had purchased and let me know what needed fixing now and what could wait. He also keeps great records and was able to provide those back to me such that when Volvo issued a recall I got repaid an entire repair bill for a fuel pump replacement. He also helped me out when I later sold the car and he gave folks the honest scoop on its maintenance history without BSing them through a full mechanic review and what not. I had heard this was a shop to be trusted and every aspect of their engagement with me lived up to that rumor. They may not be the cheapest around, but I felt like they gave it to me straight, and helped me out when I needed it.

Last year, my old mechanic, Roger's Autoworks, sold their business. I was always loyal to Roger, but now felt like I could look for a mechanic closer to home, and found Ackerman's on Berkeley Parent's Network.In that amount of time, Ackeman's has fixed a botched brake job and helped me pass smog. When I brought the car in for service today, I asked Bruce if he could do a trip check... something Roger charged for. That's part of the regular service, Bruce replied.Ackerman's also has a few nice touches. They have a jar of Semi-Freddi's biscotti and Peet's coffee, for when you skipped breakfast rushing to bring your car in.They also have a complementary shuttle service when you drop your car off. When I dropped my car of the first time, they asked me, Do you need a ride anywhere? My jaw dropped open. I had never been offered that by an independent mechanic. Also, every time I've brought the car in, they've called me back to make sure I was satisfied. That's the true sign of an honest business. A dishonest business wants to take your money as quickly as possible, forget about you, and go on to the next customer.Here's the biggest surprise for me: after my first time getting my car back from Ackerman's, my wife commented, Thanks for cleaning the car, honey.Are you high? I am thinking! I'm not the clean the car type.It turns out Ackerman's had cleaned the inside of the car before I picked it up! Amazing. Please, don't anyone tell her!I'd also like to counter a couple of points here:First, someone mentioned that they only care about you if you're rich with a new Volvo. My volvo is nearly 20 years old. When I first came to Ackerman's this year, I expressed an interest in maintaining the car as long as possible. Bruce was very positive about that, and encouraged me to keep it going. After all, that's why people buy Volvos. Also, once when I was shuttle home, there was another customer who told me how Bruce resurrected her Volvo from the dead, and has kept it running for years. I find it less than credible that a good Volvo mechanic would shun that market opportunity.Second: With regards to long waits, I was disappointed when I had to leave my car 1 12 days when I did not pass smog. However, when I came to pick up the car, they had already taken it to the smog test to make sure it passed, so all I had to do was grab the certificate and go. I've rarely had to leave my car over night over my lifetime, and only once at Ackerman's. I chocked it up to the circumstances of requiring a new part that had to be delivered. On the other hand, today's service only took 90 minutes. I wouldn't count on Ackerman's being characteristically fast or speedy, there are too many factors at play.Third: Someone said Bruce was expensive. I've taken my car to 2 other of the best Volvo mechanics in town, and his prices are comparable. Comparable definitely means the higher end of the mechanic spectrum. Once I took my Volvo for a brake job at a non-Volvo mechanic, and it was MUCH cheaper, but then, it had to be re-done. I've never wanted a dealer to get their claws on me, so, I can't speak for the dealer experience as better or worse.Regardless, keep in mind that while Volvo's are expensive to maintain, there is also some savings in their longevity. My 1992, acquired in 2005 cost me $3,000 and is running AWESOMELY. My 1981, which I bought in 1995 for $2K lasted 10 years. In 15 years, even with expensive mechanics, i've probably spent $12,000 total on comfortable safe cars. So, I factor in the cost of my mechanic in the ownership equation, and it really pays off. My friends are always surprised at how cheap I am when it comes to cars... I'd rather pay for iDevices and bandwidth.

My '97 Volvo got the check engine light and so I assumed I was in for a multi-thousand-dollar kick in the teeth, because Volvos are the most expensive cars to repair on earth. Last time it needed brakes it ended up costing me $2K for all sorts of crazy shit, like a broken turbo. One time. the dipstick rotted and the dealership told me it would be like $300 - $500 for a new one, because I have the short one they don't make anymore, so they have to install the new long housing, but they have to special order it from these elves in Europe and blah blah blah. By the time the guy got done talking I realized he had actually taken my wallet out of my pocket... Anyway, I just bought a long dipstick and cut it with tin snips, and I resolved that the next time the gd car even needed bake pads I was going to trash it.But the car is loved by a member of my household, and so when the light came on I was on the hook for fixing it. I heard that bad gas caps were actually a frequent cause for this in Volvo's, so I bought a new one, but no luck.So I took it here. I was really concerned they were going to pull some mechanic shenanigans, because I am mistrustful of all mechanics. I was pretty clear just diagnose it, don't fix it, don't check the turbo, don't look in the engine at the frothy, milky blend of oil and water that is grinding the pistons away, etc... but I was still pretty sure I was going to get socked.But, hey, I didn't! They sent me to the nice cafe next door and 20 minutes later some guy came in and was like yeah, it was probably just the gas cap. Keep it closed tight.Nice! I assure you, these guys knew I was never going to be a long term customer, and they could have easily screwed me, but they didn't. Thumbs up!