Cowden Automotive — Local services in San Francisco

Tl;dr This place lacks professionalism, has poor communication and I don't think is a trustworthy entity. If you look closely, most of 5 start reviews come from people with 1-2 reviews! Look elsewhere if you value professionalism and proper communication in a business.

When it comes to choosing the right mechanic for vehicle maintenance, I would be looking for three things: skill, honesty and communication. I saw a lack of proper communication and dishonesty and therefore would not recommend this place.

I called Cowden Automotive and after expressing the issues with my vehicle, Justin got my email and told me he would sent an email to me and I can reply on that email with the vehicle issues. I never got an email and after calling again, I got their email and sent the email so that they can schedule me for coming in. I never got a response from Justin and after two days sent a reminder to the email with no response. All I wanted was to confirm a date so I could plan accordingly.

I decided to call and follow up as Justin did not answer to my email. Nobody was answering my calls. I tried morning and afternoon and still no answer even after leaving a voice mail. They had promised me to inform me by Thursday / Friday which they didn't.

Overall, if they lack professionalism to keep their words, I would not want to trust them with my vehicle as there is not guarantee they would not...

A few friends recommended Cowden Automotive to me about a year and a half ago, and I have been a grateful and loyal customer ever since. I am always given very detailed and helpful explanations of repairs and maintenance work done on my car, and I always feel that my car is in the best of hands. This past week I had an issue with my car which needed immediate attention. I contacted Cowden Automotive when I got home from work--thinking I would probably have to wait to get an appointment, but I received a quick message back to bring my car in first thing the following morning as it was seen as an "emergency" which they were quick to want to help me with. As my car is 18 years old, I was concerned that it might be difficult to get the parts needed to repair my problem, but they were able to get the parts quickly and all is well now! I am so grateful to have found such a terrific auto repair service where they truly care about you and your car. Regular checkups and oil changes are very thorough, and so I always feel confident that my car is truly good to go after being serviced. I'm sticking...

After not being able to find anyone to take on my carburated 84 CJ for longer than I'd hoped, I finally found Mike and Justin. I came to them just hoping for a fine tuning of the carb and maybe a transmission service. When I sat down and presented a wish list of thing I would like completed, they didn't say no to anything. It's refreshing to find a shop that will take on work like most shops used to. They installed a new radiator, new steering box, and mount, new steering pump, an aftermarket fuel injection system as well as bodywork, paint, a new front windshield frame, and a transmission service. Everything was done to perfection. They were easy to work with, used all the parts I had chosen, gave good feedback but didn't steer me in a direction I didn't want to go(pun intended). They were communicative and responsive throughout the process with an extremely thorough walkthrough when I picked the jeep up. I won't take my jeep anywhere else and will be bringing my other vehicles there as well. I can't recommend them...