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Yarnell Service Center
Categories: Automotive Auto Repair Automotive Body Shops Auto Repair, Body Shops [Edit]
81 Pioneer WayMountain View, CA 94041
(650) 969-9018
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 7:30 am - 5:30 pm
82 reviews for Yarnell Service Center
82 reviews in English
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Review from Caren k.
San Jose, CA
1/11/2012
I needed a new timing belt for my car. I called ahead for a quote, and they told me for my model car it didn't need to be changed until I reached 105K miles. So I called back a few months later when it had reached the mileage.
I know they say when you get the timing belt changed, you should also get the water pump replaced. They only quoted me for the price of replacing the timing belt. I inquired about the water pump, and they told me that they would check it out and let me know if it needed to be replaced as well. I dropped it off in the morning. They called and told me that the water pump looked fine, and they were going to go ahead and just replace the timing belt. Awesome!
So many auto places try to rip me off, especially since I'm a girl. I am glad this place was upfront and the final price even came out to a little less than what I was quoted. They did a spiffy job in a timely fashion. I would definitely go back to them for all my auto needs. -
Review from jaimito t.
Sunnyvale, CA
12/19/2011
When changed my thermostat on my 1996 Camry last month, which was replaced by Yarnell when I did a timing belt job in 2002, found out that they had installed it backwards. I know that they did the job because I have not taken my car to any other shop and I have been doing all the basic maintenance myself.
I completely lost respect for these guys. How can you install a basic thermostat backwards?. -
Review from Diana W.
11/29/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I've had my car serviced here a few times and everytime I leave feeling impressed! While it's not the cheapest place, it's super convenient (walking distance from work) and the people here are so friendly and honest. They never try to upsell you, they just recommend what needs to be done but never pushes you for it. I've come here for different things: oil change, tire rotation, fix my trunk handle, etc. If I ever need to buy parts, they'll let me know the actual cost and they're completely honest and upfront. It's good to have a mechanic you can trust.
Be sure to call ahead of time for an appt. I don't think they do walk-ins and they're pretty freakin' busy (good sign that they're doing well!) so I usually call a week ahead to schedule maintenance services -
Review from Kimberly S.
Sunnyvale, CA
3/16/2012
My Murano was having problems and we thought it might be the transmission so we took it to the dealer. They wanted $145 just to look at it! At Yarnell's there is no extra charges like that. After they looked at it, they called me and told me what was wrong and gave me the choice of a new part or a remanufactured part (which saved me $249). It is so nice that they don't try to get you to buy the most expensive thing.
I've been coming to Yarnell's for years and they have always given me honest and friendly service. Everyone there is so nice and I don't feel like they are just trying to make a buck. They really take care of their customers and our cars. Plus they have a shuttle in the morning to take you to your office! How nice is that! -
Review from KC L.
Sunnyvale, CA
9/8/2011
I am very impressed by these guys.
I took my Tundra in for a front brake job, alignment, serpentine belt replacement, transmission fluid change and a rear yoke leak issue. I spoke to Trevor on the phone in advance and he was very helpful. A few of the items I was assuming needed to be done at 90,000 he convinced me that 120,000 would be fine. That was helpful news.
There was a problem with the alignment rack and therefore my truck was not ready at the promised time. I ended up leaving it another day. When I came to pick it up they had not charged me for the alignment as a way of making up for the inconvenience of the day before. That was above and beyond good customer service.
The total bill came in slightly under what they had quoted.
All in all I was very pleased with the results and will certainly retain them as my mechanic in the future and suggest you do too. -
Review from Daisy L.
Sunnyvale, CA
Updated - 7/11/2011
After our last visit, we decided to look elsewhere for car service.
I did an extensive car service, I noticed the next day that they messed up with the dashboard drawer--this is the part that you have to take off in order to replace the air filter. My husband had done this himself before and he did much a better job.
So when I tried to open the drawer, it went down so fast and smacked my hand so hard, it hurt. They forgot to put back the hinge or something. We went back there for them to fix this, there was no apology and the guy simply said, "Oh, my colleague forgot to put back the hinge." Definitely, the drawer does not open like it used to. And sadly, I will not come back to Yarnell like I used to.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/28/2009
Made an appointment there based on the Yelp's review. It was a pleasant experience. They're patient,… Read more »
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Review from Wilhelm R.
Campbell, CA
1/24/2012
Good for routine service.
Not so good for difficult problems.
Overall: They seem honest, but competency is questionable. -
Review from Melissa C.
Emeryville, CA
12/5/2011
I've taken my Scion here for maintenance for a couple years now and I have to say that my experiences here have been great. Plus, it's conveniently close to my work but i know they do offer rides if needed while your car is being worked on. The guys here are knowledgeable, friendly and honest. Never have I felt pressured into getting any 'extra' services done. They only recommend things when they are genuinely needed and take the time to explain why/when any services need to be done. So far I've had my routine oil changes/tire rotations, brake replacement, and belt replacement done here and I've left satisfied every time. I drive a lot of miles so it's important that the quality of service is high. You pay a little more than the speedy lube places and you have to make an appointment ahead of time, but you won't be sorry if you go with Yarnell's. I highly recommend!
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Review from Dave D.
San Jose, CA
6/1/2011
I like Yarnell because they are straightforward and honest.
I bought a 2007 Prius which they inspected and said was in great condition. I also needed an additional key. Most dealerships wanted to charge me 300+ for a new Smart Key System key. I talked to Yarnell and they said they just charge for the price of the key from the dealer, but program it for free. My total was $220. That's expensive, but it's the cheapest price I could find.
Also, I work nearby, and they'll gladly give you a ride to your workplace if you'd like. -
Review from Charlie B.
Mountain View, CA
3/11/2011
I have a Lexus RX330 and it has all the latest tricks. The staff at Yarnell's is really good at taking care of this car.
They are the most honest and trustworthy people I have ever dealt with, in an industry that is notorious for over charging and under fixing. They get me in quickly, and get the job done right.
I won't take my car anywhere else. In fact, when I need to replace this car, I will look for a car I like, that is on their service list. -
Review from N A.
Fremont, CA
9/12/2011
I had heard a lot about Yarnell from colleagues. Last year I took my Sienna to get a 30K service there.
The guy insisted that my car needs to have transmission oil replaced and I listened to him. Overall cost around $300.
I come home and call two toyota dealers and both said no transmission oil need to be replaced at 30k for Sienna and their price was $229.
I tried to call back twice but they didn't return my calls.
When shops do extra services on your cars that are not needed, it is a bad sign. Clearly reading a lot of new reviews, things have changed at this shop and service is a hit or miss. -
Review from Jad Y.
Mountain View, CA
2/24/2011
Pretty much the friendliest staff ever!! I took my car in because I was unable to unscrew the license plate.
No appointment nothing, they took care of it and the guy (Rick) worked on it for about 20 minutes with no charge and did not even accept my tip.
THanks guys! You have my full trust. -
Review from G E.
Foster City, CA
7/19/2011
I am a loyal future customer of Yarnell. Yes! You read it right, I did say "future" :)
I had taken my almost 4 year young Honda for an oil change and was told that there was an oil leak near the timing cover. The quotes ranged from 400 to 700 for fixing it. Suffice it to say I was not very happy especially since my car did not have that many miles on it.
I called Yarnell to get a quote and Rick who answered the phone was awesome. He told me that my car should not be having this issue with such less miles and on his accord checked forth a few details and found a Honda technical bulletin that mentioned such an issue happening due to some assembly issue and advised me to check with Honda first since this maybe covered by them. Such honesty in a service station and just over a phone call they helped me far more than I had hoped for. You guys rock!
I did take my vehicle to Honda and they covered it since it was an assembly issue. I am now a "future" Yarnell customer. I know where I am going for my next vehicle service :) -
Review from Sam W.
Stanford, CA
6/2/2011
I first started coming to Yarnell over 5 years ago when I became a graduate student at Stanford. I needed a reliable repair shop in the area, and originally found them via Yelp. Like many, I was highly skeptical and nervous about taking my car to a new repair shop.
Today, I'm still a loyal customer, with my truck, and have reffed several family members, some of whom travel from as far as Marin to bring their vehicles here. They do excellent quality work, are trustworthy, and honest. A rare gem in the car repair world. -
Review from Henry L.
San Jose, CA
8/14/2011
I usually do my own maintenance on my cars. Main reason is that it's difficult to find a mechanic you can trust, or that I can trust.
I was due for the major service on my car, but did not have the time to do it myself. So I came to yelp, and found Yarnell with good reviews.
The good:
Customer service was good. They were very nice/friendly, and explained things clearly. They were reasonably priced. Cheaper than the dealer repair shops that I had quote on the job, but not the cheapest. They actually called me to let me know when the job was done. I've gone to other repair shops before and they didn't call, and it was up to me to call at the end of the day wondering if the job was finished.
The bad:
I lost two hubcaps because of them. They were aftermarket hub caps, and i knew they fit very snug. Which means you had to be careful to make sure all the tabs snapped into the wheel properly otherwise, they'll probably break off. Well, the few days after I got my care back, i noticed two of the hub caps were loose. One of them i pulled out to find out that one of the tabs were in fact broken. It's garbage at that point, so i threw it out. The other was loose but could be pushed back in, which i had to do at every stop. Eventually, that one fell off too when i hit a bump on the freeway. I saw it in my rear view mirror as it rolled off to the side of the road. Luckily it didn't cause an accident because it was late at night and no other cars were around.
I'm only taking 2 stars off for this mistake because out of all the work they did in the major service, hub caps were the smallest of issues. But at the same time, hubcaps are so simply, there is no excuse for messing it up. They probably didn't even know the hubcaps were installed incorrectly. -
Review from Tara L.
San Jose, CA
11/25/2011
Efficient and honest.
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Review from Crystal C.
San Jose, CA
11/8/2011
The passenger-side headlight on my Acura RSX has had a history of burning out often (as in almost annually), so last night when it apparently needed another replacement I called Yarnell today for an appointment. Luckily, I was told to come down between 1 and 3 p.m. When I showed up, Trevor had me pop the hood right there in the parking lot. He then proceeded to fix the problem--a loose connection--in less than 10 minutes, for no charge!! How's that for awesome?!?
He could SO easily have just asked for the car key, told me to come back in a couple hours and dinged me for labor and parts. Instead, this rock star made the headlight shine again, and saved me bucks and time. This is why I will always turn to Yarnell to service my car: honesty, courtesy and going the extra mile to help a customer. THANKS, Trevor!!! -
Review from K N.
San Jose, CA
Updated - 8/21/2010
I stopped taking my car there. Once Dale passed away the place changed(Dale was the owner and a wonderful man). Last time I took my car there, I did not get the old time feeling of "We will go the extra mile to avoid making you spend extra money". For example I took my 91' Nissan 300ZX TT in for a battery cable. They wanted over $500 or $600 to replace it. The dealership want round $700 so it was cheaper. However the more elegant and cheaper solution was to cut of the old terminal head and replace it which another mechanic did for $20. Also Gabe the Nissan specialist was no longer there. The new guy wanted me to get rid of my Z, he said it required lots of $$$$ to fix problems. Then he also mentions he has friends that love to race the car and he could get me $2500 for it. Come on please that really turned me off.
Things change....
Old Review 9/20/2007
I have been taking cars to Yarnell's for the last 15 years. Their prices a VERY reasonable and the owners are honest. I recall the shifter on my 300ZX TwinTurbo(every thing costs a alot for this car) was loose. What Ed told me was we will see if we can adjust it so you don't have to replace it. It saved me money. Just recently I was told told the clutch was wearing out but was probably good for another 5k-10k miles.
Yarnell's specializes in Nissan and Toyota.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/20/2007
I have been taking cars to Yarnell's for the last 15 years. Their prices a VERY reasonable and the… Read more »
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Review from Evelyn M.
San Jose, CA
6/11/2009
My family has been a loyal customer for years at Yarnell... so I started taking my Toyota here as a result. My past 2 experiences (which were both done in the last month) included an oil change, and a water belt.
1st day, standard oil change for about $35. It's close to my work, and has a free shuttle service (drop off only so be aware). I know I can get a cheaper oil change somewhere else, but I trusted the guys here and it was convenient.
About a week later, I went to a local gas station for my smog checkup, and the mechanic noticed... a ton of pink dried crusty stuff around my water pump, under the hood of the car, and the surrounding area. I had no idea what it meant, but basically, the pink stuff was dried coolant and The mechanic said it was the 1st thing an Auto Repair 101 student should have been able to catch, and especially by the people who changed my oil. This guy didn't do water valve changes but suggested I get it fixed ASAP.
I don't think there was a way this valve broke after my recent oil change because the amount and density of the pink crust was so great that it had to have happened more than 5 days previous.
2 days after the smog check I went back to Yarnell's and had them check it out. The mechanic looked under my hood, and was shocked to see the results. He said the mechanic who did the work on my car should have seen it and reported it. But who wants to admit they're wrong, so he said he'd ask the man who did the work and see what he thought. Obviously, I was told that this wasn't there when I came in for my oil change, and it must have just happened. Somehow I doubt this.
The reason this bothers me so much is that I had vacation plans to take a road trip up to Oregon. My car needed to be in tip top shape. I just felt like I wasn't taken care of at Yarnell's.
The biggest challenge in finding an auto shop is determining who is honest, and who's out to squeeze your wallet. I used to be very loyal to Yarnell's, but am on the market for a new car mechanic. I think they do a some great work but I just don't trust them. I give them the benefit of the doubt and give 3 stars...
My dad has a few qualms about them too, and he was probably one of their biggest fans. That says something. -
Review from Anna L.
5/17/2008
My trusty, dependable mechanic, Nevin, transferred over here after Takahashi Auto Shop closed down a couple years ago. My bf and I have been going to him for at least 5 years now and he has saved us thousands of dollars. No Joke!
Though my interactions with this place have been limited to my mechanic, I have to use the transitive property and assume that because I trust Nevin, I can trust this place. He always hooks me up with the best price, and makes sure that I know what I need to prioritize when I am on a budget. Many a time, he has said, that something could be fixed, but I could wait for a period of time before addressing it. One of our cars is pretty much on its last legs, and he was honest enough to tell us that work that could be done on the shocks would not be worth the investment, and that we should just save that money for the next car.
In a capitalistic world, it is nice to know that we still have good guys like this around. -
Review from Al S.
Silicon Valley, CA
1/3/2008
I needed a 90,000 mile service for my Toyota Camry. I called Magnussen's Toyota of Palo Alto and they told me it would be $1,300. I don't know much about cars, but that seemed high to me. A friend had mentioned Yarnell's to me, so I looked on Yelp, saw five stars, and gave them a call. They quoted me $370! Guess where I took my car!
I just got it back, and they were great. They actually charged me $330, b/c they said my spark plugs didn't need to be changed. Wow!
P.S. Just to be fair, when I was at Yarnell's, they told me that they respected the people at Magnussen's a lot...that Magnussen's gives you some "extras" (like a car wash). -
Review from Frank K.
Santa Clara, CA
6/22/2009
I love this place because of how courteous, knowlegdeable and professional the service people are.
But what really makes me love them is that they charged almost 1/3 of what Toyota Sunnyvale would charge to replace my Toyota Prius' auxiliary battery.
And there's free WiFi in the lounge courtesy of Google. -
Review from The G K.
Sunnyvale, CA
6/10/2010
I've had over 6 Toyota's in my life. I've had Toyota and Lexus all my life except for 1 car.
One of the hardest things in life is to find a mechanic you can trust. Trust me when I say, these guys are Honest and their prices are reasonable. I've taken my car to their garage for over 10 years!
If you own a Toyota or Lexus, this is the only place you should take it. YOU CAN TRUST THEM ! -
Review from Michelle C.
San Jose, CA
3/15/2009
My coworker recommended this place when he found out I bought a Lexus. He said, "Don't bother going to a Lexus dealership who will overcharge for services. Yarnell will provide the same service at a great price." I was excited to have found a possible place to take my new (used) car!
I bought my car from a dealership who sent me an email as a reminder that my car was due for my 52,500 miles maintenance. In the email, it listed a few things that were recommended and the dealership was HOPING i would go to them for these listed services.
I printed out this service list and went to Yarnell's. The guy at the desk greeted me with a chipper "hi there, how can i help you today?" I showed him the recommended list and he had this look of disapproval on his face and said, "you don't need all this. all you need right now is an oil change." I LIKED the HONESTY!! He said along with the oil change, they would check on my tires, brakes, and anything else that may look like would need servicing. So, I decided to bring my car in for the oil change in the morning.
A different guy helped me the day I brought my car in. I got help right away and he was very friendly. He told me it would take about 45 minutes. He told me that a shuttle was available to drop me off at work, since I work very close by. I opted to stay, but I will likely use the shuttle service when I go back for further service.
In less than 45 minutes, my car was done. Another guy sat down with me and went through their recommendations.
I LOVED the great customer service from EVERYONE that I have encountered there. They were honest and didn't try to feed me any B.S. or try to make me get extra unnecessary stuff.
This is my car's home for service and maintenance! I'm so grateful to have stumbled onto Yarnell! -
Review from cc c.
San Francisco, CA
3/25/2009
Finally found a sound mechanic for my Toyota 97 Corolla. I missed my honest and fair priced mechanic in San Francisco (Will's Auto) and had to find one in S. Bay because of a recent move. Luckily Yarnell's offers the same things I valued with my last mechanic:
The +'s: Professional and great service. Courteous, patient and communicated well on the repairs I needed.
+Free shuttle service was a great convenience so I did not have to wait in the lounge.
+Quote matched final invoice for repairing oxygen sensor ($196 + tax)
+Car fixed in line with estimated time of completion
+Price is fair (after comparing to other places)
+120k (and other milestones) mile checkups are competitively priced ($300s)
The -'s: I can't think of any right now but after being gouged by another mechanic at another place in Palo Alto, I am definitely sticking to Yarnell Service Center as my new mechanic in the future. -
Review from lola s.
Palo Alto, CA
1/22/2010
Have gone to Yarnell's for 15 years but the last five they have done a poor job. I kept thinking we were wrong and I wanted to be able to depend on them. However, we finally had it. They had been slipping up on numerous things resulting in many trips back to them: forgot to fix the timing belt during a turn up (hassle getting it smogged), didn't fix the oil link after four visits, etc. If I had infiinite time to go back to them and lots of money to waste, I might not mind as they are very pleasant to deal wtih---but I just need the job done right the first time.
Finally took my Camry to Barron Park Shell (who knew?) on El Camino and the guy finally fixed the oil leak for a lot less money than Yarnells. -
Review from Asim R.
Venice, CA
2/20/2008
Yarnell was the first (and last) Toyota place recommended to me by a co-worker who owned a Toyota.
Everyone else has already covered everything that is to say about their service. One unnoticed thing is their location - right next to Light train station. I would drop my car for oil change and take the courtesy van to work and then come back during lunch hour taking the light train to pick up the car. -
Review from Richard G.
Los Altos Hills, CA
5/20/2010
I have an older Toyota that I really don't want to part ways with, and it needed a lot of preventive maintenance that I had been putting off for quite some time (in storage for over a year).
I saw the great reviews on Yelp and dropped by to check the place out and discussed what I wanted done. I fortunately met Rick Medina who was very knoledgable about my car and really impressed me!
I brought my car in for service and they were real nice to take me to a nearby car rental agency. The repairs took over one day, but Rick was great at keeping me posted on the progress and even picked me up from the car rental agency! Talk about service! They really went the extra mile for me and repaired a pesky oil leak that Sunnyvale Toyota was going to rip me off to take back for repair, so I just kept adding oil on a regular basis and cleaning the drop pan. Yarnell's repaired the gaskets and now NO LEAKS! I found they did twice the work Sunnyvale Toyota did for HALF THE PRICE!
I was very pleased with the work at Yarnell's and when I need any more service done I will be sure to return.
They are also within easy walking distance from the VTA Light Rail and they usually only drop off and do not pick up. -
Review from Judy T.
San Jose, CA
7/24/2010
I've been going to Yarnell's for over 5 years and have had excellent service each time. The best example of customer service was when my Nissan Sentra broke down on the way to SF. I was forced to exit 101 since my car had lost power near South San Francisco - fortunately I had AAA. However, they only tow ~10 miles so I opted to be towed to the nearby Nissan dealership which had already closed for the day.
I left a note (and my car) at the dealer's and had a friend come pick me up to go home. When they called with the estimate the next day I was "shocked" by the cost (over $700). I had already told them in my note not to start any work. They gave me details on exactly what was wrong and I called Yarnell's to get a second estimate. They quoted me ~$300. Since it would be difficult to go up to pick up my car they provided a number of a tow agency that would not cost an arm and leg and told me they could add it to my bill. Even with the additional tow the total was MUCH cheaper than the dealership. Not only did they save me money they saved me time!
And as someone already pointed out - they are cheap only in price. They provide excellent customer service, sound advice, and I feel I'm getting top-notch service. -
Review from Jacqueline D.
Palo Alto, CA
4/5/2010
This place is such a professional operation, and they are Toyota experts! After searching forums and asking numerous mechanics for advice on how to get our 4Runner to pass smog, my boyfriend and I stumbled across Yarnell's. Other mechanics asked for $125 + just to pull the check engine code (even though we had already pulled it for free from Sears) and provide an estimate of the work to be done. Yarnell's quoted us $108 to take a look and provided 3 likely scenarios, with pricing for each. It happened to be the cheapest of the three scenarios - the vacuum hoses had been improperly routed by the previous owner of the truck - something no other mechanic had mentioned as a possibility. $108 and a re-smog test later, we are happy campers with our smog certified 4 Runner!
I'm including the words "cheap toyota mechanic" here because that was the search term I used to find a place like Yarnell's. Just to clarify - they are cheap only in price - not in quality! This place is a solid operation with Toyota experts. -
Review from Mike C.
Cupertino, CA
9/3/2009
These guys are the definition of honest mechanics. If it ain't broke you don't need to fix it, but if it could break and cost you more money down the line they'll let you know.
I've brought my 4runner, Landcruiser, and now my company Prius. For the past 6-years it has been a wonderful relationship. Like all things that are quality, price should be your second concern behind worksmanship.
Mike Yarnell has been a pleasure to work with and recommend him to my own clients with Toyota vehicles. -
Review from William S.
Los Gatos, CA
8/21/2010
I did something that I usually wouldn't do: I gave a mechanic essentially a blank check to diagnose problems with my car. What I knew: the brakes were shot, the check engine light was on, and I had neglected to service it for months. I had to admit that it needed a good look over from someone who knew what they were looking at, and I braced for the bill.
After $350 for the brakes (very reasonable- my car is a Land Cruiser whose parts must be made of platinum considering some of the prices I've seen) and $100 or so for a complete service, I drove away a very happy man. To my complete surprise.
I shouldn't have been that surprised. This is the second great experience I've had with these guys. They are very honest. If they can't do it for the best price around, they will tell you who can. I hope I'll never have to do it again, but if I have to bring in a car and say 'fix whatever's broke' again, this is the place I'd punch in to the GPS.
,Wil -
Review from Edward L.
Sunnyvale, CA
8/10/2011
Knowledgeable, reputable, friendly, honest -- what more can you ask for?
I have been a loyal customer for years, having my 4 family cars serviced at Yarnell's. I like their calm, informative, and consistent behavior and I feel I am fairly treated. My last car problem was with my 1987 Honda and had strut/shock work done but also had them investigate a problem with some sort of grabbing when my car was trying to go in reverse from a parking position. Rick and Dan looked at it thoroughly and although they initially couldn't reproduce the problem, they continued to investigate when I reported the same problem subsequently; finally they found out the problem to be in the rear brakes and had new cylinders fixing the problem finally. Their pricing is not as cheap as some other places but you never seem to find fault with the quality of the work or their thoroughness and after all, isn't that the most important thing when it comes to servicing your car? -
Review from David Y.
Cupertino, CA
3/12/2007
I used Yarnell's long ago for my Toyota. They only deal with Toyota/Nissan and Lexus/Infiniti types of models. When my Infiniti I30 started to stall when idle during random times I decided to take it to them as I remembered them to be good at what they do in the past. Since I worked close by they even dropped my off at work.
They are expensive, but if they can fix the issue, then I wouldn't mind paying. They diagnosed the issue to be related to the IAC Valve and made some adjustments to it.
The next day I went and picked up my car. Two days later my car stalls again when idle. I take it back and they give me a discount on the labor, instead of $90/hr they drop it down to $45/hr and they inspect it some more. They diagnosed the issue some more and recommended that I replace the IAC Valve since it might be faulty. The part was charged for around $150 and labor was $90 for two hours worth of work based on my credit. I was so relieved they found the cause as stuff like this could be difficult to locate.
They were really nice and professional about the whole thing, about not being able to fix it the first time. I pick up my car and again a day later my car stalls. I take it back and ask for a refund on the labor and just left the new part in my car.
Yarnell's specializes in this type of car yet they could not fix it and not even aware of the problems with this type of car. I even went onto the Internet and did a search and found several results related to Nissan models and brought them print outs and possible suggested areas to look into. They said they would tell the mechanic to look into it but I doubt that ever happened. The problem is the people you speak to about your problems are not the same people that fix you car. It's all based on what they type into the computer.
I give them 4 out of 5 stars based on their professionalism, but only use Yarnell's for tune ups or if you have an easy issue. For complicated issues take it somewhere else (read my other reviews for where).
Plus: Nice people, professional, will refund your money if they can't fix.
Minus: Close to triple digits per hour, can't diagnose and fix complicated issues for models they specialize in. -
Review from Danny K.
Mountain View, CA
5/11/2011
I have taken both my Lexus rx300 and IS 300 here for service. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The price is by far much more reasonable than a dealer. I use to take my Lexus's to Stevens Creek Lexus for service. Stevens Creek is a place that is great for service and comfort and customer service and they give you a car... but you pay an arm and a leg... that is fine if you can afford it, but I switched to Yarnell's. I do some of my own mechanical work on my cars, but when I don't have the time or when it is over my head, I now rely on Yarnells. They diagnosed an electrical problem that I tried to fix and spent the whole weekend with. They spent about 4 days trying to find the electrical problem and finally found it. The cost for the detective work was reasonable for the time they put in. I could not be happier.
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Review from J D.
Sunnyvale, CA
10/31/2008
Just found these guys this year. They found a cheezy wiring job that Speedee performed for me earlier in the year on a O2 sensor. They are now the place to go for service as long as we keep driving our Nissan Pathfinder and Lexus ES.
Honest, reliable, and gave me a ride home too! -
Review from Peter D.
Milpitas, CA
1/5/2009
I started going to this place on based on a recommendation from my fiance. As far as the car service goes, I would give them 5 stars. They are thorough and explain in detail what work was done on my car. I feel that they are honest and dependable, and aren't just out to get my money.
However, the reason why I am knocking off two stars is their shuttle service. Currently, I work a little over a mile away from Yarnell's. On two occasions they tell me that the shuttle should be arriving shortly, so I figure it would be worth it to wait rather than walk. After waiting 30 minutes, I would inquire about the shuttle, and I would get the same response, it should be arrive shortly. After another 15 minutes or so (totaling 45 minutes), the shuttle finally arrives. I could've walked to work in about 20 minutes. It's the not the waiting that I mind, it's that they lie to me about when the shuttle will return.
Given that, I really want to emphasize that I do like their car service, and I continue to go there. If the shuttle is not there when I'm there, I just walk back to work. -
Review from Ian D.
Palo Alto, CA
1/8/2009
I'm happy to say that I had a great first experience with Yarnells. (My car: 2001 Honda Civic)
The highpoints:
1. Price - I had a timing belt changed along with a the water pump, two drive belts, and a full synthetic oil change for ~$650. This was much less than a timing belt alone would have cost at several other places I checked.
2. Courtesy - I got a shuttle drop off and a pick up at the caltrain which was very convenient. Rick the tech who serviced my car explained everything he was going to do and each part as he ordered it.
3. Extras - I had a couple noises that needed checking (the didn't find anything) and a keyless remote that needed programming. Didn't get charged for either. And then the next day when I discovered my splash guard had come loose I called Rick up, he said bring it buy, he fixed in in ten minutes and again no charge.
A friend's parents have been going here for years so I had confidence going in, but I certainly plan to take my car back next time it needs service. They exceeded my expectations which is all I can ask. -
Review from AJ R.
San Jose, CA
5/26/2009
The only mechanics that have touched my Nissan.
Reasonable, honest about repair recommendations, patient mechanics.
$36 oil change and $230 60k service.
Try them - you won't regret it. -
Review from Kyung P.
Santa Clara, CA
9/1/2009
I went by here based on the high yelp reviews, and yelp did not let me down!
I had just bought a semi-used 2006 car from a dealer, and the check engine light came on on the way home. Of course, the dealer said it was a minor problem and they'd take care of it, but I knew better.
I called Yarnell, made a same day appointment, and got a compression check done on the car. Trevor helped me out, even took a late lunch to take care of me, and confirmed my worst suspicions - low compression on cylinders #2 and #3. They wrote up a printout, failed the compression test, and gave me advice on how to approach the dealer.
In the end, the dealer ended up doing the right thing and doing a full rollback, returning my trade and downpayment.
Thanks, Yarnell / Trevor, you guys made a bad situation much, much better. Fast, polite, and professional - exactly how I like it! :)
