5 /5 Jonathan Deutsch: I did not expect to be writing a review of Palo Alto Auto Care, but here we are! After a drive down from San Francisco I simply made a stop at an ARCO gas station in Palo Alto. Underneath my car was a puddle, and I saw fluid some dripping from my car itself. I wasnt sure if the dripping was from a splash of driving through the puddle, but it persisted. Luckily at about the same time one of the guys from Palo Alto Auto Care walked by and told me my car was leaking coolant, and it would not be safe to drive. The dripping did not stop - it was definitely my car... yikes!
Since his shop was behind the gas station, he offered to take a look to see the source of the leak. No conditions, it was more of a friendly offer. They couldnt view the problem by opening the hood, so they spent more time to raise up the car to better examine it. The reservoir had a crack, but he suspected the root cause was 90% likely from another part. Luckily both could be ordered and worked on that day. A few hours later my car was back in working order. While my wallet was lighter (and I didnt really have an opportunity to shop around), the price for parts/labor seemed reasonable at least compared to what I know I would have been charged from a dealer shop.
I walked out more feeling "lucky in being unlucky." The guys there really saved my bacon - had I drove off disaster could have ensued, or at least paying for an expensive towing and worse repair from damage. Even though car repair is their business and it makes sense they would notice problems, I feel more like they were good Samaritans. (quite professional good samaritans no less!)