Nate's Green Garage

Shannon Romano

★★★★★

3 years ago

Nate is a Prius Whisperer who cares more deeply about his clientele than almost any other small business owner I’ve ever encountered. He has helped me out time and time again with various car issues, in an efficient, communicative and friendly manner. The definition of going above and beyond the call of duty. I use my car to make a living, so time is money, and he understands that. It means the world to have him close by, now that I live in Berkeley. I feel so taken care of when I come here. His wife is also extremely sweet, as is everyone else on his staff. I feel very fortunate to have him as my mechanic, and he deserves the highest recognition and accolades for his dedication and service to the Prius community. Thank you Nate!!!!

Derek Nieman

★★★★★

3 years ago

Nathan is an excellent person and runs an excellent business. I have been taking all of my cars here for over a decade. He is an honest mechanic and earns my trust every visit. Would give more stars.

Ben Emmert-Aronson

★★★★★

3 years ago

Nate is trustworthy, friendly, and an expert at his craft. How many people look forward to their next service cycle? With Nate as my mechanic, I'm always happy to head in.

Eric

★★★★★

Edited 3 years ago

UPDATE: 22JUNE2022 I stand by all of my previous lauds and then some. Nate is a stand up, knowledgeable and capable guy who will do what he can to help. However I think all of his great and well-deserved revlews are backfiring and now he's swamped with more patronage than he knows what do do with. So if you're a new customer or new to the area and / or you need help NOW, please keep in mind that he's already doing tons and will probably have to pass on your business as he's already beyond booked. I would suggest calling *now* to make an appointment for an oil change or brake job so that you can get in, eventually. There is no point in calling and trying to strongarm or woo him into seeing you; he deals with this regularly so replying with a polite "no" isn't unfamiliar. In any case good luck and happy motoring. Establishing a relationshp with a quality mechanic isn't easy but being patient and transparent about your car's issues (and maybe some of your own) helps a ton. AND THANKS A MILLION NATE! Update: 11DEC2020 I can't say enough wonderful things about Nate and his amazing shop. His capabilities seem boundless. I think the only thing he's ever gotten wrong was his estimate that my Accord wouldn't last as long as it has. Maybe he thought I'd take it elsewhere, to some lesser mechanic. No chance. In any case everything from my previous review stands; he's upfront and accurate with his estimates. The work is done at least as quickly as promised. When I drive away I don't have to return for some weird noise or other unexpected quirk. Usually I don't return until another quarterly oil change or scheduled repair. So call today for an appointment as he's hard to book on short notice. And save the number as it's he's likely the last mechanic you'll ever need to call. "Previous" reviews: Nate is great. He knows more about what makes my car tick than I could ever hope to understand. He's patient with my hair brained descriptions of my dear Autos ailments, and direct with prognoses and cost estimates. He's also very reasonable and extremely nice. I've been going to him for about 18 months I think so this review is sadly overdue (Sorry Nate!) He's also quick with repairs and flexible with scheduling; this isn't to say that he's absolutely accommodating; he already has quite a loyal following so getting in at the last minute can be difficult. If he's got time for you he'll get you in but he's not going to sacrifice his standards to see more people than he has time for. So I'd recommend sending an email in the messaging system in the website and schedule as soon as possible. He responds within a reasonable amount of time so arrangements can be hammered out pretty quickly. I'm a fan.

Mairi Creedon

★☆☆☆☆

2 years ago

This place is a scam despite the great reviews, don't go, especially if you have out of state plates or don't know much about cars because they'll try to take advantage of you (I just moved to the area and am a woman in my 20s who doesn't know much about cars with out of state plates). I came by for a regular inspection, oil change, and asked them to look over the car since I'd just driven it cross country. They tried to tell me I needed $2000 worth of work including new front and rear brakes, rotors, calipers, my battery was leaking, and I needed new spark plugs (in addition to a changing fluids and filters, which would have been reasonable if it was just that). I keep the records of what work I got done and the rear brakes and spark plugs were both done less than a year ago. I also had the car checked six weeks before I brought it in by a mechanic my family has gone to for over 30 years who knew I was driving cross country and would absolutely have caught a problem with the brakes. When I told Nathan about the recent work I'd had done he lied again, this time to my face, even going so far as to tell me my car was unsafe to drive. The battery was clearly such an important issue that he even forgot to write it down on the recommended work that needed to be done even though he mentioned it a few times on the phone. I took my car two days later to a different mechanic shop nearby that was recommended by someone who has lived in the area for years and there's absolutely no safety issues with my brakes. Don't go here, if he tries to sell you on major work, especially on your first visit, get a second opinion and if you do get them to do the work ask for your parts back - just a guess, but he might be a less willing to do the work if he isn't able to steal those and use them on someone else's car.

Morgan Pilcher

★★★★★

4 years ago

Nate is the most honest mechanic I’ve even known and will forever have my business! I’ve been bringing my 1998 Jeep (now rehomed) and my 2011 Prius here for years now so this review is long overdue! I also recently had my catalytic converter stolen and was expecting to pay a ton of money for repairs but Nate told me to check with my insurance to see if I had coverage and I DID! He saved me a ton of money AND put custom welded protection so that this hopefully doesn’t happen again.

andrew mayer

★★★★★

9 years ago

Nate is professional, accommodating, affordable, and in my experience, totally honest. He seems to have a loyal following of customers who appreciate his grounded and honest style. He's done several electric conversions on classic cars, and seems proficient with hybrids and EVs.

Dorian Eidhin

★★★★★

3 years ago

This review is long overdue. It’s probably a genetic defect, but when I think about cars, my mind fills with white noise. Thankfully, Nate has the intelligence and expertise that I’m missing. However, more than a car expert, Nate is a thoughtful and kind human. For example, the day before I had to go out of town, my car started exhibiting alarming behaviors. I needed a quick diagnosis and fix. And although he was slammed, Nate squeezed me in. And he was thoughtful and friendly. I don’t expect people to go above and beyond in this way, but I notice and appreciate it when it happens. And I think it deserves special mention. So here’s my special mention, a few months late. Thank you, Nate.

Steve Buddy

★★★★★

2 years ago

Likely the least expensive shop anywhere in the bay area, for sure! Only catch is, and I think it's a good thing, only Japanese vehicles are allowed as Toyota/Lexus require special fluids to run properly. Do not let a non-qualified ordinary mechanic work on your car nor any drive-thru quick oil changers flush your fluids as it likely won't be the right type/quality of fluid needed for your Toyota/Lexus. I only wish I knew of Nate's shop 3 years ago when I bought my Lexus with 76k miles on it. Dealership wants easily twice as much as what Nate charges! Dealerships are a rip off so I'd highly recommend to stop going to them unless it's under warranty. Only draw back with Nate is that his schedule is usually two weeks booked so call when you still got some time to wait to get serviced! You'll save lots of $$$$! Thanks Nate!

Ciara A

★★★★★

a year ago

I’m not a car person and I usually dread doing any car related things but Nate’s green garage is the easiest and less stressful mechanic I’ve ever been to! Nate and Natasha are beyond nice and accommodating. Their prices are super fair.

Don Ichino

★★★★★

a year ago

Nathan and his crew are a case study in how a business succeeds and thrives-winning over customers one at a time-through a knowledgeable, communicative, responsive owner, backstopped by work performed with integrity and fairness. Nate diagnosed my Insight issue sur place-by a visual and audial inspection and later confirmed his instinct by putting the car on the hoist and performing thorough diagnostics. I must contrast this process with the over wrought layers of managers and technicians at a local Honda dealership-who in my case, misdiagnosed my issue and unconscionably provided an estimate of repairs of 6K. Nate’s diagnosis and work performed was just over 1/6th cost and definitively nailed the solution. An astonishing first experience with NGG! I wholeheartedly join the chorus of 5-star reviewers. Thank you Nate and associates!

Emerald VL

★★★★★

a year ago

Nothing but gratitude & appreciation to share about Nate & Nate’s Green Garage. Nate is kind, patient, honest & incredibly helpful. He was so generous with his time and energy. Hard to imagine going anywhere else!

Duncan Crowley

★★★★★

a year ago

As an engineer who does most of the work on our car, I have a high expectation for work done by mechanics. After our '10 Prius started overheating recently, I began working through the repair manual evaluating the possible root causes. In this, I had many concerns about causes which I did not have the equipment to test for. Prior to coming here, I wasted $200 at the Toyota dealership that was unwilling to drive the car at high loads uphill to replicate the problem and at that point I knew we needed to see a Prius expert. Nathan and his team were able to quickly replicate the problem, tested for the range of possible causes, and were able to isolate the issue to a finicky water pump using their datalogger. I was happy to replace the pump instead of the much more expensive head gasket, and would recommend this shop for any complex Toyota hybrid diagnoses. Shop is popular so we had to wait over a week to get in, but it was worth waiting.

Christopher Buck

★★★★★

2 years ago

Nate and his team have earned my trust. I really appreciate his expertise and honesty. It's a remarkable feeling to do business with a mechanic who has deep technical experience and shares advice with customers as if they were his own family.

Efrossini Koutsoukis

★★★★★

2 years ago

I brought my Honda to Nate's Green garage partly because my nephew works there and partly for the great reviews. Well, I'm happy to say I made the right decision to bring it to Nate's . These guys are the real deal! Honest, trustworthy and they know their craft. Always give you sound advice and they tell you exactly what your car needs.

Dylan Cowie-Haskell

★★★★★

8 months ago

I had a bad experience at a different shop and then came to Nate’s desperate for help on a complex issue with my 09 prius. I was impressed and comforted by Nate’s thorough communication, expertise and persistence in getting to the bottom of the issue. His passion for the work was clear as well as his humanity as his team went above and beyond to figure out the issue. Highly recommend Nate’s garage.

Victor Fong

★★★★★

3 months ago

Nate is the real deal. Drove my Prime 8 years off the dealer lot with no maintenance other than oil and tires. So my ride was way over due preventative maintenance. Talked to two other places before taking it here. The other places wanted to do all sorts of extra things. In their defense they don’t specialize in hybrids. Talking to Nate at length he seemed very knowledgeable about Toyota PHEVs and performed only the necessary services and left me feeling good about the whole experience. I’ll be back!!!