San Francisco's Japanese Auto Repair Specialists

Pat’s Garage offers comprehensive San Francisco auto care. We specialize in Japanese vehicles, including Subaru, Honda, Acura, Toyota, Lexus, Scion, Nissan, Infiniti, Mazda as well as Korean Hyundai and Kia, Fisker Karma and all Japanese Hybrids and Electric Vehicles. When you bring your vehicle to our auto care facility in San Francisco, you will find an auto repair garage that’s dedicated to technical excellence and customer service. Our friendly service advisors will be happy to answer any questions you may have, and make your Pat’s Garage visit a pleasant one. Strong coffee is the bedrock of Pat’s Garage, and we are willing to share (yes, we have coffee available for these early morning drop-offs, or if you are facing that afternoon energy slump).  Among the benefits of taking your car to our auto care garage you will find:  24 months / 24,000 miles warranty  Digital Vehicle Inspections Nationally ASE certified technicians working on your ... read more

Your Acura is a superbly engineered vehicle, but even best made cars require repairs from time to time. At Pat’s Garage in San Francisco we have been repairing Acura vehicles for over thirty years. We specialize in Japanese auto repair, and can provide your Acura with a wide range of repairs – from brake caliper repairs, to check engine light diagnostics and repairs, to air conditioning, emissions repairs, shocks and struts, transmission, and engine repairs as well. Our nationally ASE certified technicians have performed thousands of Acura repairs, and they continue to refine their skills. We also use state-of-the-art digital diagnostic tools when we repair your Acura. Pat’s Garage has been the go-to Acura repair shop in San Francisco for over three decades. If your Acura needs repairs, whether minor or major, give us a call – we are happy to be of service. If you prefer, you can also make an appointment online, on our website. If you wish to find out more abo ... read more

Pat’s Garage is your one-stop Nissan repair center in San Francisco. We specialize in service and repair of Japanese vehicles, and in Nissan maintenance services and repairs in particular. Whether you drive a Nissan Altima for a daily commute, or use a Nissan Frontier for your business, our technicians are highly experience in Nissan repairs, and will keep your vehicle reliable and on the road.  All vehicles require regular maintenance, and your Nissan is no exception. Regular oil service will go a long way to keep your Nissan happy. When you bring your vehicle to our San Francisco auto repair shop, you will find that we also provide free digital vehicle inspection with service or repairs – so that you know the condition of your vehicle. We will send you electronic copy of the results.  Whether your Nissan is due for an oil change, the check engine light has come on, whether it needs brake repair, or simply if you feel that something isn’t “quite right ... read more

Now that the worst forest fires of the year are behind us, it’s time to replace air filters in your vehicle. Bay Area air was terrible, and both the cabin air filter and engine air filter in your car bore the brunt of the smoke, soot, and ash.  Just as you and passengers in your vehicle need to breathe clean air, so does the engine.  That’s why cars are designed with two air filters – one for humans, and one for the engine. Normally we would recommend air filters replacement every 12,000 miles or so – roughly once a year, depending on your driving habits. But with the heavy smoke in the air, if you were using your car during those weeks, it’s a good idea to replace both air filters now.  Air filter replacement is a quick procedure, and can be done along with the oil service. So give your car a gift of clean air and clean engine oil – get an oil service and air filters replaced soon. Your lungs, and your car’s engine will thank ... read more

Hyundai Sonata and Hyundai Santa Fe have been named “Best New Cars for Teens” by U.S. News & World Report. Vehicles are ranked based on having the best combination of crash test scores, advanced driver assistance features, predicted reliability ratings, as well as critics’ recommendations (positive reviews) in the U.S. News Best Cars rankings for the price category. Director of product planning at Hyundai Motor America, Scott Margason, said: “We pride ourselves on offering the best combination of reliability, crash protection and accident avoidance features.” Naturally, these features are important not only for teenagers, though for obvious reasons, they are particularly important for teenage drivers. The 2020 Hyundai Sonata includes advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) typically found in luxury cars. At Pat’s Garage we offer full Hyundai maintenance and repair services i ... read more

Karma Automotive has just announced its new Karma E-Flex Platform. It’s a chassis that will become the foundation of a broad range of electric vehicles – from regular, daily driver cars, to autonomous vans, to high-performance electric cars.   Karma announced that the platform will first be used in the 2020 Revero GT extended-range electric vehicle (EREV). New designs for battery electric-only vehicles and additional extended-range electric vehicles will be announced soon. Karma is demonstrating its developing capabilities not just in the electric vehicle space, but also autonomous vehicle, and artificial intelligence solutions for personal and utility vehicles.  The new platform will allow Karma to significantly lower cost of developing new vehicles.  As you probably know, we are big fans of Karma, so we are looking forward to servicing and maintaining new designs from Karma. In the meantime, if you have any concerns or questions about your Fisker Ka ... read more

Traditionally, electrical wiring has been insulated by being coated with plastics – the multi-color wire insulation you see on most electrical wiring comes from petroleum-based plastics. Hyundai decided to change this by moving in a new direction (and so apparently did Kia, Toyota, Honda, and Subaru). Hyundai decided to change their vehicle wiring harness insulation to a soy-based “bioplastic”. This new soy-based material not only costs less to produce but functions just as well as regular plastics when it comes to electrical insulation, however, it is biodegradable – it will decompose in a landfill. Unfortunately, it turned out that rats and mice discovered the new soy-based insulation – they found it tasty and also a great nesting material. As a result, many Hyundai owners found new issues with their otherwise reliable vehicles: dash lights coming on, no start problems, sub-system shutting down, pretty much anything that relies on electricity sent thro ... read more

Hyundai just announced a new scholarship with the goal of closing the gender gap in engineering, autonomous driving and mobility fields. At Pat’s Garage, we are big fans Hyundai, and we not only offer Hyundai repair in San Francisco but also follow developments at Hyundai in general.  The new Women in STEM scholarship will offer five female students interested in pursuing a career in autonomous driving, engineering, or mobility, an award of $10,000 each. They must be high school seniors or undergraduate female students who want to pursue a STEM-related field of education, and they must reside in the United States. Students apply for the award by writing an essay of 500+ words on why they chose to study a STEM-related field, and what drives them to be better. At Pat’s Garage we are huge believers in the power of education, and we salute Hyundai for its efforts. At Pat’s we do our share by offering regular training to our technicians, including the ones that rep ... read more

  Karma Automotive, manufacturer of Fisker Karma and Karma Revero, has unveiled a new design studio at its Irvine, CA headquarters.  The 12,000-square-foot studio is designed to allow Karma to grow its design services, and not just in the automotive field.  Treated as a separate business unit, it will offer design services targeted at the luxury-lifestyle market. It includes a floor-to-ceiling power wall that gives designers ability to show their concepts in full size - digitally.   Karma's design team is responsible for the design of company's striking SC1 and SC2 concept cars, and its latest reincarnation of the Karma Revero - the 2020 Revero GT, which is the winner of the 2020 Luxury Green Car of the Year Award. At Pat's Garage we are delighted to follow the continued development of Karma, and as always, stand ready to assist Fisker Karma and Karma Revero owners with their service and repair needs. Pat's Garage remains committed to Karma ... read more

There has been an epidemic of catalytic converter thefts in San Francisco in particular, and in Northern California in general. Thieves use power saws to cut off the catalytic converters in the middle of the night. Police estimate that for some vehicles it only takes a few minutes to steal one. Frequently targeted vehicles It seems that Prius Gen 2 is the most likely target, but other cars are at risk as well, especially Honda Element. Police estimate that thieves get somewhere between $100 to $200 for the precious metal recovered from the stolen catalytic converters. In some cases, the scrap value is as much as $450. Preventative steps you can take To avoid having your car become a statistic, we recommend parking your car in the garage, not leaving it outside. If you must leave a car outside, try to leave it near security cameras or in well-lit or busy areas. What to do if your catalytic converter is stolen If your car does have its catalytic converter stolen, call us and we wil ... read more