Stress-Free Auto Care / Emerald Auto

Look no further! You've found the auto repair shop for you. StressFree has recently changed ownership and what was a great auto repair shop (Emerald Auto) before has become my new gold standard. The entire process is just what the name says: Stress Free. The entire crew is there to work with you as a trusted partner in repairing and maintaining your car from the moment you call to make an appointment. My favorite new service is that when you bring your car in, they do a full auto repair so that you know the status of your car and what's on the horizon for future repairs. This is especially useful if you drive a late-model "get around town" car like me and need to keep an eye on potential upcoming repairs as part of the usual life span of the car. The pricing is very transparent and right in line with market rates, and the repair process lays out your options for you, rather than giving you a one size fits all, cookie-cutter approach to your repair options. I highly recommend them as your go-to auto repair shop!

My car broke down Friday late afternoon, so I was dreading having to wait for Monday to schedule repairs since not a lot of places are open on the weekend. It was great to find one open on weekends and relatively close by.

I called Saturday morning to make the inquiry, they ordered the part that needed replacing, and I was able to get my car in the shop for service the same day because the part came earlier than expected!

The service took about as long as they estimated, an hour/hour and a half. All in all, happy to report that this shop lives up to its name!

"The service regarding the car is good, but at the reception, I think they should already have an assistant so that customers don't have to wait long to be attended to when they arrive and when they have to pay to leave."

Thanks

While ultimately Stress-Free Auto wasn't able to help with my car situation, Lorne and his staff made their best efforts to help me fix my car. After several unsuccessful attempts to gain the parts I needed (through not fault of their own), they reached out to other auto centers to make that happen, even at their own expense. Though they were unable to help me this time, they have gained my trust and I will come back to them when I have other maintenance requirements. If you are looking for a company that will go out of their way to take care of you and your car, this is the place.

Loren Winfrey is an excellent values-driven leader. I followed him from his last auto shop, and he's done nothing but blow my mind with his outstanding customer service and quality over the years.

Loren just got off the phone with me when I was assessing some trouble with my car before a big trip. He said he would take a look at it first thing in the morning and personally give me the green light if it was OK to drive. "I don't want you to be stranded on the side of the road," he said, even though their team is slammed with some staff out-of-town for the Fourth of July holiday.

This man is integrous, honest, and teaches his team to be the same. He leads by example. I've often called Loren "The Car Doctor" because he treats my 4Runner with the same level of care and respect as a doctor would his patients. He offers a fair price -- and isn't trying to nickel-and-dime you for every which thing. Loren is humorous and kind, and always looking out for his clients' best.

I wouldn't take my car anywhere else!

Great service! Rebecca is great, she was our service advisor. We got super quick quality service with affordable rates.

Totally recommend it

I used to come here when it was Emerald as it was the closest place to me for anything including smog checks.

FORTUNATELY I called because reviews here say they do smog checks, BUT THEY DO NOT! I guess they are limiting what services they provide. Pretty sad.

Stress-free was great to work with. We had the brakes done on our CX-5. When we had a follow on issue with the repair (parts issue not a workmanship issue) they fixed it quickly and under warranty. They stand behind their work and were so helpful and easy to work with. This will be my go to shop from now on!

Took a hybrid into this shop to help resolve a check engine light error.

Customer Service: This was the highlight by far - everyone was super kind and friendly overall. They do represent great customer service for a mechanic shop.

Value: This is where the problem started - I was billed a diagnostic fee of $250 and the conclusion of the diagnostic was to take the car to the dealership instead because the problem was outside the scope of their ability. I FOLLOWED THEIR ADVICE and took the car to the dealership shop who charged $230 for their diagnostic and said that I was ripped off because the information that was provided from Stress-Free Auto Care was about 2 minutes of work.

It's just insane to me that you can get billed $250 for a diagnostic fee only to be told to go to a dealership that will charge you $230 and actually get you a resolution. Why wouldn't you just go to a dealership to begin with? You would skip the useless $250 first charge to begin with....

Really nice people, but terrible business practice.

Really lives up to the name. They are constantly communicating and setting expectations. Every time I had a question, they were happy to answer and help. They even covered a Lyft when I had to leave my car for a few days with flexible/easy pickup.

What a delightful experience! Who says that at your car shop, right? YOU WILL when you get your service done with the team at Stress-Free. Appointment was easy to schedule and fast, and their schedule is incredibly easy for working people who can't, let's say, take the day off to sit at their dealership. Communication was clear, easy, and not high-pressure in any way. Pricing was incredibly fair and laid-out for me to approve as fit into my life and budget.

I could not be happier to have found such an incredible resource in San Francisco, and will be making this my new home for service moving forward. Thank you!