FAQ

How easy is it to drop my car off for service?
Our hours of operation are 7:30a-4:30pm Monday through Friday. You can use our early bird envelope service at the front door to drop your car off after hours or on the weekends. At the right of the front door is a black mailbox with drop-off envelopes. Lock your car, put the keys into an envelope, and fill it out completely. Then, throw the envelope into mail slot on the front glass door so that it falls into the office. You will be contacted in the morning. Please, don’t forget to include your email address!
Do I need an appointment?
It helps to have an appointment to ensure same day service. We always welcome drop off services and emergency repairs anytime. We do our best to accommodate as time permits. Please note, we priortize the clients who have patiently waited for an appointment first! Also, if you do make an appointment, please be clear about the extent of repairs you have in mind, and if you are pretty certain you will want to work past the “check and advise” part of the work order. It may be necessary to reschedule your vehicle if more work is needed than we can fit into the current week.
Do you have shuttle service?
At this time, we do not offer shuttle service; however, we often make the time to drop you at light rail if possible.
What if I cannot pick up my car before you close?
Credit card merchant regulations require that your card be swiped in person, in addition to your signature on our paperwork. There are exceptions, at our discretion, but please make arrangements for payment before we close. We can lock your keys in your car so long as you remember to bring a spare. Otherwise, its best to return the following morning.
Can I get my old parts back?
By law, if you ask for the parts at the time the work order is being prepared; all shops must return them to you (except cores when required by the vendor in exchange). We keep most parts for at least a day in most cases.
Do you accept credit cards?
Yes, of course. We do not accept personal checks unless we have done so in the past and know you. Feel free to use a debit, credit or cash to settle your account.
Can I wait while you service my car?
Of course. However, we encourage you to leave the car for an adequate amount of time for us to do our work properly.
Can you perform authorized dealer warranty or recall work?
No. Independent repair shops cannot perform factory recall work. You must take this to the dealership. This is different from your extended repair work which we can perform.
How qualified are you to work on my car?
Chris Lagattuta has over thirty years experience performing maintenance, diagnostics, fabrication, and machine work. Before opening Autowerkstat, Chris was employed for over fifteen years at New Dimensions Limited serving as Vice President, Technician, and Service Manager. He graduated SJSU 1988, is ASE Master Tech certified, is Bosch Service trained, and personally guarantees each and every job that leaves his shop.
Do you do smog tests?
No, we are not a smog test station. However, we can drive your car to one of three smog shops in our complex while it is here.
Do you service other makes? We often service our client’s other vehicles such as Honda, Toyota, etc. However, we do not service Volvo or Jaguar.
How much do you charge? If you would like an estimate for repair, you must Email me: VIN number, mileage, auto or manual transmission, and any other relevant details we may need to fulfill your inquiry. Let’s say you want to know how much an “X miles” service is on a VW or Audi. We would need to know if your prior service was done at the recommended interval or not, and if you are even following the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule or not. If you have a BMW or a Mercedes Benz, it’s a little tougher to figure out what service is needed unless we can see your prior service history, or connect the Autologic to the car and read out the CBS. Many customers are at a dealership and call around, shopping out the estimate. We can give you a rough estimate, but unless we are able to verify what is needed ourselves, it’s too hard to offer a realistic price. It is recommended to get a second opinion, in the case of a large repair, if you don’t feel comfortable.
Can I bring my own parts? For various reasons, those which include our warranty, our business model, and liability, we do not install customer provided parts.