Affordable    Reliable    Quality

Welcome to our humble home on the web. Web design and construction really isn't our forte, so these pages might not be all that informative (or entertaining). Fortunately for our customers, we do excel at auto repair.

The last 5 years have seen a lot of changes in the Fruitvale District - more restaurants popping up all the time. And construction! They're actually building commercial plazas in this economic downturn.

  While our Waiting Room is pleasant, you really should get out and explore the Fruitvale area while we're taking care of your car. Go get some coffee and a beignet at Powderface. Drop into one of the many ethnic stores on International. Or pop into Bonanza for some tools or camping gear.

 FREE Wi-Fi while you're hanging out

Waiting Room magazines:

OK, what's it going to cost me?    :)

Providing honest diagnostics and advice while 
delivering expert, speedy services.

Thanks for the nice reviews...blush

Lately, I've been enjoying the hell out of the work of essayist Paul Graham. Actually, he's not, by profession, an essayist. Right now, he's a partner in Y Combinator - an "angel" investment outfit. But, because he's just too damned smart to sit still, he's writing some damned fine pieces and putting them out here for our enjoyment (and edification). Just another bit of serendipity to come out of the Web. Interestingly, for me at least, several of his essays seem to  

Why we're going GREEN

Over 20 years of experience with European, Asian and Domestic automobiles. 

Memo putting the final torque on a head job

De Boss hangin' out   circa 1979

What we've been up to

10/21/09  This is a shame; the 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer came in with a blown head-gasket, so we pulled the head and ran it down to Center Auto Machine Shop to have it pressure tested, checked for warping and re-surfaced. Whoa!  It was so bad, they would have to take .015 off the head. Still doable if we put in a head-gasket shim along with the new head-gasket. No problemo... Except nobody makes shims for that engine! Ah, hell. A straight-forward head-job ($520) turns into a complete engine replacement ($1,400). I'm bummed-out, the machine shop is bummed-out and the customer is bummed-out. The good news - the old engine had 145,000 miles on it and the 'new' one only has 47,000. With a Complete 6 month warranty, this is a much better engine. Still, at almost $900 more, this was a really nasty surprise. 

9/24/09  Another head-gasket gone. This time on a Land Rover Discovery. Oddly enough, it looks like the two rear head-bolts simply weren't torqued down properly. They were a little loose coming out and the head-gasket was blown-out nearby. That allowed the exploding fuel mixture to be ejected into the water jacket. It also appears that the increased coolant pressure forced the coolant into the oil system through the intake manifold gasket

9/12/09  Nothing out of the ordinary this week - the usual mix of alignments, brake jobs, 60-90K service, and diagnostics for smog repairs. Also started a transmission swap on a Mercedes E320. Three days and we'll have another delighted customer.  

8/28/09  What a week! Three blown head-gaskets ( Cadillac Deville, Ford E250 Van, and a Dodge Intrepid). All saved because the owners pulled over at the first sign of overheating or the 'check engine light'. We're drilling, tapping and installing Timeserts in The Caddy to guarantee the head-bolts don't loosen up. Northstar engines are notorious for this. We'll give a 12mo./12,000 mile warranty on this job, no problem.

Cadillac Northstar block

8/21/09  Finished the engine swap and new clutch on the Acura Integra - good for another 130,000 miles. Installed the rebuilt transmission in the Ford Van.

Contact Information

Telephone

510.261.6828

FAX

510.261.6828

Address

1237 39th Avenue

Email

General Information: ed@oaklandautotech.com

Webmaster: WebMaster@oaklandautotech.com