Welcome to the “Shop Articles” section of Art’s Automotive, where we offer insights into our Berkeley, CA-based auto repair shop. Here, you’ll find articles that share a bit about us, our history, our core values, and things we do to improve our community and planet.
There’s also information explaining how we work as a shop. We explain our shop policies and procedures, so you know what to expect when you bring your vehicle to us. Would you like information about dropping off your car after hours? You’ll find it below. And finally there’s a page explaining our “standby” policy in case you need to bring your car in without an appointment.
If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, check out our other collection of blog posts, or our collection of articles about the automotive services we offer.
| Thumbnail | Title | Content |
|---|---|---|
 | Green Auto Repair | We didn’t recertify as a green business in 2023. We will of course continue with the same environmentally friendly practices, but we didn’t sign up for the audit in 2023 don’t want to misrepresent ourselves as certified green business when we’re not. The… |
 | Privacy Policy | Art’s Automotive Privacy Policy , Effective Date: 06-07-2024 1. Introduction Art’s Automotive values your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you use our services. By using our services, you consent to the practices described in this policy. 2. Information We… |
 | ASE certified mechanic Berkeley: Why certification matters | Choosing the right mechanic is important, both for your wallet and your safety. In California, virtually anyone can legally work on cars without formal training or certification. Unfortunately many working technicians lack the necessary skills and experience to diagnose and repair cars properly. You’ll need a way to vet your… |
 | Waste Battery Recycling | Sorry, but we’re no longer accepting household batteries from the public. Prices have increased quite a bit, and the time we need to spend packing batteries to be compliant DOT rules got to be too much for us. Please check with your local municipality for an alternative. If you’re in… |
 | Used Oil Collection Center | Are you looking for free waste oil collection in Berkeley? Wondering how to properly dispose of motor oil? Art’s Automotive will take your used motor oil up to… |
 | After Hours Drop Off And Pick Up | Is it difficult for you to get to the shop in the morning? Don’t worry. You’re not the only one who has this issue. We can work around this so you don’t need to modify your schedule. You can use our early bird drop off, or another option to drop… |
 | Art’s Parts Room | This is an article about our parts department redesign in 2004. Boy have things changed in the last 16 years! Once upon a time cars required far more predictable and repetitive maintenance and we prided ourselves in having the needed parts on-hand. Our customers could get their cars back on… |
 | How to get by without a car | Art’s Automotive does not have a shuttle service or loaner car, so how can you get back home, or, if you’re not that lucky, work? The too long didn’t read version is this: Uber/Lyft, get a ride, or take public transportation. There are several options available:BUM A RIDEHave… |
 | What To Do While Waiting For Your Car | Ideally you wouldn’t wait around for your us to fix your car. It’s much better to be at home, or at work, or spending the day with a friend, or anything other than spending the whole day sitting around wondering, “Is it done… |
 | New Customer Orientation | You’ve heard about Art’s Automotive and you’re curious about bringing your car in. That’s excellent! We hope to convince you that there’s no better place to have your car serviced — not even the dealer!… |
 | Wheel Lock Keys. We Kinda Need to Know Where They Are. | Wheel lock keys are often installed by dealerships before the car is sold. It’s one of the many little add on items that drive both the price of the car and dealership’s profit up. We’re not big fans of wheel locks and we’d rather work on cars without wheel locks,… |
 | Read This Before Agreeing to Major Repairs | Art’s automotive Berkeley | The title does a pretty good job of describing the purpose of this article: this is a primer on the process involved with major engine repairs and other projects that begin with a “tear-down” estimate. It is primarily intended for our customers, but should be useful for anyone working with… |
 | Why Won’t You Work on My Car? | We only work on some types of cars at here at Art’s Automotive. Sometimes people feel hurt when we refuse to take their car in, and that’s what this page is about. It’s not that we don’t like you, and we’re not looking down our noses at your car; there… |
 | Handouts on our counter | If you’ve been in the office, you’ve probably noticed the printouts sitting on the counter. You may have been handed a copy of the New Customer Orientation as… |
 | Art’s Automotive Solar Installation – 2003 | Why invest in solar? We’re looking at the money spent on our solar system as an investment with returns in environmental protection, publicity, and if everything works out, a financial profit as well. Solar power will reduce our use of electricity created by burning fossil fuels, which will help with… |
 | Standby at Art’s Automotive | We work by appointment, so normally you’ll need to plan ahead to bring your car in. However, life doesn’t always cooperate. Events occur that cannot be planned for. Your car may break down unexpectedly. Or you may find the perfect used car for sale and need an inspection. Or maybe… |
 | Art’s Automotive Warranty | The Art’s Automotive Warranty is our way to set clear expectations about what is and isn’t covered, so we can be fair to our customers and to ourselves. While we hope you’ll never need to use it, we know that we’re not perfect — people can make mistakes and parts… |
 | About Art | Art started out in New York City as an amateur “muscle car” builder in the late 1960’s. After surviving a tour of duty in Vietnam, he traveled around the USA, Mexico and Canada while maintaining a series of Volkswagen Buses. After checking out all of the cool places on this… |
 | Full Synthetic Oil Change For Every Car | In case you didn’t know, there are 3 types of motor oil: conventional, semi-synthetic, and full synthetic. Up until now, we have serviced some cars with conventional and some cars with full synthetic…. |