I can't believe I've been taking my car to Royal Motors for so long and never bothered to check Yelp. Could've saved tons of time and money had I done my research. The biggest plus of bringing my car to Advanced is that they don't simply plug your car into that "diagnostic computer system" and then charge $300 to tell you your gas cap is loose. I had a number of issues with my car and decided I had enough of Royal Motors- and tried Advanced. Aaron was very friendly and personable and immediately gave his thoughts on what may be wrong with my car (strange wax smell in my car...he thought a plastic bag may have melted in the exhaust)... In anycase, they treat you well and speak to you in layman's terms as opposed to trying to pretend that there are lots of technical issues with your car. Their billing is easy to understand- and I was happy to give them my money as they fixed a number of problems and didn't charge me for things that were no-brainers (loose gas cap causing engine check light to come on). They also have a shuttle that will drop you off where ever you need to go in the morning- this is very helpful, and the drivers are really nice, which I appreciate. One thing I would suggest to Advanced is to offer a basic vacuum/car wash, as I'm sure most customers would pay extra for that just so they can come back and pick up a nice clean car. (Although I'm not a fan of Royal Motors- I guess they were able to clean my car "for free" because they were overcharging me on everything else).Thank you Advanced, thank you Yelp.

Oh Randy... Oh Aaron... I hate to love them, becuase they take all my f__cking $$!! BUT, it's not becuase they're crooks, liers, or cheats (like all other Audi shops I've dealt with in this city).... It's becuase I drive a 1998 Audi A4 with 120K+ miles on it! As most late model, high mileage Audi owners will tell you, you never really know when your next trip to the shop will be. I've had 4 visits in the past month and a half! First a tune up, then some suspension work, then some more suspension work, and then... probalby the most sublime car mechanic experience I've ever had / heard of.....I had an after market stereo installed at good old Best Buy. I drop the car off, they work their magic, and I come to pick the car up that evening. I get in, turn the key, and start sweating bullets as I hear the most horifying grinding noise I've ever heard as I push down on the clutch. It litterally sounded like the whole transmision was going to explode and fly through the floorboard, and impale me in the head! So, needless to say, I was totally freaked out. I was certain it was the clutch, or the transmission, which in my mind = THOUSANDS of dollars in repairs, not to mention a tow to the shop (all on top of the $2000+ I've spent on the car in the last month). So I left the car there overnight, stayed up most of the night trying to figure out my best course of action, and woke up with only one idea in mind; Buy an hour of Aaron / Randy's time, and have them meet me at Best Buy, so we could diagnose, and if necessary pin the pimpled face manager up against the wall to tell us what happened, and how they plan on fixing it!So I called up the shop early that morning. Randy answered, and I tried to keep my cool as I was explaining the situation. I reluctantly propositioned him to come meet me at Best Buy, and he didn't even hesitate for a moment. He said "No problem Jeff. I'll get Aaron to meet you there." I'm sure Aaron was thrilled:-) Sure enough, Aaron strutted up, shook my hand, shook the managers hand, and started up the car. Not 3 seconds later he said very casually "starter switch", and turned off the car. He gave a quick explanation, wrote up a quick statement, and that was that. I pulled out my checkbook and asked him what I owed him... He said, "awe, no worries man". I was shocked. THIS is service at its best people. I challenge you to find any mechanic in this city that would even consider taking the time to do this, and then not even charge for it!!!! I took the car in that day, they fixed the problem, and I walked out of there feeling taken care of in a major way (even though I still handed over another $260 to get the starter switch replaced). I will forever be an Audi owner, and as long as I'm an SF resident I will forever be an Advanced Audi / VW service patron! High fives Aaron / Randy...

The best place to go. I went there the first time yesterday, and I'm floored by how great the service is. Randy and his crew are fantastic. I'm perplexed by some of the low ratings on yelp. I won't write a book about what I had done to my car there, but I will say the outcome was superb. Thank you Randy, Kevin and everyone at Advanced!

Doesn't seem like these guys need anymore 5 star reviews but I did have a great first experience so thought I would add mine to the lump. Found these guys on yelp. Called them up because the 2004 VW Passat TDI I just bought had been running on diesel with the previous owner and I'm running it on bio-diesel (the reason I bought the car in the first place). Called Advanced up and told them I need a fuel filter change. Randy picked up the phone and said he didn't think I needed the work. I told him I was switched over to bio-diesel and then he agreed. Showed honesty right off the bat. Got the filter changed, decent price. Randy also seemed knowledgeable about running on bio-diesel and working with TDIs. Looking forward to taking my car to these guys in the future and thankful to have a mechanic I can trust.

Don't ever go to the dealer to get your car fixed. I knew this. And I tell everyone this. But at a moment of weakness I did. And I paid for this mistake. Advanced doesn't even charge to diagnose the issue. The dealer, Royal Motors SF, will charge you 400 bucks to plug a computer to your car and diagnose if your thermostat is not functioning properly. Advanced is awesome. And they will work with you to shuttle you off and even pick you up when your car is done.

These guys rock! I took my car there to get fixed before I sold it. One of the back doors wouldn't open from either the inside or the outside and the other one wouldn't open from the outside. It also needed a new battery. They fixed the door that wouldn't open at all by magically removing the door panel from the inside with the door shut. (Any other shop would have broken it to get it open, which would have cost an arm and a leg.) The other door they rigged so that hopefully it would work for the foreseeable future, as that was the cheapest option and they knew that I didn't want to invest a huge amount of money as I was planning on selling the car. Sadly, the temporary rig didn't last. They took the car back right away, fixed it again magically without breaking the door panel, and only charged me parts, even though I'm sure the labor took them quite awhile. Car fixed perfectly, one thing led to another, and I didn't sell my car but instead left it in the garage for 6 months without driving it. Little did I know that not driving a car for six months completely kills the battery. I called and explained, they took the car the next business day, switched the battery in five minutes while I waited, and out I went without paying a dime. They replaced the battery under warranty and didn't charge me anything for the labor. I almost don't want to sell my car so I can keep going back to them. . .

After bringing my Passat here for service, I will never, NEVER, take it to a VW dealership again. These guys get the job done and at a cost at least 35% less than Royal Motors wanted to charge me for an oil pan cover. There were a bunch of other things Royal was recommending be done and the guys at Advanced told me--"No Need". I trust these guys and they never pressure you to get unnecessary repairs. They also have a shuttle service to get you back and forth from their location. Muni is convenient also.

I can't say enough about how great these guys are. They get five stars across the board:***** Experienced ***** Knowledgeable***** Professional***** Reasonable***** NiceI bought a used 1999 Audi A6 Quattro about two years ago and brought it in to Advanced for a post-sale check-up so I would know what, if anything, needed immediate attention and what I should plan on in terms of upcoming maintenance.The Advanced crew went over the car with a fine-tooth comb and owner Randy came back with an assurance of safety and structural integrity -- as well as a list of things to do soon, things that could wait a bit, and things that would be nice. I had planned on spending a couple hundred dollars for this service but Randy waved it off, saying "just come back to us when you're ready to get the work done." It's now two years later and I've been back to Advanced Audi three times to take care of my to-do list. My car has been running like a top in their capable hands -- and it hasn't broken my budget. It's been a pleasure to do business with the guys from the first day I met them.Highly recommended, without reservation.

The owners Randy and Aaron are the best guys ever. They are honest, nice, friendly, reasonable, and knowledgeable. I told them about a weak start up with my car, and they immediately knew what the problem was and how to remedy it. They are open to giving an estimated cost upfront, but would check the potential problem out, to ensure that their solution was the right one, but because Randy's the one who usually picks up the phone, he just knows his stuff. They will never pressure you to getting the service done, but they will always warn you as to what will happen in the future. I trust these guys and they've always make sure to take good care of me and my car!I've saved so much money with these guys, since I stopped going to the dealer for my regular services and any problematic items. They have no attitudes and will have your car done within a few hours.They also have a free shuttle service within SF. Its perfect for drop off and pick ups and in my last visit with them, Aaron (one of the owners) was the shuttle driver! He's such a down to earth guy with funny and interesting stories.I won't go to anyone else for my Audi needs.

These guys know their stuff! My Jetta TDI was so slow, it was embarrassing going up hills or passing other vehicles. Advanced fixed the problem overnite--now my car is deserving of its "turbo" name. A week later when my car had a scary sound (unrelated to previous problem) they had me bring my car in right away (like an emergency room for cars) and they fixed the problem right on the spot --no charge! Oh yeah--these guys are all so cute! Someone should make a movie starring these car-fixing cuties.