Phaedrus

I’ve been a loyal customer at Phaedrus for nearly 15 years. Dale, one of the owners, has personally worked on this car a dozen times, and I’ve spent thousands of dollars with them. That’s why my most recent experience was so shocking and hurtful. In the middle of what I thought was a friendly, constructive conversation about repair options — where I was simply seeking his expertise and trying to understand my choices — Dale cut me off, said the discussion was “irritating,” and insulted me as “long-winded” for asking questions. I wasn’t doing anything wrong; I was in a vulnerable position, trying to figure out how to handle an aging car, and expected the respect and guidance I’d always received. I tried to keep my emotions in check and move forward, but when I later told him how upset I was by his treatment, he coldly brushed me off and said he didn’t need my money. Over two days he showed zero empathy, zero remorse, and only gross disdain for a long-time customer. His dismissive and vitriolic behavior ruined my day and destroyed all respect I once had for this business. If this is how an owner treats loyal customers, I strongly urge you to take your car elsewhere.

YOU WONT GET GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM OLD MAN OWNER lol BUT GIGI IS INCREDIBLE. Old man owner is tired and back, knees, and hips are killing him from 30 yesrs in the industry. He is a nice guy but just very short and i can tell hes in pain walking when he got my invoice. Dont take it personal. i would be grumpy as hell too if my body is breaking down on me. I do alot of my own work but was in SF away from home i clipped a cone and my power steering bracket was already stripped from being 16 years old and was held on with a couple zipties. (common n54 bmw issue) So when i hit the cone it clipped the bracket off and drug on the ground and burst. i was on a hill in sf so had no choice to get a tow to phaedrus bmw. once i was in front of the shop i realized it was an easy fix but was already towed right out front so had them fix the line. 200$ for the line around 379$ for labor fair price for san francisco TBH. Got me fixed in 24 hours as i left it overnight. Beautiful large shop and tons of experience highly recommend. If your soft and need to be spoken too like a baby you wont like this place but if you realize it comes with the industry after so many years and dont take it personal you'll be great 👍

If you do not care about your money take your car here. Steer clear if you want a shop you can trust. I recently moved to North Beach and decided to take my 2009 BMW M3 to this shop after seeing a warning light. I think Phaedrus has the worst customer service out of any shop I have ever been to. I have been to countless mechanics shops and am well aware how discussions with mechanics and shop owners should go. I think this shop is for rich San Francisco fools who do not want to bother taking their car to a dealer, if that's you this is the perfect shop for you! Not friendly at all. I believe all they want to do is to take as much money as they can from you. Old man at the front desk literally tossed my keys on the table like they were worthless. The old man also had the audacity to get upset when I asked why he charged the same as the BMW dealer. Do not bother coming to this place.

Phaedrus was exceptional. My brakes were making noise no other mechanic could identify but he diagnosed it accurately and made it go away! Def coming back for any issues.

TL:DR, this is an honest shop that does high quality work you can trust. Took our 2015 X1 into the Phaedrus. The brake wear sensor had triggered. The car has 95k miles and never had the brakes replaced. I figured it was time. Called a few shops to get quotes. Phaedrus wasn't the cheapest quote, but (1) the cheaper quotes were't using OE parts, and (2) the other shops seemed careless even over the phone. By comparison, John at Phaedrus was thoughtful and careful from our very first interaction. Those two reasons are worth a little extra money. Anyway, took the car in. A few hours later, I got a call from John. Brakes were still fine - just a faulty sensor. The total bill for the repair (diagnostic + parts + labor) was what a BMW dealership would charge just to diagnose the problem! John could have easily up-sold me and replaced all four brakes/rotors/sensors. Instead, he gave me an honest assessment, and saved me a ton of money. I'll be bringing the car back. They have earned a new loyal customer. P.S. If you know about the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, the good folks at Phaedrus live up to Pirsig's idea(ideal?) of quality.