Inside the shop on a weekday morning: a silver Subaru Outback raised on a two-post lift, a grey sedan on the lift behind it, and the roll-up door open to palm trees and daylight.

Mon to Fri 7:30 to 6, Sat 8 to 2

Toyota, Honda, Subaru and German cars, fixed in Burbank since 2009.

Six bays on N. Victory Blvd. Every problem we find comes to your phone with a photo and a price, before anyone picks up a wrench.

Book service See prices

Every car gets a photo inspection, sent to your phone.

Whatever you came in for, a technician goes over the whole car on the lift. About two hours after drop-off you get a text with a link: a photo of each thing we found, what it means in plain English, and what it costs to fix. You decide line by line. We only do what you approve, and the price you approve is the price on the invoice.

Drop off from 7:30, or leave the keys in the after-hours slot the night before.
Read the report on your phone. Call us if a photo doesn't make sense; we'll walk you through it.
Approve or decline each item. Declined items are noted, and we'll look again next visit.
Pick up. Your old parts come back in a bag if you want them.

This is the real report format, filled in for a sample car. Approve or decline the items and watch the total change.

Okabe & Reyes Motorworks

2017 Subaru Outback 2.5i

Odometer: 68,412 mi
Work order: 24-1187
Inspected by: Marisol
Sent: 10:42 am

Hi Dana, your oil service is done. We found two things that need attention now and three that can wait. Approve what you'd like us to do today.

Two brake pads standing on edge, side by side: the worn one on the left has a thin sliver of friction material left, the new one on the right is about four times as thick.

Needs attention now

Front brake pads at 3 mm

Left is yours, right is new. We replace at 3 mm. Rotors are smooth and above minimum thickness, so it's pads only, plus a caliper slide service.

$289

Front brake pads, your decision Approve Not now

Close-up of the ribbed side of the serpentine belt, with cracks across the ribs and two small chunks missing.

Needs attention now

Serpentine belt cracked

Cracks across most ribs and two missing chunks. If it lets go you lose the alternator and power steering on the road. Belt and tensioner check, about half an hour.

$164

Serpentine belt, your decision Approve Not now

The old cabin air filter, clogged grey-brown with dust and dry leaves, next to a clean new white filter.

Soon

Cabin air filter full of leaves

This is likely the musty smell when the A/C first comes on. Not urgent, but it's a ten-minute job while the car is already here.

$58

Cabin air filter, your decision Approve Not now

A tread depth gauge pressed into a rear tire groove; the tread is worn nearly level with the wear bars.

Soon

Rear tires at 3/32″

Legal minimum is 2/32″. You have maybe 3,000 miles left, less in the rain. Price is a matched pair, mounted, balanced, with new valve stems.

$412

Rear tires, your decision Approve Not now

The seam where the valve cover meets the cylinder head, with dark oil seeping out and running down the side.

Soon

Valve cover gasket seeping

Oil is seeping on the left side but not dripping yet. Common on this engine. Fine to watch for now; if you smell hot oil after a drive, it's reached the exhaust.

$385

Valve cover gasket, your decision Approve Not now

14 items checked and good

Battery12.6 V, 88% health
Front tires7/32″
Brake fluid1% moisture
Rear brakes7 mm pads
Coolantprotected to −34°F
CV axles and bootsno tears
Struts and mountsno leaks
Exhaustno leaks
Lights, horn, wipersall working
Engine air filterclean
Steering and tie rodstight
Transmission fluidclean, full
Differential fluidfull
Scan for codesnone stored

Approved today

0 approved, 0 not now, 5 to decide

Prices include parts and labor. Tax and shop supplies added at pickup.

A front brake with the wheel off: a red caliper over a freshly machined rotor, the shop floor out of focus behind.

From above, a timing belt kit laid out on a steel bench in late sun: belt, water pump, two idlers, tensioner, bolts in a tray and a torque wrench. — A Subaru timing belt job, laid out before it goes in. From $899.

Posted prices

These are our starting prices for most four- and six-cylinder cars, parts and labor included. Larger engines, all-wheel drive and some European models cost more, and we'll tell you before you book. Your exact price comes with the inspection and doesn't go up without a new approval.

Labor rate

$165/hr

Billed by the book time for the job, not the clock.

Maintenance
Service	Price
Synthetic oil serviceUp to 5 qt, OE-spec filter, tire rotation, the full inspection	from $89
30k / 60k / 90k factory serviceDone to your maker's schedule; keeps the factory warranty intact	from $389
Timing belt and water pumpSubaru 2.5 and Honda V6; belt, pump, tensioner, idlers as a kit	from $899
Brake fluid exchangeEvery 2 to 3 years; we test moisture first	from $129
Coolant serviceThe right coolant for your engine, bled properly	from $149

Brakes, tires & alignment
Service	Price
Brake pads, per axleCeramic pads, hardware, caliper slide service	from $289
Pads and rotors, per axleCoated rotors, measured runout	from $489
Four-wheel alignmentBefore and after printout in your report	$139
Mount and balance, four tiresTires quoted separately; we'll price two brands	from $96

Diagnosis & electrical
Service	Price
Diagnostic hourCheck-engine lights, noises, drivability. Credited to the repair if we do it	$165
Battery testLoad test and charging system check	free
Battery replacementIncludes registering it on cars that need it	from $219
Electrical fault tracingBilled by the hour, with a cap you set	$165/hr

A/C, cooling & hybrid
Service	Price
A/C rechargeR-134a or R-1234yf, vacuum and leak test first	from $189
Hybrid battery health checkModule-by-module readings; Prius, Camry, RAV4, Accord, Lexus	$95

Buying a used car
Service	Price
Pre-purchase inspectionLift inspection, scan, road test, photo report the same day	$149

Sample prices. Tax and shop supplies (capped at $35) are added at pickup.

The cars on our lifts

Toyota & LexusHybrids included. Water pumps, brake actuators, 90k services.
Honda & AcuraV6 timing belts, VTC actuators, CVT fluid done right.
SubaruHead gaskets, timing belts, wheel bearings. Ken's favorite.
MazdaSkyactiv carbon cleaning, suspension, maintenance.
Nissan & InfinitiCVT service and diagnosis, timing chains.
BMW & MiniOil leaks, cooling systems, coding new batteries.
Volkswagen & AudiDSG service, carbon cleaning, timing chains.

Looking up from the floor at the underside of a silver car on a lift: exhaust, suspension arms and the yellow lift pads under the frame.

What we send elsewhere

Body and paint, diesel trucks, and exotics. We'd rather hand you the number of a shop we trust than learn on your car.

The shop

Ken Okabe and Marisol Reyes opened in 2009 with two bays and a borrowed tire machine. Today it's six bays, an alignment rack and a waiting room with a proper espresso machine. The floor gets mopped every night. It isn't for show: a clean floor is where you spot a fresh leak.

Four technicians in charcoal work shirts at work, seen from behind: one under a raised station wagon, one in the engine bay of a hatchback, one rolling a tire, one writing at a desk by the open doors. — The crew, mid-morning on a weekday.

A white pegboard with wrenches hung in size order, ratchets, pliers and screwdrivers, above a red tool chest with an open drawer of sockets in foam. — Every wrench has a hook. Missing ones get noticed before a car leaves.

The front counter in pale oak and white quartz, an espresso machine and cups, two wooden chairs and an olive tree, with a window through to a car on a lift. — The counter. The window looks straight into bay two.

A silver hatchback on the alignment rack with measuring targets clamped to each wheel and the front wheels on turn plates. — The alignment rack. You get the before and after numbers.

How we do business

24months24,000miles

Parts and labor warranty on every repair, written on the invoice. If something we fixed fails inside that window, we fix it again at no charge.

An open key cabinet with customers' car keys hanging on brass hooks, each with a blank paper tag. — Every key gets a tag and a hook.

Approval: Nothing is done without your OK, item by item. If we find something new mid-job, we stop and send another photo.
Shuttle: Free rides within 5 miles of the shop, 7:45 am to 5:15 pm. Burbank, Toluca Lake and most of Glendale are inside it.
Loaner cars: Two of them, for jobs that run past a day. Ask when you book; you'll need a license and proof of insurance.
After-hours key drop: A steel slot left of the office door. Envelopes are in the box beside it: your name, phone and what the car is doing.
Parts: OE or OE-equivalent by default. If there's a cheaper part we'd put on our own cars, we'll quote it as an option.
Payment: Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, Apple Pay and Google Pay, at the counter or by link. Financing on repairs over $500 (sample terms, subject to approval).
Records: Every report and invoice stays in your account, with photos. Handy when you sell the car.

Questions we get at the counter

Anything else, call (818) 555-0142 or email service@example.com. A person answers.

Will servicing here void my factory warranty?

No. Federal law (the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act) lets you have maintenance done anywhere. We follow your maker's schedule, use parts that meet its spec and give you dated records.

How long does the inspection take?

The report usually reaches you about two hours after drop-off. On a Monday morning, closer to three.

Can I wait while it's done?

Yes, for oil services and most jobs under 90 minutes. There's coffee, Wi-Fi and a desk. For anything longer, take the shuttle or ask for a loaner.

Do I need an appointment?

For an oil service you can drop in before 9 am on weekdays. For everything else, book a time so a bay and a technician are free.

What does the diagnostic hour cover?

One hour of testing to find the actual cause, not just reading a code. If it needs longer we ask first. If we do the repair, the $165 comes off the bill.

Can I bring my own parts?

For some jobs. We won't fit customer-supplied brake, steering or suspension parts. For the rest, we warranty our labor but not the part.

Do you work on hybrids and electric cars?

Hybrids, yes: Toyota, Lexus, Honda and Ford systems. On fully electric cars we do brakes, tires, alignment and suspension, but not the battery or drive unit.

What happens if I decline something?

Nothing, except a note on your file. We'll look at it again next visit. No follow-up calls.

Do you do smog checks?

No, we're not a smog station. We do repair cars that failed one, and we'll send the paperwork back with you.

The shop from across the street at blue hour: a white block building with three roll-up doors open, the bays lit warm inside, a car on a lift, two palm trees against a deep blue sky.

Visit

Opening hours
Monday	7:30 am to 6:00 pm
Tuesday	7:30 am to 6:00 pm
Wednesday	7:30 am to 6:00 pm
Thursday	7:30 am to 6:00 pm
Friday	7:30 am to 6:00 pm
Saturday	8:00 am to 2:00 pm
Sunday	Closed

Key drop open all night. Shuttle runs 7:45 am to 5:15 pm.

2618 N. Victory Blvd Burbank, CA 91505

(818) 555-0142
service@example.com

Parking

Pull onto the apron in front of the doors; the drop-off lane is to the left by the office. Six customer spaces along the side of the building. Street parking on Victory is two-hour.

Getting here

Two minutes from the I-5 at Burbank Blvd. The Downtown Burbank Metrolink station is a ten-minute shuttle ride.

Not to scale. On the east side of Victory, just north of Burbank Blvd.