You should only go to Bernie's if you like paying WAY more for any work they do and still not have it done correctly. I have gone there three times now (twice only because I had a problem and thought it was related to a previous repair) and won't go back again.
Car #1
I took my blazer in because I was hearing the sound of water rushing in my dashboard. They told me it was my water pump so I had it replaced however I still hear the water sound so it makes me wonder if I needed the pump. I still have the problem $550 later.
I had a bad battery which should have been maybe a $150-$175 repair that turned into $300. They charged $97 just to tell me my battery was bad. Any other repair shop that I have ever been to (even the dealer) doesn't tack on extra fees just to tell you what they are going to fix. Once you are into them for those fees, they have you because the actual repair still needs to be done and taking it to another shop is not always practical.
If you don't go ahead with the repair then of course you need to pay for their time but adding $97 to the cost of the battery is a total rip off. The AAA driver told me it was the battery. I should have listened to him and just bought a $75 battery.
Car #2
I took in my older Acura Legend, which only has 45k original miles and is in excellent shape. I purchased it from my elderly aunt. She always had problems with the battery not holding a charge. I bought a new battery which worked for awhile then it started going dead. Seemed to me like a drain somewhere. I took it to Bernies and they told me it was just bad battery cables. With the diagnostics it came to $150.00.
A few weeks later it started going dead again. This time they told me it was the alternator so I had it replaced at a cost of $500. They assured me that would fix the problem. So I took the car home and a couple of weeks later same thing, the battery wont hold a charge. So now Im into them for $650 and I still have the same original problem. Again, makes me wonder if I needed the expensive alternator. They have the car again (for 2 weeks now) and still do not know the problem.
I originally went there because a friend of mine that lives in Ballard used to go there when the father owned the shop and was very pleased. Now that the business has passed on they had the same bad experience and no longer go there or recommend them. They are relying on their previous reputation to get customers. Too bad because I own several cars and was hoping to find a good local mechanic I can trust.