I took my Toyota pick in for a laundry list of differed service items and new shocks. Alan and his team performed all the items requested and even down sold me on something I requested and he said I really didn't need. He kept me informed at all times during the services and it was like driving a new truck home when he finished! read more

I noticed an issue with the smell coming from the radiator, so I stopped by to check if it was just low on fluid or something more serious. Alan took the time to inspect it, filled the reservoir, gave me a gallon of water, and advised me to open the cap once it cooled down. I scheduled an appointment with him, but since he is extremely busy, I scheduled to bring my car in for a full check-up next month (August). Thank you, Alan, for the great service. read more

I called Alan and within a day he was able to replace my brake pads (during the holiday season!). I only had to drop my car off for a few hours and he did everything he could to do it as cheap as possible. He was honest, quick, communicative and the whole process was very pleasant. Highly recommend. read more

I dropped in this morning with issues with my car. Alan had other vehicles lined up but dropped what he was doing to help me. They ran diagnosis tests and drove my car to figure out the issue. Though they could not figure out the issue I am grateful for the service. He was kind when I greatly needed it. read more

I was recommended to Alan Rice Automotive. So glad i tried his service. Fair prices, great mechanic, communication was A+. If you're looking for a great repair and honest pricing this is your guy. Thanks Alan. read more

Alan Rice Automotive - Alan repaired the suspension in my Lincoln. Drives like a dream now. - Auto Repair Near Me - Soquel, California

Alan Rice Automotive is an honest, good work mechanic. A locally owned shop, I can recommend this business because does not take advantage of customers who do not have a lot of knowledge about cars. Call for appointment! read more

Alan provides excellent service, and will talk with you so you may understand the process. He will let you know what priorities are to make a plan. I've had a lot of work done here many times! He's great! read more

Alan is a great mechanic and has very fair prices. He is honest and gets the job done fast. Highly recommend him!!

I LOVE Alan Rice Automotive. I have lived in Santa Cruz for 16 years, all the while trying to find an honest, fair priced, communicative and reliable auto shop... and I found it 4 years back on a friends recommendation. Alan Rice is usually there, he knows me and my car and is more than willing to fit me into the fairly packed schedule. Even better, yes as much as I hate saying it, it does suck to be a women who doesn't know every damn thing about my car. Alan and his staff speak to me in layman's terms without making me feel like a complete douche. And that my friend, I did not get from any other car place in Santa Cruz! read more

Hi. Took our Green STS Cadillac to Alan and he gave great advice, repaired car same day, and his fees were very reasonable. I really trust Alan and wont take our cars anywhere else. You know once you find a honest and reliable mechanic, you stick with them! Thank you Alan! You were great! read more

I don't usually put up 5 star reviews... but this guy is amazing. When I brought my Miata to him after getting an unreasonably high dealer quote for repairs, he fixed it at about 2/3 the price the dealership had offered. And when I had a sudden problem and needed to get to work, he fixed it in 10 minutes in the morning and didn't even charge for the quick work! Definitely the best in the Santa Cruz area. I'm moving out of that area now... I might still go back to him for future repairs. read more

Alan is a sincere and genuine person. He's honest and fair. His daughter works there also, which makes the gendering that goes into car shops not as present. Being a female I feel that auto shops tend to take advantage of, not to seem cliche, female's lack of car knowledge. Shops tend to tell us things that aren't true just to make the top dollar. However, Alan's shop doesn't operate that way. Plus he's efficient and helpful. I highly recommend him, I will definitely return. Thanks Alan! read more

I drive all the way from Santa Clara to keep my Audi tip top. If he was not good I could find plenty of average and dishonest people close to home. Alan Rice Automotive is the best. read more

was recommended by a good friend that he was an honest man. I went there trusting the business. Was I very wrong. I was told over the phone how much the total would be. Then upon going there to complete the transaction the mechanic quoted me almost 3 times what he had previously quoted. I was out of work at that time and had to immediately borrow what I didn't have. Shame on this man. But you can't hide from GOD. You know what you did is wrong. My mom is on a fixed income and I had to borrow from her. Beware of false promises and surprises which I got here. Shame on you read more

Super helpful and very friendly. It's nice to know a Great mechanic who is Honest and Knowledgable. If you want a Quality job at a Fair Price, give Alan a call. read more

Alan Rice just fixed my car and allowed me to get it smogged after a SAGA!! He is just a really nice guy, and went out of his way to help out with this issue that took serious detective work to get to the bottom of. He explained it all to me also, and supported my learning of what was going on. After the first time I saw him and he took care of issue #1, he invited me to stop by for free in order to give feedback and help with my smog process. In the end, my car is fixed running great, and smog certified (with the core issue fixed finally after numerous mechanics beforehand trying and not succeeding). I feel so liberated!!!!! read more

I am writing to let folks know just how disappointed I am with Alan's service. I hate being cheated! A few times before I had used his services to rig our vehicles for towing and inspect them for proper operation. It thought at the time he was very diligent. I even tipped him on the bill. On a Friday a few weeks back I brought my wife's Toyota Echo to him because suddenly started misfiring. We were under pressure because she uses the car for work. He said we would have to wait until Monday and when I suggest I might fix it myself--just replace the coils and plugs--he said he wouldn't advise DIY so we rented a car for Monday and waited for him to make the repair. On Monday afternoon he reported that he'd replaced one coil over the #3 plug and charged us almost $350, explaining that the coil alone was around $180. This seemed really high and I had my doubts but decided to leave it at that. (The battery was dead!? when my wife picked up car--another 30 minutes.) Two days later the exact same problem reoccurred--missing and engine light on. I don't know if was the part he replaced or one or more of the other coils and/or plugs. All I know is that I wasn't about to return to him to get charged $350 per coil replacement and even more for changing plugs. So we had the car towed home from Watsonville (25 miles) and I decided to replace all of the coils and plugs myself. Here's what was involved... 4 new coils - $170 ($35/coil plus $40 for Amazon overnight shipping) 4. new NGK Iridium plugs - $7.50/plug (Auto Zone) My inexperienced labor - 1 hour The car is now running fine. So what came of the 3.5 days he had the car and our $350 in services rendered and $37 car rental? A total loss! (A fair price would have been $80 for the single coil (local auto parts price) and $100 labor +/- 10%. Overcharge = $170 plus time and incidental expenses) read more

I was referred by a friend to go to Alan and I now know why. I went to get my AC looked at and explained that I am semi mechanically inclined and if he could give me a few suggestions I might be able to do it myself. He told me he was extremely busy but still took the time to look over my vehicle and give me suggestions. I took his advice and he was right on the money. I wish there were more mechanics like Alan rice. Honest and willing to help without hesitation. Alan rice will have my business from here on out. read more

Best mechanic! Had my water pump/timing belt replaced here a few days ago. When I called for a quote, he was super thorough--gave me a quote and a breakdown of what that would entail, some common problems that they could discover along the way and what that would cost....easily the most thorough quote I've ever received from a mechanic. Good impression straight off the bat. Brought it in at 8am, picked my car up at 4:00pm. Alan was very thorough, straightforward, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. I called him early this morning just to ask a followup question about the level of coolant that should be in the reservoir when hot/cooled and Alan called back first thing in the morning explaining the situation and offering me to swing by the shop if I wanted him to take a look at the car again if I had concerns. I had a terrible experience at AAMCO just the week before and decided against having services done there. AAMCO failed to even diagnose an obvious water pump leak and suggested an over-$1000 unnecessary repair instead. So happy I brought my car into Alan's shop instead. He's definitely the guy to go to!! read more

After several years of receiving reliable service, I'm finally writing a review on yelp for Alan Rice Automotive. Alan is an incredible mechanic, one of the best in the Santa Cruz area. The bottom line is, I always recommend Alan's auto shop to all my friends in the area. I know they will be taken care of. read more

Alan has been servicing my Import hatchback (138K + miles), and my wife's truck (250K + miles). He's always been honest, attentive to our needs and finishes all repairs at the price and time promised. Highly recommended read more

Alan is great and gives you great deal. He actually gave me options. Super rare in the automotive field. I'm happy

New to Santa Cruz area and am so thankful I took the recommendation of a friend to take my vehicle to him. Alan is honest and fair and gives excellent work. I trust him to do only what needs to be done never trying to lure you into additional expenses and unnecessary repairs. read more

Alan is a great, friendly guy who really knows cars and is efficient!! My boyfriend and I have both taken out vehicles to him and were extremely pleased with the results and left with a confidance that our cars were in good hands! We live in Oakland, but will continue to drive the distance to Alan with anything our vehicles need! read more

Alan is great, he's helpful and takes the time to explain whats wrong and makes sure your fROM is right when it leaves his shop. I personally don't trust mechanics normally and I bring my car all the way from Oakland to have Alan work on my old Subaru. He does a great job every time and my car probably would no longer be on the road if it wasn't for him. Thanks Alan read more

Fair prices. Reasonable suggestions to mechanical problems. Extremely nice owner. I've been a client since '99 with 3 different cars and have never once been disappointed in their service or quality of work. read more

I had only lived in Santa Cruz for a few days before my truck started making weird sounds. I had no problems whatsoever dropping my truck off early, and for once in my life the mechanic (Alan) actually LISTENED to what I thought may be the diagnosis and had some questions. (Usually I am blown off by busy technicians since I'm not necessarily a 'car guy'.) Turns out my alternator had died! It was still under warranty so they next-day shipped my dead alternator down to Anaheim where it was purchased and VERY patiently waited a week for the new alternator to arrive. Once the part arrived they were QUICK to get my truck back together and running like a champ! They had to deal with pushing my dead truck around their garage and parking lot for 8 days and never once complained to me about it. THANKS SO MUCH ALAN RICE AUTOMOTIVE!! 100% recommending this place based on my great experience. read more

Awesome..and for you Ladies, this guy is true blue through and through.

I want to acknowledge Alan's customer service and on the spot help. I experienced a misfiring with my truck (2008 GMC Sierra) on the way home the other night and went to see Alan first thing the next morning. I had never been to Alan's but was hoping to get a quick diagnosis as the engine seemed to now be running fine but the engine service light was on and I needed the truck to get to work over the hill. Alan was booked but took the time to talk to me about the problem and offered to read the codes at no charge to see if it was ok to drive. All seemed to be fine, he cleared the codes and I was on my way with mind at ease. Thanks Alan - you are on the top of my list. read more

"Repaired" my transmission and cooling system and I was told the car was good to go (after spending $2500 on it). Three weeks later and back in Costa Mesa, the car begins to overheat and I take it to another shop where I learn that it was "fixed" with a fluid that really only temporarily repaired it... This honest mechanic told me I was basically scammed by Alan Rice. And more noteworthy, my car was pretty much totaled beyond repair after that, $2500 completely down the drain. If I'd lived closer at the time this happened, I would have came back to Santa Cruz and pressed charges, but because of my situation it wasn't all too easy getting back to my hometown. Never going there again and would strongly advise people not to support these criminals. read more

We've been bringing our cars to Alan for years. His work is very good, and the cars are always done when he says they'll be done. His stock of parts doesn't seem as large as at other mechanics, but he's up front about what he'll have to order and how much it'll cost. Equally important, he's always been honest in telling us which maintenance we can defer. This is particularly important for older cars that you might only want to keep for a year or two - he'll tell you which repairs are really necessary and which ones can be put off safely. read more

Alan Rice is the most honest and knowledgeable mechanic I have ever had work on my car. I finally traded in my car at 250,000 miles. He's great on preventative maintainence and never in all the years I owned my car did I ever end up broken down at the side of the road with his wonderful care he gave my car! read more

I called Alan this morning needing brakes done on my truck. Alan said no problem get it in this morning and he would have it done by the end of the day. His shop had a number of cars all ready there and he made sure to get my truck finished. I am so thankful Alan was able to get me out of a bind. I truly can not say enough good things about the service and personal treatment he showed. If you need your car worked on your not going to find a better place to go. Alan you have a customer for life! Thank you again. God bless. read more

Alan squeezed me in for an oil change when he was so busy, knowing I had to go on a long trip on the weekend. The work was done quickly and he explained things to me about synthetic oil. The shop is clean and organized and I left relieved to have the work done after a nice long chat with Alan. Nice guy and good work! Thank you, Alan. read more

His prices were the cheapest in Santa Cruz. He was able to get my car in done a short notice and get it done quick with no issues. He was $150 cheaper then the toyota dealership. And overall he is such a nice man and actually took the time to explain to me what was wrong, how it affected my car, and how it is fixed. read more

i came in on super short notice when my check engine light came on the week before finals. given the extremely stressful period of time that my car experienced issues, chloe was very sympathetic and helpful. as a student from southern california that's never needed a mechanic around here, i was afraid of going to the wrong shop, but alan rice is the right place. my car was ready by the next day! i didn't expect to get my problem solved this quickly and efficiently. i will definitely bring my car there if needed in the future. thanks, guys! read more

My UC daughter lives in Santa Cruz; I live in SoCal. She recently took her car to Rice, based on Yelp reviews. She was treated very well, and the repair went smoothly. I spoke to Rice on the phone as the job progressed, and was impressed with his candor and honesty. I would recommend this shop to anyone from out-of-town who needs a mechanic in Santa Cruz. read more

I had my car towed here for what I thought would be a major fix. The lady who got my information was very sweet and helpful. Alan called me later in the day and the repair was already finished! He explained what had gone wrong, exactly what he did to fix it, and the state my car was in after the repair. These are very honest people who work very quickly! read more

My day didn't start off to good as I went to start my car and nothing - tried to jump start and nothing. Had it towed to Alan Rice Auto and he put in a new starter the same day. He also pointed out some other issues that needed attention which would keep me off the tow truck. His price was very reasonable. I inspected the work and it was professional and clean which is a thing with me I don't like sloppy. I highly recommend this shop. I'm a very happy customer. read more

I would recommend Alan Rice to any of my friends and family. They were professional, honest and prices were extremely reasonable....not to mention their terrific customer service! I called around and got quotes and A.R. was best by far. I won't go anywhere else from now on- GREAT job guys! read more