After having a hard time finding a place in Ventura County that offers motorcycle safety inspections, I was finally referred to this shop--and I'm glad I was. I brought my bike in for an inspection, no appointment needed, and was very impressed by how professionally I was treated and how efficiently the process was handled. Not only is this shop professional, but their prices are also the best in town--about half of what other places charge for the same service. I spent some time at the nearby mall while they completed the inspection, which was very convenient. I received my certificate after passing the inspection and couldn't be happier with the service. Highly recommended for anyone needing a motorcycle safety inspection certificate! read more

I have been a customer for many years and have total confidence in this place. I give Dikes Thornton Automotive my highest recommendation. I bring my cars here for just about everything, from regular interval servicing to brake jobs to replacing bulbs in tail lights. They have never let me down. Work is completed in a timely manner, for the price quoted. No surprises. no drama. They even allow you to drop off your car early in the morning before they open, so you can get on with your day. They call or text you when your ride is ready for pickup. Years ago I had a car that had a Check Engine Light issue. I took the car to the dealership I purchased it from and had it fixed. Not long later the light came on again. Back to the dealer. They'd fix it, but the fix never laster longer than a few weeks. This pattern repeated until I finally resigned myself to just driving around with the malfunctioning light on all the time. Not an ideal situation, but there didn't seem to be a solution. It was really only a problem when it came time to renew the registration and a smog check was required. When that came up I would go back to the dealership and have them "fix" it. It wasn't until I brought the car here to Dikes Thornton that I finally found out why the light came on and why the dealership was never able to fix the issue. Jamie explained what the underlying issue was and what the dealership was doing to make the light temporarily turn off. It irritated the hell out of me that they dealership had never leveled with me about what was actually going on with the Check Engine Light. I had paid a lot of money for them to repeatedly dick around like they were trying to diagnose the problem. It seemed clear to me that they knew from the first instance what the issue was and were just maximizing their profits by jerking me around. They don't play that mess at Dikes Thornton. They don't need to, This place is hella busy all the time because they are damn good at what they do. They don't recommend work just to pad the bill like they do at the dealership. If they tell you that you need something fixed, they will back it up with facts they discerned from their diagnostic evaluation. Car problems suck. And they suck so much worse when you don't know where to take your car. Mikey C says: Dikes Thornton is the place to go. read more

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Jamie is amazing live taking my cars to him and that he is open on Saturdays is a huge thing

Buyer beware! Just left Dikes. Needed a vehicle safety inspection and a smog check for a salvage registration. Was quoted $600 for this service. Contacted two other local shops and was quoted half of that price. Shame on you Dikes. read more

We had our vehicle worked on indirectly through him, but I personally talked to him later both on the phone and in person. He was polite to me both times, fun to talk to, and sympathetic to our situation. I only give four stars, cause I did see their prices and it's a bit steep and out of my price range. For example, smog is over $80 versus where we usually go, which is under $60. read more

Total rip-off. Tried charging my kid $160 for an oil change, and attempted to oversell the job (said the extra services were necessary or he wouldn't do the repair). Estimate was $1200 - I ended up doing the job myself - radiator hose - cost me $67. read more

Not only will I not bring any of my vehicles here, I will make it a mission to be sure no else does either. I just brought my 94 Pathfinder in because it had failed a smog test. After speaking with the Owner, he abruptly said "No, thank you, I don't work on anything that old" and then proceeded to refer to my vehicle as crap. He also added "I have no need to add to my customer base with older than 2000 vehicles". It his business and he pick & choose who he works with. My issue is that you don't have to be unprofessional and discourteous in the process. read more

I've been going here for auto repairs for about 15 years. The service is exceptional. They are honest, straightforward and completely trustworthy. Their prices are reasonable and fair and the shop is certified by AAA. read more

We have trusted Dikes Thornton to take care of maintenance and repair needs for our family's cars decades. "Trust" is the operative word here. We trust them when they tell us that a repair is needed. We trust them to do the repair right. Every time. Each of our cars. For years and years. We are thankful for Jamey Thornton and his crew. read more

I was referred to Dikes Thornton by a friend. They are great. Jayme is very knowledgeable and provided useful information related to the issue my car was having. Prices are very reasonable and they only recommend work you really need to have done. I would highly recommend them. read more

Thanks for the amazing service and honesty. I feel lucky to have found such good people to trust and service my truck with. read more

This happened quite a while ago but my dad and sister and dad's ex girlfriend were all taking their cars there. My dad says they aren't cheap; but their honest. What I'm seeing is they are honest and rope you in but after that anything can happened. An oil substance was leaking; they said that the person who put in the transmission oil didn't put the plug in all the way. Then they said that while they are in there they can change the oil gasket. I hung up and asked my brother. He said the oil gasket doesn't need to be changed unless it's leaking and they are trying to pad the bill. I called them back saying just that; the oil gasket doesn't need to be changed if it's not leaking and don't do the repair. The man on the phone went ballistic on me. My girlfriend said if I was a man they would try to reason with me ; but how dare a woman question their ethics? When I got back to Oakland I had 3 different mechanics look at my car and they all said the same thing; my oil gasket isn't leaking. I think my family was naive to actually think that all four mechanics are honest 100% of the time. Mechanic try to rip you off all the time; especially if you're a woman because they think women don't know anything about cars and usually they are right. read more

This man is a bitter prick. I bring my vehicle to him for brake and light inspection on July 1st and on July 18 he has it impounded- he never calls me to say it's done. He claimed he did it right away and started calling me - I never heard a word - it was 800 to get out of impound - read more

The reason it is not a 1 is that in the end, though significantly over priced, the work does get done. I have had some work done by him before. I always accepted his prices without really questioning it. However, my A/C went out on my truck and he looked at it. He charged me $69.50 for looking and seeing that the compressor was locked and the belts melted off, then gave me a verbal (no written estimate) of $1800 to repair. That smelled really bad and I found another mechanic that did the job for $995 out the door. The A/C works great now. I went back to Jamie and got the written quote. Parts were in line with the other guy, but the labor was about triple. Looking back at other work he has done for me, he charged me $263 for the refrigerant in my vehicle, which according to my research should be about $121 - $154. So this is nothing new from Jamie. Jamie is not a bad guy personally and I suppose he is doing what businesses do, but I do believe that I got ripped off before, and narrowly missed getting ripped off again by $800. I'm never going back there again. Decide for yourself. read more

Guy is a rude jerk. My interaction was all on the phone where it started and ended for me. Gladly go somewhere else.

I had a great experience having my brakes and lamps inspected at Dikes Thornton Automotive. I had some lights needing to be changed so I took it home and worked on it myself. I'm not too fix-it savvy, so the clear and concise list of repairs needed was very helpful. The service was quick and the re-test was free. A lot of people are complaining about the prices here, but that's just how it goes. If you want great, efficient and helpful service from an experienced professional, it's going to be more expensive. Thank you again Dikes Thornton Automotive! I'll send my friends your way. read more

Jamie was very helpful for a tricky situation on my car. He was very communicative and open about my options. Got my car in and out pretty quickly too. read more

Honest! Master mechanics! Great customer treatment. Recommend highly! Have been servicing my vehicles for years.

The BEST. Wonderful service. Honest. Knowledgeable. We can keep our older cars now that we found someone TRUSTWORTHY and REALLY cares about the quality of his work. Thanks read more

Mixed feelings on this auto repair shop, so we'll let you decide (as usual). The vehicle needed to get a smog test. I was well aware that too many of the dashboard lights were lit, so repair was going to be needed. The cost for an evaluation: $250. The estimate to give it a fighting chance to pass smog: $900. On the plus side, besides being open on Saturdays, Jamie recommended against spending the entire $900 because there was some troubling sounds coming from the engine and he was convinced that it was not long for this world. On the negative side, besides the posted labor rate of $102/hour, Jamie left a tool in the engine compartment that caused terrible sounds leading me to believe that the engine was indeed nearing its last journey. Once we found & removed the hard-to-miss tool, the vehicle has been running like the 8-cylinder champ that it was prior to his pricey evaluation. 2.0 stars. read more

Have been to a number of general mechanics in Ventura over ten years and this has been the best, if you're willing to pay for it. They probably even charge more than the Toyota dealers, but we keep going back. The reason is the honesty and quality of repairs. Jamey, the owner, knows his stuff. They even found a bad cell in a Sears battery that Sears said was OK. Sears gave in and replaced it. Problem was solved. At the dealers, it is a game where they try to get you to do a ton of things and most of them are optional at best. (Think of the money you waste by making bad guesses at what's important!) Here you get it as straight as you could hope from a mechanic. And they charge accordingly. They're not email savvy, may not call with updates as often as I'd like, and don't always get done exactly at the time promised, but it's worth it. I just go there for all the things I don't trust normal places to handle. Timing belts, weird noises, 'check engine' lights, etc. read more

Jamie is great. If your looking for an honest shop no nonsense this is the place. Jaime has been in the business forever but he and his staff are up to date. I'm always confident taking my autos here because I know I'm not getting schemed. read more

We gave them a working car for maintenance and TWO WEEKS LATER they gave us back a BROKEN CAR for 6x the quoted price. We brought them the car for fluid changes and and checking on a shocks/struts vibration at high speeds. Work is quoted at $250. They kept the car for two weeks with no communication with us. We called and got a lot of promises for updates... no updates. Then a lot of excuses about people being sick, the shop being closed, but none of that was communicated with us at the time. The bill comes out to $1560 due to labor for removing excessive mud stuck on the car, and replacing belts/tensioner. That sucks but ok, excessive dried mud can be difficult and take a long time to get off. 2 days after the car is home, it's shredded a belt because they put the tensioner in wrong. They refused to help with towing the car back to them, refused to look at the car again without more fees. No guarantee of their work. Car was not having these issues before I brought it in, so they broke my car and charged me for that and then refused to fix it without more cost. I had to pay another shop to look at it again, and they found that the tensioner was installed incorrectly which caused the belt to shred, and also Dikes Thornton watered down the coolant I asked them to put in so much that it was almost more water than coolant, PLUS the transmission fluid was a quart low after I'd paid Dikes Thornton to change that as well. They could not have ripped us off any harder. Terrible experience that cost me 2 weeks and a ton of hassle and a ton of money. Used to be a good shop, apparently it isn't anymore. read more

Professional, polite, he knows what he is doing. I have a 1990 Honda Accord and he takes good care of my car.

I am going to rate this review 5 stars, but only because I had read the previous reviews and got a sense of the business first. Like others have said, their hourly labor rate is not bargain basement, but rather than toss the dice on a random repair facility decided to go with honesty and quality, and that is what I got. The fuel pump went out on a recently purchased 1998 used vehicle, and a fuel pump replacement was within my list of things I can do myself. That was until I discovered you needed to drop the fuel tank to replace the unit (or cut your own custom access panel in the trunk). A neighbor recommended this shop and the reviews were good, but with the note that the labor rate is on the high side. Aside from the labor cost, the communication was great and we ended up replacing another inexpensive part I had decided to postpone due to the amount of work to get to it (i.e. labor). Giving them 5 stars with this rating being in the you get what you pay for category here. Can't complain..... well, yes I can complain, but not in this review.... :) read more

My wife and I have been taking my cars to Jamey for 12 years and never had a bad experience. He's worked on my foreign and domestic cars. I have never once felt Jamey sold me service that I didn't need. He's great at diagnosing the problem and fixing it so it lasts. His charges are usually about half what a dealer's service department would charge. It's so important to find an auto mechanic who is trustworthy and highly skilled, and Jamey is all that. read more

Used to be one of the best shops in town. No longer. Now they charge you an arm and a leg, ($2,500 for my last set of repairs, including a new clutch) and they didn't even do the work correctly. They didn't even bother to properly secure the radiator fan that they installed in my car as a replacement. result: It came off and ground into the back of the radiator. Will never do business with them again. Dishonest and overpriced. read more

This is one of the best places to have your vehicle reapired. Jamey is honest and delivers on his promises about when the work will be finished. He follows the automotive handbook on his billing. I have tried many places and this is one of the best. I highly recommend it. read more

Any garage that charges 610.00 an hour is way out of line. I don`t know how he sleeps at night. I know he started working on my truck at 3:00 pm. Called at 3:45 to say come on over and pick up your truck. AAA should investigate his business. read more

Jamie the owner took me for a ride (no morals), my truck only needed a smog certificate, but convinced me to replace the EGR, a good working EGR just needed couple hoses and hooked up, but I was desperate to pass smog. His so called mechanic broke the EGR housing and charged me for it $1100 in labor, I drove 200 miles to buy the new EGR housing because he was quoting me double. Charged me $230 for diagnostic which never applied to the total cost.. a simple smog check costing $2100 and weeks in his shop. BS!! JAMIE LOVES TO SELL FEAR THIS GUY WILL TAKE ALL HE CAN SO PLEASS BEWARE.. read more

I went for a brake and light inspection. $208 later I am told I failed due to tire tread being bald... wait, I thought this was a BRAKE and LIGHT adjustment/inspection? They did not adjust my lights at all and told me I should do that myself. They also said I wont pass until my e-brake works properly; which I understand is mandatory. He also said a light in the dash must illuminate when e brake is pulled. I called another shop in ventura and asked if these things were required to pass this inspection. the parking brake must work. no indicator in instrument cluster required, nothing about tire tread. the 200$ I would have spent in tires to try and pass your test I spent on another inspection elsewhere which I passed. Oh and for 50$ less. Thanks for trying to keep me off the road :) read more

This place is so great I hate to make the line I have to wait in for their great service and solid professional knowledge by singing their praises. But I've been going here for many years and others in town need to know they are simply the best. read more

I've been to many repair shops over the years and Dikes Thornton is the best place I have found! They do an excellent job and always get the job done right. I recommend going here to any of my friends. I've been bringing our cars in to Jamey for over 10 years & have never had any problems. Very trustworthy business and worth every penny. Take your car here- you will not be disappointed. read more

One word; overpriced. If you want to pay out the nose for poor service then this place might actually be a good match for you. Otherwise I advise you to go somewhere else. read more

Jamie has taken care of all of our cars--up to five at a time--for decades. He is always fair and does quality work. He looks out for things that may need attention in the future and makes good suggestions, but not in a way that he's doing it just to get business. I believe he honestly cares about his customers and wants to do a good job for them and take care of them. He is kind and professional and even worked late on Saturday last week when my husband's car needed an emergency repair. He will give me options that I can understand if there are choices--such as a rebuilt transmission or new. The car is ready on time and he sticks to the budget discussed. His prices are fair, and I have confidence he isn't ripping me off. read more

please do not go to dealerships.......ugh!! jamey is a very honest person and reasonable in prices. thanks be to god...... and thorough in checking the ping and pangs of your vehicle and tells it like it is..... former employee of ford.. mary do not let anyone or anything discourage you to see jamey, serious folks!!!! read more

I haven't needed much from Jamey yet, just a simple smog inspection so far, but that went as smoothly and quickly as possible. While waiting for my car, I got a chance to witness how he interacted with other customers and his employees. Here's why that's important: You need to find a mechanic you can trust before you need him. You need to need the qualities of a man before turning him loose with the keys to what is most likely the second most expensive thing you own. So, I like to "audition" mechanics with smaller jobs before I need the larger ones done. Jamey and his operation seem first class to me, and I will be back when the "big one" hits me and my ride. read more

Been going to Jamey for over 20 years, never would go elsewhere. Honest, reliable, dependable. Thanks Jamey. CM

We have trusted Dikes Thornton to take care of our auto repair needs for years. "Trust" is the operative word here. We trust them when they tell us that a repair is needed. We trust them to do the repair right. Every time. Each of our cars. For years and years. We are thankful for Jamey Thornton and his crew. read more

I learned the hard way about the quality service at Dikes Thornton: I was a customer for some time, but thought I'd be clever by using cheaper work at another shop. You know the punch line: It ended up costing me more, because of the lower quality work & the costly mistakes the other shop made! I came running back to D-K, & will never leave again! Aside from the top notch work done there, Jamey Thornton is patient in explaining mechanical issues to the lay person, courteous, thorough, & very professional. I drive my 15-year-old truck, which runs beautifully, with great confidence, knowing its care & maintenance is in the best of hands. read more