This was my first time having my 2008 Subaru Outback XT serviced at Kiwi. The past 3 years I put very few miles on the car and knew it needed some TLC, not the least of which a new A/C belt and main belt. I had a feeling the front axles were going to need replacing and that the brakes were about ready for new pads. Also wanted the oil changed. All the work was well done in a timely manner, and the price was fair for the work done. I used to sell Subarus so I knew what the dealer would charge. They're more reasonable than the dealer. Didn't have the brakes done yet because the pads are back ordered and I was still okay, but I'll be returning for that work. They also caught a bit of power steering fluid seeping from around a seal, and the hose is original. They added a little dye to the fluid and after I drove it for a few days I took the car back in and they took a look, and sure enough, it's getting close to needing that fixed. I try to keep the car in top working order so I'm having that done shortly also. Not everyone is skilled at working on Subarus, but they came highly recommended, and it was a good referral. read more

I highly recommend Kiwi for excellent auto repair service. Bob accommodated my requests for scheduling and was very clear and transparent on estimate. Whole experience was smooth and professional. I'll go back again. R. Kane read more

Bob and the crew did outstanding work on my Camry. They completely fixed the gas leak and my brakes feel solid again. Trying to find a good shop can be like the wild west, but I can tell I'm in good hands here. read more

Kiwi's Auto Repair - my newly repaired car, having made it to Palm Springs. - Auto Repair Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Five stars is not enough! These guys are thorough, honest, thoughtful, and they actually care! Great value, too. I will always come to Kiwi's. read more

Amazing , so thorough and so sweet found issues and fixed them day of , took less then 6 hours for a full tune up and everything. Couldn't recommend them more read more

My car overheated near their shop and they got me back on the road in a jiffy. Great guys, super kind and helpful.

I took my vehicle to Kiwis after a theft/recovery; the theif had damaged the passenger side and underbody from an apparent off road excursion. The Kiwi estimator was professional, and took it seemed over an hour to prepare a detailed estimate. The list of quoted repairs was extensive, with damages well beyond what my vehicle was worth. Afterwards, I discovered discrepancies with the estimate, that seemed somewhat fraudulent to me. Many items involved relatively minor fluid leaks, which are normal for a 30 year old car. I placed cardboard under the vehicle and checked after an extended drive: very minor leaks. Another notable quote was a creaking/groaning sound as I entered a driveway or bump. The estimator quoted an extensive/expensive replacement of both rear and front suspension components. Come to find out, the sound was my undertruck space tire at the rear, which had broken free from the storage bolt during the thefts joy ride, and was ajar on top of the center hub storage piece. After simply placing the spare tire down onto the hub and securing it, the creaking/groaning stopped. There were over 10 items stated, and many I found to be questionable, as well, the material marks ups were generous. I give them the latter as this is Santa Barbara, but I advise strongly you obtain a second or even third opinion before commiting to this shops estimate. Again, staff were pleasant enough, but the quote had been greatly inflated, or exaggerated in scope. read more

Kiwi's Auto Repair was able to replace my rotors and brake pads the same day I brought my car in, gave me a very fair price and had the car ready for me to pick up at the exact time they promised. They also gave me a 3 year 36,000 mile warranty on their work. Bob in the front office was great and I had a really good experience at their shop. I went to them because I saw they were highly recommended on Facebook by many community members and now I know why! read more

Had an appointment scheduled and they cancelled on me when I came in at my scheduled appointment time, which I took time off of work to goto. definitely won't come back and don't recommend. OVERPRICED as well and they take much longer than other places read more

New radiator for a 30-year old pickup: Excellent service and top-notch work. I've used Kiwi's in the past and will have them be my only service provider from here on out. The parts were ordered swiftly and, berfore I knew it, I was back on the road. I did get a quote from the dealership first and it was double what Kiwi's charged me. Kiwi's did a thorough inspection and gave me, what I believe, were honest quotes for some deferred maintenance. No pressure. That's why I'm having them start on more work. I value my vehicle and I know I can trust Kiwi's Auto Repair. read more

I have always done all my own work on my vehicles my entire life and have been around the automotive industry all my life. I'm now retired , but still work on my cars. I had a problem with my Prius that involved the ABS brake system. I was able to do the replacement of the part myself but, there is a very complicated process involved to bleed the brake system after the part had been replaced. This process is not only complicated but, it requires a very expensive computer to complete the process. I had never done any business with Kiwi auto repair in the past and only found them by calling around to several shops trying to find someone that was willing to take on the job. I understand that a repair facility does not want to get involved in working on something that someone else had worked on. When I called, I spoke to JP he was very nice and listened to me explain what I had done and he said he would be willing to try to bleed the brake system with the understanding there would be no guarantee of success as their shop had not installed the part. This was fair and I understood his position. I made an appointment and dropped my car off a couple of days later. When I dropped the car off I was introduced to the technician that was going to bleed the system. I was very happy with the fact that the gentleman that took me in had me speak directly to the technician. I know that direct communication with what I had done in my repair work was important to getting the repair completed without unnecessary steps being repeated. I also think it let the technician decide if he could trust the work that I had done after we spoke directly. When I brought the car in there were five dash lights on and a screaming alarm sounding all about the brake system. I received a call later that day that my car was ready to go. All the lights were off along with the alarm. I just wanted to write in about how great this shop is and how what a good job they did in what was for me a very difficult and frustrating situation. This was not only about them have invested in the expensive computer tool but having the experienced technician that knew how to properly complete this complicated repair. It was also about having the foresight to have me communicate directly with the technician about what I had done. I would highly recommend this repair facility. It is very well run and they see the big picture. read more

If I could give a higher rating, I would gladly do so! My car, a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country, developed an electrical problem that tanked the battery and threatened to shut down the car completely. I made to the shop on Sunday, parked in front of the shop and left the key in their mailbox. They jumped on the task immediately Monday morning and let me know it was a broken lead from the alternator. The battery and the alternator were toast. I had them address some other issues for which I had been delaying fixes. They did it all in short order, and the charges were all absolutely reasonable. I've used a number of repair services in various locations around the county, but I won't be using any others in the future. Kiwi is the best, hands down! read more

I would highly recommend Kiwi's Auto Repair for their honesty and work that they did based on my 2005 Toyota Camry repairs. I visited them on a Wednesday for a review of the (1)cost of Ball joint Boots that were torn and Sway bar link boots also torn. In the review of my car they noticed a low fluid and proceeded to make sure my brake line was not torn or a leak in the drum (at no cost to me) Everything was fine. But there was a (2)transmission output shaft that the seals were leaking and the (3) power steering pump was seeping. They recommended Items 1 and 2 be done as soon as possible and I made arrangements for the following Monday. Their inspection and review of my car that took 30 minutes I was NOT charged for this. I also decided to go ahead with the power steering pump replacement. I picked up the car up on Wednesday and it rides so smooth and handles so great. What I thought were the shocks were really the ball joint boots. I even asked them to replace my old windshield wipers, but they never charged me for them. They did mention that the power steering pump is very difficult to get all the air out of the line when they replace it. There was a small noise that should dissipate within a few months, it not they would rework the pump at no cost to me. Bob, Rich and the whole team were great and being 75, I did not feel that they "saw me coming" when it came to the repair cost. Thank You Kiwi's Auto Repair!! I will be visiting you again when I need an oil change. read more

the service is beyond what I expected. the staff us very nice. the quality of work they did for our truck is excellent! Bob is very honest . im glad I found kiwis auto body shop in Santa Barbara read more

Great customer service! Quick response and had a caring, helpful attitude. Read good reviews and they are true.

STAY AWAY FROM HERE ! Total Scammers ! They don't do invoices properly! Kiwi will overcharge for parts! Will totally throw in 'mystery meat' aka trash parts in your car without even telling you or asking what you want first. They owe me thousands in work they never did & damaged my car in multiple ways : -Put on my exhaust tips crooked + damaged them! Did such a sloppy job on putting on my new exhaust to the point where I had to go elsewhere to weld it up proper! Barely did '1 spots' -They killed my NEW battery & replaced it with a USED one ! WHO DOES THAT !? -Horrendous job putting in a "new" power steering box only to have to it still leaking up a storm ! They went with literally the worst product available, A1 Cardone, which is a remanufactured Power Steering Gear Box - literally a $94 terrible box and they charged me $201 double for it !! -I paid them for an engine rebuild and to fix my leaks and everything only to find out they just 'painted' it ! And a sloppy paint job at that , nearly all the paint is gone after a couple weeks and they didn't even paint my water pump ! Totally cheated me ! Oil pan/front seal still leaking!! -They replaced my water pump but can't even tell me with which brand/product ! It is a total low end crappy one which I will have to replace ! -Put an unknown/random flex fan in my car and installed it wrong = hitting my new fan shroud = nicked up shroud really badly and damaged the new flex fan - beyond incompetent ! On top of that when they mounted my new shroud/radiator support cover on they never took into account for radiator hose, and drilled 3 shabby holes into my new shroud! Didn't even use the right screws and missing a clip! Looks like swiss cheese now ! - see pics uploaded! -Replaced my spark plugs without my permission when I just gotten new ones 4 months prior - unnecessarily costing me $100 ! -Over charged me on valve cover wires, distributor cap, and coil wires. -Ripped my distributor cord off ! -Ruined my cars timing, where I had to go have competent people fix it today with just a few minutes of effort, where I tried for 3 months with 'Kiwi' - utter nightmare they are ! Rich claims he used to build carburetors but he couldn't even time my ride up correctly ? hmmm sketch ... that is just like the stuff off the top of my head... And when I questioned "Rich" on his f'ups and he goes off on me cursing at me , telling me to go F myself and so forth! Was so toxic and volatile to me to the point where I was sketched out for me / my car safety to the point where I had to record on my phone audio all of his temper tantrums and freak outs on me. On top of it I have voicemails and texts from him and his mechanic making threats to me this past weekend to the point where I am now considering taking legal action and possibly a restraining order. I already filed with Better Business Bureau against these scammers, with that being said keep your cars away ! Wouldn't trust these bums with an oil change read more

See all

Rich was able to sort out what was wrong with my daughter's VW and even found out the issue was still under warranty. He helped us to navigate taking the car to Ventura VW for repair. Thank you for your honesty Rich! read more

I came in from out of town as my car had broken down. Bob had his mechanics do everything they could, but my car was shot. He fixed it enough for me to be able to trade it in for a decent amount. Thanks for doing all you could! read more

Turns out the leak they were warning about was just some road oil that splattered on my axle. Not just dishonest but undereducated! I guess not having auto shop in HS has made it harder to get help these days! read more

There are a lot of good reviews of this place, but unfortunately we had a disappointing experience with these folks. Ultimately, we ended up taking our car 100 miles to a mechanic I know and trust and it saved us $3000. My son is in school out there and had a check engine light + running rough. Kiwi was right nearby so he took it there to have it checked out. Their diagnosis was that his turbocharger was "shot" and needed replaced ($3000) as well as new brakes ($1500) . Before spending $4500 on a $12,000 Ford Escape, I called my regular mechanic in LA, and he said the prices for this work seemed rather overpriced. Assuming apples to apples he would be around $3000 to replace the turbo (using OE parts), and the brakes/rotors. We even tried to spend $3K with Kiwi and gave them the opportunity to do match this price so we didn't need to drive the car to LA. They declined to accept our business. He drove it 100 miles to my regular shop and to our surprise the diagnosis was the turbo did NOT even need replaced. It just needed a computer reset, and they did the brakes for $500 less. We ended up spending $1500, not $4500 like Kiwi tried to hit us for. I don't know if they were trying to take advantage of a college kid or what, but the other 1-star reviews are in-line with mine, so it seems that one should be careful and do some research before spending money at this shop. read more

Kiwi's are top, always able to find and fix the problem. Last time I brought it my 1996 Dodge Avenger, the starter needed replacing and Bob stayed late on Friday evening to wait for the part and replace it to make sure I have the car for the weekend. They saved that car many times. Thanks guys. read more

Our Honda Civic needed a new starter, steering system and transmission seals. Bod took care of everything.

Stellar service. A local recommend this place to me upon seeing my despair with a rental car woe. Friendly, quick, and benevolent.

The most trustworthy and caring auto repair shop around. My husband and I were in a financial rut with lots of vehicle issues, Kiwi's does free inspections and were able to quote us as soon as we brought our car to the shop. After explaining our situation the owner wanted to help us get out car running no matter what it took and by noon same day our car was up and running at half the cost anyone else could have done!! They genuinely care about the greater good and safety of their customers. We hung out in shop while our car was being worked on and got to know the owner and his employees who all had a good sense of humor with huge hearts for others. I never though we'd have such a great day at a repair shop. As long as we are in Santa Barbara there will be no where else I'd take my families car. read more

I wanted to put in a review for Kiwi's Auto Repair and Bob, the person whom I was communicating with. A few weeks ago, my daughter's car had an oil light go on. It was a late Friday afternoon in Santa Barbara. I yelped mechanics near my daughter's place and Kiwi had the best reviews and was nearby. I called Kiwi's and Bob helped me. I told him the situation and he immediately recommended having my daughter's car towed to the shop. Unfortunately the tow truck wouldn't have been able to get there before the shop closed but Bob was nice enough to stay after hours to receive the car. Car was diagnosed next day. It was going to be a very expensive repair. Bob recommended if car was still under warranty, to see if dealer could repair it. So we had it towed to Oxnard to have it looked at by dealership and sure enough, the diagnostics done by Kiwi Auto Repair was spot on. So my daughter's car was fixed. I had my daughter's car brought back to Kiwi for an oil change just yesterday, and again, Bob was so kind to help me out and communication was excellent. I recommended to my daugther for her to go to Kiwi's Auto Repair for maintenance and repairs in the future. I can't say enough good things about Bob and Kiwi's. The shop really does care about people and I really appreciate that. Thank you! Highly recommend! read more

I went into the shop not knowing anything about cars and worried because after driving my sedan on a very gravely road, I began hearing a weird sound when I drove my car. Being new to town, I was also worried about finding an honest mechanic. Luckily, Rich and his team were so kind and professional. They were able to quickly find the issue (bunch of rocks stuck in places where rocks shouldn't be!!!) and didn't even charge me for their fantastic service. I will definitely be coming back when I have a real issue and am so happy to have found a great mechanic so early on in my new Santa Barbara life :) Thanks guys!!!! read more

Rich and the team are some of the best around! The team here is always generous with their time when describing the issue at hand. Furthermore, the team stands by their work and is always ready and willing to resolve any issues should they arise. I tell everyone I know, Kiwi's is the place to go for any auto repairs needed! read more

I first went to Kiwi's because my car window wouldn't roll up on a Friday afternoon before a 9-hour road trip. Somehow they managed to get the part and fix my Tacoma truck by that evening. I've been going to Kiwi's ever since and they are amazing. They are always super fast, friendly, and do an excellent job with the repairs. They are always trying to find the most cost-effective way to fix my truck and I really appreciate that. I've never had a trusting relationship with an auto body shop before Kiwi's. Now they are the only people I want to work on my truck. I'm so thankful to have found this auto repair shop in Santa Barbara. Thank you Rich and PJ! read more

This was my first time going here, and I left very content. I was able to use a coupon for an oil change and a discount off other services. They explained to me very well the cost of all the parts and how much the labor would be. I ended up paying very little for the labor and an even cheaper price for the oil change. Everything turned out great and I am very glad I came here, definitely will come again. I also really appreciated that they checked in with me a couple weeks after to see if my car was working as it should. read more

This company is wonderful! The people working on the cars to those that run the front are all very friendly, efficient, and kind. I appreciate mechanic shops like this because all to often there just isn't this level of comfort & trust in mechanic shops anymore. Thank you! read more

I recently moved and needed to go to a different mechanic, Rich saved me money with them and spent time on the phone with me going through their estimate. They were also reliable and quick when I was using them while I was in Santa Barbara. Thank you Rich! Good people! read more

DONT GO HERE THEY CANT FIX A SIMPLE ISSUE ! Took my older Honda Civic because it was overheating. Got charged almost $300 just to change the thermostat(probably a $30 part . Still didn't fix the problem, overheated down a few blocks. When I called to let them know they said to take car back, for what ? To just keep guessing what's the issue and wasting my money ? NO THANKS Update : This was at there old location , they have now moved, that's why owner claims he doesn't have me on record. Avoid this place can't fix a simple Honda , would never take my Lexus there read more

Once again, amazed at how honest and reasonable kiwi auto is. I just bought a new car and they did a overall inspection and told me what needs to get done now and what could get done later. Honest business owner and friendly. Will be back! read more

Real people, real service, real refreshing. No regrets! I could maybe request that there be more updates as far as timing goes if repairs go on a little longer than initially stated. But that's normal so I'm not complaining, just typing along so I fill the quota for the length of this review. read more

We appreciated that these guys could see us right away and were able to fix some problems within 24 hours. I think it was a little expensive and they did try to push extra services on us but all in all they were our heroes! read more

Our car broke down and was towed to Kiwis on a Friday close to closing time. Everyone was so helpful and provided suggestions on who we could take the car to for repair. The shoot was scheduled to be closed on Saturday and someone met us to open up to get the car off the lot. I'd every back in the Santa Barbara area and need a mechanic-Kiwi is where I will go! read more

Drove straight to Kiwi's last week when the plastic under my front engine started coming off on the 101. It turned out the whole underneath needed repair and my car was also in need of a new battery. I was pleased with the service and clear explanation from the owner about my car. Now I feel safe, and my car is all repaired at a reasonable cost. Thanks Rich and the guys at Kiwis Auto Repair Santa Barbara for your attention to detail, and integrity. read more

I go to Kiwi's for all my auto needs. Nobody is perfect, but this is the first auto repair place I've committed to in a long time. Once in a while I feel like communication could be better (like, we're going to have your car all day, or, we won't call you for at least 5 hours, etc) but in general, they have been great. They really come through in emergencies as well, always making time for me and trying to fix things within one day. They seem to have a lot of experience and tend to bounce ideas off each other to figure out what is going on with my old car. My dad was a mechanic, so trusting my car to anyone but him takes a lot of convincing. Good job Kiwi! read more

I was referred to Kiwi's by my insurance company after my catalytic converter was stolen. The team was very personable and great to work with. They are all straight shooters and very clear about expectations/estimates. They fixed my car very quickly. I appreciated their service and would definitely recommend them for quick and reliable service. Thanks again! read more

The absolute best!! Very kind and transparent. They take the time to explain what's going on with your car and are honest upfront about how much things cost. Very good vibes in there, very helpful, won't scam you. I recommend them to everyone. read more