A Shop With A Heart & Quality Work If you're on vacation,…read moretraveling through the Santa Maria area, a local resident with an unexpected car drivability problem, or just plain looking for an honest, down-to-earth shop that provides quality work, don't fret! There is such a shop that you can trust without hesitation! For the past three years, the repairs and services on my 2012 Ford Escape and 2012 VW Turbo S Coupe have been handled solely at Rick's Car Care, without a worry or hesitation on my part about their qualifications to do the work right the first time. Needless but necessary to state, the estimate and cost of the work to be done are reasonable, not inflated. What makes Rick's Car Care stand out above other family-owned independent automotive repair and service shops? To begin with, it is founded on old-school customer service, honesty, and quality work. Something that is becoming extinct when deep-pocket corporations purchase shops from retiring owners. However, a bright light shines on the answer to this dark auto repair and service scenario: Rick's Car Care! A family-owned independent shop owned by Erick Enright and his wife, Amanda, that remains steadfast in providing great customer service and the highest-quality repairs and services to its clientele. If you are seeking honest, friendly shops that provide quality work, I highly recommend this shop not just as a John Q. Public customer, but also as a former sole proprietor and automotive technician at a local shop.

I have mixed, but mostly positive, opinions of this business. The staff seemed friendly, and I…read moreappreciate that they took the time to provide a thorough diagnosis of my vehicle. They confirmed that my spark plugs and wires were heavily worn by swapping the spark plug from cylinder 4 to cylinder 6, where the misfire followed the plug. That gave me confidence that the spark plug was the source of the issue. That being said, there were a few aspects of the experience that I think prospective customers should know about. First, the diagnostic fee was $180, which I felt was on the expensive side. I came in already suspecting that the issue involved the spark plugs and wires, so I wasn't expecting such an extensive diagnostic process. After discussing the repair with other mechanics, I also learned that removing and reinstalling older spark plugs can carry some risk on higher-mileage engines because aged plugs can seize or break during removal. Nothing went wrong in my case, but I would have appreciated that potential risk being explained before the diagnostic procedure was performed. Better communication would have gone a long way. I was also told, "I don't want to scare you into not driving this vehicle," while being encouraged to complete the repairs there. If there was a genuine safety concern, I appreciate hearing it, but I would have preferred a more practical conversation focused on the condition of the vehicle and my options rather than feeling pressure to make an immediate repair decision. Additionally, when I asked whether there were ways to reduce the cost, I was told the fuel system service could be postponed and completed later. That made me wish the recommendations had been presented from the beginning with a clearer distinction between what was necessary to address the misfire and what could reasonably be deferred as preventative maintenance. Ultimately, I chose to have the repairs completed elsewhere because I was able to supply my own parts and save money overall. Although Rick's labor estimate was higher ($468 compared to $200 elsewhere), the total repair cost ended up being lower because the other shop allowed me to provide my own parts. I don't believe this is a bad shop, and I think it's a friendly, family-owned business that performs thorough diagnostics. I'm simply encouraging customers to ask questions, understand the diagnostic costs and repair recommendations, and make the decision that best fits their own situation.

Got a quote over $730 from Big Brand Tires off Grand for a control arm replacement and alignment on…read moremy fiancée's car. Called this place on a whim after my dad mentioned my grandpa used to bring our family cars here. Right away he was one of those guys you could talk to for hours. Came in over $300 less than the competitor, work was excellent, and had it done in good time. Highly recommend.

I needed a wheel alignment and a friend recommended to me. I had an 8:30 appointment and Gary (sole…read moreproprietor) greeted me at the door. We chatted before he went to work on my Tesla. What I expected to be a quick job turned into a 90+ minute job. Gary is a perfectionist and that's a good thing when dealing with cars. Do I recommend? YES! Will I be back? YES! PS. His wheel alignment is 1/2 the price of Tesla's!

The service requested was within a reasonable amount of time. Quality work at a decent value. Staff…read moreis friendly and helpful. We will Continue to take our vehicles to them for all maintenance needs.

Best auto shop in town! Joe and his team are extremely knowledgeable and they are honest. 10/10…read morerecommend

Honest, friendly and professional. Love this place. All the guys are helpful and the owner is a…read morereally great guy. He actually cares about his customer and provides the best service for a good value. I much prefer bringing my Mini Cooper here than to any Mini Service department.

Eric and Ben always exceed my expectations. They provide excellent, honest service at an reasonable…read moreprice. I have taken my 2011 and 2001 Mercedes SUV to them for a few years now. Recently, Eric spent a great deal of time dealing with some challenges I was having with my 2001. I was very impressed with his willingness to take great care...as I have had this car for many years and their is sentimental value. The grand total also blew my mind, very reasonable for the amount of work done. Arroyo Grande is lucky to have them. I greatly appreciate their work ethic and standards.

Alex is super helpful. Great service. I highly recommend him and his crew. I found them very…read moreprofessional and honest

Needed new tires for my car, but as a single mom was on a budget! I went to three different places…read moreand was quoted about $1300 to replace all 4 tires. Someone recommended I go here. When I arrived I explained that I was looking for something economical. They were happy to help and ordered me 4 new tires that came in the next day for $580! They also stored my car overnight and completed the work before noon! I was pleased from beginning to end with the service I received! I will definitely be a loyal customer as long as I live in SM!

I went to Jaeckels Automotive after my daughter getting some outlandish diagnosis from a…read moredealership. They said brakes were dangerously in need of replacement and catalytic converter was 'trending down' and would need replacement. Jaeckels inspected the vehicle and reported that the brakes had at 20k before they even needed to be looked at and, as I suspected, the catalytic converter was fine and you can't test them to rate as trending down. I appreciated the honesty and the integrity to give the facts when we would have been accepting of brake jobs and been unaware they were not needed now. The dealership put my daughter in a state of fear because they said the brakes were so bad they were unsafe. She even postponed a trip until we could get them taken care of. Jaeckels has earned my future business and my respect for their business practice. I recommend Jaeckels without hesitation.

Super nice people always getting the job done.! If you want reliable and friendly service go here…read morecouldn't tell you another shop in Santa Maria that compares!

I bought my used car in 2006. The year of the car is 2003. The Souza's…read more Have taken care of my PT CRUISER since I Bought it. Their business is a husband and wife operation. They are kind and caring making sure all jobs are done correctly and everything is explained to the Customer. If something extra needs Work they always explain what it needs and the cost. Because of the care my car has received from the Souza's it is a car in excellent shape mechanically and also the interior still looks really good too! I don't know what the value would be from a dealership. I feel it is worth more than book value.

Do not go to jiffy lube or dealership if you're not using a local auto service like Souza…read moreperformance you are probably paying too much and not getting the services you are paying for. I have lived on central coast for 40 years and Sousa performance is by far the best auto repair/auto service in the region. Well worth the trip to Oceano

They were available for Saturday appointment. Brian was helpful, price was reasonable and work was…read moredone within the hour. Excellent response and service. Highly recommended. They were available for Saturday appointment. Brian was helpful, price was reasonable and work was done within the hour. Excellent response and service. Highly recommended.

Hyundai dealership wanted to charge me almost three times what these guys charged. The dealership…read morehad the car for 3 business days and the weekend before they told me what was wrong with the car. Based on the dealers outrageous quote I was going to scrape the whole car. These guys fixed it in just a couple of hours. I asked to hug them but they said they were too greasy.