People may not know that D'Errico's is certified in both smog test and repair. To give you a perspective, the dealership is certified in neither. Peter is the only mechanic I trust completely. He is the most skilled mechanic I know, and honest. His shop may not be the most organized, but he always knows what he's doing. He is the best at diagnosing the problem which is the crux of the matter, to me. Other auto repair shops have done a good job for me but when they can't figure out the problem, I take it to Peter. read more

My list of complaints is longer than this but I will concentrate on the 2 most egregious actions of Peter Derrico. 1.) He lost his temper and verbally assaulted me because I asked him (based on what he'd told me) when my truck would be done...seriously! I wrote him about it and he replied with an apology. But then, far worse than that, I had on an earlier occasion hired him to replace the alternator in my motor home, I chose him because his shop is close to me. He replaced the Alternator for about $500. I had complained when I took it in that it made a squealing noise at higher speeds. (I said, "sounds like a loose fan belt") After he replaced the alternator he told me, "The squealing isn't your alternator, you need to replace your water pump and fan clutch" and quoted me over $600.00 to do that. Well guess what, The honest and quality technician Luee Esparza of Precision Motor Werx on Callens in Ventura quickly determined that the noise was being caused by not only a loose belt but the Alternator belt! Nothing needed to be replaced, he just tightened the belt and that solved the problem. You do the math, I recommend that if you choose to trust this a-hole with your car you should exercise caution and get a second opinion. My opinion is that Derrico is a liar and a rip-off...I give him no stars! read more

Regardless of what others have said in previous reviews. Most people don't seem to understand how this guy is running his business on his own right now. No one clearly takes the time to fully understand the process that he's doing. He's the only one taking care of these cars so yeah things might take a bit longer than expected or than what he quoted, he's not trying to hire some kid who wants to learn cars, he's waiting for someone with experience and someone he can trust to leave the business with when he's not around or working on a separate car. So if he ends up taking 4 days instead of the quoted 2 days then that fine with me. If he misdiagnosed my car, that's fine just as long as he knows it and can fix it- doctors do it all the time and yet you still go back to them or trust them with your life. the difference between him and a doctor is that it's only a car- something that's replaceable... It's not like other mechanics don't do it. Again, came all the way from Monrovia to get my car taken care of by Peter and I am still getting great service! read more

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Honest owner - knows what he's doing and definitely looked out after our best interest - quality work! Thank you Peter read more

A few weeks back I was stuck in Ventura because my truck broke down. I called up this place and after getting my quote, which was a very reasonable price, I left it there and the next when the parts came in it was ready super fast and the truck is running great. The man is great mechanic and I'm thinking about driving from lompoc just to get him to check out my new car. Very dependable and very fast. 5 out of 5 on all accounts. read more

I won't be back bad workmanship, not only overcharged me but did not complete the job or fix my truck, had to come back a couple of times still didn't do a thorough job truck out of tune, didn't even test drive after work was completed had me do it ,gave truck back to me way out of tune couldn't even pass smog, he then wanted to add parts (catalytic converter) that didn't even come with truck, so I took my truck to another shop they said wow this not right and finished job and corrected and tuned and I passed smog no problem no adding parts ,truck running good again, and I use my truck for work, man I don't write reviews but very bad experience. read more

Trust me when I say, STAY AWAY FROM THIS GUY! Reminds me a good old fashioned, smooth, fast talking shyster. A wolf in sheep's clothing you might say. This guy had my car for over two weeks for something that should have taken no more than 3 days. The first time he called me to come pickup my car, I couldn't even drive it. The car literally would not turn to the left. Smash cut to a week later when he called me again to pickup the car, only this time I found it still on the lift and leaking antifreeze (bad). It was so obvious, only I was the one who had to point it out to him. Then there was my power steering pump that was leaking (not that way when I brought it in), that he denied having done anything to it, but did end up fixing (sort of). For some unknown reason he took it upon himself to repaint the pump (the wrong color). This was a classic automobile that had a very nice patina finish on the original pump, before he got hold of it. For someone who has been in the business for years, I found his abilities and workmanship to be subpar at best. There were some other things that took place during this ordeal, but you get jist of what I'm getting at. I ended up having to get the Bureau of Automotive Repair involved to try get recoup some expenses for the damage he caused, but he refused to do anything about it. Get yourself another mechanic because this guy will take you for a ride. read more

Every time we go to Derrico Automotive I am so surprised by the service I get. Peter is fair and honest ....WOW who can say that about an auto mechanic. Dealership price and Derrico price along with integrity. ASE Master Technician, did not know that until we looked on his wall a bunch of ASE certificates. We would recommend this Auto Shop. Thank You Peter Derrico for taking care of my car read more

Peter is an great mechanic. 1. His shop is a true old fashioned small town mechanic you can trust. He gives you honest, personal service. 2. He is excellent at diagnostics. He really takes his time to figure out what the problem is and work to find just the right solution. 3. He is cost efficient. He tries to keep your costs down by doing the repairs in the best way that will fix the problem. read more

While my car has always had exceptionally low emissions readings, it failed a smog test in 2013 due to some computerized technical difficulty. I went to Derrico because I was unemployed at the time, and the state offered some financial assistance to do the repairs if one used one of their recommended stations, such as this one. Initially, everything seemed fine. He was pleasant and assured me more than once that he'd be able to repair my car for the amount approved by the State under the CAP program, provided I pay him $150 for diagnosis. He assured me that, because my emissions readings were incredibly low, I would not need a new catalytic converter. Even when I left my car, he again informed me, without my asking, that the repairs would be within the $500 State threshold, and I would only be required to pay $150 out of pocket for his diagnosis. He also informed me that the repairs should only take one day, but if it took some time for parts to arrive, there would be no reason why I couldn't drive my car in the meantime, and come in on a Saturday, or other day, to get the work done. I dropped my car off around 11:00 am. Peter Derrico, the owner of the repair shop called me at 5:04 that evening to inform me that one of the two issues involved a bent wire, and would cost $500 to repair. He went on to say that a waiver would be issued for the other problem and I could get that done anytime in the next two years, and hopefully I would have a job by then to pay for the repairs. I asked him what the other problem involved. He said I would need a new catalytic converter. I questioned him about that because he had assured me over and over that there is no way that I needed a new "cat" because of my low emissions readings. He then admitted to not having done the diagnostics on that problem. I then informed him that I wanted a full diagnostic report, as promised, before I made a decision on what work would be done. Mr. Derrico then began to rant and rave. He told me that the State had approved the replacement of the Fuel Module Assembly (something I later learned my car didn't need), and I should be grateful that the State is paying (him) for this work. He also informed me that he had ordered an OEM part which would arrive next Wednesday. I had informed him, when I dropped my car off in the morning that I had a preliminary job interview with the County on Tuesday, thus, I told him that I needed my car before next Wednesday. He then informed me that, if I wanted to pick up my car before next Wednesday, I would have to pay for the complete diagnostics work, even though he had only done half of the work. I told him I would be happy to pay for the work he had done (half of that estimated), or he could complete the diagnostic work prior to my picking up my car, and I would pay for the full diagnostics, as agreed upon when I dropped off the car. He then told me that I had two choices: either leave my car with him through Wednesday for him to do half of the originally estimated work, or pay for the full diagnostics, when he had only done half of the diagnostics work. I tried to explain to Mr. Derrico that I had never been asked to pay for work in full prior to its completion. He then began to rant again about this being a State program, and I should be grateful that the State is paying for the work, and.... I remained quiet as he continued to rant. He then said he was counting to ten... I'm not sure why, exactly, but I suspect he probably has some anger management issues. I continued to remain silent. Mr. Derrico then asked me if I had a Master's Degree. (I happened to mention it to him in speaking with him about my job searches in the past.) I responded by saying "Yes". He then said: "Then I'll speak slowly". There was no need for his condescending demeanor. I do not appreciate this man's attitude, and I do not trust that anything he says or does is honest or truthful. In fact, I wouldn't put it past him to cause damage to people's cars - he just has that kind of psychotic way about him.. I've had a mechanic damage my ca in the past, only to find that my former State Division of Consumer Affairs later filed a class action lawsuit against the company that caused damage to my car. The only reason I went to Derrico is because it was on the CA list of approved shops (sad). In the end, I wound up having to pay $150 for diagnosis that was not completed in order to be able to get my car out of Derrico's possession and take it to my trusted mechanic who did all the the needed work (replacement of spark plugs because one was cracked) for less than half of what I paid Derrico who did nothing. Oh, and when I picked up my car, there were huge greasy footprints on my car's carpet. When I addressed the issue with Mr. Derrico, his response was "How do you know it's our grease?" The man is just a sad, frustrated, lying, cheating, jerk. Stay clear unless you want to be treated very rudely while being ripped off. read more

BEWARE!!!! this guy will rip you off!! I have 4 horror stories. 1) took my 2000 toyota for a check engine light. 5 days later still not fixed, Pete said go drive it and see if the engine light goes off, charged $250 for what? never fixed it. 2) found out from a friend at work, he took his 65 Chevy corvair, charge $500 for what? it ran worse and leaked more oil then before he took it in. 3) brother had engine rebuilt, (after sitting in his shop for over a year!!) less than 100 miles later engine froze, charged over $4000, did not want to honor his warranty, had to get attorney's involved just to get the truck back to take to a real mechanic. 4) another friend took her lexus to Pete $ 3500 later....you guessed it, never fixed it correctly, took it to dealer and they wanted to know what knucklehead worked on the car!!! If you want to give your hard earned money away and still not have your auto repaired correctly...go see Pete!! read more

Derrico Automotive has been working on my vehicles for years. They make every effort to be certain the repairs are cost effective, researching parts pricing and saved me thousands on an expensive vehicle that I could not otherwise have been able to afford to repair. I appreciate that at Derrico Automotive the mechanics are there to fix the problem without a hassle, and with plain language that I can understand. read more

Their Slogan We Heal Cars, its true. Peter was Courteous, friendly, and knowledgeable about diagnosing my car. He fixed the problem, now I am no longer a gross polluter. What I like most is he is constantly learning with a bunch of ASE Certifications on the wall. I recommend Derrico Automotive. read more

I had been the D'Errico's Automotive before and I felt they did a great job, so I felt more than comfortable giving them more business when my car problem returned. I spoke with a mechanic over the phone and explained that I would bringing in the car in to have the codes checked the next day. I asked when they would be open. The reply I received was that they open around 8 or 9. Not knowing when you're shop will be open is a definite red flag, but I really like these guys so I bring my car in the next day at about 9 any way. When I show up another mechanic is there but he can't get in the shop because he doesn't have the keys (?) I start to feel that things aren't going to go well but I stick around because I like these guys. So more time passes and finally someone else shows up to open the shop. I get to speak to a mechanic about getting the codes ran on my car so we can figure out what's wrong with it. Then I was told that there is only one person (the same man I talked to over the phone) at the shop that knows how to do this and he won't be in until around 11(?). At this point I was really upset I felt like the shop was disrespecting me as a person and value that I place on my time. That's a very poor business model. After that I left and took my business some place else. I think the worse part of the experience was that I really liked those guys. read more