Rick's Automotive Service, Inc. has been my go-to shop for my 2008 Lexus RX 400h Hybrid, and every experience has been solid from start to finish. Rick and his team are always clear, concise, and professional. They streamline the process, communicate well, and never make you feel pressured or dragged through unnecessary back-and-forth. They pay attention to detail, explain things in a way that makes sense, and most importantly -- they get the job done right. Whether it's routine maintenance, unexpected repairs, or a major issue that needs immediate attention, they handle it with confidence and professionalism. The environment is relaxed, honest, and trustworthy -- something that's hard to find these days in automotive repair. You can tell they genuinely care about the quality of their work and their customers. If you're looking for a dependable mechanic shop that knows what they're doing and treats people right, I highly recommend Rick's Automotive Service, Inc. read more

I hope Rick has a good attorney! We pull into the shop and he's literally working on my car and we could see him before we turned into the driveway. I truly came being open, honest, and calm...he immediately skips pleasantries and just like other reviews mention, he was so upset about my review. He takes us to the car and blames me, talks down to me, mansplains to me about the amount of oil in my car! I checked it 3 times before it went to his lil shop and so did my boyfriend and there was hardly any oil on the dipstick! He checks the oil in front of us and there's suddenly a generous amount on the dipstick and he claimed to not have touched it! We literally saw you all up under the hood Rick! Are you okay?? With your handkerchief in hand...like please...just...stop. I kept my composure still and let him make a case for me. He hauls up my Mustang and her starter was just hanging down from the car! I immediately ask what that's about and he's like "oh I wanted you to see it". It's covered in oil and looks horrible and I doubt it the brightest idea to be lifting my car up and down like his personal elevator with the starter hanging like that! Is this some secret horror reality show?? Am I being punked? Is he Ashton Kutcher in disguise? Like this is madness and it gets worse! So there's a bunch of oil all over the undercarriage dripping still! It only took 3 trips for them to finally say there's a rear main seal leak!! $1,500! I ask for an estimate on the starter and he said it's totally fine! how?? I'm literally fighting back tears and ask him why he didn't he listen to what me and my boyfriend said about this exact leak from day 1?? He then gets so defensive and condescending to me and my poor mother! He blamed my mom after I had to take a moment aside to not lose my sh**. He gets on my mom, "what did you say to her??" All aggressive. He literally watched me walk away from where the three of us were standing! Why would he ask her that when he was standing right there and I walked away? When did she have a chance to "say something" to me? At this point we both are feeling uncomfortable and honestly unsafe with how he was acting. Car had issues on my way home. Mind you Rick said my car is safe to drive! He also told my mom that he has lots of other customers who are driving around all the time with oil leaks! But are they asthmatics with serious health problems breathing in emissions that could cause long term damage to them, the public, and the environment? I truly hope not. That's so dangerous. Rick calls me as I'm driving home to say something about him talking to his tech about the undercarriage and I asked to clarify if it was cleaned off at all or not and he said no so I hung up on him. He kept calling me and I didn't answer, I just was so disturbed by all this. He then sends 2 texts that contradict each other and don't even make sense! He also says he doesn't know 100% if there a rear seal oil leak!!! The next morning then claims there is a leak! I'll attach these texts. He also called my boyfriend who has no ownership over my car that I own the title to! What do they call men who disrespect women and force their will on them by not respecting clear boundaries of not wanting to communicate when I hung up on him?? Rick will do anything to avoid taking accountability for ANYTHING, he shifts blame on to customers, is defensive, aggressive, dishonest, gaslights, and as you see in the texts plays the victim. Classic traits of a narcissist so he definitely will not be able to prioritize the well being of his own business by taking care of his customers. I wish I had read these reviews before taking my car here. I will be making more reviews anywhere I can to warn people and I will update this again after my car is thoroughly inspected by an actual expert this week and further action started being taken before my car even left Rick's shop. My bf and inspected the car after all that and he went and cleaned the fresh pools of oils all over the transmission and above the starter. For my specific vehicle, a brake vacuum pump is the number one cause for oil in the starter and rear main seal leak is the last our 4 main causes for that happening. He only cleaned where the oil STILL leaking would be their fault from a poor repair and the timeline of new symptoms match that as well. He lied repeatedly and so defensively about not seeing the oil in those areas I mentioned and he even cleaned that all up! Then lied about cleaning it up! My bf and I found a chunk of wood lodged in to the exact part he wanted to over charge me on! I sent him a picture of it too and he conveniently didn't acknowledge it. Was that because you get so bitter about reviews Rick? Did you want to cause my car to have problems and put my safety in danger? It's so apparent in your loooong review responses to any bit of criticism or dissatisfied customers, hearing the uncomfortable truths bothers you. Just not enough to actually change sadly. read more

Rick's Automotive Service - Rick continuing to contact me repeatedly after I hung up on him because I was so upset - Auto Repair Near Me - Lawndale, California

I'm so glad I found Rick's! I love supporting family owned businesses. I needed somewhere to replace the front lower control arm bushings on my Lexus RX350 and Rick quoted me a reasonable price. I liked the automated texts that provided appointment reminders, a link to show the details of services performed along with pics, estimate, and ability to pay online. Everyone was nice to me when I dropped my car off and Rick even made me a bomb espresso on their machine in the lobby. They provided a loaner car for me which was super convenient. The service was done quicker than expected. I will definitely be back for my regular maintenance. read more

I don't know about all these other reviews, but Rick was very upfront & honest with me, he even sent me an invoice of the charges before I paid and there were no surprises?! I do sympathize with everyone who came to Rick's and that wasn't your experience, it can be hard thinking you are going to pay one price and find out it's more, I've experienced that and it's not fun!! However, I will say Rick did a great job on my car....I initially thought I needed an engine mound but I ended up needing an oil change and it was very inexpensive and reasonable!! Don't always trust reviews about a business because in this case they were wrong!! Hope this helps, he was also very nice !! Update to my original review: I tried to let it go but I didn't like how the tech that worked on my car was questioning me and insinuated that I hadn't gotten my oil changed since last year??? And then after he inspected my car, he was mentioning that I needed new tires and a new battery (and insisted he tested my battery)??? Which is a f**** lie, I recently had my battery changed this year in April 2025 so how tf does it need to be replaced?! Clearly ur not a real mechanic anyway cause how did you not see that it was a Triple A at that?! And if you're not going to honor Triple A then have them to take you off their list of reputable mechanics....cause it makes no sense!! And I'm not rescheduling any services going further, work on your interpersonal skills and hire mechanics who have experience and not someone fresh out school with no experience!! read more

Booked an appointment on AAA to have a diagnosis on my vehicle for Feb 16 8am, when I called to confirm the details the person in charge said they do not look at appointments made thru AAA, I was advised to book it directly on their website instead after trying multiple times kept running into issues so I called I to set up by phone figured best case scenario, I get there and Rick person in charge had me signed an estimate on both repairs and labor I even got an eta on the job to be completed by 3pm same day just to be called a few hours after an inspection to let me know the estimated amount was wrong because it was meant for a front wheel drive not an all wheel drive so the price when $480 to over $700 the issue was a website error during the appointment process but mind I called in to book it so it was an internal error but the shop not only wasted my time on a rainy day didn't honor the original estimate and was quick to send me my way I was a bit disappointed especially after the long process during the booking I'm afraid at this point I can put my experience out there and hopefully help someone think twice or do their homework before settling on this shop for any repairs! read more

Rick and Ryan took care of the repairs as soon as possible. They took care of the paperwork with CarMax Max Care program and fortunately the mechanical issues were covered by the extended warranty. They advised on some additional repairs that the truck needed but I am going to have to come back for those. I'm glad I found a trusted ship so close to home. Thank you Rick for taking care of your clients from start and finish, highly appreciated. Definitely value their customers here. read more

I had a wonderful experience coming to Rick's Automotive; the shop is CLEAN, organized, and well kept. You can tell the shop is loved and cared for, the paint is bright, the floors are swept, and the atmosphere is calm. This is exceptional considering when one goes to a mechanic we're already experiencing some type of worry or frustration because the vehicle needs something. I can tell they have the same approach when handling my vehicle. I left with the confidence that my car was in proper condition and was safe to drive. THANK YOU RICK!! read more

This is the mechanic shop people warn you about. Would 100% recommend going elsewhere if you can! I'm not just saying this because of my bad experience but because they do not do a thorough job, very high rates, and poor business ethics. My car broke down after being dropped off at the airport and AAA unfortunately had to tow my car to Rick's. I had no choice but to accept their ridiculous rates and accept their services. I've since upgraded to the premier AAA service to tow 200mls so I don't get into this situation again. $170 for diagnostics? That's unreal and I live in the most expensive city in the US and got quoted $95 at multiple shops. My serpentine belt broke and my battery died 15 minutes later. The battery was 6 months old and Rick's shop was made aware that the battery was new and they never check my alternator for appropriate function. I asked them if they did and they said no, but recommended I have another shop check it out and that would be a good idea....Why wouldn't they inspect that? Probably because they knew I lived out of town and wouldn't be a returning customer. $240.72 for a new battery....the same battery at Costco is $97 $367.12 for a new serpentine belt and installation. I can't comment on this price but going with the trend it's probably more than most shops, in total $820 for a belt and battery change! I had to paid over the phone since I was out of the country but upon return my check engine light was still on! The IN/OUT odometer reading: Odometer In: 251901 Odometer Out: 251901 So they didn't even test drive the vehicle after repairs were made. Poor servicing, I don't know anywhere that makes significant repairs and doesn't test drive the vehicle. Also that isn't even the odometers true millage (215901) but seems like just a careless mistake in recording. When asked about my AAA discount Rick the owner said he wouldn't honor it. "Yeah I can't do that, you should've asked before you paid" He's the owner and of course he could honor the discount he just already had my money so he didn't care to. And AAA was the one that towed my car there! Unbelievable. This guy shouldn't be allowed to be a AAA service dealer if he's not going to give a promised discount. He said, "call AAA if you want it, I'm not going to give it to you now. But you'll be happy about this, we didn't charge you to get the car into the shop. It was real hard to get into it." I'm shocked, but shouldn't be, zero business ethics. I feel like he totally took advantage of the situation and of my girlfriend that road with the AAA tow truck to their shop. Please please please get a second opinion, you'll be shocked at what better prices and service you can get somewhere else. I've currently filed a complaint with AAA for them not honoring my membership discount and this shop's poor business ethics. read more

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Rick always take care of my cars and he gets the job done Rick is honest and he will work with u read more

Service is honest and prices are fair. They discuss the problems in an honest manner and stand behind their work.

Number one, these are honest mechanics. I never mind paying for good service. I just don't want to get ripped off. Second, these guys are thorough and professional. They explained everything that needed to be done and gave me recommendations for my vehicles. It never pressured me. Lastly, they were friendly. Too many times I've been places where the mechanics are pissed off and treat you like they are doing you a favor. Not here. Knowledgeable, friendly, and fair. read more

My transmission blew out on the freeway a month ago and I blindly towed my car to this shop. I'm a bit weary of mechanics I have not been to but Rick's shop proved me wrong. Rick serviced my car and got it up and running again! Very honest people...transparent and family oriented. I like their work and will be returning back for general car maintenance with them. Awesome work on my Lexus gentlemen! You can trust these guys with your vehicle. Saved me a great deal of money going to the dealership to do the work.....thanks again Rick read more

Rick and his team took care of me again! thank you all! Rick has a true heart of gold. He cares and he gets it done.

Exceptional customer service, very honest and detailed inspection with detailed recommendations. The repairs were done professionally, faster than expected and at an affordable price. I would highly recommend Rick's. read more

Brought in an older Acura RDX to Rick after taking it the dealership. The dealership wanted over $1k to fix the car - someone had tried to break into the car and the car kept trying to lock itself draining the battery. They said I need new keys, new lock, and of course labor. Took it to Rick's, fixed it within two days even with ordering new parts and cost about half. Plus they were able to fit the lock with my current key. Will be taking all future repairs there. read more

All I will say is be sure to get a full "out the door" price before authorizing repairs. Otherwise, you may be surprised by some BS "testing fee" in addition to the repair costs you authorized. Good luck ..... first and last time at this shop! People: the repair was approx $425 (hose $125) not Really good at math but I believe that $300 in labor to change AC hose .... One would think you would want to test the AC for leaks after replacing hose .... So that is a separate charge? All I'm saying is read all the reviews (something I regrettably did not do) and make sure you get a full out the door price before authorizing repairs. read more

If you want to OVERPAY... go to Rick! If you want to be SWINDLED into paying for extra services you don't need... go to Rick! If you want to be BLATANTLY MISLEAD abt the nature of your car... go to Rick! If you decide to still use Rick after reading this. Get competing quotes. Make an informed decision. I can almost guarantee you won't choose Rick. Better car shops in the area. AllRight Automotive Noels Complete Auto Repair Bobs Auto Repair Pacific Rim & Tire Well just abt any shop but Rick read more

Part 2 of SLICKS Automotive. Take a seat. Its a good one! See receipts and pics below for the things you will GROSSLY OVERPAY for. Pros: - Automated notification system for when car is ready. (Makes them seem legit) - They offer 3 year warranty. (You wont care after they overcharge and break your vehicle more) Cons: - Over Priced (2 or 3x) - Continuous excuses - Little knowledge of Vintage/classic cars - Will create "problems" that need to be fix - Any customized vehicles (They have no idea what they are doing). - Cant find parts. - They don't offer many services as advertised. - Only communicate when they need more money. (they have to ensure you have the ability to pay) Story time... Take camaro into shop after initial purchase 75k original miles been sitting in a garage for 10yrs. Yeah u heard that right. I purchase it and add some customizations. (Paint,interior, music). After taking the car to Rick just to fix some basic things bcuz the car sat so long. 4K later...(They gave several reasons all the services were needed for the car) 70% lies. Car just didn't need that much work. I knew that... they knew that. Price gouging at its finest. Car gets into accident. Mistakes were after accident and the car was still being driven til the point that the engine fails. Since I love this car I take it back to Rick after the body work was finished. (Very good job on the body work, I'll add the company who did the work at the end). I know how much it will cost to install a remanufactured engine. 6500 to 7500 for the engine. 1k for a mechanics to drop it in there. Maybe 1 week to compete the job after engine is acquired. Rick had my car from Mar to Sep 2022. The whole way along he and his team are making excuses why the car isn't complete. The whole way they are coming up with reasons why more work needs to be completed. Hoses, new computer, spark plugs, throttle cable, window regulator, etc. many of these services weren't needed. After 15k spent... yeah u heard that right. (Receipts attached) they can't even get the car to start. Yes... THEY COULDNT GET THE CAR TO START! After 15k... absurd right! I had to find a different mechanic (Noel's Complete Auto Repair) HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Get it towed to Noel's ($160 expense paid by me) and once I let Rick know I was taking the car the ONLY thing he was concerned abt was if I was going to make the FULL payment before I took the car. THATS RIGHT... he wanted the money. As I am leaving w/ my car he is insisting that I bring my car back so they can finish putting the window regulator for my passenger side window. (My window doesn't even roll up the way up and its VERY slow). After car leaves Noel's all was needed was an invention switch changed. THATS ALL. These are seasoned mechanics that couldn't figure this out. For the people who don't know much abt cars. This is a simple fix. ($400). Receipt attached. Now thats fixed the car gets towed back to Ricks for the window regulator and idling problem that it is now having. (I should've just let Noel fix it instead of taking the car back to Rick. Huge mistake on my part). Rick couldn't do anything... after weeks of excuses the Camaro shuts off when put in reverse (yea u read that right) and the idling problem was worse than ever. Extremely rough ride. After finally just having enough of the excuses I called another tow to go get my car from them. I didn't even wanna go see them because I was afraid of what I would do after 15.5k spent and the Camaro still isn't running properly. 6 months later.... The car is fixed by Noel's for a fraction of the cost. Conclusion: Ricks Automotive should be renamed to Slicks Automotive. They are slicker than transmission fluid. They will con you at every turn. Make excuses when they cant figure something out. Will create problems that your car doesn't have. Will act like they are doing right by the customers. They are the furthest thing from honestly and integrity. If you still proceed to Ricks make sure you get competing quotes. I highly doubt you will choose them. These are lessons learned. I have nothing to gain from this review. This is only to help those who want to get fair pricing for service. - My A/C does NOT work - Car completely cuts off when put into reverse - In park car idles so bad if seems like it want to shut off - They tore the inside of my car up pretty bad. Had to get it detailed This review will go on google and to BBB as well. read more

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Excellent work. Fair price. Very thorough. They were clear on their quote and were on time doing the work.

I chose Rick's Automotive Service because they are AAA-certified and local. I brought in my Chevy Silverado for what the dealership knew was an issue for my make/model but hadn't isn't a recall for (yet). Rick's diagnosed the issue quickly and sent me regular updates, including photos, so we could determine the next steps. Repairs were done quickly and priced reasonably. I appreciate the customer service that Rick's provides. read more

Honest, Skilled & Trustworthy. Living in LA and having some experience working with the automotive industry, I know how important it is to have repairs performed by those who know what they're doing. Car repairs aren't something one can safely entrust to the lowest bidder. The mechanics at Rick's Automotive know what they're doing. And, Rick makes sure that they keep customers satisfied by doing an excellent job. When Mercedes stopped working on Smart Cars, Rick's Automotive knew how to maintain our car. Not too many places have people who know how to do that. Yesterday, when our Toyota Corolla had intermittent trouble starting Rick ran a diagnostic and did some of his magic to bring our Toyota back to its reliable self. Thank you Rick. I hope we won't be seeing you anytime soon. But I'll be singing your praises to others, who need a place where they can entrust their car. read more

Everything went great . Knew what I needed gave me a quote . Including tax and labor ! Was done in reasonable time !

It took a little longer than I expected. But, the key is the job being done right. Some things were pointed out, that I wasn't aware of, and that was helpful. read more

towed my car to the dealer because it wouldn't start, this was an on-going problem and I had been there a few times with the same issue. They kept checking the battery and saying that the diagnostic didn't show bad codes. This time they told me it was my starter. They were going to charge me almost $2000 they charged me for a full diagnostic and this is all they found. I got some quote from local mechanics. all were cheaper than the dealer, I took it to Rick's. I asked him to do a full diagnostic because I really didn't trust the dealership. They found a lot more wrong with the car and I only paid a little over $2000 to get it done. I will continue to bring my car there going forward. read more

Rick's Automotive provides reliable and comparable service. Rick and his staff are personable and professional.

I had my prius towed here when the check engine light popped on over the labor day weekend. The were courteous and professional and solved my problem for a reasonable price. Would go here again if in the area. read more

If you EVER step foot in this shop. U will SURELY regret it. - Horrible communication. Only time they will reach out when more money is needed. Seems like they need to confirm if you can afford it or not. - Limited knowledge on many vehicles. Doesn't seem like they do any research either. They just either don't fix it or ignore it. - Provides warranty. But I wouldn't ever take my car back for something they probably broke anyways - They seem genuine at first. But keep them talking and the BS starts to rear its ugly head. If they asking questions... they trying to probe u to see what u know (so they can get over on u) or (gauge ur ability to pay). - Take ur car somewhere else to get a 2nd option. (Just in case u skipped the first sentence). Do yourself a favor and steer clear of these people. They will make ur situation worse all the while over charging u. read more

Don't trust NOTHING they say. Get competing quotes. Or will surely overpay. No matter what service you get. YOU GONNA GET SCAMMED. read more

My car's left tire was inflating because there was a crack on the rim. Rick's Automotive repaired the rim and and off I went a satisfied customer. Thanks Rick and Staff! read more

This shop wrecked my car and still made me pay for the repair. 0/10 I would never recommend it. And I see their go to response is that "we have no record of you in the shop" but I bet he won't say he's never wrecked a car at his shop. read more

I moved to SoCal 8 years ago, and this entire time I have only ever had my car serviced regularly by my family's auto mechanic 400 miles away because I couldn't trust anyone else with my car. Any time I tried a new mechanic in my area, I was disappointed by long wait times, prices, grimey behavior, or other issues. This changed today when AAA referred me to Rick's! Prices are fair, quality of service is excellent, great communication, honest, and his team serviced my car within 20 minutes. It is such a relief to find have found a good local mechanic I can trust. read more

Always above and beyond. Their system for informing you of needed fixes and summary with photos and descriptions is amazing. Better than any dealer auto shop that's for sure. We always check with Rick's. read more

Had brakes, alignment, shocks and struts, belts replaced. Had my car back in a day. My second time there, will be going back.​

I started taking my Mercedes SLK 350 in to Rick's back in 2009 when I the Mercedes dealer in Torrance no longer was reliable (I'm being nice ; )* and have, from day 1, been totally impressed with Rick and his team's service ... I could not have found a better place to care for my car and me ! read more

Efficient service and fair prices! They examined and replaced my van's alternator and battery. read more

Called Rick and asked if I could bring my 2002 Toyota RAV4 in for an oil change and some needed maintenance. Brought it into the shop and left it for the service. Got a ride home from Rick. Later in the afternoon Rick called and said my car was ready. They picked me up with my car and I drove the mechanic back to the shop, paid my bill (which was quite resonable) and drove back home. The old girl ran beautifully! I would recommend Rick's Automotive to anyone who has a vehicle that needs service. Service Is great and price is reasonable. read more

Ricks automotive service put a new engine in my vehicle. After one month I did not have to take it back for any reason outside of a recommended oil change that comes with any new engine installation. And keep in mind they also gave me a free rental car to use for the time it took to install the new engine...... Thanks Rick's read more

They got me in and out in a timely fashion with my repairs completed. Rick and Crew are the Best! read more

I'm absolutely thrilled and excited to see that my car was fixed quickly and at a very reasonable price. The reason I chose Rick's Auto Shop is because of the excellent reviews, and my experience confirms that it was the right choice. When my engine light came on, Rick fixed it at a much lower price than I had anticipated. I'm so grateful! read more

This place has great mechanics, the owner is really cool, he has a lot of nice cars of his own, they really take care of your needs for your car or suv, prices are reasonable, location is decent, and they are very welcoming. read more