1. Ricky's Auto Repair

1. Ricky's Auto Repair

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Vista, CA

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Ricky's Auto Repair

4.7 (148 reviews)
Closed 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

Services - Ricky's Auto Repair

Auto brake repair

Auto engine repair

Auto exhaust repair

Ricky's Auto Repair Photos

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Recommended Reviews - Ricky's Auto Repair

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Reviews With Photos

Driving the ride after it's been aligned, outside of Ricky's auto repair!!
John P. F.

I usually do all the work on my car but I can't do a wheel alignment. So this morning I had a appointment at a place (not Ricky's) down the road, when I got there they told me they had to cancel and they didn't even give me a call. So I was looking for another alignment place and I saw Ricky's Auto repair and I went over there this morning, Ricky was like "I'll get you in at 1:30 pm". I drove my car in at 1:00 pm and about an hour later I get a text that my car is done and the alignment is complete. Now that's what I call service. On top of that Ricky is a really cool, down to earth and funny guy. If you need anything done come on over he'll take care of you.

Mr.Wong Chow
Rolando D.

Ask for Mr.Chow for a discount, fast service 5/5 had a rats nest and car running mehh, 2 hours later like New!

Stephanie T.

Mom and pop mechanic shop located in central Vista. Very honest, which is rare to find. Ricky was an awesome guy, very friendly and helpful. He definitely went above and beyond to help me with my car. Definitely would recommend if in need of some car servicing.

engine gas hose , black thing around is the zip tie, placed by Ricardo.

I purchased a new engine for my 2016 Jeep , I was sent by the guy that sold the replacement engine to this place and I agreed to do it so. They told me in one week I will have the car , it took a month. When I picked up the car I asked if anything else needed to be done the mechanic with no social skills at all ... explained the car is like new. I started driving and it went well for an afternoon , right the next day when I picked up my daughters from their school they mentioned that a smell of gasoline was coming into the car and I was not quite sure being the driver (once the movement maybe brings all inside elements to the back but after about an hour I decided to stop the car , inmediato vapors started coming from the front of the car and it was only gasoline smell I immediately took my family out of the car and callled a mobile mmechanic . Short terror story ... the smart mechanic (Ricardo) owner of the place where they installed the engine and labor that he did with his own hands but definitely not honoring his business license or training, He didn't replace the hose for the gas intake that at the moment of the replacement got broken, any person with no mechanical knowledge knows that those hoses with a safety clip are builder that way for a reason. He placed the old original hose and replace the clip for a tidy plastic band , yes ! those little ones you buy on home depot to tut together a bunch of cables . The hose came out almost complete spraying gasoline inside the engine and around it . This mobile mechanic told me that only the heat of the engine will spark it up and no exaggerating people die for this things. I call the guy and he said well those hoses are very expensive .... that is the end of... if you love your family and yourself, don't try like me to save some mine save your family's life and go somewhere else, later on another mechanic that knew this episode told me that is one of the most risky situations and dangerous. I'm not a mechanic or expert on cars but if is something attempting to the safety of my daughters I want to make something about . I didn't say or do anything to this individual that also didn't place all the pieces of the engine specifically the parts that goes on top of the spark plugs , I got that part on the dealer for 380 dollars and this part was included in the engine so originally purchased. I wanted to go to the BBB but I think making this place famous is enough and quicker result. Take care

Robert V.

Wanted to take the time and share my experience here at Ricky's Automotive Repair. Had an unexpected situation with my 2015 Chevy Tahoe. I have been a long time client of Ricky's for many years now but the TRANSMISSION was totally gone and in need of a new transmission. Called Ricky, had it towed over and a week later had it back with a BRAND NEW TRANSMISSION!!! No batch job but TOTALLY NEW!!! There is no one other than Ricky and his crew for all my auto repair needs!!! If you are looking for a honest, dependable, hardworking mechanic trust me Ricky is your MAN!!! Thanks again Ricky Tahoe is running like a CHAMP!!!

Raul L.

Mad Love to the whole team at Ricky's. They always come out with the best price and make it easy to drop off. I dare you to try them on any job an compare them to your regular mechanic. These guys take care of their customers! Very safe during Covid also!!

All over San Diego county
Kenneth M.

My wife and I own a small pest control company that we have 6 vehicles we take to Ricky's Auto over the past few years. If you're looking for somebody, that's honest and reliable, you found the right place.. Keeping our fleet on the road and safe for our employees. Thanks Ricky automotive.

Truck that went in for alignment after new tires where put on

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2 years ago

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9 months ago

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RICARDO G.

Thank you have a blessed weekend

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7 months ago

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1 year ago

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4 years ago

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1 year ago

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RICARDO G.

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5 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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RICARDO G.

Thank you for the review much appreciated

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5 years ago

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4 years ago

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RICARDO G.

Thank you have a blessed weekend thanks for all the business

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4 years ago

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RICARDO G.

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

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RICARDO G.

Thank you it was a blessing meeting you have a great weekend

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2 years ago

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8 years ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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RICARDO G.

Thanks happy Father’s Day

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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Thanks for the review

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3 years ago

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6 years ago

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2 years ago

Awesome service! They got my wide tired jeep aligned when i was rejected by another local shop.

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RICARDO G.

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6 years ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

Never disappointed. Always great service and fair pricing. Got new rooters and oils changed on my Kia stinger.

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

Ricky is very nice, extremely honest, doesn't try to oversell! Extremely quick service. He's amazing and my car looks better than new!

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5 years ago

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Ask the Community - Ricky's Auto Repair

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Review Highlights - Ricky's Auto Repair

After searching and searching for an honest, reliable and reasonable mechanic and having no luck.

Mentioned in 12 reviews

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The Oceanside Car Clinic was the (second) auto. repair shop I called after Niko's Shop at S & R…read moreService Center on Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. I wanted to compare different quotes from these two different shops to see the kind of prices that I would be charged on this Brake Light Replacement Service. When I called this Oceanside Car Clinic and I talked to Eric who works for their shop, he told me that he is not at their shop right now. I explained to Eric that I want to get a Free Quote on this Brake Replacement Service that needs to be done on my 1995 Honda Civic DX Coupe Car. I want to know, how much would Eric charge me for this Brake Light Part and how much would he charge for his labor including the sales tax? Eric told me to send him 3 photos of my car and to text message him from the Oceanside Car Clinic's business phone number. Then Eric said he will give me the (price of the Brake Light Part) and he will also give me a FREE Quote on the (Brake Light Replacement Service). I said okay great. Eric's voice sounded really friendly during my cell phone conversation with him on Thursday, June 20, 2023 at 4:30 p. m. I have the proof in posting my photos and my text messages to Eric on my Apple IPhone XR. But it is also very important to write a review to explain the issue, I had with this automotive repair shop. As a Yelp Elite 2023 Reviewer, it is required from me to always tell the Truth with every experience I have with a business. I did send Eric these 3 screenshots on my 1995 Honda Civic DX Coupe Car. I also told Eric that my local automotive repair shop that I am a regular customer at currently is at this Golden Wrench Auto. Shop and I had recently had my car taken in for an oil and filter change with a 22 point inspection from my local auto. repair shop on June 6, 2023 and my car was fine. I had texted Eric all of this information about my car. Then Eric said he will text me back with a price on this Brake Light Replacement Service if I decide I want to have to get this service done at their Oceanside Car Clinic. I waited for Eric's response back to me on Thursday, July 20, 2023. Eric did NOT respond back to my text message to him from my Apple IPhone XR. Eric still had 30 minutes to respond back to my message to him. Eric never got back to me and like he said he would. I see this as (poor customer service) and the Oceanside Car Clinic needs to improve on their customer service skills. I want to let Eric know who works for this shop, you never know who is going to be calling your shop. It can be a Yelp Elite 2023 Reviewer like me or a potential customer. Please next time respond back to that person calling into your shop for a quote on a specific service. My assumption maybe is that since I told Eric I am a loyal customer at my local shop at the Golden Wrench Automotive Shop. It could possibly be that Eric doesn't want to take away another shop's business. I don't really know for sure, because I am not a mind reader. I think Eric should have been more (honest) to me and he should have told me that he will not respond back to me with a Free Quote on this Brake Light Replacement Service. I also learned that when I call around to some other automotive repair shops to compare prices on a specific service that I want a Free Quote on, these other automotive repair shops, they just care about making a profit and they don't care about me. This is my reason to give this Oceanside Car Clinic a (2 star rating). It could have been better. I rarely give a business a poor review. The only time I do give a business a poor rating is to alert that business to improve their customer service. It would be great if their manager or their owner would respond back to my review.

I went to this place because of their good reviews but I must write this to WARN others. This place…read moreOVERCHARGES you. Brought my Toyota RAV4 2013 asking for fluid flush (transmission fluid and brake fluid) and a brake inspection and tire rotation. My invoice came out to be $800. They charged $165 for brake inspection. I have no words. Tire rotation was $41. I am paying $200 for service that could have been free at other places. I am not saying they shouldn't charge for it, but their prices definitely left me in shock. I am upset. If you want an affordable and reasonably priced place, steer away from this place. See my picture for detailed invoice.

Oceanside Auto Repair

Oceanside Auto Repair

4.6
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Rick & his crew did a great job! If you need a smog, I…read moredefinitely recommend you bringing your vehicle here! Very reasonably priced too! Ron Z.

1 star. Do not bring your car here…read more I brought myJeep SRT8 in for a valve cover, oil pan, and crank seal job on 5/8. Got it back 5/13, five days for a two-day quote. It was smoking before I even got back to work. Oil dripping onto the headers. Returned it same day, they re-torqued and sent me home. Still smoking. Dropped it back off 5/14 at 3:10PM. Picked up 5/15. Two lights from the shop my transmission started slipping hard in second gear. Turned right back around. Owner Ricky confirmed the slip on a test drive. His first question was whether I'd done aftermarket work to the transmission, trying to make it my fault before we even got back to the shop. Plugged in a scanner, found an old unrelated stored code, erased it, drove it again. His conclusion: "I don't know what to tell you." I pointed out the transmission was perfect at drop-off. He got angry. Said no one drove it, they only idled it. Then offered to pull camera footage as proof. I said let's go watch it right now. He said he had other things to do. This happened in front of my fiancée and two of his own employees. No intake paperwork was made when I returned the car, no mileage logged for the exact period the transmission failed. What I can tell you is the mileage on my car does not support the story they're telling. A certified third-party inspection from the shop literally 150 feet away documented my transmission passing with zero issues the same morning I dropped off. The oil pan job on the 6.1L HEMI also requires physically moving the transmission for access. They did something and when confronted with the proof, they dodged cameras and kicked me out. BAR complaint filed. Small claims next. Update "Response to Ricky, thank you for responding publicly this actually helps me significantly. You identified yourself here as "Business Manager." When I asked you in person for the owner, you said you were in front of witnesses. That is now publicly documented. Regarding the OBD codes : the stored code found was a historical "lost communication with TCM" event. That is not a transmission mechanical failure code. It is entirely unrelated to active gear slipping. Any qualified technician or BAR investigator will confirm those are two completely different things. Regarding the SRT8 being driven aggressively: on the morning of my drop-off, another shop conducted a certified digital multi-point inspection of my vehicle. 31 of 33 systems passed. Transmission was in the green. The only red flags were the exact leaks I hired you to fix. That inspection is timestamped and on record. A performance vehicle with aggressive driving history does not pass a certified inspection hours before drop-off and then suddenly fail two blocks from your shop after picking up You stated the transmission was not touched. The 6.1L HEMI oil pan job requires the transmission to be lowered for access. It does not need to be fully removed to be disturbed. You also claim no evidence exists linking your repairs to the transmission failure. There is also no intake paperwork from my return visit, meaning no mileage baseline exists for the exact period the failure occurred. That absence of documentation benefits only one party, and it is not me. Your building advertises transmission services. You told me to my face you don't diagnose transmissions. Thank You Sir

Golden Wrench Automotive

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I had a 10:30 a.m. appointment for an Oil and Filter Change and a 22 Point Inspection. The total…read morebill was $68.78 with the tax. When I arrived at the Golden Wrench Automotive Shop at 10:25 a.m. I parked my 1995 Honda Civic DX Coupe Car in the parking lot and walked inside the office. Mike A. the owner was working at the front office. Mike typed up my invoice for the Oil and Filter Change included with the 22 Point Inspection. Then Mike A. Printed off their invoice I needed to sign my signature and then gave him back his copy and I kept my copy. Jason who is their certified mechanic and has worked for this Golden Wrench Automobile Shop for 30 years. I always trust Jason to service my car using his many years of experience and Jason is monitoring any upcoming repairs that may come along with my car. I hang out for a while talking to Mike the owner and I told him that I will be his lifetime customer with the Golden Wrench Automotive Shop because I have always received honest advice, excellent discounts on some of my car repairs and excellent customer service from Mike A. , Jason his certified master mechanic and the rest of his crew. We have a good business relationship at his automotive repair shop. Jason completed the Oil and Filter Change with the 22 Point Inspection really fast and it has only taken Jason (30 minutes) to complete this process. I was also charged a reasonable price for this oil and filter change with the 22 point Inspection. Mike A. (Owner) said my car is running in optimal condition.

Cali Auto Shop

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Teagan & the crew went way above & beyond. They even gave me a ride home! !! And took care of a few…read morebothersome & unsafe things on the house. Quick , easy , ontime & good value. Cali Auto is my new go to. Tx peeps. Tell em Curtis said hello! Try em you won't be disappointed. The SELL cars too!

I bought a Beatle here, supposedly one owner and only 70k miles. The car was clean on the inside…read morebut beat up on the outside - apparently it changed hands three times in Mexico between different auctions, and there they move the card around with fork lifts -something he neglected to mentione which is why the registration cost and additional $60 due to missing titles which I demanded from him. So I bet you if you go there now there will be a Beatle with dented side skirts from the fork lifts. This Beatle was also repainted underneath and missing a skid "plate" and a reserve tire. It took over ten visits to get a reserve, which ultimately didn't even fit the vehicle. Also the blinkers never worked. Ovie the owner is not truthful and his work is shoddy. I threatened to sue cause the transmission gave out not even 5k miles later. He said go ahead so I did. When he was served, he didn't show but lucky for him the date was postponed due to COVID. Then he saw I was serious so he apologized and offered to put in a rebuilt transmission. That job was done and it took a month. I needed the car in the meantime, but he also tracked on 2 parking tickets which he did pay for. However the work was terrible completed in that the transmission leaked like crazy to where I could no longer park in anyone's driveway. The Sunroof also didn't work at that point and this is now a year and a half of the car ownership and less than 5k miles on it. He also zip[ tied a bunch of cables, broke the oil check pipe where the dip stick goes, and greased up the engine bay which was very clean before that. They also installed a used battery in that time but didn't bother to screw it down properly and it died within a month so I had to change it. Ovie is not to be trusted and you should avoid this place - cars are junk and their work is even worse.

Ricky's Auto Repair - autorepair - Updated July 2026

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