I had very minor issue that would take 3 mins to fix he is very unprofessional he tried to charge me 150$just to look at my car plus additional money just to lift car up and tighten one bolt.. I understand it's you need you make your money but over charging will leave you with no costumers read more

***EVERYONE PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH THIS SHOP**** Mike quoted me a price of $6k to rebuild my engine for a 1971 cutlass supreme (350 engine). I gave him a deposit. When the motor returned from the machine shop, that price went up to $8500 because he said he underestimated the cost of the machine shop work. The lack of communication was unreal. Then the week of installing the engine he gives me a bill for $11,984.01 because he said the quote did not include his labor. Additionally, the parts HE ordered (headers, radiator) did not fit. His solution to this problem was for me to reorder these parts at my own expense!! And he was very disrespectful about it as if I ordered I made the mistake! It took ALL of my military bearing to remain calm with this guy. He initially told me he had to order all of the parts for this project and now he wanted me to order parts for a misquoted job. I refused! I forfeited my engine and deposit and just took it as a horrible and costly experience. I wasn't giving him anymore money because if you're incompetent enough to order the wrong parts then who knows how the motor will run..especially for nearly $12k!!! I was fooled by the good reviews and did not read into the bad ones, which point out the same issues I experienced. There were several flags you should pick up on if you ever consider using this place...heck I should've picked up on these flags but he starts off very professional until he gets your money of course. 1st flag: the business does not take Visa, Mastercard, etc. or that's what I was told. I had to pay all in cash. 2nd flag: his quotes are very vague, sketchy, misleading and he won't give you much in writing. 3rd flag: he is a very rude guy who lacks customer service skills. He will turn belligerent as soon as you question him on something. 4th flag: He rarely has any customers at his shop. (This is when I realized I had been scammed) This is a shady establishment, please BEWARE!! Don't be like me, READ THE BAD REVIEWS and do your due diligence. I would not recommend this business to anyone! Very disappointed! read more

I was looking for an honest mechanic to look at my 2013 F150, thinking I needed new brakes, and I certainly found one. As a traveling nurse, I rely heavily on my vehicle for my assignments and the service I received from Mike was outstanding. He explained everything in detail and was honest about not needing new brakes at this time, I did an oil change and tire rotation, the service was fast and I even scored a couple of delicious tomatoes. I appreciated the honesty and will definitely bring my truck back for any future repairs and maintenance. I highly recommend him. read more

Sanford's automotive is probably the most straight forward and most considerate mechanic experience I have ever had during a time where my car was needing work and I was enduring the typical stress and worry we all do. A few months ago my friend and I broke down about 25 minutes from my home in Columbia. Got towed to Sanford's Automotive and within a short amount of time we had the diagnosis of the problem. Mr. Sanford was completely straight forward, gave us the bad news that the engine was shot but assured us that with his many years in the area and lots of experience and cooperation with others in the area, that the car would be back on the road in no time with lots of care and work put into it. I have since then revisited Sanford's automotive several times for other minor tune ups up on my car (not as severe of course...) and received a fair and affordable but quick repair transaction each time. I cannot recommend Sanford's automotive enough to anyone within the Columbia or Midlands area. read more

Sanford's is awsome. Excellent service and follow through. Found a vehicle we wanted to purchase 2800 miles away from us in Portland, OR. Had the dealership take it to Sanfords for a 3rd party mechanics inspection since we could not be there in person. Sanford's went above and beyond. Not only did they inspect the vehicle for mechanical soundness, but they also understood our situation so looked the entire vehicle over for cosmetic flaws and also gave their honest opinion of the vehicle as a whole. When we received the vehicle there were no surprises and everything was as described by Sanford's. Very happy and would reccomend to anyone. read more

First and foremost, I would like to say that the Mike Sanford seems to be a great and friendly guy. The second time I brought him my vehicle, he even offered to pick me up and bring me to his shop instead of me having to depend on finding a ride or taking an Uber (which I did the first time I picked up my vehicle). Now to my issue: I am a Seminary student and a NC native. I know nothing about the Columbia area and chose Sanford's Auto due to high ratings on multiple sites. I drive a 2004 Chevy S10 ZR5 with a 4.3L V6. First Repair (Mileage: 152524): I had broken down in Columbia and requested Mr. Sanford tow my vehicle and repair the issues. At the time, my truck's power was bogging down (no/little power when at highway/interstate speed and could not climb hills unless at 4.5K RPM), needed a tire plugged and had a dead battery. Mr. Sanford towed my truck ($120 for a 9 mile tow from breakdown location). Mr. Sanford repaired the tire, check/charged the battery and found the cause of the battery to be a nut on the back of the alternator (charged $105 for just a charge and labor!). Mr. Sanford also found P0172 and P0175 codes on my truck. He interpreted these codes as being due to a faulty fuel injector, to which he replaced all of them. Total, the repair costed $1905. The lack of power issue, in Mr. Sanford's words, were solved. "I drove it around a bit and it's all good," he stated. Only 70 miles later, the engine continued to bog down (could not make it over 60 mph on interstate, could not climb medium size hill without almost redlining the engine). I took my truck to Autozone and had the codes pulled. The code that was found was a P0171 (Fuel Trim Lean). I became infuriated due to this being a fuel issue. So being frustrated, I brought my truck back to Mr. Sanford in hopes he would correct the fact that he DID NOT repair my vehicle. Second Repair (Mileage 152702): Mr. Sanford stated that he found O2 sensor codes (reported low voltage). He replaced B2S1 O2 sensor with new sensor, then opted to take the same sensor and deemed that it was fairly new and place it in the B1S1. (If it is new, then why did it need replaced at all?!) The bogging issue still existed so Mr. Sanford interpreted that to mean that there was a clogged fuel filter, which he replaced. Total parts and labor was: $265.73. He then told me that it was still bogging down and the catalytic converter would cost $700-900 (though I was told, when I dropped off my truck, that a new cat would only run about $300-400). Summary: I have paid this gentleman almost $2,200 and he has failed to properly repair my vehicle. My truck is driving the exact same way it was when I had it towed. My truck has very little power when climbing small hills and no power on interstates. He never called to give price estimates, he just gave a bill when repairs were completed. To me, this man's idea of mechanics is throwing money at problem, and when his repair fails, he just throws more money at it. I am extremely dissatisfied with the work of this gentleman and strongly recommend you look elsewhere for a mechanic. read more

I'm only temporarily in town and I've had to bring my vehicle to Mike twice. I've had a lot of experience with auto shops (older Jeep) and am very impressed with Sanford's. Mike was very communicative with me while my Jeep was in his care, he did not BS me, he was timely, and he did not overcharge. I highly recommend Sandford's Automotive Service and I am very grateful to have my Jeep back and running like new! read more

Just picked up my car from Mike and I want to start out saying WOW!!! Mike picked up on things that I had no idea that were wrong with my car. I feel as though I have an almost new car driving experience. I have recently moved South from NH and was concerned about finding and honest, dependable and great mechanic. I need say no more as Sanford's Automotive will have all my business in the future and I am recommending him to all my friends. Top notch mechanic and guy. read more