Nick is an awesome mechanic with stand up service. The hours are a bit out of date (sounds like usually he's in at 10, not 8) but in such a rural area I can't fault him. My water pump sprung a leak at the summit of Hwy89 and I was holding my breath the whole way down. We were on our way to a wedding and caught him before lunch- he was able to diagnose the problem, and within a few hours he had the part delivered (impressive when the nearest auto supply store is 30 miles away) and ready to go before dinner. He was great about teaching us what was going on under the hood and even helped me install the new air filter I'd been driving around with for months. Thanks Nick!! You're a godsend. read more

Ted's Automotive - View from the shop- plus my filthy coolant that was leaking out from under the block like a sieve. - Auto Repair Near Me - Topaz, California

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Great service and the owner Nick is very reliable and wants to make sure you get back on the road quickly. We were on our way home from Mammoth and our Yukon broke down. Got towed to Ted's and he diagnosed the truck, ordered the part, drove us to the nearest hotel and we were on the road the next day as promised. Couldn't ask for more. read more

When I pulled into Ted's, I believe it was sometime around 6 PM, and while I was reading the door for hours, two people were inside watching me. When I noticed them, i tested the door to find if it was locked and it wasn't. (Hope!) I asked if the shop was closed (which it very well should have been, after having read the hours). Nick said he was in the process of closing up just then. I explained that I was afraid to turn my car off, for fear it wouldn't start back up again, and he immediately assessed the problem (after hours!), along with two other problems I had previously brought up to my local mechanic. When he instructed me to turn my car off, and back on again, the moment of truth revealed Nick knew what he was doing! We also replenished some much-needed oil. Crisis evaded, nerves back in tact, cost: practically nonexistent, by my standards, and i'maprettythrifty. While my local mechanic had simply told me to live with my car that wouldn't start up promptly, and live with the smells of burning rubber & an oil leak, Nick solved the problems within a single day. I've had friends & relatives teach me some things about car repair before. I've also had friends recommend good camping spots when I needed recommendations, and make every attempt to solve minor problems I've had -- in this case, a cell-phone charging dilemma. Nick's done all these things, and done them well, without knowing me a full day even. He's a resource for anyone passing through Walker. When I reflect on my recent road trip, Walker, CA is definitely part of that reflection -- I even wrote about it in post cards. It was an unplanned stop along the way, prompted solely by car-trouble. But I think I'll be stopping in Walker any time I take future road trips to the surrounding area, because my entire experience of the town was pleasant, and it's in no small part because I stopped at Ted's Automotive. Gratitude. read more

It was early in the month of May in a land far far away. We were scaling the Sonora Pass over the Sierra Nevada mountains, when the rear universal joint on the driveshaft of our Dodge pickup truck started squealing. Along with the alarming noises, was a pronounced vibration. Complicating matters was that we were hauling a heavy Lance camper in the bed of our truck and we were about 2700 miles from home! As we limped down off the Sierras, we arrived in the town of Walker, California. Anxiety was at a peak as we were in a neighborhood completely unknown to us, and whether we would be able to find a qualified repair shop for our truck was a mystery. As luck would have it, we discovered Ted's Automotive. Our anxiety was immediately relieved somewhat as we rolled into Ted's parking lot and saw two young men in uniform, (Nick and Matt), and a clean shop as a backdrop. Nick immediately recognized the Dana 80 differential on my truck and confirmed the defective rear universal joint. With a new universal joint in hand, Nick felt the job would be quick, easy, and straight-forward. That was until he discovered the seized differential yoke bolts due to road salt and other nefarious chemicals from our nasty Pennsylvania DOT folks. Plan B entailed Nick ordering a new differential yoke for my Dana 80 from his parts supplier (who shall remain nameless), which was due to arrive the following morning. Nick's parts supplier confirmed that the new yoke would include all the requisite clips and bolts. Nick allowed us to "camp out" in his parking lot for the night considering we couldn't move the vehicle anyway. The next morning the new yoke arrived. The clips and bolts weren't in the box. Nick immediately called his parts supplier and insisted they make a special afternoon delivery of the clips and bolts for the Dana 80, which they agreed to do since they made a mistake. Later in the afternoon, the special delivery arrived with clips and bolts ...... for a Dana 70. My truck has a Dana 80. Despite the added frustration caused by his parts supplier, Nick retained his cool under pressure and set us up for yet another night's camping in his parking lot. He provided us with an electric hookup and wifi to ease our pain. The next morning Nick made a special trip from his home to the parts supplier and got the correct clips and bolts. It was only an hour or so after Nick's return to the shop that he had the rusted differential yoke replaced and the new universal joint installed. He took our truck down the road for a test drive and upon his return signaled a two thumbs up. The repair was finally done and met with his approval. While we were at Ted's Automotive for our extended stay, we had the opportunity to meet some of Ted's customers, each of whom had nothing but praise for Nick and his crew which boosted our optimism while we waited. Had Nick not been challenged with the complications of our Pennsylvania rust, I have no doubt that we would have been in and out in a matter of a few hours. Even with the complications involved with repairing our truck, including rusted components and the wrong or missing parts deliveries, Nick kept a cool head and acted with the utmost professionalism and courtesy. Our truck ran smoothly all the way back home to Pennsylvania after Ted's Automotive repaired that driveshaft. I wish there were a way to cast a score of 10 stars for Ted's Automotive. read more

Ted's Automotive - Matt and Nicholas pose after repairing a Dodge truck/camper from Pennsylvania. - Auto Repair Near Me - Topaz, California

What a great place. I had a car breakdown on my way through Coleville. Not only did Nick take care of us, he drove us 40 miles into the next town to pick up a rental car. They fixed my car in a reasonable amount of time and the work was amazing. I feel like it would have been very easy to take advantage of somebody in my situation, not only did they not take advantage of me they did everything they could to make sure that I got on my way smoothly. What a breath of fresh air! These guys are great, if you're ever going through Coleville and need some car work, look up Nick, he will take care of you with a smile! Thanks guys!! read more

Cruising home from outhouse races, Virginia City. Front bearing gave up Nick had it apart in no time and just waiting for parts, great service thanx Nick read more

Passing through Walker on the way to Lake Tahoe the other day, we stopped to have a punctured tire repaired. You would never think that Nick's is the only auto repair shop for a 100 mile stretch of road, based on the service (excellent) and price (competitive) we enjoyed. read more

We got a flat while off-roading in Sonora Pass - we managed to put on the spare and limped into Bridgeport, only to find that nobody could fix the flat or sell us a new tire. Someone suggested we call Ted's in Walker, north on 395. I spoke to Nick - he said to come in and he would see if the flat could be fixed or if we had to order a new tire, which would take a day. We drove up to Walker. Nick and his crew (Matt and Jarrod) looked at the tire and told us they could patch it. They easily could have sold us a new tire, but they were honest. They patched it in a few minutes. The bill was shockingly inexpensive - they really should raise their prices. They could have charged me double or more, and it would have seemed reasonable to me. We were back on the road right away, and the patch held up fine for another week of off-roading and highway travel. These folks are honest, knowledgeable, and hard-working. (By the way, they have a complete shop - they have welding equipment and can handle diesel repairs, too.) read more

In July 2011, our 4runner over-heated on Highway 395 and I needed a tow about 14 miles south of Walker. In order to reach our Yosemite destination in a timely manner, Ted replaced the thermostat in hopes of allowing us to continue our travels. Around 4 PM that day, we were back on the road. Unfortunately, the SUV continued to overheat and demanded a radiator replacement. On the following day and considerate of our time demands, Ted drove to Reno to collect the new radiator and repaired the 4runner by lunch time. When I returned home, I verified that Ted's replacement costs for the radiator and thermostat were competitive with my local mechanic. Ted also had advised me that a thermostat replacement could possibly not solve my overheating problem. I second Cindy's recommendation and highly recommend Ted's Automotive services read more

Thank you Nic for saving us! We were towed to Ted's during a summer rain storm. I was sure we would be ripped off by the mechanic. Boy was I WRONG. Nic was very knowledge about engines in general and our fan belt problem in particular. He was very thorough in explaining the alternatives to fix our problem and his recommendation. We were very happy with the work he did and the price was more than fair. Our regular mechanic said we were lucky to find Nic. If you are stuck on 395 get yourself towed to Ted's Automotive and ask for Nic! read more

I wrote the last review about suing Ted's in small claims court. To be fair I have to say he finally paid me, including interest.

Stopped here before going back over the mountains to have a check engine light checked out, prices were very fair and Nick was great. Would definitely go back. read more

Audi overheated near teds and they were first class- they kept us warm in the 0 degree winter and fixed the car within 3 hours back on the road-Mike and Nick seem to have seen it all and they were- pricing was more than fair! Thanks guys! read more

I took my 4Runner in to the shop to check the AC which was working cool but not cold. Nick was very friendly and accommodating in attempting to diagnose the problem. He suspected the AC on/off switch and offered to place one on order. I left the shop and then drove to Bridgeport where we are staying for the season and placed a call to my mechanic of many decades at home in So Cal. The mechanic told me that the system I have is a higher pressure than a factory AC so the system was probably just low on 134 freon. I called Nick and relayed this and he made an appointment for me at 10 am the following morning to charge the AC system. I drove to Walker and was there at 10, Ted was not there he hadn't come in yet ! Turns out there ended up being a total of 4 of us that had appointments that were waiting for Nick to come in. We left at 11 and went into Gardnerville where Douglass Radiator took care of business and had us on the road in an hour with an AC that will freeze ya out. Nick is a nice young man but apparently doesn't keep appointments. read more