Rocky’s Miatomotive

What a great place, specially for Miatas. Rocky is so knowledgeable, that anything I’ve needed on my Mazdaspeed MX5, he has been able to help. Highly recommend if you have a Miata. He is always working on some pretty special Miatas too.

We always are looking for an excellent repair facility to work on our automobiles. We have had the occasions several times to have Rocky’s Miatomotive work on our 1999 MX5 Miata. On each occasion, though the repairs seemed a bit expensive, Rocky came through and did a thoroughlly expert job of repairing our Miata. Finally, I would like to say that at Miatomotive you get what you paid for and in the end it was well worth it to know everything was done right. We also know that in addition to the needed work, Rocky himself checked out our car thoroughly in all other aspects as well. We highly recommend Miatomotive for any Miata enthusiast that wants their car repaired correctly and in a very professional manner… MrG

Love Rocky. My late husband told me to always go to Rocky and I always will. He just put a new top on my Miata and it’s beautiful. looks like a new car. He puts up with my calls and questions and never seems to mind. It feels so good to have someone I can trust in an area I’m not very familiar with. I can breathe easy because I have someone to go to when I need any help with my cars.

Rocky’s Miatomotive absolutely rocks!!! I moved to SD from NY in the fall after just buying a used Acura in mint condition. When I arrived to Cali, I went directly to the local Acura dealer for an oil change and they gave me a list of all the repairs my car «needed». Now that I’m temporarily heading back to NY I wanted to take care of whatever the car needed to make it across the country. I was suspicious with Acura’s list of needed fixes as the car was in great condition before my arrival. Anyhow, a friend suggested I take it to Rocky for a second opinion. So glad I did. Acura was completely full of crap, just trying to scam me out of my money. All I needed was an oil change and my tires rotated. It’s nice to know there are still honest auto repair businesses around. I’m sending everyone who needs your services directly to you. THANK YOU ROCKY!!!

Rocky continues to run a great shop. He is very knowledgeable and explains required repairs and maintenance. The shop has three lifts and lots more room than the old Dennstedt’s plus a waiting room.
Rocky’s specialty is Miata’s but he’ll work on other cars like my Mazda 3. He shares the space with Goodwin Racine a great source for performance Mazda parts.

The best for value, service, quality

Rocky’s the shit! My truck was running way bad he was honest told me what the problem was and what future problems could be on the way I will be bringing all my automotive Needs to him from now on.

Rocky is a car Guru and nice guy. Miata master and I see other cars like Midgets, kit cars, or your 4 door daily driver. If you want to make your car a little more fun, next door to Goodwin Racing with lots of goodies or if you just have to fix something this is the place. Get your car fixed here and head down to the beach afterwards.

I found Rocky’s Miatamotive through the San Diego Miata Club. My Mazda had a problem passing smog and I wanted someone who is familiar with Mazdas to work on it. Although I didn’t own a Miata, he was more than happy to work on my 2003 Protege5 Sport wagon. We set a date to drop off the car the week of Thanksgiving. He gave me an initial quote and would advise me on the phone once the diagnostics had been done. He phone that afternoon, told me the problem and was quoted a figure that I agreed upon. He had to order a part and being the holiday, I didn’t expect to get my car back until the following week. To my surprise he phoned me on that Saturday to inform me my car was ready to pick up and the amount was exactly as he had quoted. He referred me to another shop to run my smog test again and it passed with flying colors. Thanks to him, I was able to register my car. He was a life saver.
The shop was wonderful to work with. They always kept in touch with me every step of the way and he stayed on budget without gouging me with unnecessary repairs like some shops I have dealt with in the past. Very honest and trustworthy.
Rocky’s Miatamotive will be the only place I will take my car to. I highly recommend this shop to anyone and will refer other Mazda owners her as well.

If you have a Miata look no further! You have just stumbled upon the best Miata shop in the state and possibly the country.
A lot of enthusiast shops are run by individuals who skimp on the customer service because they know they do tremendous work. Not Rocky!
He’s incredibly accommodating and provides service to his customers as well as any 5-​star hotel. The shop truly is phenomenal.
Rocky also does pre-​purchase inspections, which if you’ve been eyeing a Miata or two like me, really is a life saver. The shop is associated with Goodwin Racing so I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the shop is absolutely top-​tier.

Dear Rocky,
Thank you so much for helping me put a spare for my tire after it popped off Garnet even though it wasn’t a Miata car.
Including the fact that you aired my tire, you checked it, you helped me in a quick jiffy with a good spare, directed me where Costco was and was on your way with your lemonade.
Hope the tip I gave you as thanks compensated for your lemonade that day!

Rocky not only knows and fixes miatas better than anybody I ever heard of but he will also guide and help you fix your own if that is your hobby. More than a few times I have stopped by his shop and he has taken time to explain or show me how or what to do for my mazda. I recommend him whenever i can and will use him when a job on my miata is a bit to big for my skills. Rocky thank you so much. Nino

Rocky has never let me down. Wouldn’t take my Miata anywhere else. He is more than fair about his prices and genuinely seems to want to help everyone out.

I swear Rocky’s got ESP when it comes to Miatas. He can tell you in an instant what’s wrong with your car before he even sees the vehicle. A quick phone call and he’ll give you an accurate diagnosis — never fails.
We who live in San Diego are so fortunate to have Rocky right here in town. Before I moved here, I’d drive my Miata from Sacramento down to Rocky, but heck, that’s nothing — people come from all over the United States to have Rocky work on their Miatas. He is the best. And you can trust him, which is so very important in this day and age. And his prices are fair and reasonable.
My son was thrilled to learn Rocky works on all kinds of vehicles, not just Miatas. He recently brought in his 2004 Hyundai Sonata for an oil change and inspection. Thank God he went to Rocky instead of going for another $ 19.95 oil change someplace. Turns out he was driving on tires that were worn down to the steel belts. Rocky may very well have saved Chris’ life. (Chris will be checking his tire wear in the future!). He did go out the very next day and purchase 4 new tires.
Rocky also let him know about some other issues that need addressing in the future, that my son also had no idea about. That’s the problem with only having those cheap oil changes time after time. They never let you know if your brakes need attention, or if you’ve got a leaking shock or strut for instance.
Thanks Rocky for everything! I’ll be bringing Zoe in soon for an oil change and if you work on Prius’, my hubby will have you service his «brand new» 2011 Prius he just bought.

Rocky is awesome! He’s helped us through the years & always provides great service every time!

Initial Visit Date: 05÷04÷13
Follow-​up Visit Date: 05÷11÷13
After reading the rave reviews on Unilocal regarding this repair show, I sent Rocky an email to see if he might be able to assist me. I had a piece of door trim from my 2005 Mazda 3 sp23 special edition hatchback came loose when I went through the Costco car wash (I know — shame on me!) and it fell off while driving before I could get it into a shop to be fixed. I didn’t want to face dealership costs to replace it so I was hoping by going to a shop that specializes in Mazdas I might be able to get it fixed at a more reasonable rate.
Rocky suggested I come down on a Friday so he could take a look at the situation, so I was trying to figure out what time he could see me as I would need to take time off of work since coming from home (Carmel Valley) or work (Poway) would be challenging on a Friday. He then shared that even though he is closed to the public on the weekends, he would be working on a car on Saturday so I could stop by so it would make it easier for me to get there (very accommodating!)
He looked at my car, called his connection for parts and quoted me a fair price for the part and labor. He told me he would call me when the part came in. Unfortunately when it came in, it was the wrong piece and when he called the parts place back, he learned they no longer make the piece that I needed — — that will teach me about buying a «special edition» car again in the future!
He told me to stop by the next Saturday and he would help me at least plug up the holes where the plastic clips came out that were holding the trim in place so that we could make it look better and prevent water from getting inside the door. He took time out of his day to do this and did not want to charge me anything. Luckily I came prepared — I saw that he enjoys peanut butter and chocolate so I paid him for his kindness with a variety of Reese’s goodies! That seemed to work for Rocky. :)
If I lived closer I would take my Mazda here all the time. I love that Rocky is so down-​to-​earth, helpful, passionate about Mazdas and is someone you feel you can trust (especially for someone like me who doesn’t know enough about car repairs!) I highly recommend his shop and if I ever have the need for major work on my car, will consider making the drive down again. Thanks, Rocky!

Just as Max S. says, I would give Rocky et al. 25 stars if I could as well. What a fantastic man and crew! I have honestly never in my life left a mechanic’s garage smiling and happy as I could be as I got into my car, which I appreciated even more after a tune-​up and drove away. Rocky was super friendly, helpful, listened carefully to my concerns, gave me great advice even though it meant he may not make any money on the deal. What a guy! What a guy! The shop came highly recommended from a friend who has been taking her car to him for years (even for oil changes when she decided to stop doing them herself). They are in the Miata club together. I would not hesitate for one millisecond in recommending Rocky and his shop to ANYONE.

Rocky is great. I set up an appointment to install my coilovers on my new Miata and the install went by without a hitch. Suspension work always takes a while, but Rocky got done in a reasonable time. He is also very knowledgeable in all things Miata. He showed me the ins and outs of installing the suspension in my car and the little tricks to ensure a smoother installation. Rocky is a great guy and easy to talk to. I wouldn’t trust anyone else in the world with my car except for Rocky. If you own a Miata or a Mazda, you owe it to yourself to take your car to him for repairs or installs.

I’d give them 25 stars if I could. Hands down the best auto repair shop I’ve ever dealt with. They specialize in Miata repair but will also work on other vehicles. I found Rocky’s when the repair department at the Mazda dealership argued that my Miata was a front wheel drive after rotating my good tires to the front of the car. I’ve never looked back since then and have been so happy to find them.
Thanks for everything, Rocky and crew!

There aren’t enough stars to give Rocky. I’ve been going to Rocky’s/Dennstedts for years. I’ve taken all of my cars there (not just MX-5’s) and have always been treated exceptionally well and been very satisfied with the work. If Rocky can’t do it then he recommends an awesome specialist.
The only problem is that he’s so good that everyone wants to take their car to him.
Thanks Rocky, you’re the best.