Santa Cruz Tire & Auto Care

I went in for a smog check. There were some problems with my car, so they couldn’t perform the check. That’s understandable, but to still charge me for a smog check that was never even performed. I don’t know what kind of business model this place has. But that is low. Don’t take your car for anything here. They’re just out for the money.

Only place I like to go for oil changes. I really like this place and the woman who works front. Very straight forward, funny, fast and prompt when you have an appointment. Thank you

It’s ok. I will not be returning. I understand nothing is for free. Nor would I expect that. But I do believe in working reasonably in your community. Had I felt that type of gesture (helping your fellow man) was understood then I would absolutely be returning for much more serious issues in the future. but since I’ve been shown (CLEARLY), that it’s not. I will not be bringing any vehicle to your shop. Best of luck to you guys. I understand business completely. Just have chosen to not do Business with your type. No hard feelings. We all have to pay bills. No disrespect, I just choose to have relationships with people that care and that I can trust. Apparently it’s all $ with you guys. Sorry but #notsry

From out of town, here working. The entire staff was friendly knowledgeable and professional. They provide timely service and an honest fair price. Anytime i. In the area I will use this shop for all my automotive issues.

My check engine light came on so I stopped by here. I had to sign something that said I’d pay $ 100 for diagnostics (I think that might go towards repairs, I can’t recall). Apparently my gas cap just wasn’t on tight enough, so they «only» charged me $ 50…to tighten a gas cap!!! And the guy acted like he was cutting me a deal! Talk about a lack of work ethics and integrity, can’t imagine what they charge when anything is actually wrong with your car!

Came in for a smog check and was in and out within 10 minutes. Friendly fast service. Thank you.

I’ve been taking our Honda Odyssey, Toyota Prius and my son’s ’99 Honda Civic here for years. Great service. Adrian and Chris at the front counter are friendly, honest and very knowledgeable. No appointment necessary for oil changes, etc. Walk in, wait an hour and you’re done! Appointments also an option.

This place is amazing, I just moved and had to find a new oil Chang plane and called them this morning and they were not only so friendly on the phone but in person as well! They are also dog friendly! I brought my pup to walk while they worked on my car and didn’t mind that I brought her inside to pay.
Found a new oil change spot!

I called around for a smog test and this place was in the medium price range. Two other places with equal or better Unilocal reviews had a Unilocal checkin coupon which would have made them 20% cheaper than this place. I decided to come here and go with a place with a fair pricing which is not buying positive Unilocal reviews. I was not disappointed. Jim, the owner, did my smog test and we had a great conversation about lots of stuff interesting to both of us while he did the smog test. I didn’t need to make a reservation but did call early in the morning asking when would be a good time and they gave me an approximate time for low waiting time and I was in and out in 30 min. Good service and friendly and interesting owner, I’ll be back.

These guys have saved us twice in the last 3 years by correctly diagnosing problems that were previously and fraudulently misdiagnosed by other «auto repair» places in the same neighborhood. I have nothing but good things to say about them

Totally stoked to find someplace local doing SMOG CHECKS on a Saturday.
Chris got me worked into their schedule within 90 minutes of my call.
SMOG checked with e-​cert to DMV for under $ 50.00.
Thanks guys!

I’ve been here a few times and the staff here is friendly. However, I’ve had a few bad experiences that have turned me off on this place.
1) They charged me $ 780 for a catalytic converter and $ 350 for a rear exhaust manifold, parts only, when they did a repair. That was just the parts, not the labor. That is a 150% markup over *retail* prices for quality after market parts. I can understand the need for a markup but this is ridiculous.
2) I brought in an older car for maintenance service and specifically asked them to use cheaper wires for the spark plug wires since I didn’t think the car had a lot of life left, and the counter person agreed. When I came back they had used high end wires that were meant to last 90K miles and cost ~$ 200. WTH?
3) They had to open my dashboard to perform some work and broke my cell phone holder. When I got the car back the pieces were just lying on the seat and no one said a word. I had to fight with them to pay for it, which was only $ 15, and even then the lady at the counter became annoyed. I can’t believe they would break something in my car and not mention it.
I wanted to like these guys because they are generally very friendly but there are just too many things here that have turned me off on the place.

Took my wife’s Audi here for an oil change. Later, while driving from San Jose back to Santa Cruz I hear a clunk sound along with grinding while on the freeway. It was scary. I am able to pull off and then find my skidplate it hanging down. Then, I check my phone that is in my console in the car. Guess what? A missed call (I don’t answer my phone while driving) from Santa Cruz Tire about fifteen minutes after I drove off and a voicemail calmly explaining that they think one of their technicians left a tool in my car. Not in my engine bay. I figured maybe a tech had left something on my passenger seat, but no, they left a screwdriver under my hood. The technician at Santa Cruz Tire and Auto left his screwdriver on my skidplate. No joke. They sent me out of the shop with a screwdriver sitting on my skidplate.
I got to the shop and they pretty nonchalantly just put my skidplate back up and secure it. It’s all scraped up and you can see where it’s bent and damaged from the front of the car.
Honestly, do you want to trust your car with a place that would let a car leave with a screwdriver in the engine bay? That can cause irreparable damage.
If I had gotten a proper apology or reach out, I’d feel better.

Had a problem with my muffler and assumed it needed to be replaced. Checked a place downtown and was quoted around $ 200. I work near Santa Cruz Auto and Tire and thought I’d get one more estimate. After a quick check, I was informed that something was loose (which the mechanic refastened) and that the muffler was still functional.
The honesty was refreshing. The service was friendly and efficient. The muffler sound is back o normal and it saved me a couple hundred dollars. I will now plan to use them for any maintenance in the future.

I gave them 1 star … but you be the judge. Here is how it went down:
A year ago I called and asked if they could do an oil change on my Porsche boxster. «No problem». Came in, and after about 20 minutes of waiting … they told me they didn’t have my kind of oil. I went down the street to Kragen, and they didn’t have any. I went back to SC tire and auto to tell them Kragen was out of stock, and they said that if I came back later with my oil and filter they’d do it.
Cool. I went somewhere else (that had the oil in stock) and everything was fine.
About a week ago (I need an oil change again) and I called them and asked if they would do my Boxster if I bring in the oil and filter. «Come on in … you don’t need and appnt». Great.
Ordered the oil and filter from OReilys, came in, and they said that I may not have enough oil, but they had some in stock now. I told them that I’d buy a quart (the amount I was short). They told me that there would be an hour wait. No sweat. I told them that in the hour, I’d go down to Kragen to see if they had the same brand that I had in my trunk in stock. If I didn’t make it back in time or whatever … just go ahead with their quart.
I make it back from the ½ hour walk from Kragen, and the owner told me he didn’t feel comfortable doing the oil change on my Boxster (even though the clerk said they just did one the other day).
WTF ?
I’m a small business owner, and overlook a LOT of stuff that goes wrong (it’s hard running a business), but this is clearly mismanagement (which has to sit on the owners shoulder) which there is NO excuse for.
If you have a typical car (Ford or Toyota or something) and want a simple oil change, I’m assuming all will go ok (which really is a low bar), but if your needs deviate in anyway, I’d steer clear of this place and it’s owner.

This is the spot for a SMOG CHECK! Staff is cordial, and efficient. I was back out the door in record time. Also I was charged the same price I was quoted over the phone, which hasn’t always been my experience with smog checks.

I was nervous about finding a new mechanic, but this place is AMAZING! I just picked up my truck from here and I was extremely happy with the work that was done. I had requested a repair that wasnt an issue. They did not jerk me around with extra work, just the job that needed to be done. I ended up spending a quarter of what i had expected to. Thank you Chris for being so helpful! The truck feels really tight! I will definitely return here for any other repairs.

This place checks all my boxes. Fair prices, nice people, quick service, and the best waiting room I’ve ever seen at a car place: leather seats, magazines, keurig machine. 2^nd time here for a smog, very pleased. And they’re open at 8am on Saturday when most places 9 or 10

Unexpected car problems yesterday. Dropped it off yesterday and they handled all in 24 hours. Quick and priced fair. Also helped me into a cost effective rental. Thanks Chris and Adrian.

Santa Cruz Tire and Auto has been my goto for the past 10 years or so. Jim, Glenn, Adrienne, and Chris have always shown tremendous care and consideration when working on my families cars. They have always gone above and beyond as far as providing insight and recommendations even though it may have nothing to do with his bottom line. I love that I know that I am in good hands and am only be pointed towards the necessities, current and preventative. The facilities are nice, close to the freeway. They have a couple of computers set up for you to use why you wait along with all the coffee you can drink.
I no longer need to call around to find the best deals because I know that the value is top shelf.
Thanks everyone!