Rickys Automotive

If I can negative stars I would give this shop a negative 10 stars. I had my vehicle worked on for a engine replacement and it took almost a year to get my car back. He has only one mechanic his name is Chris and is constantly swapped with no help and other vehicles waiting to be worked on. The owner name is Ricky and is the biggest con-​artist he will tell you your car will be ready on a certain day and when it’s time to pick up your car it’s not ready. He is unprofessional and will start cussing at you when you have questions about your vehicle that he can not answer. This guys advertise on Craigslist and is a scam you tell him you need an engine change and will add more stuff to what you originally asked for like a clutch. Knowing that your clutch is good and will insist that you get it changed so he can rip you off. STAY AWAY FROM THIS SHOP, IT WILL SAVE YOU TIME/​MONEY AND HEARTACHE!

So today i went to see about my car like i did in my last post and my car is still not done. I asked the shop manager (chris) when my car would be done. Again he stated he does not know. But remember they have had my vehicle since 11÷11÷14. after being told my car wasn’t done i aske the shop manager to call the owner. He called and i spoke with the owner only for him to say to me upon inquiring about my car. Fuck You and Go Fuck Yourself! Then he hung up. Dont do biusness with them this is unacceptable. I am mechanic savey as well as I work for a very prestige towing company in San diego! Do not trust them with your car!

Breathtakingly DISHONEST owner and business. AVOID Ricky and his shop at all costs.
The short version:
Outright lied about what was wrong with the car with the intent of gouging me on the «repair» (a $ 1500 valve job) or buying my car off me for next to nothing ($ 300), when the actual problem was a sub-​$ 100 vacuum hose replacement.
The long version:
I’m a grad student with an older car (1999) that, about a month before I took it in, had started running rough when idling. However, it had run great up until that point and continued to run just fine otherwise, with no loss of power or other issues that would signal major engine problems. Being a student on a limited budget, I figured the problem was something minor like a filter or hose that needed replacing, and decided I’d go to a local place and try to save a few bucks. Huge mistake.
I dropped the car off at Ricky’s Automotive, and the next day got a call from Ricky (the owner) saying that there was bad news: the car had compression problems in 3 of the 4 cylinders. Right away, this raised a red flag, since as mentioned above, the car was experiencing no loss of engine power whatsoever: it had as much power, and ran as smoothly as ever, aside from the roughness when idling. An even bigger red flag came next: Ricky said that fixing the car would entail a $ 1500 valve job, but that he’d be happy to buy the car from me for $ 300 since he «needed a shop car». I wasn’t going for it, so he took it a step further by claiming that the car probably wouldn’t pass smog even after the valve job because it would be «burning oil», so I really should just sell it to him for $ 300. I politely asked for some time to think about it and immediately began making plans to get a ride from a friend to pick my car up the next morning.
The real kicker came when my friend and I went to pick up the car. Not only is this shop dishonest, they aren’t even competent at keeping their dishonest stories straight. The mechanic who had supposedly looked at the car met us when we arrived to pick it up, and we asked him to explain what they had tested and what was wrong. We specifically asked about the compression. He said that they HADN’T checked the compression at all, directly contrary to the owner’s claims. We also asked for a diagnostic printout showing what they had found; the mechanic couldn’t provide any.
Once I’d gotten my car back, I took it to another shop (PAW Auto Center). It turned out that the problem was a simple vacuum hose that had worn out; the total for the parts and labor came to less than $ 100, and the car has been running perfectly since then.

The most important thing to me when it comes to Auto Repair shops is HONESTY and INTEGRITY. As a young woman, when you go somewhere for car trouble, you constantly have to worry about being taken advantage of. Not at Ricky’s! I brought my car here after taking it to another repair shop who charged me ridiculous prices and didn’t even fix the problem. Ricky’s charged a very reasonable amount and my car is running better than ever! I will definatetly continue to bring my car in for all my auto care needs!

My daughter had trashed her 2000 Nissan Maxima. It needed at least a new engine. I remember about 25 years ago I got a low mileage Japanese engine from a place called Rickys on Jamacha Boulevard in Spring Valley that was real good. But their building had changed to a different business years and years ago. I was kind of amazed when I was looking for low mileage Japanese engines that I saw a place called Rickys in Spring Valley in a different location. It was the same Ricky as before, and although I had not aged at all, he was 25 years older.
He quickly located a Japanese engine with about 14,000 miles on it and had it shipped here from Los Angeles. I was given an estimate of about $ 1750 for the nearly brand new engine and the labor. Understandably when the car was in the shop and opened up it needed a few more repairs than just the engine. Motor mounts and some other things as well were absolutely needed and that brought up the bill some. I decided to have several optional repairs done as well, to make the car basically into a brand-​new car for my daughter. A lot of the parts that Ricky got were from the original manufacturer and he did not mark up the price. The total cost for the complete overhaul of my daughter’s car ended up at about $ 4000. Very reasonable considering the terrible condition the car was in originally, all the work done and the quality of the parts and labor.
That was over a year ago. The car has been running perfectly ever since, just like a new car. And we’re expecting many more years of useful functioning.
It was nice seeing Ricky after all these years again. I am a very satisfied customer twice over. The only downside is that he doesn’t accept credit cards. No frequent-​flier miles here. But that’s minor when compared to the excellent results that we received.

Experience was ok at the beginning, kind of overcharged for a replaced transmission. Over the phone, was told that I needed a new clutch to go along with it due to it being badly worn. Ok, I was desperate and needed the car quickly which is why I didn’t give them 1 star. So after paying a little too much for the tranny and clutch, I drive off and everything is good for the next 8 months, in which I drove about 19,000 miles. I drive like a grandma, and Clutch goes out and I lost my ability to shift into any gears. This could have been potentially very dangerous if it happened while driving on the freeways.
Take it back to the shop and he tells me its the clutch slave cylinder going out (after doing a 30 sec on/​off shifting check of the car). Tells me I need $ 1200 of repairs (replace all of clutch). Gives me some random discount and warranty of parts and brings it down to $ 700. I was stunned by the large amount after just paying him 2700 for everything before, so I lost my trust.
So decline, take it back home and decide to fix it myself. Check on the hydraulic sys. and Clutch slave is just fine, and so is the master. I took 2 weekends replacing the clutch. Turns out somehow there is not enough tranny fluid in the system. Also, the clutch spring popped out, meaning a crappy clutch or install. I was told this was an original clutch from Japan. Replaced everything myself for bout 300 and got some new tools and learned alot. Especially not to trust any mechanics touching my car again.
Took it back to him and got a replacement clutch kit. 1 more star. Overall not the experience I wanted for the money I put out there.

My wife and I could not be any happier with the service we received at Ricky’s Automotive Repair.
The other guy’s insurance adjustor wanted to save money and stick us with a «repair,» but Ricky went to bat for us and got it «replaced.»
Thank you very much, Ricky and crew!

I came in to have some work done a few months ago and all I can say is that I completely agree with the woman before me, Kathy!!!
FINALLY, an automotive repair place that doesn’t try and take me for every penny!
Ricky (the owner) was so helpful and comforting through the entire process. I say comforting because every time I go in to get even an oil change, all of a sudden my 2007 Mazda has magically transformed into and is treated like a 1981 model. Cue panic/​anxiety attack.
These guys are SO thorough and DO NOT skimp on quality. He researched the parts and fluids my car needed and bought them directly from a Mazda dealership. He even took the time to show me that they were in fact from a Mazda dealership and the difference between my old part and the new one. He didn’t even hike up the prices to get the «good stuff».
Ricky maintained contact with me throughout the entire experience and never made a move without my «OK». I was treated like family which is HUGE to me.
They can really teach a thing or two about integrity and service!
I’m so excited that I can take my car in when my paranoia gets the best of me and know that I’m not going to be robbed blind!
I recommend Ricky’s Automotive EVERY chance I get!
Thank you for all that you do, guys!