The Car Czar

If there was a zero star option I’d choose that one. Turns out they don’t have the equipment to run a diagnostic on cars older than 1994, which is fine that wasn’t the big issue here. My issue is with the terrible customer service. I wish I would have taken the guy’s name down but he was extremely rude as soon as I walked into the door. I felt like he was definitely discriminating against me for being a younger female and for the way my car looks. The tone he used with me was very unfriendly and unprofessional for no apparent reason. He hardly looked up from his computer screen to even pay attention to the issues I’m having with my car and he gave me no advice at all. As soon as I told him my car is a 91 he didn’t listen to anything I had to say, I get that they don’t have the proper equipment but he could have at least offered a valid opinion other than his «I don’t give a shit attitude». Definitely won’t be recommending this place to anyone.

Bret Herman the manager at the Citrus Heights location is outstanding. He’s honest, knowledgeable, NO ‘RIP-​OFF’ prices. The work done is guaranteed for 24 months/​24 000 miles — that’s better than new car guarantees. After working on our PT there was a persistent issue that needed more attention-​thank you Bret for taking great care of us & our car.

I would give it a negative if I could I took my car in to be looked at it was leaking coolant the gentleman was condescending and downright snotty the national average to replace the water pump on a j38 infinity is at the most $ 550.00 He quoted eight 850.00 just for the water pump and said that may I may have to replace my timing chain because it was connected too the pump, which will cost even more the water pump in that vehicle the pump is mounted to the timing chain wall but not connected to the timing chain or belt they will get you to tare your car down and the price will go up from that point BUYER BEWARE. I found someone a lot cheaper I would take my car anywhere but there poor customer service and inflated prices the website stated a discount I guess you can give a discount when your price starts high. LADIES TAKE YOUR CAR ELES WHERE…

I called around to many of these 24.88 oil changes, but when I told them I was driving a German car it went up to $ 90 – 110. The Car Czar quoted 65.00 and since I had heard about them before, and they are reputable I went there. The service was fast and effecient. It actually only cost 64.88, thanks Car Czars!

I have been going to the Car Czar for years now. I went there originally for a second look at my vehicle, after going to another dealership that offered shuttle service. I had heard a noise on my vehicle and when I asked them what it was, I knew they were wrong. The price to fix it was going to be near $ 500.00. I do have a little mechanical background.
The Car Czar looked at it free of charge, and found it was a belt. All said and done less than a hundred dollars. The noise was gone. What scares me is what if I didn’t have the Car Czar look at it, and I had the other company «FIX» it. I would have paid all that money unnecessarily and not fixed the problem.
I know when I go the Car Czar it’s the truth. I am showed the problem. I can see how much the part cost if I want to. I am allowed in the garage, if I ask and they escort me. I feel like they are being honest. Nothing is hidden.
I like that.

These guys & girl are great. I’ve had multipe cars maintained here for various issues. Car Czar is fast, quality work, manufacture parts & they have great customer service. I go to Car Czar for all vehicle repaired I don’t want to take on big or small.

I was a morning walk in, I needed my brakes checked, that have been squeaking and a part I provided installed on my windshield wiper reservoir because it was leaking. They greeted me right away and were very nice and excepted request. They would need 2hrs. There were several places to check out near them during my 2 hr wait. Brett called when my car was done. My brakes were a little glazed but didn’t need repair. They installed my windshield wiper reservoir part and I was off. Brett went out of his way to check and make sure parts previously installed by the previous shop were oem parts which they were. I appreciate that he did that. I was very happy with my experience at Car Czar and will surely return. Thanks Car Czar!

Took my truck here today because of a check-​engine light. Turned out to be a bad gas cap. They didn’t charge me anything, instead they sent me to a nearby parts store for a new cap, which fixed the problem immediately. 12 bucks.
I have always had a good experience at their other store, now I can say the same about this location.
I am puzzled by the negative reviews here…
Once, at their other store, a minor door ding occurred while they had my vehicle. When I brought it back to them they made amends by fixing a bad power window for free labor, I paid for parts only.
I am a happy customer.

why write a review, when they only delete it on you…

Thank you Car Czar! My car broke down Thursday after work and I called everywhere looking for a repair center to take my car to, everyone was closed except you guys your conveniently have a night drop off and my car was ready by Friday night when I got off work, thanks to the Manager Brett they stayed after hours on a Friday night to make sure I had my car fixed for the weekend!!! You guys are awesome and I will be a customer for life!!!

I’ve never actually been here, but I found the customer service so poor I wanted to warn other people about trying to make an appointment with these people.
My current car is my first car ever and it needs work done, and I don’t have a mechanic. Both my parents go to their respective dealerships and we have different branded cars, so I couldn’t go where they go. I had seen the Car Czar show, and was excited when I found out that they were approved by my insurance. I called to see when their next appointment was on Thursday ⁵⁄₁. They said that they had appointments on Saturday 5/​3, but I needed to make sure I would have a ride home from the shop, so I said I would call back. I did call back, but I went to voice mail. I decided to leave a voice mail. No one called me back, so I decided to call them back and try to make the appointment. When I called back and asked for the Saturday appointment, he said they had been booked until Tuesday ⁵⁄₆ since Wednesday 4/​30, which is before I called the first time. So I asked why someone would have told me on Thursday that I could have an appointment on Saturday. He quickly caught an attitude and said he didn’t know. Then asked me if I wanted an appointment on Tuesday or not. I said no thank you and hung up.
Also to this very moment, I have not received a call back from my voice mail and the man was rude. If you can’t even get customers in the door, how are you expecting to maintain a business.
I will be sure to tell everyone I know about this experience. Sad to say, but the chains have much better customer service than this place.

I recently took my car in because it had a really bad gas smell. I had taken my car to other shops in the past but they couldn’t pinpoint the problem so it just got worse. Car czar was able to figure it out and fix it right the first time. I appreciate their expertise and would recommend them to everyone!

Don’t bother! Your car will leave in worse shape then when it arrived! I took my SUV here to get an estimate on fixing the A/​C back in August. I already had two diagnosis and estimates this was merely a third however I did not tell the shop this. I dropped my vehicle off early in the morning and they called a few hours later saying that the car had a ton of problems including faulty wiring and was not starting at all. WHAT! When I brought my car to you it started and was running perfectly fine! AND I asked for an estimate on fixing the A/​C and I didn’t want anything else touched! I went to pick up my SUV and was told that the whole A/​C system needed to be replaced including the compressor. Hmm really? because the previous two shops said that the a/​c compressor was good. Then they said that my battery was no good and that’s probably why the car won’t start. Hmm really? no battery problems or any starting issues at all in the 7 years I’ve owned it. So I go out to try to start it and it wouldn’t start. Well fortunate for me I am not stupid and raised the hood myself to find that they had disconnected my battery cables and hadn’t properly reconnected them. So I connected the cables to the terminal correctly and boom, car starts no problem. I left this shop upset that I wasted my morning with them… I have to completely agree with previous reviewers– the people at this shop are crooks and if you’re a woman they think they can get you for a ton of money. Sorry Car Czar, not this woman!

I was SO angry. I don’t know if it was them, or misplaced expectations… In the end, it was made right. Here’s my story:
My truck intermittently lost power steering. I called several places before making an appointment with Car Czar. They told me that they would order the part and have it ready for my 9am appointment. The service should only take 2 hours or so. The guy I talked to on the phone was really helpful and seemed knowledgeable.
I arrived at 9am and explained to a different guy what was going on. He seemed equally helpful and knowledgeable. I left my keys and went for a walk. It was my day off so I decided I would find a coffee shop and wait it out.
Aside from Dutch Bros, there weren’t any coffee shops nearby, so I walked a mile to the Barnes and Noble and used their free wifi.
Fast forward to 10:45… I still haven’t been called about the estimate. I called Car Czar and asked the status. They quoted me and said that it would be ready by the end of the day. I said that the guy I spoke to earlier said it would only take an hour or so to fix. He said it would, but the part isn’t on site, that it was local.
This is where I lost it. «ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I’M WAITING DOWN THE STREET FOR MY CAR. I CALLED EARLIER IN THE WEEK AND DUDE SAID IT WOULD TAKE TWO HOURS MAX!!! I MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THIS AFTERNOON BASED ON THAT INFORMATION!!! Et cetera, et cetera. You know how it goes. I told the guy I was coming to pick it up and take it elsewhere.
As I was angrily walking the mile plus back to the shop, he calls me back. He said the part was on site and that he spoke out of turn. He apologized, said they would start on it right away, and offered a discount on the price.
Had my expectation been set that it would take all day, I would have gotten a ride home. I think I was mostly mad that they said one thing on the phone and then something else in person.
If I will suggest anything, don’t wait for your car to be worked on. There are no coffee shops nearby to relax while you wait. Have your expectations properly set going into the day. And if you have a bad experience, keep calm or be prepared to feel awkward when talking to the person again. In short… Check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Extremely professional, knowledgeable, and very helpful. Went above the call of duty to help me out. I would certainly use them in the future. Highly recommended. I am a business owner and know quality customer service when I see it.

You would think that after 30 days, the company would reach out to its upset customers to try to rectify situations. This auto shop is not as they are described on Goodday Sacramento. Don’t buy into this shop’s dishonest practices.

My husband & I take our cars to car czar and have always had good service and they are helpful. I will continue to take our cars there!
Revised – We took our car back there and got an estimate of what is wrong and they gave my husband the estimate, when I brought the car in to have the work done, the guy looked at me like I was stupid and said he’d never give that estimate, and said they weren’t honoring it. I took the car and we took it somewhere else. He was the manager as was really rude. Luckily we have moved from California, but I would not recomend this place.

Car Czar is always on Good Day Sacramento since the owner is also a reporter. Unfortunately, this gives people a false sense of «trust.» Car Czar mechanic are incompetent. They allegedly «fixed» my head gasket but in REALITY they didn’t. It was still leaking and when I took my car back to them they wanted to argue with me instead of helping me.
They were adamant that they had fixed the head gasket without even looking at it again. When they finally agreed to look at it they tried to say my oil pan and transmission was bad and would cost me another $ 1000. This was the opinion of a 20 year old mechanic. Really???
Got a 2^nd opinion and found out the head gasket was still leaking. Stay away from the Car Czar. Just because the owner is a reporter and a columnist for SacBee doesn’t make him honest. Car Czar should be investigated for fraud. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!

If this place could get negative stars, they would deserve it.
Let’s just put it this way. The owner is a liar and a thief and their employees are massively incompetent.
Their motto is «Fix it Once, Fix it Right.» In my experience, they failed to fix anything and their negligence resulted in a complete loss of our vehicle.
On the first visit, this vehicle was diagnosed with a few engine issues that caused the engine light to be on. After getting the car back, the engine light continued to be on so the car was brought back to them.
They then diagnosed some other engine issues that needed repair and fixed those. During this time, the tech clearly told us that the engine was pulled.
After getting the car back a second time, the engine light came on again within 4 miles. This time, we sought a second opinion from the dealer. They told us several engine bolts were loose and that a power steering wire was pinched.
So the third visit to Car Czar resulted in the power steering wire being fixed and a claim by Car Czar that there were no loose bolts.
The car was declared safe for a long drive to Utah. The car immediately driven to Utah where it broke down 70 miles outside of Salt Lake City and had to be towed to the dealer there.
The engine had seized and was completely trashed due to several loose bolts causing some internal mechanical damage.
Upon approaching Car Czar for the obvious compensation for this negligence and waiting two weeks for any response, they have denied even pulling the engine or doing ANYTHING that would have led to this catastrophic malfunction and refused to compensate for anything other than the original cost of the repair.
You do the math. Two dealers say there are loose engine bolts BEFORE and AFTER. Car Czar finds NONE. Car Czar has been the SOLE mechanic of this car in its entire 7 year history of ownership.
THIS COMPANY IS A JOKE. STAY AWAY!!! LIARS AND THIEVES. And the owner has been arrested (but not charged) on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence:

I don’t want to spend to much time on this review as I feel that I have already given them more of my time than they deserve.
To put it simple, if you are a female, you are pretty much guaranteed to get ripped off here. The management here is sleezy and must think that every woman on earth, is a complete idiot when it comes to cars.
I would definitely take your car to a more reputable place and save a couple of hundred dollars in the process. Haha, nice try Car Czar!