Richardson Automotive Service

Absolutely the highest integrity! I had what turned out to be the good fortune of getting a flat tire just a block away from their shop, and limped into their driveway to ask for assistance. Service Advisor Walter Wu stopped what he was doing, brought out a jack, pulled the tire, plugged the screw-​hole, and got me back under way in about ten minutes. He recognized it was a Costco tire, and suggested I could go there for warranty service. I decided just to have him proceed. When I asked him what I owed for this service, he declined any payment. When I protested, he said he never had quoted me for the repair. In other words, he fully intended to reach out and help a stranger (senior) on his own good will.
Walter’s demeanor said it all — this is an automotive repair station that is built on honesty and integrity. It did not escape my attention that when he replaced the tire, he tightened the lugs in cross-​order, first with a low torque electric driver, and then, manually, with a torque wrench. No corners cut, even on what turned out to be his own time.
I highly recommend those seeking an automotive service center to put their trust in Richardson Automotive Service!

Wow the best experience you can possibly have! I called around to a few places to get the best prices as I wasn’t in a rush but also had a dead battery so needed a jump start. This was the only place that tried very hard to see if they could come help me while incredibly busy — they said the lot was full so they couldn’t even take my car if they wanted to.
I called back after I finally got a jump start because a few warning indicators came up. My booklet says it was related to batteries but hey I let mine die so why not call an expert. He took the time to help me on the phone and knew immediately what the solve was. He didn’t even try to get me to come in — was just happy to help.
I end how I started — wow.

This is the top-​of-​the-​line for quality and customer service!

Walter was great! Needed a last minute oil change prior to a long trip (check engine light came on because I was so low). After calling around with little help from other service centers I gave Richardson’s a call. Walter said he was completely booked but he would let me know if there were any cancellations. Walter actually called me back and said he could fit me in. Car oil was changed within a couple hours at a very good price. Walter also took the liberty of tightening a loose power steering pump pulley saving me from a not so quiet squeak. Great service and follow up. Appreciate the help Walter and you have my highest recommendation.

Cannot speak highly enough about Walter and his team. Reliable, trustworthy, friendly, and reasonable. I have come here for years with a BMW, so I know he does great work with German cars — I’m sure they are excellent with other types as well just based on how Walter operates.

I don’t often post on Unilocal,but I think this place really deserves it. I had my first «check engine light» experience with my 2007 Audi A4 last week. Walter allowed me to drop my car off after-​hours, and did the inspection right as promised. He then concluded that my dealer would be the right person to finish the repair (Audi-​specific problem that needed special tools), and told me how much I should expect to pay. Then, when I took it to the dealer, Walter was kind enough to speak with the mechanic there to share his diagnosis regarding the camshaft and fuel pump — and after he did that, he followed up with me via email. This all came for a reasonable charge. This place is legit. Totally professional and friendly, like the way you picture a customer experience was in a 1950’s movie. Would 100% recommend visiting this place if you want the straight scoop.

What? My apologies Walter for not reviewing your fine establishment sooner. Very trustworthy, smart, kind, helpful and very tolerant of those of us who like to push our cars and maintenance to the limit. :)

These guys are incredible. The Honda dealer down the street was asking $ 2500 to fix a strange clunking at the front end of my Honda, but Walter and his team fixed it for $ 1500 and really took the time to diagnose the issue. (And it was a doozie.) They are reasonably priced and generous with their time. Most importantly, their mechanic work has been excellent. I would recommend them to anyone.

You can’t beat Richardson for their prices, their knowledge, and their great customer service. I can always take my car in to them knowing that I will get an honest evaluation of what I ACTUALLY need done and that the end cost will be as fair as it gets. Walter and team have my business for life (or as long as I can afford to live in San Francisco!)

Great, trustworthy service. Recently had 2 interactions with the garage. The 1^st was a need to inspect my car for use as a local carrier. They were through and straight forward and even suggested that there would be a need for a future service that could be covered via my extended warranty. Then a few weeks later I brokered the sale of a friends VW TDI which needed some service. They were through with awesome communication. I measure auto service by quality of work, cost/​value, communication and trust worthiness. Richardson gets 5 stars on all fronts from me.

I’ve been ripped off so many times at repair shops that I have a trust issue when taking my car anywhere whether it be for a simple maintenance service to electrical work. Well, after coming to Richardson Automotive once after a referral from a friend, my opinion has changed 180 degrees. I wholeheartedly trust this business and especially, Walter, with my car. They are knowledgeable, hard working, efficient, reliable and fair. Walter is straightforward and honest and has helped me in many situations where I know another business would charge me lots of money for the advice/​check up. Walter has made me a lifetime customer.

Best honest group of knowledgeable mechanics. Perfect place to service your car. I have been taking my Audi to Walter and the team Richardson Auto mechanic for 10 years. No reason to take your car anywhere else!

Amazing place. I am skeptical of mechanics, but this place was great. Got a fix it ticket for a break light that was out and when I called for an appointment, he told me to come immediately. Within 5 minutes he changed the bulb and checked my tire pressure. Will definitely come back.

best place to service a car. Period! Walter is super nice and knowledgeable and won’t sell you any things that you don’t need.
I only wish the waiting time would be shorter but since it’s the best service in town…

Great service, great prices. These guys are awesome. So glad I took my Mercedes here to have it serviced instead of at the dealership.

Walter and the team at Richardson Automotive continue to amaze every time I have occasion to bring my Jeep in. They do great work at decent prices and they are the most honest mechanics I’ve ever encountered. Which is huge considering I don’t know the difference between a water pump and a distributor cap (figuratively speaking). Plus the customer service is unmatched. I’ve always had a positive experience. I wouldn’t trust my Jeep to anyone else. This shop should have an award or two for all the good work they do. Just look through the Unilocal reviews. That pretty much says it all. «Thank you guys for for all your hard work and for helping to relieve my stress level.» My Jeep is one less thing I have to worry about.

They had my car aligned in a day and the cost was on point! The owner offered to stay later so that I could pick it up after work. This is how an auto repair shop should be run!

I had a wonderful experience (in a terrible situation) that prompted me to write my first Unilocal review.
In my experience, Richardson Automotive is a very transparent operation with excellent customer service. Throughout the entire process, they were easy to reach, very thorough in explanation, and appeared to be very honest.
After looking at my car over the weekend (they appear to work overtime on weekdays as well), it was deemed my car was going to need serious repairs. I opted to donate my car and look for something else Generously, Richardson offered to drop all of the labor charges and only charge me for the parts.
I’ll be returning to Richardson in the future, and a special thanks for Walter for being awesome.

If you ever have any problems, questions, ANYTHING concerning your car, take it to Richardson! They are helpful, attentive, and super friendly! After driving from Chicago to San Francisco, the check engine light went off in my 2006 VW Beetle. I was absolutely dreading yet another cost for this car for this trip, so I called around to the auto shops around the city to see how much this was going to cost me. Richardson offered to read the code setting off the light for free, and would work on any repairs it needed. Turns out it was not a major fix, and they were able to reset the code and I could drive away no poorer than I arrived!
Only caveat: the lot is small, and hard to miss. Getting in and out of the lot is pretty difficult, even in a car as small as mine. They are always busy, so I called ahead to work around their schedule to see when was best for me to bring the car in. They took me right away and I was out in under 5 minutes!

Less than a week after my move to San Francisco and my brakes start grinding. WHYYYY. Moves are expensive and I was deeply, deeply dreading how much this brake work was going to cost me. I turned to Unilocal to find a reasonable place and lo, here is Richardson Automotive within walking distance from work.
I came in on a Monday, shortly after they opened because I had no appointment. The place was PACKED with cars so I was already imagining how long this would take, or maybe even being turned away. Jose took my car and said someone would call me with an estimate. Just a couple hours later the owner, Walt, called and said my rear brake pads and rotors needed replacing and that it would be less than $ 400! Awesome! Nothing is cheap to fix on my 2005 Jetta – NOTHING– but this was so fantastically reasonable I’m still pretty stunned.
They had it ready for me to pick up that same evening, and had even rotated my tires free of charge. Add on top of that the 10% discount I got for being a Lucas employee and Walt has one seriously happy customer. I’m recommending this place to everyone I know– no question.