Richard’s Automotive Service

Beware !! Do not go here !!
Have been going here for a year and half for oil changes to find out they have never changed it! Not only am I ticked off something very costly could of happened if I haven’t caught it but I’ve paid $ 76 every time I’ve gotten it done. I was warned by a friend that she had the same issue right before I picked my car up, so It was a little to late for me to take it somewhere else. when I picked my vehicle up Richard cashed me out and I asked him are you certain the oil change was done and oil filter was changed (that cost more than normal because he said it was a rare filter) and I explained to him that my friend had to get $ 1,200 in repairs done on her car due to damages Of richards not changing her oil and filter in over 2 years. Richard was quick to get an attitude with me and said that the other shop was lying to my friend. I also had asked him if I could have my old filter and he said by now it was probably buried in the trash. I am extremely disappointed in this shop and the fact I have referred others here for its convenience.

Everyone here is super friendly, for starters. Not once did I feel like they were talking down to me or price gouging me because a woman dared to walk in by herself. A different mechanic told me I had a nuisance noise… that was getting progressively worse. (?!?) The crew at Richard’s pin pointed the problem immediately and fixed it within two hours for a very reasonable price. My car drives and sounds like a dream again, thanks to this shop. I’ll be back and recommending this place to everyone!

Professional, abundantly competent, and courteous! I interacted personally with three of their personnel and they were all extremely competent, courteous and professional. They quickly diagnosed my problem and gave me several options for resolving the issue. They went above and beyond by noticing my door panel was loose and fixed that, too, at no charge. I live in Lakeland now but would DEFINITELY take my luxury car back to Richard’s anytime. TIP: Get there EARLY. Richard’s fills up quickly with cars needing attention; I got up at 5 am twice just to get my car there 2 hours before they opened and it was TOTALLY worth it!

Had to take my vehicle to Richards to get a persistent squeak that was getting worse resolved. Seems it was a driveshaft issue. Problem solved at a fraction of dealer cost. As always quality work for a fair price.

Richard’s is the BEST. My family has been going to him for years! I ALWAYS go to richards first for any car trouble!

Have had a few different jobs done here. Richard is always up front with the diagnosis, the service is always quick and high quality. I highly recommend Richards.

I went to Richard’s cause of all the positive reviews here on Unilocal and on google but the sign that says $ 9 99 for an oil change should have been a red flag. I had a anti-​freeze leak from a hose connected to the engine. They quoted me $ 70. After they fixed that THEN they said the water pump was also leaking anti-​freeze. $ 300 total. The moment I drove off my air cut out for a second then came back on. I took the car to my father since I didn’t want Richard’s team of parts-​chargers touching my car anymore. My father found a small fresh cut in my vacuum hose that looked like it was done with a razor blade. Thus I’d loose my AC when the car was moving fast enough.
I’m assuming the large amount of reviews this place gets is due to them trying to drown out the negative reviews. They seem to have a higher than normal amount compared to all the other car shops nearby. Avoid.

I used to bring my car here because of all the other reviews but today they lost a customer. Richard is rude and disrespectful. I refuse to give my money to someone who talks down to customers and does not stand behind his work.

After I had a terrible experience at pepboys, a friend suggested Richard’s and I’m SO lucky to have found out about this place. They got my car working fast and I haven’t had any problems since they repaired it. They’re so honest and understanding. They did what pepboys couldn’t do. Thank you Richard!!!

Honest mechanic in Seminole Heights. Richard’s was recommended by neighbors. We have used him twice now and he has been nothing but fair and accommodating. This will be my mechanic of choice going forward.

I’ve been going to Richard’s for almost 11 years now. I like him because they always do good work and because he is always fair. He always puts his customers first. He knows me by name, too, and that’s always nice. In all the years I’ve been sending my car to his shop he has shown great service and I’ve only ever had one problem arise for which he more than made up for it. He’s a stand up guy with a great head for business.

Great customer service! Got the work done fast and right time first time. I will continue to go back to this auto shop and refer other people to this business.

I have taken my daughter’s SUV in several times for service and have had a favorable experience each time. Richard explains things well and will tell you the pros and cons of cheaper alternatives, if available; that bespeaks honesty and integrity. Quite frankly, I don’t trust chain shops because it has been my experience that they are under tremendous pressure by their corporate offices to sell you parts and services you don’t need just to increase profits; whereas, at independent shops like Richard’s, you are more likely to find they deal with you in an honest manner.

Richard, the owner, was nice and honest about what was wrong with my vehicle. Richard provided me an estimate to repair my fuel line and when it was time to pick up the vehicle, the cost was less than the estimate… he was honest enough to charge me the actual cost versus the projected price. Just for that honesty, I will return. Oh yeah, it’s across the street from Starbucks… so if you need to relax while you wait, you can walk across the street.

Have been taking my truck here for years– Richard is fair and will explain what needs to be done NOW, what will need to be done in the near future, and what is just fine. Very female friendly. He isn’t condescending and is very patient with even the crabbiest customers. Wouldn’t go anywhere else!

The best.

My vehicle over heated while traveling RT 4. I used Unilocal to locate a reputable auto repair center. Richard’s was given 4 stars, so I had the vehicle towed there.
Most of us have shared the nightmare of being taken advantage of by unscrupulous repair shops.
I found Richard to be head and shoulders above the rest. I explained the overheating history of the vehicle and Richard performed a simple test to help diagnose the cause. Within minutes it was determined that a head gasket had blown, avoiding needless repairs to the cooling system. He explained the major expense of replacing the engine and recommended scraping the vehicle based on age and cost.
I requested a bill for his services and I was told NO CHARGE that took the edge off a bad day.
Although I live on the other side of Tampa, I will patronize Richard’s Automotive Service for future auto repair and maintenance.

This my car champ Doctor here.

I really wanted to like and support a neighborhood business.
My daughter brought her car in because it was overheating. They replaced the radiator, which they said was cracked and sent her on her way with an estimate to fix several oil leaks amounting to about a thousand dollars. My daughter had the leaks repaired somewhere else for a lot less money, but the car continued to overheat. She has brought the car to someone else, as she is convinced that Richards is not very thorough and overpriced; I am of this mind as well now — she was told that while Richard replaced the radiator, he only replaced one of the hoses, as when the car broke down the day after leaving Richard’s, Richard admitted that he «forgot» and replaced one of the hoses, we thought he had replaced all but that one, but apparently, he replaced only that one, after the car came back in the next day; although it is standard to replace all hoses when replacing the radiator. According to the real mechanic who actually fixed the car, Richard did not flush the system when he replaced the radiator, so the car continued to overheat, as the antifreeze was not being circulated due to clogging.
She brought her car in due to overheating, and about $ 400 later, she was still overheating, so I imagine that had she brought the car back to Richard, he would have continued to overcharge her and continue to fail at fixing the car properly. Perhaps he took advantage of a younger female? We will likely never know, as we will no longer bring our vehicles there or recommend him as a «friendly, honest, reliable neighborhood mechanic».
To me, they did not seem honest or knowledgeable. I would avoid this place like the plague — if they had a «zero» rating, this would be one.

Fast, honest, affordable!
My check engine light was on and stopped by to have it checked out. I was dreading the cost of the diagnosed emissions leak. Their knowledgeable staff had experience in the specific code that the diagnostic test noted as the problem. This eliminated the need for exploratory engine surgery. Within 1 hour my car was properly diagnosed and fixed. In the event of any other needed repairs I will definitely return thank you for great service!