Ventura Automotive Repair

Overcharged for a smog check when they clearly promote a 39.99 smog in 16 minutes. MIne took over half an hour. They told me that I would need to replace the thermostat and flush the brake fluid.
I’m new to the area and took my car to my own mechanic and he told me to never go there again.

I would red flag anyone from going here. Very sketchy business man. Myself along with one of my friends were ripped off regarding our smog inspections. He also put my car as a gross polluter, and I drive a new tacoma truck that is very up on maintenance and is anything but a gross polluter. There are many other automotive shops in this area, I recommend you go to them unless it’s a last resort.

I recently failed a smog inspection and took my car here to fix the problem. They charged $ 65 for a diagnostic and told me the catalytic converter needed replacing. While doing the work, they admitted to breaking one of the O2 sensors and refused to pay for a replacement part ($ 99). In addition, Francisco (the manager) failed to tell me that the DMV required him to smog the vehicle before and after the work was done (in addition to the first smog test I paid for at a different repair shop). This caused the bill to be much higher than what he originally quoted me. I was very upset about the fact that Francisco did not explain all the charges that would be incurred. He insisted that he had explained them to me, and that maybe I didn’t understand his (broken) english. My biggest mistake came when I sent my wife to pick up the car. She ended up paying about $ 200 more than I had agreed to pay (and what Francisco originally quoted me). I honestly think they performed decent maintenence on my car, but refusing to pay for a part that they broke, and not being forthright about the costs were terrible errors on their part and I will NEVER take my car back to this business.
The worst part about my experience was that Francisco didn’t really make an effort to win my business after I expressed my frustration. He simply argued that he was doing everything exactly like he has done for the last 30 years… scary. I would avoid this business because there are plenty of other auto repair shops that take responsibility for their actions (or inaction).