Redfield Machine

This place is the best, most trustworthy mechanic ever. Unfortunately they are closed for good! No more Redfield :-(

Bob is simply an amazing person, let alone an excellent mechanic. I wish I had found him sooner. I think this place is permanently closed as he went into retirement.

I’ve been here several times over the years and the service has been consistently excellent. I actually found this place because I was looking for a mechanic that could fix another’s mistake. Bob and his team of mechanics are great, especially his right hand man, Felipe. They are knowledgeable, skillful, and very thorough. The majority (if not all) of the staff, including Bob, also speak Spanish fluently. They use tools correctly, DO NOT over torque, and use OEM parts by default.
When there were issues with my car that couldn’t be done there at the shop, they referred me to places that also did great work. Car skills aside, the staff here are welcoming, thoughtful, and honest. As a woman, plenty of mechanics have tried to hustle me. This has never been the case at Redfield Machine. I really can’t say enough good things about this place. I highly recommend the place to everyone.

Bob Redfield is a gem. It’s so nice to have a knowledgable, honest and fairly priced mechanic. His staff have benefited from his mentor ship and are equally skilled mechanics. Our family has been bring our vehicles to Redfield Machine for years and will continue to do so for many many more. You just don’t get the quality of service anywhere else.

NB: I will be calling to get an explanation for the problem I just discovered after taking my car to Redfield, because I am surprised by it.
The owner is very nice (we have chatted about his wife’s long history with the English dept., which I am in), and will advise you if repairs will be expensive. I have been there a few times. However, I recently had my car towed into Redfield after it overheated on the 80. I was told that the person who had last repaired my car hadn’t put a hose clamp on the radiator hose (he shook his head at the prior person’s irresponsibility), and it had come off, causing coolant to spray all over under the hood. I was charged $ 65 for the diagnosis (not hard to see that the hose was off) and repair, which consisted of pressure testing the engine and the owner’s assertion that, «I put the hose back on.» This seemed fair.
Today, my car started overheating again. Guess why? No one put a hose clamp on at Redfield, and I had the exact same problem he supposedly fixed.
This is really irritating, not to mention hard on my engine, which already has a repaired head-​gasket leak. I’ll be asking my credit card to reverse the $ 65 charge.
I also don’t like that the cost of diagnosis there depends on who does it: the owner will often take a look at something like a cracked gas cap for free, whereas the other two guys who are there will quote apparently arbitrary prices. They all acknowledge that the owner can be «too nice» with this type of thing (which I understand), but I don’t like that it’s kind of a crap shoot. Once when I went, I was quoted $ 35 for an engine code readout (by one of the other guys who works there), and when I said I’d just risk it and take it to another mechanic who would do it for free (my normal mechanic in SF), he said he’d do it for free after all. I gave him $ 15, because I felt weird about the whole transaction. I hadn’t been trying to bargain, I just told him No, thanks.

I LOVE this place! I just brought my car there yesterday.
I was told by another place that I needed new spark plugs and air shocks. I was not happy with that place and their service, so I decided to come here since it is really close to work and got great reviews on Unilocal.Bob told me that he took out a spark plug and there is no way I need new ones. I didn’t need new air shocks either, but he thought I would need another part that was over $ 500. He said that he didn’t feel comfortable just putting it in because it was so expensive, so he recommended I make an appointment with the dealer to verify that that was in fact what I needed and the work would be guaranteed. When I came to pick up my car, he actually took the phone off the hook to explain everything to me and make sure I understood everything that was done and what his recommendations were. I have never had service like that anywhere, and I have been to MANY mechanics. It was so refreshing to find a mechanic who really cares about your car and wants to make sure it runs well and gets you the best deal possible. I will definitely be back and I highly recommend this company.

This place is awesome. Decently price and they will not lie or play tricks on you! I went and they found a leak in the reservoir tank. Instead of changing it for me, he said it would be cheaper if I just go to Napa buy the part and replace it myself because it wasn’t hard. Saved myself a lot of money. Go to him! He rocks! I’ve been there a few more times after the first and they never disappoint.

I am new to the area and was somewhat lost when it came to finding a mechanic when my car broke down. I have used the same mechanic for years in my hometown so I was hesitant to find someone new whom would not rip me off or take advantage of the fact that I am a young college student. Because of the stellar reviews for this place for the past few years on Unilocal I decided to give this place a go. Bob was so nice and caring and it quickly became evident I was not going to be taken advantage of here.
When diagnosing my car Bob ensured I was observing what he was doing and explained how each piece should look and test. It was cool because instead of just fixing my car he took the time to show me what was wrong. Bob was even nice enough to find parts that I could afford. Really great place
Bob was very kind, friendly, and caring and I very much appreciated the time he took to explain his processes prior to completing them.

Bob is the last honest mechanic alive. We were recommended to him by a friend just like everyone else who recommends this place through word of mouth. This place is in a very obvious, yet obscure part of town and you’ll never find it unless you’re looking for it.
I’ve always dreaded going to the mechanic, they know exactly how much power they have over your desperate, ignorant, naïve self. But Bob is not any normal mechanic. For god sakes, this guy has a doctorate in medieval spanish studies!
My wife and I aren’t rich people by any means and when we took her car in he asked if we wanted 1 or 2 hours of service, and this is what makes him different.
Bob: I see that you guys are a bit hesitant when it comes to the money and I understand, you don’t want to break the bank. How’s about I look into the car for an hour and if that’s all that is needed, we’ll just do that. But if I need additional time, I’ll call you guys and see if you want me to continue.
It’s almost as if Bob was trying to convince us to spend less money! So he patched up my wife’s car and talked our ears off. About half friendly chit-​chat which was insanely interesting and about half exactly what is wrong with our car. He loves showing the parts and teaching you what is broken, why, and how to prevent it next time. So I took my car there a few weeks later because my radiator busted. He replaced it cheap AND he fixed my squeaky door! THIS WAS AMAZING!!! He didn’t even mention that he fixed it, and I only noticed about a week later. Again, this guy is amazing!

Bob is so genuinely honest! Not like other mechanics who will try to rip you off! I came here because my car was leaking coolant, and I wanted to get a quote on how much it’ll cost to fix it. Got to the autoshop, opened up my hood to let Bob see the leaking coolant. And right away he pointed out that I had a crack in my radiator and I would probably have to replace it. I asked if i could seal the crack but he was honest and said that it would not last very long and then he proceeded to explained (STEP BY STEP) how I should seal the crack if I wanted to do it myself. What was so kind of him was that he gave me a quote on how much it’ll cost to replace it, and then he suggested I go to Triple A to get another quote so I can compare! Now that is a truly modest mechanic. I wasn’t complaining about the price or anything (because I had no idea how much it would cost so I was just going to pay whatever the price was!) Now, a greedy mechanic would’ve just told me I needed to get it replaced right away, so they can have my business.
I would definitely suggest this autoshop to anyone! Although I did not get my car repaired here, Bob seems to be a stellar mechanic from our brief meeting!

Best mechanic in Davis. I will be sorry when Bob retires. He is incredible. It is worth going down and talking to him even if you do not have car troubles. He and his crew of mechanics are super nice and knowledgable (one of the mechanics drives a Honda with 325,000 miles on it and the car still looks and runs great). Anyway, I have been here several times with several different vehicles and he always breaks down all the options and give me honest advice even though it might cost him money. I would give Redfield Machine 6 stars if I could.

Great work and done fast!!! Cheaper than estimates from other mechanics, and much friendlier. Good information every step of the way. Will continue to bring my vehicles in as long as they are around.

I HIGHLY recommend this place. Bob is one of the most candid and hardworking mechanics I know.
I came in one hot Davis afternoon and Bob immediately jumped up to service. He got on his hands and knees (on extremely hot pavement) and began to diagnose my car troubles. He found what was wrong immediately (gas leak) and also pointed out a few other things that may cause future problems, but said he wouldn’t work on those without my consent. I liked how he dumbed things down for me (I know absolutely nothing about cars) and explained all potential costs before starting any work. All in all, he fixed up my car sooner than expected at a reasonable price.
Also, if you’re trying to call him but he isn’t picking up, sometimes he keeps his phone off the hook when he’s busy. It might be better to just stop by the shop if you live close by.

This guy was SOOO nice! I went to have them check out a creaking noise in my car. He took the time to drive around the block with me and listen to it. Then he told me I didn’t need to get it fixed right away and oiled it for me so it would last a bit longer. He just shook my hand and sent me on my way. Didn’t charge me a dime. I’m definitely going back to him when the time comes to fix my car.

Had some routine maintenance done. Mr. Redfield was very courteous and helped me with a brake issue for no charge. Will be returning in the future.

Bob is the most sincere, knowledgeable, and honest mechanic around. He runs a good shop, is trustworthy and has lower (or at least reasonable) rates. Also a good all-​around dude.
Not only will he fix your car, he will tell you other things that could be replaced or fixed, and teach you how to do it yourself.

I go to Redfield Machine for all of my car needs. I brought my old car in when it was in bad shape and Bob did his best to repair it at a low cost. When all was lost with the car and I had to buy a new one, Bob did a great job going over all the parts with me and figuring out any issues with the new (used) car. Bob does a great job and at a reasonable price, I can see why people love him!

Brought my car here because my check engine light came on. Bob made sure right away it wasn’t little errors that made it turn on. Diagnosed it for $ 80 and taught me how to change the air sensor because he said it was really easy (which turned out to be true!) and saved me over $ 100. Kind of like a grandfather who was trying to teach a college kid how to fix cars haha. Thanks Bob!

Mr. Redfield is completely honorable and honest. In addition, he knows everything about car repair. Trust him with any problem big or small.

For the 2^nd time I had a car breakdown on me on a Saturday, but this time I was in San Francisco for the day. I had no idea what was wrong with the car and didn’t want to leave it at some random garage/​dealership over the weekend and have it stuck in the city. A short panic and a call to AAA later, figured out Davis is about 75 miles away and I have 100 miles towing covered so we had it taken to Redfield and left a note with the keys in their drop box.
The car was fixed within a few days (new radiator) after a few phone calls back and forth to Bob. As always, he was super nice, honest, knowledgeable, affordable and helpful. Best mechanic ever!