Southside Motors F D

Great customer service and so helpful. Thank you for working with us through continuing issues! Highly recommended!

Overall I’m a fan.
Richard was very helpful in explaining exactly what was going on with my fan belt and after he put some new tensioners on I was on my way and haven’t had any problems since.
The only reason I subtract a star is they had to keep the car over the weekend for a fairly simple repair. Richard was very upfront with me about how busy they were and that it would be a couple days so it was no problem.

Let me start by saying I have been spoiled my whole life having a hardcore machinist for a father. Now that he has moved to Hawaii and my brothers live far and wide I was in dire need of a new mechanic.
Richard RADIATES kindness and you immediately feel well taken care of. He explained every little thing and even went so far as to show me the problems! Really amazing to be walked through the process, have everything done in a timely manner, I never felt pressured and I feel confident that my 2014 Ford will be healthy in no time! I’m over the moon to have found an excellent establishment to take care of my car!

Have you ever wondered if the universe makes decisions for you that lead you to people you probably knew in a past life? This was the path that lead me to Richard at Southside Motors.
When my check engine light came on, I by chance decided to try the auto shop just 2 blocks from work. Life had just dealt me several weeks of bad hands and this was the cherry in top. But Richard could sense all that and took care of me like family.
He got me a rental car with his company discount and handled everything for me. When I picked up the car 2 days later with a new radiator and battery, he even had packets of Emergen-​C for me because he remembered I was getting a cold. The universe, man! What an awesome experience!

Outstanding customer service and a very resonable deal! Fixed my civic up and runs like a champ, don’t hesitate to bring your ride here. They fixed what another shop screwed up and offered a great 12k guarantee. Richard is an honest shop owner and great guy!!!

I think I have found a place to take my car now. I have been going to the dealer since I bought my car there. But now that it is going to its 9^th year, I feel comfortable going to a local mechanic. I should have done the switch a few years earlier. Anyway, I’ve come to Southside Motors for three issues now, and so far so good.

I was going grey worrying about getting my car fixed. I wanted the work done right but didn’t want to go broke. Southside Motors was recommended to me and Richard, the mechanic took great care of me. He worked hard to ensure that I had car over the weekend and didn’t keep it any longer than neeeded. He steam cleaned the engine and the car came out running great, looking sharp and… best part… I didn’t spend a ton of money. Fabulous.

I have never been more impressed! i highly recommend going to see richard with ANY of your car needs. not only was he fast, respectful and cheap, but he actually took the time to fix it all while i was out of town. such a nice guy who truly has your best interest at heart. i ended up having to replace a part i had already replaced from nappa a few weeks prior. the part itself was bad so richard went to nappa for me to replace the part so i could get the warranty… even tho thats not where he buys his parts! wow, so impressed and happy, you should def TAKE YOUR CAR HERE!!!

You know the sound: that screeeeeech your car makes when the brake pads (and consequently your rotors) are DONE. You are also aware of how much those bad boys cost, which is why you waited until the last minute to fix this issue (like an idiot) – so really, no one is to blame but you. While I can freely admit that this has happened to me, I honestly cannot express the gratitude that I wish to express to Southside Motors.
I had been really nervous to get my breaks changed due to the horrific quotes I was hearing over the phone when making calls: «Anywhere from $ 350-​$ 400, so really a great bargain,» they would say. Well, no, not really John the Automan. I have a ’99 Toyota Camry, that is one third of the price I paid for it, so thanks for the bargain, but I will pass.
I finally came upon Southside Motors and decided to give one last call, in hopes that the auto gods would have mercy on my lack of hustle to fix my breaks. I was relieved to hear the gentleman say over the phone, «Sounds like this is your first time to Southside, let me let you in on special bargain… just for you.»
He preceded to inform me that I should head to Autozone to buy the materials I needed, as it would be a lot cheaper and they could also offer me a lifetime warranty on those particular break pads. He continued by urging me to use his name saying, I may be able to get a discount.
Finally, he mentioned that if I simply buy the breaks, he would put them on for me for a low fee of $ 100! Yes, John the Automan, now that is a bargain! I ended up paying close to $ 150 less than what I was initially quoted at multiple locations.
Needless to say, should I ever need anything else done to my car (auto gods, spare me) I will be heading to Southside Motors.

These guys were a lifesaver… literally. My boyfriend and I had driven up to Portland from LA and our car had started shaking at freeway speeds at the end of our trip. We took it to two mechanics in the area, and both had assured us out car was fine to make it home (despite the shake). Well on the way home the shaking got so bad that we knew something was rotten in Denmark and decided to stop at Southside to get it checked out (again). Not only did they find the issue, they rearranged their entire day to make sure that they looked at the car promptly enough to get us back on the road home quickly. The car in fact was NOT safe to drive, and it was lucky that we had made it as far as we had. They told us to go back to Costco (where the tires were balanced incorrectly in the first place) to get them rebalanced again FREE of charge there. They also let us know that if we got any static from another mechanic that they would back us up. I wish these guys were serving the SoCal area! They are as good as it gets!

Nice enough. Did not fix what I asked them to fix. Then committed to following up with me after my car did not start after spending a couple of hundred dollars on what I allegedly needed and just failed to show up at the designated time. I confirmed the time approximately 30 minutes prior in spite of several calls that day. No show. No phone call. No follow up. I was left stranded. Had to change several appointments. Very disappointing experience. I will never return.

I liked how open and honest they were with me about my car repairs. I went to another place and they charged me $ 44 just to check why the check engine light was on.
They were great here and went to extra mile to make sure they knew what was really going on with my car before having charged me anything. After they found the real problem, they called me and told me they were going to have it fixed by the end of the day, on a Friday! Most mechanics want to take off and leave because it’s the end of the week, but I’m so appreciative they were dedicated to getting me my car back. I’m definitely going to come back.
Best thing ever: they saved me $ 200+!!!

This shop was recommended to me by a close friend of mine. I brought my car here for a second opinion after getting an outrageous transmission estimate from the Honda Dealership. Although the shop does get extremely busy Richard and the mechanic Diego found the time to really listen to my concerns and service my Honda which was in bad shape. True to previous reviews, Richard is a character but he is also straightforward and a no BS kind of guy. The mechanic Diego is knowledgeable and honest. This place got my car running smoothly again while saving me lots of $$$. I would definitely trust them with any major work that needs to be done.

So, last week I was driving around real fast and went over a speed bump and poof! There went my radio.
I can’t even drive without a radio. It sounds dumb and it is but I am not going to drive without any tunes and my days of stocking up on D batteries for my ghetto boom box in the passenger seat are long, long over. I got a child. Plus I am almost 30. But who’s counting.
I’m no electrician but I know how to replace a bad fuse. And indeed yes, the radio one was blown for sure. So I replace it and start the car up and it blows again. And repeat. Shit. I definitely can’t diagnose this problem but I can tell you one thing right now: I can’t afford it.
Since my Dad is very well-​versed in all things electrical, I call him up and he says there’s a problem with the radio. So I go over to Fry’s just to figure out how much a new radio might cost. Much to my delight, car stereos are super cheap now. I was like wow, I might even be able to FINALLY get an auxiliary input for my iPod! This whole disaster might be a blessing! I installed a car radio or two back in the 90s. No problems. I know how to wire a harness and use a wire cutter.
Ready to solve this problem I drive down to the sticks, happy to have Dad in case something goes wrong. But I got less than a warm reception from my pops, whose new solution to everything is «pay someone else to mess around with all of that.» Damn, Dad. Really? Are you the same man that rewired the same set of Christmas lights for over twenty years for like three days straight every Christmas or am I trippin? What a difference a decade makes. Pops was hella proud of me back in the day when I installed my own car radio in my Toyota. But he was drinking straight hatorade this time.
So I pull off the dash, yank that damn radio out and wire the harness for the new system. Should be able to get this done before dinner. I hook it all up, turn key, and the radio doesn’t turn on. Shit. To that Dad retorts «Uh, you messed up the harness.» Oh hell no you didn’t try to go there, Dad. Really? Like I haven’t been playing wires and switches and doing ground tests with you all my life? Puh-​lease. Catch you later, when you rethink that thought. Do not insult me. I know how to put wires together.
So I get the hell out of that cowtown because I was PISSED and I think, OK. Well at least we know it ain’t the radio. So I pull the radio out and Zap! There go the blinkers, the dash, everything but the headlights. WTF.
Exasperated, I went to the Broadway Auto Zone and tried to address what I could there, replacing all the fuses that blew and whatnot. I ask the manager if there’s a good mechanic that isn’t going to gouge me for a couple of loose wires. He says, «well, actually,»
And right next to me at the counter was Richard, who owns this shop. He looks at the situation. He looks at the car. He gives me a look, affirming that I am determined, which I am. I tell him I can’t drive without music and he seems to get that. He’s says call him at 4:30 to see where his guys are at and if possible he will have someone look at it. So I call at 4:30 and he says to go ahead and bring it in. Now it is a Friday, so this is highly compassionate. No doubt.
So Zoey and I get there, and the shop is so freaking cool. He’s got everything in there. It is elite-​event worthy, if there was a bar we’d be set. The place is like a trove of things I have never seen anywhere else. And being the type of gal I am, I take some hard looks and I note that everything, down to an ancient looking pinball machine under three other things, WORKS. Someone is plain passionate around here and loves to fix shit. I mean everything is working. That is a big deal in this business.
His mechanic Diego found and fixed the electrical issue and even installed the radio for next to nothing and in less than ten minutes. He told me I wired the harness correctly, but there were a couple of bad wires making an arc causing the fuses to blow. I would like to have that in writing to mail to my Dad.
But the place was so cool that Zoey and I hung out there for like an hour. Zoey even cried when we left Richard’s shop. Bottom line, this is a mechanic that isn’t going to screw you. And this is me telling you this, so please tell Richard Johnna sent you. You will not be disappointed and you may end up entertained, as Zoey and I were tonight. This is a very easy five stars. Now go get your car fixed already! Everybody here is cool and down to fix anything that’s broken. They made my day!

Richard was amazing! Great experience getting new struts for a reasonable price. Richard walked me thru checking coolant level and radiator fluid before I left on a long trip too, well above and beyond. Will always drive from Arcata to Sacramento, when I can, just to let Richard work on my car.

I don’t go here any more, but I did. They do shoddy work. They did work that I didn’t ask for and didn’t do work that I did ask for. The worst thing was that a part they replaced for me went bad less than a year after they installed it due to faulty installation. The second time they installed the part didn’t fare much better than the first.

Love this place. I took my car here to get my front brake rotors changed. I had my own performance rotors and pads and it was no problem at all. Big O told me they couldn’t help me because it was a warranty issue. Whatever!
These guys were chill and laid back and got the job done right on schedule. I had to find another place since Auto Technica Garage shut down on me…
This shop is going to get a ton of my business and should get yours as well.

Richard was great, flexible and friendly. He called before replacing a filter that was not originally quoted. Close to work and plenty of parking for a downtown location.
They claimed they guarantee their work, how can you beat that. Thank you Southside Motors!

I’ve been to a lot of great mechanics and this one fits top on the list. Not only was the proprietor, Richard, friendly and helpful, he went way out of his way to help me, including driving out to an auto parts retail store to replace a part for me that was still under warranty. The price was reasonable and the service was fast. He kept in contact with me about everything. I highly recommend this shop to anyone. Please bring your car to Southside Motors. You will not be disappointed.

My dad started going to Southside nearly 20 years ago when he was working in downtown Sacramento. While he doesn’t work downtown anymore he still trusts all of our cars to Southside Motors and I began taking my car here as soon as I got my license.
Ron is as good a man as you will ever meet. Honest, funny, to the point and runs a shop worth your business. Definitely worthy of five stars.