New paint job and sign 2010

Location
1600 E. 8th St. in the Davis Manor shopping center
Hours
Monday to Friday: 7:30 am to 5:30 PM
Closed on the weekends
Phone
(530)753-3418

George's Auto Repair is a automobile repair place. They charge $90 for an estimate and often quote prices lower than other local repair shops, sometimes throwing in simple fixes or maintenance for free.

They also let you inflate your bike tires for free.

  • When your car used to go vroom vroom and now just goes drip drip, you might be in need of local Automobile Repair!

Comments:

You must be logged in to comment on this page. Please log in.

2005-02-07 16:42:04   George is a really nice and honest guy who does a good job fixing cars for a resonable cost —MyaBrn


2005-05-10 17:53:18   Definitely recommend George and his shop. My check engine light was on, my car was acting a little funny, so I called 6 different places on the Automobile Repair list for estimates. George’s was the lowest by at least $30 to 50 on average. One place was $107 more! It ended up costing $90 (which was equal to the estimate) for the labor/diagnosis and slight fixup. That’s a pretty big difference. —ES


2006-05-08 17:22:39   Quick, friendly, and honest service. My car wouldn't start and I had it towed to George's. In less than a day, they bought the new part needed, and fixed my car. Eric the mechanic was so nice. He was patient and explained to me in detail what he fixed. —JennChoi


2006-12-06 15:46:29   I took my Explorer here this morning. Strange that they quoted me $90 for an estimate, but I will ask when I go pick it up after work. I like the other guy who works there too. —MyaBrn


2006-12-10 16:19:59   Cheap and knowledgable. I had them do a CV axle and auto transmission service (just a filter & fluid change). Note: They don't do clutch work. —CaptainRush


2007-01-19 13:04:47   Very nice guy, this George. Very efficient. Cheapest place in town to get a tire patched. Only $15, and that includes putting the tire back on the car. —EliseKane


2007-03-13 02:35:40   They'll let you use their pump to fill your bike tires for free. —WilliamBeamish


2007-11-07 14:10:38   Called today. George's Auto Repair will rotate and balance all four tires for $68. —MattVanGundy


2008-02-06 10:11:19   This is a very honest and good auto shop. Fair prices, quick turnaround. I highly recommend this place, I have gone here for about 2 years with no complaints at all. I went to another auto shop (Johnny's) at first and was charged a large $140 diagnostic fee for them to tell me nothing was wrong. I took my car here and he told me a belt needed to be replaced, cost $80 total and my car worked great. It had been making some bad squeaking noise before that. —DagonJones


2008-02-11 20:11:32   Essentially i have the same comment as DagonJones. The two guys at the shop are nice and honest. George is old and mostly does the transactions. Eric is not quite as old and seems to do most of the service nowadays. He will call to update you on progress and if there will be additional costs so you can weigh your options before they perform additional repairs not in the original estimate. Their diagnostic fee may seem high (it's around $40 depending on the problem), but it's a flat rate and usually worth it to find out what's really wrong with your car. I took both my 88 Honda Civic and my friends 93 Dodge Spirit for service and tire balance. My other friend took his 2001 Mazda Protege in for the 60k mile service and told me he was also happy with the job they did. —NoahPK


2008-10-06 12:21:18   My pickup truck was making a slight grinding noise on the left side when I’d go over bumps, so I took it to George's for a diagnosis ($45). Eric phoned and said my sway bar bolt on the left side was cracked, and that it would cost $250 altogether to have it and the bolt on the right side replaced (which Eric said may or may not be cracked, but either way, he said, it may follow suit, if the other side is indicative of a trend). Without fixing the other side, it would cost $200. I said I’d phone back with a response, because it seemed really costly for such a cheap part. According to some autoworker forums online, replacing a sway bar is a relatively easy task (if you have the right tools, which I don’t). I agreed to proceed, but then about half an hour later, Eric phoned back and said his parts supplier made a mistake on the pricing, and that it would cost an extra $29.99. I thought this figure a bit odd (it seemed conveniently rounded up), so I conveyed my suspicion. Eric stammered for an excuse—something about bushings—but I stopped him short, deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt. The actual repair was executed without a hitch, with same-day turnaround, and Eric fixed a loose protective flap under my wheel-well for no additional charge. I doubt my experience is indicative of anything untoward, but I thought I’d share all the same. —ZN


2009-01-19 16:22:12   This was my first time at George's Auto Repair and I left very happy. My pickup truck was making a horrible rattling noise and losing coolant fast. Eric was helping me and already knew what was wrong as I drove in. Since we already knew what was wrong, they didn't try to push me for the diagnostic fee like some other repair shops I checked out before finding this one. I had a good feeling from the start. He gave me a quote, I left my car, picked it up, and that was it. These guys are fast, friendly, knowledgeable, and cheap. They do a great job, explain everything, and don't try to rip you off. I will definitely go back if my car needs maintenance again. Highly recommended. —cielillusoire


2009-01-21 16:33:01   This place is the best. I have brought both my cars to George and Eric to have work done on them. Once for a routine maintenance service and the other for a major brake / rotor replacement. Their prices are very fair and competitive and the service is honest. Nice to see an auto shop that still embodies the way things used to be. Great job guys! Thank you. —Roberto


2009-02-18 14:12:03   George is great, really reliable & with good prices. Before I had a VW (now I go to Univ Imports with that...) I had a Toyota with a blown head gasket. Rather than fleecing me for an expensive repair George found out about a recall & referred me to the dealer to get it done at no cost. I was so appreciative! A good friend has used George's for many years & she highly recommends as well. —Dora5


2009-11-25 15:25:52   They are awesome! I was hearing weird sounds from my tires (sounded like a helicopter). I didn't to be ripped off like before with Speedee... so I did some research and found this page and decided to go there because of the good things everyone said here. Anyway, I am soo glad I went there because they were exactly like everyone said— honest, knowledgeable and very efficient. I'll definitely go back again! —YLor


2009-12-01 19:53:58   Excellent service—prompt and efficient. Eric helped me find a cost-effective way to deal with my seat belt issue. —CathyYoung


2009-12-18 14:44:34   I've been going to George and Eric for five or more years and they always do an excellent job. They're efficient, honest, well-priced, and always willing to talk you through any repairs they need to make on your car. They'll also tell you if something's worth fixing at the moment or if it can wait. Really, really nice guys. I value their work. —EliseKane


2009-12-18 17:23:38   Honest auto repair shops are rare in Davis these days. Georges has been around for 50 years, even when it was a Mobil gas station in the haydays. Whatever their prices are, the honesty is what really counts and I have never heard anything bad. Auto repair is generally expensive anyway but they don't gouge that I know of like they do over at Anderson Shell, George is just not that kind of guy. —cjsg


2010-05-04 09:43:20   Took my '03 Ford Focus to Gorges on Thursday because it died coming off Richards and would not start again. I live less than 100 feet from his front door so I thought this place would be very convenient. Payed $95 for a diagnostic. He asked me what the symptoms were before the car died. Told him it was surging or skipping (generally running ruff) for about 20 mi before it died. After the diagnostic he told me the Timing belt was broke. Suggested i replace the water pump at the same time. I took his advice gave then $700 when i picked it up on Friday. I work in the bay area and had to return my rental car so i drove it Friday and Saturday. Sunday when i drove my car to work it was running ruff and surging again. Georges has no answering machine so i couldn't call after hours or on the weekend and talk to anyone. Phone just rings. This morning (Monday) at 7am i drove the car over to tell him the check engine light came on and the car was running ruff again. George told me without looking at the car that he didn't believe it was related to the repairs and needed $95 to re-diagnose the problem. I told him they had just diagnosed it and performed major repairs. Seemed that the diagnostic at least should be included in the warranty service. He dismissed me and told me to talk to Eric (the guy who worked on the car) when he arrived. I waited for about 15 minutes for Eric to arrive. Eric hooked my car up to their diagnostic equipment and told me the check engine light was on because the 3rd cylinder was misfiring. I told him I suspected something of the sort. He told me to find out why it would be another $95 bucks. More yapping back and forth led me to ask if they test drove the car after the repairs. He told me "No, we didn't need to. The car runs." I have never heard of a mechanic who didn't test drive a car after a major repair like a timing belt.

I went back home (again only 100ft) and called the folks at Center City. Told them my story and they were very nice. Told me they would diagnose the problem for free to help me out but they couldn't get to it until Thursday. They agreed that not test driving the car after such extensive repairs was odd. I thanked them and called the next folks on the wiki.

Next i called AAMCO. Shawn was very attentive and also agreed that not test driving the car after a timing belt replacement was odd. After hearing my story they agreed to do the diagnostic for $45 (half of the normal price) and apply the diagnostic fee to any repairs. Opened the hood and found original ford spark plug wires. I just got back from there and at least feel better about how they treated me.

My issue with Georges is not the actual repair they did. It'w what they didn't do. OK so he didn't test drive the car. OK so the problem may be unrelated to the timing belt. When i took it back to him it would seem apparent that something was missed after he completed the repair. Would he have replaced the timing belt if the engine was shot? Probably because he would have had no idea. If its just a tune up thats needed (the car has 150k mi on it) i would expect a competent mechanic who has just done major service to recommend that. They didn't and from what George and Erick are telling me would not in hind sight.

They made no effort to work with me... Were very dismissive... In the end I had to go some ware else. I will just start out going some ware else in the future. [EDIT: Sorry I double posted] [update: turns out plugs and wires were bad... had they given me a little customer service i would have spent another $200 with them. Instead my money went else ware —Clifford


2010-05-23 16:59:13   George is the man for numerous reasons, best shop in town.

Glad to see it got a new paint job —StevenDaubert


2010-06-14 19:14:54   My wife took the car to George's today, she was convinced it needed new brakes. She brought it in for a brake check, he quoted us $40 for the check. He did not recommend new brakes and only charged us $20 because it took less time than he thought it would. He said we could probably get another 30,000 miles on our brakes. Other shops would have charged us the full estimate regardless of how long it took and advised we get new brakes because our current brakes are worn. I appreciate his honesty in a situation where he could have easily taken advantage of our ignorance. —DagonJones


2010-12-21 11:39:41   Took my car in (150k+ miles) for oil and other fluids and brake check. I felt the price was fair, the feedback was straightforward with no motive or recommendation for additional work. To me that is a good first visit and I will continue to take my car to them. —CharlieFrank


2011-01-28 14:37:06   My wife had brought our car to George's before for some routine maintenance, and everything was fine. This time, however, was a different story. I brought my car into George's a few days ago due to a loud squelch that had just occurred the day before. George diagnosed the problem and stated that I needed both front axles replaced, and it would cost me $500 out the door. I told him to go ahead with the repairs and he had them by the end of the same day, which was nice.

However the story continues two days later, when after getting off the freeway on my way to work, I hear a large thump and suddenly I have no forward momentum. Someone helpfully pushed me to the side of the road and I inspected the car the best I could (i'm not much of a car guy). Nothing was outwardly apparent, except that I was leaking fluid. I immediately called George to inquire as to whether this was a problem with the axles he had installed. He proceeded to tell me it didn't seem like an axle problem, and that it could be something wrong with my transmission. Because I was so far away from Davis (I work in the bay area), I had it towed to a local shop and had them diagnose it.

While I was waiting I called my father, which is absolutely not a mechanic (at best a car afficianado), and described to him the situation, and he stated that axle must have disconnected from the transmission due to improper installation. An hour later it was confirmed by the mechanic local to my work that that was indeed the problem, one of the axles had disconnected, irreperably damaging it. Thankfully that shop was able to replace the axle and patch my transmission up, and the cost of the repairs totalled yet another $450.00.

Now to Georges credit when I brought him the invoice and the axel the next day he refunded my wife & I the cost of the repairs & the tow (Didn't bother asking for reimbursment of the time I had to take off work). I appreciate he didn't try to fight our claim or give us the run around, but I definetely won't be returning to his shop, my wife often drives the car to see her folks, and I would never feel comfortable having her drive long distance on her own with his repairs again. —Oceaniax


2013-01-15 12:48:41   I had a rat eat through 12 wires on the harnesses coming out of the steering block of my ancient jeep. (Apparently rats seek out engine warmth on cold nights and apparently all rodents teeth grow forever and so they keep them short and sharp by chewing on things they shouldn't). George was able to strip connect 10 of the wires for $290. He didn't fix the other two because they were in difficult locations and would have been substantially more expensive to fix. The two broken wires don't do anything that important and I had indicated a willingness to pay the bare minimum possible. I was pretty happy to get the jeep working again, especially for less than $300. —MikeyCrews


2014-01-06 08:45:24   took my leaking car to George and he fixed it in record time and didn't charge me an arm and leg for the service I would recommend George everytime —carolebair