Speedee Oil Change & Tune Up

Automobile Repair can be a fact of life for most of us in California, like death and taxes. And looking for a qualified mechanic can be like searching for a new dentist — you want a recommendation before you go under the knife and shell out big bucks. If you've had an exceptional service or consistent experience with a business in town, help the rest of us as well as that great mechanic you trust with your car and your life: add your experience to the business' page.

If you're not looking for a mechanic or maybe you want something for your car other than "repair," the Auto Parts section may have what you're looking for.

Please note that while many repair facilities may specialize in a specific service, such as tires, they often also provide general automotive repair and are listed in both sections. However, since most auto repair shops can and will provide oil changes, only those shops primarily providing tune-ups and oil change service are listed under that specialty.

Reference Information

General Automotive Repair

Oil Change/Tune Up

Most mechanics and auto shops will do oil changes and tune ups, but there are a few places in Davis that specialize in these services. Many motorists change their own oil (Link. )The conventional wisdom is that an oil change every 3,000 miles is a good idea, but in recent years auto manufacturers have been increasing the recommended interval. In fact, the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery recently began a campaign (link) trying to get consumers to wait the full recommended interval before getting an oil change. Californians would save roughly 10,000,000 gallons of engine oil per year by waiting.

Smog Check

Most California vehicle owners must get their cars smog checked every two years. However, there are exempt vehicles: link. Most cars can be checked at places that both test and repair cars. There are also test-only stations, which are government sanctioned to check smog, but are unable to give any advice or perform repairs. Any car can be tested at a test-only station; if you are paranoid and think your test station might be trying to get some repairs from you, you can go to a test-only station even if not required. However, test-only stations tend to be more expensive than test and repair stations. Some offer a free retest.

If you fail your smog test, the repairs can be pricey. The Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) can subsidize your repairs for up to $500 if you have low income. CAP also applies to the ~2% of randomly chosen people who are required by the DMV to go to a Test-Only station. If you have expired registration, you need a No-Fee Special Moving Permit, described in the Handbook of Registration Procedures. After failing a smog check, submit a CAP application and wait about two weeks to hear back from them or for same day service, completed applications can be delivered to: Bureau of Automotive Repair Consumer Assistance Program 10240 Systems Parkway Sacramento, CA 95827

It usually takes about 30 minutes to receive your approval letter. To drive to their office, take highway 50 east. Exit south on Bradsahw Road (Exit 13). Turn left on Old Placerville Road. Turn left on Systems Parkway and their office is on the left. It is about 25 miles from Davis. If approved, you can only use your CAP subsidy at a Gold Shield Station. A useful tip that might make the difference between passing and failing is to take your car for a twenty minute drive to warm up the engine enough for the catalytic converter to function effectively.

*EDIT 5/31/11* The CAP program is discontinued. However, there is a new program called Vrrrm (see http://www.vrrrm.org/). The program aims to reduce car emissions and will pay up to $800 for approved emissions-related diagnostics and repairs. I failed a smog check at Advanced Auto Repair and Towing in South Davis (The only Gold Shield Station in town) and a helpful worker explained the program to me. The criteria is easy to meet if you bought gas in California between 1995 and 2005, as no financial information is required. Approval is mostly dependent on the registration status of the car in California. "Advanced Auto Repair" is the only shop in Davis that is able to uphold this program. If your car fails the smog and you qualify for Vrrrm, the savings on repairs can literally be hundreds of dollars.

Woodland generally has cheaper prices than Davis in this category; In both cities, coupons are widespread and provide noticeable cost savings. Many can be found in the Consumers Guide. One of the shops (Yolo Smog?) has bogus ads.

Some of these businesses also provide general automotive repair (not test-only stations, by definition), and are listed in that section as well.

Price comparison for cars as of 05/05/2009:

Business Type Price Coupon Total
Davis Auto Care & Fleet Service Center TBD TBD TBD TBD
Davis Shell Regular 54.50 10.00 39.95
[WWW]Yolo Smog Test Only 59.95 20.00 39.95
Aggie Smog Test Only 66.75 20.00 46.75
Davis Smog Test Only 66.75 20.00 46.75
Express Smog Test Only 75.00 20.00 55.00
E-Z Smog Test Only 75.00 15.00 60.00
Advanced Auto Repair & Towing Gold Shield Station,Test & Repair and Test Only 46.70 10.00 36.70
George's Auto Repair not sure 88.20 (certificate included) not sure —

Note: These prices do not include the $8.25 for the smog certificate, which you'll need if your car passes. Also, some places charg

Note: These prices do not include the $8.25 for the smog certificate, which you'll need if your car passes. Also, some places charge more for older (pre-1995) cars. Updates (March 2013): Advanced Auto Repair & Towing pricing still valid. Coupon only works for cars >1995. Davis Auto Care & Fleet Service Center has no smog checks but will begin April 1, 2013 (hopefully not a joke). Pricing TBD. (Jan 2014) The Davis Shell garage is no longer open.

Tires

How to choose the best tires?

Tires are the most important performance part on your car. They are the only thing connecting the vehicle to the road and have a huge impact on ride quality, steering response, handling, etc. So instead of just showing up at a shop and picking the tire that looks the prettiest for the price, do some research!

Check out Tire Rack for professional and consumer reviews of most tires. They generally have the lowest prices too, although you have to pay for shipping. Many tire retailers will price match competitors, although they don't always price match online retailers. Big box stores like Walmart and Sears will let you order tires to ship to store for free, but Walmart doesn't mount low profile tires. 

When it's time to get the tires mounted and balanced, make sure to call around for prices! Mounting can range from $12-$35 a tire, depending on the size and the shop. Low profile tires are the most expensive to install, but you shouldn't pay more than $15-$20/ tire. Anything more is a rip off, unless they are road-force balancing your tires which, if you don't know what that means, isn't needed.  A few calls can save some cash. Some places will even price match competitors installation costs.

As with any automotive-related transaction, make sure you go in prepared. Know what you want done and how much it should cost (call around for quotes!). Don't let the service advisor trick you into paying for an unnecessary alignment (if your car tracks straight and the tires are wearing evenly, you're good), oil change (you should keep track of when you're car's due), or fuel system cleaning (most new cars don't need this), etc either.

Transmissions

Rear Differential Work

Body Repair

Machine Shops

Wheel Alignment

In Woodland

Auto Upholstery

Auto Glass

Window Tinting

Auto Parts

Repairing or maintaining your car yourself? Auto Parts stores sell new or rebuilt auto parts as well as tools, lubricants, additives, repair manuals and other automobile related supplies.

Here's a list of stores in Davis:

If what you're looking for isn't available soon enough or you're looking for a better price, there's additional stores in surrounding communities, mostly Woodland, as well as Dixon, Winters and West Sacramento. Sacramento has more.

If a store doesn't have something in stock, it often can be ordered quickly. The clerk can also tell you which other of their stores have it in stock.

Auto Towing

See Towing Services

Motorcycle Service/Parts

See our Motorcycles page for a complete overview of local motorcycling and scooter resources.

See also Car Dealerships

Air Conditioner repair

There may also be other shops in Davis that perform air conditioner repairs, so if the places on the list below can't fix it in time for you, try calling some other shops in the General Automotive Repair section.

Repair air conditioners:

Do NOT repair air conditioners:

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