friendly mechanics, only use dealer parts, fair prices. The shop itself is at a great location downtown Riverside! Clean and safe area

I just wanted to thank you for the excellent service you provided. You could have turned me and my car away given the circumstances but you and your team went above and beyond and made sure my experience was easy and informative. read more

What a fantastic shop! Dalton was recommended by a friend and has been wonderful to keep our Honda Pilot in great shape. Our prior mechanic retired a few years ago and we had been looking for someone that would be a partner in caring for our cars (not just a transaction or pushing extra work). Our Honda Pilot was having what appeared to be transmission issues and we took it to Dalton and Marcello. They figured out the issues and our Pilot is running great! They are our Team for all of our cars. We have referred a few friends to Dalcar Auto and they have had great experiences! read more

I have been going to Dalton since I purchased my Mercedes c300 the service has been exceptional, Dalton and his son Felipe are a great team. Dalton explained everything in detail before and during the work. I also received videos during the process. Overall I appreciate his honesty, efficiency and I do recommend them. Thank you Dalton for fixing my vehicle sooner than I expected. I will continue to bring my vehicle for service. read more

I bought a Jeep from a dealer out of state and unfortunately it arrived with an undisclosed engine tick and needed a lot of work. Dalton came highly recommended for the job, and he delivered! Very thorough communication every step of the way and I have complete confidence that this extensive repair was done right. Dalton and his son Felipe are wonderful people to work with, and operate with the highest level of integrity, you won't be disappointed. read more

Beware: They hand you a blank invoice and make you sign it. But, because I wrote $100 next to my signature (the amount they verbally quoted for their estimate) they called me 20 minutes after I dropped off the car saying to come get it because Dalton now refuses to work on it. Dalton said "after 34 years I should trust them" while asking ME to sign a blank invoice clearly saying I authorize all work to be done. I apologized for upsetting him but as a new customer I don't sign blank agreements saying I agree to pay anything they decide to write on it. To fix this situation all he had to do was write $100 in the estimate box but he refused. NEXT... read more

Been going to Dalton since I bought my car 6 yrs ago and A+ service. Yes sometimes it gets pricey but remember you are driving a high end car & sure don't want to put cheap parts on it. Anyways this shop has helped us & always pleasure to talk to both father and son. They are reliable and actually easy to work with. read more

URGENT! Please BEWARE of Dalton and Dalcar Auto Repair! I want to cry every time I think about our horrible experience with him and his "Auto Repair" shop. He is not a good mechanic, not a good person and will steal your money and claim to fix your vehicle. He does not stand by his warranty - only pretends to. $8,000 and three months with Dalton and my vehicle shoots out smoke! He has hung up on me because he cannot handle when someone stands up to him with legitimate questions - like did you check the truck to see if it smoked before you said the truck was done? Or when I asked how long would it take to diagnose the problem after he said it was done - his response "however long it takes". It took five weeks for him to give me the truck back and yet the vehicle still smokes. Plus when I got the truck back, the alignment was all messed up. There was no problem with that before. Dalton has lied to my parents when they went to check on the truck. Dalton is not a good person to deal with - he is not a professional at all. read more

From my experience I would not recommend. I brought my car to dalton for some services and it returned way worse than when I originally brought it to him. Then when he ran another diagnostic all of sudden there's a lot more issues out of nowhere. There was a lot of red flags that I had noticed because I've experienced some shady stuff before and this didn't feel different. I never usually do reviews but if I can save someone from getting screwed over, I will. Be careful or go somewhere else. Not worth it. read more

The owner and his team do a fantastic job! Thorough, caring, and trustworthy. It's great to have an auto mechanic we can trust!

The team over at Dalcar recently repaired our 328 and got it back into running condition. Originally it was taken to a BMW Dealer in San Diego where they recommended writing off the car as being totaled. Delcar towed the BMW to Riverside and swapped the engine for a lightly used motor. The guys were great to work with and now our BMW is back on the road. read more

I took my car to this shop twice and each time I took it in there resulted a different issue. The last time I came in the owner insulted me with slurs and called me an idiot, stupid, and other demeaning words. He was extremely defensive when I asked him about the mechanisms of each part that was fixed. He repeatedly would cut me off when I tried to explain my issue. I had great rapport with his son who is very helpful and honest, but as far as the owner/head mechanic he is bad news. The things that I came in for: 1st visit- Engine Coils for my Audi A4 Which he charged $650 Then my car oil started leaking. 2nd Visit - Oil Leak Which he charged again $700 Then my car was burning too much oil and overheating 3rd Visit - Overheating He forgot to place the coolant hoses back into the proper place when fixing the oil issue and housing block and now refuses to look at my car. Don't recommend this place at all, and especially if you're African American; expressed rascist remarks that dwelled on current police brutality. read more

These guys give out wrong diagnostics. I would not like to accuse them of being scammers but taking into account their diagnostic monumentally differs from the dealership, which translates into thousands of dollars, I wouldn't be surprised if they were. read more

Ok folks, you really want to know about Dalcar auto repair then read on , (THE FACT ABOUT ME AND DALTON )... 2007 TO 2013 I WAS A PROFESIONAL TRANSPORTOR I delivered brand new camper trailers all over the US and Canada with a Dodge one ton deisel truck. This truck was a vital means for me to make my living. In short NO TRUCK NO WORK FOR ME. I literally drove that truck 11 hours a day every day I was on the road. Now you should understand this before I go on. I was in places that you could not even get a cell phone signal and I had Verizon , I was also in freezing cold weather 14 below zero where as I could not turn off my truck for days at a time for fear of the fuel lines freezing and often driving in the desert at 110 degree punishing heat , and everything in between. I had no choice but to put my faith in a great mechanic . I had over $25,000. Worth of work done in Dalton's shop at one time or another Dalton and his crew replaced or serviced every moving mechanical part on that truck including a complete Engine and transmission overhaul. And I will say this with conviction. ( Dalcar auto repair never caused me to have a mechanical breakdown). I put my safety and my livelihood in Dalton's hands and he never failed me. And I was never left stranded in the middle of nowhere . That truck now has over 500 thousand miles on it . SEE PIC OF THE ODOMETER. So for you one star reviewers . I read it and I call bull on that bs . I and Dalton have a professional relationship. I am not a personal friend of his but I have met some of his family while visiting his shop. He is an upstanding guy and devout Christian. And a good honest business man who deserved every penny I paid him. I suggest that if something is not exactly the way you expected just talk to Dalton he will make it rite. And auto repair is expensive no matter where you go so don't run a good family man down because you want to drive an expensive car on a beer budget. I paid 55k for my truck after the warranty ran out I got tired of getting raked over the coals by the dealers. And that's how I found Dalcar auto repair. I hope this helps you in your search for a great mechanic. read more

I am a vendor/provider for Dalcar and have dealt with him coming on 10 years. Dalton has displayed fairness and integrity at a level rarely encountered in this business. Even during times that I was unable to offer him service in the manner expected, he was a loyal customer to me. I know that at times his dedication to my company negatively impacted his business and upset him, never has he been unfair or anything other than a complete pleasure to deal with. I would send my mother to Dalton for auto service without a second thought. I can usually get an idea of what type of shop I am dealing with by the brands they order, or if all they ever ask about is the price. Dalton always orders the highest available quality parts, as he says it doesn't make sense to save a little money and create a problem for his customer. Dalcar is a top notch facility that only works one way, the right way. You will not get the cheap rate repairs here, but rest assured that Dalton will repair your vehicle correctly and stand behind his work. I have been in this business for almost 30 years and I don't meet too many people that can best me on general automotive knowledge, Dalton has probably forgotten more about cars then I will ever know. read more

Dalcar is great! Dalton is very friendly and honest. I took my Lexus in and it runs and new. I will never go to another mechanic again. God Bless Dalton, very trustworthy and fair. A good man read more

this place is horrible. as a female i'm skeptical of taking my car places and i decided to take my car there from a reference, but biggest mistake. he was charging me $3,100 for a couple issues and i told him if i can pick my car up and he told me for what and i told him to take it somewhere else and he started getting upset telling me to calm down and to let him talk and that nobody will know where to get the parts from and he gassed my car 3 ft away just to give me my car because he refused to let me pull off. worst place to go to ever. rude and will not be treated with respect. read more

Terrific!!! Great customer service at a good price. My car runs like new. Thank God I found a great mechanic. Dalton keeps you informed and explains everything. Trust me this place is the best. I wish I would have known about it sooner. read more

I had become very frustrated at being ripped off by so many automotive repair facilties. Then I found Dalcar. I have since Over a period of Years Taken all my vehicles to Dalton. And have talked many Of my friends into doing the same. His knowledge and expertise is next to none. And his honesty is refreshing. I have taken him Nissan's, BMW's, Mini Coopers, chevrolets and Dodge Durangos And his work on all of them is outstanding. My work truck is a Nissan frontier has well over one million miles on it and is still running great. read more

Consumers beware of this auto repair shop. Dalton will act like he's your best friend, but don't believe it, that's just to earn your trust, so he can later rip you off by charging you double for parts and charging you for unnecessary repairs. I recently took a car in for a simple repair. The repair was an obviously simple one, but after a couple of days at his shop, he came out with a huge list of unnecessary repairs that were later confirmed by another honest mechanic. Needless to say he also charged me for his so called "diagnosis" fee. This man is nothing but a dishonest crook. Thankfully I didn't fall for his BS and went somewhere else!!!! read more

Very good service, Dalton tells you exactly what is needed. Fair prices very experienced highly recommend.

If your looking for an honest repair shop this is the place. I took my car to the dealer and they tried giving me the run around and telling me I need all kinds of unnecessary stuff, took it to Dalcar and he fixed my car at a reasonable price in one day. Honest Christian mom and pop shop ran by father and son read more

Consumers beware, Dalton the owner of this place comes off as a really friendly guy, making it seem like he's your best friend, but dont let showmanship fool you, this guy is a "THIEF" I took my Mercedes CL 500 cause it was making a weird noice due to the ABC active body control. I take it in get a diagnose, he tells I need a new power steering pump, valve cover gaskets, engine mounts and transmission mounts, the total charges where $2,800.00 and told him to go ahead with the repairs. I get my car back that evening, one of my headlights, one my running lights, and one of my fog lights werent working., he tells me I need new bulbs, ironically my electrical was fine and I never had an issue with any of the above prior to bringing my vehicle it to this great establishment. The weird noise is still there, he tells me I need to drive it for a couple of weeks and that noise will go away, the ABC light still goes on, he tells no worries that is self adjusting it will go away, I'm not a mechanic but what crock of crap is that. I take my car home next day I'm on my way to Thanksgiving dinner, and my car completely dies. I call a tow truck get my car home, call Dalton and explained to him my frustrations, he tells me don't worry it will fix it for you. He keeps my car from friday till Tuesday, he tells me that my car had electrical problems for a long time. Really??? if that was case, why wouldn't he have told me so when he did the diagnostic on the vehicle? He let me know I need engine mounts, transmission mounts and valve cover gaskets, WHY NOT MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT THE ALTERNATOR AT THAT TIME? Long story short I picked up my car and he charged my an additional $600.00 on top of $2800.00 so I m out $3400.00 and my car is still not working properly, how can this be legal how can this guy still be in bussiness. Anybody reading this, learn from my mistakes, dont take your high end vehicle to a shop such as this. Do your homework before entrusting in someone you never done business with. read more

Great job done on my Hyundai's starter. The reconditioned one the dealership put in 2 years ago failed and ruined my flex plate and they had charged me 2x what Dalcar did. At least I now have a lifetime parts and labor guarantee. Thank you Dalcar. read more

Called them for a quote on an engine swap... Price was $1000 more than any other shop I called and the guy I spoke dalton with was a real jerk. I know my car quite well and when I suggested I could do most of the work myself he laughed at me and began to condesend and speak down to me like I didn't know what I was doing. After he figured out he wasn't going to be able to rape me on labor he told me not to bring my car in to his shop he doesn't work on cars other mechanics have worked on after I suggested I could do my own head an have the timing done at the shop. Beware this shop read other reviews on how he ripped other people off too. read more

We have been taking our cars and our daughters' cars to Dalton for many years now. He has always been very honest, knowledgeable, reasonably priced, and accurate in his assessments. Most importantly, for us and I'm sure for all parents, I trust him 100% with his repairs to my daughters' cars and I know they are safe in the cars they are driving. I highly recommend his work!! read more

Consumers Beware!!!! BEWARE!!! WATCH OUT FOR THIS GUY!!! I took my BMW 325i to Dalton because my car was making a weird noise and idling and he diagnosed it to being the intake manifold runner valve, all the hoses underneath, and he charged me $1,700. Upon picking up my vehicle, my car was still making the same noise and it was still idling. Then I took my car back to Dalton he came out saying that the muffler had to be replaced. So we replaced it. (Noise and idling continued) however he then said we had to replace the control am bushing charging me $500. Each bushing costs about $190 and he charged me almost $700. Come to find out he has been charging double in parts. In parts he DOUBLES THE PRICE!!! As far as I know that's all that was fixed. One day my car would not start at all and I gave him a call, then he advised me to tow my car to his shop. He said he was cutting me a deal, a "A REALLY GOOD DEAL", he called me later that day saying my gas pump and tank (since my car is a one piece pump/tank) needed to be replaced, he continued to tell me that he is cutting me a deal, saying that he knows a guy at the BMW Dealer of Riverside, he told me that it is a $6,000 job. He told me he was going to charge me $300 for a deductible and make it seem as if my car was under warranty at the dealer because he knew a guy who would "hook him up". Mind you he said he was "helping me because I was a good customer" taking his word, he kept my car for 8/9 days. I picked up my car, paid him $300. Because I was in a hurry to go to school I forgot my payment receipt. I go back to get my receipt, and he's not there, long story short he did not want to give me a receipt. I call the BMW Dealer of Riverside to confirm that my car was really there, yes my vehicle was there but come to find out MY CAR WAS ALREADY UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE MY BMW WAS UNDER THE 150,000 MILES. SO THE JOB WAS F.R.E.E YES FREE!!! Dalton SCAMMED me $300 dollars!!! & who knows what else he came up on??!!! The mechanic from the dealership told me that I was NOT suppose to get charged PERIOD!! Nonetheless I went back to him (before the issue with the gas tank) because the idling became worst, making a louder noise and he said my car has issues with the fan clutch, I had another mechanic do my fan clutch which was $140 with labor $80 for the part itself and Dalton was charging $150 just the part on top of that plus labor, so he was charging almost double then what it was. WAIT there's more!!! After bringing my car back home from the shop, another mechanic noticed that screws were missing, the fan clutch was messed with, my filter box was missing!! The same mechanic who did my fan clutch noticed the odd changes and told me the car was touched in the places that was unnecessary!! PEOPLE if you go to this guy then be ready to spend money and live a miserable life. Because I am a college student working a part time job and I got taken advantage of!!!! You're better off picking up a guy at the Home Depot then taking your car to Dalton!! They would do a 100 and 10 Percent better job. Dalton if you're reading this You claim to be a Christian but remember God watches and knows it all. I hope you remember what you did to me and the rest of the other customers you took advantage of. Nothing goes unnoticed in this world we live. I hope God has mercy on you because I sure don't. read more

Dalcar is the only place I take my car to be serviced. I know nothing about cars, but the friendly owner walks me through everything and I always get my car back within a day. They even washed my car for me. Definitely take your car here, you won't regret it. read more

Do not go to this Auto Repair. It almost cost us 2000.00 for something that wasn't even the problem. My husband thought it didn't sound right and ended up taking the car elsewhere after paying Dalcar 75.00 for the wrong diagnosis. My husband normally takes his car a Volvo, to DP Volvo. Since this car was an older 3 series BMW he wanted to find a shop that serviced BMW's, big mistake, and a waste of 75.00. We ended up at DP Volvo and the car was repaired for 540.00, the diagnosis we received from Dalcar was the air conditioning at the cost of 2000.00, WRONG! DP Volvo fixed the problem which was the water pump, belts, thermostat and thermostat housing all for 540.00. If we had gone ahead and trusted Dalcar we would still have the problem and be out 2000.00. Be very careful taking your car here, he may sound knowledgeable, but it will cost you more in the long run. read more

This place knows MINIs. On two separate occasions, they saved my bacon from other mechanics. 1) Over a year ago, the local MINI dealership told me that my car had really bad carbon build up and needed a $1000 walnut shell blasting (this is a known issue on MINIs). I took my car to Dalcar for a second opinion. They told me that, considering the low mileage and my history of using good quality gasoline, there was no way I had enough carbon build up to justify that treatment. Dalton took my car, then later called me up asking if I could come down and look at something. When I arrived, he had an inspection camera hooked up and he showed me my intake and valves... clean as a whistle! I happily paid for the inspection and ask that they take care of a couple of other small things. Total bill was $150. They saved me $850! 2) Dalcar is a bit out of my way, so I tried a mechanic right near my work just last month. I had this other mechanic replace a leaky water pump (another known issue on MINIs). Unfortunately, when I got it back, I couldn't start my car. The other mechanic blamed it on the immobilizer, but they couldn't figure out what the real problem was. They finally gave up (later found out they don't have the right equipment) and told me that I need to take it to a dealership, and, by the way, there's no way they caused the "no start" issue. Remembering Dalcar, I had my car towed there. Dalton was able to figure out that the other mechanic smashed and tore a wiring harness that passes over the water pump (it's nearly impossible to see unless you recreate the process of replacing the water pump). He explained how it likely happened and after giving me the damage harness as evidence, I began the process of requesting a refund from the other shop. The other shop didn't make it easy, but they finally refunded my money yesterday (believe it or not, that's the short version). The only critique I have for this place is that they're busy and they don't rush (some might say that's a good thing). If you know that in advance, and you know they do the job right the first time, and you know that they charge 40% less than the dealership, then you'll be as satisfied as I am with my new MINI mechanic. PS: I never bothered to ask, but I found out that Dalcar will drop me off at work when I bring in my car. I thought I would be out of their range, but apparently not. PPS: I have no idea what anne p. or Walter F. experienced, but Dalcar keeps saving me money and treating me like a valued customer. Plus they actually have equipment for European cars that few others in the area have. read more

Took my mini to get my brakes done which we were quoted about $500. Needed new brakes & new rotors, which was expected. Work was done & completed. Car runs good. I decided to take my other car (Cadillac SRX) in since we have done business before with the mini & this car was needed new brakes as well. I was quoted $750.00. Needed new rotors in the front & both brakes done. For some reason my gut told me to go somewhere else and I did. I heard word of mouth from multiple ppl about another place by Tyler mall. The online reviews were great too. I went in and got a quote. He told me I only needed my back brakes done. Quote $175. REALLY?!?!?!?! When the second company was doing work on my car I advised what I was previously told about the new rotors & how I also needed the front brakes done. He advised me that they looked at them during the repairs & said i had plenty life on the front breaks & my rotors were fine. I ended up getting my AC charged & an oil change since I was already there. Total final about was $358.00. WOW. I saved a ton of money & repairs that were not needed going to this other company. Not to mention my caddy is running great. I was hurt & upset that Dalcar would over charge me & suggest i needed things that were not necessary. I thought since we had already done business before that Dalcar would take care of me. I guess that wasn't the case, BUT this second company has a new lifelong customer!!! Only reason I am giving 2 stars and not 1 star is because of the work that was complete on the first car. The car is working & the breaks sound good. I figure they at least deserve a star for that. I did deducted a star because a buddy of his contacted me. One star now for irritating me with his nonsense. read more

This is by far the best shop in town great prices quality work been taking my car here for years, from service work to major engine jobs. Dalton the owner is the man read more