Absolute scammers. Took my old truck there almost 6 years ago and still think about how bad they worked me over. I was young and naive, mid twenties. Predators do as they do. My truck was sucking down about a quart of oil every 100 miles. I took it to them to diagnose. Told them it was my grandfathers truck he gifted to me and I just wanted it fixed up right, whatever that took. They called me not even 4 hours later and told me it was done. Got there and they said it was just the PCV valve, which I questioned. I said there's no way that clogging would suck a quart of oil that quick, but they insisted. They told me they had a "special machine" that checks the valve. Went home and a quick google search shows you blow on it with your mouth to test it. Big greasy mechanic took me for almost $500 bucks. Didn't spend more than 30 minutes under the hood. Of course it still burned oil too. Absolute dirtbags here. read more

Great service in every way and very honest, Definitely recommend! Saved lots of money as well!

Rotating mechanics and bad work. Ruined my Pontiac Vibe.. went in for a clutch change and now grinds in 3rd and no power.. go somewhere else! read more

Mike is an automotive angel! We popped the front bumper off our car when it caught on a parking spot barrier. He fit us into his schedule and fixed us up in fifteen minutes with the friendliest, most capable service. If your car needs TLC, Dave's Auto Repair is the place to go! read more

Honest repair shop. On time. Recommendations ate given with approximate timelines. My dad use to own an auto shop. This is now my "go to" shop because of their quality work, fair pricing and honesty. read more

I always trust Dave's Auto Repair. they do a safety check on my whole vehicle every time I go in. I am blessed to have found them.

Another great experience for me at DAVES!. My Toyota AC stopped....It is hot....Same day apointment! I needed a part which was not available same day...I was on the road and located the part in another town....It was not available till after 5pm when Dave is closed. I called and asked if they were willing to stay late for me (I live 2 hours away). Mike, the AC guy said yes! Thank you Dave, Kristin And MIKE! for my COLD AC. You can not go wrong at this place.!! read more

Friendly, reliable. Been going here for years. They still work on the older vehicles. Good prices. Depending on how busy they are and what you need done, you can usually get an appt pretty quick. read more

Have been going to Dave's Auto for quite a few years. We are always very pleased with the excellent work they do, fair prices, and helpful, friendly service. The mechanics are most knowledgeable, always make good recommendations to save unnecessary expense. Irene Collins read more

We have been coming here for quite a few years now. Still great, friendly service. They don't do the smogs anymore but understand why. They work on our older cars which is hard to find someone who does. Parts are harder to find and the dealerships more and more don't work on the older vehicles. read more

Mike is very sharp, knowledgeable, and very informative, unlike past mechanics that I have felt with. I will continue to use Dave's while he is still there. Steve Clark read more

I took my Jeep in for an induction cleaning and these friendly, professional men did so much more. When I drove out of the shop, my car was humming. This shop is the only place I'll take my car from now on. They are great! They were timely, communicative snd very reasonably priced. read more

Dave's went seriously above and beyond with the repair on my 2003 Honda CR-V. Kody and Mike were extremely kind and communicative throughout the entire process or repairing the front end on my car. When they thought they had the problem solved, another one arose, and they put in the work to find out why it was happening and found a creative solution to the repair. Even with all the hangups they had me back on the road so quickly, and kept me informed the whole way. The did so much extra work troubleshooting and then actually came in under their estimate; plus, now I know exactly what happened with my car and know how to best handle it in the future. I wouldn't take my car anywhere else. They rock. read more

Wonderful first time at Dave's! I called asking if they could do a next day pre-purchase inspection for a 2013 Mazda3 and they were flexible with timing and very nice over the phone. The inspection took less than an hour and we had nice conversation with the receptionist. If you're going on a very hot day, bring your own water! There's no indoor waiting area. Would come again!! read more

Dave's Auto Repair - Auto Repair Near Me - Petaluma, California

Super honest team. They gave me an option that saved me hundreds over the dealer's quote. I will be going to Dave's for all future repairs.

I got my car smogged very quickly and a coupon for a free pizza from a great local pizza joint, what a great deal, highly recommend! read more

While the folks at Dave's were very nice, I'm not sure this is the best place to go for BMW repairs. They misdiagnosed the overheating engine in my BMW 535i GT, and unnecessarily replaced the thermostat. Anybody looking on the web for likely causes will see that the most likely cause is a failed electric water pump. It overheated again shortly after driving away, and I had to take it to another shop who looked closer into the computer codes and immediately got it right. Very disappointing experience. read more

I went to Dave's auto repair for the first time today. As a young female, I am always very nervous that repair shops may take advantage of my lack of car knowledge. John was so nice, helpful, and honest. I called Dave's yesterday and he was able to get me an appointment to check the air dam under my car for the very next day. Mike and John were so helpful the whole time and they were both very approachable. I talked to John about getting my spark plugs done soon as well as an oil change and he gave me a quick estimate with a reasonable price. I highly recommend this place for anyone. read more

One year ago Big O Tires told me I needed all new brakes. I didn't get them. For a year I worried in every hill. Today I left my car at Dave's. They wanted $80 to evaluate. I had called five other places for new brakes estimates, but Cody, at Dave's, was the most personable and bright. So I came across town to them. After a short while, Cody called me and surprised me with excellent news: I don't need new brakes! In fact, my rear brakes have 5000 to 10,000 more miles on them, and the front brakes have 15,000 on them!!! They could've lied, charged me $400, put new brakes on the back wheels, but they didn't. My car is a stick shift. I am a woman. I know how to drive, really well, and use my transmission to control speed, rather than over using the brakes. Big O Tire lied to me. I was so surprised at what Cody told me. And grateful. Now I will bring my car to Dave's for oil changes, inspections, and,... in 10,000 miles, new brakes. They had time to do this efficiently and thoroughly, but I see they have plenty of business as well. Personable. Professional. Thanks Cody and Mike! read more

I had been painfully searching for a reliable used car for my daughter on Craigslist and hoped I had finally found it, but needed an auto shop in Petaluma to do a pre-purchase inspection, because I live in Novato and my wonderful repair shop is here also. The seller suggested Dave's and we made an appointment. The service writer, Monica, was extremely helpful and patient with me as the internet was full of horror stories about a few specific problems with the car I was looking at. She was familiar with the problems and the conditions which led up to them and answered all of my questions - in my numerous phone calls - with patience and professionalism. Their pre-purchase inspection was reasonably priced and very thorough. The technician recommended the car and said he would buy it for his own daughter. Thanks so much to Dave's, we love our new (used) car! read more

Worst communication ever. Long story short, I took my car in for it 50,000mi maintenance. (spent $600 ) Everything was fine, until a few weeks later, my check engine light went on. I took it to the actual dealership to check it out, and they *totally wrong spark plugs had been installed, and could have ruined my coil as well. (there is an actual brand spark plugs they use, and Dave's ignorantly said 'those do not exist'- they do, I have the boxes.) (I almost wish it had, so I could sue Dave's) When I had taken it into the dealership, I had spoke to Dave's (John at Dave's) and he never mentioned anything to me about "don't have them change the spark plugs, we'll take care of it under warranty" Instead he spoke to the mechanic I was dealing with, and said nothing to either him nor I about the spark plugs or warranty. He said nothing to me nor the dealership. So I had the dealership replace the spark plugs,which needed to be the right ones, and it cost $177 dollars. (My car runs better now, its noticable) The dealership\ suggested I try to get some kind recourse from Dave's. So when I talked to (John) at Dave's... Dave's offered me nothing but the $10.76 back for the spark plugs. No apology, no recourse, no sympathy. I understand the need for your business model to not lose money, but you guys get a lot of business, and obviously you don't care if you lose customers because it does not effect your money flow. Shame on you guys for treating a new customer (or any customer) this way, I was hoping for something fair like a partial refund/credit on your labor..that would have been fair. For almost ruining my car and receiving shoddy, bad service , and not being remotely customer oriented, you have lost my business for life, my recommendation to friends, family, and colleagues and anyone I speak to car repair and maintenance to at all. Its a shame because you all come off as very caring and genuine. Nice ruse. Thank you for not caring. Beware this auto shop, they are not what they seem. Take your business to a reputable place- not this one. You can also read a case in the Better Business Bureau's site. read more

Shady, shady, shady... I used to refer people here, but am now quite sure this is one shady practice. I was satisfied with my first experience. Second time, I was going for a smog pretest and asked about "if I fail smog" and "is there an assistance program". He shrugged and pointed at the poster I could read (minimum requirement to be lawful) which was behind a car up on a lift. Wouldn't tell me anything himself. Apparently they are required by law to give this information and he did the minimum, almost hid it. I ended up getting a pretest and new catalytic converter that literally measured no difference between upstream and downstream (by another shop). Then barely passed smog, but was informed I could have failed (test-only status) and automatically qualified for assistance on repairs, and that he should have known this and been able to tell me. But this way he made more money. Isn't worth the pizza. read more

Mike and Kodi saved me yesterday after I noticed my fuel filter was leaking gas! With gas prices rising ($6.00/gal) by the day, I needed immediate inspection. Well that's exactly what they did, literally dropped everything and quickly handle this minor but costly problem. Make this review your deciding factor you take your car into Dave Auto Repair Shop. I'm happy I did and I will from now on. read more

Wow... Just WOW! Service AND Competency... I rarely write reviews for businesses but this business surely gets a five star rating from me! I found a car for my daughter and had it checked out by the local dealership in Davis Ca, near where I purchased it. They performed an inspection and found a few things wrong... So I haggled a bit more and bought it "as is". The dealership had quoted me various exorbitant prices for each of the repairs, all in all totalling around $1100.00. After checking around a bit I found Dave's Auto repair listed here on Yelp and went down for a consult and repair estimate. I was greeted at the counter by Dave... Yes, Dave, as in the owner. (How often does this happen these days?) The place was professional and clean, and the service mechanics were friendly as well. He gave me my estimate which beat out other local competitors, so I decided to let him do the work. Though he asked if he could keep the car overnight, six hours later my repairs were done and at a savings of nearly $500.00 ~ Woo Hoo!!!! Dave's is now my "Go to" place for auto work.... You should give him a call if you need some work done. read more

Dave's continues to rock after six years. I have been taking our Toyota Tacoma in for maintenance, and they're fast and capable. If anything extra needs to be done, they explain well and weigh the merits of all of the possibilities. They're flexible and friendly. Dave and his crew are terrific, and I'm grateful to have found them. read more

My 94 Mustang had overheated and broke down, so I called ahead and had it towed to Dave's Auto Repair. The initial check was super prompt and they showed me where my hose had popped loose and how they were going to check to see if I blew a head gasket. After a short while in the waiting room they pulled me out and explained the process of how they determined I did indeed blow a gasket. The price to fix that seemed about in line with what I had researched, but I just wasn't going to put that much money into the car. They knocked a bit off the price of the initial estimate after hearing that and Dave himself offered and gave me a ride to the other side of town where I work. Everyone was really nice there. Truly excellent service! I will definitely recommend this shop to anyone who needs service done. read more

Fast service, but don't forget to print the coupon if you want the pizza deal. I got to pay $65 with no pizza instead of $58 because I didn't want to kill a tree. Coupon only says you need to present it at service, not print it out. At least I passed the smog I guess. Could've gone somewhere cheaper though. read more

These guys are super honest and will never cheat you for service! I 100% trust them with my car and have been going to them for the last few years. They are very accommodating with when I need to have the car ready by and flexible with timing. read more

Not happy at all. Use to refer people all the time... Never again. Poor communication, took time off work and they cancelled by calling my wife 15 minutes before the appt. Gave them a week to reschedule and they never called. read more

This shop is a class act! ! I dropped off my car for multiple repairs! when i got it back it was like a million bucks! They're professional, and courteous and very very knowledgeable! Masters of their crafts! The pricing was excellent and it was done expeditiously. And the quality of their work is obvious once you get back in your car and get it on the road! these are stand up guys I would recommend them to anybody any day of the week. they will be the only shop I will ever need to go to I have finally found my shop! and you get a free pizza, Old Chicago! the best in town, who could ask for more!?! DAVE AND JOHN ROCK! THX GUYS read more

Dave saved us!!! (And just so you know, he not only owns and operates an awesome garage, he also harvests eggs from his 100+ free range chickens on his huge organic farm! AND, he owns Petalumas best pizza joint!!! But I digress.) Here's the situation, my wife and I were driving back to SF from Arcata in our friends borrowed car and on the way down the battery light came on indicating that the alternator was failing. We drove it as far as we could but we hit a huge traffic jam just north of Petaluma that sucked the battery dry and we barely made it off the highway. The next day we got a quick jump and made our way to Dave's shop after finding him here on Yelp. He treated us like family and was very compassionate to our situation even rushing to try to get the job finished so we didn't need to stay another night in a hotel(motel). Unfortunately the new alternator that was delivered was incorrect, not the fault of Dave, but his supplier so unfortunately we did have to stay another night. The job was finished the next morning and we were on our way! Great people, great price and great workmanship! Thanks Dave, if you're in the city give a call! If we find ourselves in Petaluma again we'll swing by and try and get some eggs and organic produce from you! BTW, one star/bad reviews of this shop must have more to do with the author of the review and less to do with this business as our experience truly deserves 10 stars!!! read more

Called for a quote on shocks. First quote was $1,350.....he called later and said he could do it for about $1,100. This didn't include a front end alignment. I called Sears and got a quote of $850 including an alignment. Why the big difference? read more

Not the cheapest but solid quality work. Coupon for smog check on their site isn't any good since apparently they aren't doing smog checks on Saturdays any longer. read more

I still go here after seven years, I am not in love with the place but I think they are honest. They helped pull my old car through the smog process once and kinda screwed up another time by running my battery dead but overall, they seem honest. Prices are what you'd expect, service is neither magical nor negligent. They send you a Christmas card and offer a free Chicago deep dish pizza delivery when you get a smog (if you have the coupon) so yea, go here. read more

Awesome place! Took my husbands truck there for a smog. Had an appt and was in and out in 15 mins! They are very nice and answered all of my questions and explained everything to me! Thanks again guys! We WILL be back!!! read more

My Boyfriend took his Jeep in this week to do a diagnostic on it, the check engine light has been on for a while and we need to get it smogged and registered. My BF does a lot of work on his own car, but this situation was not easy for him to diagnose. He ended up bringing it in, and leaving it for them to diagnose while we were at work. They were very communicative- let us know what they found, what additional tests they could perform and how much it would all be in the end. We live less than a mile away, and this place will be our go to mechanic from now on. Riding the bike to get the car when it was all ready to go for under $150. Couldn't be happier. read more

Beware! Very dishonest. Poor customer service. Dave's gave me an estimate for a repair that was way above what the dealer wanted to charge me for the same service. I took my car to my local guy, who was also amazed by what they wanted as well. He checked his computer and told me the hours to repair were 3.7. Dave's was charging me 8-9 hours of labor, plus $300 more for the part than the dealer told me it would cost. I am so amazed by these positive reviews I am seeing. My experience was so different, and I really hope people shop around before just taking their word. read more

This is a good place to get your car smogged. Ask them about their coupons because sometimes they give you a coupon for a free pizza from the EAST SIDE Old Chicago pizza...which is pretty cool. read more

Great customer service! I made a frantic call to them because I needed a smog fast as my registration deadline was the next day. John got me in an hour later. They are fast and efficient and even have me a dozen farm fresh eggs as a parting gift (only in Petaluma would this be even close to normal). We will surely use them in the future. read more

Not happy with their communication. I've been bringing all our cars here but no more. It sounds like others have had similar experiences. They failed a smog check on my car because of a missing part via visual inspection. They said they would pass it if I showed them a data sheet on the car from the dealer. When I brought it back with the data sheet they refused to re-smog the car. read more