I've felt the need to update my review because Nelson's once again deserves a huge shout out! I first used Nelson's Garage about 6 years ago. 17 months ago I decided to try a different mechanic because of their hours of operation on the weekends. I rely on my car for work and so losing it during the week is a hardship. Man oh man was that a bad idea and a hard lesson learned....thousands of dollars and time wasted. A few weeks ago I returned to my trusted friends at Nelson's and it feels good to be home. My car is happy and that makes me happy! Nelson's is the most trusted, competent and reliable shop on the central coast. Thanks Mike, you guys rock! read more

Friendly folks helped us with a diagnostic code even though they were busy. Thanks for you help!

I needed an oil change and they were able to schedule me the day after I called. Everything was done according to Honda recommendations. I am very pleased with the results. read more

I love going Nelson's in Cayucos where I know I am dealing with a good, honest guy like Mike.

Just wanted to publicly thank Nelson's Garage for helping me out yesterday I was on a short vacation to Cayucos in my 1955 Chevy BelAir and had a small problem a oil leak and of course the only damn tool I didn't have with me is the one I needed. I walked into Nelson's and was met by a very friendly young lady at the desk , told her my problem and the mechanic immediately offered to loan me the wrench I needed . There's not many people these days that would loan a stranger tools of any kind . Long story short that says a lot about a business and in my opinion this is a friendly honest clean shop . Thank you again for the wrench I made it home to Orange County without any problems. read more

Nelson's Garage Inc - My ride parked at our favorite hotel, Cayucos Beach Inn - Auto Repair Near Me - Cayucos, California

I can't say enough good things about Mike and his shop. He does good work, communicates well, doesn't do things I don't need & talks to me kindly. As a woman you get treated pretty badly at most mechanics and I never feel that way here. Will definitely be going here as long as I still live in the area. read more

While traveling the central coast from New Mexico, my motor on my truck went out! I was referred to Nelson's garage in Cayucos, turned out to be one of the better garages for service and personnel that I have run into in many years! R & R my motor in 5 Business days!!! Highly recommend these people for any type of automotive repair! read more

Our car had a catastrophic failure while we were on vacation. Every possible warning light was going off on the dash and within minutes the car was losing power steering as well. We pulled off into Cayucos and barely made it into the parking lot at Nelson's. Possibly one of the nicest guys, Mike, got the car into the shop and pulled guys from another job so we could get back on the road. I would recommend this shop 1,000 times over! read more

I needed an oil change for my 2021 Subaru Forester and Nelson's changed it is 40 minutes. After they finished it was spotless and no grease nor spots on my upholster. When you check in and when you check out you speak with the owner Mike. He answered all of my questions and suggested possible maintenance that I can do next time. No hard sale nor scare tactics. I can tell he wants to build his business on trust and professionalism. read more

They will fix your car, they are honest, efficient, pleasant, and will explain things to you. No surprises, we trust them with our 4 vehicles. read more

Flawless, excellent, timely, honest, industry standard. Plus there's a shop cat. Nelson's is king.

Mike knows how to work on anything with a motor; gas or electric. He is also a very friendly guy.

Mike has been my mechanic since he was working in Morro Bay. When he opened his shop in Cayucos, I followed him there - he still gets my business even though I moved to Paso Robles. Mike is knowledgeable, honest, friendly, and will let you know what needs to be fixed right away and what can wait. A good mechanic is worth his weight in gold - and Mike is more than good, he's great! read more

Needed an oil change and tire rotation, plus a general check up after a few long road trips. Dropped car off at 8 and had the come pick up phone call by 9:30 Great people and service read more

Well I didn't have a car repaired there, I broke down near their garage with a blown out bike tire. Mike took the time to try to help me out and even though we couldn't get anything to work right, he and the rest of his staff were really great and allowed me to store my bike there until I can come back and pick it up. For me, customer service is the most important thing and they were very kind and supportive. read more

Mike is THE man. On a weekend trip with the wife and pups and, as luck would have it, my battery took a dump on me Saturday afternoon. Though the garage was technically closed, Mike was there when I walked over and was willing to help. My truck was dead in the water so he drove me back to my motel and jumped me, I took it down to the shop and got a new battery installed. I can't express what a genuinely nice man Mike is. I don't anticipate needing significant automotive work in Cayucos again but if I ever need anything I'll be going straight there. read more

Nelson's Garage Inc - Jump start - Auto Repair Near Me - Cayucos, California

From my initial phone call to the finished service, my experience at Nelson's was top notch!

I want to thank Nelson's Garage for the excellent work and commitment to safety on my 2001 4 Runner. I am grateful that they always are there for me and explain all options before I make big decisions on repairs. Their pricing is fair and they go above and beyond to achieve customer satisfaction. Thank you for reading. read more

If there were six or even seven stars, and yes 10 stars! Frank and his folks would get it from me. I have been taking my vehicle a 2006 AWD Ford Escape Hybrid ... with some serious electrical problems ... I had an issue with my airbags and Nelson's crew did as much as he could unfortunately only a Ford dealer would fix the module. Took more than 2 weeks for Perry Ford to finally resolve the issue? Then the electrical router that controlled everything including the headlight and especially the electronic door locks that kept locking and unlocking every 2 seconds. Frank and crew found a refurb part when it was determined that a replacement could no longer be had even from Ford. The first two did probably from previous vehicles did not work but they kept going until they found one that worked! And oh wow then it was the Anti-lock brakes computer digital electronic-mechanical device. A $3800 part ... Frank (the owner) would have no part of spending that much for a part and embarked on finding a refurb part that would cost a lot less. In the process of trying the first he encountered a problem where the brakes would not bleed and was told that only a Ford dealer had the tool to do that so he had a friend tow it there to get it done ... well of course Ford failed to get all four wheels to bleed. So, back to Nelson's where another replacement was found and installed ... and Nelson's bought a tool that will allow them to finish a job specific to this kind of hybrid. Cindy's Ford CMax encountered something in the road that broke off a piece of plastic underneath her front bumper ... it was scraping the road. Nelson's quickly extracted it and ordered a new part without charging her anything so she could keep driving ... until they had the part at the shop and installed it for her. Frank and Nelson's refuse to take your money until ***they*** are happy they fixed the problem. And they can be far pickier than I am. You can pull into their garage with the smallest issue and they will come out and help. Even with issues like mold odor from the vents. In addition they have quickly and efficiently put new rotors on the front brakes, changed the oil, adjusted the power steering, and resolved other normal wear and tear issues as required. These guys are the absolute very best and can pretty much solve any problem your vehicle might have .... ten stars from me! And if you are a tourist with mechanical issues you would be well served to pull into Cayucos to take your vehicle to Nelson's Garage. read more

Mike, gave the term "magic Mike" a whole new meaning!! It's extremely rare to find a mechanic that has so much integrity. I went on vacation with my boyfriend and his girls, and wouldn't you know my car had issues as soon as we arrived in San Simeon. It was the day after 4th of July, and by chance, Nelson's garage was the only mechanic open. I Thank GoD he led me to Mike and his staff, he was able to repair my car in record time!! I thought I was going to have to come back up from Los Angeles to retrieve my car, but he was able to source the part needed, and worked super fast on the repair. He and his staff have great energy, and if I ever needed a mechanic when I'm out that way, I would definitely come back. Also noted that he works on hybrids too, which is awesome for us since my boyfriend has a Prius!! I couldn't thank him enough for all his hard work. I sincerely appreciated it!! read more

Nelsons has always had a stellar reputation and when Mike took over I followed him there. He has been my mechanic for over 20 years and I don't trust anyone else. Top notch fair and honest service without trying to upsell or fix things that aren't broken. read more

Mike far exceeded expectations when working on our classic car. He is truly an above and beyond mechanic. He came highly recommended by other area top mechanics (but they didn't want to take on a project car) Mike has earned his nickname "Magic Mike" in that he was able to install a TBI fuel injection system where other techs wanted an arm and a leg! Nicole in the office was always helpful, kind, and patient. She is a real jewel too! Nelson's has earned our trust as a top drawer shop! Mike took extra loving care of our Mopar and is commendable for his integrity and competency! read more

Best car mechanic experience ever! Mike was SUPER friendly and knowledgeable. Appointment and emergency work on my Mini S (somewhat challenging design) completed quickly. So grateful for this shop! read more

Had starter problems while visiting Cayucos. Talked with Mike, and waited for tow( which took 3 hours). Mike got right on it, tried several other things before isolating the starter, replaced it and had it back the next afternoon. Excellent customer service, the lady that works for him is also awesome. Very professional, his shop is spotless and very organized. Mike is an excellent technician and would trust him with any problem. read more

Short version: I was lied to and ended up paying $500 more than I should have. Details: My first bad review. Normally if I have a bad experience with a business I just let things slide and don't shop there anymore. I don't like to spread negativity. But paying $500 more for something is a lot more serious than a bad meal and I feel I have a duty to warn my friends and others. After all, this is one of the main functions of Yelp, right? I'm not sure if the ownership has changed or if something else has changed. As far as I knew and read, Nelson's had a great reputation as being honest. My mom has even been taking her car here for years, said good things about it, and recommended it to me. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way. The timing belt on my car went out and I was told the valves would also need to be fixed. I let them know I was selling the car and just wanted the minimum fixed. I was quoted between $900-$1200 for their labor and told the machining shop that they would send the head to would probably charge $300-$400. I was told the final charge could possibly be higher depending only on if the machine shop charged a lot more than expected. I got a call from Nelson's He told me he dropped the head off at the machine shop and the final bill for everything was actually going to be higher, about $2000. I didn't question it because he let me know it could be higher if the machine shop charged a lot, so that's what I assumed. My wife picked up the car and paid. After a couple days, I glanced at the bill and was shocked to see the machine shop only charged about $300 and Nelson's did a bunch of extra stuff that I was never asked about or told, like a new battery, water pump and a few other things that weren't absolutely necessary. They completely LIED to me. If you have plenty of money, you want a mechanic that will fix or replace everything they can find, then charge you after the fact without warning or permission, and you don't have an issue with the ethics of it, then Nelson's is fine for you. But be warned, if you're a single income household with two kids like myself and you don't just have an extra $500 to spend, go somewhere else. read more

I'm from out of town and was visiting in Cayucos 2-3 months ago, and for the first time ever, I had car problems. The neighbor recommended Nelson's and I couldn't be happier. They fixed the problem promptly and at a reasonable rate. I came up here again, and had a different problem (my car is a 2008). My son-in-law is a mechanic back home and told me to take it in. He trusts Nelson's just because of my experience. They told me I should be ok to make it back home. I just can't say enough about how wonderful it is to be able to trust someone when I'm away from home and family. EXCELLENT. read more

Love this place, fair prices and great service . I really like using local services when I can.

I was having some minor tire problems.It was a Sunday afternoon, Mike the owner stopped everything he was doing and helped me out.

As usual Frank and his crew came through for me when my rebuilt tranny needed major adjustments. No charge for the fix, plus he found some other issues I wasn't aware of. A great garage that stands behind its work. Honest and fairly priced. read more

I was traveling north on a long trip up the coast when my car started to make very loud and concerning whooshing noises. As a person who has very little knowledge of cars I had no idea what had happened. I called the closest repair shop and they took me in right away. Not only did they diagnose my car issue but fixed it right then and there! Extremely helpful and caring guys! Wouldn't have been able to make it home without them! 10/10 would recommend!! read more

Honest and reliable. Very nice people doing a great job.

It's important to have a car mechanic that's knowledgable, honest, and trustworthy...I am so happy that Frank (owner of Nelson's Garage) fulfills all of these! He is very involved with all jobs and gives 100% of his attention. He's honest and makes sure I understand what my cars have needed. Your car will be in great care at Nelson's Garage. read more

WE spend about 6 weeks a year in Cayucos and have never had the opportunity to use the only Auto Repair shop in town. That recently changed and we had a great experience. Mike the owner is a great business person, high on service, and competent. I highly recommend his shop and will possibly even postpone maintenance until I get back to town, what great service! read more

Frank has been working on my cars since 1985. He is an ultimate diagnostician who knows how to do it right and who stands behind his work. I've only known two other auto mechanics who were as good, and they were both auto shop teachers at colleges. When Frank eventually retires, I'll have to settle for whoever is left, and that will be a gamble. read more

Frank is the most honest repair man I've ever had work on my vehicle 's back in the day !! I would highly recommend him too anyone. Now if he could open a shop just like his in my area, that would be fantastic ! read more

my transmission was rebuilt there they said ,in about a thousand miles it went out .rebuilt the oil was never changed.when I asked owner he said it was only thousand mile warranty,then said do you have something else to say or im calling the cops get out,shocked at how bad I was treated and talked down too never go there read more

It is nice to take your car to people you can trust. I started having my car repair needs taken care of with them in Southern CA and followed them up to the Central Coast when they began the family business in the early 80's.They are good at diagnosis and fix only what needs to be fixed at the time. They give you a heads up on things that will need to be taken care of in the future. I have peace of mind that they are very honest and I don't have to worry about being taken advantage of! read more

knowledgeable, friendly staff in a gorgeous little beach town. it was great to walk around town while my car was in the shop. as a girl i get sick of mechanics trying to upsell me on everything and push services i dont need, here it was straight forward and exactly what i asked for. read more

I talked to Frank at Nelson's Garage in Cayucos about issues I was having with my older Plymouth Mini-van, constant problems of overheating. Frank had a couple suggestions and then made some phone calls to others to confirm what he thought the best course of action might be. Frank was able to put a double wide radiator in as well as couple other things that took care of a problem that I had had for years. The dealership had never been able to help other than to suggest modifying how and where I drive. The work was done quickly and I might add "spotlessly" for a lot less than I really thought possible. Frank made no effort to "push" un-needed repairs and was really able explain to me, in non technical terms, what he was planning on doing. I would highly recommend Nelson's Garage for any of your car maintenance or repair issues. Also the drive there and scenery are in itself worth the trip. read more