At the southern end of Olive Drive by Charles Smith
| Location |
| 800 Olive Drive (near Redrum Burger) |
| Hours |
| Mon-Fri 7:30AM-5:30PM |
| (work orders accepted until 4:30PM) |
| Phone |
| (530)756-0350 |
| Owners |
| Elfriede Repkow & Judy McNicol |
| Established |
| 1971 |
G&R Automotive is an independently owned auto repair facility offering all manner of services from oil changes to mechanical repairs, body work, and painting. They specialize in German, Swedish and diesel auto repair, but accept all other domestic and import vehicles. G&R provides computerized diagnostics on BMW, MB, VW, and Audi vehicles and is authorized to provide warranty maintenance. This shop is ASE certified and is a member of the Better Business Bureau. Registration No. AL-045531, E.P.A. ID #CAD 982342065.
To find more automobile repair locations within Davis, please visit our Automobile Repair page.
I once had a clutch cable replaced on my dad's '93 SAAB 900 by these guys. They didn't remount the transmission correctly and it fell out the bottom of the car (held in by a single mounting bracket) while I was driving on the freeway. They fixed the transmission for free, but they neglected to fix or inform me of a slew of other problems that would have been blatantly obvious to any other SAAB mechanic (i later took the car to another mechanic). The head guy there was also rude to me. I don't know if they were giving me crap because I was a student or what, but my experience with G & R was not a pleasant one. — ArlenAbraham
Yeah, I think the guy is just rude to students. They made me wait a while, then bumped some walk-in ahead of me with no explanation, and eventually just dicked around with me for awhile until I was convinced that they would probably screw me on either the price or quality of repairs (not verified, just a suspicion). I decided to go somewhere else. — EricTalevich
I also have taken my car here. It's been in the shop over two months and still isn't fixed properly. I have had to bring it back four times. Nowhere else in Davis wants to deal with fixing all of the problems and my insurance. They repainted it and did a really crappy job. Rude to me as well. AVOID G & R!! —AmyLastname
I had my car's bodywork repaired at G&R and it took weeks longer than they estimated. The bodywork was of poor quality as the panels didn't align after the fix. Also, they didn't tighten my wheels when returning my car and it was close to coming off when I was driving home! I would highly recommend avoiding G&R. —TeddyWong
2005-12-28 01:46:21 In ~1997 my mother's 1987 BMW 325 coupe had problems that caused G&R to diagnose and perform an engine rebuild, which they completely botched. The vehicle was in much worse shape after their "rebuild" than when she brought it in. They admitted this and refunded her money (under threat of legal action) after she had the car towed to Lubo's Bavarian Motors in Sacramento. —GrahamFreeman
2006-05-10 19:40:14 They were relatively quick with an estimate for body damage. I decided not to go there because they estimated it would take 10 days to replace a bumper, front quarter panel and paint - which seemed like a long time. Went to Davis Auto Body instead and they repaired my car in two days. Maybe they were just trying to under promise and over deliver? —JonathanKaplan
2006-11-06 00:28:38 They were honest and told me up front the repairs would exceed the cost of my car. However, I asked them if they would just fix my headlight and hood and they briskly told me off saying they were not interested in partial repairs. —CarlosOverstreet
2008-01-16 20:13:35 The following happened to me about 10 years ago, but it looks like the service is still the same, so I'll post it—
Took my car in and told the receptionist that the injector pump was leaking diesel and needed to be rebuilt. She told me that it'd cost $90 to look at it. I came in later and the owner was kind of rude and informed me that my injector pump was leaking and needed to be rebuilt (which was exactly what I had told the woman at the desk), but they didn't do that kind of work. He was smiled as he charged my credit card though. I'll never go back. Go to Redfield Machine or University Imports Automotive instead, both have served me and my family well over the years.. —jasonm
2008-02-27 13:34:00 First of all, I've had to go through Jack and he has probably the worst customer service I've ever had. Every time I call he gets all snippy before i give him my name, and usually still can't figure out which car is mine. I was told that my body repairs would take three days. Since I asked for an estimate for a mechanical issue, I knew it might take a bit longer. However, its been a WEEK and every day I call it'll be ready "tomorrow". At this point, my truck has been sitting in "the paint shop" for three days but has yet to be painted, according to Jack. I need my truck in order to help with field day this weekend, I can't even pick up my supplies without it, and they just seem to be puttering around not bothering to get it fixed and back to me. This kind of thing is completely unacceptable for this kind of business. If they had told me it would take more than a week, I would have found a convenient time for me to be without it, but they just want to keep screwing with me. —AllisonEriksen
2008-03-13 15:06:49 DO NOT EVER GO TO G&R FOR AUTO REPAIRS!! They overcharge and do not stand by their work. My car was in worse shape after their "repair." Who doesn't test drive a vehicle afterwards to make sure it works?? The customer service is atrocious. There are far better mechanics in Davis. Do yourself a favor and avoid giving them your business. You'll save yourself money, time and a headache. —CarmanMadd
2008-04-23 10:53:37 G & R Automotive would like to take the opportunity to simply respond to some of these comments. We seriously question if some of these comments are really from former customers of ours since there are some major errors in some of them (such as the fact that a 1993 SAAB 900 does not have a clutch cable and we do not rebuild engines at G & R, just to name two). We would like to assure you that we do produce quality work, and we back up that work with a 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty on all mechanical work, and a lifetime warranty on all body work. Our mechanics are ASE certified and we are a Bosch-approved shop. We do the best we can to meet the needs of every customer, but we are not perfect and unfortunately some problems can not be prevented. However, if someone is unhappy with their work we would love the opportunity to make things better for them free of charge. We also wanted to take this opportunity to add a few comments from customers who have been in to see us within the last few months, since many of the comments on this website are from 2006 or earlier. These customers have given us permission to use their comments on this website.
"Everything was wonderful, and I really appreciated your work. It was done on time, and you moved me in and out of the shop very efficiently." Robert L.
"My repairs are wonderful - you can't even tell that I've been in an accident. I'm very thrilled." Betty A.
"I'm really happy with my repair. Jack did a really great job, and he did a lot of leg work which he did not need to do for us. I'm really happy with G & R." (This customer has had three repairs done with us in the last four months and these comments are from his last repair.) Robert S.
"Everything was great. G & R picked it up quickly (we arranged a tow for him). They finished it quickly. They did extra work. It came out to less than expected. If everything in my life worked like this I would be in great shape. The bottom line is that at the end of the day, I'd do business with G & R again." Rex H.
"The people at G & R were great. I was happy that my job was done in one week, and it looks fantastic - you can't even tell that I was in an accident. I got a call every day (even the first) to inform me of what was happening with my car. There were no problems at drop off or pick up, and it came out to a great price. I'm going to start recommending G & R to everyone I know." Donna H.
"Everything was great - you can't even tell that I've been in an accident." Richard R. —Kylie
2008-07-29 20:29:42 Despite all the negative comments about G&R, I gave them a shot anyways. My insurance company was paying for front (passenger)fender and bumper to be repainted, so I decided I had nothing to lose except time. I don't know who this "Jack" is, but I inquired about him and I was told he no longer works there. However Robert Ramirez, the service writer, was a very friendly guy. The repair was done in a fairly timely manner. There was a delay in shipment of a bracket, but I wasn't in a rush to have my car back so I didn't care.
When I did get the car back (5 days instead of 4) the work was great. As far as I can tell, it looks like it just rolled off the factory. Color match was great, and they washed the car and cleaned out the interior. Insurance took care of the bill, so I can't comment on whether or not their pricing is fair. And of course, this was all body work, so I can't comment on their mechanical repair ability. Otherwise their customer service was great and their paint job was great. —LeejayHsu
2009-02-27 01:05:32 "However, if someone is unhappy with their work we would love the opportunity to make things better for them free of charge." This was NOT my experience. After I alerted them of my concerns, they wanted to charge me another $100 to look at it again! The mechanic was unfriendly and rude. Their recent post just typifies their attack first attitude. Plus their charges are inflated. They charged a hour for simply replacing a part on the back of the engine block, 15 minutes tops for a COMPETENT mechanic. Don't reward bad businesses, especially in this economy. —CarmanMadd
2009-07-18 22:58:25 When my Honda Civic was damaged in an accident I had it towed to A-1 Body Shop where I'd had work done on another car. A-1 said they wouldn't be able to repair the damage for three weeks. I called AAA for a recommendation and was told that G&R did good work and was an AAA-approved body shop. The next day I met with Robert Ramirez at G&R and asked how long it would take to repair the car. His estimate was two weeks. I told Robert to inspect the damage and give me a quote, and he got back to me the next day. One thing I liked about Robert is that he called me several times to report their progress. I didn't have to call him. AAA accepted Robert's estimate and the Civic was repaired and ready in two weeks, just as Robert had promised. I took the Civic to University Honda for routine service and asked them to road test the car and report any problems. University Honda gave the car a clean bill of health. Everything was working. I think Robert and G&R did a good job.
2010-11-11 16:23:34 They didn't get my work. I bashed in a headlight and took it to them first - the guy that did the estimate was sort of a sourpuss and wasn't too interested in either giving me a cheaper option or landing my contract - said it would be $2,700. Went to see Lindstrom's in Woodland and they quoted $1,500 for the same work, same parts. You can guess what I did. —Flokkenfisch
2011-03-28 17:20:41 I just took my minivan there to be worked on. I could not have had a more pleasant experience. The receptionist, Merry, was super sweet and explained everything to me in a really friendly not at all condescending way. The had a light day and so were able to fix my car same day! If my car ever has problems again I am taking it here! —DanielleC
2011-05-31 09:05:08 I went to get my transmission serviced on a 98 E320 MBZ. they only drained 1/2 the fluid as they told me they were unable to drain the torque converter —of course Joergen did not tell me that they did not have the equipment or that they didn't want to bother. He claims that since they replaced half the fluid that would do the job —needless to say I went to another shop to get the job done right. And I had them do a safety/mechanical check and the only thing they found after charging me nearly $100. that the tires needed replacing and my front flood light lens was cracked. A week later I had it my car checked and the service rep found that my front wheel bearings needed to be tightened and recapped and that was causing tire wear. I will not trust this shop to handle any of my repairs. And that is a shame as I had planned to give them considerable buisness. Do not go t this shop. They are a ripoff. Sincerely, Rey —rey
2012-10-03 17:19:33 I used G and R almost 30 years ago and was impressed with their professionalism and the quality of their work. I have to say that my recent experience showed them to be an entirely different place from the one I remembered. The price quoted for the work was high by comparison to others, but I hoped that was an indicator of their skill and workmanship. The paint job looked good for a week and then blisters appeared in the paint. The Estimator attempted to shift the blame for the problem. Under pressure, they undertook a half-measure that may or may not resolve the problem. As I was replacing the windshield, the Estimator's un-bidden and ham-fisted attempt to help resulted in a broken windshield. He denies all responsibility. Clearly this has evolved into a business more concerned with profit margin than satisfied customers. As an avid car guy, I can only look forward to sharing my experience with as many other local car guys as I can. It was an unusual insurance situation that caused me to use a garage for the first time in many years. It will be many more before I do it again. —Grbyrns
2013-11-21 08:47:07 My wife and I hit a deer a few weeks ago, which was sad. We used G&R simply because they have a AAA affiliation that makes it convenient. They were great, from the warm reception to the communication about progress to the quality of the work. They made what I expected to be an annoying process into something very simple an easy. I'd support them in the future, although I hope circumstances don't make that necessary. —justincox22
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