| Location |
| 975 A Olive Drive |
| Hours |
| Mon-Fri: 8:00AM-5:30PM |
| Phone |
| (530) 750-1900 |
| Fax |
| (530) 750-1999 |
| [email protected] |
| Website |
| unknown |
Vicker's Automotive Repair, formerly known as Triple A Automotive (Management and owner are still the same), is one of the many auto repair shops in Davis, with very positive reviews. They are Family owned and operated. They work on foreign and domestic cars and have certified technicians on duty. Make sure to call first to make an appointment they are usually booked 1 week out.
- Engines
- Diagnostics
- Electrical
- Tuneups
- Brakes
- Fuel Injectors
- A/C Heating
- Oil Changes
- Coolant Flushes
- Transmission Flushes
History
This garage used to be the location of G's European Auto Service.
2007-02-03 12:38:08 The guy who works here really knows his stuff. I brought my volkswagen here to fix an oil leak. They were recommended my regular garage (Center City Auto) which is where I have my other cars serviced. Center City said they did not service German Cars, and so I took it to Triple A. I was very satisfied with the turnaround time, professionalism, and friendlyness of the people who work there. —JulienBiewerElstob
2007-03-28 19:14:21 These people are really great. The owner and his wife are very friendly, professional, prompt and knowledgeable. They really seem to care. This is a rare trait. I highly recommend them. —TawnyMata
2007-04-20 09:20:29 This mechanic is by FAR the best mechanic in town. I am semi knowledgable with cars and had a problem with my truck. I went around town getting estimates, and his was by far the most fair. He completed the job without any problems and also did not take a long time. He knows his stuff, yet he can explain things to someone who does not know anything. He also keeps his shop very clean compared to any other mechanic which is a very good sign. I have sent many of my friends here and they were all very satisfied. So as said above if you would like a fair price, good turnaround time, professionalism, and to deal with friendly people then GO HERE. His wife works in the office and is very nice and friendly. #1 auto shop in Davis BY FAR! —Sean
2007-07-04 11:28:26 Honest mechanic. —Noitsokay
2007-07-16 15:05:56 After much frantic wiki-ing, I just went here and had a great experience. I have a VW Jetta that had an oil leak and brake problems. John was super helpful and explained everything that needed to be done. I'm about to get married and had to make a trip and he squeezed me in so that I could have my car fixed in time to go down to LA. The prices were very reasonable and he even did a few little things for free. I would definitely recommend this place. —RachelCakes
2007-11-27 12:56:24 This is the best place I've ever taken my VW Beetle. I read all of the great reviews and decided to go, and it was even better than I expected. The owner is extremely honest, and got my car in and out within a day for a very reasonable price. I highly recommend Triple A! —12345
2008-01-21 18:58:07 I highly recommend this place. The mechanic and his wife are always extremely helpful and he knows what he is talking about. I have brought my volkswagon bug here many times and each time, he is honest and does the best job to fix my car in a very timely and fairly priced matter. He is very trustworthy and I know he will help me out each time I have a problem with my car. Best auto repair in Davis!!!!! —Molly
2008-01-26 12:46:34 My car was shaking and after looking at daviswiki I decided to go here. The mechanic did a great job, got my car fixed quickly, and was very friendly. —rawrrawr
2008-02-03 21:21:34 At first, I wasn't sure where to bring my car to, and I read all over DavisWiki for a good auto shop. I finally brought in my car and I will have to say, these guys are great. I highly recommend this place. I brought in my car and they did both a diagnostic and replaced the starter in it for a great price with both speed an efficiency. I would definitely recommend them over anyone else in Davis for car problems. —IdealParadigm
2008-02-13 14:34:22 It would be really bad karma for me if I didn't review this place. John really knows his stuff. He works on foreign cars, so when I take my old BMW in there, it's always nice to see that he works on similar cars. I've taken it for work there 2 or 3 times, as has my roommate. He's nice, honest, and usually pretty fast as well. HIGHLY recommended.
2008-03-17 07:03:43 I HIGHLY recommend this place. John is an honest mechanic who has always gone way out of his way to accommodate my crazy schedule. He has always tried to do the minimal amount of repairs necessary, since he knows I'm a starving student and doesn't want to overcharge me. When those minimal repairs aren't enough, he hasn't charged me for the labor for the additional repairs. He always goes above and beyond. Take your car to John! —RMZ
2008-03-29 19:02:26 As anyone can see from the above comments, this place is the best. My two experiences here are no different. I went in after going to the place around the corner from them to get my car checked for something that caused it to fail a "smog-only" smog check. I knew approximately what the problem was and asked the other guys if they could just look at that. They refused and wanted to charge me for two hours of labor. Not being able to afford such a thing, I went to Triple A, hoping for a lower price. I said the same stuff about how my car failed the check and I think it might be because of a specific problem. John just asked to look at the car and within 2 minutes found the problem (which was where I thought it might be). He didn't even charge me anything at all for fixing it. That right there made me a customer for life (or as long as I stay in the area). The second time was similar in which he pretty much stopped what he was doing and fixed my car on the spot without trying to negotiate prices first. I swear by this place and constantly refer business to him now. My only regret is not knowing about this place for the previous 7 years I've been in Davis. —SunjeetBaadkar
2008-04-22 14:54:55 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I joined davis wiki just to comment on this place. They are terrific. they're honest and professional. i don't live in davis, but my boyfriend does and i'll specifically schedule my car maintenance around my davis visits just so I can go here. —joannebrrrr
2008-05-23 15:48:46 I was very impressed with the level of service here. The diagnostic price was also very reasonable. John took the time to explain the problem + repair process, and recommended future service work and timeframe if I preferred not to get it done immediately. I found them to be very honest, upfront and friendly. I will definitely go back for future maintenance / repairs. —TK
2008-09-01 01:58:27 John is extremely helpful and friendly. He patiently talked me through everything he found in the diagnosis and gave me time to think before I called him back with a decision. He gave me an estimate based on the book time, but said he was confident it would take less labor, so re-quoted lower. This guy is honest and definitely knows his stuff; he did a great job fixing the rough idle on my car. I will be back...but hopefully not for a while. —RandomName
2008-11-12 15:32:49 Quoted me $40 to get my check engine light diagnosed - So much cheaper than the $80 or $190 quotes from other places! Sounds like they credit the $40 towards repairs as well if you choose to get your car fixed there. —AynReyes
2009-01-03 16:07:28 I have had a very positive experience here servicing my merecedes right before Christmas. Enough so that it inspired me to write something on the Davis wiki for the first time. I can only reverberate the sentiments already made my the many comments on this page that the mechanic here is not only knowledgeable, but also extremely honest. —a.mazah
2009-01-13 22:10:45 INCREDIBLE service, worth and people! If you need a reliable, honest mechanic this is the place. Businesses and people like this are a true asset to our great community of Davis. Please support you will not be disappointed!!! —BrettStewart
2009-02-18 20:56:29 We took our car here last summer on the advice of the wiki and got badly burned. Contrary to a lot of the comments here, we didn't find them to be professional or prompt or even high quality. First he went and did over a hundred dollars of tune-ups before calling with an estimate or getting approval. He then spent a week trying to figure out what was wrong with the car (to be fair, I have no reason to doubt his claim that the problem was mysterious), all the while failing to keep us posted on what was going on. In the end we had to pay for a new alternater. I remain unconvinced that this was actually what was causing the problem, but what do I know. Somewhere along the way he replaced the cables connected to our spark plugs with cheap aftermarket parts. These ended up melting onto the engine, causing the car to misfire and stall, requiring another round of repairs. For said second round, we did not take the car back to Triple A. We will not again. —RyanSandler
2009-03-04 12:13:06 For the comment that Ryan Sandler left, triple a automotive always strives to do what is morally correct, and if our guys miss it we make it right no questions asked, from the time of repair to the time of your posting almost 1 year has passed, we are curious as to why it took 1 year for you to post this comment. We apologize for the way you feel about our shop, if you would have come back and or looked at your invoice you would have noticed we did not charge you for ignition wires you would have also seen that we would have taken care of you at no additional charge. Again we sincerely apologize and hope that some time you will come back for a better experience. Sincerely, The Vickers Family(Triple A Automotive) —NCV
- I don't want to get into a fight about this, but to explain: It is true that we were not charged for the parts, only for the labor to put them in. I did not comment until recently because said parts did not cause the car to break down until a couple weeks ago, shortly before I wrote the comment — We don't drive the car very much. —RyanSandler
2009-05-02 14:09:13 Very honest and very friendly. My car was making noise, which John tracked down to be the catalytic converter, but said it was expensive and really shouldn't cause me any problems, so he advised me not to waste my money. I will be taking my car here from now on —JamesMulalley
2009-05-21 19:13:29 Very contrary to Mr. Sandlers experience a year ago, my experience a year ago made me a lifer. I had blown the head gasket on my toyota pickup and went to 6 different mechanics to get quotes on the job. John's quote was in the same ballpark as the the others (though I'm sure he could have done the job much faster and would have charged me appropriately). The main difference was that John told me he was more than happy to take my money, but only after I took the truck to toyota cause the head gasket on my year truck is one of the most famous recall parts in toyota history and every mechanic knows this. Funny how John was the only one honest enough to mention it. I took the truck into the dealer and got a 2000 dollar job done for free with warrantee. I would travel long distances just to make sure John's the one working on my vehicles. And I just took my girlfriends car there today, they were fast, friendly, and he even told me to come back and we could take a little ride to help figure out what a particular noise is. The whole place just knows how to treat their customers. Great shop, great family. You would be stupid to never take your car there, cough cough...sandler. —MBorrego
2009-06-29 17:24:23 All I have to say is this place is amazing, and I only dropped off my car today! When I dropped my car off my roommate came with me to give me a ride home. My roomie inquired about his brake light coming on in the mornings and then going out after driving for a few minutes. I didn't catch the mechanics name but he sent another mechanic out to check the brake fluid on my roommates car. Not only did he check it but refilled it FOR FREE!!!!!! My roommate wasn't even having his car serviced!!! I'll update this when my repairs are all done but thus far I am very impressed with how they run their business. —Conrad
2009-07-13 16:54:55 I went to this shop for the first time for pre-purchase inspection when I was going to buy my car. I really impressed with the service. John's inspections was very accurate and it helped me to fix the purchase price. I have become a regular customer of John since I bought my car as he very honest and friendly. I get everything done at this shop only. —kunwar
2009-07-18 23:37:24 They gave me an honest assessment of repair work needed and have offered a fair price for service in the past. Highly recommended! —GrdStudentT
2009-07-20 16:41:26 MY DAUGHTER NEEDED A MECHANIC WHEN ATTENDING UC DAVIS AS A SOPHOMORE. SINCE I LIVE 2 HOURS AWAY I CAN NOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH IT MEANT TO FIND TRIPLE A AUTO REPAIR. I WAS IMPRESSED FROM THE FIRST TIME I MET THE OWNERS. THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HONEST, RELIABLE AND PROFESSIONAL. I HAVE NOT HAD A CAR WORRY SINCE. ALL REPAIRS HAVE BEEN TO THE HIGHEST STANDARDS. ON MORE THEN ONE OCCASION MY DAUGHTER DROVE IN WITH A SAFETY ISSUE AND WAS TREATED LIKE FAMILY. MY DAUGHTER NOW LIVES ONE AND A HALF HOURS AWAY. TRIPLE A AUTO IS STILL THE ONLY MECHANIC WE WILL TAKE HER CAR TO. I JUST MADE A SIX HOUR ROUND TRIP TO HAVE HER CAR REPAIRED AT TRIPLE A. THANK YOU JOHN AND CINDY. BECAUSE OF YOU MY DAUGHTER BREAKING DOWN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IS NOT ONE OF MY WORRIES. ROBBIE CLIFTON GUSTINE CA —ROBBIECLIFTON
2009-08-12 19:38:54 Please read my comment on the Speedee Oil Change page. Speedee tried to charge me an inordinate amount of money for a simple replacement of a Throttle Positioning Sensor. I called (I think his name is) John and told him the quote from Speedee and he ran the numbers on his quote in 15 seconds while on the phone with me and beat Speedee's price by $45. Pleasantly surprised, I asked him how long it would take and he told me he would order the part immediately and he would get the part by 4pm the same day and it would be installed by closing (5:30pm). I was thrilled and asked him a little about the sensor that he would be replacing and he throughly explained it to me.
I took my car down there at 4pm and went to Borders for my hour and a half wait (nothing, NOTHING compared to the 24 hours of wasted time at Speedee) and literally 30 minutes later my car was done.
This is the mechanic that will get my business when I'm in Davis. Thanks again, Triple A. —ZElliott
2009-08-28 13:43:43 Since I found AAA Automotive I have VERY impressed with the knowledge, expertise, and particularly the HONESTY of John, the owner. I met John when I was told I needed some expensive repairs by "An Unnamed" Automotive—however, since my car was fairly new and dealer maintained, I wasn't certain they were right. I took it to John—and low and behold, he showed me that there were NO problems. He is a straight shooter. Every time. After thirteen years in Davis, I know I have found the perfect mechanic! I should also add that Cindy is very helpful and quick to help me too! (And right now they have two little mascots that make their office a joy!) Thanks, guys. —toriac
2009-10-14 10:29:47 I have a diesel Ford Excursion converted to also run on straight veggie oil. John and his staff have been FANTASTIC resources for helping keep this SVO vehicle running smoothly. They're honest, reliable and an incredibly generous team at Triple A Automotive. —Kern
2009-11-16 20:06:40 John was very highly recommended by a friend when I had sudden car trouble. He was honest and upfront with everything so I felt comfortable being completely open, telling him I was EXTREMELY short on cash and I had a 6 moth old baby. He said that he could do research and see if he could do anything to make a $470 repair job lower. after two weeks of research he called me back saying that, while the $470 repair job was best. he could fix the main problem, making the car perfectly safe and drivable for $150. I was so happy I was in tears. he is my mechanic for everything now! —KMEvans
2009-11-18 12:38:34 Triple A is amazing, definitely the best mechanic I have ever been to. I recently had my car inspected elsewhere through my insurance company and was told by the mechanic who looked at it that I had several critical problems that needed to be fixed immediately (in fact, I was told it would be dangerous to drive my car out of their lot). However, I decided to get a second opinion by going to John and am EXTREMELY glad that I did. Instead of the $1000 quote that I was given by the other mechanic, John looked over the list of problems, fixed a few minor issues (added transmission fluid, coolant, unplugged one of the windshield squirters), and told me the other problems were not an issue and that I should only fix them if I was eager to spend money. He also informed me of the issues I should anticipate having to fix in my car in the next few years. I was incredibly happy to have peace of mind knowing that I found someone I could trust and who could explain my car problems to me in a straightforward way. And on top of all of that, there was no charge for any of the service they had done!! I couldn't believe it!!! As you will read from the other comments, once you come to this shop, you will be a lifer. Thank you, Triple A! —Quince
2009-12-28 09:50:33 I can not say enough good things about John and his crew. They have taken care of me and always done right by me and my car. The only down side with Triple A is that because there are so many people that trust him it does take him longer to fix a car than other shops. But it's totally worth the wait if you're looking for a trustworthy, honest mechanic. —kelsey06
2010-01-22 18:29:40 I have an older, high mileage car that I have taken to Triple A a few times. I have been consistently happy with the service I have received there, but my latest visit confirmed my high opinion of this establishment. They took the time to explain what was wrong with my car, gave me a realistic appraisal of the needed repairs, taking into account my budget and the age of my vehicle, and followed through with a prompt repair. I was able to get my car the same day that I dropped it off and I feel confident in the repairs that were made. This may or may not be true, but as a woman I often feel at a disadvantage in getting my car repaired. I have never had that experience with Triple A and will continue to take my vehicles there. —Clucks511
2010-01-31 21:35:33 The family who works here is really sweet and efficient. I brought my car in last week for what I thought was a gas leak, and after examining it for half a day, they told me it was some other problem. I was relieved that they did not charge me for a diagnostic or anything! Really courteous as well :) Will be coming back here for anything else I have trouble with. —Kamalei
2010-02-17 19:55:58 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. John has been my mechanic for at least 6 years, and I refer everyone I know to them. I now drive from Sacramento to his shop, even for oil changes. The one time I broke down in Tahoe, and had to use a different mechanic, I called John first to be sure I was getting a fair deal. He assured me I was, and even offered to drive to Placerville himself and tow my care back for free, if I wanted him to do the work. They are honest, knowledgeable, and great people. Davis is lucky to have their family... I wish I could take them with me when I move to Oregon next fall. —SDiBrezzo
2010-03-25 02:51:05 More highly positive feedback.
John does good work at a reasonable price and even goes beyond. He was recently able to fix my A/C free of charge (which hadn't been working at all) and charged me less than he originally quoted for the other items I needed fixed. I've noticed that he charges for the actual hours of labor they put in, not just by the book's average/estimate for hours.
I've had work done here three times before this most recent trip and have had only good experiences all around. Only once was he not able to get the car back to me when I needed it (had to wait on a part), but he footed the bill for a rental for the trip I needed to go on. Generally, I don't remember being more satisfied with work done on my car or the treatment received throughout the whole process! I'll go nowhere else. —BuckeyeAggie
2010-04-06 11:29:18 This is an excellent place to have your car worked on. I had a "Check EGR" light on in my car and after chasing the problem myself for several months to get it ready for smog, I still had no idea (I even looked for a reset button but couldn't find one). I took it to John (who also had a tough time finding the reset)and long story short, he found and reset it for an excellent price, even after initially quoting me for a half hour of labor. He was down two mechanics and backed up for at least 4 hours but I got my car back in less than 2! I would definatley recommend Triple A to anyone who needs their car fixed cheaply, reliably and in a timely manner. Thank you John! —RigRed
2010-04-18 23:33:35 I brought my 2000 Nissan Xterra in here last week. Great prices and service. If you're looking for an honest mechanic, you'll find one here. SpeeDee wanted to charge me almost one-hundred dollars more to replace my drive belts, and another couple of hundred to replace my battery. Bought a new battery at Costco for $80 and got it put in for $10 at Triple A. I highly recommend this place! —Mackenzie88
2010-05-04 18:26:10 If an honest mechanic is worth its weight in gold, polite and friendly service is platinum, then AAA Automotive is more precious than any metal currently known. I had to get my fuel pump replaced on my Pontiac or I would not be able to get to work any longer, so the repairs were very time sensitive. I called a little after AAA opened had my car towed in and taken care of in as little as 5 hours. When I went to pick up the car I was informed of some safety issues I was aware of but could not afford at the time, I was not pressured. Just informed. By the time I got there it was close to closing time and I realized I left my wallet at home, rather than make me come back the next day, the folks at AAA were nice enough to stay open a little longer so I could get my car back same day. I comparison shopped many other locations in Davis, these guys were the best. After the service I received, I would venture to say they are the best in that realm as well. I have never commented on any wiki before(in case that's not obvious) I felt one more good comment was the least I could do to repay AAA for the excellent job they did for me today. I will be coming back as soon as I can for the other work. —JMillman
2010-05-20 18:35:28 Excellent service.
Triple A continues to provide the best service at an affordable cost. I've had problems with my Dodge Intrepid and I've always been offered the best and cheapest fixes. No bogus problems and always fix at the root of the problem.
Having a mechanic who is sensitive to your financial is beneficial to a college town like Davis.
Very much impressed, will always continue to service my car here. —enzocn
2010-06-18 01:05:47 John and his family are wonderful! For the past two services I have done on my older BMW, John has been very detailed and honest about all of the procedures. He is professional and fast. He did a great job on my trunk (the metal ripped near the latch when I had a bike rack on the trunk, and he welded it nicely together!), which I had assumed I would need to take to a body shop for repair.
I definitely recommend John and Triple A Automotive. The dogs are cute too, and it always smells nice in the office. —DanielleLee
2010-06-25 16:45:46 I have been taking my vehicles to John since he opened. He used to be the only person fixing cars and would be there most of the day and night trying to keep up. I recommend him whenever I can. I not only consider John my mechanic, but also a great friend. —JamesKrause
2010-06-28 15:52:45 Someone told me these guys are really good, but I almost didn't find them because searching davis wiki for "aaa" doesn't turn up any links to this page in the first 20 results. I think I found it by searching for "mechanics" and was lucky to scroll all the way down the alphabetized list to "Triple A". Too many hits the roadside assistance company, I guess. —johnfisher
2010-07-26 00:46:57 My comment may stand out but I don't want to disagree with any of the positive comments that this shop has.
They were unable to fix my car, despite spending a considerable amount of time on the small problem. Ultimately I will be selling my car "as is" since it won't start. But for all this work, and during the two weeks when they worked on, John was very helpful and frank. Ultimately since they didn't fix my car, they did not charge me a single dollar. Not even the initial amount of diagnostic fees. I think this says a lot about them. The people who work there are great, friendly and I am sure they will do a good job on most cars. Rarely if someone has a misfortune like mine, no mechanic would help anyway. —S.Pav
2010-11-03 12:17:55 First let me say that I am an engineer and previously taught auto mechanics in my spare time at evening classes just for fun. I worked for General Motors for over 25 years designing aerospace electronics for military aircraft and have a machine shop in my garage. I have designed automotive diagnostic equipment for the OBD data bus on passenger vehicles. I have always worked on my cars and have even rebuilt the engine ( diesel) of my Mercedes in my garage. I know cars.
I am over 350 miles away from Davis and my daughter attends UC Davis. Her car's power steering stopped working after I replaced the pump just a month ago. Most mechanics would take this as an opportunity to make some extra money by concluding that a whole lot of extra parts and labor would be required to fix a problem. My not being there would make it easy for a dishonest mechanic to do that. Not Johnny. He and I discussed the power steering problem over the phone at length over numerous phone calls. He performed troubleshooting before recommending a course of action - unlike most mechanics that will just throw parts at a problem until it's fixed.
Johnny at Triple A Automotive is the most honest, capable and knowledgeable mechanic I have ever met. He is patient with his customers and will answer questions that most mechanics would just ignore or sidestep. I am a stickler for details and am difficult to please. I expect to get what I pay for - no excuses. Johny came through and I am relieved that I don't have to worry about my daughter being stuck somewhere in a disabled vehicle. Nor do I have any reservations having him work on the car if other problems arise. And I don't have to worry about travelling to Davis myself to fix her car. Johnny and his wife Cindy have my complete trust. You should too. David —DavidPerez
2010-11-19 16:52:00 I am glad other people have had a good experience, I did not. Several things were missed. —TracyShields
2010-11-27 21:16:12 John is the owner of the shop and he is really knowledgeable, honest person. I was almost always very satisfied with the turnaround time, professionalism, and friendliness of the people who work there. John is the best mechanic that I ever known. I have sent many of my friends there and they were all very satisfied and became his routine costumer. I highly recommend this place. They give you the best warranty and service as I experienced with them before. First time when I took my car to their shop my starter was broken, and they diagnosed that my new front CV axle was broken which I had it repaired in the bay area about 6 months ago, and I was surprised that it was broken in short period of time. As the result I took my car back to the place where was first repaired in the bay area and I find out they went out of business. John told me that he will put a manufacture build CV axel on my old KIA and he would try to find out if there is anything else wrong with the car. As a matter of fact when he was replacing the axel he find out that the intermediate shift does not function really well and he replaced my intermediate shift, too. It was really nice of him that did not charge me any label for replacing the intermitted shift. He told me since he is going to replace the axel it would be another 15-20 minutes work and he is not going to charge me. I do appreciate the great job that him and his staff done to my car in the past 3 years. Thanks a lot. —Amin
2010-11-27 21:21:16 This Place deserve FIVE STARS ***** —Amin
2010-12-08 17:35:04 John is a first class mechanic. Over the years, I've brought in some ridiculous projects. He's found good solutions and taken the time to explain things to me. He works hard to make sure the problems are completely solved even if it takes more time. He's 100% honest and the prices are reasonable. I have NEVER been to a shop where small things get done for free. Both he and his wife are quite pleasant. They obviously care about customer service and doing a good job. I am semi knowledgable about cars ad It's the best auto repair shop I've ever been to. I recommend Triple A to anyone that asks. —JimWatson
2010-12-09 17:23:44 Do NOT even think about coming here unless you want amazing service and a honest mechanic who does the most superb job in the world :D
If you're reading this, don't even bother finishing another word, call Triple A Automative and schedule an appointment. They deserve your business and I have never met a more honest mechanic than John and his staff. I had an emergency with my shifter knob being stuck in Drive and knew that I would come to this place first. They fixed it asap, found out the problem (even with their backed up schedule) they put my emergency first which was great since I had to take a final that same day! Absolutely FANTASTIC service, didn't charge me a dime! I swear, they are giving away their time and money to their customers and have earned a long-time customer. I would never consider any other auto shops in Davis. I had a HORRIBLE experience at Hanlee's Toyota in Davis and I suggest you don't even go there EVER, come to Triple A Automative and trust them.
I would give them all a hug if I could but it might be weird, they're amazing and sure some people above might have had issues but hey, no mechanic is perfect and can make everything work perfectly. Just like how not all Doctors are able to cure and heal everyone unfortunately, you just have to have somebody trustworthy as John and his crew and hope for the best which is what will happen.
Five HUNDRED stars to Triple A!!!! —tsssai
2010-12-21 10:09:04 I have never previously posted a comment on DavisWiki, but created an account for this sole occasion. When I first arrived in Davis a couple years ago, I used this site in hopes of finding a reliable and honest auto repair establishment because I have two older vehicles. Triple A Auto seemed to have the best comments, so whenver something came up, we turned to them. Each and every time we've used Triple A, John and Cindy have been terrific. John is always candid and upfront about the potential costs and mechanical-related issues, which I appreciate. He also tries to provide a more cost-effective alternative, if there is one. The tremendous service was never more appreciated than a few days ago when I brought my car in because my key wouldn't turn (in the ignition). John looked at it, located the problem, and ordered a new ignition switch after discussing the issue with me. I then left the car with him. However, to make a long story short, after I took off, he fiddled with it a bit, and he was able to get it working again with no apparent problems. He called me to let me know; he also asked if I still wanted to replace the ignition switch with a new one. I chose not to, hoping things would be okay. We agreed that if this happened again, I would definitely need to replace the ignition switch. In any case, when I received the bill, he didn't charge me a dime. He even scratched the $80 diagnostic fee that I agreed to pay (in writing when I brought my vehicle in). I was amazed. I could go on and on, but suffice to say that I would recommend Triple A Auto without reservation. John and Cindy (and their family) are good, honest people. —TravisSatterlund
2011-05-24 19:56:14 Awesome place. This is the best garage in Davis. John is honest and does a wonderful job in a timely manner. Plus, he charges less than everyone else and fixes the problem the first time. Do yourself a favor and take your car here. —DrBombay
2011-06-10 15:12:12 This garage is the best! The family who runs it is honest, nice, and also willing to work within a person's budget. I highly recommend Triple A for car servicing. For car owners who worry about being "taken for a ride" you don't have to worry about this here. John and Cindy have a lot of integrity and take great care of their customers. —RMG
2011-07-01 18:23:15 We took our Durango in to John for a transmission service before going on our vacation road trip at the end of July. While changing the fluid John found part of the retaining ring was broken and two pieces of the ring sitting at the bottom of the pan. There was no wear or shavings and although the fluid needed changing it was not bad. John took the time to check for recalls on the part and recommended we check with the dealership before doing anything.
After checking with our local dealership we were told that the part was not on the recall list. They in turn gave us an estimate cost and time to replace the retaining ring and were told that there was no guarantee that they could replace the ring without having to rebuild the transmission and that the price could double. In addition, they insisted that we would not find a better price or mechanic and that it should be done ASAP at their shop.
Before getting a quote from John we had already committed to have Triple A do the work if it wasn't a recall issue. Not only did they come in considerably lower than the dealership. John and the Triple A team have the best workmanship, honesty and friendliness around. The only shop we will recommend. Thank you!!! —jedamax
2011-08-06 20:03:20 I also created an account solely for the purpose of writing this review. John from Triple A worked on my car for six months, trying to fix a problem with the computer & sensors that prevented the car from passing smog. Because he wasn't able to fix the problem, he REFUSED to charge me a cent - even though he had spent about $500 on parts alone on new sensors and other new parts. I told him that I wanted to pay him at least a couple hundred bucks, and he refused to take it - he said "I didn't fix your car, and I wouldn't feel good about taking your money." This guy is super legit, and ridiculously honest - a rare commodity among auto repair shops. I would recommend him unhesitatingly to anyone. —circleadrian
"2011-08-11 19:12:29" I created an account just to explain how down to earth and amazing this place is. I moved here after having the same mechanic work on my car for almost 10 years, and not only did they charge my battery for me, but they spent hours on my car trying to fix it and it ended up semi resolved, in the end they never charged me anything for the time they spent on my car, John is a great patient guy and he listened to what I had to say and it was the best service I have had since being in Davis, Thank you!!
2011-10-10 14:12:07 I Love this place! John is the first person i call when i have an issue with my BMW. (which has been a lot as of late). Everyone there is super nice and he goes above and beyond to help me get back on the road. He's done my oil changes, diagnostics, windshield wipre fluid motor repair, cam shaft position sensor..etc. This place is turlly amazinf and i would highly recommend it to everyone!!!! —senikajohnson
2011-11-22 17:29:49 Like the people above, I create an account just to share my happy experience there with you gys. I have a second hand 1999 Lexus. several days after I bougnt it. the check engine , VSC and VSC off lights were on. I had spent more than 100 bucks and tried to fix it in two garages, the results were the same, the lights turned back on days after fixing. Then my friend recommend this place and said it was very well reviewed. I drove the car there and the people were all very nice. I left the car there and a couple of hours later, I was told the car had been fixed, furthermore they didn't charge me labor fee as they thought it was very easy for them. On month passed, the lights never turned on again, I am very satisfied. Thank you, John. —julimao
2011-12-09 09:48:14 John is the best mechanic all around that I have found since moving to Davis. One of the top reasons I was sad to leave my last city of residence was that I had FINALLY found an honest, reasonable, knowledgeable mechanic. Much to my relief, John is all the things, and the fact that his shop is often crammed to the gills is testament to this. He waives the inspection fee if you go ahead with the repair and has a warranty on his work. This means I don't feel like I've flushed my money down the toilet if the problem doesn't get fixed the first time around (which is rare). John and his wife are exactly the kind of local family business I want to support. I stand behind my recommendation 100%. —LilyS
2012-06-05 19:39:52 I LOVE this beautifully-run family business! John is honest, fair, and open to feedback. I took my car in recently, and a new problem arose after the service. It seemed that this problem would have happened at that time anyway, but because there was a small possibility that the previous work may have caused a new problem, John waived the labor and charged me very little to resolve it. He also took the time to explain the problem to me. The feel in this business is one of openness, honesty, and just all-around good people. I whole-heartedly recommend this mechanic! —RKor
2012-10-04 17:18:04 John is knowledgable, honest and polite! Bob Redfield, another great mechanic, told me his own shop was too busy to take my car, but he recommended Triple A. If he was willing to lend his good name to Triple A, I thought it must be a good place - and it is. After the diagnostic, the repair estimate came in around $1,900 (more than I bought the car for), but John explained that the car was still totally driveable and didn't need the repair, though he'd be happy to do it if I wanted. He told me that this part was notorious for going out on my car, but that I'd missed the warranty extension by four years and 90,000 miles. He offered to keep checking my check engine light for free since it'll probably go off again for the same reason but shouldn't be ignored. This guy cares about his customers and wants to keep them on the road! —BethSekishiro
2012-10-14 20:57:48 I have an extremely troublesome British car, and I'm certain I would have spent more than what I paid for it by now if I had gone anywhere else. John really works with you to keep the cost down. He even charged me only for parts once when an extensive repair, through no fault of his own, took quite a while, AND threw in a tune up and other small repairs for free. They know what they're doing and are honest, kind, and efficient. —MaggieBelshaw
2012-10-26 21:53:15 I have always had great experiences working with John and the other folks at Triple A. I've brought them 3 different cars over the years, and they've always gone above and beyond to help me. I brought them a Subaru Outback with a mystery stalling problem, and though it took John a few days to track down the problem (a short circuit which blew 3 different sensors) he only charged me a basic diagnostic fee plus parts and labor on the sensors, and not for the many hours it must have taken him to figure it out. I brought another Subaru Outback with a failing starter motor to them on short notice at the end of the work day, and they had a new starter installed and ready to go for me early the next morning. More recently, I dropped off a newer Ford Escape with a sticking gas pedal. John cleaned out the throttle for free in less than an hour. John is always willing to listen to my car concerns and give thoughtful advice over the phone. I really value Triple A's friendliness and honesty, and I intend to keep coming to them for as long as I'm in Davis. —BrianHaworth
2013-01-10 15:49:11 John PROVED HIS HONESTY to me at quite a cost to himself. I brought my Buick van for a diagnosis of a stability control problem it was having. My van's computer reported 11 different problem codes, although it has had a tendency to report problems falsely. A different dealer might have have milked it by just saying that we needed to repair all of the parts that the computer was signaling, or just casually replaced a part or two at random and sent us home without making sure the problem was really solved. Instead, he carefully and thoroughly checked it out for a full 8 hours and then called me to suggest I take it to the dealer for a more thorough diagnosis (since the dealer would have more product-specific equipment for diagnostics) to make sure we actually nailed the real problem. He offered to do the repair work once we received the full diagnosis from the dealer. Not only was he making a big sacrifice for our sake, since he was taking a chance that I would have the dealer do the repair, he even refused to charge me for more than the standard diagnosis fee I had agreed to when I first brought it in. Definitely a keeper. —PaulLJohnson
2013-01-12 14:07:23 Correction to my comment from yesterday (this gets even better!), since I misunderstood him over the phone: John refused to charge me ANY diagnostic fee, since he could not successfully diagnose the problem, despite all of the work he put into it. That is a "costly signal" of integrity, indeed. I am very grateful to him. —PaulLJohnson
2013-04-01 18:20:14 John and the rest of the triple a automotive shop are hands down the best and most sincere in town. John (the mechanic)not only really knows his stuff but he's honest and humble. First time I had car trouble, my alternator died. He let me borrow a spare battery to get my car to the shop an then got my car in and out with in an hour. Today my car heated up. Yet again he did a great job. Further more he only charged me for what he quoted and gave me a very fair and low price (I want to say because I'm a student and my wife is pregnant!). If you want an honest hard working mechanic whose fair go to John. —CesarMorales
2013-05-08 23:51:21 Triple A Auto is the best! I have been going there for 6 years now and John (the owner) has become a good friend of mine. He is always honest and will tell you if you can get a better price somewhere else or if there is a factory recall on a part. The shop is family run and has a friendly atmosphere. They can always fit me in if something goes wrong on short notice. John even came to help me at the barn when my truck had problems! I would recommend Triple A Auto to anyone. —Merritt
2013-05-21 16:39:16 So I have this beat up 1999 Nissan Altima that is sorta worth nothing because of a hit and run at Anderson Court Apartments. Anyway, it was making a really loud noise that was getting progressively worse when I was accelerating and turning, so I dropped by randomly this afternoon and explained that I was just looking for an estimate since I was hoping not to put any significant money into repairs. I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't get the mechanic's name.I thought that the power steering fluid was OK, but he spotted that as the problem in about 5 seconds. He refilled the power steering fluid, said that it could take a while before it really gets to sound normal again, and then gave me a small bottle of steering fluid in case I needed to add more. Super nice service, especially since initially the receptionist said they were booked til Tuesday. I'll be sure to bring my business there in the future. —MikeWardII
2013-10-27 16:52:36 The best service I have ever received from a repair shop. The automotive staff are excellent...really know their stuff. The teceptko.staff are so welcoming and professional. Five star facility!! I'll never go anywhere else. —PrimaDiva
2013-12-11 15:41:58 Let me reaffirm my comment I made several years ago. Triple A Auto is hands down the best mechanic here in Davis. I trust John and his guys to work on my cars and I let all my friends know. If you are looking for a mechanic that is trustworthy and straightforward Triple A Auto is the shop for you. —JamesKrause
2013-12-23 16:58:51 Good people. Friendly, honest and understanding. When I recently visited, they were unable to link to my ancient car's computer. Nevertheless, they tried multiple work-arounds for my problem. Even though they couldn't fix it, they replaced a tail light for free and refunded every cent for the inspection. This was all close to closing time during the hectic holiday season. I can't recommend this place enough. —wikiparker
2021-04-19 13:03:28 I noticed as i was looking into a repair i needed to have done that the wiki showing up for Vickers Automotive had 4 and 1/2 stars. That's unacceptable for me, and anyone i have ever known that has used them will agree, they simply are the best! No other place i have found over my time has come close to the experience this shop produces. Anyone who has had the pleasure of finding this place when in need of repairs, or like my family uses them regularly, can say without a doubt, they are a 5 star and then some business. Today the shop is ran by the same great family and with very knowledgeable and friendly staff who are all certified and able to work on just about any car. They are super busy, a week or two out in most cases, and thats just a small hint to main idea here, you cant beat these type of qualities in auto repairs shops that Vickers offers. Cars can cost a lot to repair, so walking into a shop for the first time often feels like you have throw yourself to the feeding frenzy. I can only say you wont leave her feeling that way. I've grown up always hearing and experiencing shops not always being that honest or even worse out right shady in terms of business practices. Thats given the entire industry this idea of all shops are ran this way. Thats so far from reality and there are great shops still, you just gotta find them. Vickers is just that, a small priceless gem in a overwhelming sea of options. My hope is that these words offer some clarity to the experiences you will have using J.R and his team of mechanics in that time of need. Years ago we found ourselves in need of help! Not just a mechanic but something almost godly needed to happen. Some how we landed at John's front door step at the shop here in Davis Ca. The tow truck driver recommended them to us after hearing our story. That started this relationship with us and the Vickers family. The vehicles we were leaning on at that time were old, and we had just put everything into the repairs of that Toyota, and what we got back was a nightmare, the worst thing that could of happened for us. It was a 1992 toyota 4runner and the electrical was a nightmare. After its time there at Johns the truck ran great. When they got it the mechanic that took our money made a mess of it all including the engine he put in, and to the point any other mechanic would of turned us away. That experience came at a time for me personally that stopped me dead in my tracks. I was at a point where i had lost all hope and sight of what i grew up knowing, and that was that there are still good people out there. Not everyone is out for their own. The day we drove that truck home i was shocked. It ran great and its still running just as good. We have new care today and that was a decade ago, and you better bet, every new car we buy, its Vickers automotive that we take it too. Broken cars are expensive to repair, then to face the uncertainty of a mechanic who just sees dollar signs makes a car needing repairs a nightmare. I can say that having Vickers as a place we take cars, i never have to be to concerned. Parts are expensive but a mechanic who is looking to make a dollar can really make that expensive repair job a horror story. Not here, not with vickers automotive, i never am concerned about the price and thats a testament to a decade plus some of business here with the family. I cant say enough good stuff about them and when you find this quality in a shop you will know it because you often find yourself blown away. To the Vickers family from mine, we love you guys and thank you for all you have ever done for us and obviously plenty of others. You guys are the best! Thanks for being the people you are . I have plenty more to say but you will have to buy the book! lol —xTWISTEDx
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