3 /5 Kate West: I had a mixed experience with Sonoma Auto Care. The owner Chris is very nice, but I largely dealt with his very rude employees. I had a bad feeling from the start, but decided to overlook it because the price was right for my budget.
I came in to get the brakes done on my car, which they got done pretty quickly. However, as soon as I left my battery died. I later found out they had to jump my car twice to get it out of the shop, which should have indicated Id need a replacement. I called & the guy on the phone told me if I brought it back, theyd replace the battery for free. I came back to a different story - an additional $200 charge that I wasnt expecting. Although the battery probably wasnt on them, Id have preferred not being told I was getting a free service.
The next day, I noticed a very loud clunking sound from the drivers side. They didnt test drive my car after doing the job, so I brought it back yet again and they realized a bolt had been installed incorrectly (by the guy with zero mechanic background who shouldnt be working on cars at all, unsupervised). They "fixed" it, now theres an incredibly loud stretching noise when I make right turns, plus the mechanic at the shop was incredibly rude when I picked up my car the last time. Should have gone with the slightly more expensive, but clearly more professional shop down the street.
