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Rusty's Honda & Mazda Repair
Categories: Automotive Smog Check Stations Automotive Auto Repair Smog Check Stations, Auto Repair [Edit]
318 River St # CSanta Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 458-9445
tony c. said: "I got a oil change toady and WOW fast and professional got a yelp discount to. Think I found my new repair shop! This place is way faster than the jiffy lube and has better prices, plus its a local business not a corporation. They…" read more »
15 reviews for Rusty's Honda & Mazda Repair
15 reviews in English
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Review from Norris B.
Aptos, CA
12/9/2011
I have taken my Honda to Rusty's for over 10 years. I have been very happy with their service. While they may not be the least expensive I think the value is very good!
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Review from Mark B.
Santa Cruz, CA
6/10/2011
So let me start by saying this: I know nothing about cars. They've never interested me and aside from changing my oil, I know nothing about them. I depend on people that work at places that fix cars to tell me what i need. Sucker? Sure. That definitely makes me a mark (no pun intended). Still, I don't appreciate feeling like an idiot and i don't like being taken advantage of.
Rusty's did both. I went in needing a tune up. The woman working there asked me a few questions about my car. She asked me if I had my timing belt replaced and I didn't know. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. I got lots of sighs and eye rolls about the next few questions. I don't know if I had come at the wrong time or something but this woman was doing a pretty good job of making me feel stupid. I don't appreciate that. Still, I needed my car fixed. She explained that a timing belt takes about 6 hours to replace and showed me all the details including parts and labor cost. The whole thing was supposed to cost about $900 bucks.
Good thing I went home and did some research. I ended up finding another place that I trusted. It was far from Santa Cruz and I would have rather gotten the tune up before the drive but I found out that a timing belt only takes 4 hours to fix and is a hell of a lot cheaper. Turns out I got a tune up, the timing belt fixed AND new rear brake pads for $700 bucks at the other place. Thanks Rusty's for cheating a sucker. I'm glad you didn't get my money.
If you decide to go to this place, I would get an estimate first and then check elsewhere. See if you can find something cheaper. -
Review from Kailey O.
12/11/2010
I wanted to take my 2003 Honda Accord to get my 90k check up. I dealt with 2 different people on two different days, both of which had really rude and condescending attitudes. Finally they could give me an appointment early in the morning, so I asked for a ride to and from work so I could proceed with my day without a car. Again, I felt like such an inconvenience.
The repair itself was nothing special, and pretty expensive. It was just under $300 for a basic service/ oil change and inspection.
I do trust them with my car, but unfortunately, I don't think I'll be back :( -
Review from Norman H.
Santa Cruz, CA
6/15/2011
Recently unreported money raping at Rusty's. A front oxigen sensor and oil change for a Honda Civic (like changing a light bulb)...More than four hundred dollars. It's OK to pay for auto repair test gear, but not in one repair! The idea that off the starting blocks this outfit charges nearly $150.00 just to jack-in a couple plugs is so far out of line with "reasonable" that I will never set foot in the place again....Big mistake on my part, but as many others have said in this post: "We need our car, and don't always have the option to shake out all the crooks."
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Review from Christopher B.
Berkeley, CA
12/27/2010
They were friendly and helpful. When they couldn't recreate the problem (which was intermittent), they called me to say I could drive around with the mechanic if I wanted to, which I did. We had a nice chat, and he was a nice guy.
It was a hard problem to diagnose, but finally, they were able to re-create it, and replaced the part that was causing the issue. I liked them a lot. -
Review from Pumpkin K.
Santa Cruz, CA
9/13/2006
Rusty's is a great place because they have the two best qualities for an auto repair place: they do great work and they are scrupulously honest. Oh, and they don't treat you like a dumb girl fi you don't know your crankshaft from your catalytic converter!
They told me when a problem I had was something the manufacturer was supposed to fix, and they could have charged me to do it and I never would have known. They'll tell you when you can squeeze a few more miles in before you need to get something fixed.
Honda and Mazda drivers in the know go to Rusty's. -
Review from Sergey M.
San Jose, CA
4/17/2008
This is the best auto shop I have ever dealt with. They do quality work on my old Mazda, they never try to sell me something I do not need, and I have come to trust their advice.
I do not know why the other reviewer did not like the service. The front desk lady is polite and knowledgeable. Yes, she doesn't have a fake smile plastered on her face, but I think that's a good thing.
I live over the hill now, but I still take my Mazda here for repairs and check-ups. -
Review from Kim R.
Santa Cruz, CA
6/3/2009
Definitely the best place to take your car!
One of my doors wouldn't lock, but the car would still arm itself, so I took it to the Honda dealership in Capitola to see if they could fix it. The dealership wouldn't even touch the car unless I got the aftermarket alarm system removed- the alarm system that the dealer who sold me the brand new car had installed!
I took the car to Rusty's and they were able to fix the simple broken part- without removing the alarm.
As people have said, Rusty's isn't cheaper than other places, but they won't try to nickel and dime you. Definitely my car go-to place from now on. -
Review from ryan o.
Gilroy, CA
3/11/2011
I didnt have a good experience. I feel the mechanic was having problems figuring out very basic problems. Took my car to get a second opinion and was pleased to find out everything wasnt that bad. Just BE CAREFUL
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Review from Josh H.
Santa Cruz, CA
9/11/2009
The good: Quality of work is beyond reproach. If Rusty fixes something on your car it stays fixed and you never have to think about it again. The mechanics are well trained and if you ask them about something specific they're happy to tell you about it.
The bad: The price. Rusty's recently quoted me a little more than _double_ what Los Gatos Honda quoted for both routine maintenance items and a few repairs, and well above the range that RepairPal estimates. I made sure to compare apples to apples and asked each for the cost breakdown (parts and labor) and made sure I was being quoted on the same things. Sure enough, for each of several routine service items, Rusty's quote was double, and they don't have the overhead of a dealership. I am impressed with the quality of work, but I can't afford to pay someone more than dealer prices for essentially the same service. -
Review from Sabra R.
Santa Cruz, CA
6/15/2009
I was living in San Luis Obispo where I had an amazing Honda mechanic so I have high standards. When I returned to SC I started taking my Acura to Rusty's in 2004. One day my car wouldn't start so I had it towed to Rusty's. They fixed the issue so the car was running (mind you without my consent). Then the next morning I get a call wondering if I had picked up my car. Uh NO...low and behold MY CAR WAS STOLEN!
First off, it shouldn't have been running in the 1st place. Second off, they handled the situation VERY POORLY! I would expect some decent customer service in this situation from the owner and I received none of that. All in all, it was a bad situation that was dealt with badly by Rusty's. -
Review from Lisa Ann P.
Santa Cruz, CA
3/5/2011
Ok so I love my little miata but in the 10 years all I have ever had done was oil changes, new tires, and a new battery. Let's just say my little silver toy car has always kept going without any real problems. I decided if I wanted to keep it that way I best take it in and have a 60K checkup. Knowing that probably it needed something, but did not really think it ran bad. So off to Rusty's I go for the first time. They were helpful on the phone and told me what should be checked and done. I dropped the car off, reluctant as I'm always a little leary when it comes to car repairs. Well I am pleasantly surprised though a little more costly than I planned, my little car that I thought was running just fine... Well lets just say thank you rusty's for putting the zippity do dah back in my Zoom Zoom Zoom! My car runs better than ever! Now the only problem is I best be careful not to to get a speeding ticket!!! Love my little car and thank you again to Rusty's!
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Review from Boomer D.
Santa Cruz, CA
10/31/2007
When you've got a Honda problem, go to a Honda mechanic. I learned that the hard way when some sincere generalist mechanics wasted a few hundred of my dollars trying to diagnose an obscure, intermittent ignition problem on my old Acura. Rusty's got it in one.
Don't expect a bargain, because Rusty's is not cheap. By any standards. They are honest, however, beyond the letter of the law. I had a complete brake job done there, new disks and all, and about a year later the car started leaking brake fluid. One of the new components had failed -- a month past its one-year warranty period. Rusty decided that a new part should last more than 13 months, and made it all right without charging me a dime.
They've recently started working on Toyotas, and I've started taking my two-year-old Prius there. Time will tell whether they've got the expertise for complex hybrid issues. In the meantime, expensive as they are, they're a lot cheaper for service than Santa Cruz Toyota. And I still do trust their integrity. -
Review from Kit G.
Felton, CA
4/22/2010
I am so glad that they now work on Toyotas. I religiously took my old Honda to Rusty because I knew I could always trust him to do exactly what was needed and do it well. The most trustworthy mechanic I have ever met. I now take my Toyota to Rusty and expect that it will keep running well for years to come. Yes, it is not cheap but I have never had to take a car back because it wasn't done right the first time. When you think of the cost of a car, paying a little more to keep it running happily for years doesn't seem unreasonable.
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Review from sally s.
Santa Cruz, CA
9/27/2007
Fast service, looked over my car and made recommendations, but didn't try to sell me on things I don't need. I will certainly go back.
