Santa Monica Auto Service

Don is who you want in your corner. He went beyond his job: he called me on his own time to follow up, he researched, he reached out to colleagues of his to find the most affordable way for me to fix my car, and he's a pleasure to work with. It's nice to know I have "my" mechanic on the westside. This job has won my loyalty for life.

Don and Ray have been taking care of my 1991 Acura Integra with 225K on it for four years. They know how important the car is to me (and how tight $ is) and have saved it more than once when other places would have put her down. Honest, straight up, professional and good guys. They stand behind the work too. When a quickie oil place chopped off the oil pan plug in a weird way causing a leak Don fixed it for FREE! really appreciate all the great work they do.

My wife and I were returning from the doc office when the little one goes ballistic. We decided to stop our car (2003 Mazda Protege 5) at some random street and lo and behold the battery dies. The AAA guys gives it a jump start and we head to our fav car mechanic shop - SM Motors......but it was past closing time and Don still allowed us in since we called in at around 4:50ish. On reaching there, for some reason, when started again, the car did fire up and Don gave us a couple of options - leave it there and get a ride or take it home and chance it. Since we had our LO with us, we decided to chance it and went home. 4 days later and on starting the car, it did fire up after initial hesitation but clearly something was wrong. Back at the shop, they find the battery had some internal shorting. They offered to replace the battery for free as it was under warranty period. The whole process was handled professionally and in a calm manner by Don. In the past, we dealt with Josh who was also equally professional and proficient. I am taking in our bimmer for oil change at much lower cost than the dealers. They do use Castrol 5W synthetic, the same as dealers. Why bother paying more? It is our go to place for all things auto related!

This is one of the great independent shops on the westside of LA. We have three cars, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, a Lexus GS 300 and a Toyota Prius, serviced and repaired here. Don and his technicians are not only friendly and very helpful, they know their stuff. We trust these guys to be accurate, fair, reliable and well priced. It's comforting to have auto mechanics that you can count on.

I cannot over-emphasize my trust and gratitude for the guys at Santa Monica Motors (SMM). For the better part of a decade, SMM has handled jobs both big and small, from regular preventative maintenance to electronics, suspension, engine, and more electronics (Jeep owners will understand) on mine and my wife's vehicles. Since a surgery a few years ago, I'm unable to do all the minor work on my Jeep that I used to do. I still do little things like replace bulbs and change my air filter. I used to hate taking my ride somewhere and being told I needed a new "whatever" that I had just changed the week before. At SMM, I have NEVER felt BS'ed or taken advantage of. If Don tells me I need something replaced, I know its time to replace it. There have been times when he's told me that he'd feel more comfortable if he kept it one more day, even though he knows how bad I need it back. I respect that they want to make sure the job is done solid, not just "the best that could be done before you want it on Thursday". You will be treated professionally and with respect. I've experienced it and I've witnessed it with other customers many times. It's kind-of cool to find that in this town. I recommend Santa Monica Motors!!!!

I came in with a huge dilemma, needing my engine check light off in order to pass the SMOG test. Don and company promised to do what it took to take care of the situation, in a reasonable and timely manner. They followed through with their promise. I was happy with their service.

Quick and easy auto emissions test to renew my license plates. Highly recommended!

All hail the Don! This guy rocks. One day, Toyota Camry starter died. Another day, Jeep Cherokee's taillights shorted. A third day, over-priced German car pulled some crap on me. Never any problem for Don. Man I love this guy. One day, he even refused to install some parts that I bought because he said they were beneath him. I'd rather spend well and spend once, although he always lays out the options and predicts with 100% certainty when I'll be back because I bought the cheap part. This guy's the real deal. Even more telling is how one of his staff one day treated a nice old lady who stopped by for some service. She could have been taken for a SPIN, but Don's guys are honest. Gave her all price options, were patient with her questions and offered her a shuttle home. These guys rock. Probably why all the houses around them are overpriced. All Don's fault.

Awesome beans