Richardson Automotive Service

I've not had my car for too long and so my only comparison is with the 'Union Street Garage' (who also get very good reviews) so when they were too busy (as it seems they usually are) I looked on Yelp again and chose Richardson Automotive Service. Well....WOW!

The reason for my visit was a flat tire I had had the night before. The spare had been put on by AAA (who did a very good job) and I needed to see if the tire could be fixed. I took the tire to Richardson and the mechanic took a look at it and told me to take a seat in the office for 15 minutes.

At almost exactly 15 minutes he comes to get me, tells me that the tire is fixed, it's back on the car and there will be NO CHARGE!! He simply says "Next time....."

So of course......a good bit of business, as I will of course go back there next time for my full service.

No such thing as a free lunch? I can't promise that you will get you work done for free...but use them, they were friendly, polite and so far the tire has stayed inflated....nice!

I cannot recommend this place enough. I wish I could give 8 stars (no, not 6 or 7, that still wouldn't be enough).

I recently was the victim of a scam auto detailer, that extorted over a thousand dollars out of me and left my car with a malfunctioning airbag sensor. So not only did I need to get my car worked on, but I was drained, financially yeah, but also I was just dreading having to deal with more car stuff. My usual mechanic had a wait over a month, so I have basically just been scared to drive my car out of fear the airbags wouldn't work in a crash.

Earlier this week I tried going to my local Honda service center to see if they could just hook my car up to the computer and check what the problem was. When I got there, kinda thinking they might do it for like 20 bucks and then give me an estimate for the work, they quoted me almost $300! $300! Just to hook my car up to a computer. I thought about it for a minute, and decided to leave. But now I really wasn't sure what to do. The bills seemed to keep piling up.

Flash forward a few days, and several people had recommended Walter at Richardson Auto, so I thought I'd try my luck. I didn't get through to them over the phone, so I drove down there, told this story I'm telling you now, and Walter was super nice and understanding and said I could come by Friday afternoon and he'd look at it for free. I was aghast. For free? Yes, I actually asked him to confirm, which he did.

Friday came and I brought my car in. No wait or anything. Walter came out, hooked up his computer, found the problem, and fixed it. Just like that. No money or anything. And again, Honda was gonna charge me almost $300 just to spend 2 minutes diagnosing the problem.

Absolutely would recommend this business over and over. They clearly care about people over money. I was literally left speechless in the end.

I've been taking my 2003 Ford Escape to Walter for about 8 years. It's very low mileage and Walter keeps it running like a top.

He's extremely conscientious, does excellent work and charges (very) fairly. He knows my car, has the history, looks at the history when I come in. Checks what he noted needed to be checked.

I trust him to the moon and back.

It's hard to find a mechanic that knows what they're doing, is reliable and fair. (Especially for a woman.)

10***** for Walter.

I brilliantly hit my side mirror on my garage and Walter was kind enough to let me stop by at my convenience the next day to assess the damage on my Audi q5.

With a wave of his magic wand (aka screw driver and automotive know-how) he as able to fix it on the spot and save me what would've been a $1400 replacement. Also did not charge me.

Walter is a prince of a guy and I would recommend you take your car here. I will be shifting over all of my maintenance to Walter at Richardson after this experience.

Honest and capable local auto mechanic. Does not try to sell up. Value conscious.
Had 20,000 mile all point check up. Oil and filter change and new battery installed.

Walter is amazing. AMAZING. I took my car here after getting an astronomical quote from the dealer for what seemed like an uncomplicated repair. (Yes, I know a dealer is always more expensive, but this quote was beyond normal.) I walked over to Richardson Automotive and asked Walter what he would charge for the repairs the dealer said I needed. He quoted me a very fair price AND said that he suspected something the dealer wanted to fix likely didn't need fixing. I gave Walter the go-ahead, and sure enough, he inspected the car and the thing didn't need fixing! Walter had my car for less than a day and fixed all the things that actually needed fixing. He was professional, kind, empathetic and just an all-around nice and honest person who cares about doing right by his customers. Walter is my new best friend -- and I will not be taking my car anywhere else from now on! If I could give Walter more than 5 stars, I absolutely would. I really cannot thank him enough for restoring my faith in car repair professionals. Not all heroes wear capes!

This is a good shop. I am mechanically adept but I bring my vehicles here. pricing is not low but it's reasonable. My car is a Mercedes so I am used to higher pricing. I do not like to be more but that's the way of the world.

I just stopped by to check this place out. Walter is one of the most excellent people you will ever meet. I'm not sure about you, but not many people/ shops will charge you less money if the repair gets done sooner than expected. How many trustworthy mechanics will tell you straight up? Hey, it didn't take five hours to work on your car like the booked time said, and Walter charged me a lot less just because it's the right thing to do. How many people can find a trustworthy mechanic like that in San Francisco? I highly recommend giving Walter a try or even just a phone call. No BS found here.

Great repair shop! Good work, fair prices, honest advice and I never felt pressured to make a decision. The reviews speak for themselves, as does their booked schedule. Expect the soonest appointment to be about a week to a week and a half out.

Been going here for years. Walter, who runs it, is the best. Honest and pleasant.

Great location as well.

Walter is a saint!

A good mechanic is hard to find and Walter and his team are IT. They are hardworking, fair, and most important of all, honest.

I have a European car and have to be particular about where I go. I used to go to the dealership to get service, but felt like they always gouged me. I asked around on ND and was referred to Richardson.

In my first interactions, I could see that Walter wasn't trying to get money out of me - he was genuinely trying to help and would recommend what made sense.

They're always super busy but my car is pretty much done before the estimated time.

Thank you Walter and team for all that you do!