Verified Company
I have a Chevy Silverado 2500 For the pass 8 years, I went to get a smog, I know it’s an older truck maybe need some service but I never had problem getting smog, I don’t know if The regulations got Harder through the years, but for the first time It Didn’t pass After having the truck for almost an hour I said thank you turn around went down the street. I pay again $85 and pass smog with green flags. I have it register and on the road again. thank you, but no thank you
Reply from Ryan's Automotive Service Center
2025.12.05
Hi Gustavo,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We truly appreciate every customer who trusts us with their vehicle, and we’re sorry to hear you left feeling disappointed.
At our shop, we follow strict state guidelines during smog inspections. In your case, your vehicle did not pass due to exhaust manifold leaks (multiple bolts visibly broken and missing and a audible pre-catalyst exhaust leak heard when revving the engine), which we are required by law to document. We understand that different stations may vary in how thoroughly they inspect, but we take clean air, environmental impact, and state compliance seriously. Missing issues like exhaust leaks can result in significant fines for both the shop and, more importantly, it can impact air quality.
We’re glad to hear you were able to get your vehicle registered and back on the road, but we also welcome the opportunity to discuss your results in detail or answer any questions about the inspection process. Our goal is always transparency, fairness, and doing the job the right way.
If you’d like to talk further, please feel free to reach out—we’re here to help.
Thank you,
Brian at Ryan's Automotive Service Center.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We truly appreciate every customer who trusts us with their vehicle, and we’re sorry to hear you left feeling disappointed.
At our shop, we follow strict state guidelines during smog inspections. In your case, your vehicle did not pass due to exhaust manifold leaks (multiple bolts visibly broken and missing and a audible pre-catalyst exhaust leak heard when revving the engine), which we are required by law to document. We understand that different stations may vary in how thoroughly they inspect, but we take clean air, environmental impact, and state compliance seriously. Missing issues like exhaust leaks can result in significant fines for both the shop and, more importantly, it can impact air quality.
We’re glad to hear you were able to get your vehicle registered and back on the road, but we also welcome the opportunity to discuss your results in detail or answer any questions about the inspection process. Our goal is always transparency, fairness, and doing the job the right way.
If you’d like to talk further, please feel free to reach out—we’re here to help.
Thank you,
Brian at Ryan's Automotive Service Center.
I was informed by a repair shop (which will remain unnamed) that I had an oil leak which would require removing the transmission for approximately $4000. But interestingly enough, I never saw any signs of oil that had leaked onto my driveway. I expressed this to someone who then highly recommended Ryan’s automotive repair. I called & upon speaking with Rachel I knew I was in good hands. She was.extremely helpful & Informative. If what the other repair shop said was true what needed to be repaired, it would be over $4000 as the transmission would have to removed. It was highly recommended to replace all gaskets, etc., so that that transmission would be removed once BUT Ryan’s would run their own diagnostic. I will also add that in the meantime, I was leaking coolant which the other shop didn’t even address. Because of Ryan’s honesty & thoroughness, their approach rang true to me. In the end only the repairs that were necessary were done for a total of $2500. My car has always had a lag when I put the pedal to the gas… now it has “guts” & my car is running better than it ever has in the 10 years I’ve owned it! It makes me think of the times I took it to that other shop & paid over $1000 for tuneups, etc. and there was no change in it’s performance makes me wonder what they were not doing!? Oh & that oil leak is more like seepage nothing that needs to be addressed now. Ryan’s will look at it at my next oil change in a year. The mechanic that worked on my car also went above and beyond & for free secured part of my bumper/undercarriage that had been detached from hitting a parking block/wall. (Mind you I took it to an Auto Body Shop & they wanted $1000s to replace it.)
My car only had 73,000 miles on it. Other people from the other shop were asking me if I’d like to know how much I could get for a trade-in on my car was I interested in buying a new car other people were telling me to trade it in and get a different car and Rachel from Ryan's said you don’t need to do that! We are going to keep you in your car! Rachel is the best & I so appreciated her! She’s a dream to work with! As you can tell, I can’t say enough great things about Ryan’s automotive care for their excellent service and communication! It’s unfortunate that it’s hard to find really good customer service so what a joy to find a place that still rises above & beyond to give amazing customer service! I highly recommend Ryan’s automotive care & I will say they have a great reputation because since going to them, I’ve heard several other people say how great they are! So if you’re looking for service with integrity, this is the place!
Outstanding first-time experience at Ryan’s!!
As a first-time customer, I was thoroughly impressed by the seamless and professional service I received during my recent oil change.
Not only was the oil change completed efficiently and without any issues, but the comprehensive inspection report they provided was clear, well-organized, and easy to understand. I like the transparency and their commitment to quality since I am also very particular with any type of service for my car.
A special thank you to Rachel, her professionalism and warmth during our phone conversation stood out. She took the time to explain the services and answered all my questions with patience and clarity. I felt genuinely valued as a customer.
I highly recommend Ryan’s to anyone seeking reliable, courteous, and thorough auto care. I’m convinced I will bring my car to them than to M.B since the pricing is almost the same but the service quality is way better here.
They know their stuff i give them that. Turned in my GMC and the end result was this switch and the 15 min fix was $520. And they said they took off $250. For looking at the lights, wow! Talking about it took almost three hours. I should have done it myself, just 4 screws and two wires to disconnect, new part connect two wires back and replace 4 screws. My father owned a shop here in town years back he was like, wow also. And even the shop that recommended me there was like sorry. Over priced and integrity more of is needed. Again, they do know their stuff.
Reply from Ryan's Automotive Service Center
2025.11.04
Hey Aaron, first and foremost I just wanted to thank you for trusting us with your vehicle and taking the time to leave this review. I looked through our history and did see you brought your 1994 GMC c3500 to us almost a year ago on December 31st 2024. You brought it in for a electrical diagnostic because your headlights, brake lights, and horn were not working. We charged you one electrical diagnostic fee of $250 which is our base fee for pre 1995 vehicles covering 1.5 hours of diagnostic time.
We found your lighting issues and horn issues unrelated to each other and instead of calling and asking for more diagnostic time to look at your horn (the additional $250 you mentioned) we took a look and figured out what was wrong with that system. We did that as a courtesy to you spending well more than the 1.5 hours we charged you for on your vehicle. Searching through wiring diagrams takes time.
Looking at my technicians notes, this diagnostic did take some time due to the vehicle coming to us from another shop, we found multiple issues. I've copied and pasted the techs notes here: "Verified concern. found headlights, brake lights, and horn inop. Inspected brake light circuit and found voltage drop between brake light switch and turn signal switch output to rear brake/ turn signal lamps. Found turn signal switch connector not fully connected causing voltage drop. Fully seated connector and verified brake lamps now operate. Found no power to headlamps. Found no output from headlight switch when loaded however power present unloaded. gained access to headlight switch and found 8 volt drop across power in and out circuits indicating headlamp switch faulty. Recommend replace headlight switch. Found aftermarket horn improperly installed in vehicle with factory horn left disconnected. Verified power and ground present to horn and circuit can carry a load indicating aftermarket horn faulty. Attempted to reconnect factory horn and found inop. Corrosion present in factory horn connector due to being left disconnected. Recommend replace horn and horn pigtail electrical connector." In our opinion, that $250 diagnostic fee for the time our technician spent on your vehicle was more than fair.
You then approved (after approving the diagnostic fee) for us to replace your headlight switch. We replaced the switch for you charging you only a half hour of labor and for the part totaling $206.94. Ths brought your grand total for the diagnostic and repairs to 456.94. This resolved your lighting issue and we backed the headlight switch with a 24 month 24,000 mile warranty. So I agree, $500 just to replace a headlight switch on your truck would be excessive. Good thing that was not the case here.
I do apologize for not being able to portray the value in what we do here at Ryan's Automotive. The training and tooling cost for our technicians to perform these repairs and diagnostics correctly and accurately is expensive. Taking care of and retaining these valuable team members comes at a cost too. That is why we know our stuff (as you mentioned). We do feel the1 star review is unfair for your opinion of us being overpriced but as you mentioned we repaired your vehicle correctly.
I wish you nothing but the best Aaron. I hope you get another 200,000 miles out of your GMC. Drive safe
-Brian and the team at Ryan's Automotive.
We found your lighting issues and horn issues unrelated to each other and instead of calling and asking for more diagnostic time to look at your horn (the additional $250 you mentioned) we took a look and figured out what was wrong with that system. We did that as a courtesy to you spending well more than the 1.5 hours we charged you for on your vehicle. Searching through wiring diagrams takes time.
Looking at my technicians notes, this diagnostic did take some time due to the vehicle coming to us from another shop, we found multiple issues. I've copied and pasted the techs notes here: "Verified concern. found headlights, brake lights, and horn inop. Inspected brake light circuit and found voltage drop between brake light switch and turn signal switch output to rear brake/ turn signal lamps. Found turn signal switch connector not fully connected causing voltage drop. Fully seated connector and verified brake lamps now operate. Found no power to headlamps. Found no output from headlight switch when loaded however power present unloaded. gained access to headlight switch and found 8 volt drop across power in and out circuits indicating headlamp switch faulty. Recommend replace headlight switch. Found aftermarket horn improperly installed in vehicle with factory horn left disconnected. Verified power and ground present to horn and circuit can carry a load indicating aftermarket horn faulty. Attempted to reconnect factory horn and found inop. Corrosion present in factory horn connector due to being left disconnected. Recommend replace horn and horn pigtail electrical connector." In our opinion, that $250 diagnostic fee for the time our technician spent on your vehicle was more than fair.
You then approved (after approving the diagnostic fee) for us to replace your headlight switch. We replaced the switch for you charging you only a half hour of labor and for the part totaling $206.94. Ths brought your grand total for the diagnostic and repairs to 456.94. This resolved your lighting issue and we backed the headlight switch with a 24 month 24,000 mile warranty. So I agree, $500 just to replace a headlight switch on your truck would be excessive. Good thing that was not the case here.
I do apologize for not being able to portray the value in what we do here at Ryan's Automotive. The training and tooling cost for our technicians to perform these repairs and diagnostics correctly and accurately is expensive. Taking care of and retaining these valuable team members comes at a cost too. That is why we know our stuff (as you mentioned). We do feel the1 star review is unfair for your opinion of us being overpriced but as you mentioned we repaired your vehicle correctly.
I wish you nothing but the best Aaron. I hope you get another 200,000 miles out of your GMC. Drive safe
-Brian and the team at Ryan's Automotive.
Verified
I visited Ryan's Mechanics in Fairfield, CA, for a multi-point inspection. They recommended nearly $4,000 in repairs, including rear and front bushings and a cracked marker light. However, a second mechanic found that the bushings were fine and that the marker light lens only had a small chip on the corner before the glue seal -- not an actual crack or structural damage. The second shop completed all necessary repairs for about $700. When I brought this up to Ryan's, they insisted their assessment was correct and dismissed the other shop's findings. On a positive note, the front desk staff was pleasant, which is why I'm giving them two stars. Overall, it felt like a money grab, so I'd recommend getting a second opinion.
Reply from Ryan's Automotive Service Center
2025.10.20
Ben, First and foremost I wanted to thank you for taking the time to leave this review. We appreciate all feedback from our customers as we use it to help ourselves continuously improve. Thank you also for being a AAA member and utilizing the member discount.
After reviewing your repair history, you came in originally on 10/3/25 but not for just a muti point inspection as you stated, but rather a state of California vehicle safety system inspection. That inspection is required for vehicles with a salvaged/ rebuilt titles that vehicle owners are attempting to registered to be driven again. You requested this inspection for your salvaged vehicle. We mentioned to you before and after the inspection that the rules and guidelines for these inspections are strict and mandated by the state of California, we only enforce those rules. Your review mentioned the cracking/ deteriorating bushings and cracked marker lamp lens that you failed for.
The damaged marker lamp/ turn signal lens that has the corner of the lens of broken off unfortunately failed for California's ruling for lamp lenses not being allowed to have any damage. This is pulled directly form the CA vehicle safety system inspection manual lamp section from BAR: "Do Not Certify when: There are missing, damaged, contaminated (including moisture), or discolored or deteriorated lights, and/or reflectors or lenses; or colored tapes or other temporary
materials covering or in place of missing, damaged, discolored, or deteriorated lens." Unfortunately the crack/ chip missing from that lamp is considered damaged by the state.
You also mentioned the issue with the suspension bushings that we found cracking. Keep in mind that they have lasted you a long 245,xxx miles which is great! When you came in for you re-inspection, you shared your concerns with me about the bushings placing the bushings in my hands to I can visibly see them. That was when I was able to show you the visible cracks in the bushings and explained to you that when they are mounted on your vehicle and under the proper weight/ load of the vehicle those cracks expand and are more visible than when unloaded (removed from vehicle). When those cracks eventually form a tear (which one is forming in the supplied photos) It allows the control arm to shift which can cause your vehicle to pull when braking/ accelerating causing an unsafe condition. This pull can cause you to dart into another lane or off of the roadway under certain conditions. If that bushing fully split and caused you to get in an accident, we would be liable as we certified your vehicle as safe. Per the inspection process quoted from the inspection manual: "Inspect all bushings and bearings for signs of deterioration, damage, and/or if worn." "Do Not Certify when there is/are: • Damaged or worn suspension components."
As we stated to you, we do not agree with how in depth the state inspection is however we do not make the rules for the inspection process for salvaged vehicles. This is also the reason a lot of shops do not do these inspections, including the shop you had the repairs performed at. We did not dismiss the other shops findings, we just stated they are not licensed to perform nor do they know the rules/ process for the vehicle safety system inspection.
I am grateful you still returned on 10/17/25 to have the California vehicle safety system reinspection performed for our reinspection discounted rate as well as a smog inspection, which you passed both inspections this visit. We even honored or safety system reinspection discounted rate even though you were out of our reinspection milage threshold of 100 miles.
Also, thank you for the kind words regarding our team members during your visit. That always puts a smile on our faces. All in all Ben, I am sorry your experience with your salvage vehicle California vehicle safety system inspection was not great. We understand it can be extremely frustrating and a difficult process. We will use your feedback to help better explain these findings to our future customers so again, thank you for your time for leaving this review.
We wish you nothing but the best Ben. Drive safe out there. We hope you get another 250,000 miles out of your Prius (which you should!)
Sincerely- Brian and the team at Ryan's Automotive.
After reviewing your repair history, you came in originally on 10/3/25 but not for just a muti point inspection as you stated, but rather a state of California vehicle safety system inspection. That inspection is required for vehicles with a salvaged/ rebuilt titles that vehicle owners are attempting to registered to be driven again. You requested this inspection for your salvaged vehicle. We mentioned to you before and after the inspection that the rules and guidelines for these inspections are strict and mandated by the state of California, we only enforce those rules. Your review mentioned the cracking/ deteriorating bushings and cracked marker lamp lens that you failed for.
The damaged marker lamp/ turn signal lens that has the corner of the lens of broken off unfortunately failed for California's ruling for lamp lenses not being allowed to have any damage. This is pulled directly form the CA vehicle safety system inspection manual lamp section from BAR: "Do Not Certify when: There are missing, damaged, contaminated (including moisture), or discolored or deteriorated lights, and/or reflectors or lenses; or colored tapes or other temporary
materials covering or in place of missing, damaged, discolored, or deteriorated lens." Unfortunately the crack/ chip missing from that lamp is considered damaged by the state.
You also mentioned the issue with the suspension bushings that we found cracking. Keep in mind that they have lasted you a long 245,xxx miles which is great! When you came in for you re-inspection, you shared your concerns with me about the bushings placing the bushings in my hands to I can visibly see them. That was when I was able to show you the visible cracks in the bushings and explained to you that when they are mounted on your vehicle and under the proper weight/ load of the vehicle those cracks expand and are more visible than when unloaded (removed from vehicle). When those cracks eventually form a tear (which one is forming in the supplied photos) It allows the control arm to shift which can cause your vehicle to pull when braking/ accelerating causing an unsafe condition. This pull can cause you to dart into another lane or off of the roadway under certain conditions. If that bushing fully split and caused you to get in an accident, we would be liable as we certified your vehicle as safe. Per the inspection process quoted from the inspection manual: "Inspect all bushings and bearings for signs of deterioration, damage, and/or if worn." "Do Not Certify when there is/are: • Damaged or worn suspension components."
As we stated to you, we do not agree with how in depth the state inspection is however we do not make the rules for the inspection process for salvaged vehicles. This is also the reason a lot of shops do not do these inspections, including the shop you had the repairs performed at. We did not dismiss the other shops findings, we just stated they are not licensed to perform nor do they know the rules/ process for the vehicle safety system inspection.
I am grateful you still returned on 10/17/25 to have the California vehicle safety system reinspection performed for our reinspection discounted rate as well as a smog inspection, which you passed both inspections this visit. We even honored or safety system reinspection discounted rate even though you were out of our reinspection milage threshold of 100 miles.
Also, thank you for the kind words regarding our team members during your visit. That always puts a smile on our faces. All in all Ben, I am sorry your experience with your salvage vehicle California vehicle safety system inspection was not great. We understand it can be extremely frustrating and a difficult process. We will use your feedback to help better explain these findings to our future customers so again, thank you for your time for leaving this review.
We wish you nothing but the best Ben. Drive safe out there. We hope you get another 250,000 miles out of your Prius (which you should!)
Sincerely- Brian and the team at Ryan's Automotive.
I had a great experience with Ryan's Automotive in N Texas Fairfield CA. I first went here last August for my 2015 Toyota Corolla to replace tire pressure sensors, they did a good job with it. So, when my wife's 2015 Honda Fit had her check engine light on just lately, we came back here to get it done. Turns out, catalytic converter needs to be replaced!😲 and we all know that issue ain't a joke at all. But Mr. Brian, Ms. Rachel and the whole team made the process super smooth. They were upfront about the pricing, explained everything clearly, and got the work done faster than we expected. You can tell they really care about doing things right and treating customers honestly. It's rare to find an auto shop that is trustworthy nowadays. Will definitely recommending Ryan's Automotive to friends and family. Your cars will be in good hands. 👍
