Hey guys... I'm still pretty new to this area and I'm due for a timing belt on my 02 WRX. I'm not willing to trust such a vital job to just any ol' shop and I don't have the space to do the work myself anymore so I'm in need of a good mechanic who charges reasonable prices.

No offense meant to any of the local shop owners who might be on this board, but I'd much rather hear from customers who have had good experiences at your shop. If there are a few established members of the board who could point me in the right direction to a good shop in the area I'd appreciate it.

Also, if you guys could steer me AWAY from some of the horrible ones that would be great too... Like everyone in the Bay knows to stay away from Steven's Creek for purchase and/or maintenance.

Thanks in advance guys... and I'm not being sarcastic!

 

Honestly I've taken my cars to multiple mechanics in the area.

Maita - effing horrible

Senator - incompetent

Autowest - good but kinda far from my house

Subaru Specialists - close to home, way better prices than the dealer, mechanics who work mostly on Subarus and really know their stuff. And they have a performance area that can help you replace your broken parts with better ones. It's also nice to be able to get your regular services done at the same place that you get your aftermarket stuff done (for me anyway).

442-6409

 

I've never had any problems with Maita. The service dude was totally cool with me. Replaced my rear diff without any problems.

Even offered a rental.

Though they may have changed management when I got my ride (mid 04)

But before that, I heard some bad stuff about matia.

 

exactly wut he said... you go to the dealership your gonna spend more money.. but if you go to subaru specialists you get great prices... great customer service with emplyees that care... and also they know their **** about subarus, unlike dealerships who know about factory products, where as SS will know preaty much everything about all aftermarket parts for subies; whats good and whats not!! just give them a call.. you wont be dissapointed...

 

Xero, how many miles on your car? If you are approaching a major service interval (30k or 60k miles) you might consider having the shop perform some or all of the service while they are replacing your timing belt.

Your specified location in your User Profile is a bit general but if you are close to S-Squared (formerly Subaru Specialists) in Sacramento, they are great at both warranty maintenance and performance mod installations and tuning on their Mustang dynamometer. If you live closer to the south Bay Area, you have other options as far as service work goes.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

Yeah their service manager ran in to some issues with SOA right around May of last year

 

I've only used S^2 and i'm sold at going back.

 

+1 joe,nate,aaron, they are the best. wont trust my baby to anyonr else....mike

 

f*ckin pimps

 

*cry*

 

Only weak men cry...

Scott are you a weak man?? (in a fathers voice)

 

hahaha no love for the sticker guizie.

 

sorry scott yes you and every body else that puches a time clock there .... oh is the dyno up and running again what did my car put down? nate is a tuning god....

 

Thank you all very much for your suggestion(s). I'm going to give the guys at S Squared a call and make an appointment.

-Alan

 

GENTLEMEN! It's me... Mister Xero again, looking for a good mechanic since apparently S Squared is no longer. This makes me sad BTW, I felt good about the work the shop did for me. They did leave the clamp on my coolant hose loose, but it was an easy diagnose and I took care of it myself. Other than that it was all good, fast and well priced.

Sooo... I live in Roseville, but driving up to Auburn or down to Sacto is not a problem for me. That being said... Where do you brilliant lads suggest I head to? The problem I'm having BTW is AC related. I'm not sure if that has an impact on the suggested shop.



More info on the problem in case you're bored. So, the clutch on my AC compressor was not engaging, which I read is due possibly to there being a lack of r134 (since all of the fuses and relays already checked out as fine.) So I headed down to Kragen, bought a can with a little gauge and loaded up the system. It blew nice and cold for about 5 minutes and then got warm. Tried another can and kept the gauge connected this time, and watched the gauge rapidly go down. As the gauge went down the system blew warmer and warmer... No good, so it seems there must be a pretty large leak in the system somewhere but WHERE?! I looked up under the dash and everything seems tight and dry there, looked around the engine bay and didn't see much in the way of signs of leakage around the compressor or plumbing...

So that's my sad story. I'm already roasting in this heat and I'm well aware of it getting about 20-30 degrees hotter real soon. Drop me a line with a good shop reccomendation and save me from melting. Thanks guys!

-Alan