EZ Automotive

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Grace Amante-Muniz
a month ago
Our son brought his car in Friday morning 10:am on 02/23/24 to get a diagnostic and to check his serpentine belt, etc. it all started great with Tiara showing concern that our son would get stranded so she told our son to check me in even though they were super busy. Sadly, it went downhill after that...our son drove in with his car running but after John looked at it he called later that afternoon to say now it will not start. John said it was purely coincidental but we were suspicious. Saturday afternoon John called back to say he still couldn't get it started so he will order the engine computer module. We paid $575 for this repair but similar to Matt T.'s review we also discovered John never fixed the initial issue. He never gave us an estimate and our son didn't sign a contract or agree to anything. John agreed he did not follow BAR, Bureau of Automotive Repair protocol but as he was fast talking it was making us worried more. They genuinely seem like really good people, pleasant to talk to but despite that we were very suspicious about what just happened. Similar to a doctor's creed, "Do no harm," is what I expect when we enter a business. We're not sure if John is the only mechanic there but, perhaps he is in over his head and or needs help but our problem was made worse when we left and the original problem was never addressed/fixed, we paid for what they broke in the first place which is not what we came in for. Either John hasn't been working on cars long or too long but our initial conversation with him made us worries because he was talking very fast but not making sense and unsure of how our car stopped working all of a sudden. Our son is a student at SBCC and lives out of his van so he had to get a hotel room for three nights until the car was finally ready. He is also a food delivery driver so his livelihood was affected that he could not work for four days. We lodged a complaint with BAR and will also be filing with the Better Business Bureau and file in small claims court. I did contact them and hopefully they will do the right thing, if so we will pull our complaints. We are not trying to make any money here, just recover what we lost as a result of this experience :-(

  Rochelle Martinez
6 months ago
Jon is truly a cut above the rest. He s is very helpful, honest, and consistently deliver top-notch work. Jon's dedication goes beyond the ordinary and he s very efficient. His unwavering commitment to assisting clients like me is very apparent. They perform the best quality of work at very reasonable prices and they are quite friendly. I wish more places and mechanics were like this. It s a pleasure doing business with them.Service: General repairs & maintenance

  Alexa Colburn
7 months ago
The whole team is super helpful and efficient. I use my car to get to multiple patients homes throughout the day (not just to and from work) which always complicates being able to leave my car for long periods. Shoutout to Tiara at the front desk who has always been really understanding of that and helps me find times that work and helps get me in in a pinch. They re thorough without recommending a bunch of work I don t actually need. It s very nice as a woman to be able to go to a mechanic and fully trust them. Fair prices and quality work. John and team are the best!

  AF
8 months ago
You can't beat EZ Auto in town.. they're fair, do great work, and always give service with a smile! John is the man and he's been repairing my cars for 6 years and no doubt many more. I only have great things to say about EZ Auto!

  Patrick Enstrom
5 years ago
John is a such an great, honest mechanic and I wish I could give his shop 10 stars. We were on a road trip last week from San Francisco to San Diego to take our kids to Legoland when road debris punched a hole in our air conditioning condenser leaving us with no ac in 90 degree heat. After visiting/calling every shop between Buellton and Santa Barbara I found John at EZ Automotive. They were busy but he wanted to help us out and man was he a life saver. He kept me in the loop on the status, shuttled me to the hotel we had to stay in, and even brought the car to us so we could get back on the road faster. Big thanks to John and his crew for the best mechanic service ive ever encountered.

  Pace Farbstein
a year ago
Jon is the best of the best. He and his team are helpful, honest and do good work. Jon goes above and beyond to help his clients. I once had a car that broke down and Jon let me store my vehicle at his shop for two weeks free of charge while I sold it. Highly recommend EZ Automotive to anyone in SB.Services: General repairs & maintenance, BrakesServices: General repairs & maintenance, Brakes

  JC A
a year ago
I m a very busy person, work up&down the coast and John made the whole experience smooth, quick and he even picked me up from the train station. The end results; my car never ran smoother. I blew a head gasket, car ran rough, every system was cleaned, replaced, and inspected.A+ Service A+ Automotive A+ Experience. My go to hybrid-mechanic. Blessings brother

  Fernando Morales
a year ago
I ve brought all my vehicles to John since 2018. He is such a honest man. He s always gone above and beyond to help me. One time, in a time crunch, he took me home and even came back to help me at my house with a car I was trying to sell. He s knowledgeable and his team is capable of taking care of almost every car you bring.

  Jimmy
6 years ago
John has provided multiple services for our vehicles and has been great at diagnosing and repairing at a very good price. He is also extremely nice and was very prompt in finishing the work. I highly recommend him.Update 7/10/17A front strut went out on our Lexus just as we were about to sell it. John got it fixed very quickly so that we wouldn't lose the out-of-town buyer. And he did it under his warranty as an added bonus. The best and most trustworthy mechanic we've dealt with.

  Arabesque 29
a year ago
After being with the same garage for six years, I was nervous to switch to EZ, but they proved themselves fair, honest, and reliable. They accurately diagnosed my problem after my former garage had gotten it wrong, and then they went out of their way to keep my prices down, charging much lower than the other garage would have charged if it had correctly diagnosed my problem. They did a fine repair and now have my loyalty.Service: Air conditioning

  Candice Turner
7 months ago
John is THE BEST mechanic I have ever been to! Gives rides. Super honest Irishman! Great pricesServices: Transmission, General repairs & maintenance, Auto maintenanceServices: Transmission, General repairs & maintenance, Auto maintenance

  Megan Burrey
3 years ago
John and his team are amazing. I've had a hard time finding a mechanic in town that I really like and trust and I definitely found that here. Great work at a more than fair price! Will come back for any other issues in the future, in addition to routine maintenance. Thanks John!

  Katarina Richter
5 years ago
John and the whole team at EZ Automotive have been absolutely amazing! Hands down one of the best Automotive shops that I have been to in California! When possible I even come from LA to have them look at my car rather then taking it anywhere in LA!They are professional, fast, thorough and honest!and on top of that will not break the bank!I have been there now for a couple of things happening with my 2015 Jeep, such as car overheating, air conditioning not working and general check on breaks and oil. They are amazing!

  Keith Douglas
7 years ago
As a lifelong Santa Barbara resident, I've been very lucky to keep my list of auto mechanics pretty short. Just a handful of trusted friends and family have really ever had to get under the hood. I'm happy to say that John is no exception to that rule! He brings an element of personal touch and good nature to his profession and what a pro he is! From personally giving you a ride when you're in a jam to keeping you informed throughout every step of the repair, John is the man. Quick yet thorough and competitively priced. I can't recommend him enough!

  Carter Hiyama
7 years ago
After a friend recommended EZ Automotive to me, I called and spoke with John about coolant in my oil. He quickly texted me with a quote much lower than anywhere else and believe me, I did my research. I called just about every auto repair shop in Santa Barbara. John's quote was the lowest and he was also a pleasure to work with.We thoroughly weighed my options and he contacted me just about every day on the progress on my new engine. Not once did I feel like he was trying to squeeze money out of me or pressure me into a more expensive repair like some other shops do.At the end, I mentioned to John that the inside of my car was dirty from sitting there with the windows down on a windy day at the shop and he had the interior wiped up and had the exterior washed for free. Also, he waived the extra labor involved due to some unforeseen problems with a part that I had supplied to him for the job.John and his only other mechanic, Sebastian, are great guys and perform honest work. I'll be bringing my car only here for future work.To sum it up: Low prices and unbeatable service. There isn't much more you can ask for. Their 5 star rating you see on here and Yelp isn't a fluke either. They really are the best shop in town.

  Red Martin
7 years ago
A friend told me about EZ Automotive as a good choice for honest quality at a fair price. So I went and met John who turned out to be just that! The shop, the crew, and the service all complimented the great price & his approach to fixing what is needed, not spending unnecessary dollars. Stand up guy, lots of skill and knowledge. Thanks John

  Lauren Donohue
a year ago
Best mechanics I ve ever had the pleasure of going to! They do the best work at the best price and are SUPER friendly! I recommend them to everyone I know in Santa Barbara. Great folks & great work, thank you!

  Igor Stier
7 years ago
John did a good job on my 2004 Navigator, they replaced the suspension and did minor electric work. He was transparent, friendly and always available. I recommend his shop and will come again. The service is outstanding, first time I experienced such a service with a car shop.

  Nick Hyman
3 years ago
Further to my earlier review of John Birchall and EZ Automotive, Santa Barbara (below), I have being going to him now for four years with three different vehicles. He has never let me down on the work or a very fair price even when major complications set in. He has just (Aug 2020) helped me get money back on a radiator replacement at a DIFFERENT repair shop when the item was arguably out of warranty. I can't say enough about him or his staff for their excellence.****Excellent experience and I will definitely do business here again. I hoped new rear shock absorbers would stop a rattle from the back of my Nissan truck. Owner John, a really good guy, gave me a great quote, spent extra time checking the whole underside of my truck in case it wasn't the shox, re-tightened bolts and removed the wheels for possible problems. We didn't cure the rattle but I had no regrets at having the work done.It seems so hard to get an estimate or arrange work for almost anything these days. You either get a voicemail or are passed from one person to another. John answered the phone himself, texted me a written quote and arranged an appointment for the next morning with no playing phone tag. All done before some other companies ever responded. I couldn't ask for better service.

  Blake Bronstad
7 years ago
John at EZ Automotive was one of the most friendly and informative mechanics I've worked with to date. He was able to schedule me based on my needs and gave me a great rate. Truly a quick, easy and friendly way to service your car.

  Randy Wilson
6 years ago
John is a great mechanic with a great deal of experience, and in my opinion very honest and trustworthy. He has serviced our Priuses and RX450h for a couple years now, and we have always been happy. When we brought the 450h in for a pre-purchase inspection, he spent over an hour looking all around and under the car, brought up several issues that we were happy to know about and were able to use as negotiating points, and then refused to take payment for the inspection. He provides such good service that he knew we'd be back to him to service the car for years. Which we will.

  Sean Emmer
4 years ago
John and the EZ Automotive team did a great job of fixing up the car I brought in. There was an issue with the lane-assistance sensors and they persisted until they were able to sort it out! Highly professional, friendly, and got the job done!

  Andy
7 years ago
I have been taking our truck to John and his team since they first opened. I have always been extremely happy with the great service and prices. They always get me in and out as quickly as possible which is very much appreciated. I just wanted to say thanks guys, your doing a great job. See you in 5000 miles!

  Matthew Walker
7 years ago
John is an awesome guy! Not only does he know his stuff and has reasonable rates but he runs a great place - Even his employee that he had there toward the end of the day was in a good mood. In my opinion that is a sign of a great place to work. A+!

  Kelly Van Wave
7 years ago
We had a great experience here. We broke down in Santa Barbara on Thanksgiving while driving from Phoenix to the Bay Area. Given the holiday weekend, we thought we'd be stuck there until Monday. John actually called us back on Thanksgiving when our car was towed to his shop to let us know he'd received it and would begin working on it first thing in the morning. He got us up and running by Friday evening and saved our trip. Very reasonable prices and great customer service!

  Bianca Lopez
6 years ago
I would highly recommend everyone to this shop! John is honestly amazing, and so are his staff! I got my oil changed on a Thursday and it turned out I need to change my engine filter ASAP. John ordered the part for me on Friday and he texted me on Monday morning to tell me that he had the part at the shop for me. I stopped by today (i've had a really busy schedule) and he changed it for me in less than 5 minutes !! I will definitely be coming back! He also has Groupons here and there for the oil change, so that is a plus! I honestly wouldn't mind paying full price because they have great customer service and there's nothing better than supporting your local businesses who give you great customer service!

  Ryan Vizena
4 years ago
John and Dennis are top quality. They really listen and give off very genuine qualities with their communication and work ethic. This is a small shop and it can get busy, especially in the beginning of the week. Do yourself a favor and call ahead before going.

  Christopher Petrillo
3 years ago
John and Chris were excellent. Very courteous and knowledgeable. I ve been through four other mechanics in Santa Barbara who either didn t know enough about cars or offered unfair prices for repairs. I will be going to EZ as long as I live in Santa Barbara.Services: Exhaust, General repairs & maintenance, Brakes, BatteryServices: Exhaust, General repairs & maintenance, Brakes, Battery

  danielle hammack
7 years ago
I highly recommend John! He is a thorough and excellent mechanic. His prices are affordable. He is an all around good guy and offers great advice on getting the most out of your car.

  Dani Holandez
3 years ago
John is the best Mechanic of all in Santa Barbara. He helped me a many times with my Dodge Ram B 1500 1996.Everytime I pick my van up she is just back to perfect again, and I roll smothly with a big smile out again.Thank's John you are the best and a guy with the biggest heart I have known.I really appreciate you John a lot.Wish you the best in your future.Service: General repairs & maintenance