Santos Automotive Center Inc

Reviews

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

  Christine Ives
a month ago
My friend came to this place to have her starter fixed. Prior to her dropping off the car she had an alternator that was recently bought, brand new. After the work was done the car was making a strange noise and a completely different alternator was placed in her vehicle.We called and asked and they denied it would be an accident or that it would ever happen, but clearly they had STOLEN one of her parts and replaced it with a old used part that does not even match the size of the vehicle.Not only that... but the serial number of the part does not match. We know what we dropped off was not the same part we picked up. Will NEVER come here again! Stay away from this place, shady untrustworthy mechanics.

  Adrianne Montoya
10 months ago
Honest, efficient, fair. I have a new mechanic shop that I trust. I'd avoided some necessary work on my car because I'd gotten an outrageously high estimate at another shop. Someone I trust referred me to Santos, where they did the work quickly and well at 1/4 the price quoted by other shop. Respectful, no-nonsense. Would refer in a heartbeat.

  RayHob
9 months ago
I ve been having services on my car here since 1989. They are honest and efficient. However, due to the type of New Orleaneans they are endowed with servicing, I ve noticed they charge by the hour. Perhaps that is why the wait is so long to get anything done. I would be extremely disappointed if that is the case. One of the reasons I chose to come to this shop is because they didn t overcharge like the dealerships. The last service I had on my vehicle was cheaper at the dealership. Since 1989 that has never happened. I m thoroughly disappointed.Now, the reason for the review that Caucasian (at least she appears Caucasian ) at the front desk is rude and disrespectful. I haven t been in the waiting area long enough to notice if she s only rude to the African Americans. I ve noticed once she realizes she s speaking to a person of color on the phone, her tone changes. So much so, I wanted to run up on her and ask her who she thought she was talking too. I simply asked to speak to the person that pays her. That tone changed quickly. Affirmative Action is now over. Y all can let her go Services: Transmission, Exhaust, General repairs & maintenance, Auto engine diagnostic, Engine repair, Auto A/C replacement, Air conditioning

  Sheena Luke-Miller
a year ago
This place came highly recommended by not one person but a few. I guess the color of my skin determined how I would be treated. Anyway I dropped the car off July 1, 2022and they said they were backed up so give them two weeks. I was fine with that. The service didn t go wrong until the end. Tuesday I was informed I need two (2) fuel injectors. I guess because I m a woman I was quoted a hard price. $200.00 per injector and $200.00 for labor. At that point I had my husband meet me there and quests what pricing changed dramatically. $130.00 each or find your parts and pay for them yourself. So we drove around for hours finding the parts and dropped them off that same day. I gave them two days before I called back. So Thursday I call and they say your car is ready. They had to call back with final pricing that took a while but they called. I drove the car home a few miles away. The next morning I start the car and the whole thing is shaking. I take it back and tell them see what s wrong. I get my nails done and go back maybe 45 minutes later. Thinking they still need time to check it out I waited. But the owner came out and said the problem is the other two injectors need to be fixed. My problem is it took them almost two weeks to tell me what was wrong in the first place and it only took them less then an hour, and hadn t had the car more then 24 hours to tell me the other two fuel injectors were bad. The solution: find two more injectors and we will only charge you $100 more. My problem is you had the car for 20 days so what was another couple more to make sure it was fixed one time. Just because I am a person of color does not meant that I don t have the ability to pay. I would not do business with them ever again. Now I question if they really fixed what they said they did. Will find out Monday from new mechanic. Waste of time and money ..Service: General repairs & maintenance

  Cheryl Charming
a year ago
My dad was a mechanic so I'm comfortable around automotive shops. The smell reminds me of my dad. I asked for something unusual (attaching a Flying Goddess hood ornament). Two shop owners told me no. But when I called Santos Shop, I was greeted by a welcoming voice who listened to what I was looking for. She said, "Well, I don't think we've done that before, but, swing by and we'll take a look." I did and they looked and took on the challenge. The owner, Arturo Santos reminded me of my dad. He was guiding his four bay mechanics but also taking on jobs himself. And he took on mine. He said he would do it for an insanely low price and I accepted. He then said he can't do it for another two hours because others were ahead of me. I came back in two hours and Arturo got to work. I could see the job was taking longer than he thought (the hood was double paneled), but he didn't give up. I paid double the price he originally told me and slipped him a tip. I will be back.

  Luka
10 months ago
Santos can be a steal on small jobs but theft (from you) on larger jobs. Take it there for anything standard done on a standard car, but if you've got a custom car or a car that needs a custom job they won't fleece you - they just won't know the hell what they're doing - and they go for the welder like a gunslinger their 6-shooter, with results to match in terms of reversability. I love them to change a bumper or align a tire, but I wouldn't let them change a u-joint if my life depended on it. As for their vaulted cheapness, if cheapness is your main criteria for a highly technical skillset like mechanics, may I suggest YouTube and a bus pass? Staff is fine and friendly, even if I wish their front desk people all spoke better Spanish for their mostly central american mechanics. Communication in Santos seems to suffers a bit from its language barrier and a tendency to weld it first and ask questions later. Love the work they did fixing the a/c on my 97 Chevy s10 for pennies, still wincing every time I think of the grand I dropped on my Subaru in exchange for a crossbar weld and total ignorance of the real issue: timing belt and water pump needed to go. Short story: they're the best simple mechanic in town, cheap and easy, but bring them something a bit more complicated and you better hope you get the front desk woman who is both kind and speaks fantastic spanish.* *if the idea of speaking Spanish offends you as it not the 'native tongue' of the area, feel free to reply in Houma or Seminole.

  Kayode
8 months ago
My lady s van has been there for months and for them to A) Not fix the problem on the list B) Fix it but not properly C) Fix problem C but somehow it s messes up problem A D) not fix van in timely manner E) leave the vehicle on Conti vs the in back with the other vehicles so thieves can steal lugnuts and more. This can has been there back and forth for over 3 months and it s STILL not working properly. This will be the 3rd damn time she is replacing the power steering in a few months. At this point I believe they are taking advantage of her and we will be reporting Santos to the BBB. With over $10k work done right at Santos and it s STILL not in tip top shape, my only take away is that they take advantage of women, especially black women.

  Tammy
a year ago
I went to Santos to fix my AC system. When I dropped my car off, they said it would take one day but after 2 days I called back and they said the main AC repair man was not there and it would take up to two weeks, so I took my car back. That s fine, because I understand that they may be understaffed. BUT! When I opened the hood to check if they did anything, I found that they stripped the AC compressor wire instead of using a probe to safely check it. This exposed the wires to the environment, which led to the frying of my AC computer ($300 repairs!!!) They also snapped my plastic cover in my engine bay. They also removed the AC service valve caps and did not put it back.I did not get charged for their troubleshooting but they did more harm than good, and I had more to fix when I went to another mechanic. I don t expect this kind of work from a AAA certified automotive shop. I am very disappointed.Service: Air conditioning

  Dallas Wonderland
a year ago
This place came highly recommended and for good reason. After going to several other shops in town who wouldn t even take a look at my vehicle, the owner here was able to diagnose and find a simple fix the same day. He even offered to give me a ride in his car to go get the part. I can t praise this place enough.My experience was fair honest and delightful.

  Taylor Reinhard
a year ago
The team at Santos truly takes care of you. They are honest and do great work. This is why we continue to take our vehicles here for service. Mr. Santos still drives your vehicle to make sure the work they did is correct before you are called to pick up. It's nice to see people still take pride in what they do and care about the customer!

  Gleam Pro
a year ago
Had fuel pump replaced on my F150 at Santos Automotive about a year ago.Tow truck dropped it off on a Thursday, drove it home Friday. When Santos called the next day and said my truck was ready, I was not expecting them to repair my truck that fast.Not one problem with my truck since then.Good mechanic shop and they work fast.

  veronica gillard
a year ago
I ask for several things to be checked on/ this vehicle i left the country for a week I was charge approx 700 dol for the cheapest breaks ever I have been having grease ! All over my rims since July when brakes was Changed this was the only thing they did to the car and had no explanation for nothing else .I returned for a squeeking sound and he had no explanation and said the black stuff was dust..I just had car check again by Firestone im told I need a brake job. REALLY!!! The first (lady) agent was very rude. , I called back last week the owner wife told me to bring the car back a sec time but I refused because they hav sabotage my vehicle. WHY ?? I tried going buy new tires the lugs were so tight sams refuse to service car because of damage it will cause unfortunately I'm only getting plugs in these tires until I can fine someone to get them off. This was the WORST SERVICE I EVER RECEIVED. I WILL NEVER RETURN NOR RECOMMEND ANYONE TO GO THERE !!!

  Simon Menard
a year ago
This shop, unfortunately, came recommended for a previous car. They seemed straightforward and honest so a brought my car to them to diagnose a starting issue.They figured there was a cable issue and fixed it, no issue. However, when I called to arrange pickup, I was told by Tracey, the desk woman (there are two, the other woman is very kind) that the car was undriveable and that I needed a new engine.I went the next morning and was told that I needed a tow to get my car, by Tracey, who said she never told me the car was ready to be picked up. The head mechanic came out and, after speaking to him in Spanish, I found out the undriveable condition was a compression issue in one of the cylinders (but a minor one). [I have since had the car looked at by another mechanic and the compression issue was a result of a bad test.]Then, when I got into my car to drive it home, I found there was a drinking straw (like from McDonald s) shivved into the dashboard. When I pulled it out, my pop up headlights started immediately moving haywire and couldn t be stopped. This was NOT an issue when I brought the car in. When I brought it to the head mechanic s attention, he said not my issue and I eventually had to leave the car until the following morning for them to fix the issue.The headlight issue has come back since I picked up the car and I ve had to fix it myself. Additionally, my radiator reservoir, which was functional before, is now cracked and was clearly patched with incorrect sealant.Overall, this shop is uncommunicative, inconsistent, and caused me more issues than I brought mom car in to fix.

  Daphne Latourelle
a year ago
I m having issues with the electrical system of my car so this morning I called santos to see if they could fix it. A woman answered the phone and was extremely rude. She told me to go ahead and get my car towed in, so I asked her when would a mechanic take a diagnostic look at my car after it was brought in. She responded very rudely with lots of sighs that she could not tell me that until I brought my car in. I ve talked to many other auto shops and they have all been able to give me an appointment time. Why would I bring my car into a shop with zero time frame of when it would get looked at? So I told her kindly that I would call back if I decided to bring my business there and she responded with a very rude yeah and hung up the phone. Definitely not bringing my car to santos.

  Melanie Parent
6 years ago
They have been fixing my car for years (7) now and never had an issue. The mechanics and wonderful woman at the front know you and you re family. Great family owned shop with excellent service! For every accident or issue I come to them. They have fixed two of my cars now and get a good deal on parts and service. From power steering issues, to lights on, to changing all four of my balding tires. They ve never cheated me and always gave me the best quote. They are quick to only had to leave me car there overnight twice one time while waiting for a part and the other time I dropped my car off late in the evening.

  John Watkins Jr.
2 years ago
If they tell you that they're backed up by two weeks, don't listen to them. Two weeks turned into two months for them to finally get to my car just to replace the ecm. Ridiculous. The lack of transparency and communication is why I feel like they only deserve one star. Oh and as soon as I left their shop, I started to experience problems again so they definitely didn't even fix my car completely either so I was basically stranded a mile away from their shop waiting six hours for a tow to come get me. Gave me an attitude and told me they only did what I told them to do and I should've got it diagonosed by them in the first place. Sorry I chose to take my vehicle to other experienced mechanics ahead of time because I couldn't afford to wait any longer for y'all to do that as well. Now I know where to go and what to do next time. .

  J Jarczol
2 years ago
Great service and very helpful staff. Me and my friends are from Poland and we were just passing thru NOLA when our car started making an unsetteling noise. The guys immediately took our car and diagnosed it. It came out that it was a small issue which they fixed and didn't charge us a dime!Service: Auto engine diagnosticService: Auto engine diagnostic

  Charles Brodtmann
4 months ago
They solved the problem with my left front blinker that had been a problem.

  That Guy
2 years ago
For many years, this used to be my "go to" for auto service. They were very friendly, and were fair and honest with their pricing. That has changed. It truly pains me to write this negative review.You will see a descrpency in the other reviews. Some talk about how friendly and helpful they are. Others complain that they are treated poorly. There is a reason for this.There used to be two women at the reception desk. The Hispanic woman on the left is one of the owners. She is friendly, upbeat, and helpful. This is the person that the good reviews are based upon. It was one of the things that drew me to Santos. It was always such a happy place.The woman on the right (non-Hispanic) is an abrasive person, that has decided to bully anyone that comes through the door. She is rude and argumentative, and will cut you off in mid-sentence. Her phone manners are the same.This nasty person is at the desk alone more often lately. She is often the only person that the public interacts with. Unfortunately, she has become the face of Santos. Hence, the poor reviews.After all these years, I just stopped taking my car there. I had finally tired of being a target of verbal abuse, simply because my vehicle needed servicing.This unhappy person apparently refuses to seek out the professional help that she obviously needs. Living with this kind of anger has to difficult. She needs to learn to cope with whatever her issue is.Being so disagreeable has to be taxing. Perhaps she will realize how her negative attitude and unpleasant manner affects others. Perhaps she doesn't care.I just know that I have decided that I no longer am going to deal with it.

  Jumi Ekunseitan
2 years ago
While I did not bring my car here for service, I called in about an issue, and the receptionist was extremely helpful. She went out of her way to try to locate the part I needed somewhere locally. When the first option fell through, she followed up later in the afternoon with another option. I really appreciated her professionalism and kindness, in what was a very stressful moment for me.

  KEISHA DAVIDSON
4 years ago
It was really quick. I waited for my repair. They were honest about my repair needs. The waiting room was comfortable. The staff was very informative.

  Thomas Nieto
3 years ago
UNLESS YOU CAN AFFORD TO BE WITHOUT YOUR CAR FOR A MONTH DO NOT BRING YOUR CAR HERE !! Brought in for a/c repair and didn t set any type of time expectation other than they have a lot of cars and will get to it as soon as possible... 30 days later they finally finished my car and when picked up it still wasn t fixed!! Then 30 days later it stopped working again and brought it back and has been there for another 2 days already!! This is the most unprofessional place I ve ever seen in my entire life and I ll never under any circumstances return back- even if they offered free service!! I need my car to make money and this whole experience has cost me the $1300 they charged me plus another 3k due to not being able to drive for a month!!! STAY AWAY DO NOT COME HERE !! You are welcome in advance.Service: A/C installation & repair

  Bernard Picot
a year ago
I have visited the shop in the past with 2 different vehicles with good results , after getting my vehicles back. But trying to get your vehicle their now takes a miracle. They are so back up with cars . I should know I've been trying for 2 months now. So if you are waiting. Good luck.

  Leland Landry
a year ago
I was turned away due to the racism of the employee because, I am a black man with dreads. Her words were we don t work on those kinds of cars, the ones with the v8? . How d you know If had a v8! I had never said what size motor was in it. I was told it can be looked at in about 2 weeks and that s when she came in with her remarks. It s a old American made muscle car who doesn t work on American cars? Beside foreign car, that need special tools. DONT SHOP/SPEND MONEY HERE. All people are the same. All money is the same in the states. Your lost their gain.

  jovan sam
2 years ago
My husband brought his vehicle over they had his vehicle for 3 months and than charged him for things they didn t do. Also was supposed to fix the gas meter and it broke the next day brought it back they kept it for 2 days and still didn t even look at the truck paid over 2500 and the only thing was done right was the air conditioning I would not recommend anyone to use this company . They also charged him 95 to turn the check engine light off and it also came back on the same day he got the truck backServices: Electrical, Auto engine diagnostic, Engine repair, Air conditioning, Oil change

  Ghaffaar Clark
7 years ago
I brought my wife's car here for brake pads, because she said that she heard a grinding noise while braking and it seemed like the brakes weren't as strong. So, I bought new brake pads and took them here to get them put on and I also planned to have the rotors spun. After about 30 minutes, they called me and told me that my brakes were fine, but just need to be cleaned up a bit and tightened. Saved me over $200 by being honest businessmen/women, cause they could have just kept my money and I wouldn't have known the difference. I've been here a few times now, and although they take their time sometimes, these Cubans(I think they are) have done right by me.

  Tonya Fultz
10 months ago
I love Santos Automotive Center. They are very professional and I would recommend them to anyone. These are the only people I let fix our vehicles.

  Kenny B
3 years ago
I went to Santos for an alignment after putting in new parts. They aligned my car promptly, and alerted me to a slow air leak in my front tire. The mechanic helper not only identified a small hole,, but also plugged it free. They give great service.

  BOSS GHOST WRITER
2 years ago
I brought my vehicle to Santos on Thursday. They told me that it would be fixed by Monday. I picked it up on Tuesday untouched. I do admit they were busy. I ended up fixing my car myself. It was worth the learning experience. Thanks YouTube.

  Warren Re
3 years ago
Recently someone I know had a few issues with the receptionist. She will quote you one price. Then when work is finish she's quoting a higher price. And saying she never quoted you the first quote. Then she gets a attitude. There prices are to high for some repairs. I say always shop around before going with these Automotive Center. And learn how to be more professional. Stop trying to rip people off.