Ernie's Auto Center Inc in
Felton (CA)

I'm a shade tree mechanic but when I am above my pay grade I always take my vehicles to Ernie's. Staff is great, got me out of a jam when I had to have my car towed there, and just in general it's always a pleasant experience. I don't really think I have to write this because the valley knows all about them, but there's sure to be newbies learning things about local businesses that should read this. Yes, take your car here.

Best service shop around! You can trust Ernie's for all your vehicle needs! I do!

My alternator failed while visiting in Felton. I drove into town and saw Ernie's. I was met by staff friendly and professional staff. They were able to replace my alternator that day. I am very impressed with Ernie's Service Center. They exceeded my expectations and provided excellent service.

Ernie's is okay, but Dave's towing in the area. Do not trust them. We almost had to call the police. They literally took my car after I told him to take it to Firestone and took it to Ernies service because it's in their town (Dave's Towing ) and they were lazy not following directions. I have a Fleet of 68 enterprise trucks so I definitely know what I'm talking about. Do not trust Daves Towing ?? ThNks Tibor Protection

As a technician myself I can confidently say that Ernie’s provides the highest level of service and respect to there customers. Their parts desk is knowledgeable efficient and always happy to explain anything. I can’t recommend Ernie’s enough.

Always friendly staff! I'm a casual regular over 15 years ... They have fixed several tires, installed new tires, smogged my Tacoma, and supplied me with locking gas caps, wiper blades, and chainsaw oil. Never had a bad experience.

These guys are great I showed up on a stormy day and my windshield wipers were not working and they promptly helped me fix it. Highly recommend to anyone need auto work/parts! 💯

It's my go to repair facility in Felton. They always take care of my auto needs at reasonable prices and off almost every possible service you might need. Their advice and insight help me make informed decisions for car services.

Fantastic service! I am from out of town and ended up broke down and towed my truck to ernies. Chris was great and kept me well informed. When I picked up the truck the tech took the time to stop and showed me exactly what caused my problem. Great shop, highly recommend.

I have an old truck and Ernie's was able to do both a pre smog and a smog while I waited. Not all smog shops are able to properly conduct smog on older vehicles but I had no issues here. All staff were very pleasant. Thank you for the good experience. Will be back.

Ernie's (and especially Evan) did a great job on my classic 67 Spitfire. Full alignment, and the car feels like it's on rails. Thanks

I did a Tundra front brake upgrade job on my 4Runner: calipers, rotors, pads, drums, shoes and master cylinder. But the pedal was low and pulsating badly. So I took it to two shops who failed. It still pulsated and the parking brake was useless, despite the shops stating that they had adjusted everything. I took it to Ernie's and they discovered that my Vacuum booster was bad. They checked the rest of my work, adjusted my parking brake and rears. My 4Runner stops smoothly and powerfully now. I am grateful that they got my project completed so I can have my summer adventures.

Hands down the best RV mechanic we’ve ever been to. Came in for a routine oil change (at a ridiculously fair price) and they discovered that 3 of 4 dually tires were not E-rated tires with correct psi that had been replaced a month earlier by Sam’s Club. They included that in the receipt so we were able to get the tires replaced (on warranty) at no additional cost to us. As “newbie” RVers, we are really grateful for Ernies and highly recommend them!

I thought they were honest, but I am not so sure after my recent experience. I took my car there to check a brake warning light. It took them almost a week to inspect the brakes. Josh in service said that all four brakes and rotors needed to be replaced for a total of $1160. I asked if there is any way to bring the cost down by doing only the absolutely necessary. He said no. So I decided to take it to another reputable shop for a second opinion where they said that only the rear brakes and rotors needed to be replaced and charged me $400. The front ones were fine. I looked at the brakes myself to verify they were right. I wonder how many people just trust Ernie’s “expert” diagnostics and end up overpaying for unnecessary work… well, no more.

I like a place where you find the Owner behind the counter, helping customers and working right alongside the staff members. Ernie's Repair Center, in Felton, is just such a shop. Its locally owned and operated, and apparently business is booming.You should probably call to schedule an appointment. Ernie's offer Brake/Light Inspections, and are one of only a couple shops in Santa Cruz area to perform this service. Josh, the owner, is a reasonable guy and his staff at Ernie's were professional, straight forward and helpful. Conveniently, located behind an Auto Parts store, with competitive prices- I purchased a car cover and some tree air fresheners to hang on my rearview mirror.

Very helpful very quick service. Able to source the needed parts and get them in quickly.

I'm a long time customer. Today I needed a new battery. The service manager said they couldn't install it today. I had to jump the battery from someone else's car in the parking lot, then went elsewhere where they installed a new battery. I timed it. It took 8 min and 32 seconds. Ernie's couldn't be bothered. Lousy service, lousy attitude. Now I'm an ex-customer.

I’m 7 months pregnant and took my car in for just a simple oil change from the friendly Ernies auto down the street from my house, before a big road trip down south the next day. And almost killed my whole family on the free way because my tire was about to fly off from missing 3 Nuts from them not tightening them after they checked my brakes and told me I needed new tires and a differential service, none of which have problems. Place is a joke !!!!

I really wanted to like this place and I had quality service from them a long time ago but recently not at all. Nice staff and flexible but they truly were incompetent. Broke of the hood release and didn't tell me while clearly hiding the handle. Incorrectly installed the breakpads so they rattle. Could not diagnose a noise after four separate attempts which on the second I told them it was not what they were looking at. Very busy and a bit pricey. I went to a different car shop and they diagnosed the sound in under 20 minutes. Which was the sound of the breakpads Errnies had incorrectly installed but failed to diagnose after four attempts

I was just going to get more oil in my car and expected to pay $$$ but they did the service for free and taught me how to as well! Service was excellent, oil was a good price, and the people were super nice and welcoming even though I know nothing about cars. Thank you Ernie's!

Your review: In the 15 years that Ernie’s has serviced my two vehicles, they have been consistently professional, courteous, and fair. I recently brought my car back on an issue they previously diagnosed and repaired. The initial problem had returned. It was quirky and difficult locating the cause. They found a deeper issue and repaired it, to my surprise, at no charge. Ernie’s service department has always come through for me on difficult issues. My experiences over the years has built trust. I find they operate with integrity.

If you are looking for a great place to get ripped off Ernies is the place for you. My girlfriend went there for a simple smog check. Prior to this the car had a full tune up and the egr valve replaced. The car was running perfectly. Then she brought it to Ernies and after 3.5 hours she called me saying one of the smog machines broke which is why it was taking so long. After 4.5 hours she gets home saying her car failed the smog test and that when she would let off the gas pedal the car would die. Ernies told her that for $80.00 they could fix the problem and guarantee the car would pass smog. After doing some research I found a number of complaints saying the same thing and every single complaint was by a woman. Not one male had this issue. It took me almost 1 full day to troubleshoot the problem. Since the egr valve was brand new it was the last thing I checked. What I found was a disconnected and plugged vacuum hose to the egr intake. I called and talked to the shop manager who was ignorant enough to act like he did my girlfriend a favor by not charging her for the smog. One last note... If the smog machine broke no one at Ernies is qualified or state certified to fix and calibrate it. There is no certified tech in the state that could be onsite to fix the machine in a couple hours as they are booked up for weeks. Go to Holiday smog in Santa Cruz if you want an actual smog check rather than a scam. Plus they are pass or no pay. Oh, the car passed smog no problem when she took it to Holiday.

Best auto body ever. They had me quoted at $440 for new pads and rotors. They could have replaced the rotors and I would have been fine. But once they got it up on the rack, they determined they could resurface the rotors because there was plenty of material left. Saved me $200. And they fixed my parking brake for free without me even asking. Great prices, honest people. I wouldn't go anywhere else. Support small businesses!

Great service here every time. Always get my oil changed and tires rotated here. This last time they applied a coupon special for a free tire rotation. Didn't know that was available. Could have charged me full price and I'd have never been the wiser. If you want to have more technical work done, you have to schedule it out a bit. They are booked out a week or more because people recognize how good they are.

I've brought several cars to Ernie's since the 90's. What brought me is this time is that my engine light was on, so I took my car to Ernie's and they did a diagnostic scope to find out what would be needed and determined it was safe to drive until they had an appointment for me the following week (Obviously Ernie's is very popular) On the scheduled day of service, I was given my estimate, a ride home, and picked up, before 2 p.m., which I appreciated. I was also advised of 2 other things that would need to be done down the road, along with an estimate. The mechanics are thorough and the entire staff is a pleasure to deal with!

When you bring a vehicle into a repair shop, you want to have the job done right, and never have to return with the same issue because somebody messed up. You want your car returned quickly, and above all you want to really know what 'really' needs to get done to make the vehicle safe. At Ernie's in Felton, you always get that, and so much more. Ernie's delivers the best auto repair experience I have ever had. Since 1980, they have taken care of all my vehicles - from engine swaps to oil changes. Oh... and if something happens months down the road that they have repaired - and it fails - they tell you, even if you forgot, and they do the work at no charge. Their guarantee is truly amazing. Give them a try. Talk to Chris or Melisa when you call in. You won't believe the honesty and professionalism of Ernie's staff and ownership.

As always, Ernie's Auto has continued to provide us outstanding service over the past five years. This time, they went above and beyond most shops, researching our car's problem, finding a known manufacturer's recall, and making the repairs, free of charge to us. Thanks for your outstanding service!