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5

I have brought my car(s) to Water Star Motors for the last 15 years. Henry and Lisa are the nicest people and I completely trust them with my car--which is good, since I know next to nothing about fixing cars. I would be kind of lost without that handy little sticker in the top corner of the wind shield that reminds me when it's time for an oil change. I never thought I'd really, really like a car repair place since it seems like one of those chores that just must be done every once in a while, but I am glad a friend told me about them when I moved to Santa Cruz with my very first car. We're getting ready to move and leaving my reliable car people makes me sad. If you live in Santa Cruz, they are a gem! Your car will be in great hands!

1

Is it possible to give a negative review because I would if I could. My sister brought in her 2000 Mercedes-Benz for service. We were dealing with Rebecca who is the receptionist, I assume. She was very nice and helpful over the phone. I had the car diagnosed for a check engine light and running rough. The shop determined that the cause was from a leaking spark plug tube seal. That sounds about right considering the car is 15 years old and probably had the original seals at only 50k miles. Included in the repair would be spark plugs, valve cover gasket, spark plug tube seals, and a spark plug wire set. She also recommended a 60k mile service of a fuel filter replacement, fuel system cleaner, and front lower ball joints. Mercedes-Benz doesn't recommend any sort of fuel system cleaner which is very weird that they would recommend such a service (The only allowed product in the gas tank is Techron and some other product available from Mercedes-Benz themselves). For the entire service, they quoted me at $1700 something rather. I declined the recommended services and asked how much just the initial quote would be and I was quoted $1079 over the phone. This was a ridiculous price knowing what kind of work is involved. The entire job pays 1.5 flag hours. At a shop rate of $100 per hour, labor would cost $150 plus the diagnosis fee of $150. $300 total for labor. I called my local Mercedes-Benz dealer and got a retail price on all of the parts which totaled to about $300, slightly less. So it just didn't add up. Even if they upcharged the dealer price by 150%, the total would only end up being $750 for parts and labor. So how did they come up with a quote of $1079? I declined the work, paid for the diagnosis fee, and decided that I would rather drive 7 hours north to help my sister out with her car. I bought all of the parts needed for about $100 and completed the job in about an hour. I also came to find out that when my sister came in to pick the car up the next day after having declined the work, Rebecca's attitude changed and gave my sister and her boyfriend an attitude for whatever reason. Maybe they got mad that they couldn't rip another customer off. She asked for a written/typed out quote of the work that day but apparently they wiped the quote off of the screen so I couldn't get a print out of it. They are out there for the money, and that alone. This shop is the reason that I, and many others, do not trust many shops and mechanics. I definitely would not recommend this shop to anyone. Stay away!

5

I have now been bringing my VW Beetle to Water Star for two years, for a range of services; I have not had a single regret. I've had major service, a battery replacement, a window motor replacement, headlight replacement, and bi-annual oil change/minor service. Each visit gets me personal attention, a quick check-in and check-out, and genuine human interaction. I feel like I hit the local mechanic jackpot. My husband is so impressed that the other day, after a particularly friendly pickup, he said that when the dealer service expires on his car, he hopes they can service it as well. They are communicative, honest, and no question feels too stupid or silly. I never imagined I'd actually feel "good" about the place I take my car to get work.

5

Very helpful and informative; got the job done in the time frame we asked

5

The usual excellent service. Thanks.

5

Fabulous service as always. Dependable, thorough, friendly.

5

i am so happy to have found you guys i feel safe and secure with my cars in your hands aisha

5

Excellent! My Mercedes is now 20 years old. I trust all the work they do every time to keep it working and reliable. They are friendly and kind as they deliver wonderful customer service.

5

Very fast smog check! Great staff! Accommodated me when I said my registration was due the next day. Definitely will come back here for car maintenance and oil change!

5

They got me in quickly and were super helpful about it. Got me directions from the road when I got lost (new to the area.) I asked for a normal oil service and a check-up as I was about to undertake a trip to the desert. They did the service and found dangerously damaged bushings that needed replacingsent me photos to explain what it was, since I wasn't really expecting this. It wasn't cheap to get done, but I'm thankful they found it and didn't just perform the oil change and move on to the next car. I could have broken down in the desert. Very friendly front desk and a nice chat with the mechanic who handled the work. Help with insurance explanation. I'm very happy with the service I got even though I wish I hadn't had to spend the money.

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