Fidelity Automotive

Very convenient ! In and out in 15mins for smog. SUPER helpful and friendly. Lady at front desk was an absolute delight.

I just had two cars to smog and I came back to Fidelity which is now under new ownership (Mike retired and sold the business to one of the in house mechanics) and I want to say it was a wonderful experience.
The front desk people were very nice and efficient and the cars were smog checked promptly. The communication was excellent and the price very reasonable. Thank you and thumbs up!

Honest. Impeccable service. Friendly. They will explain everything they do to your vehicle, and treat you like gold while they do it. If you care about your car and your money, this is the place to use.

I used Fidelity three years ago, right before we moved out of town. They are straightforward people offering honest service. I wish I would’ve found them sooner.
Now that we’re back into town, I decided to try them again to see if they were still good. Everything is as good as it was before.
Edgar, the mechanic, was willing to explain what he was doing and why. He was patient with my questions, which is a big deal for me.
The lady at the front desk, whose name is Irish, was cheerful and friendly. She had the kind of attitude you would expect from the hostess at a 50s diner… Upbeat, humming and a smiling tone in her voice.
On the phone, the day before, the price they quoted for me was about $ 25 higher than the price I actually paid. When does that ever happen at a repair shop?
I would say the main difference between three years ago and now is the fact that everything looks cleaner and more organized, which is probably helped by the fact that they moved to an electronic filing system/​database rather than using paper all the time. I like to see it when businesses use new tools to offer a better service to their customers.
Quality product/​service is a prerequisite for doing business. As always for me, great customer service will always earn a five-​star rating… And my repeat business, referrals to my network, etc.

Went in for a smog test and they were courteous, fast, and competitively priced! I’ll be visiting them again should my auto start giving me any issues.

Fidelity Automotive does excellent work! The new owners Edgar and his wife Irish hit the ground running! Check out their beautiful 5 star website! All I needed was a smog check on my 2005 Dodge Caravan! I called for an appointment a week in advance and came in on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 and I was out in less than 20 minutes! And my car passed smog because Fidelity does a fantastic job taking care of my Dodge! Jennifer is at the front counter and Lupe is one of their master mechanics! The previous owners Mike and Frances did a super job taking care of our cars and they sold their business to the right people! Why not take your car to Fidelity? You will be glad you did! Thank you! Sincerely, John Axel Hansen!

Been a customer for 28 years. You can trust Mike the owner with your car.

THIS «TEST & REPAIR» BUSINESS FAKES SMOG INSPECTION RESULTS SO IT CAN DO UNNECESSARY REPAIRS!
My college-​age daughter alone took her car here for smog inspection and it failed mainly the low speed (15mph/​1163rpm) testing:
228 ppm HC (MAX = 62 ppm)
0.37% CO (MAX = 0.54%)
553 ppm NO (MAX = 467 ppm)
Then she was told she should have a bunch of ill-​definted repair work done.
The very next day I (57 year old male) took her car to a different STAR Test-​Only Center and it passed:
42 ppm HC (MAX = 62 ppm)
0.05% CO (MAX = 0.54%)
93 ppm NO (MAX = 467 ppm)
Fidelity Automotive HC test result is 228 ppm then a re-​test shows 61ppm!
Fidelity Automotive NO test results is 553 ppm then a retest shows 42 ppm!
Needless to say this is total bullshit. If your experience has been similar please complain to the BAR tool.

I’ve been bringing my cars/​trucks to Fidelity for almost 20 years (eek).
Mike and Francis Botzon run a quality, top notch service shop, and I trust everything they advise me regarding my vehicles.
I have had Fidelity check vehicles out for me before purchasing, brought vehicles in thinking I was due for a major service only to hear– ‘nope, not that big a deal, much less than you thought’. Bring in for an oil change, and rest assured they check belts/​hoses/​etc and let me know what to look out for before my next service. In 20 years, I have never felt taken advantage of and have always experienced friendly, knowledgeable, respectful service from the Botzon’s and their staff.
It gives me great peace of mind to know I can trust the Fidelity team to advise me and maintain my vehicles, and I highly recommend them.

Nothing but praise for Mike. Prompt, honest, and repairs/​service hold up over time. I’ve been bringing in all 4 of my cars for several years here and am always satisfied with the service and value.

I seriously failed a Smog check here that I knew I should have passed and they wanted to replace the catalytic converter for $ 600+… I then brought the car to the place on Soquel and 17^th, which doesn’t stand to benefit from failing people since they aren’t a repair shop, just a smog checking business. I passed with flying colors there. What gives?

Needed to get a star smog check and Fidelity was the shop to go to.
I was able to get an appointment fast and painless. I asked about places to get some breakfast while waiting and the women behind the counter gave some options. I came back after a nice coffee and croissant to find my car smog check done and ready to go.
I had also asked for help regarding a hubcap that I was having trouble installing. They had installed it without a charging or any grief (which I wasn’t sure if I was going to get).
All in all great experience!

RIIIIICH!!!
COME BACK!
I’m not sure what happened but I miss you quick efficient, snappy personality. You really got the job done!

Whoever runs the desk is extremely rude and shouldn’t be dealing with customers, ever. I’ve been hung up on twice! I took my van there to have it smogged, it failed, (totally fine, obviously not their fault) then was given an exorbitant price just to have them spend some time looking at it. The mechanic (who I suspect is the same creep answering the phone) gave me list of potential issues I might be looking at and I could hear him getting all worked up, he finally concluded with «Look, you’re beating a dead horse, it’s not worth trying to fix, get a new car» AND HUNG UP ON ME! WTF? I ended up taking it to Bobby’s Pit Stop where he was totally nice, spent two hours and fixed everything and charged me a couple hundred. Done deal. Would absolutely NOT recommend Fidelity.

I took my car here for a smog check. It passed so I didn’t run into any problems. If you are not sure if your car will pass, take it to a shop that advertises a «pass or no pay» policy.
I had one nitpick on my car. The interior door handle had grease on it when I left. Not professional.
The bigger issue I had was from sitting in the office waiting for my car. The guy at the front desk was friendly to customers coming in, but not so much with customers on the phone. He was busy chatting with his buddy and put a couple of people on hold while he continued talking. Then he was upset that they had hung up instead of sitting on hold for a few minutes.
I tried Fidelity because they are closer than the shop I usually go to. The reviews were mostly good, but I will go back to the shop in Scotts Valley that I usually use.

I went here for two years to get various service done. It was mostly fine, although it struck me as a bit overpriced. Then I took my car in for a routine smog check. When they returned it to me, the hood latch was broken. When I pointed out that one of their mechanics had obviously broken it, the receptionist not only refused to help me fix it, but was *extremely* rude and dismissive on the phone. He told me that, somehow, it was my fault, and then hung up on me.
So not only did they break a part of my car that was quite difficult to replace, they were very unpleasant and defensive after they did it. That is not the type of service I would expect after coming here for two years.
Stay away from this place at all costs. If anything at all goes wrong (which is often the case when fixing a car), they will take no responsibility whatsoever.

This was the first time I had ever gotten a smog check and I have to admit that this STAR station was gentle with me :)
I spoke with Rich the day before to schedule an appointment and was pleasantly surprised at how real he was over the phone. Even though this location was the only option I had (given my car is registered in San Diego with more strict regulations), I could tell that Fidelity Automotive was prepared to perform the «special» smog test.
One I arrived Rich was funny and kept me occupied with entertaining anecdotes and useful life advise while I waited for my car. He even gave me a brief synopsis on what a smog test looks for and was realistic about how cars don’t always pass.
Luckily my car managed to barely pass by 3 ppm of NO (which Rich explained).
This was a quick, pleasant, and painless experience!
I’ll never forget the 6 P’s: Proper Planning Prevent Piss-​Poor Performance

Took my 91 Chevy light truck to Fidelity for a smog test (passed) and asked them to check out a «death rattle» from the engine which another auto repair shop had said was a major bearing problem.
The folks at Fidelity advised me that the noise was a worn-​out water pump and would be fixed the same day if I could leave it with them.
Happiness!
changed the pump and good as new now at very reasonable charge ($ 359)
told me it took extra time because my vehicle is fitted with an after-​market electric fan and some bolts were found stripped… but they stuck to their original estimate/​quote for the job
good work professionally done

At least when you go to a have a smog check there should be some guarantee that you can feel rest assured about… at LEAST «we’ll give you 2 tries to get it fixed, therefore you will not have to pay smog fees again»… BEST senerio is «if it doesn’t pass you don’t have to pay»… We just lost out on over $ 50 we could have invested in purchasing the part that is broken or will not pass…
Won’t be back for sure… it’s too bad…

I needed an oil change and a couple of light bulbs changed.
I walked in the door and was met by a very friendly woman. I had no appointment. She told me she would call me when it was done. I sat at Whole Foods across the street for about an hour, at which point I received a phone call from possibly the friendliest man (Rich) in the world who told me that my car was almost done, and asked if I wanted the transmission fluid changed (per his suggestion). A few minutes later he called back again and said, «Your car is ready for its next adventure!»
I was very pleased with my entire experience! 5 stars.