Bill's Auto Electric and Repair Inc.

This was a "luck of the draw" choice and I couldn’t have been luckier. My car was experiencing an on again, off again electrical problem. Toyota said they couldn’t assess it because when I went in there, the problem had disappeared. The next day it came back and the check engine light came on. My husband suggested searching for a shop that specializes in electrical repairs. Lucky for us, we were less than two miles from Bill's. We had to leave the car there overnight but much to my surprise, they diagnosed the problem by 10:30 the next morning and had it fixed by 3 pm. There was a pretty standard diagnosis fee ($240; Toyota is $250) and the repair was about $340 more. Given how complex electrical problems can be, this seems pretty reasonable and it certainly was efficient. I’m thinking about becoming a regular customer after this experience, though it’s an hour from where I live…

I should have asked if they have a minimum charge before I went there. (Or they could have told me without my having to ask.) I have a van I go camping in. There's a light in the cargo area that I needed an off switch for. There is no auto electrical specialist where I live, and I really wanted to get this job done, so I went ahead and approved the work because I was in Santa Rosa, and not being able to easily shut off the light was really annoying. They charged me over $200 for a job that probably took no more than 15 minutes. No problem with the quality of the work, but if you have only a small job, go somewhere else unless you want to pay an excessive amount.

I had an okay experience with these guys. To be fair when it comes to diagnostics I have a very high bar. I paid the initial $197 for an electrical diagnostic and unfortunately they did not diagnose the problem completely. Basically they said that they would have to redo all my trailer lights in order to make sure that it didn't blow a fuse again which is what the problem was. I may go back to them in the future. I guess the bottom line is is whether or not they diagnose your problem you're still going to end up paying $197.

The best repair shop anywhere. The staff is awesome and really cares about their customers. I have brought some pretty nasty repair jobs to them and they have always come through for me and my family. I have always felt the repair costs were very fair and I have never left with the feeling that the job was not done to the highest quality with the best parts. Give them a try they won't let you down. Brad Nicholls

I found Bill's Auto to be reasonably priced and to provide excellent work. They resolved some problematic issues that plagued my 80 year old vehicle. It was one of the first times I did not feel ripped off.