Sunny Coast Auto Service

This shop does business as Sunny Coast Auto Service but on Google Maps they show up as H Tech Motor Inc.
This auto shop is under new ownership as of a a little over one year ago. My trusty old Mazda had a faulty thermostat and needed replacing. I shopped around for a few quotes and I knew exactly what was wrong, bought the parts myself and so I decided I would try to find a trustworthy shop in the area. The quote from this shop was on the lower end of the labour quotes I received from several places.
I previously used Minit Tune in Richmond to have a brake job done (about a year ago) based on all of the 5-​star Unilocal reviews, but after one visit, I’m not going back there. While I was waiting at Minit Tune I witnessed one person arrive to pick up her car and was told she got an oil change (that she never asked for) because she «needed it». Jackson (the owner or manager of Minit Tune) later phoned another client while I was sitting in the waiting area to tell him his car was ready. And that Mint Tune had done an oil change, again, it wasn’t requested by the customer, but justified it because the client «needed it». Huge red flags when any shop does service that wasn’t requested. I don’t know how it gets so many great reviews. So I shopped around and took a shot with Sunny Coast Auto Service.
Ben, the current owner of Sunny Coast, let me bring my own parts in (which, generally speaking you shouldn’t do if you like your mechanic) and he performed the service at the bottom of the estimate range which was the most competitive price around. I am always wary of mechanics, so I always put them through a few tests, giving them opportunities to take me for a ride, so to speak. This shop passed the honesty test.
My front suspension needed work as well (leaking strut), so I had it replaced at Sunny Coast a month later. Ben gave me the option to bring my own parts in as I did last time, but I was fine getting the parts though him for my second experience. Mechanics earn their living on both the labour and markup on parts, so for my second time around I let him sell me the parts. He gave me the part options from the budget options to the OEM parts. He went so far to say that he put the budget ones from the same after-​market manufacturer on his father’s vehicle and they’re still doing fine two years later. Not often a mechanic will tell you something that may steer you to the lowest price part, yeah?
Based on my own research (because I’m like that), the mark up I believe I was charged on the parts was very small (sub-​20% and that markup includes whatever Ben paid to have the parts delivered) for something similar @ Lordco corporate account rates. After delivery/​tax charges, buying the parts from
(which is what some of you might try to do) would have been more expensive than I was quoted by Sunny Coast for the after-​market parts.
Very reasonable, unlike Dealersh… Stealerships that will only sell you higher priced OEM parts (OEM vs aftermarket is another debate, but suffice it to say for many parts, aftermarket is just fine. if you have a leased vehicle, check your agreement if non-​oem is permitted), charge you MSRP for them (which is usually more than double what any corporate account at any auto parts store would actually pay, nevermind the fact that the Stealerships get them at wholesale pricing, which is what an auto parts store would generally pay.
Shortly after getting my struts done, a colleague was having problems with her brake light coming on periodically (usually going uphill or accelerating on flat road) and then turning off. I referred her to Ben’s shop. Her front brake pads needed replacing. Job done for half the price quoted by her Stealership. I had front brakes done at Minit Tune 2 years ago w/​50% off the parts — my colleague paid 35% less at Sunny Coast than I did @ Minit Tune.
I always think mechanics are out to rip me off. After getting two different repairs done at Sunny Coast Auto (and waiting a month and a half to write this review so I could get two different jobs done at Sunny Coast Auto and let my colleague get her repair done), I believe this is an honest shop run by an honest mechanic. Chatting with Ben, I discovered his business is almost exclusively word of mouth and mostly comprised of the same people that patronized the shop for many years in the past (under the old owner as well as under Ben for the past year+) — this shop has virtually no reviews anywhere.
On the weekends (when I’ve been there), it’s just Ben and one other mechanic. This not a big shop so you do need to take that into consideration if you need service _​right now_​.
Give him some love Unilocal and show him that honesty pays off when it comes to fixing cars. Tell him Ed with the Mazda referred you. I’m pretty sure he figured out I am a bit of a skeptic and hopefully that means he’ll treat you as well as he’s treated me and my colleague.

One of best little known auto shops in Richmond. As independent and small as it gets, but great service. The owner is there day and day out and has been for years. Not the most modern shop by any means, but Sunny is one of those rare mechanics that will tell you when something is broken, but doesn’t need replacing immediately. Even though the garage is small, I’ve never had an instance when Sunny returned my car after the time that he said it would be done in.