Bill Chapman Automotive Service

I’ve been taking all my vehicles to Bill for years. He’s always been reasonably priced and conscientious about his work. I’ve never brought him a problem he couldn’t fix and I’ve brought him a number of problems. He’s saved me thousands of dollars by keeping our cars and trucks on the road past their prime. I would highly recommend him.

What a great experience! I found Bill by checking Unilocal local.
I called before they opened and left a message. Fairly soon after they opened I received a return call. I explained that my brakes were making a lot of noise and that I neglected them longer than I should have. They said I could drop it off when it worked for me. I dropped it off and they took a look then called with an estimate.
I needed new rotors, pads, oil change, and air filter. The pricing was reasonable and good value. I approved the work to be done. About 1.5 hours later my car was ready to pick.
I highly recommend this shop.

I’ve been taking my family cars to Bill for almost 15 years. He always takes care of me without trying to cram in as much «extra» work as possible… he only recommends the work that really needs to be done. He’s gone out of his way multiple times for me to meet unavoidable last minute oil changes, etc. too. I HIGHLY recommend Bill’s shop to anyone.

I’ve been using Bill’s Service for a couple of years now. Very happy with the honesty and workmanship. I recommend Bill to all of my friends… keep up the good work!

I have been taking my cars to Bill Chapman for over 20 years. He did the maintenance on my Ford Aerostar, Jeep Cherokee and now my Honda Element. I bought my Honda Element in 2005, brand new and it wasn’t until this month that I had to have any significant work done on it. My alternator gave out last week. I called Bill up and he said bring it over. He had the car repaired and back so I could go to work the next morning. I have not had any problems with the work I have had done at Bill Chapman Automotive Service. They are always courteous, efficient and a joy to work with. Plus they conveniently located 5 minutes away on Scotts Valley Drive. Thank you, Bill Chapman, for doing such a stellar job taking care of my cars.

I don’t have time for a back and forth with a shop so I am posting a review in the hope that it helps to improve Chapman Automotive. I’d been once before and he seemed to do a good job. Bill himself seems likable and competent. For my next job I called around for quotes and Bill’s was good. New timing belt for my Subaru, new CV and replace the valve cover gaskets as Bill had told me they were leaking into my spark plugs on the last visit.
So I get a call that the gasket looks good. I remind him that he had said they had been looking like oil was getting into the spark plugs in the last tune-​up. He called back later to say, no, no oil there. Ok, so, if that was true, his quote still includes replacing the gasket or giving a refund of the difference. My guess is that he thought it would be simple to do during the timing belt so quoted it too low then realized it’d be a bear and backed out. I didn’t think at the time to ask for the difference.
The next day my wife calls to tell me the car is making a strange sound. So I drive it and it almost sounds like it might be a CV. Anyway, I can’t figure it out so I take it back to Bill. He drives it around is a little confused by what I am hearing but we take a walk around. Sure enough one of the fronts wheels is only held on by a single lug nut.
He calls over his helper Elvis and tells him he has to take off his headphones when installing lug nuts with the torque driver. Elvis then argues that he doesn’t need to take of his headset-​instead of apologizing that he could have caused an accident that killed me or my family
Bill has no Subaru specific lug-​nuts (nice closed end chrome ones) so he puts on some basic open ended ones on and tells me he will get me some new ones.
A month or so later I realize I haven’t even gotten a call for the new lug nuts. More than anything, if someones wheel almost falls off it’s a big deal. The response was way too Cavalier.
I hope this helps improve his shop.

I’m very happy to have found a local mechanic who I can trust to both know his stuff, and come pull my ass out of the fire with my various self-​inflicted automotive fiascos.
They’ve done consistently solid work on my 4Runner, MINI, and most recently a new-​to-​me Subaru that Bill and Elvis are making sure is safe. Several times they’ve helped us to limp into the shop, avoiding a tow. Takes the wheel when I see double; pays my ticket when I speed. Everything you could hope for in a trusted local shop.

I ended up at Bill’s by lucky accident.
I have a Prius and made an attempt at installing the HID headlight bulbs myself. After watching 4 YouTube videos on how easy it was. Well, it was anything but easy.
I made a call to a shop around the corner and was quoted $ 50 for the installation. On arrival, I was met by Grouch #1 and Grouch #2, both of which gave me conflicting information. Grouch #1 wanted to take of the entire front end (which is actually what the instructions say), but I told him I witnessed multiple videos of how easy it was. He shrugged and said he’d do it for $ 160.
I said no thanks and drove to a place almost next door. This guy was eager and looked up his quote and gave me a $ 47 quote for both. I drove it into the bay where I was met by Grouch #3, who I found out later is this way because he’s overworked. It was quite obvious that neither him or the guy that gave me the quote had ever done a Prius headlight before. They spent a half an hour just trying to get to the bulbs. Grouch #3 said there’s no way he can do it in half an hour at that rate. I agreed and offered to pay the correct rate depending on how long it takes him. But, the original guy said «I’m throwing in the white towel with this one,» and they thereby put everything back together and would not accept it.
As I left that place I noticed Bill Chapman’s place. I figured I’d ask if he’d done a Prius before going through any more rigamorole, after which the Dealer would be my next visit.
To my joy, Bill said he had done the Prius before. He looked it over, checked the diagrams online and told me straight up what it would take to do the job. $ 100/​hr for 1 hour. I took it.
Elvis did the installation and it did indeed take an hour. He had to remove a few minor things, not the entire front end btw, and got the bulbs installed. Very nice, knowledgeable kid. While he was doing that, Mia (Maya?), chatted me up and took care of all the paperwork.
When they were done I felt, for the first time in a long time, that this place was legit. I ended up having them do my 100,000 mile service that day and the car is running like a champ.
Two snaps for Bill, Maya and Elvis (who rocks). :)
Might possibly be the only trustworthy mechanics in Santa Cruz county, definitely the only ones I’ve come across.

Bill is the best mechanic I’ve been to. He is honest, fair, and gets the job done. He’ll always do his best to fit you in and he is very flexible with his schedule. He also provides a ride to where you need to go once you’ve dropped off your car. I definitely recommend Bill as the best mechanic you can find in the area.

I have been getting my oil changed on my cars at Bill’s for 10 years now and every time he does a great job. Anytime there has been an issue with the car he diagnoses it correctly and doesn’t try and sell me on anything that isn’t necessary to fix the problem, unlike what you might run into at a dealership fixing a car. Overall a great experience having my car taken care of well and at a reasonable price.

I did not lounge in the clean well-​lit waiting room sipping on a perfectly brewed cappuccino. Nor did I enjoy the lush tranquil gardens while surfing the web via the free wi-​fi or perusing my favorite publications during the complimentary foot-​bath. Why not, you ask? Because Bill & the other mechanic, Elvis, were so efficient & professional changing the oil & discovering the potential hazards of my vehicle that I was out of there before I could realize that I wasn’t at a spa. Bill Chapman Auto is a no-​nonsense garage that has been doing what they do for 25 years at the same location. Bill knows service I’m very glad to have found a legitimate expert. He knew my engine before I could park & later showed me some mild wear on my suspension causing vibration that I thought was going to be new brakes. He was quick, fair & most importantly, honest. I’ll be back with my other vehicles.

A good mechanic is like a good hairdresser, when you find one that does it right, you stick with them!
In the past I’ve feel like I’ve been taken advantage of, being a woman and not knowing much about cars. Bill Chapman is honest, takes the time to explain the work and is very fairly priced. His staff is friendly and I’ve been very satisfied with the work he’s done.
I recommend Bill Chapman Automotive to all my friends.

Bill was on it! So much Gratitude for his quick and efficient service — thanks for keeping me safe.

I have been taking my cars to Bill Chapman for more than 20 years. He is honest, professional, and thorough. He has always completed repairs faster than I had anticipated. Most times repairs are done in a day. When the repairs are more complex, I was happy to leave the car overnight. Bill always explains what needs to be done, how much it will cost, what my options are, and when he will have it done. He is definitely a man of his word. He is also great about giving advice about future repairs, such as the tires should be rotated soon, or the brakes need to be replaced before the end of the year. I have also found Bill’s prices to be less expensive than other auto repair shops. I highly recommend Bill Chapman Automotive — he is trustworthy and honest.

I’ve been using Bill’s services for about a year now, and I honestly have never had a bad experience. If anything, he’s always been up front, honest, and goes out of his way to make my car run. There has to be more to the last guys story. When Bill first fixed my car, he charged me normal labor charge and showed me all my options for parts. I decided to go with the factory parts, from Dodge, which was the more expensive route but pays for itself in the long run. When the part failed, Bill didn’t charge me for labor to replace the bad thermostat. And it was warrantied through Dodge. I was referred here by a friend and have referred others myself. No one has complained nor had an issue. He’s definitely a GREAT mechanic located in Scott’s Valley right behind Hertz car rental (if you need other transportation). He knows cars and he knows how to do business. Choose Bill Chapman, you won’t be disappointed.

My truck has been there for several weeks and they are nowhere close to being done. It is not a matter of waiting for parts or any technical glitch, it is simply because I told them that I have another vehicle that I can drive so they put me at the back of the list.
When I got the truck back it was making strange noises that it did not make before taking it there. I called Bill Chapman and left several messages but I never received a call back. To be honest, I would rather pay a «good» mechanic to work on the truck then to take it back to this place to try to get them to fix what they screwed up the first time.
I had a miserable experience. I hope this posting will help you avoid the same problems I had.

Will NEVER return to this place. Was lied to, the owner told me parts were needed badly and immediately. Come to find out I didn’t need them at all! And also was way over charged for it. Thanks a lot for taking advantage of a worried customer! Well done!: l