5

I went to Ray-A-Motive today to get a smog check. Â We called ahead of time and was told about the yelp check in deal- however, I don't have a smart phone (yes I'm behind the times) and I couldn't check in for the 10% discount. Â I spoke with Dawn and she said it was not a problem, they would still give me the discount. Â I went in about an hour later and there were two cars ahead of me, so I had to wait about 40 minutes by the time it was done, which I was fine with. Â The waiting area is nice and has complimentary water, coffee and snacks- I didn't take advantage of it, but I really liked having the option! They have a TV with short programming and the waiting area is well kept. Â I was the only person there for most of the time and took over a couch to study for a test while waiting. Â Once my car was done, Jorge processed my payment, which was reasonable especially after my discount. Â I had an enjoyable experience at Ray's and would recommend it!

5

"Excellent customer service.. Went in for the first time (yelp recommendation), and did not disappoint!!! Had my car oil changed for estimated 1hr... Was done in half including paperwork..."

5

i have been using Ray A Motive for 22 yrs. I am extremely satisfied with the service & the friendliness of the employes. They go out of their way to make sure you are always satisfied. I would highly recommend this business to people who need to have their cars repaired. Very honest & reputable.

5

I have been a customer here for about 5 or 6 years now and have had many cars service with Ray. He always does a great job and at a fair price. He is an honest man with a great local reputation. One time he installed a water pump for me that was found to be faulty. He replaced it for free. Great guy.

5

Whew! So my car failed the Smog Check. I'm new the area and didn't want to drive all the way back to Cerritos for repairs, so I checked out Yelp and found Ray-A-Motive. I applied for CAP afterwards, and was pleased to find that this place was also Gold Shield certified. I did consider Harold T.'s post, because I didn't want to exceed the $500, and the fact that it's really easy to rip me off (considering I'm a tiny Asian girl with no concrete knowledge about cars), but I decided to give it a shot. And thank goodness that I did!The lot is usually pretty full with cars, but there's always been a space or two for my car. Shows how busy this place can get, so you should come fairly early. When I came in the afternoon for my last smog check, there were 6 people in the waiting area, but when I first came at 9AM, it was empty.I was surprised by how clean this place is. I'm more used to grungy auto repair places, but this place was squeaky shiny. The waiting area is spacious and cool, with awesome racing decoration. (Look at the photo of the place!) If you get bored, you can look at magazines or look at the mini car models all around. There are also complementary coffee, cookies, and muffins, just as the other reviewers said.On the first visit, I was greeted by Jorge. He told me that I would have to leave my car for up to two days, because there were a lot of cars to be worked on. He explained to me what would happen (diagnosis, repair, then smogging the car again). I okayed it, so we went through the paperwork (for the CAP program, license verification, etc.) then I left.Two days later, I got a call from Jorge saying that my car was repaired, but that I would have to drive it around to reset the system. He explained to me what was wrong with my car and showed me the purge valve that he replaced. (At the time I didn't know it, but apparently it's good practice to ask your mechanics to show you the old parts to verify that it was actually replaced!)I drove it around for two days and brought it back in on Friday. I was greeted by Larry, because apparently Jorge was out for lunch, so Dan checked on my car. The system wasn't ready yet, so he told me to come back on Tuesday (Monday was Labor Day).So I come back Tuesday, and pull into the lot. Before I'm out of the car, Dan is already over with his machine thing ready to check if my car is ready! It's ready this time, so I go inside to the waiting area again while he smogs the car.And guess what? It failed again, but this time it was for emissions. (The old problem was fixed, though, and the Check Engine light stayed off.) Turns out it BARELY passed emissions last time, so I left my car, expecting it to take at least a day. A couple hours later I get a call from Dan, and it's already fixed and smoked! This time, it was the catalytic converter. So I pick up my car, and Dan told me he noticed my motor oil was low, so he filled it up for me. And it passed! Yay! :D So I paid up for the motor oil and my CAP co-pay, and was out.My main concern when I visited Ray-A-Motive was the cost. They did the repairs without really updating me on the total cost, but the reason was that because I was under the CAP program and well under the limit, they just didn't want me to worry about the cost. Which was really appreciated, but because I wanted to know how close I was to the limit, I would often ask them, and they would tell me.The invoice was very clear. Parts on the left side, labor on the right side. I think the descriptions are pretty self-explanatory for the auto-literate, but they would give me explanations so that I would understand what exactly they did. On the bottom are the original estimate and any revised estimates (with the time and the reasons clearly written), so you know exactly how much you are charged for each thing, as well as who verified. When my car failed the emissions test, they told me that there is another state program that kicked in, so passing the $500 limit was okay. I would not have known if they hadn't told me.Wow this review is long, but I really wanted to share my entire experience with Ray-A-Motive, because it was a very pleasant one. I would definitely recommend, especially to people who are under the CAP program. Everyone that I've talked to (Jorge, Dan, Ray, Larry) were very friendly, and all the mechanics are ASCE-certified! You could check out everyone's certificates in the waiting room, too. :)(Oh, and a tip, the front sign is a bit small coming down Artesia from the direction of Lakewood Blvd., so keep your eyes peeled after you pass Bellflower Blvd. on your right side.)

5

I have been using RayAMotive for years. Â Prompt quick service. Have my trucks smoged there too. Â I would recommend them to anyone needing auto repair.

4

I was here a couple days ago. Came in for an oil change and needed to replace some headlamps and some reverse light bulbs. I also needed some other items taken care of. They did a great job with everything. I checked my invoice and was charged $80 labor for the bulbs. This was not cool, considering I've been to Purrfect Auto in the same city and have never been charged to change bulbs when I bring my own. I still tip the service guy for his work. I'm not opposed to the labor fees. I don't expect a free ride, but $80 bucks labor for some bulbs I purchased before heading here?I'll stick with getting my bulbs replaced at Purffect Auto and allow ray to handle bigger projects. As always the complimentary coffee and pastries was appreciated.

I needed a smog check to receive my new license plate tags. I'm used to going to places that always try to sell you something you don't need. I visited this place for a few reasons. The first, it's conveniently located about a half mile away from the Bellflower DMV. The second reason is that it's right across the street from Chris and Pits BBQ. Unfortunately, Chris and Pits is closed on Mondays. Who the hell closes a BBQ joint on Mondays?I left my car at Ray's after filling out some paperwork and telling him what i needed done. He told me to return in 45 minutes and that it would be ready. I came back after a 45 minute walk down Artesia trying unsuccessfully to find a place to grub. Ray's waiting area has some good A/C and plenty of reading material. The floor has black and white checkered pattern to give you the feel of a real garage. I really appreciate the fact that Ray has fresh brewed coffee and Famous Amos cookies that are free to guests. That's service. I peeked into the actual work area, and I have never seen a more sterile work place other than when my daughter was born in the hospital. The hoses were not tangled, tool boxes were clean. These guys are just professional and organized. I would highly recommend this place to people that have been ripped off in the past. Ray's shop will not take advantage of you, the guest. I was a first time guest, and will continue coming back for preventive maintenance work.

- RAY A MOTIVE
5

This place is great. Â They definitely know what they are doing, are as professional as can be and support the local community on top of it all. Â Fair prices, fast service and free coffee are my experience. Â I basically blew up my car and they had no problem fixing it in two weeks, just in time for a trip to SF. Â They also have a drop off box so you can leave your car Sunday night and pick it up after work Monday. Â If you have a choice of the ghetto shop on the corner or a professional place like this, I would choose Ray-A-Motive.

Thank you Joe for the positive review, not sure why Yelp filitered it but thank you for your business!

- RAY A MOTIVE
4

haha i like how my brother was the last one to review this..anyway.. Ray-A-Motive.. i've been familiar with these guys and Ray himself for years. Â i usually service my own cars but anytime there is something i would find a little difficult to do or if i'm in a time crunch, Ray and his team would be the only guys i would trust to touch my car. Â Ray is familiar with my family, especially me. Â when i was young and bought my first car, i had a series of "bad luck" and Ray would always be the one to fix the problem and it would come back running like a champ. Â he has done such a good job that now i hardly see him anymore because the car still runs good.. and all i've been doing is the normal/standard maintenance, from oil changes to brakes and valve adjustments. Â if anything.. i might ask him or his team for advice on servicing/maintenance.. but that's it.Ray is a stand-up guy who prides himself on running a service shop that's honest, clean, reasonably-to-cheap in pricing, thorough and good at what they do. Â his team of mechanics have a certain demeanor that shows professionalism on a whole other level.. they all seem to love their job and take pride in their work which gives me satisfaction knowing that the job was done right.The guys at Ray-A-Motive will do an initial inspection of the car at a reasonable fee and let you know in a timely manner if there is anything on the car that needs to be addressed. Â if it is something mechanical where Ray-A-Motive can take care of it, they'll let you know and provide you with a description in laymen terms and subtract the payment of the initial inspection from the service bill.In short, life becomes simple and easy when dealing with Ray-A-Motive.

5

Great place that gets the job done quick and right. Â I'm holding on to my '88 honda prelude and Ray makes it possible. Â He knows his customers and as mentioned before does work alongside his employees. Â They always have a bunch of cars in their lot but always get the jobs done in reasonable time. Â Power steering line leak done in two days with parts ordering. Â clutch master and slave cylinder replaced timely. oil change on xmas eve morning in 30ish min. no crap excuses no bs dealership trying to sell you stuff you don't need.its hard to find a good mechanic. this one is good.

RAY A MOTIVE is committed to ensuring effective communication and digital accessibility to all users. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone, and apply the relevant accessibility standards to achieve these goals. We welcome your feedback. Please call RAY A MOTIVE (562) 866-2169 if you have any issues in accessing any area of our website.