Home
Welcome To DMV Clinic
A Second-Generation Car Care Service Center, Family-Owned Since 1976
Santa Cruz, Capitola, Soquel, Aptos, Watsonville
Providing quality, integrity and convenience is the backbone of this long-time auto business. This is not only the goal of DMV Clinic Santa Cruz but also their mission. Owner and technician Nathan Sparks is a native Santa Cruzan. He feels it’s important to uphold the shop’s trustworthy reputation that his father and original owner Jack Sparks first developed within the Santa Cruz community. “We keep things on the up-and-up,” says Nate, “and when
I run into clients around town, it feels more like I’m chatting with friends or family.”
For instance, if you come in with a driveability problem and get a two-hour estimate and they solve the issue in a half hour, you will be charged for only a half hour, not two hours. Nate realizes that it’s expensive to live in the Santa Cruz community and he strives to offer value by “getting things done right for a good price.” So if it’s a power steering pump, timing belt replacement, a clutch repair, a blown head gasket, or other engine problems, stop by and visit the honest folks at DMV Clinic.
This Green Auto Service Repair Shop Provides Quality Car
Maintenance Plus They Rebuild & Recycle Auto Parts
Santa Cruz, Capitola, Soquel, Aptos, Watsonville
The folks at DMV Clinic have always suggested regular auto maintenance as means to keeping your vehicle running safe, reliable, and performing to its ultimate capacity. Bonus: When your vehicle is in tip-top-shape, it will run cleaner and get better gas mileage. Bonus Two: When possible, the technicians will rebuild parts instead of ordering new replacement parts. “Some new parts can be really expensive,” says Nate, “and we can keep the costs down buy rebuilding. There are times we’ll need to do rebuilds when new parts aren’t available.”
DMV Clinic performs circuit board repairs, by using a tool that uses super hot air focused to a small point to rework cracked solder joints; they also perform a lot of instrument cluster rebuilding for Volvos, a common problem (2002s and newer) which can be solved for about $200 – $300. A new instrument cluster may cost $1,200. Repairing car computers is another common rebuild at DMV Clinic Santa Cruz that helps keep costs to a minimum. “I hate throwing parts away if I can fix them. ” says Nate. “I got that from my father.
DMV Clinic Knows Diesel Engine Technology, Hybrids, Electric Vehicles,
Trucks, SUV’s, Passenger Vehicles, Domestic, European & Asian Cars
Santa Cruz, Capitola, Soquel, Aptos, Watsonville
Not all service repair shops offer diesel auto service maintenance as they really are a different “animal.” The same can be said about hybrid and electric vehicles. DMV technicians continually attend classes and seminars to keep up with the changing auto technologies. “We’ve been working on hybrids since they first came out in 2001, ” says Nate. “After some heavy-duty classes, we got up to speed.” Just as fuel-powered vehicles need regular service, so do hybrids with special attention paid to the cooling system — because hybrids use the cooling system to cool the electric motor and inverters.
The shop offers hybrid battery pack conditioning, an invaluable service performed at six years or 60,000 miles. Dealerships do not provide this service as they would prefer to either sell you another battery pack or a new car. “Not only do we recondition battery packs, but we can also upgrade the pack so you’ll get more power,” says service advisor Colleen Sparks.
We Service & Repair The Following Vehicles In Santa Cruz
Domestic, Asian, European, Cars, Trucks, SUV’s
Acura Audi BMW Buick Cadillac Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ford GM GMC Lincoln Honda Hummer Hyundai Infiniti Isuzu Jeep Kia Lexus Mazda Mercedes- Benz Mercury Mitsubishi Nissan Datsun Oldsmobile Plymouth Pontiac
Saturn Subaru Suzuki Toyota Volkswagen Volvo
Also sports cars, classics, and more. Just ask.