MechanicRank lists 15 auto repair businesses in Desert Hot Springs, CA. 4 are mobile mechanics who come to your home or work and 5 run auto repair shops you can drive to. The best rated with a real review history is Fast Oil Change and Auto Repair, at 5.0 stars from 155 reviews. Every listing shows the phone number, hours and reviews. Or send one free quote request and a local mechanic calls you back.
Our own locations, shops that claimed their listing, and the highest rated businesses within 15 miles. Top rated means 4.6 stars or more on 20+ reviews. How we rank.
Tell us what the car is doing. A local mechanic calls you back, most requests get a call back the same day. No fee, no obligation.
Ranked by how many drivers have reviewed them on Google. Every shop here holds 4 stars or better.
Ranked by the rating and review count on each listing, not by who pays us. Nobody pays us.
The best reviewed business in Desert Hot Springs right now is Fast Oil Change and Auto Repair, at 5.0 stars across 155 reviews. Every shop above clears 4.3 stars with at least 15 reviews behind it, which is the point where a rating starts meaning something. Plenty of shops hold five stars on four reviews. That is not the same thing.
Of the 15 businesses listed in Desert Hot Springs, there are 4 that will come to you and 5 with a workshop you drive to. None has been claimed by its owner yet, so the hours and phone numbers come from public records. An unclaimed listing is not a worse business. It just means we built the record and nobody has corrected it yet.
14 pinned locations · open the full MechanicRank map →
15 independent businesses in our directory.
Real photos from the mechanics themselves or their own websites. No stock photos.
Independent shops in California usually charge $120 to $175 an hour for labor, which is above the national average. A quote is the book time for the job times that rate, plus parts. At California rates, a brake fluid flush runs about $85 to $210 and a spark plug replacement runs about $135 to $510 for a midsize car.
Of the 13 Desert Hot Springs listings that post their hours, 9 open on Saturday and 5 on Sunday. 5 open before 8 AM on weekdays, which helps if you need to drop the car off before work.
12 businesses in Desert Hot Springs have at least 15 reviews, enough for a rating to mean something, and 9 of those hold 4.5 stars or better. Half of them have 155 or more reviews. A shop with a long history and a 4.6 is a safer call than a perfect 5.0 from a handful of people.
For work a general shop may turn away, Desert Hot Springs has 1 diesel specialist, 2 tire shops, 3 smog and emissions stations and 1 RV and trailer shop. Call ahead with the year, make and model so you do not waste a trip.
Gas, hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles from 1976 and newer, and diesel vehicles from 1998 and newer, need a smog check every two years when the DMV renewal notice asks for one. Gas and hybrid vehicles 8 model years old or newer pay a smog abatement fee instead, and electric vehicles are exempt. A smog check is also needed when most vehicles are sold and when a vehicle from another state is first registered in California. Details are on the California Bureau of Automotive Repair site. Auto shops must be registered with the Bureau of Automotive Repair, must give an estimate, and cannot start work until the customer approves it. Customers can get replaced parts back if they ask before approving the repairs, and the shop must give a final itemized invoice. Read the rule.
Desert Hot Springs sees about 91 days a year at 90°F or hotter, and 11 of them reach 100°F. Heat wears a battery out faster than cold does, so a battery that seems fine in spring can quit in August. Get it tested once it is three years old. Heat also works the AC, the cooling fan and the coolant hard, and those jobs pile up in the first hot weeks of the year.
Only about 9 inches of rain fall in a year, so it is sun, not water, that ages a car here. Rubber parts, wiper blades and dashboards crack sooner.
The average commute in Desert Hot Springs is 28 minutes each way, and 72% of workers drive there alone. Long commutes add miles fast, so oil changes and brakes come due sooner than the calendar says.
Sources, checked October 13, 2026
Buying a used car in Desert Hot Springs? PPI Auto, our sister company, sends an inspector to the car for $225 on most cars, pickups and SUVs. That is a 122 point check with a full scan and a road test, and the report comes back the same day. Dealer lot, private seller or auction, it works the same.
The nearest PPI Auto city is Hemet, about 29 miles away, and inspectors drive out to Desert Hot Springs.
Parts of California require an emissions test. Ask the seller for the last test report, and if the check engine light is on, walk away until someone has read the code.
We list 15 in Desert Hot Springs, CA. That covers mobile mechanics, workshops, diesel and heavy duty specialists, body shops and tire shops. Every one has its own page with the phone number, what they work on and the reviews we have found.
Fast Oil Change and Auto Repair currently holds the highest rating in Desert Hot Springs at 5.0 stars from 155 reviews. Fast Oil Change and Auto Repair, Kevin's Off-Road And Automotive Mobile Repair, CaliClear Mobile Auto Glass Repair are the top three by rating among businesses with a real review history behind them. We rank on the ratings themselves and nobody can pay to appear there.
Yes. 4 of the businesses we list in Desert Hot Springs will travel to you rather than making you bring the car in. That covers most servicing, brakes, batteries, diagnostics and plenty of repairs that do not need a lift.
Independent shops in California usually bill $120 to $175 an hour for labor. The national range is $95 to $140. Dealers charge more. Most quotes are the book time for the job times that rate, plus parts, so ask the shop how many hours it is billing you for.
Gas, hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles from 1976 and newer, and diesel vehicles from 1998 and newer, need a smog check every two years when the DMV renewal notice asks for one. Gas and hybrid vehicles 8 model years old or newer pay a smog abatement fee instead, and electric vehicles are exempt. A smog check is also needed when most vehicles are sold and when a vehicle from another state is first registered in California.
Yes. 5 of the businesses we list in Desert Hot Springs show Sunday hours, including Fast Oil Change and Auto Repair, Kevin's Off-Road And Automotive Mobile Repair and JM Diesel And Equipment Repair LLC. Call first, because Sunday hours are often short and some only take emergencies.
Look at the review count as well as the stars, because five stars from four people tells you very little. None of the 15 listings in Desert Hot Springs has been claimed yet, so call to confirm hours and what the shop works on. Auto shops must be registered with the Bureau of Automotive Repair, must give an estimate, and cannot start work until the customer approves it. Customers can get replaced parts back if they ask before approving the repairs, and the shop must give a final itemized invoice. Get the quote in writing before any work starts.
Usually not. 4 of the businesses in Desert Hot Springs come to you, and with no building to pay for, they often charge a bit less than a shop. What they cannot do in a driveway is work that needs a lift or a press, so heavy jobs still go to a shop.
Desert Hot Springs averages about 91 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Heat wears out batteries faster than cold does, and it is hard on the AC, the cooling system and tires. Test the battery every year once it is three years old and have the AC checked before summer.
Yes. PPI Auto, our sister company, inspects used cars in Desert Hot Springs for $225 on most cars, pickups and SUVs. The inspector comes to the car, runs a 122 point check and sends the report the same day. Call 951-267-8500 to book.
In California anyone paid to diagnose or repair cars must be registered with the Bureau of Automotive Repair as an Automotive Repair Dealer, and the number starts with ARD. You can look any shop up by name or number on the state's license search at search.dca.ca.gov. 4 of the 15 listings in Desert Hot Springs show a BAR number on their MechanicRank page, linked to that lookup. If a shop will not give you its ARD number, take the car somewhere that will.
12 of the 15 listings in Desert Hot Springs show a photo or logo. They come from the owner, from the business's own website, or from our own jobs for Supercanic locations. We never put a stock or AI photo on someone else's business. Owners can claim their listing free and add their own.
We call, text and email the businesses we list to confirm their details, and listings whose numbers turn out to be dead come off the directory. Nobody can pay to rank higher.
Because we work with these mechanics, not just list them. Besides checking listings, we run free study guides and certification exams for mechanics, publish repair cost guides by state, and give shops software to send written quotes and invoices. 4 of the Desert Hot Springs listings come to you, 15 carry a rating with the review count beside it, and the order on this page follows the published rules on our How We Rank page.
Most mobile mechanics in Desert Hot Springs price by the job, not the hour. Independent shop labor in California runs about $120 to $175 an hour, and mobile prices usually land in the same range for the same repair. Some add a trip fee and some fold it in. Ask for one total price, trip included, before they drive out. Our repair cost guides show typical parts and labor for each job.
Yes. Typical independent shop labor in California is about $120 to $175 an hour, so $100 is below the normal range. Dealers often charge more. What matters most is the total. Ask how many hours the job is quoted at and compare that with a second shop.
By rating and review count together, the strongest mobile mechanics in the Desert Hot Springs area right now are Kevin's Off-Road And Automotive Mobile Repair (5.0 stars, 76 reviews), CaliClear Mobile Auto Glass Repair (5.0 stars, 39 reviews) and Adame auto electric mobile repair (5.0 stars, 23 reviews). We weigh stars against how many reviews back them, so a perfect score on a few reviews does not win.
Some work needs a shop. Transmission swaps, engine rebuilds, alignments and anything that needs a lift go to a garage. Bad weather can push back a driveway job, and you need a safe, legal place to park where the mechanic can work. Many mobile mechanics also run a shop, or will tell you up front when a job needs one.
Get a written estimate that lists parts and labor. Call two or three shops with the same estimate and ask each for a total price. Ask what warranty comes with the parts and the work. Read recent reviews, not just the star score. A shop that explains the problem clearly and shows you the old part is a good sign.
This page lists 15 auto repair businesses in Desert Hot Springs, CA. We built it from business details and ratings from each Google Business Profile, owner claims and uploads, license numbers from owners and the state license board, California repair and inspection rules from the state agency and Census and NOAA figures for the local car ownership section. We call, text and email the businesses to keep it right, and take listings down when a number goes dead.
Why trust it: no business pays to be listed or to rank, the order follows our published rules, and every count on this page is counted from the listings below. 12 show a photo or logo, 4 show a license number (4 checked against California's BAR) and 0 have been confirmed by the owner.
9 nearby cities within 15 miles, biggest first. Mobile mechanics often cross city lines, so a shop one town over may come to you.
Cathedral City, CATop rated: Jim Brangham Auto Repair 4.9★
Yucca Valley, CATop rated: Floyd Mobile Auto Touch Up 5.0★
Palm Springs, CATop rated: ARCARO'S AUTO BODY REPAIR, INC. 4.9★
Rancho Mirage, CATop rated: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Rancho Mirage 4.9★
Thousand Palms, CATop rated: Tech-Age Automotive 4.8★
North Palm Springs, CATop rated: Top Notch Automotive LLC 4.9★
NO PALM SPRINGS, CATop rated: E&E Auto Service 4.9★
Morongo Valley, CATop rated: Morongo Tires 4.6★
Cabazon, CATop rated: Maxx trailers repair 4.5★Typical independent shop prices at California labor rates, parts and labor, for a midsize car. Each guide shows the price for your vehicle and what to ask before you pay. See all 91 repair cost guides.
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Mobile Mechanics 
Auto Repair Shops 
Diesel Specialists 
Trailer & RV Repair 
Tire Shops 
Smog & Emissions 
Specialty Services 
