Owner and founder, Robert Colandrea, started his automotive journey back in high school. He began working in gas station back rooms and small back alley auto repair shops to learn about the auto repair industry. This is where his passion grew. After high school, Robert attended the Phoenix Institute of Technology and graduated with a Dean’s Honor award. Afterwards, Robert went on to work as an automotive electrical diagnostician at Vista Auto Electric. He then moved on to several independent auto repair shops in the area and eventually found himself working at a Nissan dealership.
After Robert’s time working at the Nissan dealership, he was hired as a head technician at another independent auto repair shop in town. The owner of the shop eventually sold the business and Robert stayed working for the shop with the new owners. He didn’t enjoy his job as much as he used to when it was under new ownership, and he found himself with a new opportunity to open up his own shop.
Robert spent time in many different auto repair shop settings, which helped him to understand what not to do when running an auto repair shop. He knew that with higher quality repairs and better customer service, he could be successful. In 1992, Robert finally decided to give it a shot and opened up his own business, RC Auto & Smog in Vista, CA. He started as just a one-man shop, specializing in drivability and smog testing. At first, he wasn’t filling up the whole shop so he sub-leased part of it. Eventually, he grew his business and expanded into the entire building, taking on all aspects of auto repair.
Robert has over 40 years of experience in auto care and applies his knowledge to the business and his customer’s cars. He has a unique way of applying old world craftsmanship and customer service alongside new technology, making repairs that often exceed the OE service. We invite you to bring your vehicle into our shop the next time you need auto repair in Vista, CA. We look forward to meeting you!