Wimmer's Automotive

A Central Coast shop with a racing habit

Wimmer's Automotive has been fixing cars in Morro Bay since 1964, most of that time as Jim's Automotive, which is the name you'll see in older reviews. It's a full-service shop, but owner Ritchie Wimmer is a Miata racer, and the shop says it's involved in the local Miata racing scene. That's why Central Coast owners keep recommending it. "He also races Miatas so I know he and his staff know those cars inside an out," wrote u/MichaelJG11 on Reddit.

What owners say

Cale brought in his 1992 for a major service, including the timing belt, water pump, plugs and wires, and got it back washed, vacuumed and spotless underneath. "The engine bay you could eat off of it, I was really impressed," wrote Cale C. William does most of his own work on his early Miata, but brought it here for a problem he couldn't solve. They fixed it on the first try, and he trusted them with the car's 75,000-mile service after that.

Charles found the shop through the Miata forums and came away impressed that a standard 30,000-mile service included checks no other garage had bothered with.

Know before you go

The shop is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Ritchie also teaches auto shop at Morro Bay High School, so the next generation of Central Coast mechanics is learning from a Miata guy. We approve.

Last updated on October 20, 2026.