I think referrals are huge. We build and sell houses. LOTs of which are referrals. It is also sort of geographic. I want to live "here"...oh you build here. Great.
Kind of the same...I need my car done "here"...oh you do that here. Great. What helps to assist that fact (considering there are probably many other places) is good reviews...Google, Yelp, ect. Make sure searches bring you up....you are under the right categories. If I am searching for brakes, you shouldn't only come up under performance tuning, or some shit.
When I want a new place for whatever I typically hit Google and Yelp and see what is highest rated. First hand reviews help my decision the majority of times. After that, having a decent website gets me on your phone and to your door. If I cant even see when you are open, or a good phone number...moving on!
tl:dr Go into the search engines, Yelp, ect and make sure your info is good, good looking, and up to date. #, hours, jobs you do, ect.