Love my exhaust. Tiger hooked me up with exactly what I wanted. There was a wait, but it was worth it!

Quality work by Tiger and his staff. Definitely worth the drive. Would recommend to anyone who appreciates quality work. read more

A 1 Muffler - Auto Repair Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Tiger and family are great! I've had several exhaust systems on several cars with great results. I also have had several air condition systems serviced by them. I highly recommend this great independent shop. 5 STARS!! read more

This is not a facility you can drive up to for service, yet they are the best at what they do. A-1 Muffler provides complete exhaust testing and diagnosis, with honest and professional repairs at very fair prices. If you are ever referred to by your mechanic, don't even think of taking your vehicle anyplace else. My mechanic told me at least one of my five catalytic converters were completely clogged and A-1 identified 4 of them needed to be replaced, with the 5th being only about 15% clogged but still operational. I was amazed the price was less than I had expected, based on estimates received by others. They specialize in the best custom exhausts for pancake motors in Porsches and Volkswagens, and it was conveyed they have between a 6-12 month backlog due to their superior quality and affordability. It's amazing so many people chose to leave warrantless bad reviews simply because they choose not to read or observe basic information. Simply disregard those bad reviews based on nothing more than what appears to be frustration caused by ignorance. read more

Tiger and his team absolutely knocked it out of the park. These guys are true professionals and know their stuff. If your absolutely looking for the best quality and craftsmanship, this is the place. Great job guys I'll be recommending you to everyone. Ignore all the 1 star reviews on this page. Those people need to take their shitbox and go somewhere else. These guys are excellent at what they do. Great job guys. read more

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Thanks A-1 , The exhaust you built for our Manx Is fantastic . We get lot of were you get that from people. Tiger thanks for spending the time with me to make your Art work. read more

A 1 Muffler - Love it - Auto Repair Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Don't waste your time or money going anywhere else. Tiger is very knowledgeable and takes the time to ask the right questions to make sure you get the right product. High quality products and great prices. read more

The one star reviews here are accurate, I had a very similar experience as Antony R. except thank god I called first instead of actually going there, I called to try to get a quote, wouldn't give me a number, said he couldn't tell me. Wouldn't even let me talk and kept cutting me off, yeah of course you can't give me an estimate if you won't even let me tell you what I need done! told me that my piping could be off and he might have to do custom work.. dude if you just stopped talking for 2 seconds and listened to me I would have told you that the muffler is made for the car so all you need to do is weld... could have easily earned my business but with his sort of attitude no thanks! oh also told me they were extremely busy.. right.. okay you go make your $$ from all those dumb customers who go to you then read more

Whoever runs this business lacks any and all business communication skills. They don't answer the phone and ask that you only communicate with them via text. When I explained that I had a custom and complicated exhaust system issue for a High Performance vehicle that could be resolved with a simple phone call, they told me that unless I could explain it in a text, they couldn't help. Who does business like that ??? Run, don't walk, from this place. Anyone who can't take the time to speak with a potential customer, doesn't deserve anyone's business. I build several cars a year and have been doing so for over 30 years, this business will never get any work from me and shouldn't from anyone else. read more

My catalytic converter got stolen and I was referred to A1 by the car shop I usually go to. Manuel was very responsive and got a new converter installed the same day I brought it in. read more

Best VW exhaust in the US. If you live logical, make an appointment and Tiger will get your custom exhaust in top shape.

After my catalytic converter was stolen from my Honda Accord, I reached out to Manuel who was a great help servicing my vehicle. He worked with my insurance, and got my car back to me within 24 hours. His quote was significantly cheaper compared to other shops. Highly recommend! read more

OK this review is a little late . This company makes the best VW exhaust you can buy. The owner is very nice and super friendly. I drove my Honda there that was brand new and had him completely redo the exhaust after I put headers on it. It sounded great . It also made more power and had a higher top end after it was done. My honda went through a few different buddies of mine and the exhaust lasted 15 years until the car went off to someone else and exhaust was still in perfect shape. read more

So I just recently wrote a review about my friend Frank at Moyer's Automotive. I had a terrible sounding noise around my transmission. Frank quickly diagnosed it and told me it was just a muffler rattle. As he isn't allowed to weld at his location he sent me to A-1 Muffler. They were just great! They fixed my problem inside of half an hour and, since I had been there before for a catalytic converter problem in the past, they didn't even charge me for the repair! I was all ready for a hefty transmission repair bill and ended up spending nothing! My good old Nissan sounds and runs like new. Good guys, honest and quick. read more

I wish I cold give a negative 5 star rating. It took multiple calls and texts to even get the ball rolling on this purchase attempt. Non communication: The most outstanding feature of this company!!! I ordered a stainless steel side winder exhaust system for my '66 bug with a 2017cc stroker on 3/7/22. The person on the phone ( I don't know who he was he never said his name ) was happy to take my card info. I asked when it would be finished. He said it might ship at the end of the week. At the end of the week, I texted. ( they never answer the phone ) No answer to my text. The next week, I texted again on Monday. No answer. Tuesday I texted again. 4 hours later I got an answer stating that it would be 2-3 months before it would be ready. I texted back stating that I was told it might ship in a few days, like the end of the previous week and that was a big difference. Then whoever I was texting with CANCELLED my order. I Stated that I still wanted it and commented on the unprofessionalism of the "communication" and cancellation of my order. No response. I was told that these guys build the best. That's what I wanted. At this point, I don't think I'd buy a dead dog from this "company." I will be sure to tell everyone about my experience to everyone at all the air cooled event here in STL. Of that, you can be sure. read more

I read the reviews on here and wanted a quote to reinstall my stock muffler. A lady picked up and flat out told me the shop only does custom work... Wait, isn't this a muffler place? They can't reinstall a muffler or they won't? -2 stars because of receptionist but I still wonder if they would install my muffler and how well. No matter, I'm off to another. Luckily there are tons of other muffler shops in the area. read more

Tiger and his team are extremely welcoming and helpful. He double checked my catalytic converter to make sure it was a new part I actually needed to make sure I wasn't spending unnecessarily. Their golden retriever, Hachi, will love you and keep you company while you wait for your car :) - would reccomend them to anyone! read more

I was referred to A-1 from another mechanic who did not do muffler work. He said A-1 was where he always sent cars and it was a really great place. Because of my work schedule, it was actually hard for me to drop off the car during work hours and wait for it, so we did everything over the phone and then he parked it out for me to pick up with a spare set of keys. Instead of hearing "both catalytic converters need to be replaced," (which is what I fully expected) he told me that just one of them needed to be replaced. That is what I call honest. I would not have known if I needed one or both and was actually preparing for the worst. Excellent work, great communication and an honest mechanic. Pretty hard to find, but I found one in this place! read more

I have taken my car only once there to replace my downpipe and catback, and I must say Steve and his crew there did an excellent job at a reasonable cost. I was recommended to this place by Ron at VW Specialties, so I already expected a good workmanship, and they delivered. The fit and finish of the work they did on my exhaust system was very good. read more

Honest and does an excellent job. Highly recommend A 1 muffler before visiting this shop i went to another shop and they tried to scam me with a total of 1,600 dollars.A 1 mufflers's was really honest with me and cost was much less than what i expected.....Manny is the guy to visit. read more

Great service, high quality. Great prices! I just had my exhaust system updated on my truck. It was exactly what I expected. I would recommend A1 for your automotive needs. Good old fashion high quality family service. read more

2006 Porsche 997 C4S with Sport Chrono Package. My exhaust muffler had been rattling and I took it into A1 Muffler in Santa Ana. As the muffler was an OEM sport version it would have been really expensive to replace. A1 were very prompt in diagnosing a broken baffle and said they would look at whether it could be repaired or not, so I left it overnight. They contacted me the next day with an estimate and saying they needed more time and the car could be ready by the end of the day. I went in, paid and drove out. No more rattle!! Very straightforward to deal with. read more

I see people posting bad reviews for A1 and as a user of their high quality products I think there is a mis conception of what they do. They are not a muffler shop there to weld on tips, fix rattling mufflers, they are a high end custom shop and also operate a parts business. Their VW and Porsche products are sought after worldwide If you go in with the right expectations of what their business is you won't be disappointed, if you want cheap repair work there are plenty of other muffler shops around that can do that. read more

Every once in a while you find a business that loves what they do and they are great at it to boot. My purchase was a full stainless steel custom header and stainless dual quiet pack mufflers. The fit and finish was amazing and the sound is like music to my ears. I had a small crack starting to appear on one of the mufflers and without skipping a beat Tiger said swing by and we will take care of it. Standing behind your work used to be a given but that's not always the case these days. You guys are bad a$$! Thanks again. read more

It's been a year, and the new exhaust pipe has remained as quiet as ever! A-1 was fast, friendly, well priced, and they seemed quite honest, and their repairs have lasted. That's an A+ shop for me! read more

My muffler was experiencing some major rattling noises/difficulties in the way it was running; and Manny, "Tiger" and his cool crew man Leo hooked me right up with a new one and made sure I was ready to pop back on the streets of Santa Ana! Great service, honest man and lovely little shop! If you're lucky too, you may even see some cute puppies to ease the stress you feel when your muffler is being a total goober! Thanks Manny for the service! Go A1!!!! read more

I called ahead to get pricing, the guy on the phone seemed annoyed that he had to answer the phone. After a couple of questions, I decided I didn't want to do business with this shop due to their receptionist' bad attitude. I would recommend replacing the receptionist, seems to be a deterrent to new customers. read more

Yikes. I tried to be a customer yesterday but they wouldn't let me... I drove into their parking lot looking for some help with my exhaust, and they said they couldn't help me for a couple of days because they were too busy with their mail order business. Huh? All of the bays were empty... Don't they want customers? This would be a great location for a muffler shop. read more

Wow I didnt have a good experience with A1 muffler today. I called to ask about muffler tips for my 335i and said i needed a 2.5 inch to 3.5 inch muffler tip. He then sai he would need to look at a diagram and had no idea what i was talking about LOL. I asked if he could refer me to another shop to help me out, no luck what a joke read more

If you need custom muffler or exhaust work...take it to A-1. These guys have been in business for a loooong time and know their stuff. Reasonable pricing and quality work...as it should be. read more

There is no better Muffler shop in the world. Tiger is the best hands down. Their VW Headers are the World's best. People in Australia beg for them. The best tig welding you will ever see. The very best quality. read more

Was referred here by Sam @ South Coast Auto Clinic we found on Yelp. Remounted my right side exhaust and replaced a rotted fuel hose for $35. Very straight forward and upfront with what your situation is. Dont let the low number of reviews sway your opinion too much, these guys seem to be recommended by quite a few shops read more

I was refered to A1 from my mechanic.Good working guys are familiar with good working guys.I enjoy the shop,the honesty and casual relaxed attitude.I also appreciate generational businesses.They just finished their 3rd project for me(custom pipework on my tdi vw) and I was pleased again.So of course I refer them to friends.When I see neg reviews from whiners,I figure they could practice being a little more personable themselves...after all ,a1 built their business by showing up and doing respectable work and one should consider that when they need something done by them.On another positive side...I always see cool cars there and the dog is friendly too. read more

Manny is a super calm and nice guy. He will explain everything and service your car quickly. I had my catalytic converter replaced by him for much less than any other mechanic was quoting me. I was able to take it from the shop, drive it around for a few hours, then get it smogged (and it passed, of course). Everyone at the shop was friendly. I would definitely refer my friends here. read more

Stopped by to get my muffler checked (it was making a nasty rattling sound) and everyone in the shop was extremely helpful and professional. And now I have a nice, quiet car! read more

I just got my '65 nova wagon exhaust done by A1 and I couldn't be happier! Everything looks and sounds great! Loved the family atmosphere and all of the great pictures. Highly recommended. read more

Walked up to see about getting exhaust. The mechanic barely turned a head to say it'd have to be left overnight or next week. I asked if I could get a quote and he replied "not without looking at it " and walked away. How are they in business?!? read more

I called to ask for an estimate on my car and the guy said we only do high end jobs. It was just for an simple exhaust system. He kept saying we ONLY do high end cars and if you want a half ass job go somewhere else. The sales person there was unprofessional, rude and really didn't care about business. I hope it wasn't you Tiger that I was talking to. Very disappointed in the professionalism. read more

I too was referred to A-1 from another mechanic. They were able to fix 2 leaks in my muffler system within an hour; very professional, curteous, honest, and with very reasonable rate. I would not hesitate to come back, or refer my friends and families to this place in the future. Now my car runs so silent, I can barely hear the engine is ON! read more

I have to give this place nothing less than 5 stars. I was recommended to go to this place by another car mechanic. I'd read the above Yelp reviews and this place sounded too good to be true. I had to get my catalytic converters changed and every other place told me it would come up to 2K-3K. When I spoke to A1, they said that they'd have to check it to see if all 4 converters needed to be replaced or not. When I went there, I was greeted warmly by Nobby and his son, gave them my keys and while they checked my car I sat in their extraordinary waiting room. That place has memoirs from all over the world, truly fascinating! I was then told that I only needed to replace 2 of my converters and was quoted a very reasonable price of $900. Nobby offered to drop me back to work although it was 15 minutes away which I was very nice of him. When I picked up my car, I was greeted by their huge Labrador (adorable!), Emmanuel explained the costs and the work done, and I got my car and headed out. Service: quick and thorough People: Family owned, extremely warm and kind Cost: Reasonable for the great service provided! Highly recommend this place!!. You will not be disappointed!. read more