1. Alvin's Auto Center

    1. Alvin's Auto Center

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    Milpitas, CA

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    Alvin's Auto Center

    4.7 (226 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Services - Alvin's Auto Center

    Auto brake repair

    Auto engine repair

    Alvin's Auto Center Photos

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    Recommended Reviews - Alvin's Auto Center

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    Reviews With Photos

    My truck, "Micki" that Alvins repaired
    Donald P.

    I do a lot of work on cars and trucks and recently I found myself in a position where I needed an engine replacement. Alvin's came highly recommended to me by a person who has been in the automotive trades for decades. His recommendation was excellent. Alvin's is a family-owned business and it is a great shop. CUSTOMER SERVICE My very first experience with Alvin's was with Mike their business operations manager. He was exceptionally professional, right down to the respectful and positive way he addressed me. Repair estimates were provided before work was started, and he kindly asked for approvals before starting work. I was especially impressed that he asked lots of questions about what was wrong with the car, and he was engaged and a good listener concerning the issues, and my own hunches about what was wrong. Before the first wrench was turned, I was already pleased with the shop. COMMUNICATION No layers of voice answering, being put on hold and unavailable service advisors. Alvin's answers the phone every time and he provided regular updates on progress. I found that to be impressive. His communication was clear and efficient, and most important, he kept me apprised of the repair strategy (my issue was complex) and always sought my input concerning the work. TECHNICAL SKILL The diagnostic work was excellent. My own tests indicated that a cylinder head issue existed, which is a very serious job. Against my guidance, the Techs at Alvins worked the problem and determined that a brand new fuel injector installed in the car was the problem. A job costing thousands of dollars was reduced to a minor part replacement because of their good diagnostic work. Other conditions were found and corrected, and no unnecessary work was pushed. I came away with a high degree of trust in their skills. VALUE The price came in at the estimated cost, and the labor rate was far less than dealership prices. FACILITY Alvin's has two facilities, one in San Jose, the other in Milpitas -- which is the one I used. It's located in an automotive trades plaza directly adjacent to the Milpitas Police headquarters, a safe area. My first impression was that the shop was clean, spacious and organized. There were lots of cars parked, awaiting work. I went to Alvin's for an engine replacement and they were well equipped to handle the job. One other comment: I write reviews to point out businesses that do great work, or otherwise to help people like me to avoid bad experiences. In my dealings with Alvin's I will also say this: Mike and his team have the highest integrity.

    Engine oil leaked out with the oil filter exposed underneath the car

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    11 months ago

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    10 months ago

    Fixed the tyres really fast. Did not keep waiting for long. Prices are reasonable. Definitely recommend them

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    1 year ago

    Very honest and genuine amazing customer service and prices. I see why they been in business since 1992! Highly recommend!!

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Business owner information

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    Anthony G.

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    My brother had recommended it. Quick fast and reliable. Highly recommended and I'll come back for more service.

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    7 years ago

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    5 years ago

    We have been Alvins customer for over 3years now and we have been very satisfied with their service. Would strongly recommend!

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    7 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

    I'm so glad I found Alvin's auto center. Very reasonable prices, friendly service and very dependable.

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    7 years ago

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    Page 1 of 6

    Ask the Community - Alvin's Auto Center

    This is what we are looking for I have a Honda Civic 2007, 120k 100K tune up…

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    Review Highlights - Alvin's Auto Center

    I was pleasantly surprised by Mike & Tony (Alvin's sons), who provide friendly and Top Rate Mechanical Service.

    Mentioned in 46 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Great Mall Tire Outlet

    Great Mall Tire Outlet

    (405 reviews)

    Wait Time: [x][x][x][x][x] Service:…read more [x][x][x][x][X] Setting: [x][x][x][x][ ] Cost: [x][x][x][x][x] Recommendation? For quick tire repairs, Frank gets the job done quick and good to go! I recently had a slight flat tire on only one of my tires so I wanted to make sure I can go to a reliable tire shop that can patch this tire. Having been to a few shops in the past with long service or unreliable results, I decided to hedge my bets with Great Mall Tire Outlet hearing that they do good results on a variety of cars ranging from regular gas to heavier Teslas with the insulating foam. The location was a bit sketchy at first but after coming in and getting all the details written down, car was quickly driven in and worked on for at least ~1 hour and was good to go. Drove around for more than 1 week and confirmed the flat was good as gone and all done for $50 is not too bad! One of the few reviews that I ironically want to say I won't come back to but if I do, I'll be confident Frank can do the job well done again.

    I had a slow leak from a nail, and another well-known shop tried to tell me it was unpatchable and…read morepushed me to buy a whole new tire. I held off since the leak wasn't that bad. My dad recommended Great Mall Tire Outlet because the owner, Frank, used to work at our family's old go-to spot, Pacific Tire. Frank's team fixed the tire quickly and didn't even charge me because it was such a simple job. It's rare to find this kind of honesty and Frank + his team do amazing work. I highly recommend them!

    Wheel & Tire Pros

    Wheel & Tire Pros

    (49 reviews)

    I came in with my 2016 Toyota Sienna XLE wanting spacers installed to lift the van 2". We had…read moreinstalled a tow hitch years ago from u-haul and it scraped driveways and speed bumps with anything or anyone seated in the back. I'd been to several other shops who all refused the job (didn't want to do it, didn't have the equipment, etc.) and a friend recommended I check out Wheel&Tire Pros because they are specialists in suspension work. I walked in with spacers in hand, they looked at the van and the spacers and said they could do it, and it was done in a day at a great price. Jay was very pleasant to work with, was very nice and completely answered all my questions. Now y he van rides great. No more scraping! They even did a courtesy check at 1,000 miles after install to make sure the van's suspension wasn't getting stressed with the addition of the spacers. They have comfy chairs in the waiting area and a great display of tires and rims... which now that I can see my tires more, perhaps the van needs an upgrade from the basic tires we've been using ;)

    Amazing service! I got a flat & i called 10 mins before closing and they accommodated because of…read morethe situation. I came a little past closing and they charged such an affordable price for a new tire which is rarely in stock as i had called a bunch of other places and they didn't have it. I really appreciate the teams kindness and patience and willingness to help me out when i was in a tight situation. highly recommend coming here for geniune and good service!

    Stress-Free Auto Care

    Stress-Free Auto Care

    (565 reviews)

    True to their name, the technicians here are nothing but professional. No BS, they'll inform you…read morewith the checks as they go. But stress free equals a higher premium. Will definitely visit again if my schedule is tight.

    BEWARE -- DO NOT GO HERE!!…read more Horrible customer service, questionable diagnosis, and a very disappointing experience from start to finish. We took our work van to Stress Free Auto Care after finding them on Yelp. They were close to home and, more importantly, veteran-owned. As a company that supports veteran nonprofits, we were excited to support another veteran-owned business--even though their pricing was higher than other shops we considered. Our van had been having issues starting and randomly shutting off. They quickly diagnosed it and sent us an estimate for around $1,200, which we approved. We were told it would be ready by the end of the day and picked it up the following morning. The very next day, the van broke down multiple times on the freeway, nearly causing accidents. This was extremely dangerous and terrifying. We immediately contacted the shop and were told to bring it back. We had to leave the van at a jobsite and figure out how to get it back to San Jose, which created even more stress and disruption to our business. We dropped it off in the morning and heard nothing all day. The next morning, we had to follow up ourselves, only to be told they were still running diagnostics. We were then told there was now another issue that would cost even more to repair. If the original diagnosis was incorrect, I expected the shop to take some responsibility and offer a reasonable solution. Instead, the resolution offered was a "free" diagnostic--which is essentially already credited toward service anyway. There was no real effort to make things right, no empathy for the situation, and no meaningful resolution. We were basically told we could come pick up the van. Business owner to business owner: this is not how you take care of customers. When a customer spends over $1,200 based on your diagnosis and their vehicle breaks down immediately afterward, leaving them with a dangerous, non-operational work vehicle, you should be doing everything possible to make it right. This entire experience has been incredibly STRESSFUL. STRESS FREE AUTO CARE?! Yeah, right. Take your business elsewhere.

    Exact Motorsports - Our 3000+ sf garage, 4 bases.

    Exact Motorsports

    (149 reviews)

    Had John and Sandy take care of my Lexus V8 here. This shop is my go to for performance upgrades…read more Their prices are fair and they have the experience and the expertise to upgrade and repair your performance vehicle. I had brake pads, exhaust, as well as LCA bushings installed here. The installs are clean and done correctly the first time. I am happy with their service and look forward to bring my car in for service and performance upgrades.

    This is a belated review, but I have had my Lexus GX470 serviced at Exact Motorsports twice in the…read morelast couple years. In November 2024, my lexus had an oil leak. I went to investigate and it was near the oil filter housing it attaches to. drove it to Exact motorsports to have them evaluate, and Sandy & John were helpful in diagnosing the problems. They seem to be very knowledgable with the toyota/lexus platform. They gave me a reasonable quote and I left the car with them. They also mentioned it was probably due for new spark plugs, and a new valve cover gasket so I had them throw that in there as well. When I picked up the car, it drove much more efficiently and no more leaks! Turns out it was a broken O ring. I enjoyed that experience, so a year later (Nov 2025) my belt was squeeking a lot in cold weather. They were able to diagnose and swap the belt to a new one within a day or so. No more squeeks in the cold mornings. The best part about exact is that its a mom and pop, locally owned shop that doesnt put you in a upsell, pressure environment. They tell you what you need, what you dont need, and what are nice to do but not urgent so you can make your choices for the best quote. I will be going to them for any future needs for my Lexus, and have been recommending them to my friends and family for the same purposes.

    America's Tire

    America's Tire

    (1k reviews)

    North San Jose

    I was hesitant to go to this location because some of the reviews aren't great, but now I'm…read moreconvinced any negative reviews are an anomaly, because my experience was great. The manager Gio runs a super tight and organized ship, every single person that I talked to was personable, professional and went the extra step to make the process easy. I also really appreciated the advice and help Josue gave me. I didn't expect to write a review about a tire place, but I have to with this group. I will only be going to the Americas tire on Brokaw now

    Very disappointing experience. Customer service at this location is terrible…read more First of all, making an appointment seems completely pointless. I scheduled an appointment and showed up on time, but nobody seemed to care whether I had an appointment or had just walked in. When a new customer enters, the employees at the front desk barely acknowledge them. You can stand there waiting without even hearing a simple "Hi" or "We'll be with you shortly." The manager's attitude was even more disappointing. It honestly felt like he couldn't care less whether a customer stayed or walked out. There was no effort to resolve the situation or even show that my business mattered to them. On top of that, their refund process is ridiculous. Even when you don't pay with a credit card, they tell you that you have to wait several days to get your money back. I understand that processing times can exist, but combined with the complete lack of customer service, it makes the entire experience even more frustrating. There is a serious lack of organization and basic customer care at this location. Appointments seem meaningless, communication at the front desk is poor, and management gives you the impression that losing a customer simply doesn't matter. I ended up leaving extremely disappointed. I definitely won't be coming back to this location.

    Wheel Works

    Wheel Works

    (218 reviews)

    Well, I can officially replace my 2023 2 star review with a 2026 5 star review. This place has…read moretheir "stuff" together again. My past 2023 work they did was just fine, they replaced one tire on my Tesla a year later, then repaired another tire a year after that, all no issues, good work, and fast. Today that same tire I got repaired almost two years ago had a problem, and they repaired it no charge. I'll come back if I have a problem with that, but based on my experience, it'll be fine just like everything else they've done for us in the past couple of decades. They are human beings, so nobody is perfect. But this place is about as close as it gets. Just give them a break if it doesn't look like it, they may be having a bad day that one day you visited.

    Last Thursday, one of our tires got a flat (the same tire that the company had worked on). We took…read moreit into Luna's Tires and they had to fix the broken rim that had caused the flat. The employee said that it was never fixed from the previous flat and caused a slow leak that eventually caused the flat that had occurred last Thursday. We had to spend another $400 to get that rim on the tire repaired and borrow a tire so we could drive home safely while we wait for the repair. Theft, negligence, incompetence, poor customer service, poor management, lack of leadership, lack of responsibility, lack of pride and ownership of work. From how I've been treated by the cashiers all the way up to corporate is all a reflection of the entire company's values and mission. And it stinks. My family's safety was at risk because their employees failed to not only do their jobs properly, but took the opportunity to take advantage of their customers due to the poor operation of their store. And they continue to fail to take responsibility and make it right. No, I know for a fact the tow truck company did not steal our stuff. My husband rode in the tow truck as our van was towed to this location. It's not even about the theft anymore, it's about failing to provide satisfactory (let alone adequate) service that I paid for! I know it is such a huge ask to expect a company to make things right after they messed up so demonstrably in every way possible, let alone expect a tire company to (gasp) actually fix a tire properly. Get it together, Wheelworks and make things right.

    Alvin's Auto Center - autorepair - Updated September 2026

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