This has become my new trusted mechanic for all of our car needs…read more As a woman who has driven used cars for most of her life, going to a trusted mechanic is hard to find. I used to go to mechanics in Santa Ana but was not always able to get the services I needed. Now with a new car, I was tired of getting price gouged for a simple oil change at the dealership. At Harbor Auto Service, Mike and John get the job done at an affordable price and take customer service to the next level. For example, when you have already paid and are all set, they park the car right outside for you and send you on your way. They are respectful and take the time to explain what is wrong with the car and give you plenty of options. They also have a nice waiting room with a tv, couches, and offer water as you wait. I have been here twice, and each time has been pleasant. I am already recommending them to all of my friends and family as a solid, trusted choice!

If I could give zero stars, I would give it…read more Mike at Harbor Auto is a complete fraud and does what he can to steal your money. I made the mistake of taking my car back to Harbor Auto after an issue with a new battery that they installed for me a few years ago which died literally a few days later because they messed up putting things back together. Fast forward to my latest predicament. A few weeks ago, my car was dying on the freeway. Had no idea what was going on, but noticed it was not going higher than 1800 RPMs and not going higher than 2nd gear. It put itself into protective mode. I managed to get myself to an Autozone and they scanned the car and got a few codes outlining what the issue was. I said I would get it to a mechanic in the morning. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of taking it to Mike at Harbor Auto. The codes Autozone provided were: P2191 and P1326 and then some commentary about it being my PCV Valve that needed replacing too. I showed these codes/printout to Mike and he said "don't worry, we'll take a look and get it figured out". I waited nearly the whole day before I called Mike to get an update, he said he would call me back with updates "soon". He then called me about 20 mins later suggesting that it might be my catalytic converter that might need replacing. I was curious because there was no indication that my catalytic converter was an issue. I looked up prices on my own to get an idea of what the price range could look like while waiting for Mike to call me back. He calls back and confirms "its definitely your catalytic converter and I'm not sure if you're going to want to put up the $$$ to replace it." He then quotes me $3,175.00 for a a new catalytic converter. I'm floored because the research I did for my car (2011 Hyundai Sonata LE) was approx $1200 for a Hyundai converter or something between $800-1000 for a 3rd party converter. I was already pissed by this point. I just told Mike I'm taking the car back and to leave it alone. I knew he was trying to literally swindle me and I don't know why. Maybe he just didn't want to do the work on the car? Maybe he had NO idea what he was doing? Either way, this just confirmed that I would never go to Harbor Auto Service again. I spoke with my neighbor whose a mechanic as a hobby that night, told him everything that was going on and he agreed that Mike was trying to bamboozle me for the money! He gave me a great suggestion which was to get a second opinion which is exactly what I did. I then took it where he takes his cars which is literally right next door to Harbor Auto to a place called Costa Mesa Transmission. He let the owner Arturo know that I was coming. I took my car to Arturo the following morning and I gave him the same rundown of what was going on. He did some research on the codes from the scanner the other day and calls me back within 2 hours of drop off saying they can't do anything with the car BUT that there was a warranty/recall situation with Hyundai related to my scanned codes. He said I should call Hyundai service first to see if they could take a look at the car which is exactly what I did. Hyundai took the car and it was indeed covered under one of their warranties/recall notices. So everything was going to be covered by Hyundai for free. Arturo also did not charge me a dime when I went to pick it up and take it to Hyundai. THIS IS THE TYPE OF PERSON I WISH TO DO BUSINESS WITH IN THE FUTURE!!! PLEASE AVOID HARBOR AUTO SERVICE AT ALL COSTS!!! TAKE YOUR CAR NEXT DOOR TO COSTA MESA TRANSMISSION INSTEAD!!! SEE ARTURO!!! They do standard work like oil changes, etc and a lot of other work besides just transmissions. You will be saving money and grief by avoiding Harbor Auto Service. I knew from the jump that it was a mistake to take it back to Harbor, but I was desperate to find a place that opened early in the morning. When I should've literally drove my car another 20 feet in the same driveway and taken it to Costa Mesa Transmission. @Mike, I want my $160.00 you charged me back as a refund. You honestly should be ashamed of yourself for attempting to gouge your customers the way you tried with me. Absolutely shameful.

I've come here twice and have been happy with the service. Mostly because my car is returned to me…read morewithin a decent timeframe. I was going somewhere else prior and they would keep my car the entire day for a basic oil change. The first time I came after having my car serviced elsewhere and heard an odd sound when I got it back. I asked ExperTec if they could get my car back to me by the end of the day and they weren't sure, however I did get my car back within a few hours. I think they're priced fairly compared to other places in the area. I like that they're open on weekends too. I'm not a mechanic by any means but I'm also super wary of being taken advantage of which happens almost every where I go. I will say they did tell me my car passed their inspection then tried to recommend a bunch of services I'd had done recently. They didn't push me to get them or try to scare me into thinking my car was going to explode if I didn't do the recommended services lol. I've recommended this place to a couple people and they've been happy too so I think they're pretty good overall.

Came here to drop off my Jetta -- been coming here for years, they are HONEST…read more In the age of AI and all the bells and whistles , you yearn for authenticity and old school environment where word is your bond This is that place. I've known Gary for over a decade - the culture in this company is one that fosters long term Employees like Gary who love to work there I'll only service my cars here

Informative about the services. Great communication and so quick. Finished in 10 mins.read more

Excellent! Inquired…read moreon yelp and received a message back in less than 20 minutes. Less than an hour later a technician arrived to begin work. Would recommend this company to others, and will use again in the future for any similar needed services.

The service and staff definitely value fixing my vehicle. James went above and beyond, grateful for…read morehis knowledge and was super helpful when explaining my vehicles diagnostic issues. They value their customers and they were honest about the process. Loved how they showed me a diagram to explain it better.

I can't say nothing but great things about this shop. I felt with James who truly values customers…read moreand always does his best at fair pricing and exceptional service. My muffler, pipe, and catalic converter was jacked up. He helped me fixed the pipe and muffler the best he can and he notified me that there was still a warranty on my vehicle so he didn't touch it and he gave me fair pricing. When I took my car to Chevy, they were so unprofessional and dumb. I had James explain what's going on with my vehicle and how Chevy had to honor my warranty, but Chevy Costa Mesa were being lazy. They didn't even look at the vehicle but diagnosed it just by hearing it. I brought my vehicle back to James and he took pictures and referred me to HB Chevy and he didn't charge me. James and his shop are truly about the people and getting their vehicle fixed. His shop and customer service is something every auto shop should emulate. I will always go to this shop for my auto needs. Chevy Costa Mesa can get bent. Thank you again James for you and your crew.

I am so grateful for this place. I don't know much about cars, but Aaron made the whole experience…read moreentirely easy and stress-free for me. He has wonderful manners, and his clear communication, explanations and attentiveness made me feel so looked after. I felt like he went above and beyond by fixing things I didn't even ask for, all for what I believe is more than a fair price. His kindness and professionalism really stood out, and my car seems to be running perfectly now. Thank you, Aaron and DNZ.

I previously left a five-star review because I had a good experience here. At the time, EU was…read morehonest enough to tell me I didn't need a tire rotation, which saved me money as a student. Because of that, I came back for multiple oil changes. Unfortunately, my most recent visit was completely different. I was charged a high price for what should have been a simple oil change and cabin/air filter replacement, and I ended up waiting about two hours for the work to be completed. After talking it through with someone more familiar with car maintenance, it became clear that I was likely overcharged for a job that should have been quicker and more reasonably priced. What made the experience worse was the interaction before my appointment. When I asked for clarification about being told I may need "air," EU laughed at me for asking. I'm neurodivergent and sometimes take things more literally, so I was just trying to confirm whether I was being charged for something that is often free. Instead of explaining, I felt mocked for asking a simple question. Because of this experience, I no longer feel comfortable or confident returning here. I'm sharing this as a caution for other customers--especially women and neurodivergent people--who may not be as familiar with car maintenance and rely on mechanics to be honest, respectful, and transparent.

10/10: Friendly, professional, and efficient…read more I was losing tire pressure and while they ultimately couldn't patch the tire, they still asked me to come in to troubleshoot it for me, just to confirm the issue. I'm not mechanically skilled, so it was good to see how they checked for puncturing. And by extension, showing that work is being done. Some other shops will say they did services but just cold pitch it to upsell. I appreciate the team for helping me get on my way. Because they are dedicated to helping people, I'd definitely recommend them. Thank you again.

I gave up on my 2006 Acura TL last year, but Jeff basically maintained it for the last 5 years of…read moreits life. He also did some oil changes on my S2000 on occasion. I'm in a newer car now, so I might not be visiting until it's no longer dealer maintained, but Jeff was wonderful to work with and a very honest person. I'm sort of leaving this as a thank you for that service, knowing I might not be able to return for awhile. His service was also provided during a tough time in my life. He always charged me a fair price which is why I respect him a lot. I've never had a BS service recommended by him. Everything is "hey, look at this" or "this is what is wrong". If you are looking for an independent mechanic H & A auto is a trustworthy place that still exists in this day and age.

I initially found out about A&G Imports from neighbors on Nextdoor. A lot of people had great…read morethings to say about this company, so I decided to try them out. Their prices were literally about 50% less than the dealers! This concerned me at first, but then I looked up their reviews and realized that they're really good at what they do. They're a small family owned business and did an oil change and tune up for me. They also drove me home and saved me a lot of money! Happy camper here!

I've been taking my vehicle here for a number of years now. The service is excellent, affordable…read moreand efficient. I highly trust and recommend them! Julie H

I had a great experience with Frank and I am grateful he was able to diagnose, troubleshoot and fix…read morethe problem. My regular mechanic was busy and I was far away from the location and couldn't risk driving the car there so I called and spoke to Frank's Mobile. He arrived timely, diagnosed the vehicle, drove it with me to troubleshoot the possible problems and thankfully it wasn't anything major imo. The cost of service was competitive and very fair. He replaced 6 spark plugs and changed the oil, and now my old car has some pep in her step. Thank you, Frank!

Frank today Mobil pre-purchased inspection for me on my new vehicle. He was great provided thorough…read morefeedback.