Came for a smog check cause you can't beat these prices. Definitely the place to come in Mira Mesa. If you need any other service Brandon is worth checking out. Usually my dad is the one to handle all repairs on family and friends' vehicles, but he brought our 1989 MPV here and was super impressed (my dad is a hard sell, especially in the service industry). So much so, I guess he's telling all his friends because I ran into my auntie and cousin here today (getting their transmission fixed). read more

Brandon Auto - Can't beat these prices! - Auto Repair Near Me - San Diego, California

Stopped by to have Jason check my battery voltage. As diagnosed, my battery was dying. Jason swapped for a new AC Delco. My maxima started up quickly. Was in & out in 20 minutes. Thank you again Brandon's Auto. read more

Brandon runs a tight operation and is on top of things. I had a smog check done, which I called to schedule the day before. He doesn't really do formal appointments but calling ahead gives him advance notice. He got me in and outta there within 20 min. Great experience! read more

Great service, flexible hours, lowest fees, super friendly staff. I will recommend them to anybody. read more

Once you turn into the parking structure make sure you look for the green Title/Name of the place on the advertising truck local aged in the back of all the buildings. Like finding a moonlight orchid amongst roses. read more

Brandon Auto - It's not close but if you're a true Trainer it's not the distance you're concerned about, but how exciting the journey will be. - Auto Repair Near Me - San Diego, California

I've come here a few times now for smog checks and also an oil change, and every time they have been very easy to work with. Quick, honest, affordable. I'll definitely be coming back next time I need it. read more

Received a DMV smog check notification in the mail and asked around for recommendations. Some family members recommended Brandon Auto and said Jason would take good care of you. This was a very straight forward place with a really competitive price for smog check. It was done in about 30 minutes and they electronically submit the report to the DMV directly. Jason mentioned they offer other auto repair services as well and based on this experience, I will definitely consider them for my car maintenance and repair in the future. There is another smog check place right next door. I actually went in there by mistake at first, so make sure you are in Brandon Auto Smog Repair Center. Also, be prepared to pay about $10 more if you have a SUV or truck. One thing is for sure: Brandon Auto will be my future go-to place for smog checks. read more

Horrible service , when I walked in they never cared about me or my car. Very bad customer service , the guy named Jason had a horrible mood and treated me like a worthless customer. I will never come back here again. , this place is not the place for you I promise that read more

Don't go here if you need to diagnose a problem on your car. They don't know what they're doing! They just keep putting parts on your car, at your cost, but never fix the problem. Get your car diagnosed at O'reillys auto parts first. Brandon Auto Repair just doesn't have a clue on how to read diagnostics. You will be wasting your money if you go here!!! read more

Quick, easy, no issues. I didn't have cash, so I was able to pay via Venmo which was convenient!

They can't diagnose your car. They send you to O'reillys Auto Parts to have you get a printout and explanation of what the codes mean. The mechanics-?, at Brandon's don't seem to know how to read the codes on their own diagnostic machine. Pitiful! read more

I had stopped by Brandon's Automotive Services in order to have my vehicle serviced. I am disabled and upon exiting my vehicle with my legally certified service dog; the manger\owner, informed me that my dog was not allowed in his customer service office. I informed this person of my dogs legal status and he once again stated he did not want my dog in his office; He stated, "I don't want your dog shedding in my office". Keep in mind this is an automotive repair shop, and the office is dirty. I am informed him that I was leaving and would be filing a complaint with the Federal D.O.J. for violations of my rights under, The Americans With Disabilities Act, which has been filed as of today. This is extremely poor customer service, and obviously illegal. Do you really wish to have your trust in a company whom has no respect for you as not only a customer, but violates your civil rights? read more

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! I've been going to Brandon's since 2011 and he has always been able to deliver the lowest prices coupled with the best and fastest service I could find! I honestly don't know how they do it, but I really don't care, I'll be taking my cars here! These guys are the best! read more

I needed to do a SMOG check for my car but who am I to pay $60 bucks when I can find a better deal. I found this place on Yelp and ended up walking out paying $20 bucks flat. My car is a 2011 Hyundai Sonata for anyone that has the same model as me :) read more

"S" to the "O" to the "M O G" yup that time of the year. Came through, went in went out. Dudes super fast. And bring the check in discount. $30 for the certificate. I'd give it a few hours to a day for it to post to the DMV read more

I came here because I saw a coupon online advertising an $11.75 smog check, so I called ahead before driving to this location and was assured that I'd only be charged $20 (I assumed that included the $8.25 processing fee most locations charge) I arrived and confirmed with the person I spoke with (I'm assuming he's the owner because he certainly acted like it!) that I'd been quoted a certain price. I will say that I didn't wait super long however that wasn't my issue. When the person I spoke with and attended me finally came back to their waiting room he didn't really greet me or thank me for waiting instead he jumped right to accusing me of "disconnecting my battery." I said, "excuse me?", rather surprised and he changed his tone to ask me if I'd "disconnected my battery or something." I had no idea what he was talking about however he let me know that my car didn't pass the smog test. When I asked why he said because the battery had been disconnected. I let him know that I'd done no such thing. I'd taken my vehicle to the mechanic 2 days before for a tune-up because my check engine light was on. I'd already identified the check engine issue at Auto Zone and took the print out to the mechanic. When I got my car back the check engine light was off and I just assumed the issue had been fixed. I said as much to the guy and he just kept looking at me suspiciously and told me I should have told him that before he started because now I was "in trouble". I asked him what he meant and he said that the mechanic must have disconnected my battery (still not confirmed that this was actually done, however I did read online that is a tactic sometimes used by mechanics to clear a check engine light. I'll have to talk to my mechanic but, seriously? The absolute certainty used in his accusatory tone was not needed especially because I took my car to a mechanic specifically to pass a smog test. If disconnecting the battery was going to cause an automatic failure I wouldn't have allowed that to be done!) and since my battery had been disconnected I failed the smog and needed to drive my car at least 100 miles before testing it again. I told him that wasn't me "being in trouble" and if I had to drive my car some more that wasn't an issue I'd driven about 50 miles since the tune up and I could just come back. He continued to harp on my battery having been disconnected and just had this attitude of treating me like a small child who'd been caught cheating on a test when all I did was take my car to the mechanic. He made some other snarky comment and I just decided I'd go drive the extra miles necessary and then go somewhere else for my re-test. He mentioned something about when I "came back" I said I wouldn't be returning and that's when he told me that I "didn't understand what he meant." So I repeated that I completely understood however all I'd done was take my car to the mechanic, if I needed to drive it further before returning for another test that wasn't a problem however to be told I'd done something that caused me to "be in trouble", was beyond ridiculous and I wouldn't be returning. He then charged me $15.75, instead of $11.75. At this point I was beyond annoyed and wasn't going to argue over $4 but the amount wasn't relevant. It was the principle. I could have just put that money towards paying a bit more at another facility who re-tests for free without the lecture, instead of wasting my time and gas driving all the way over here!!! read more

I love this place! Jason, manager there is really nice and cool guy, if I have any issues with my car I definitely go here. They'll match almost any prices, work good and hard. Definitely come here if you have any issues with your car. Smog prices probably the best in town. read more

Jason is the absolute best. I have been coming here for about 8years and have never been disappointed. Very reasonable in price. And their service is 2nd to none! read more

Wikipedia defines up-selling as "a sales technique whereby a salesman attempts to have the customer purchase more expensive items, upgrades, or other add-ons in an attempt to make a more profitable sale." The Vietnamese manager here is definitely a master of upselling, a skill he has honed over the past 2 years at his current location along Miramar. Found more often lingering around the cars in the shop rather than behind the golden happy Buddha figurine at the sales counter of Brandon Auto, he nonchalantly quoted our hero an oil change for "about $15" when asked. An abridged (and not exactly word-for-word, but close enough) version of the conversations that followed will be presented as a case study on upselling. "I'm also a bit low on brake fluid," stated our hero. "You want to top off your fluids?" "Yeah, is it included?" "No, that's about $20 total with your oil change." *Ka-ching!* "Sure..." "You want your brake fluid flushed? How long has it been? It will perform a lot better." "Ehhh... I think I'm okay." "Alright, come back in an hour." An hour later, undeterred by an initial refusal, our hero received a call from the manager... "Hey, your front brake pads are very low. I'd recommend changing them." "How long is that going to take? I've got somewhere to be..." Our hero was feeling a bit skeptical and had an appointment he had to catch. "About an hour." "Well can it wait until next week? I kind of have to be somewhere. How much are you charging?" "Your brakes are very worn, you might not even make it to next week. You get them fixed now with some nice new ceramic pads, it'll cost you $150. They get too worn and they'll cause damage to your rotors and maybe it will take over $300 to fix." It reminded our hero of a Russell Peters skit. Russel Peters said, "You go somewhere, you walk around the mall, you see something else, you don't buy, you come back, say 'hey I want the purse for $34.50'... I say 'no!' Now you don't get for $34.50. Now price gone up, maybe $40." Brandon Auto's manager said something to the extent of: "You go somewhere, you drive around the block, you come back, say 'hey I want brake job for $150'... I say 'no!'. Now you don't get for $150. Now your rotor's scratched, maybe $300." "I dunnoooooo, I have an appointment soon for about an hour." "You can take my car if you need one. I'll pay for the taxes on your repair." "Hmmm... alright." Five minutes later, our hero was cruising in style in the loaner Oldsmobile 88. *Ka-ching!* But a skilled salesman does not stop there when there is potential for more gain! An hour later, our hero received another call... "Hey I forgot to ask, do you want original factory brake pads installed or generic ones? It's just $10 more." *Ka-ching!* In conclusion, instead of walking in and expecting to pay $16 in about 30 minutes, our hero ended up paying $160 in 3 hours. However, it was a decent job, and they weren't exaggerating the extent of the wear on his brakes. ... as our hero was leaving after picking up his car, the manager asked, "Hey, have you had your major 90k service done yet?" PROS: - The manager was slick enough the open a sales training school; every aspiring saleperson can learn from him. - The actual repairs they strongly recommend were mostly in my best interests. The pads they removed from my car were worn to less than 1/8 inch... Closer to 1/16 of an inch actually. - Reasonable hourly rates for an independent garage, which range from ~$65 to their quoted rate of $75/hour, depending on how resistant you seem to their sales pitch and how good you play hardball. CONS: - They are a bit slow with their repairs. The brake calipers were still dangling empty by the quoted repair time when I arrived to pick up the car. - They try pretty hard to upsell maintenance. Another man at the garage was getting his rear brakes replaced at about 50% usage at the owner's suggestion when it could have been prolonged with a rear brake drum adjustment. read more

$15 oil change, that is a dying art. It used to be you could get a $9 oil change and be done with it. Now anywhere you go it's $25 to get the oil changed. Brandon keeps it real...sort of. It's really a 3.5 star rated place, but I'm rounding up because the guys are easy to deal with. Upsell...yes, every shop does it nowadays, and it's annoying; get used to it, and learn enough about your automobile to take control of the situation. If you don't want something tell the mechanic you don't want it, and let it be. Noone is going to force you to do anything. Noone will be able to lie to too many customers before they get exposed, so have some peace of mind that mechanics are sort of kept in check. Thanks to systems like yelp.com. The guys looked at the plugs, changed a main radiator hose, and did an oil change on a Hyundai, and it took a little while for me to realize he was planning to change the plugs to ones that were $15/each from the standard ngk's...something I absolutely did not want. There seemed to be a language barrier here, but I made it clear that I wanted to see the plugs he intended to replace, 5 minutes later, with me watching, he advised me to keep the originals for now. I don't think he was trying to be dishonest, he didn't exhibit any of the signs of a liar, just a simple miscommunication I think. I agreed to have him do the work ont he plugs if they were fouled, and he assumed based on me agreeing to somethign I didn't quite understand (language barrier), that I was ok with the plug replacement from a performance standpoint. I was preoccupied, and the language issue really isn't one, I just didn't listen very well. They said they could get me out in an hour, and they had me out in 70 minutes, so I couldn't complain too much. The work they performed was very reasonable, considering the amount of work being done. The manager/front desk guy was very personable, knowledgable, and funny. I plan on coming back at least for oil changes, and small stuff. For everything else I use Convoy Auto Repair, please check out my reviews on them, I highly recommend them. Brandon auto repair is reasonable, and if you don't let them do the mechanic bully on you, then you will be fine. That goes for any repair shop-they will ALL try to upsell you. Learn about your car, don't be afraid to say no, and stand with your gut feelings/convictions. Every shop now is being hit by the "recession/slow down", and consumers are not opting for the bs-repairs and maintenance work that was easy to upsell before. They have become more aggressive. Just rise to the occassion and be a good consumer-get what you want, nothing more nothing less, and go home satisfied. That isn't an indictment on any reviewer, just a tip for success in navigating this marketplace. This place is a solid establishment, not my favorite, but an honest shop, who works for a good price point. read more

Car could not pass smog due to white smoke (light amt) coming out of tailpipe. According to the shop, the only thing that could cause it is oil getting in to the engine due to piston rings going bad. Cost $1800. Dropped vehicle off on Saturday and told it would be ready Tuesday. Called Tuesday, told it would be ready next week due to one ring not arriving. Mind you, I had to call the shop to get this info. Not until I made them pay for extra days for my rental, did the shop bother to try and get the parts locally instead of the east coast. In any case, I was told car would be ready Friday. Called the shop Friday afternoon, was told it would be done at 4:30. Get there, nope- needs to idle another 3hrs....come back tomorrow. Saturday- pick up my car, get reimbursed for 3rental car days. Am instructed to drive it under 35mph for 60miles to allow pistons to settle in to the engine. Did this, brought it back next Saturday- passes smog. If you can put up with poor customer service, this is the place for you. read more

A solid company. We went in for a regular smog because we were selling our car. We waited about 15mins to have the guys come back in and sit with us in the waiting room to deliver the news. It was a little awkward - it was bad news and they delivered it as if our beloved pet had pass away (in hindsight it was a caring act that was just humorous for me and my wife). I digress, the guys told us that one of the parts on the catalytic converter didn't match the service # approved by CA, which meant one of the auto repair mechanics we had taken the car to once before didn't play by the rules. So, they couldn't run the smog test - it would be an automatic failure. These guys were so stand-up they didn't charge us, informed us of the wrong doing from the mechanic advised we go after them, and offered their local mechanic in the area (unfortunately it was Saturday and the shop was closed). I harp on this no-charge, because we went to another smog shop later (off Mira Mesa Road) and they charged us full price for failure, and they reached the same conclusion as Brandon's auto center. read more

Found this center on Yelp and decided to take a chance. Customer service was good and Jason was very friendly. I came for a smog check and he answered all of the questions that I had. Plan to come back here for future service. read more

They get the job done as soon as you pull up. Jason will take care of all your car issues. Fast quick efficient. Affordable pricing. Honest mechanic shop. Quality service. Thank you Jason! read more

I accidentally found this mechanic shop 3 years ago when I was looking for Smog Check location. Since then, I take all my cars to do smog check and also all the preventive maintenance there (oil change, brake pads, etc). I also recommend this shop to my friends because I was always well served there. Thanks for your good services Jason read more

Cheap smog test, efficient service and nice guys. I'm pleased :) Super friendly and definitely knowledgeable. I will definitely be sending anyone i know here for auto repairs or smog tests. Thanks Jason! read more

Went for Smog check for my VW Passat TDI Was in and out within 45 mins. Can't beat the prices. Fast and Friendly service. read more

After reading a few reviews about this smog shop, i figured i should go since they said that it'll cost 27, well i was wrong. The guy in the counter was rude and said that my 1999 auto acura integra will cost $47 dollars and the $27 only applies for certain vehicles ?!?? Not only that, he said it'll take 45 minutes and i waited 2 hours and there was just one person in front of me and he seemed pretty pissed off as well... i dont blame him. I definitely do not recommend this place, you've been warned. read more

SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!!! THIEVES AND LIARS WORK HERE!!!! I went in for an AC check and was told that several parts were needed and was quoted almost $500 for parts and labor excluding the recharge fee. I decided to take it to a friend who works for an auto center and he told me it was only 1 part that needed to be replaced. It cost me $200 with new OE part, labor, and recharge included. TRUST ME LOOK ELSEWHERE FOR YOUR MECHANIC NEEDS. read more

Great and quick service. Friendly owner and willing to address all your concerns for a very good deal. I called in to see how busy they are before going but still went during a busy time and got out in less than the 30mins for a smog check. I highly suggest bringing in your car here to get an estimate before going any where else for your service. read more

I get all 3 of my cars SMOG here for years, it's the best price that I've been able to find in Mira Mesa. I've never gotten my cars service here so I can't speak to that. read more

Took my 2007 CR-V for a smog check after the place next door was closed for lunch. Quoted me $34 and that's exactly what I paid including certification. Started the test within 10 minutes and I got back to work within my hour lunch break. The staff didn't try any up selling on me (maybe others really needed it) and only asked me where I get my normal service done and to bring it to him next time. read more

I went to Brandon for a smog test without an appointment and was very satisfied with quick and excellent service. Would definitely come back for any car repairs. read more

I went for a Smog Check for my old car and it passed! Brandon was nice and tried to work on my car right away. Waited about an hour. They sent the information to the DMV electronically so it made it easy for me just had to pay online to renew my registration. I go here because the price is right! read more

I randomly ended up taking my car to this shop when I needed something done asap and a neighboring shop was closed. Best accident that could have happened, this place is great! The price was very reasonable and they did a great job! They even stayed open late so that I could pick my car up same day. Thank you Jason and team!! read more

Called on Thursday to ask about getting my truck smogged. I was quoted $40 over the phone and told to come at either 11am or 12:45pm the next day. I showed up at about 12:35 and true to their word, they were ready to start on my truck right at 12:45. It took about 25 minutes to complete the smog, got my print out with my PASS in bold at the top, and paid the $40 that I was quoted. Smooth, easy, and enough time left over to grab some lunch before heading back to the office. read more

I received my vehicle registration notice in the mail, with a smog check required- fun. I called at 8am on sat but got the answering machine. I hung up, planning to call again in a few minutes. To my pleasant surprise, I got a call back from Jason. They must have caller ID! He told me it was first come, first serve. I wanted to go to my workout class at 9am, so I asked if I should come now or after. I told him I could be there in 15 min. He said come now and he'll have me out of there by 8:50am. I got there at 8:27am and handed over my keys and paperwork. They pulled my car in at 8:39am and finished at 8:49am. Jason gave me a discounted price of $20 for the whole thing and I was out of there by 8:58am. I was a few minutes late to my gym class but I didn't mind- I got my smog check done, only paid $20, and experienced great customer service. Thanks Jason! read more

They fixed my tire immediately and were so nice. Should I need anything like this again I'll always come back here.

I've been here many time for my family's cars smog check. Brandon is nice and accommodating since I didn't have appointment. His smog check prices are very reasonable. I walked in and out within half an hour (without appointment!!). He also fixes cars so it's very convenient. Check out his shop!! read more

Another great experience @ Brandon Auto Smog Repair! They get you in and out quickly at fair prices. Highly recommend for repairs and smog checks! read more