BUYER BEWARE Unfortunately I had to come and replace my once GLOWING TESTIMONIAL with a now, regrettably revised version, now that I have all the facts. Fact of the matter is that after having spent $4596.39 at this place that OVERLOOKED MAJOR COMPONENTS during my vehicle service as verified by Encinitas Ford I was obligated to update my review accordingly. The facts are as follows; 1) I am on disability and only get $1200/monthly and these people totally extorted me by not servicing my vehicle correctly 2) I trusted them to take care of my vehicle and they didn't (BUYER BEWARE/Careful who you trust) 3) I had to incur EXTRA COSTS as a low income person to inspect their work that substantiated this place overlooked key components related to the service requested (TRANSMISSION SERVICE) 4) After spending FIVE MONTHS OF MY INCOME my truck is STILL NOT UP TO PAR. I will be paying off this debt for the next year and a half of my life all while my truck is not even repaired correctly. read more

See all

This shop gets an unqualified spectacular review. The owner and chief mechanic Josh is skilled and improves everything he touches! He has worked on my vehicles for more than 8 years and keeps them running well. Prices and turn around are good. Juan up front is knowledgeable and courteous. They always have plenty of work so I was sort of selfishly hesitant to write this review because I don't want them to get inundated with work :) Talking with Josh about your car is always educational, plus he is super fun and friendly to talk with. He definitely has killer skills and for someone as phenomenally talented as he is, he is disarmingly humble! read more

Months after repair my ac is still blowing cold!! Very satisfied thx again for taking the time to diagnose and repair my ac :)

We bought an old Dodge Sprinter Van and had Juan and the guys do some work on the exhaust and check out the Van before we were to dive it cross-country home. We were far away in Michigan coordinating the work. It felt like we could have been easily talked into unnecessary work and a much bigger bill. The work got done in the timetable we needed. They even let us leave it parked there in the lot until we caught a flight out! Minor miscommunications happened but it was our issue, and these guys are super busy.. so in retrospect, we are thankful for how helpful they were to clarify some details on how to pick up the van on a Sunday when they were closed. Thanks for your great work, your financial honesty and tolerance for all of our special needs that came with this service! read more

Certified Service Center - VanLife Roadtrip with our new exhaust pipe on our OLD 2006 Dodge Sprinter! - Auto Repair Near Me - Escondido, California

You've come to the right place if you're searching for a great Diesel mechanic in Escondido. After a lot of hassles and delay at another shop, I took my diesel truck in here. Juan was there for me at every turn. In order to get my truck back on the road, the CSC team went above and beyond because they understood my needs. I can't say enough positive things about these guys and their abilities. read more

These guys are great. This is the only place I'll bring my truck for service or repairs. Knowledgeable, friendly, and fair. read more

Certified Service Center - Auto Repair Near Me - Escondido, California

See all

Take your car or truck to Certified Service Center! They just did a wonderful job replacing my catalytic converter on my 2011 Chevy! Service was excellent! Thank you! read more

Excellent and efficient service from a fantastic team! A great experience, and left with a perfectly running vehicle.

I just want to say being an older woman and searching for a new mechanic... I was pleasantly surprised by this shop ... THEY WERE AWESOME!!! ... they walked me through everything and my car was cheaper then quoted ( yay) and the customer service was amazing!!! ... my car runs like a brand new car !! thank you so much ... I will tell everyone I know and you have a customer for life!!! read more

If you have a diesel truck, these are the guys you want to take it to I've owned three 7.3 ford diesel's over the years from 1990 to my current 2003 model and have never experienced such good communication and service from a mechanic go with these guys you won't be disappointed. Gary T read more

My new to me f250 started losing power and mpg went down. Brought it to CSC for an oil change and they noticed I had the wrong coolant and my water pump was leaking. Turns out, the previous owner took some shortcuts on maintenance that could have become very costly if they went much longer. My truck now gets higher MPG and has more power. Josh and the team installed a CP4 disaster-prevention kit and a WIF filter replacement. Now I can run CAT or Baldwin filters while reducing the chance of fires. My hope is to keep my 6.7 going for the long haul and CSC is part of the plan. read more

Very satisfied with the service at CSC! My car badly needed new brakes and rotors (and I mean BADLY). The first shop I visited was a place in San Marcos that quoted me over $1,300 to replace all 4 brake pads and the 2 front rotors only. They also tried to upsell a list of things which would've made it even worse. Needless to say I wanted to get a 2nd opinion. Luckily a relative of mine recommended that I call CSC and ask for Josh. An hour after dropping off my car I got a call from Juan with the estimate; all 4 brake pads AND all 4 rotors replaced for $1043 out the door. Hell yeah! Not only did it cost less, but I got more bang for my buck. They got the job done quickly and had my car ready within 3 hrs. They even washed my car for free when they didn't have to, which really impressed me. Now that it's been fixed, the difference is like night and day. Very smooth. I'm definitely making this my go-to place for auto repair. read more

The best shop in San Diego. Josh and his team have my absolute trust in the services they recommend. They replaced my entire fuel system on my ram. It wasn't cheap but damn was it good. If you have random questions Josh will help you make a correct and informed decision about your car or truck service. read more

I took my 2002 ford f350 7.3 around 3 month ago to csc for a new pcm , the guy in the from desk told me he will order a new one for me and installed, to make the story short after $1400 computer is bad and and right now trying to get the warranty from them to get me a new computer and finally see my truck running, after I recive the right help from them I will change my Review and the stars read more

Edit: The manager made right for curbing the wheel and compensated me for the damage. Thank you for your time My reviews started off amazing, Juan was fantastic with communication, and I enjoyed their service until I realized them messing up, mainly the false finish dates, wasn't a once or twice thing.... One of their employees curbed my rim and didn't tell manager or anyone about it until I called them out on it, they used a napa oil cap (known for messing up 6.0s), kept my truck for WEEKS passed due (not just once, on multiple occasions), found one of their tools hanging out of the bottom of my engine bay, truck came back with a loose wheel(lug nuts not even hand right), how does someone do an alignment when the wheel isn't even attached to the hub? do I need to say more? if you wanna get over booked, go ahead and go here read more

Certified Service Center - Auto Repair Near Me - Escondido, California

Really glad to have such knowledgeable technicians near me. They've done great work on my Ford and were willing to work through the quirks of its size and special accommodations. They make quick work of major repairs, are communicative, and flexible with online payments. read more

I recently brought my car to Certified Service Center for a problem with the front end. The team quickly diagnosed the issue and replaced the driver side bearing, spindle and axle assembly. I had my car back in 24 hours and it drives better than ever. I highly recommend their services. read more

We've read so many great reviews for CSC that we just had to take our truck here. Brought our truck in last year. We literally brought our truck in hoping for it to be fixed the first time being there and it didn't. Our truck was in and out of their shop for a good 6 months. We would take the truck home once it was "fixed", would make a stop before getting home and it wouldn't start back up. CSC couldn't diagnose the exact problem and pretty much played the guessing game on our truck. My husband and I dealt with the front desk 'Juan' majority of the time. He was nice the first time around until they couldn't fix our trucks problem. CSC broke the Orpheus filter in our AC system, told us they would fix it once they received the part, and never did. We bought the parts to fix the heater core hoses, CSC never fixed it that either. They told us they would call us back to fix the Opheus and the heater core- Never received a call. When we called they didn't have time or Juan never replied. We've spent about 10K at CSC and they never fixed our truck. Don't waste your time and money at this company. They just rob you and leave you with a broken truck read more

I brought my 2007 Toyota RAV4 here after my partner had some work done on his Mazda 3. I know this shop typically works on trucks, but they can obviously handle other makes and models as well. The owner, Josh, seems to really know his stuff and is highly regarded by everyone I know who has taken their car to him. Anyways, my RAV4 got a few oil leaks repaired, a new water pump, and a tune up. Nothing too fancy but my car really needed it, and I could tell what a difference it made after getting it back from the shop. I would also like to shout out Juan for being the main point of contact, and for being so communicative with me about the status of my car and the estimate. I also feel like they charged less here than they would have elsewhere, which was really nice because mechanics are so expensive (but necessary). Thanks! read more

Bought a 1997 F150 Lariet a couple years back and CSC was the first place I brought it. As mentioned by the other reviewers - Juan is awesome. Both in customer service and communications. That being said the actual work is the issue. The amount of re-work and botched work is why I am giving this review today. Originally had the distributor looked at the the work involved there was pretty significant, however after the "complete overhaul" it continued to misfire. Why the plugs and wires were not replaced. Originally I was going to be charged for this "fix" however had to work with Juan to show that this actually was part of the original repair and was not charged. The final straw was today. In addition to the work around the distributor, I had the power window switch, power seat switch and shocks replaced. The window continued to have glitches. Because this is a work truck I just overlooked it as I could not be fussed to bring it back once again. So why this review today? Today I brought my Truck to another shop for brake work in Escondido as was asked if "I forgot to put the left front shock mounting bolt in. Because it was missing or fell off". Whether it was not put on right or not put on at all, this is a huge safety issue, and these shocks were not touch since CSC did the "repair". Because of all of these events leading to finding this information out, -- enough is enough and giving this review, as this become and issue of safety not just a miss around attention to detail. read more

Certified Service Center - Auto Repair Near Me - Escondido, California

See all

This place came recommended by word of mouth-- should already be a good sign. Came here and was really pleased with the pricing and the casual approach. I hate feeling like I'm getting pushed towards service. Mike the front desk guy is really nice and let's you know of things your car needs, but doesn't push. The work has always been up to par. One thing I do wish they did was open on a Saturday for more convenient scheduling, but it's not that big a deal since they open early and I get in late. read more

More than just a place for routine maintenance on my daily drivers (which they have done for years), CSC is the place I trust with my very rare 1974 deTomaso Pantera GTS. In addition to tracking down electrical Gremlins, they have spent time on the phone with the engineers that designed the fuel injection system I wanted installed to figure out why it wasn't working properly, as well as working on the 70's era road racing brake system that parts are not produced for anymore. When I got called out of town and the car was in the shop this last time, Josh personally (and very carefully) drove the Pantera home and put it in the garage so it would be waiting for me when I returned, even though I live out of town. (My wife doesn't drive stick) I took the Pantera out last night for a quick drive and it is running the best it has EVER run in the 15 years I have owned it. Josh and his crew are an amazing resource and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone. read more

Certified Service Center - 1974 deTomaso Pantera GTS now running the best it has every run in 15 years of ownership. Thanks Josh! - Auto Repair Near Me - Escondido, California

I went to certified service center to get my 2019 forester improved , it was stock and looked lame , Garrett and josh gave me some great advice on tires and wheels and lifts and I was able to get exactly what I want ! They have rims in house and could give me an idea what to look for ! The prices were also very good ! I will take my vehicle here form now on ! read more

See all

I stopped by on a Saturday afternoon shortly before closing time. I had never been to this shop before and was desperate for a specialty tool to push a power steering pump together for a project car for King of the Hammers Everyman race in February 2022. Josh, the owner, kindly stopped what he was doing, fixed my problem and then refused to allow me to pay him for the job. His kindness and expertise allowed us to continue working on our jeep as time was of the essence. never even had to explain this to Josh. Quite simply, he saw that he could help and never hesitated. We look forward to going to this shop again! read more

Josh and his team are phenomenal! I brought them my car, got an estimate quickly and was notified that my car was ready a day later. This was extremely fast seeing as they had to order parts. I HIGHLY recommend this shop to anyone and everyone who is in need of having their car serviced. Fast, honest and reliable. read more

I would like to Thank Juan for his great customer service & professional help when I brought my Jeep in for warranty work that needed to be done in order for my Jeep to pass smog . Juan went above & beyond to make sure I was satisfied with the results of the job . Unfortunately today I noticed the catalytic converter is not welded along the top & the Distributor hold down bracket wasn't tightened down after the timing was set . Maybe a misstep by the mechanics , but I live a hour away & will have to find a shop that can weld the catalytic converter on top . The Distributor bolt I was able to tighten . I hope the other work holds up as time goes by . I would recommend this shop , but would check the work before I drove off . read more

Certified Service Center - Catalytic converter not welded across the top , potential exhaust leak in the future. - Auto Repair Near Me - Escondido, California

See all

I've been taking my cars to Josh Smith and the guys for ages. Not only is he an amazing friend, but he is an honest businessman, and a ridiculously talented mechanic. Any make or model, they can make it work. read more

Friendly customer service, and great communication. They ran a diagnostic for my low oil pressure indicator light and ended up waving the fee (rod knock issue). I would definitely come back again. read more

I take my Bronco back here because they do quality work and are very trustworthy. I was super happy with everything they have previously done for me. I highly recommend them. When I drop my truck off I know I am in good hands because they make sure they get the job done right! read more

I am VERY happy to give the folks at Certified Service Center a glowing review! If I could give them 10 stars I'd do it in a heartbeat! We found them on Google 1st and then decided to go with them based on the reviews on Yelp. Every positive thing you read about these guys is absolutely true! Here are the highlights: 1. They are honest mechanics And business people - in my book, the most important quality in any human - let alone business people! 2. They are great diagnosticians 3. I asked them to check the air on one of the tires - they went above and beyond and investigated "why" we had low air. Turns out our tire sensors were cracked. THREE other mechanics and tire guys filled the tires, but none of them went beyond that. It was a cheap fix and keeps us safe on the road. 4. Lightening fast repair! They diagnosed the actual issue on a part that was failing and repaired it on the same day (turns out is was failing for a while AND was missed by another center that diagnosed the check engine light). 5. Before taking your vehicle to ANY other place, check them out. 5. The icing on the cake is that Mike and Juan (the people we dealt with) are Super nice people! These guys are our "forever" diesel mechanics. Very Happy & Satisfied Customer P.S. I know a glowing recommendation/review like this might seem to good to be true....it's not! Check out my other reviews and you'll see that I don't give glowing reviews to everyone - Only if they deserve it. :-) read more

I had an great experience here, I went in on the day after thanksgiving for a check engine issue, they diagnosed my problem and we made an appointment to get it taken care of. Juan called me and had consistent follow up with me through the process. They have fair prices to where you don't feel like your getting ripped off. I will take my business there for future needs. read more

If you want your car taken care of by honest and extremely knowledgeable car guys, then this is your spot. I've never met nicer or more hard working and determined car mechanics in my 10 years of driving. They fixed my 328i BMW and my Toyota Sequoia back to perfect condition, and in time for my road trip (I brought it in as last minute as I possibly could ), so thank you! read more

Certified Service Center - The really great people who work here make waiting worth it - Auto Repair Near Me - Escondido, California

Mike and the gang lived up to the reviews, if only I had gone here first! Excellent service and prices. Now I know the power of Yelp, I went to 2 other Garages that could not fix my Carburetor, they said they could, they tried, they wasted my time and money, both times I had to pay almost $400 and they didn't fix anything! I felt like punching one of them in the face really really hard because he was also Super rude (I think this is a defensive response to knowing that they ripped me off!) So finally I found Certified Service Center, they completely remanufactured my carburetor for $300. It came back looking brand new and they even put it on their test engines to make sure all the settings were right for my vehicle. Why don't other garages outsource to this place and charge a little extra ontop rather than piss about with stuff they don't know and leave customers with a shitty experience because they didn't actually fix the problem? But if you are lucky enough to read these Yelp reviews, just go straight here, I'm not sure if they specialize in older vehicles, because they might be just as good with modern cars but they definitely know how to get it done right. read more

Wow! Josh is an incredible mechanic. Diagnosed our RV and did a FANTASTIC job! Very reasonable ! If we ever have any problems in the future we will be calling you! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! read more

Avoid at all costs. Had my truck for 5 months, charged me almost 2k on parts, gave up on it and sent it to Ford and it sat there for a month because they wouldn't pick it up. Returned it 3 times broken, ended up being a $200 part that I fixed on my own in my driveway in an hour. Called me 3 maybe 4 times, I had to do all the phone calls. This is the short version. read more

I just picked up my car and there's a huge scratch on my door and they left a coffee cup in my car. =[ I'll update this when I'm not so annoyed with everything right now. read more

I love these guys. I came here because of a coupon i found and it was very close to my office. I started off just getting oil changes and tire rotations -thank goodness I drive such a reliable (old) car. Once something came up i knew i had to get her over to them. They always take such good care of me. I feel like when i walk in they treat me life a daughter or sister- not an ignorant woman to be taken advantage of. I've come back from getting an oil change with a clean car, they drive me back to my office- iIm just across the street- and they do a great job with my car. Never any problems and never pushy unnecessary fixes. they are the best! read more

If I could give this shop 6 stars I would ! I drive 102 miles to have my truck worked on. This shop is the real deal. They are more than knowledgeable when it comes to the 6.0l diesel. The owner Josh and Juan the service writer manager are courteous, professional and listen to all your concerns. There are a lot extortionist out there but not here. The value and service you get are worth the $. Hands down . Thank you CSC ! read more

Wow! Certified Service Center is one of the best automotive repair facilities in San Diego County. The owner Josh is so caring and attentive. He never tries to up sale which a lot of repair shops like to do. Juan the service advisor is amazing. I purchased my 2005 F350 DRW a few years back and bought a third party extended warranty from the dealer. Each time I brought my truck to other repair facilities I was constantly have to pay out-of-pocket for majority of the work. In short, those repair shops weren't very persistent in getting the warranty claim covered. However, every time I've brought my truck to CSC Juan has worked with my warranty company, often having to call several times throughout the day, and made it to where I'm not having to pay out-of-pocket as much. As far as mechanical work goes the staff is excellent. I always feel confident bringing my truck to CSC knowing the problem will be fixed correctly the first time. read more

The good book says that on the 7th day the Lord rested, that's cause His truck was at Josh and his teams shop, so he didn't have to worry about a thing. I had bought my first diesel from a family friend and brought in to CSC all my records to talk through and see all what we needed. They took the time and walked me through the different issues that my year truck encounters and helped figure out some service needs. Friendly is an understatement. Going into CSC you feel like they work on your truck not cause it's their job, but because they love it. Really thankful for their communication and how informative they are. I was on a time crunch before going out of town and they accommodated my schedule. It's hard to find good mechanics, ones you trust and one that's you feel aren't shaking you down. CSC is on a whole new level of quality when it comes to shops. I trust them any day of the week with my truck and if you're anywhere in San Diego with a diesel truck, you should too. High quality, efficient, helpful and genuinely friendly, that's Certified Service Center Inc. read more