Dana point auto service is the BEST!! Affordable Prices & amazing customer service. Highly highly recommend. read more

I have a classic Porsche that I have had for 44 years. I recently had to have the smog emissions test performed. My car was running rough and had a feeling it would not pass. I brought it to Eric to be tested and it failed. He asked me if I could leave the car with him for some time in order to get it performing as it should be and to pass emissions. I agreed, and it was the best decision I have made for my car. Eric is trustworthy, professional, meticulous, reasonable and extremely knowledgeable. It passed emissions testing and has never run better!! read more

Don't ever take your car to this shop they are dishonest and like to scam older women. My 80 year old mother took her car there for a break job to support a local business and they completely ripped her off. $750 for cheap front brake pads and to turn the rotors. This was a $300 to $350 job max. People like this do not deserve to be in business. read more

Thank you Eric and your team for being so helpful and caring! Thank you for making my situation a good experience and not letting me feel like I was just another customer or mechanic job. read more

The workers there are great. Deagan.. I think was his name, was so nice. Susan is always on point and the asst manager Anthony was great. All so polite and communicative. I appreciate you guys! read more

Dana Point Auto truly has honest mechanics. We have had other local businesses falsely tell me we urgently needed brakes etc - well we didn't. DP Auto is honest, reliable and very reasonably priced. We highly recommend them and have never been disappointed with any service we've had over the years. read more

Superb service. Would have given 6 stars if it was an option. My sons car died on the freeway and AAA brought it here. They found the problem and fixed it fast and didn't charge me. Very friendly and professional too. read more

The shop where I have been taking my vehicle for years was sold last year. The new team made mistakes. I decided to take our vehicles to Dana Point Auto Service, after reading for years about their excellent reputation and service in the Dana Point Times. I regret not going there sooner. Eric fully inspected both vehicles. One did not need any work. When was the last time you took your vehicle to the shop and they did not find something wrong to fix? I was not so lucky with the other vehicle. It had been ignored for years -- the transmission fluid was muck, among other issues. Eric fixed everything at a reasonable price and does it ever drive great now. I am thrilled. I feel safer driving the vehicle. read more

Eric was helpful and very honest. We had our car towed here and evaluated and had a great interaction, thank you again.

All good guys. they are straight up no schwarminess at all just old school good work at good prices..

Came here because my engine light came on. I've heard bad things about this place but it was close by so it was my only option. They charged me $250 just to plug the device in and diagnose the car. After I picked the car up it seemed to be running fine until I drove it for not even 10 mins and it was worse than ever! He told me I might need a new engine and everything like that but $250 just to tell me that for the "labor" is crazy. They didn't even do an oil change they only put $19 worth of oil it and and turned off the engine light. I called to see if I could get my money back or something but he was not willing to listen. He said "that's just what the labor costs" which i'm not even sure what they really did. I could've gotten a reader off amazon to tell me what was wrong. I'm thinking of going to the BBB because that $250 was a big loss for me just for my car to be worse than ever. I took my car to the KIA dealership and they told me it's crazy how much this place charged me for basically nothing. KIA actually opened the engine and told me what's wrong. I asked if it was a spark plug in person and he said no, but actually the spark plugs were really bad.........so I wouldn't trust this place and they don't want to help the customer. read more

Just had a smog check done and couldn't be happier. Eric helped me out and he was such a cool guy! Process was quick and easy. Pricing is reasonable as well. I always worry about auto shops trying to upsell me because I don't know much about cars but Eric made me feel comfortable and more knowledgeable when I left! Very happy with my experience here! Thanks DP auto service! read more

Have known these guys for years and they're fantastic to work with. Very knowledgeable and meticulous

Wow! at one time this was an awesome family owned garage. I really liked it, took my corvette and my old school truck there for smog and a few repairs. Those days are gone from this shop and it's sad to see. I took my old truck in to get smog test at 5:00 am in the morning. He told me put a sign in the window and place the keys in the drop box, i did. My buddy drove by at 4:00 pm with the sign in the window, I got there at 4:45 pm and he told me it failed and he said my timing pointer was missing and put on paper failed also because of that. I was shocked nobody ever told me that and i purchased the truck new. Later i found that the truck does not come with a pointer, just has a mark for the 1984 Mazda b2000. I was so mad, took everything in me not to go tell this guy off. He put false information about my pointer and told me i also failed badly on the nox gases. I realized he took it from the parking lot to his machine cold as crap and just tested it. i told him okay this is a smog/repair and retest shop and that's why i came there. He told he would look for the pointer and et right back to me. He told me it probably needed a catalytic converter. I waited 4 days had not heard from him. I called and he told me he would look for it and he would call me when he found it. I said okay, by the sound of his voice he was kinds annoyed that i called and he did not want to deal with my truck. I was nice to tis man the whole time. I will never forget when i picked my truck up and it was cold and he still did the smog, because he was strapped for time. He charged me over $80 for the smog and vanished. I never saw anyone in the shop but him, yet he told me his guys called in sick the days i was there. This guy is in over his head with that shop and needs help. It's sad because at one time it was a great!!!! garage. I have moved on and found South Coast Muffler in San Juan to do my Kat and another garage in San Clemente is servicing it so i can go to another smog garage. I will never go there again. The guy just flat out is a liar and is dishonest, when you give your word you should mean it!!!! read more

I highly recommend Dana Point Auto Service. I am not from Dana Point, but live here during the winters, and I've always had amazing service here. I chose Dana Point Auto because they are a AAA recommended location, and I'm glad I did! They are courteous, prompt, honest and never make me feel like I'm being a bother to them. I recently came in to have my tires looked at since my tire pressure light came on, and the guy in charge (super nice, I'm embarrassed that I don't know his name!) told me to come in that afternoon--I waited about 10 minutes while he looked at it--didn't charge me, and sent me on my way. If you are looking for outstanding customer care, honest service and just a really good local business to support, you can't go wrong here! read more

Stop looking now! THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOUR VEHICLE! I highly recommend Dana Point Automotive. I found this location because I broke down right in front of their shop. They were working after hours and still took the time to help me. They were professional, knowledgeable, and I felt like they were very honest and trustworthy. They completely stand behind all their work and the quality of their work is premium. I really cannot recommend them enough. I have had a family mechanic for years, but this will now be my go to place! I will recommend to all my friends and family from now on and a HUGE thank you to the amazing team at Dana Point Automotive!! read more

This mechanic is the BEST mechanic I have ever been to. (In California, Oregon, OR Washington). Brian helped me the whole time. I wasn't 100% sure what was going on with car, he checked it out for 2 hours and figured out what was wrong with it. He then dropped the 'diagnostic fee'. He asked to have the car for 2 hours and it'd all be fixed! He then personally called me AND texted me saying it was ready. Then when I came in, he showed me photos and explained it in detail what was wrong and what he did to fix it. GREAT FIND!!! read more

This place is a RIP OFF. Buyer beware. Took our honda in for fuel smell. They charged $116 just to look at it and then came back at $800 for replace fuel pump assembly what a fucking joke(fuel pump access under seat) 30 minute job tops fuel pump cost $240, so where is the extra $560 not labor. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE UNLESS YOU LIKE BEING RIPPED OFF read more

These guys just tried to charge me $77.75 for a smog check. I wasn't born yesterday. I got my keys and left. They also said it would be 20 minutes. I just took my car down the street to another place and they did for $30 and took 5 minutes tops! read more

These guys are quick, reliable and friendly. Ray is about as honest as it gets when it comes to servicing your car and from what I can tell the who place is well managed. Pricing is about average--there are cheaper places in San Juan Capistrano, Mission Viejo, etc, but you can't be the location and service. read more

Great place. They go the extra mile. I had flunked smog at another shop only because the guy said he could not find the timing mark. He wanted to do a 500 repair. Steve at this place found the mark and set my timing for free. Then I took and passed the test. read more

Dropped in here this morning to get a smog check was in and out so fast. Everyone was really nice and Nicolas was super helpful. I will definitely be coming back when I need auto service. Thanks you guys! read more

DO NOT EVER TAKE A VEHICLE TO THIS GARAGE OR YOU WILL HAVE TO TAKE IT TO A NEW GARAGE TO REDO THE WORK WITHIN A FEW DAYS OF THE ORIGINAL REPAIR. I gave them the benefit of the doubt when I had to have them redo the first repair they did, but when the "REDO" had to be redone at a new garage I was pissed. I let that go as well. But when I limped my vehicle into Dana Point Auto Service once again because they are close to where I live, they suckered me for over ANOTHER $100 for a "fix" that left me stranded two days later. Did I mention when I took my vehicle back and complained, I was told by that same mechanic to go fuck myself? When I asked to speak to the owner, I was told (and I quote) "he is not as nice as me but good luck" said BRIAN KRANZKE the hot headed, (should NOT have a license to work) mechanic. Clearly, I hit a nerve with calling him out on his work and it sounded to me like this was NOT the first time someone has complained about his skills which are not worth one shiny nickel. Oh yeah and when i called to talk to the owner, I was told by the Manager that the owner was "semi-retired" which translates to the owner will never find out that I wanted to talk with him personally. If I could give this rip-off garage a ZERO star review I would! read more

Been a customer for 20 years. Dick and team are dependable, reliable, honest and great to work with. From smog certificates and simple oil changes, to restoring an engine and keeping our 78 VW Bus running, they're there for ya. read more

These guys suck.I could go on and on about how they charged me 175$ to not fix my 2003 f 150 but they left dirty finger prints all over the doors and hood when i declined there service the guy even called me 2 times to try and up sell me an 15$ air filter for 25$ thinking that was going to fix the problem. read more

This place is a total rip off, they were trying to charge us $180 to do a simple diagnostic test on a 2002 Dodge Ram. Very disappointed with the level of customer service we received. read more

I was treated very rudely. I needed a smog done and waited for quite some time. During getting my information the gentleman got frustrated and didn't want to help me anymore due to some computer issues and I had to walk out and go to another facility after waiting 20min. read more

Needed my Ford "Exploder" smogged and there were issues with rough idle and such. Steve took wonderful care of me. He knew what he was talking about and didn't talk down to me. It took a couple of days but after a fuel injector, pcv hose and oxygen sensor my little Exploder runs great. Steve helped me with the CAP program where the State helps out low income people with emission repairs. I had a great experience and I'll be back. Thanks Steve. read more

Verbally abusive is right. My husband took his truck here for a smog check and it failed. The tech offered a recheck for $40. He went in to have it rechecked on a Saturday and was informed that THERE IS NO SMOG TECH AVAILABLE ON THE WEEKEND. After asking to speak with a manager, since this information was NOT identified on the hours of operation, the manager verbally cussed my husband out with a raging rant. Completely uncalled for. This man needs to learn something about customer service. You have certainly lost our business. read more

WARNING: Have caution when dealing with this company. Recently, I took my nine-year old Cadillac to replace a turn signal bulb. I had expected a $30-$50 bill because it needed to be put on the lift but the total bill came to $109. Really? For a turn signal bulb? I was helped by Richard, an older man with a big smile and friendly attitude. So I decided to trust him and didn't ask for an estimate. BIG mistake. Richard was quite talkative and told me about his history in Dana Point. He even mentioned his heart transplant. Made me feel real comfortable. The lesson is an old one: trust but verify. Richard, I won't be be back. read more

This place rules... Dick is hands down the most honest and trustworthy man in Dana Point.. Took in our 92 Bronco for power steering problems... expected the worst got us in and out in a couple of hours for a steal!!! Thank you so much!! We will be back with all of our auto issues!! read more

This place sucks. You can give them your business by buying their overpriced gas & beverages but they can't seem to ever have their bathroom not "out of order". You know the sign is B.S., if you don't want people to use your bathroom than take the restroom sign off the door and tell people you have no restroom. It's because Shell the franchise owner requires their franchisees to offer a restroom and this is their way of getting around that franchise requirement. I'm going to report them to headquarters. Not only that, the inside store is very dirty. The heavy set gal working behind the register is not very friendly. Go a block down to Chevron where they offer clean, working restrooms to their customers that keep them in business. read more

To say I have been through hell dealing with the right mechanic would be a complete understatement. This referral was my LIFESAVER! Brian, Steve, and all the staff at Dana Point Auto Services were more than friendly and sensitive to my situation- offered me space to consider my options and had my best interest at heart. All one could ever ask for in a mechanic! Thank you again for you honesty, service, and overall experience! Will be back and sending referrals :) read more

I don't think that anyone should use these guys , brought my car in , they say they will call never do , three things I wanted looked at nothing done , so I pick my car up three days later and the car is worse plus I had to pay $119 ! just to make my car make an awful noise !! Crazy the response , it's an old car we will do the work at a discounted rate ... Really they mess up the car and will fix the problem caused by them at a discounted rate ??? read more

These guys ROCK! I failed a smog test. I contacted Nick at DPAS, took the car in, and within 24 hours, Nick called to tell me it was fixed, smog passed! I can say enough about the quality and integrity of these folks - they are THE BEST ! read more

One of the worst Auto Shops I have ever been to. They are fast because they don't care about what they are doing, they'll but the cheapest part they can get and charge your the price of a high quality part. I went in to get a Smog the other day and some how they did it wrong they didn't even check if it had to be California or federal certification and when I asked why it fail they said they couldn't figure it out, Once I figured out they had messed up and it should have passed, I approached him and he tried to tell me I was wrong but then realized he was at fault, he then tells me to bring it in IN 3 DAYS! It's a simple 45 Min smog why should I wait 3 days. When I came in that Monday they tested and told me the rates had changed so that they are the same as the California standard. THANKS FOR WAISTING MY TIME YOU SCUM BAG read more

These guys have a great story...they have been here since 1969. They treat you very nice at first...then that's when they will stab you in the back!! Brought my truck in for a blown head gasket. Paid $2200 bucks and got about 80 miles before getting stranded and having to get towed back. They had my truck for another 5 days before they said it was my distributor that went bad (I've never heard of a mechanic worth their salt taking this long to find a bad distributor!!). They installed a new one WITHOUT my authorization. They said they would give it to me at their cost of $597. I looked online and found them starting at about $130. Called the local dealer (the most expensive place to shop for parts) and they wanted $381. This was lie #1. The manager, Steve said that this was the best the owner could do for me (lie #2). He then told me that he had a long conversation with owner again pleading my case for me (lie #3) I found another mechanic who said he could do the job for $380 out the door...I told them I would bring my truck to another shop for the repair but this time I was holding a complaint form from the Bureau of Automotive Repair in my hand...and without asking the owner the price dropped instantly by $150. (Lie #4) Bottom line these guys lie and practice unfair pricing games. I have filed a report with Bureau of Automotive Repair, and the Better Business Bureau. I would rather push my car home from Florida than let them touch it again. STAY AWAY FROM THESE BANDITOS!!!! For what it is worth, this is the first negative posting I have ever made on any website. I just hope you read it before you even think about going here!!! read more

I identified an error on the SMOG inspection report and asked for it to be rectified, owner was very belligerent and nasty. I will be more than happy to take my business elsewhere. I was not criticizing them for the error, I fully understand that mistakes do happen but the mileage on my vehicle is 57000 and their technician reported to the DMV that it was 124,000 I was told by an employee that the only method to correct the error with the DMV records was for them to re-smog my car, I drove to the shop anticipating that my vehicle would be smog checked again and the owner was very aggressive verbally. read more

Over the years we have had a number of small jobs completed by Dana Point Auto Service, smog checks, tune ups, etc. We were always treated fairly and honestly. So, when our 2005 Saturn Vue engine completely bit the dust, we discussed replacing the engine with Richard, the owner. Within a couple of days he found us a great deal on a refurbished engine. We put a down payment on the engine and they got to work. Richard advised us that we should also replace the water pump and belts while they had everything torn apart to keep the entire system as new as possible. I appreciated the advice and had the parts installed along with the engine. We've been driving the car for a month now and it's running great. No problems. Thank you Richard and Jason. read more

Thorough, told me that all systems were well-maintained, and the car needed no more than the oil change I went in for - honest, pleasant, fun to work with. read more