By the Hammer of Thor! El Cajon Muffler & AC is the only place to go in San Diego. The catalytic converter in my '99 Tacoma 2.7L 4x4 rattled like rocks in a coffee can. One shop in PB quoted me $1100 for the new converter and installation. I did my research and found a Magnaflow CC on Amazon Prime for $475 with tax. I then made sure the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved of my CC as a certified aftermarket part by EPA/CA standards. I bought the part and went back to the guys with the $1100 quote. They said they won't install a universal CC, even though it's name brand quality and approved by CARB for my truck. I'd seen the same Magnaflow CC for around $700 on other auto parts websites. This was no cheap doodad. I suspected these grease monkeys were planning to sell me that very same part with a fat markup. My quest continued. Finally, I asked my regular mechanic about CC installation. He explained that the guys to see are at El Cajon Muffler & AC. I arrived this morning, and in a half hour Ross had my new CC fitted and welded permanently into place. He even volunteered to weld/seal a crack in the exhaust system's header pipe, sparing me from an additional costly repair. Auto mechanics who don't do welding would simply have replaced the entire exhaust assembly and charged me a fortune in parts markup and labor. I saved $500 on the CC while avoiding hundreds more in parts and labor. Additionally, Ross only charged $100 for killer professional work. I was so stunned by his free repair and low fee that I gave him another $20. Lunch was on me. For exhaust system issues, I'll never go anywhere else. read more

Ross is your favorite mechanic's favorite mechanic. When I couldn't break loose stubborn bolts on my Miata's exhaust, my mechanic told me to call Ross, even though it was a bit of a drive. He fit me in the same day, installed my axle-back exhaust quickly, cleaned my stock exhaust so I could take it home without a mess, and charged a very fair price. His skill, honesty, and straightforwardness are why he has so many great reviews. read more

Front desk clerk, or whomever answered phone call rudely. Asked about a muffler delete and was told "no not interested" but was told another shop could do the job. After understanding and saying "thank you so much" to the person, they abruptly hung up the phone. read more

Ross is the man! He did a exhaust tip for me and his welds are on par! Super cool shop old school like it should be. I'll be back for sure. Thanks Ross! read more

Amazing help and serviced my a/c system quickly. Under half an hour. I will be coming back with my other vehicles. Priced very nicely as well!! read more

Had my catalytic converter replaced at a good price by ross..very quick and great job. Will use again

Needed a muffler replaced and had excellent service. I provided the muffler and paid for only the installation.

I have a 2004 Honda Polit with 260K on it. The Cat was rattling really bad. Ross had it installed in a day. Awesome work!! I have been to El Cajon Muffler before and receoved GREAT service. read more

This place is awesome and Ross is the real deal ! Had my A/C fixed by Ross, done and perfect in one day ! Highly recommend, he's 100% trustworthy. Thank you so much Ross ! read more

Great shop and reasonable. Always love to find a mechanic I can trust. It was outside of their regular course of business I'm pretty sure, but they still did a comprehensive pre-purchase inspection for me on refurbished 1971 Ford F100. Highly recommended them. read more

I always go here for my ac and exhaust work. I rarely let people touch my trucks but this dude knows his stuff.

Ross was very accommodating. Called on Monday. Fixed on Wednesday. What else is there to say. Thanks again!! read more

I went off internet review, and this man ,this rare man Ross is the boss the best in the east and the West, I came in hot today, a hot not working ac Nissan xterra, from the beginning Ross is super professional and nice, right away he check out the xterra and pointed out leaks and recommend, Ross rate of vibration is off the chart you can tell he knows his stuff, I agree for the quote of 3 hundo and let me say ,ice cold , I'm so glad I met this man , I recommend this man and business it got done in a day 8am morning till 2pm man oh man, people go to Ross and met this man he's super man ,looks like a body builder which mean he takes care of him self and other so I want to do business with Men and women that look like that smart and health and awesome, check it out you won't regret it, oh yeah I had leak Ross showed me and explain everything that needed to be done and after driving it for a day ,happy now so I help now thanks Ross your the best in the East and the West! read more

El Cajon Muffler & A/C - My xterra was sick with covid Dr.Ross cleared all systems, no more sicky!100% - Auto Repair Near Me - El Cajon, California

Great shop and service. Ross was great in getting my exhaust system installed. If you need excellent quality work...go see him.

Brought my toyota there to fix the exhaust brackets. He was able to get my truck fixed the same day that I called. Ross was friendly and extremely helpful. You can tell he's very knowledgeable about what he does and his pricing was great. I highly recommend this shop. read more

I had worked with Ross over the last few months regarding a new catalytic converter. The state had somewhat recently banned aftermarket products for our make/model truck. He said we could wait to see if an aftermarket product came online at some point before we needed smog. Unfortunately, one did not. But Ross was the only business to share this information with me. He ultimately got a factory part and did the job for a very reasonable price. I believe he was very honest and helpful and I would not hesitate to do business with him in the future. read more

Had a buddy install an exhaust on my 21' tundra. He didn't do it properly which left a squeaking noise everytime I'd hit a bump or pothole. Came to this shop down the street from my house and explained my situation. Threw the truck on the lift and he told me right away what the issues were. Got it fixed within 30mins. Truck sounds nice! Nice little clean shop. Owner was friendly. I'd def come back in the future read more

Ross is one man. Got my intermediate pipe replaced in record time and it's back to quiet . You can not go wrong with Ross.

Great customer service and communication. Quick turnaround. I dropped my car off around closing time and it was fixed by end of the next day. Great pricing. The first place I took my car to wanted to charge more than 6 times what I paid here. Thank you. read more

I can't praise Ross at EC Muffler and AC enough. After some subhuman sewer dweller or local turbo crystal sniffer decided they needed my catalytic converters more than I did, I immediately thought to take my Tundra to the local Toyota dealer, thinking they could get it done fast (and insurance was paying so why not?) After sitting at the stealership for 3 weeks and them ending up not even being able to get the correct parts I found his well-recommended shop on Yelp and had my Yota towed to EC muffler. Ross had it up in the air and the parts found and estimate done within 2 days! He even had my truck repaired and ready to go as soon as ins approved the estimate, and before I even had the check in my hand! He was proactive and communicative and kept me updated, compared to the stealership that I had to constantly reach out to for any updates. I absolutely recommend EC Muffler and AC to people looking for fast, friendly, and professional service for exhaust work, this guy is awesome! read more

He gave me really helpful advice for replacing my motor even though he, Russ, doesn't do that kind of work exactly. He did refer me to Sun auto that's SUN in El Cajon. I haven't tried Sun auto but I thought I would add Russ's referral of them to this review. read more

When I first moved to SD I needed a mechanic that I could trust and is reliable. By word of mouth I came here. They do everything not just AC and mufflers. Prices are great. Helped me with my grandmas car when she was quoted high prices and extra parts. Talk to Jimmy. read more

Friendly. Fast. Same day ac work. Cheaper by $30 then I was quoted at other shops. Dropped off in the morning had to go to work and got a call saying it was ready and picked up after work. Will go hear again soon for some muffler work. read more

El Cajon Muffler & A/C - Truck with nice cold air blowing - Auto Repair Near Me - El Cajon, California

Great work. Came here on a referral from a buddy... Claimed they were the best exhaust guys in town. Had the muffler and tailpipe replaced on my 78 F250 (it was OEM still!!!). Few hours later it was ready and the cost was really very reasonable. Ross is a cool dude and does great work at a fair price. I would be a customer for life, but alas, I'm getting the heck out of crazy Kalifornia next month and going to a sane state that has a combined IQ of more than 10 in the state capitol. But, if not, these guys would be my go-to shop. Thanks!!! read more

Ross was fantastic!! I just bought a new truck and it had some huge, loud racing style exhaust. The sound was just annoying! I brought it to Ross this morning and he gave me some options on how to make it quieter. He squeezed me in same day, put on a muffler and gave me the old exhaust system so I can sell it or whatever. The sound of the truck is MUCH quieter. He told me to come back if I want it even quieter and he will make more adjustments. The price was very reasonable. I plan to bring my Corvair back to him next! So happy to find a nice, knowledgeable, fast service center to help me. Extremely pleased. read more

I came by for an estimate for a muffler for my 1986 Toyota truck. I met Ross. He told me exactly what the issue was and quote me a price. We made an appointment for the next day. To be honest, this is the firs time in my 50 plus years of life that I had an easy, smooth transaction with a mechanic shop . The price was reasonable, he was professional & straight to the point. Highly recommend.. A plus !!! read more

I have needed to get my exhaust/mufflers done for years but waited thinking it would cost a fortune. I got new headers so it was finally time to get my exhaust done. My dad has gone to El Cajon Muffler & A/C for years and suggested I go there. The shop is easy to find and the guys that run it are great. Very easy to work with. I dropped my Camaro off on Monday morning and it was done early Tuesday... I was floored with the results... SO quiet (which is what I wanted). They did a great job routing the exhaust so I have much more clearance over bumps... I am completely stoked. And it was cheap... really really cheap.... Also inquired about A/C in old cars (mine is a 1971 Camaro). Most shops won't touch old cars but these guys do. I can't wait to get my A/C installed there... I am a huge fan of this place... wish I had gotten it done years ago. read more

Ross was fantastic. We we're referred here by another business & Ross was happy to help us out. He had our generator exhaust pipe welded within an hour - just like he said. Very professional & he did an excellent job. Price was right too. Will definitely be using this shop again. Thanks Ross. read more

The muffler connecting to the exhaust pipe was corroded and broke off. The mechanic added a metal connecting pipe and perfectly welded it back on. He knew the problem and fixed it without fuss. Best experience at a mechanic shop. read more

Repaired my 1963 Cadillac exhaust manifold, rusted, stripped threads and busted studs, quiet once again, very reasonable prices

Had a catalytic converter put on. They took care of everything swiftly. Cheapest price in San Diego county I found.

What a great experience today. I called El Cajon Muffler at 10:30 A.M. and was able to get in right away. A quick inspection revealed a big split in the middle of the muffler on my Ford van. They had one in stock and went right to work before my ride arrived. I got a callback from them just before 1:00 P.M. an hour ahead of the time estimate. Ready to go and quiet like it should be. It had become embarrassing LOUD! The shop was recommended by a local car club and I'm glad I took that advice. read more

I went to his shop to replace two mufflers for a 1958 Chevy Impala. Did a good shop in welding and installing the mufflers.

These guys are professional! I came in thinking I needed refrigerant for my Toyota Sienna but it turns out I have to change my condenser which is a lot of money. They were very kind enough not charging me a diagnostic fee! I would highly recommend this shop for any type of service they provide, I didn't feel like I was going to be ripped off and they provided me with straight forward diagnostics! read more

I sold my Grandfather's car for him and apparently that intermittent engine light had to do with the cat failing. So I sent them here and took care of it for the very difficult buyers (wife was one I am glad to not be married to... needed meds?). Multiple people involved, excellent communication and friendliness the whole way by Ross. Nice to speak to intelligent business owners. Took care of payment remotely, asked about another project and got a reasonable quote and good info. Just referred my nephew who had another interesting out of state smog issue car with special needs. He seems super happy too. I'd say it makes sense that the reviews are what they are. Added the business card to my collection and will return. read more

Super stoked with my new exhaust they did a great job fast to! They installed a flowmaster 40 series and also welded on a chrome tip I brought in . Will definitely come back for future projects!! read more

El Cajon Muffler & A/C - Auto Repair Near Me - El Cajon, California

This is a great shop. I called ref a minor problem with a broken muffler hanger. I was told to come in right away. As soon as I arrived it was on the rack within five minutes. The bracket was repaired (welded) and I was back on the road within maybe 20 minutes. This shop is small but it's clean and the employees there were friendly and very helpful. The price for my repair was very reasonable and quickly taken care of. I will definitely be using this shop in the future for any exhaust work I may need. read more

Went to get my midpipe welded for my GTI good work and price. Very friendly guys I'd recommend them to anyone!

I took my car here for some exhausted work and I have to say these guys are awesome at what they do. They only took 30 min to do the job and they did it well. I would definitely recommend these guys for your exhaust needs. Not to mention the price was easily 75 to 100 dollars cheaper than the competition. read more

So I did a DYI install of a magnaflow catback on my wife's camaro without her permission(yikes!!!) that's another story tho. Anyways, I didn't have a lift and wasn't able to do the best job and my wife called me up saying her car sounded like it was falling apart. So instead of messing around more I called up the guys at El Cajon muffler and they quoted me right over the phone and were able to get me in same day for a very reasonable price. They even went above and beyond and adjusted the whole system and tack welded it making sure it would never be a problem again. Thank you guys so much for saving my butt on this one! I will definitely be bringing my truck back to get straight pipes done! read more