This is without a doubt the worse auto shop in San Diego County. I brought my car in on Thursday Thursday a routine tune up, replace the spark plugs and to to fix the shifter. I told them they could keep it until Monday to complete the work since I didn't need the car back for my son until then. I went to get the car on Monday and nothing was done. Not only that my key fob didn't work either when I tried to get in the car which the had in front of the shop. When I finally got in the car it wouldn't start or register the key fob. They had to come out and unhook the battery then reconnect it to get the car to start. They didn't do any work on the car but actually caused issues that I had to take elsewhere to fix. The owner didn't offer an remedies to fix the situation just kept stating they didn't cause any problems. That is a complete lie. Avoid this place at all cost. read more

Great service from the team at La Mesa Auto care. Fast turnaround around time for a smog and customer service is top notch.

SECOND UPDATE in response to Lorin: According to Mirriam-Webster's Dictionary, the 1(b) definition of the word coherent is : having clarity or intelligibility : UNDERSTANDABLE Why would I need to be more understandable or have greater clarity when expecting a phone call about my property? Can you please explain this statement? UPDATE: After being investigated by the California Bureau of Auto Repair (CA B.A.R.) pursuant to my complaint, the CA B.A.R. concluded that the front desk girl, Lorin, did not correctly document my approval for the additional work that was performed on my vehicle in accordance with California law. She submitted a hand-written note to the investigator saying that she spoke to me and got my approval for additional repairs. Of course, she could not have correctly documented my approval, because I never consented to any additional work. Lorin, nor Bruce, never even *attempted* to get my approval. The California Bureau of Auto Repair's investigator's report finds La Mesa Auto Care at fault, negligent and in violation of proper documentation procedure for obtaining consent for additional work beyond the original estimate. read more

La Mesa Auto Care - Lorin's statement - Auto Repair Near Me - La Mesa, California

They've Been there a long time. Always busy that says something about a business, word travels fast in a small community!

Gone there a long time- something changed-- vehicle came back worse than when it went in- won't stand good for his work- price gouging BE CAREFUL! I won't go there again ( I could do it myself better) read more

I have gone to Bruce for many years. I completely trust him. He is reliable and honest. David Warburton read more

Mike V. Spring Valley. After counselor at dealership suggested expensive maintenance work that seems not essential, took it to this shop for basic safety check. They identified front brake minor problem. In couple months this problem became more noticeable, and I brought car for repair. Problem was fixed. Thank you for good work. Absolutely can recommend this business. read more

Bruce and his crew have taken care of my Ram 3500 (The Tow Pig) since I bought it. Prices are good and fair unlike the dealerships. Bruce even allowed me to provide all my own fluids and filters each time I have brought it in for service. Very few places I know will allow that. I would have done the maintenance myself but it is very frowned upon doing vehicle maintenance at an rv park so I needed a reliable place to take my truck in to be serviced, this was the place. I highly recommend going here if you are trying to avoid the dealership service prices. I would come back again but I am leaving the San Diego area permanently here shortly to my final destination after retirement from the military. Thank you Bruce and your crew. read more

I have been bringing my cars to La Mesa Auto Care for over 15 years now and I am extremely happy with both the service and the level of knowledge displayed by Bruce and his staff. Many of my cars are from the 90s and 80s and they even know how to deal these old cars. I am particularly happy with the way that Bruce explains the problem and works with me on solutions. La Mesa Auto Care is a Business our family has come to trust and depend on. I Thank them for all the great service over the years. Bill T. read more

Battery was meek and lifeless in need of tapping out for a newer younger more masculine model. These guys were honest and fair and got him back on the road in just a few minutes. You should go here. Well, why are you waiting. Get here now! read more

Claudio and his folks have been working on my cars as long as I have had cars. You can give him classics and new cars and all works out great. His prices are reasonable and will not take advantage or anyone. read more

I am afraid, I had a terrible experience with this neighborhood business. I went when they opened at 7:30 am as I was advised the day before. I ended up leaving at 2:30 pm. without being serviced due to the quadrupled price they gave me. I went for two things. They gave me a list of at least 5 or 6 things that needed repair. Maybe, I do, but that was not what we discussed. They ended up making me pay for "inspection." On top of all this, I had to wait for a long time to pick up my car that was not repaired. Also, they have no customer service, no manners. It is cold scary environment. DO NOT GO THERE! I advise you to take your business elsewhere. read more

Came in for a star smog check. Friendly staff, prompt service and great coupon . Will be back!

DIDN'T STAND BY THEIR WORK! I had an oil change done on my Toyota Prius here. At the next oil change I went to a Toyota dealership. When they removed the oil filter they found the housing in pieces, with tube damaged and twisted. It was an after market filter. I was charged $70 to replace the housing and they suggested I return to La Mesa Auto Care and give them the chance to make this right. They said the housing was installed and tightened improperly, causing the damage. They took pictures and documented the findings which I offered to show to the owner of La Mesa Auto Care. He refused to even look at them and said that without seeing the broken part there was no proof and nothing he would do. I offered to go get the broken part, but then said he wouldn't do anything about it anyway. ""Forget it, we're done here", and he walked away. read more

WARNING!!! DO NOT GO TO LA MESA AUTO CARE!!! Bruce of La Mesa Auto Care is exemplifies the reason why some people do not trust mechanics. He blatantly tried to take advantage of me and then become hostile then became hostile when I discovered that he was trying to rip me off and decided to take my business elsewhere. Here is how it happened. A plastic guard below the front bumper of my car came loose while I was driving home from work and began dragging on the road. Concerned that my car would be further damaged if I drove all the way home, I googled the closest auto repair place, found La Mesa Auto Care, and drove straight there. This is where I met Bruce and when things went from bad to worse. I explained my situation to Bruce and he said that I should get it fixed ASAP. He said that I had two options. He could reattach my hanging plastic guard to the underside of my vehicle for $85 dollars, but that he strongly recommended that he replace it with a new one for $100. I trusted his judgment and told him to replace it. When my car was on the lift in the garage and Bruce was in his office, I asked his mechanic why Bruce said that the part should be replaced. The mechanic sighed and said, "I'm sorry ma'am. I see him do this to customers all the time. It gives us mechanics a bad rep. You really don't need to replace it." When I heard this I went back to the office and told Bruce that I changed my mind and did not want any work done on the car. Bruce immediately stormed out of the office yelled at me (he actually yelled) that he was going to charge me $30 for getting my car on the lift. When I protested, he said, "Shut your mouth and stay away from me!" I was shocked at his behavior, but he did give me my car back without continuing to demand payment for putting it on the lift. Mind you, he did not do any work on the vehicle at all. I then drove my car to another mechanic. But, by the time I arrived, the loose part had fallen off. That mechanic told me that I did not need the part at all, but that it could be replaced for $63. (That includes a brand new part and labor) So, I replaced it. Basically, Bruce at La Mesa Auto Care attempted to convince me that I needed to replace a part that was not necessary, tried to overcharge me for the part, and then became rude and aggressive when I decided to take my business elsewhere. I am a petite, mild mannered Asian woman who was speaking in a polite manner, and not only did this man try to take advantage of me, but he literally yelled at me. I encourage you to protect yourself from this type of dishonest business practice and to talk your vehicles elsewhere. read more

DO NOT GO HERE!!!!!!! They give Auto Repair Shops a bad name. I went in for a Smog Check and was taken advantage of from the very beginning. I take some fault that I hadn't researched that if you're Check Engine Light is on that you will automaticaly fail the Smog Check, but as an experience auto repair shop, he should have seen the light and immediately told me to get that fixed before I tried to Smog Check. Instead, he put it on the machine, took 45 minutes to give me a piece of paper telling me I failed and charge me $47. He proceeded to tell me that if I brought it back to him for the 2nd test that he would do me a favor and only charge me an additional $20 to test it again. Luckily I have a friend that is a mechanic and we were able to fix the Check Enginer Light. He also tells me that the DMV mandates that after a fail, the test only shop should not charge for the re-test. I mention that to this shop and he says, "I don't do what the DMV says" and proceeds to get hostile when I continued to question his charging practicies. I went to a smog down the street and they confirmed that he shouldn't have even started the test when he saw the Check Engine Light on and that my re-test should be at no charge. RIP OFF!! I will be reporting him to the DMV for overcharging for the Smog testing. I also encourage you to find somewhere else to have your car repaired or Smog Tested. Bad Business!! read more

I brought in a $14.95 smog coupon, presented it to the guy working, he made an appointment for me for a couple hours later. I brought the car back, they did the smog & then I was told the bill was $58.95...the girl working could tell I was irritated and took $10 off. Said I couldn't use the coupon because I didn't have the dmv renewal form (IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR, WHICH I TOLD THE GUY WHILE MAKING THE APPOINTMENT & HE SAID NOTHING!!! ) $48.95 is a LOT MORE than $14.95!!! What a scam. This is why people hate auto shops. Complete B.S. Will be telling my hundreds of clients, friends & family to stay away from this place. Deserves negative 5 stars. Too bad YELP doesn't have negative star review read more

The female staff member wasn't very nice when I dropped my vehicle off for service but after lunch she was pleasant to deal with, she must have been hungrey but still no way to treat people who spend their money at your shop when there are plently of other places to spend my cash. The work was done correctly and at a decent price. read more

Call La Mesa Auto Care. Excellent service. I needed a smog check for my 06 Toyota Tundra. Came across a coupon for the service with La Mesa Auto Care. Called them up. Got an appointment for the next day. Arrived 15 minutes early. They took my truck immediately, completed the smog check before I could read the sports section. Friendly, polite, excellent service. read more

Upside: Honest and helpful. Downside: Closed weekends! They could also use a woman's touch on the office/lobby area. read more

Been awhile but I forgot to post. These are the new things about my car that popped up in 1 day. Got my car back. Coolant overfilled. Literally spit out when I unscrewed the cap. Transmission overfilled. Literally the transmission mark on dip stick is halfway up the dip stick. It's like if it need half a bottle, they put in 5 FULL bottles. Idk what they did but it's way overfilled. Check engine light is now on let my car sit overnight and came out this morning. Engine is still hot and so is coolant reservoir. Hissing coming from my fuse box Hot air doesn't blow hot and cold air blows hot at first. None of these were problems before I took my car here. Do you want to know what I went in for??? New tires. WTF!!! They must think to mess my car up so I'll come back to them and give more money. Yeah right you just lost future business for a quick money plan. Dont take your car here! read more

If you ask me do not come here for auto repair. I took my car to O'Reilly to get an engine scan before taking it in to show the shop what needs to be done so I don't have to pay for a full diagnosis. Took the car in show them the code, go in the office area and get the quote which was $250 so I'm thinking okay not bad since they already know the problem without having to do anything. Next week I get a call saying the new quote is over $500?! Very confusing how it went up that much and they only fixed the one scanner code problem which I already brought to them.. best part is I go in to pick up my car and then they tell me it's over $600, and they charged me $30 for A GALLON of gas to drive it around the block for a test drive. I'm in complete shock this place is truly unbelievable. I sent the invoice to a family friend who is a former auto repair technician and he even said they charge double of what is normally charged. Very upset I lost all that money to learn my lesson not to go here so don't make the same mistake!!! read more

Bruce has always taken care of my car above and beyond! He is always very friendly, tells me what I need to do now and what I can wait for later and offers great prices! His office manager Courtney is always very nice, and helpful I love going here for all my mechanic needs. I have never had to wait very long to get my work done and prices are very fair. I have been going there for years. The mechanics and everyone there know my family well now! I would recommend Bruce and La Mesa Auto care to anyone!!!! read more

Great smog center! Quick service! Answered all my questions. Used a $14.95 + certificate coupon and they didn't treat me any different than if I had paid full price! I will definitely recommend to friends and I plan to return for my next smog service! Find the coupon, best deal I've found! read more

Guy I talked just hung up on me for no reason. Lost my business forever. I'd give negative stars if I could. Don't bother going to this place. If they can't deal with a simple thing like customers what makes you think they know how to work on cars. read more

I don't know how this place has been in business for so long. Spent $360 to get my alternator replaced in January of 2010. Come March 2011, my car breaks down. Guess who needs a new alternator already? I called about my warranty and was basically told I'm S.O.L. Then he tells me to have it towed there anyway and he'll see what he can do. Ummm... No thanks. I have never had a worse experience with a mechanic. Very condescending and rude. read more

I had a pretty rough time getting my car fixed through here. I have a weird car to get smogged and was going through the CAP program. I took it here and they kept it for about a week before I got it back to take to the smog referee because they couldn't fix it. Once I got it to the smog ref they said they hadn't spent the minimum amount of money for me to get my smog pass. I tried to go back to get it fixed again and they were closed for a week... Who closes for a week?! So I had to wait another week to get them to finish what they started, and then another week because the smog ref place was closed (they're only open two days of the week and their machine was broken)... this cost me a lot of time and money considering I had to get moving passes from the dmv so I wouldn't get a ticket for driving my car between these people. Ugh! It was awful. read more

I wish I could give a negative star. These guys were rude and disrespectful. They talked down to me when I asked questions and seemed annoyed to even have a conversation with me. I let it go thinking maybe they had a bad day. But when I realized they didn't do 2 of the 4 items I PAID them to repair, I got angry. I tried to talk to the manager who was just as rude as the worker. The issue is not resolved, my car still isn't fixed and now I am stuck taking these guys to court for my money back. read more

This place is a complete joke and should be shut down! They do bad business and rip people off. Told my cousin a price for work and when she came back to pick up the car they did work she didn't ask for because they wanted to be "nice" but charged her Several hundreds dollars more for work that wasn't supposed to be done. When she refused they started telling me she was ungrateful and called the police on her! She cried and I had to come help her. Police came and the owner Bruce and his front desk were threatening her before the cops came. Telling us that we better watch out cuz they know where we live and they will make sure we get ours! How terrifying! Police let us take the car because his front desk girl with blonde hair wouldn't give us the keys. She laughed and threw the keys on the ground! We drove away shaking with the most horrible experience ever! Idk how people can act like this! This is horrible! We filled a restraining order and suing this company! Don't come here at all costs! I should have looked at the reviews they are a bad business and seems like they have problems with many people! Even some day care that has nothing to do with cars! Car owners BEWARE!!!! AVOID at all costs! Shame on you Bruce! And if he tries to say this never happened! Lies!!! read more

I was doing an online search for a smog check and I stumbled across some of the ratings for La Mesa Auto Care, which I noted were on the negative side. Since I use Yelp often, I wanted to share my one and only experience with this business. However to be fair, this review was in reference to some work that I had done close to ten+ years ago, however if it is the same owner(s), I think it speaks to the way they seem to still do business. Some of the details might be off a bit, however the 'meat' of my complaint is pretty accurate, as it pissed me off enough to still remember it pretty well after all of this time. Years ago I brought my vehicle in because the clutch peddle was sticking. When I would step on the clutch peddle it would press down, however I had to sometimes use my toe to get it back up all of the way. In short, I brought my vehicle into this facility. Later that day and $195 later, the problem was fixed. I inquired what work was needed, and from what I could gather, they basically gave the peddle a quick spray with some good lubricant (something I obviously should have done). It fixed the problem, however for $195??? I recall complaining about the high fee for the nominal amount of work, and I even recall making a comment how this should have been one of those 'on the house' type of jobs, so I would be a customer for life as well as 'pass the word' how great & honest these guys were. Obviously I did not expect to have this done for free, but did it really take two hours @ what would be $97.50 and hr, to spray some lube? Again I want to reiterate that this incident occurred around ten+ years ago, maybe just a bit longer, so if this a new owner please disregard this review. However if it is still the same people there, then from briefing these reviews, they have not changed. read more

Bruce is always honest and reasonable. We've taken our cars there for years. He has always solved all of our car needs.

Quick, friendly, and professional. Bruce knows his stuff. They always have good deals for smogs too, so that always comes in handy. I definitely recommend La Mesa Auto Care. read more

went in with a $14.95 coupon + 8.25 for a smog test and certificate. Was in and out with a passing and certificate in 15 minutes. No other recommended repairs were mentioned, as I thought might be since the smog test cost is obviously a loss leader. Thanks, Bruce. read more

I took my car in because the horn would honk at random times and the trunk lock would suddenly make clicking noises. I figured it was some kind of electrical problem. Bruce assured me that that were well qualified to do the work. My car was in this shop for 10 days! When I went to pick it up, he informed me that they had replaced the ignition and done an oil change along with some other repairs-- none of which I authorized. He told me the bill was $997.00. I paid the bill even tho I didn't think it fair, took my keys and got in my car. I couldn't believe it when I saw my dash board panel (bezzle) was a dark blue/grey! My car is TAN.... when I asked about it Bruce told me the original piece broke and he had to glue it back together and prime it in this dark grey color! This man took my dash out and replaced it with a different very damaged dash panel of a completely different color! And to add insult to injury he never fixed the original problem-- my car still randomly honks and the trunk lid now pops open instead of just clicking!! This man took my dash panel and replaced it with a another one of a completely different color!!! Who does this?? And what is he thinking? This is so wrong. He told me he would replace the dash panel for me if I buy the part!! He broke it! This man is a criminal.. and he destroyed my car DO NOT USE THIS SHOP!! I intend to make picket signs and about a dozen friends and myself are going to picket his business! He can't continue to get away with such blatant disregard for people and their property. Absolutely the worst experience of my life!! read more

Great smog center. Very friendly and I was in and out in 15 minutes. Cost less than $30 and I even got to meet the owners grandkids:)

Poor quality. No more needs to be said. Broken engine, they only fixed 1 piston and engine still blows oil out the exhaust and engine is knocking. read more

STAY FAR AWAY!!!! This guy is a crook. They have a smog coupon in the penny saver for $14.95 plus $8.25 for certificate. He would not honor the coupon because my suburban was "too long" and he would have to "back it in". Instead he can smog it for $39.95 plus $8.25 for certificate and he would be doing me a "favor" from the regular price ($49.95). STAY AWAY!!! There are plenty other honest shops, this guy give mechanics bad reps. read more

I had a wonderful experience with Mark and Bruce. They were very accommodating, honest, and affordable. Went out of their way to help me get my car to the shop and arranged for me to pick it up late. I will return. Thanks! read more

Bruce, fast, friendly and competent. Check Liquids, Battery, great car Service! Merry Christmas!

I get my car smogged and serviced at La Mesa Auto Care. Their prices are fair and they are honest about the work needed. When I have a problem with my car, Bruce repairs it in the same day, and the problem never comes back. read more