THIS PLACE SHOOTS STRAIGHT. READ THIS BEFORE VISITING. If you live in the east county, you might want to take a look. I am originally from the area, so when I was looking for a smog shop for my moms car in El Cajon, I found Mario's. I myself am a mechanic and I am wary of going to any sort of "shop". I don't like to spend money and I usually do the work myself. However, I was on a time crunch and found the best deal in town. A smog check for $35. I walked in and asked for Mario. In a short amount of time he was available to talk. I basically informed him that I needed certain things done, and in a certain amount of time. I actually gave a budget that I had planned as a maximum and a time frame. Not only was the work done under budget (he could have charged more honestly), and it was on time. I am from the old school and this really scored points with me. There aren't many auto shops that you can speak to the owner right away. There are even less that can do exactly what you are looking for. Now that I know that everything is on the up and up, I will have no problem letting my mom (and my little brother) go there on their own. I can't ask for better and if you have ANY issue with this place, call Mario! BONUS: There is a car registration service right in the same office! How often can you smog your car and register it in the same place? read more

Mario is awesome. On the hottest day of the year, it was 108 degrees, I pulled up to the shop with the windows down sweating. I spoke to jesus first and he told me it would be a few minutes. after just a minute or 2 mario walked inside and greeted me, he walked out with me and i told him i had been to another AC repair shop and they quoted me $300 dollars because i needed a new belt. He looked, said i did need a new belt, but said it was only $25 plus labor. after about an hour wait they were finished and i rode out of there with the windows up feeling pretty d*mn cool for just saving $225 and because the AC had never felt better. Mario's auto clinic took great care of me and i will be going there with all of my auto issues from here on out. read more

this review is from my father who had a series of fantastic experiences...i'll be there soon too!! i want to recommend mario and the staff of "mario's auto clinic" located at 595 el cajon blvd el cajon, ca 92020 1-619-631-7228. not only did they take care of my last vehicle but was able to help me purchase my latest one. mario and the staff care about and for the customer. no job is too small for this auto maintenance and repair shop. family owned with your family in mind. thank you mario, mike and all the guys at mario's. may god bless your shop to prosper beyond your dreams. the jones family el cajon ca read more

Ok so for starters he has been my mechanic for over one year. O have an old, beat up Saturn station wagon and needless to say it needed some help. Mario has always been able to help me and keep my car running. He has always been professional, honest and even has some humor. Great mechanic who will offer you a great deal on car work. read more

My Mom's Mercedes was due for a smog check. I found out about Mario's on craigslist. Long story short, hit them up and you won't be disappointed. read more

he is no longer at this location...he is in lakeside now.Had a horrible experience with the owner of this business. Unprofessional, Liar, Manipulator, unsafe location, left car unlocked and it got robbed, end result unfinished repair and threatened with physical violence and told he is not going to finish repair because he cant afford a rental car. Here's the story: My girlfriends jeep had a transmission failure. My neighbor recommended I go to him because he could rebuild it. Took to the Dealer first to verify problem and get a estimate( they did mention that these cant be rebuilt, But Mario insisted that it can be done). It was like 4500.00. Mario came in at 2645.00. All I can say is I got what I paid for, but worse. When I brought it to him he seemed very eager to do the job. I asked him to please make sure that the transmission needed to be replaced before he went through with it. He said yes this was the problem. He explained it would take 5 to 7 days due to ordering parts from out of state. So my girlfriend had no choice but to borrow my gas guzzler f250. after a week he said his "bench guy" is way backed up and he is guy that will be doing the rebuild of the transmission, so it will be another week. At this point Mario had a promise date that has now moved to a week later. We insisted he find a ride for us as we cant afford driving around the f250. He actually let us borrow a car that he owes money to my neighbor which we had no choice but to use it for what ended up being 2.5 more weeks. After promise date after promise date, because of delays like " after I got it back together it started leaking because of a bad gasket I got" and then he broke a antifreeze line and had t fix that. at that point we were not interested in drive this car around illegally so I insisted that he pay for a rental car for a few days while he fixed it. he did comply. he also split the flashlight that got stolen out of the jeep during its stay there because he left the doors unlocked in the jeep. the fence is real low, anyone can hop it and theft anything. so after realizing ive been robbed, talked to disrespectfully, and down too like I don't know anything about auto repair, I started realizing we are in a bad situation and at this guys mercy. not a good feeling. he returns the car saying he test drove and when he arrived to our house with the car, antifreeze spills all over my driveway and he doesn't even jump to move the car to he dirt area. he clamed it was water from the ac. well, clearly I know that red or green fluid is antifreeze. we jump in the car and drive it around and it can hardly climb a small hill on my property. massive hesitation is where we were right before the jeep completely stopped moving. I said hey man you need to fix this and we are not going to pay for a car rental and he refused the repair and warranty on this repair. then he wouldn't leave my property and was trying to get me to fight him. I had to call the police. Do not go to this man for a simple repair. he will scam you and leave you high and dry. We are now forced to trade in the vehicle asap and now get back into a car debt. Thanks a lot....seeing him in court soon for money back...to be continued. read more

I must be honest this is the best of the best place to get your car smoged and repaired mario and his brother chuy are one bad ass mechanics and smog techs that we'll go over the limit to help a customer out and I well truly say I lobe this place and we'll be a long term customer read more

Great personal service. I was impressed with their smog service and lower labor rates of $75 I went back the next day to let them change my oil, spark plugs and wires. Found the water pump was also leaking so changed that and upper and lower hoses. I know is sounds like a lot of work, but I rather be safe than sorry. No, no one pushed anything on me at all. This was a new used car to me and I wanted to have a really good honest check up. I felt I got that with Mario. In fact, I had already purchased all the parts before arriving at his shop. I did buy the wrong spark plug wires so Mario loaned me his car to exchange the wires. GREAT PERSONAL SERVICE. read more

Excellent customer service. Mario personally took care of my auto needs. I've been to many places around El Cajon and this is the best by far. He was very quick to get the job done with honest and fair pricing. read more

Marios was great!! Service was fast and cheap! They took great care of me! If you need auto work go to Marios first, you will be very pleased with your experience there!!! read more

I cannot believe all of these 5 star ratings. This guy is so expensive, and not very nice when he takes advantage of an 82 year old disabled woman. He charged my mom at least $100 more for the work on her car than other local businesses would have. He made a bundle on the parts, and charged way more for billable hours than it should have been. read more

All I'll say is, "HORRIBLE". The worst auto repair place I have ever been to. I gave thousands of dollars for an engine rebuild and paint job. Many months later I took my car away and started to find out what a mess he had made of my car. It was so bad I am donating it to Father Joe's. The engine was missing numerous parts and junk parts were used. He ruined my car. Avoid this business or suffer the consequences. He is in Lakeside now !!! read more