1. Original Auto

    1. Original Auto

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    Van Nuys, CA

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    The invoice/payment records for my vehicle were issued through Original Auto Collision & Repair Center, which is owned by Cris. However, my vehicle was located in front of unit 2 and between 2&3 at one point. Furthermore, Unit 2 has a physical sign displayed above it that explicitly lists the website "originalautoperformance.com" connecting these spaces. My understanding throughout this process based on the setup and what I verbally was told, was that both sides were working together. I have messages from Cris explicitly stating that Pablo was asking for payment for the drivability tune (which they later denied as being done). Because they publicly stated there is "no record," I will be adding screenshots/photos. I'm simply sharing my documented experience $14,000 for a blown engine and missing parts!! I trusted Cristhian (Cris) at Original Auto collision center with my RB25DET rebuild. Just 242 miles later, the engine is completely failing. A professional inspection confirmed improper assembly. I dealt mostly with Cris at Original Auto Repair and Collision Center, but Cris told me over the phone that his brother Pablo would be the one handling the tuning setup for the car. These operations work right next to each other in the same complex under overlapping signage. Here is my experience. Cris offered to rebuild my rod knock motor with a shop engine for the same price as an eBay motor. Cris asked for my old engine as a free core, then later tried to charge me $600 for it. The engine was improperly assembled by Cris's shop. Professional leak down and compression tests showed massive air leaks from all ports and severely low compression and the IAC valve was not routed, taking in unmetered air / possible debris into the system. There was a lot of metal /brass shavings and a lot of debris in the oil. Debris and metal were also found in the coolant. There was a lot of fuel diluted oil total of 8.5 quarts that was drained from engine. A lot of oil debris on my rear bumper and trunk(soot). Car was running super rich. Right out of the gate I had starting problems that Cris verbally blamed on the battery. My new black Wix filter for a used white Nissan filter from my old engine by Cris's shop Three parts were shipped to Cris, and tracking proves Pablo signed for two TPS sensors. Only one was installed; the second was never returned or installed. Cris told me I needed an IACV adapter, but Cris's shop never installed it, never informed me, and never returned it. My new air filter was swapped for another. I noticed scratches on my rear windshield and my temp gauge on the Nismo cluster wasn't working. Someone left my trunk open in the rain, destroying my carpets with water and mold. Cris told me the car was ready for pick up. The car overheated within 20 minutes reaching 240 degrees, Called Cristhian he advised me to keep driving it home, I told him I wasn't going to drive the car like that, he then told me to take it back to his shop so they could remove thermostat and that his shop had tried to bleed the air out of the system for an hour(mind you they let me drive the car out like that stating it was "ready" and to keep an eye out on temps).They later tried to bill me to remove the thermostat on a "fresh rebuild". Chris told me Pablo handled the tune, and public state records prove Pablo lacked an active automotive license during my build. Now, Cris asks "Did you get the car/engine tuned properly...?" to avoid accountability. This is a lie. Cris texted that the car would get plumbing, electrical, and tuning before pick up. I have text proof of Cris stating Pablo is requesting payment for a "drivability tune" an undisclosed charge billed after pickup. Cris refused upfront quotes, hit me with massive undisclosed charges, and tried to double bill my fuel pump after pickup!! Cris is refusing accountability for this build. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND CAR!!!!

    Julio O.

    If you value your safety, and your money, stay FAR AWAY from Original Auto as possible! I am the owner of a 1995 Nissan Skyline GT-R, and have been facing extensive downtimes ever since I brought my car here 3 years ago. The car has only driven 4,000 miles since their work was done. To this day, it has had various issues that put myself and my family's life at risk. We had complete trust and faith that Original Auto was going to perform good work on a full engine rebuild, but it was quite the opposite really. The entire oil pan was flooded with RTV and gasket maker, and there was NO gasket on the oil or water pump, causing oil and coolant leaks. The car also had a HICAS delete job done by Original Auto, which failed traveling on the highway on December 13th, 2022. This caused the car to veer violently to the right and into the shoulder, almost causing a major accident. Original Auto did a very poor job installing the fuel system, which resulted in a very bad leak that created puddles of gasoline. This is extremely dangerous and unacceptable from a business. I paid this shop over $30,000 and have gotten nothing out of it! These guys are not professionals, and refused to make it right. They will betray your trust, and completely lie to your face.

    Richard V.

    Went here for a tune for my GT-R, Agreed that we would need larger INJECTOR DYNAMICS injectors and was told 1300-1700cc injectors is what I would need, did all my research myself and seen 1700cc would be the max I should go, however Pablo went ahead and added 2150cc low quality Fuel Injector Clinic brand injectors without even telling me or having me agree (I would have said that's overkill and told him not to install them) however he installed them without my consent and ended up giving me such a crap tune my car couldn't even idle in place, I told him about this and he kept saying that it's normal and that's how my car is supposed to sound and run and there's no issue, no matter how many times I tried explaining that he was wrong he would tell me I was wrong. There was a nasty rattle from under my car which turned out to be a loose driveshaft that they didn't tighten back up after the tune, then a few months later the motor blew due to the terrible tune. So many other people have been having nightmares here, take the advice and do not support this place.

    Juan T.

    Came here to soup up my car. Needed an inter cooler for my big ass turbo and they hooked it up with a new Bluetooth intrcooler bracket for fast cooling. Also sick as wiring modeled after the human tendons. My car has since then fell apart. But still cool.

    Tuning E85 700WHP
    Christopher E.

    They put my 1995 Toyota Supra back together and found problems that saved me thousands of dollars and tuned my car properly! 100% recommended

    Dyno results: 272 - 297 wheel horsepower. No supercar numbers but proof these guys are legit.

    Polite, professional, and punctual. Really all there was to it when I dropped my car off for parts installation followed by an ECU tune. Found the shop on EcuTek as a licensed dealer, and went on good faith with that in mind. Pablo was my main contact and was all of the above statements - very responsive and reasonable with his pricing. When my new cat-back exhaust and catalytic converters were installed and the tuning was finished, Pablo sent me the Dyno chart along with letting me know the car was ready. They ended up helping me gain +25 WHP. I have no hesitation with going to these guys again for future projects, despite living 75 miles from them.

    R33 GTR Vspec getting work at Original Auto

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    Sarah B.

    Thanks for the honest review and have great day!

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Original Auto

    Review Highlights - Original Auto

    The owner Pablo, was extremely accommodating with my Dyno needs.

    Mentioned in 24 reviews

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    Precision Auto Clinic

    Precision Auto Clinic

    (328 reviews)

    Van Nuys

    Needed catalytic converter replaced to pass smog. Communication was clear concise and smooth…read more Work was done quick. Will return for other needs in the future.

    I am disappointed with this shop. I went after seeing good reviews.Although, I like the customer…read moreservice from owner and the technician. I went in for transmission fluid change earlier in February in my Toyota Camry 2018. I bought OEM Toyota transmission fluid and asked Joe to help do drain and fill.The drain and fill was completed. After that there was a rough driving issues started. I went back to show my car to joe and he drove the car he told me he don't see any issues. I wanted him to check transmission fluid port on if there is low transmission fluid he didn't agree and told me I might be overthinking. I went to different mechanic in April and he checked. I paid $100 to reopen the port for transmission fluid and what we saw was no fluid came out from the primary port. He added 0.5 quarters left. The issues I have had for rough idle and need to have higher RPM on slope went away completely.According to him you have to keep the car running when you drain the fluid and you need to have it at the right temperature he said the drain and fill wasn't done correctly that's why there was still room for fluid. The viscosity of the fluid makes a difference in how much you can fill and drain. He double checked for leakage and there were no leaks either. When I went to joe and asked about don't you have to keep car warm to see if temperature is right? He said you only do it when there is a leak. I don't think Joe knew enough about mechanics of New car. I wasn't overthinking when I went to ask Joe for help and asked to recheck the transmission fluid. I paid $260 for labor only( $160 to Joe and $100 to another mechanic) for same job. It's really absurd. Overall this could have damaged my transmission. I think for future the customer advise should be taken seriously. I know my car well so I know when it's not acting good. I have been driving it from 10 years.

    Corner Automotive

    Corner Automotive

    (121 reviews)

    Sherman Oaks

    Ya know... from the start, Matt was great... smart, direct... nice. I mean, whatever happened to…read morepeople just being nice when they answer the phone? I called about ten places before deciding where to go and I hate to say that I based my decision entirely on one guy being nice... but that's mostly what I did. When I dropped my car off I met Arthur (owner?)... same. Can we get back to my car? My car (2019 Audi Q5) suddenly lost a lot of power while I was driving home (but still 30 miles away) so I was able to get it back home but had no clue as to why it was kind of doggin' it and I couldn't go more that 50 mph on freeway and between warning lights and the general understanding of how much car repair costs, I figured this could be $300 to $2000. Matt tells me they want to do a "smoke test"... $150 so I'm thinking, OK, smoke test then $1,000 to repair whatever issue they find. Nope. Smoke test showed a part adjacent to the turbocharger was loose so they tightened it up. Who gets out of a car repair shop for $150? Anyway... this isn't a HUGE shop with 8 bay and 12 mechanics but it's your reliable corner mechanic that has nice people, transparent communications and a clean shop. And it's the only place I'm going for the foreseeable future.

    Matt knew immediately that the noise my car was making required new serpentine belts, not an…read moreentirely new compressor. Grateful because otherwise I'd have ended up spending up 3x as much! I'll always be going to these guys for my car needs from now on.

    Original Auto - autorepair - Updated September 2026

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