Mike is fantastic. I can depend on him to tell me exactly what's wrong, what needs to be fixed right away, and what can be postponed. And, most importantly, something else doesn't go wrong after I leave him. What a concept! I'd recommend him to anyone who needs a trustworthy mechanic. read more

It's so wonderful to have a reliable and loyal neighborhood mechanic. He has saved this family multiple times with last minute car issues. We can trust the work gets done right and for a fair price. Thank you a million times over Mike for your dedication and service read more

Thanks Mike for great job on my breaks he saved me. I call friday 9 am brought car in n breaks were fixed by 2 pm fast and super nice n sweet he picked me up from my house . We moved here lake forest 4 yrs ago he will be my go to mechanic 35 yrs in business. Love that hard workers there.Highly recommend Mikes mechanic shop for oil changes n breaks etc. read more

First time here to get my MINI serviced. Great communication, friendly service, I feel confident that all my concerns were addressed. The price was well within reason for the service provided. Great value too! read more

Mike is one of a kind! He took test test drives ran several tests and fixed my car! I came by on a referral, in the moment, I called first! My Infinity SUV had been hesitating on acceleration for over a year! I was so worried it was serious! I had just had an overdue oil change at dealership, no answers!! Mike took the time, he is a smart guy, no joke! He's curious, he wanted to know why the annoying hesitation, as it turns out,his educated guess nailed it! ! it was an overdue oil change issue that made cylinoids sticky- it worked itself out just as Mike hoped! I'm over the moon happy! Saved me money and time , and he put my windshield wipers in from my dash without asking wow! so professional , a real good guy!! Thank you Mike! I'll come by tomorrow to pick up my airline ID!, read more

I found Saddleback Automotive on the list of local business that offered the BOGO certificate deal. I called ahead to confirm the price for an oil change and a time to bring it in. I showed up at 8:00am the next morning, dropped off my car, ran some errands and when I picked up my car, the price was the same as they quoted. Didn't try to up sale me on other stuff, like most shops. When I went to pay, I showed Mike $50.00 certificate and with no hesitation, he was pleased to honor the certificate. Nice, honest guy. Will definitely return and highly recommend. ADDED NOTE: This was my daughters car and she planned on a road trip and I forgot to ask if they filled up the tires, so I called later that day and left a message. I was very pleasantly supprised that Mike took the time to call back and confirm that they did. Thanks again Mike read more

Mike runs a trusty shop here. Straight up reasonable prices. Quick turnaround as well.

I brought my older Toyota for an oil change. I went in first thing in the morning and was fished in 30 minutes. No upcharges. Very personable owner. Starbucks in walking distance even though they have a waiting room. I would recommend this mechanic. read more

Hello everyone my 07 Toyota Sequoia check engine light came on and I live 50 miles away and I found this shop and talked to Mike and told him my situation and he took care of me and fixes my truck very good service and I will be coming back thanks Mike read more

Always great service, honest, quick and reasonable prices. We have taken our cars to Saddleback Automotive for over 20+ years.

Great service for over 10 years with this place. Very fair pricing and honest about service and repairs. Mike goes above and beyond to help is customers. read more

Great service and very reasonable cost. Just had a sensor fixed and truck serviced. Very friendly and highly recommended.

I'm super happy with this gentleman this guy said it would take a couple hours to give me a good price and everything fell in place as they said it would be super happy I definitely would recommend to friends and family!! read more

Saddleback Automotive - My car on the rack - Auto Repair Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Mike is what everyone needs in their life - - a reliable, honest, skilled, automobile expert who hasn't forgotten the lost art of troubleshooting. We have a small fleet of trucks we were having serviced at a shop closer to our office. We got a quote for $2500 for a particular repair and I took it to Mike for a second opinion. I told him.i had a quote in hand for $2500 for the work. He could have charged me $2000 and I would have considered it a better deal. He didn't charge me $2000 or even $1000. Mike charged me $150 for the repair (and even showed me how the other shop missed a critical diagnoatics step). So for $150, I had a fleet vehicle back in service and Mike got me as a customer for life. Take you vehicle here with 100% confidence it will be repaired by the most honest, dependable and capable auto mechanic out there. read more

My family has been going to saddleback automotive for over a decade. It's difficult to find an honest mechanic. Mike is the best! My mothers BMW had a tail light out. She called BMW and they quoted her around $250 to change it. Mike changed it for $20. Id give them 10 stars if I could! read more

I came to this shop because of the reviews and am so glad that I did. My car was making a noise only in the morning when I started it. Mike did a lot of research on it not seeing anything wrong with the functioning of the vehicle to find out it was something common with Infiniti. He could have definitely told me something was wrong with the car and charged me for something I wouldn't have known any different. Mike is an honest man and I will definitely trust him for any of my future automotive needs and I have already recommended him to some friends. read more

This is by far the best car repair shop I've been to. Mike is the best. We had to bring our car there to fix the power steering, and found another problem that he fixed for free! Honest pricing and friendly service. So glad we found saddleback automotive! read more

I was referred to Mike and I will say everything they said about Mike was true!!! I took my 1999 explorer to Mike yesterday 10.07.2022 to do a routine maintenance check as this will be my 16 year old's first car. My goal is to keep the car running and safe - it has 180K miles. Within 3 hours of dropping off my car it was back in my hands with an honest assessment, routine fixes (i.e. new front breaks, oil change, filter, etc.) and competitive pricing. Mike is pleasant, honest and easy to work with. I highly recommend and what was as impressive to all of that was the variety of cars he was working on meaning the number of different brands. Thanks Mike!!! read more

All the mechanics are experts on all makes and models of cars. I have taken my cars to them for 20 + years and they always find out the problem and are fair and reasonable. My mechanic is Robin McGhie and the owner Mike are always friendly and respectful. read more

A wonderful pricing and  extremely honest person Mike changed transmission fluid in our 2014 Dodge Caravan the best price any shop was given to us and when we asked about changing brakes pads he honestly told us no worries about them and no need to change where other company wanted to do that. Mike told us that what you're really needs to do to replace your tires. We definitely knew about that but also knew how expensive it could be ...well Mike Found unbelievable deal and we are as happy as we could be This is not easy to meet people nowadays who you can trust who is not taking advantage  of their customers Well we're glad we found this company we just moved into the area and now we're going to stick to Mike  for life of our vehicles Thank you Mike read more

He is honest and his prices are better than other mechanics. I highly recommend Saddleback Automotive!

It's a blessing when you find a trustworthy and kind auto shop. So thankful that a family friend referred us to Mike. Timely, fair pricing, trustworthy. HIGHLY recommend read more

I have used Mike for my vehicles for over 20 years! I moved from Lake Forest down the road to Irvine but I always will go back to Mike or have my car towed there if necessary. I am always happy to spread the word that I have found something that is unfortunate in the automotive world - a trustworthy mechanic! Thanks Mike for always providing great honest service and being an amazing human being!! read more

Mike and Saddleback Automotive were AWESOME! I had gone to him after being recommended by my boyfriend's family, who have been long time customers, for a third opinion on my car. The first auto shop I went to said there was nothing they could do and that my car needed to be taken to the dealership. After going to the Toyota dealership and receiving a $1400 quote, I knew I needed a third opinion. Mike was amazing and told me straight up what needed to be done and what could wait and did the service at an extremely reasonable price. Needless to say he'll be my go-to body shop from now on. read more

Been coming here for 28 years. Mike knows his stuff and knows his customers. He looks at things, gives fair estimates and sometimes lower prices than quoted and completed on time. I am so satisfied with this service and the honesty of his shop. Mike is the best and I have referred many customers to him throughout the years, including my elderly uncle, my Mom, and many friends. You cannot get better quality service than this. read more

MIke is a real mechanic. Honest and forthright also. As a mechanical engineer for 35 years I know a good mechanic and Mike is it. He helped take care of a fuel problem in my truck. read more

A lot folks at my company use Saddleback Automotive and have only great things to say. I needed a new starter last week and Mike hooked me right up. He gave me a lift to work and called me a few hours later when the car was ready. No fuss. No surprises. My girlfriend brought her Passat in as well, and Mike took care of that at a fraction of what her dealership wanted to charge her. Super knowledgeable and very fair. It feels good to know an honest mechanic in the area. Thanks SA! read more

I have never posted an online review for anything before, but I felt compelled to share how wonderful Mike and Saddleback Automotive are! Mike was honest with me and helped me lay out a plan of what work needed to be done on my old beat up car and what could wait. I am very appreciative of Mike and Saddleback Automotive, I will never take any car anywhere else! read more

Mike at Saddleback Automotive was highly recommended for working on my 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I checked out all of the Reviews and every one was also excellent, so, I took my vehicle in this morning, and as the reviews stated, he told me what he would do and even checked into an item that needed to be done by another entity, and called me with the information regarding that. I told Mike that I will now be bringing both of my vehicles to him and will no longer be dealing with Tuttle-Click Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge going forward. And Mike is less than 10 minutes from me!! HIGHLY recommended. Exceptional! read more

Great man, person running his business. Extremely welcoming and with care. Will be taking my car there going forward.

Been going here for years. The Best around! Trustworthy reliable dependable and fair.

Mike is the first repairman we ever felt we could trust. He is honest and often tells us we don't need work done! He never fails to do a great job, gets it done quickly, and very reasonably. read more

Our family has been using saddleback automotive since 1989 and Mike has always been able to find the problem and fix the vehicles quickly. He is completely honest with what is wrong with your car and if nothing is wrong he will let you know. Being your car to saddleback automotive with the fullest confidence that your car will get the care it deserves. read more

Mike is honest. He has been in the auto repair game a long time, loves it, and the guy is flat ouit honest. His prices are market, but you'll never pay for something you didn't need or even get. We take our cars to Mike, one of which is under a Honda extended warranty. We took it to the Honda dealership and they did thier best to ensure we never returned. We took the van to Mike to get a second opinion. He said most of the items they said we needed that was not covered, we did NOT need. "Broken" motor mounts were not really broken. I appreciate Mike. He is honest and priced fair. read more

Excellent all around- efficient, quality of work, costumer service and at affordable price. I was finally able to pass smog after they put two new catalytic converters in my truck, one day turn around and made me loyal repeat customer. Highly recommend ! read more

I don't go anywhere else. Been coming here for 10 years and they are the best. Mike runs an honest shop, once thought my transmission was out, completely stopped working. Mike told me that to rebuild it would be $2500, called me an hour later with repair done for $150.00. Some kind of seal went out, he could have charged the $2500 and I would have never known. I have several other examples of this type honesty here. I have also referred others to Saddleback with thank you's from those I referred. read more

I live about 45 miles (aka 90+ minutes in morning traffic) from Lake Forest, but the quality of work, pricing, and general friendliness of Mike and his entire crew make it worth the drive. I brought my car there for its 90,000 mile service; as I was driving home the car reminded me of the day I bought it in December 2005. There is a reason that people come from near and far to have their cars serviced by Saddleback Automotive. Be sure to tell Mike that The Craft Beer Guy sent you; you won't regret it. Cheers! read more

I will not take my car anywhere else but here! Mike is by far the best in the area, great prices, dependable work, and completely fair. Not knowing anything about cars accept how to turn it on, Mike always explains to me what is best to have done now or what can wait till next time. I will Always recommend!! read more

I've brought all my cars to Mike at Saddleback for years and years. Three years ago I moved further away and tried a few other places but it just isn't the same so I make the trek back to Mike. He fixes my cars and gives me advice as if they are his cars....what really needs to be fixed...what can wait...what is optional etc. His prices are always reasonable. I don't know much about cars so I could be an easy mark, but I often go away with minor repairs when I think it's something major. I've been there many times over the years and my cars always run great after his repairs except one time when a minor adjustment was needed and he stood behind his work even when I thought it was a completely different issue. I would be willing to bet that most of his business is from satisfied repeat customers. read more

Who would spend $8K on a new engine for a 2001 Toyota Highlander? Me! Partially because I come from a generation that fixed things and kept them working. Mostly because I checked into trading my car in and spending my $8K on something else .... Something else was absolute crap compared to my car. I love my car! Yes, it's a 2001, it's also a Limited edition with all wheel drive, heated leather seats, a 6 cd changer .... and it's paid for! I was offered between $200. and $6800. for my car and the same carmax location was charging $25K for the same year and color of my highlander, but it wasn't a Limited edition, it didn't have all of the features my car had. The cars they had in my price range would have been huge step down from my car and would have taken every penny I have, and I would have ended up driving a piece of crap! Like a used Hyundai or some old KIA there was nothing decent in my price range. What I did was the right thing - more importantly - I went to the right mechanic. Saddleback Automotive has Mike and the very best mechanic crew there is. They didn't just replace my engine with a 3 yr warranty, they also replaced the seals, fluids, spark plugs, the radiator, and everything else in between. I might as well have a brand new car! Better - I have my car! With zero miles on it! I can't promise you that your car with all the same work will only cost you $8K. I have no idea what your car needs or has wrong. However, I can promise you that you won't find a better mechanic team, one that you can count on and trust. I have had decent mechanics, I had good mechanics. Now I can honestly say I am sticking with these guys at Saddleback Automotive in Lake Forest. Mike was honest with me - even when he had to give me bad news, he did what he could to bring down the price, and they did so much more than I paid for. They did work that was not added to the bill. I'm glad the mechanic I was going to refused to deal with my car this time. It was divine intervention that I found the right place. What a huge blessing. When Mike says "it purrs like a kitten" he wasn't kidding! The mechanic that did all of the work came out to meet me when it was time to go - he was so cute - he leaned over cupping his ear & said "I can't tell if it's running!" I asked him "so are you the guy that's put all of the blood, sweat and tears into my car?" He nodded yes with a big proud smile. he commented about "the bad sound" it had when I brought it in. It sounds like a brand new car now, mike washed it for me too, so it looked like a brand new car too. I've been out driving it around and it runs like a new car! I am so happy! I have tears in my eyes! So very happy! Why the hell would I trade this in for a piece of crap? When I can have my beautiful car like new? Now I have the very best mechanic! They will get my trust and my business forever! read more