I've found my go-to car care place! Thank you, Chris, for getting me in and out and back on the road. I love that I've finally found a friendly, helpful, and honest mechanic I can trust with my car. No more wondering if I'm going to be taken advantage of when it's time for an oil change- I'm bringing any car I own here, and recommending SoCal Auto to everyone I know! read more

Today I had the privilege to meet Chris (the owner). He was very easy going and fixed my car in under ten minutes! He was also very polite and professional - I will definitely refer him to my friends/family in the future. read more

Chris is awesome!! Come here for all your car needs! He goes above and beyond and really cares about his customers! I won't be going anywhere else! read more

I was looking for a well reviewed and fairly priced mechanic after having multiple issues diagnosed and quoted by a dealership. Chris responded to my yelp quote request almost immediately. I gave him some more info and he gave me a quote within minutes. I dropped my car off the next day and he completed the repair the same day. Car once again drives like new! Saved me a nice chunk of money as well! I will definitely be going back to Chris when needed. Thanks! read more

Excellent service, great turnaround time and reasonable pricing. I will definitely use this service again. Job well done

Excellent, fast, and inexpensive! I called and explained that I needed to have both headlights replaced and a Freon refill. They said to just come in when I was ready so I arrived an hour later. Clearly they'd been busy working on other cars, but they started RIGHT AWAY on mine and I was out of there in under an hour. Also, I know nothing about cars and could've easily been gouged, but my bill was only $150! And while I waited, there was even cold water and Netflix! I work in the area and had never been to this shop, so I was a little nervous trying a new place, but I went ahead and trusted all the glowing reviews and am so glad I did! Sure feels good to have my AC going again in this heatwave! Thanks for the excellent, honest, and accommodating service. read more

Had a fantastic experience with Chris today who I randomly found on Yelp. He checked out a vehicle for me and provided expert advice on what was needed and possible history. He took the time to show me things and explain things. Grateful for his time, kindness and skill. Highly recommend Chris and the shop! read more

Best auto repair place we've dealt with outside of family! So glad we found a place we can trust with awesome customer service. SoCal Auto is a no pressure kind of place, no unnecessary services done, they just do what your car needs. They'll even diagnose car issues for free. We took our 2005 Infiniti G35 for an oil leak and routine maintenance. Ended up needing an o-ring replacement for the oil leak and new breaks. The experience was seamless and straightforward. My hubs was talked out of doing an oil change because they felt it was unnecessary - who does that? hahaha. My brother is a mechanic, sadly too far in Los Angeles, and with a toddler and an infant, we don't have much time to make the drive or have the hubs fix our cars. So being able to trust Chris, the owner, who is so professional and trustworthy in every way has been great for us, two sleep deprived parents with little time and energy for such things. Highly recommend this place. Check out their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/socalauto760/ read more

Chris is the most honest person I have ever met which is so extremely rare in the mechanic world. I am so lucky to have received his information from my coworkers, he has helped me with my 2013 Nissan Sentra when I went over a speed bump too quickly. Also he has helped my husband with his brakes & rotors on his 2011 Mazda 6, his pricing is generously fair to top it off. Anyone I meet that needs a good mechanic I always refer Chris, I guarantee you will not be dissatisfied with his service. read more

Chris and SoCal Auto are amazing!! (New Customer for Life) We recently took our Rav4 to Chris' shop for the first time. Even with a simple oil change, Chris was still able to impress us with his level of expertise and care. While working on our car, here is a list of some of the other things he was able to accomplish in about 45 minutes: * Give a shop tour * Refit and attach the plastic engine covers under the car at no extra charge (bad work from another mechanic) * Explain the difference between paper air filters and reusable (oil impregnated) ones * Explain the difference between synthetic vs. conventional oil and their viscosity * Clean every drip and drop of oil in the engine compartment and under the car * Replace the lock washer on our oil pan plug * Fill and inspect the tires * Check all fluid levels * Inspect the parking brake * Spoke and provided education on car repair the whole time rather than pointing to the waiting room (which is nice by the way) * And even though we asked him not to do it, he offered a discount on the service since it was our first time in his shop My wife and I will be bring our 2 cars to Chris from now on. We are going to also have our 2 boys bring their cars to him as well, not to mention all the neighbors and clients we can convince to do the same. Chris and SoCal Auto are very refreshing, solid, professional, qualified, and willing to make our lives and cars run more smoothly. In this day and age, we will take it!!! Thanks again Chris. You are our new guy. Mark & Tiffany PS - SoCal Auto should not be a secret. Some signs above the shop doors could help customers find their way. read more

Trustworthy and took the time to drive out to my job to pick up my car, then back to his shop to work on it and then back to my job. This made it really convenient. He fixed my A/C problem and at a great price as well. I'll definitely recommend him to my family, friends and colleagues. read more

All the reviews are on point Chris is a very honest mechanic with a lot of experience. Trustworthy mechanics are hard to come around nowadays. I got a new battery and my A.c. fixed for a very low price. I'll definitely be coming back to So Cal Auto. read more

Fast responses and very fair pricing. I didn't know any trustworthy shops for my car so I checked up on yelp. Got a few things repaired while I was at work so we communicated over the phone. After doing business with SoCal auto, this is will be my go to for any repairs I need. Thanks guys read more

I've never written a Yelp review before, but Chris and SoCal Auto deserves 5+ stars. From beginning to end he was friendly, funny, informative and professional. Out of all the quotes I got, SoCal's was the most straightforward and reasonable. I work nearby his location, so he even came and got my car and brought it back. He went the extra mile for me - so convenient! He explained everything in an easy to understand manner and I was left feeling confident that I understood the repairs needed and the how/why they were needed. He and his team were also able to complete the repairs very quickly. My car now runs like a top. I'm now able to say I have a friendly, trustworthy neighborhood mechanic and I couldn't be happier. I am going to recommend him to all my friends and people at work! Thanks Chris and SoCal Auto!!! read more

Was recommended to Chris from a friend. I am still in shock that good honest mechanics still exist. I took my car to the Toyota dealership to check out a noise it was making. After 5 hours of having my car there, they called me to tell me that it would cost $250.00 just to CHECK OUT the problem. I purchased this car from the Toyota's certified used car section and is still under warranty so you can imagine my shock. I then took my car to Chris who was done in less than 30 minutes! He didn't even charge me when he found out how minimal the problem was. The business may be new but Chris has been doing this for years! read more

Great place, received good honest diagnosis on my Honda Civic which I really appreciated. I had a bad crank position sensor and also learned that my timing belt was off a little too. Would highly recommend! read more

Excellent customer service! Quick repairs! Thank you very much for fixing our car! *Also very cute shop dog (:

I've had Chris work on my car many times and it is always well done and at good prices. He is professional and trustworthy. It is hard to find a good mechanic where you can drop your car off and not worry about it. SoCal is the place where you can do it. read more

To say SoCal auto exceeded my expectations on multiple occasions would be an understatement. Chris Deatrick (owner) is incredibly trustworthy and quick which is rare. Thank you. read more

My engine was misfiring and I didn't really know much about what could be causing it so I called Chris at SoCal Auto and he set up a time for me to bring my car in, was there waiting for me to arrive and immediately got to work on solving the problem. He had someone deliver the part I needed to replace and had my car running within a couple hours. Definitely my go to mechanic in the area now, if you have any car troubles I recommend taking it to SoCal Auto! read more

SoCal is near my home. I took my car there because of the many good reviews i read on Yelp. I am glad i did. Criss was there and attended me very well. Took my phone number and in 15 minutes msg the cost of the oil change and oil and air filters. He also called me to confirm I had received them. I approved the budget snd in one hour on a Friday afternoon the car was ready for pickup. Excellent attention read more

Chris was super helpful and very honest when I went in. The dealer changed my oil said I needed a lot of work done, so i went to Chris for it and he saved me so much money since there was nothing wrong with my car. He made the whole experience extremely positive and I'm excited to know I'll see him when I do need some more work on my car. read more

Chris was absolutely awesome! Took me the same day I called in a couple hours. I had a part to put on and he got it done the same day and even fixed something else i wasn't aware of. Great guy and great service. read more

SoCal Auto has become my go to for auto service. You just can't beat their customer service. Whenever my wife or my vehicle need repair or just normal maintenance we come here. Can't recommend them enough - give SoCal Auto a visit, you won't be disappointed. read more

Chris was very professional and nice. Got me in quick, and service was great! Would recommend to family and friends. Will be back!

Jeep fans: Chris did a great job with my TJ lift and way more reasonable (and precise) than the big off road shops. He takes the time to understand what you want to accomplish and doesn't try to sell you up. He also takes the time to get the job right read more

Had a wonderful experience today with SoCal Auto. After reading all the reviews on Chris's shop I went by to see if he could check out my brakes. Not only did he do just that, he gave me a reasonable quote and was able to repair both front pads within less than 2 hours. I would recommend him to all my friends, he is very knowledgeable, professional and has good pricing. So happy I found his shop!!! read more

Chris has been great about checking my car and letting me know up front what it needs without overcharging on anything. He is honest and will give you an estimate before the car work. His team is quick and the service is excellent! I highly recommend! read more

Currently still thanking God for putting Chris in my life. By far the best mechanic. Very genuine & honest. His shop is almost a 2 hr drive from my home & it was worth leaving & picking up my car out that far. First impression of Chris was him getting out of his way to try & help me while being stranded in San Marcos. He had my car ready right away & kept me updated. I never had to be on top of him. Another mechanic had days with my car & didn't figure out the problem Chris figured out the problem same morning my car got to his shop. He's understanding & does the most he can to help his customers whether it's new customers or already known customers. I'm def driving my car out even for regular maintenances. read more

I wish I could give unlimited stars!!! Chris so was professional and knowledgable. He didn't sell me on more than what my car need, and he explained everything to me regarding the car related to my brakes. I will officially leave my favorite mechanic shop that I have been going to for years to having Chris as my new mechanic. Being a girl, I run into the problem of being ripped off as well as mechanics selling me things on my car that are unnecessary. He got the job done and I was on my way. I am not a yelper, but I definitely had to write one here! He also has other connections for pretty much anything you need in life LOL! Met Chris for the first time today and already recommended my friend to him. I can't wait to send the rest of my family and friends to him! Thanks Chris for taking care of me! read more

Chris has been taking care of both my cars for years now. Always comes thru and he knows his stuff. Best price hands down, for high quality mechanic. Hes literally done work while im working and drops it off by end of my day. Couldnt ask for a better experience, life time customer and friend. Thanks for eveything Chris read more

Today, I had the best experience and service with Chris Deatrick. I called for a quote on a battery as I looking for the best possible value and planned to pick it up for my roadside assistance plan to install. His price was better than 3 other places, so I said I'd be by to pick it up. He asked where I was, and at my reply, he said he was minutes away and would bring and install the battery at no additional charge. 15 minutes later he had completed the battery exchange and transaction, which came with a warranty. This rare experience of quality service was so appreciated and made my day. Thank YOU Chris! read more

I can't say enough about this place. They are amazing. I am a single mom with 2 kids, 2 jobs, and 1 car... and she is a 2004 quickly approaching 200k miles. And while I know I should trade her in for a younger, hotter model, everytime I try, the dryer needs replacing, or a kid needs braces... You get it. Well, when my car wouldn't start on July 3rd, I thought for sure I was going to stuck and stranded over the holiday. So when Chris said he would get my car seen that day, I was so excited that I would have literally paid ANY amount of expendable income I had to get it fixed before the holiday. And since I literally had to watch a YouTube video to figure out how to unlock the gas cap, he could have charged me any amount and I wouldnt have known better. But he didn't. He got me back to work on time.. I was able to drive my car to LA the next day to spend the 4th with my family, and while the problem was that it wouldn't start... He also managed to fix the weird shaking it was doing. I am so grateful and will never take my sweet old car to anyone else... Ever again. She has found her forever home in car care. read more

Chris is the bomb.com he will do the best work on your car for the best price in town in the shortest amount of time. Give him a call and stop by the shop! Hes the best and hes a really nice guy! He knows how to work on any car! read more

The BEST customer service I have ever received. Very fair and honest pricing. Chris and team are amazing people. I highly recommend.

Easy scheduling and great service. Clean shop and great communication throughout diagnosis and completion of work. Even got a follow up call a week later to ensure the repair was working . Highly recommend this shop! read more

The owner is fair and extremely nice. He offered to give me a ride to the shop so I could pick up my car and he changed my lightbulb a day later free of charge. The shop works quick too, they fixed my clutch plate in a day. read more

I was referred to Chris from people on a Facebook group called "Escondido Friends". I fearfully posted a video of a noise my daughters car was making for help of to what it could be. All I knew is that it sounded expensive and I was panicked! Many people told me many things online that noise could have been- some even thinking it was the transmission. Several people tagged Chris in the post and he offered me a free diagnosis to see what the problem is. He was able to accommodate me same day after hours as he was there late which worked great with my conflicting work schedule. It ended up needing a R&R steering pump, Power Steering pump and Steering fluid. After looking up the prices of these parts off auto zone, I do not feel I was ripped off at all whatsoever! Besides, had I of gone the DIY route, I wouldn't of known how or what I was doing. Chris also cleaned off something for me that eliminated vibration that was happening when vehicle was stopped. He gave me two estimates of 2 things that will soon be needed done on the car which is helpful instead of being surprised later. Very happy with Chris and SoCal Auto repair and I would for sure recommend others come here for a great honest mechanic. read more

Taking my cars to Chris over the last three years is a highlight of my car ownership. I always look forward to the genuine interactions and his perpetual positive attitude. Add atop these his business ethics and pursuit of the highest quality service and you've got what I consider an A+ professional. read more

Went here to get aftermarket coilovers installed on my Lexus IS, a couple of months ago.. no issues so far.