I consider myself a weekend warrior/DIY guy that mostly knows his way around cars. I was trying to change out a transmission mount on my 2017 Civic Hatch, but crossthreaded some bolts and such. Long story short, I needed some professional help in installing the transmission mount. I was told to go to Andy's shop if "you care about your car." And I am super anal about my car, keeping the car clean, finger prints..etc. But I am super happy to say Andy took great care of my car. Pretty much left it as it was, or actually better than it was since they fixed the problem. Him and his techs kept my car clean, no dirty fingerprints, I was very impressed! One thing I really liked is that Andy was able to give me a quote over the phone after I described my issue with the car with him. And he kept his word. I understand if they go in and see something they didn't expect, and charge additional for it, which I'm okay with, but yeah, was happy about the price for the fix. Nothing really else to say, except that I finally found a mechanic that I can trust and have my car worked on when it needs some professional work done, will be definitely coming back! read more

We all know how hard it is to find a great mechanic that is dependable and honest. I found Andy about 3 years ago. Why did I wait this long to write a Yelp review? I honestly don't like Yelp but I then I feel Andy deserves the recognition. The more I got to know him, the more trust and confidence I have in him. There are 5 cars in the family and he services them all. I don't have to worry about him lying to me or charging me for unnecessary repairs. In fact, he will tell you "You can wait for the next oil change." I recently brought my car in again and told him about my car occasionally making grunting noise. He told me he found an error in the idle control but the part is expense to replace, so he cleaned it out and ran it again and the error code did not reappear. He did caution me that if it returns, it will most like need to be replaced. My car is getting old so I expect wear and tear kind of repair. For now, my car is running great. He charged me so little for the labor for that. So many of us can vouch for his 5-star service. He will even tell you to take it somewhere else if he can't fix it. I am so glad I found him. If you decide to hire him as your mechanic, consider yourself lucky. read more

When I came across Socal Motor Works' yelp reviews, I thought that there could be no way an auto repair shop could have such stellar responses. It had to be a ruse, naturally I had to check it out. I was having some idling problems with my 2000 Honda Civic, the Google mechanic had suggested a few potential issues and most of them I didn't want to get my hands dirty to attempt the repairs myself. I figured it was also time to get a big chunk of my scheduled maintenance taken care of that was WELL overdue. Andy diagnosed my idle problem in ~15-20 minutes at which time I informed him of the other servicing the car needed. He quoted me the price and an estimated time frame (about 24 hours), the next morning, I received a call that it was all done (ahead of schedule). - Shop is brilliantly clean & organized - Location was easy to find - Quick Diagnosis - Clear explanation of charges & methodology - Answered the phone every time I called - I compared part prices to those found online. While a bit higher than bargain basement auto-part warehouses, he was able to get them same day. (Worth it in my opinion) - After service, I could visually see almost every new part under my hood (minus some gaskets & the timing belt due to their location) so I feel very confident that the work was actually completed. I have already sent an email to every single friend & coworker in my area about this guy. He has won my loyalty. read more

Andy is the best! Brought my 1999 Toyota Corolla to him several times for repair and he always comes through at a decent price. Never had a problem with the car after he repaired it. Excellent turn around time. He won't recommend stuff that you don't need. Good honest work. read more

I had a minor issue with my car door, and found this place on yelp. I stopped by, with no appointment, met Andy, and he came right out, right then... and fixed my door within 5 minutes! He was so friendly and so willing to help. He also did it completely free! It was the nicest thing. It totally made my day. I was so impressed with the service and attitude I experienced here. I have no doubt that other places would have charged me hundreds of dollars for the fix, but Andy just did it there and then. I honestly can't recommend this place enough! I will definitely go back if I have anymore car problems (which I hope doesn't happen haha). GO ANDY read more

Socal Motor Works - Auto Repair Near Me - Orange, California

Services I've had here: 1. Fluid changes - engine, transmission, differential 2. Engine bay- intake upgrades, engine mount replacements, injector upgrades, timing belt, radiator replacement 3. Brakes - rotor upgrades, brake upgrades, brake line upgrades 4. Body - full OEM bodykit install, headlight replacement 5. Exhaust - cat-back install, removal, and install (couldn't make up my mind) 6. Electronics - iPod adapter install to OEM stereo, speaker upgrades Each time the work was performed flawlessly. Andy will definitely continue to get my business and referrals. read more

I own a BMW that I have been taking to the dealer. Of course when my warranty ended I suddenly have all kinds of problem I needed to get taken care of. Irvine BMW quoted me for $4200. Thank god I found this place ( thru YELP) because turns out I didn't need everything the dealer told me I needed. I spoke with Andy, very nice guy on the phone and I faxed him the diagnostic form the dealer gave me. He quoted me the same day for $2900 and told me that he will have to check the car out because I might not need all the service the dealer recommended. And 2 days later turns out I didn't need to replace some parts as it was fixable and minor. I ended up paying $1200 for everything, AMAZING!!! I will totally recommend this place to anyone I know. They specialize in Japanese cars, BMW and Mercedes. I definitely found my mechanic. read more

Nice guy, clean shop, and great price! In the past when I needed oil changes I would take my car to jiffylube which would cost me about 50 bucks each time for regular oil. I just got my Volkswagen Jetta back from Andy and I'm completely satisfied. I'm taking a trip up north to Sacramento next week so I needed to take my car in somewhere to make sure I wasn't going to break down on the way there. Socal motorworks is conveniently located near my work and has flawless reviews so I gave Andy a call yesterday afternoon to see when a good time would be to bring my car in for a check up. He was able to get me in this morning which worked perfectly for me as it is my only day off before my trip next week. I told Andy that I definitely needed an oil change and asked if he could check anything else that needed it. He quoted me only for the oil change and said he wouldn't charge for labor since I found him on yelp. Andy is a really nice guy and extremely down to earth and my boyfriend was very impressed with how clean his shop was. A couple hours later he called me and said I was ready to go and everything look good for the 400 mile drive. He ended up changing my oil (synthetic oil), replacing a few light bulbs that were out, refilled all my fluids, checked my tire pressure and wear, and even ROTATED my tires as well. All for only 61 bucks. Amazing. Definitely coming back for all of my car issues. Andy is awesome! read more

Found SocalMotorWorks while living in OC and it was my go-to place for all auto work. Owning a 12 year old car with over 200k miles, I've had many issues that needed to be dealt with. Andy definitely gives the best price and treats my car like his own! Now that I've moved to San Diego for work, I still drive back to OC to see Andy since no mechanic in SD compares to the work he does. If you want to be overcharged for labor and parts that probably worked fine to begin with, go to your local dealer. If you want the best deal for true honest work, go to Socal Motor Works. read more

Andy is a great guy! I knew I had quite a bit of problems with my truck and I wanted him to check it out to actually let me know what was wrong with it. I'm an extremely busy person and he let me drop my truck off there at 9:30pm and let me leave my key with a note in it to the next door neighbors key box. He communicated very well with me through email the week prior and the day of the inspection. He called to confirm if my truck was the one that was out there and he also gave me a list of problems with my truck through email. He was very honest with everything. Unfortunately he wasn't able to make any of the repairs as he said the repairs would exceed the value of the car. However, upon picking my truck up the next day, he told me that my #3 and #5 spark plug wires were arching off the EGR Valve and he tied them back. I think he also might have put 1 of 2 vacuum lines back on as well (can't remember). He didn't charge me anything for the inspection/diagnosis and I have a pretty decent list of items he wrote that I can work on myself for the time being. I will recommend Andy and use him for the future anytime I get. Thanks Andy! read more

Andy is the best! I've brought my cars to him several times over the past couple of years. He is super honest and extremely informative. Him and his team are TOP NOTCH. I've had a few issues come up with my cars (and I'll admit I'm not the best on upkeep with my cars - sorry Andy), and Andy has been there each of those times to help me out when I've been in a bind and kindly explain the cause of the issues I'd been experiencing. Seriously - give him a call and get on his schedule. You'll be impressed and put at ease after he's done with your car. read more

Andy is great and honest. He checked all my complaints on my vehicle and show me the truth behind the problem. I thought my brakes were out since I haven't replaced it in a while, but he checked it and showed me that I actually still hablve 90% left. I also asked him to check the squeeking sound coming from the steering wheel, he just fixed it for me at no charge. If you are looking for a dependable, courteous, and honest mechanic; Andy is your man, I highly recommend him. read more

Since I was so pleased with my first visit to Socal Motor Works last November, I returned last week for an oil change, transmission fluid change and to replace my tires. True to Andy's work ethic, he completed all of the work within just a few hours, did a great job and at such a reasonable price! He explains exactly what he needs to do and will even explain why something costs more or less (usually less) than the original quote. He even fixed a problem with my passenger door panel that I mentioned but wasn't a priority. The shop is very clean, safe and organized and I'll be going back for all of my car maintenance and repairs. There is no need to research any further - take your car to Andy, you will be in good hands! read more

Andy is the best at what he does, and does it with quality and professionalism. There is a saying that goes, "never judge the book by its cover." At Socal Motor Works, you definitely can. Just by looking at his shop, you can notice how spotless and organize he upholds his business, which is a direct representation of the kind of service he provides to his clientele. There is a reason why you constantly see valuable cars at his shop. It's because he provides valuable service. For what you get, his pricing is very competitive. read more

Andy is awesome! He's an honest mechanic, and will go above and beyond to make sure your car gets the best treatment. While changing my transmission fluid, he noticed my brake pads were worn and recommended a change of pads. My roommates take their cars here as well. He replaced my roommate's brake lamp for free! He also runs the shop and does all the work himself. I highly recommend this place! Bonus points for being in the car tuning game too. He really knows his stuff. read more

Andy at Socal Motor Works is a godsend! Getting my car checked out before was like pulling teeth... Dentist, DMV, Car Repair... I dreaded it! Let's just say being a young female automatically branded a sign on my forehead that said "CHEAT ME" to all auto repair men. And yes in my earlier days I've been duped into paying $400+ for "routine maintenance" on a brand new car when all I needed was an oil change. But those days are long gone and now I have Andy who is honest and reliable to take good care of my car. Andy really cares for his customers and always works to save you the most money possible. When I needed a part replaced on my TL, he turned me over to Acura since it was covered under warranty. Of course I didn't know that and he could have done the work himself and just charged me. But Andy's not like that. He's worked in the industry and has a lot of experience and connections especially when it comes to Hondas. He sent me to his personal friend at Weir Canyon Acura who took great care of me there as well. It feels so nice to know I'm in good hands when it comes to my car. Andy is the best and I've referred all my friends and co-workers to him. Finding a good mechanic, hair stylist, and dentist is crucial in life but certainly no easy feat. I'm still on the search for the other two, but thank God I'm set for life with Andy! read more

I was searching yelp for a while to find an honest repair shop and I'm glad I finally found SoCal Motor Works and its cool owner, Andy. I drive often to San Diego in my 2001 Lexus LS430 and I was due a major 90-100K maintenance where I had the following done... Items I brought with me from autopartswarehouse.com that SoCal Motor installed, labor below: Parts cost ~ $280 - Timing Belt (Aisin Kit) - Water Pump (Aisin Kit) - Bosch Spark Plugs (8) Parts and Labor done by SoCal Motor Works: (~ 8 hours) Labor Cost ~$650, Parts Cost ~$140 - Thermostat Assembly - Radiator Hose (lower) - Radiator Hose (upper) - Radiator Cap - Thermostat Gasket - Coolant (of course) Andy only recommends parts that really need replacing and is fair with the cost and will only change it with your "OK". I did my serpentine belt, air filter and cabin filters myself. Plus I've done my brake pads not too long ago. Yeah I can do most things, but when it comes to the TB & WP, I leave that to the professionals. The same job above at most Lexus dealers will be at least $1500-1800+. Save a few hundred and let So Cal Motors (Andy) do the job, keep him busy and in business!! He's my new favorite mechanic. read more

It's really hard to find a mechanic you can trust. That's why I'm really happy to have found Andy and SoCal Motor Works. I brought my husband's car in recently for an oil change. My husband also thought his brakes needed to be replaced because he heard some squeaking. I mentioned it to Andy and after the oil change he inspected the brakes. After inspection, Andy said the brakes were still very good and didn't need to be replaced. I know some shops are keen to make a quick buck and will lie to the customer in this instance, especially if the owner already assumes that a part needs to be replaced, so I really appreciated Andy's honesty. In addition, when he was doing the oil change, he noticed that transmission fluid was leaking due to a stripped transmission pan plug from a previous job done at a dealership. If he hadn't caught the problem, we probably wouldn't have found out about it until it was too late. Another thing to note - cleanest shop I've ever seen. Nice to see an owner take pride in keeping his shop so clean because it shows that he cares. If he cares about the cleanliness of his shop then he probably cares a great deal about his customers. I will continue to take my car and my husband's car to SoCal Motor Works. They are dependable and trustworthy, and that goes a long way in this industry. read more

This review is long over due. Andy is an honest excellent mechanic who is friendly and hard working. His diagnostic skill is top notch. Thank you for enabling me to keep enjoying my 13 year old ride. read more

Andy is an extremely professional, honest, and kind mechanic. We've been bringing my wife's car to him for the last year and every time has been as pain-free as you could possibly be at an auto repair shop. His prices are fair, he is extremely thorough, and he goes the extra mile by going over the car, topping off the fluids, and making sure that you don't pay for repairs you don't need. We thought that we had to get new brake pads and he told us it was only brake dust and we had plenty of life left in our current ones... anybody else would have probably charged for the new pads and laughed all the way to the bank, but not Andy! Highly recommended! read more

I feel like I'm repeating a lot of the obvious but it's all true! Andy is incredible! He's honest, professional and looks like he takes pride in his work and his shop. He's open to answer ANY questions you have and in my case, offered to show me exactly what the problem was and how he fixed it. He even offered recommendations for things that he couldn't take care of or was cheap/easy enough that I could probably do it myself. If you call first, you're likely to get an answering machine but don't worry, he's good at calling back! Or if he does pick up, just know that he's generally soft spoken but it doesn't mean he's not fantastic at what he does. I would recommend making an appointment to come in though. Each time I've needed a service, he's generally booked for the day but making appointments with him is a breeze. Check it out! You won't be disappointed by SoCal Motor Works! read more

Discovered SoCal motor works several years ago when I was taking a new job out of town commuting 500 miles a week and my car was having issues. I was in a time crunch because I was starting in 2 days. On a suggestion from my mom I called Andy up and he worked on my car past closing hours for 2 days and I was ready to go work. I have now been a loyal customer for 5 years. I bring both of my Lexus and my Honda to his shop. He is the most honest mechanic and person I have ever met. I went back to the dealer one more time and they said certain things were broken and needed to be replaced. I called Andy when I left the dealership and he got me right in. Non of the things the dealer said needed to be fixed were broken. I now have several of my friends and family go to Andy and love the quality of his work. Even when his shop is busy he always has time for questions and will squeeze me in to get work done. He goes above and beyond every visit. Will let me know if I can stretch out certain repairs when money is tight. The service is always great, friendly, and honest. I trust Andy with all of my cars; I know my wife and kids and myself are always safe and have never had any issues. I still drive 500 miles a week to my job as a firefighter and my car now has 230,000 miles! Never had one issue thanks to Andy! Prices are always reasonable. He has found a customer for life. If you want an honest quality reliable mechanic who always stands behind his work then this is your guy! read more

Socal Motor Works - My baby getting an oil change! - Auto Repair Near Me - Orange, California

I finally took the plunge and tried a new mechanic since I've moved pretty far away from my old one.. Yelpers recommended Andy and boy were they right! From what I could see today at my first visit, the reviews speak the truth. I appreciated that Andy made an appointment for me to come in instead of saying just come on down, he was expecting me and was able to start on my car immediately; the wait wasn't long at all. He was professional, thorough, kind, and very fair with his pricing. The shop was very clean; I'm incredibly picky about my car and was comfortable having it worked on in Andy's garage. I get the feeling that he will be truthful about necessary repairs in the future and I don't at all feel that I need to worry that I may be taken advantage of. I will definitely return for maintenance as well as repairs; Andy's shop is very highly recommended! read more

First off, Andy is a nice and trustworthy guy and has great customer service and turnaround time. I had a good experience EXCEPT he forgot to do ONE thing... He didn't tighten the car battery connection which had me almost stranded on a couple occasions until I realized what the problem was. (I had to deduct one star for that). read more

I've been taking our cars to Andy at SoCal Motor Works for about 6 years. He has been unfailingly professional and honest. His work is top notch, and he does not try to sell you on work you don't need. He has probably saved us hundreds of dollars over the years by being upfront about which services we need and which we don't. Life is way better when you are blessed to find a skilled mechanic you can trust. Andy is that kind of mechanic. read more

Just purchase a 89 Camry for my nephew with 112k miles. Needed a good/honest mechanic to look over the car and give me an estimate on how much it would cost to get the car in working/safe condition. I found Andy via Yelp and brought in the car. He completely went over the car and phoned me back with the estimate of what needed to be done. Andy worked with me on the costs as I had limited funds to invest in the car. We agreed on the work and the car was finished the next day. The car is running great, the nephew is thrilled that he has his own set of wheels and I'm satisfied with Andy's service. We have 3 other cars in the family and they will be serviced at Socal Motor Works from now on read more

Wow! Andy is a magician and a genuinely nice person. He is the only mechanic that could repair my 2007 Mazda Speed 3 after it started missing and bucking almost 2 years ago. Since then, no other mechanic nor even the Mazda dealer could find the problem. I spent $650 with one shop to replace the mass airflow sensor which did nothing. Worse yet, I could not get the car smogged because of 3 codes that no one could clear. I was literally driving the car without tags because it would not smog. Andy kept the car for 3 weeks and was able to find a fouled EGR valve and a bad O2 sensor. He replaced both parts which were buried below the turbo and solved all my problems. Then did the complex drive-cycle at nights on the freeway, which is necessary to clear the smog codes. Then he got the car smogged for me. He charge me a fair price.. way less than the Mazda dealer who said I needed new injectors for $2,500. Wouldn't have changed a thing! Thank you , Andy. You are truly a magician! read more

So happy to have found an excellent shop. I had taken my Mazdaspped 6 to another shop and they actually botched the install and repair on my engine parts. Socal fixed the other shop's errors and got my car running and sounding perfect touching up some other areas at no other cost. I can tell he really cares about what he does. I highly recommend and know you can trust this spot. I am a perfectionist and sometimes an annoying customer because I want to make sure its done right and they do it as good or better, as if it as their own car, and I definitely got that here. Awesome rates too! - Greg read more

Thanks Yelpers for your take on Andy of Socal Motorworks! I JUST FOUND MY GO-TO MECHANIC IN THE AREA! My family recently moved from the SGV a few months ago and we took our Honda's to Dr. Honda and various other places and were happy...but I wasn't looking forward to finding a new mechanic. The dealer WASN'T an option, and so I looked around on Yelp and found this place. Took my old 92 accord to Andy and he was just like you guys said - straight up, honest, a good guy who knows his stuff (former Honda dealer mech, I think). He knew I couldn't spend a lot on my old car, and so he did what he could to keep her running and gave me a thorough recommendation of what I could do to keep her going for years to come. I left his shop that day just happy, relieved, and comfortable with him, his work and knowing my family's cars will be in good hands. Trust me - he's excellent. Give him your car and your business - you won't be disappointed. Thanks again guys for the recommendation! read more

I was sick of seeing the red oil light on my car light up every time I started the car, so I finally bought it in to Socal Motor Works after reading the 5 star reviews online. I hate getting an oil change on my car because it takes an hour+ (especially at the EXPRESS service places). However, I must have gotten there at a good time because I only waited 10 minutes before Andy got to my car and finished the whole process in less than 45. Andy was courteous, professional and really considerate (offering to turn up the heat in the lounge if my four month old baby was cold). He told me how much everything would cost beforehand and let me know exactly what he was charging me. After checking my tire pressure, he told me that I would need to rotate my tires and gave me a discount because I was referred by yelp (thanks yelp!). Next time, I'll make an appointment and bring in my husband's car as he's due for an oil change any day now. read more

2nd time coming and always the best service ! Andy is a very honest man and knows what he is doing ! I came trust him with my car. He runs on appointments so give him a call to book ! read more

I've been going here for about 8 or so months now with getting oil changes, inspections, throttle body cleaning and so forth. First of all Andy is awesome, he's a genuine honest car mechanic who knows his stuff and patient even with car noobs like me. He runs a really clean shop, works quick but thorough and will walk you through everything he has done from start to finish. I came here initially with my G37S and he pointed out to me about a few issues such as both of my upper control arms going bad and leaking and rather than even quote me suggested that I go to the dealership as my car is under warranty and they'd replace it for free because of it, so essentially Andy saved me about $2,000+ dollars from the first meeting. I'll continue to go to Andy for all my automotive needs; he's a top grade guy running a top grade shop and I'd highly recommend him to anyone. read more

Come to Andy if you need work done to your car. He is a busy guy so please make an appointment. Thank you so much and I now have a new mechanic to go to. read more

You get what you pay for. Andy is an honest and fair repair guy. He helped fix a badly done brake job for my wife's Lexus IS250. read more

Andy is so awesome, I would consider him a friend. I found this place through yelp and Andy definitely earned all the 5 star reviews. He's a very easy going person and really experienced. read more

Very knowlegable and honest. Services done will only be charged, and they will only be worked on if confirmation by the owner is received first. He also checks all items around the car during a tune up for suggestions to repair at the owners discretion. I take both my cars there for service. Honda S2000, and Acura NSX. Since I have my car maintenance taken care of there, my cars always run great. Both cars have had their major service done at SoCal Motoworks. Both cars have zero leaks, zero problems, and I am always satisfied with the service and professionalism. read more

Andy always takes great care of my car. I wouldn't trust it to anyone else. He's an expert! Thanks Andy! The car drives, shifts and brakes like new! read more

Finding cheap mechanic is easy but finding knowledgeable and honest mechanic is not that easy! I stopped by about 6 different places including Honda dealer to fix my check engine light on my s2000. All of them charged me $3000~5000 without inspecting my car in detail. They just said they need to do head job for my engine so that's why expensive ! They all tried ripping me off. :( But I got my check engine light fixed with Andy. I spent less than 200 dollar to adjust valve space on my engine head. I have been maintaining my s2000 with andy more than 15 month. My car is the best condition now ! I'm still happy so I took a picture of his shop lastweek n uploaded it. 2005 Black s2000 on the right is my car. And the other s2000, NSX is other customers car. He takes care of customers car. If you find the person can trust, knowledgeable and honest, " Andy is the man ! " Thanks Andy ! from JB. read more

See all

Andy is a one man team and he prides himself on helping the consumer. Went for an oil change and regular maintenance and he explained everything clearly for me. He went above and beyond what was asked and I feel like I have a new car. He even fixed my sunroof that I've been having issues with for free. He was more than pleased to help anyway he could which is very rare in any industry. I'm all for supporting the small companies who try to win over customers with customer service and this is one that I will keep in contact with from now on. I wish all the luck in expanding in the future I know this guy will make it big!!! read more

Andy at Socal Motor Works definitely deserves 5 stars!! I called and requested a last minute replacement radiator based on what I presumed was a damaged (and albeit very old) radiator in my 11 year old Subaru. He saw me right away because he squeezed me in knowing my situation was dire, which I appreciated. I got a quote for a new radiator, and Andy could've said that I should replace it because I was prepared to do so. (This is what the dealership recommended.) But because he has integrity and an ethical character, he inspected it thoroughly and said that flushing the system and new coolant would suffice. The dealership would have not only charged me a lot more, but tried to get me to replace the entire cooling system to take advantage of the situation. In the process, he also noticed that some small lightbulbs around my license plate and parking lights needed replacing, which is something no one has ever bothered to inspect before! (I know this because I just had an oil change a few weeks prior and they only inspected the major lights.) He was so helpful and kind and knowledgeable that I would recommend Socal Motor Works to everyone I know! read more