I am automatically cautious when using a new auto repair shop. Sometimes they are not so honest or competent. Thankfully, Terry's is different. The first thing you notice is the appearance of the facility and the friendliness and approachability of the staff. The next thing is their diagnostic service - and follow up communication. In my case the answer was a visit to the dealer for a computer update. They did the right thing, instead of the thing they could have profited from. That's integrity and quality, and it's so rare. I'll be returning to, and recommending Terrys to anyone who wants a trustworthy auto mechanic. Special shout out to Logan who took care of us! read more

Terry and his team have never disappointed me since I started going there more than 15 years ago... they have handled everything from my minivan to my convertible, and they're always responsible, prompt, fair, and genuine. The genuine part is the important part because that's very hard to find these days... But this group - led by Terry- have never disappointed me. That speaks volumes in my book! read more

In this day and age it is so refreshing to deal with a business that has integrity and that truly seems to care about their customers. Bravo!!! And thank you!!! Took our beast of a car there and she is back and running!! Yay!!! Well worth the cost to get a little more out of her. Again thank you!! Highly recommend read more

Extremely trustworthy and great team of mechanics and front of house. Logan is a great communicator on the phone. Honest about timelines for diagnostic, ordering parts, and completing work. Keeps you informed throughout the process. This is especially helpful when you're scheduling life are down a car for a couple days. read more

Thank you Austin - Terry's Auto Services was thorough, reasonably priced, and extremely responsive. I'm so happy I found a neighborhood mechanic I can count on. I'd rate them higher than five stars if I could. read more

I have recommended this repair shop to many people and have been using them for years.

Terry's said our A/C compressor needed to be replaced. About a $1,000 repair. Took it to a dealership, they ran tests, didn't detect a leak or issue with the compressor. They refilled it for $70 and saved us a lot of money. I recommend using a different auto repair company. read more

My car was making a weird thumping noise. I took it to two mechanics, including the dealer, and both did work on the car and claimed they had fixed it, but the noise never went away. Finally someone I trust recommended Terry's so I tried one more time and they really took it seriously, spent the time to figure it out and fixed it! Not only that, but I had a list of services the dealer had recommended and Terry's did them at a fraction of the price the dealer wanted to charge. These guys are honest and reliable. Highly recommend. read more

I had a great experience at Terry's and would definitely recommend them (great work, pricing and honest).

The best repair shop in SD! Very honest and trustworthy. I won't take my truck anywhere else.

Easy to schedule an appointment and the service is excellent. An honest shop that you can trust. I recommend them highly.

I brought my vehicle here after being told I needed a whole new engine from a different auto shop. After a thorough inspection the shop informed me it was just a battery issue and my car up and running with no issues since. They are honest and upfront which I appreciate from an auto shop. Value is worth a peace of mind. read more

Since moving to area over 8 years ago haven't really needed an auto mechanic. Being 63 I have gone through the anxiety of finding a fair, knowledgeable and professional mechanic you can trust. The search is over......after researching reviews and getting recommendations decided on giving Terry's a try. Honest, fair, prompt, caring are a few words that come to mind. Terry communicated with me every step of my repair, including keeping me posted daily on my part which had to be ordered. They repaired my vehicle in hours, not days. I can't express how relieving this is to have found a shop that I know will take care of our car(s).......Thank you everyone at the shop for being pleasant and professional. Mike read more

A truly great shop, so grateful that my friend recommended this place. The customer service was excellent, the communication always prompt and the service was timely & well done. I would now recommend this place to anyone and they've earned my business for life!!!! read more

Everything is amazing! Great service and feed back with my car. Friendly staff and easy to book appointments.

Phillip is very helpful, and honest. I knew I needed brakes soon but he said we have some time before they have to be changed. Having a place you can go and trust which is still affordable is the best. read more

I've been going to Terry's for years and these are honest hard working mechanics who do such great work. It's unfortunately harder to find a mechanic who stands by their work these days and I'm so glad I found them. I've seen in other reviews that Terry is often referred to as "Honest Terry." Him and his team live up to the name. read more

While getting a car repair is sometimes not at all pleasant, Terry and Phillip at Terry's Auto Specialist are absolutely the best!! They went the extra mile and were very friendly and helpful! We felt the price was good too. We highly recommend Terry's! 10 read more

These guys are the best, especially Terry. Always great service, fair & honest! I don't want the secret to get out but they deserves a 5 star rating! They always get me in right away. They explain what they're going to do & get me to work on time! Love these guys! This is a place you can trust! read more

Terrys took my Highlander last minute when the car was smoking and acting crazy. Terrys team took the time to research and try to find the problem. We appreciate you and the team's efforts last minute. Mahalo! read more

Came here with my friend when we drove from the Bay Area to San Marcos for the weekend on June 2025. They provided great and timely service that still made our trip worthwhile. They got us to confidently drive home. read more

randomly went to Terry's automotive on a whim, and it was the best choice I made all year. Matt resolved my car problem when you can clearly see he had a lot on his plate..but made time for my vehicle anyways. And hands down it was the best experience I've had at an automotive shop. The service was affordable, honest, and effective. I highly recommend Terry's automotive shop. They made a loyal customer out of me, in 3 hours. read more

Easy to get an appointment, did the work I needed, didn't oversell me on things I didn't need, and it was done quickly.

Terry's was recommended to me by a close friend after I expressed frustration with my local dealer. About a year ago, I brought my car in with a laundry list of things that needed to be repaired in hopes of saving a little from what the dealer was quoting. After an inspection, Philip told me several items on the list were unnecessary. In his exact words, "many of these repairs/extra services are common industry scams". This past month, I was in a bind and had to take my car to another mom-and-pop shop for service. The owner there told me my front breaks were nearly metal and metal. I took my car back to Terry's when my schedule cleared and I told them I needed new breaks. Shortly after I dropped off my car, one of the techs called to inform me that my breaks still had 50% pad life. I estimate Terry's has saved me $1,000 from common rip-offs. New or old, I will never take my vehicle anywhere else! read more

Great place for automotive repair and services. Austin and his team run a top notch shop here. Give them a chance and they'll earn your trust! read more

everyone is awesome ! nice people i woukd highly recommend going to this place they did such a great job

This shop was recommended by a friend. They were very honest when looking at my car and very fairly priced

No longer owned/run by Terry unfortunately. Even if he was a bit of a jerk he was a very honest man who wouldn't upsell you and take advantage just to make a quick buck off unknowing customers. The last time i've been there since he left, i found out one of his ignorant fast paced workers cross threaded 3 of my 20 my lug nuts. I then attempted to remove the lug nuts and the threads snapped in half on 2 of my wheels. This caused me to have to replace all 3 the studs which is a bigger hassle than it sounds. read more

My son took his 2002 Chevy Trailblazer into Terry's for the "check engine" light on and the dashboard panel lights going off and on. The diagnosis was a worn out gas cap causing vapor to escape and the dashboard lights were adjusted by a button to regulate the brightness. Total cost was to replace the gas cap! I am sure my son could have been told many things were causing the check engine light to come on but he was told the truth. read more

What a great shop! Number 1, you can TRUST these guys. I'm going back, straight shooter's. read more

Terry strikes me as a guy who is absolutely allergic to BS, which is the number one trait I look for in a mechanic. He is as honest as can be and has an impressive breadth of knowledge about all car makes. I called several places asking for a quote for a job that was slightly beyond my abilities but would take a mechanic no more than ten minutes. Before Terry, all of the responses were condescending and expensive. Terry was beyond reasonable. While a member of his team quickly and expertly installed my part, I got to hang out for a bit with Terry, who is also very bright and funny in addition to being a whiz with cars. I enjoyed hearing about his Datsun training early on in his career as well as what cars he sees most frequently (and are thus the most unreliable). I will inevitably have more expensive and difficult repairs in the future. When I do, I will without hesitation turn to Terry's Auto Specialist, where expertise, fairness, and a touch of humor come together to create an exceptional automotive service experience. read more

I was looking at buying a 1991 Toyota pickup and made arrangements with Phillip to have a pre-purchase inspection done. Not a lot of shops are able to get you in same day but Phillip worked me in no problem. Once he and the mechanic inspected the truck, he pulled me aside and told me all it's issues, and basically said don't buy it the clutch is shot and cooling system is too and there would have been more with a deeper dive. Kudos to the crew at Terry's for doing right by their customers and saving them literally thousands of dollars. I'll definitely go to Terry's you guys earned my business! read more

Great crew. Very professional, caring, and helpful. Fair, honest, and better prices compared to others. Thank you Austin for your guys' great and prompt service. And the Keurig coffee! Also nice that they're right off the freeway. read more

Highly recommend this auto service shop. They are under a new owner, but still doing a great job! Very quick and friendly service at fair prices. read more

We been relying on Terry for many years. The service is excellent and performed quickly. The staff is helpful and knowledgeable in their field. They go above and beyond to be sure the job is done right. read more

My 2017 Ford Fusion signaled that I had a coolant issue and my engine temp was rising. I called Terry's Auto and spoke to Philip. He asked me a few questions and spent about 7min on the phone with me detailing the possibilities but informed me that 99% of the time my coolant is probably low. And my coolant bin was bone dry. I spent $19 at a local parts store and my worries were over. Or so I thought. Fast forward 2 weeks and my Fusion began signaling again of its coolant depravity. I knew I had a leak. I called back and Philip immediately remembered our conversation weeks back and it was in Terry's shop by the end of the day, Friday. Monday morning I get a courtesy call from Terry explaining that I indeed do have a leak. But not a hose leak that's a $200 repair. He found coolant in my oil and smelled burning coolant in the engine bay. I have a gasket issue. This issue with intensive labor of pulling off the engine cover and removing the parts to locate a fissure and remedy could cost upwards of $4k! Terry did not recommend going down this avenue on my 97k-mile Ford. Put $4k into another car. I picked up my car with "no charge." Terry spoke frankly about my options and did mention only a dealership would take my money, if I'm willing to give it, without concern for the car or the customer. Thank you Terry & Philip for your honest take. You turned down $4k for the customer's benefit and your continued 5-star reputation. You will forever be our Auto Specialists! This review is for anybody who wishes to hear my opinion... read more

Super kind and funny guys :) They're here to help you, not drain your bank account. Thank you thank you thank you!

Honest as they come, Im a long time customer and have always been very satisfied with my auto repairs and they can be costly so its always good to know Im am in good hands with this shop and they would never tell me I needed something I didn't. Usually those only write reviews do so when they are dissatisfied and forget to do so when things are exceptional well today was EXCEPTIONAL I called in a panic last minute today before this Holiday weekend as early this morning one of my co-workers pointed out I had a really loud scraping noise sound as I pulled into work this am and most told me it was most likely rotors and I should not be driving my car... I called Terry he said he could get me in and try to do the work today if I got there in time..I get there they take it in and he comes out with this in had and tells me today is my lucky day and to go home it turned out it was a simple pebble/ rock causing all the noise.. So thankful for this place who knows else where I could have really been taken advantage of ..Thank you Terry!!!!! read more

Terry's Auto Specialist - ROCK - Auto Repair Near Me - San Marcos, California

Been going to Terry's Auto for over 24 years! Honest, reasonable and always helpful for anything that you need done to your vehicle!

This place took my car right away had engine problems needed to bring it in right away had it towed there left my key in a dropbox they looked at my car and knew right away what was wrong with it I really appreciate them so much it is very rare to find a place like this nowadays they take such good care of their customers thank you thank you you took great care of my husband and his car we will definitely be returning customers Al was the best read more