Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Universal Brakes & Alignment

    3.9 (77 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Services - Universal Brakes & Alignment

    Auto battery or electrical system repair

    Auto brake repair

    Auto engine repair

    Universal Brakes & Alignment Photos

    You might also consider

    More like Universal Brakes & Alignment

    Recommended Reviews - Universal Brakes & Alignment

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Right tie rod axle nut
    Jordan F.

    Was a pretty good alignment for about 20 mins; BUT the bolts they needed to tighten down on the tie rod were not even done properly so 10 miles later my car is looking like it's going to a low rider meeting. Took it to a different shop had it done correctly not worth my time waiting for an inconvenience and another $150

    After this my car still takes numerous cranks and wakes the whole neighborhood before I can get it started.

    This place is the worst. I had my car towed here because it was close to where it stalled and would not restart. They told me they would need to do 3 hours of diagnostics at $135/hour to determine the problem. Said it was the starter (go figure) and the part would be $304. The starter they said was burned out was one year old and under warranty but would take me 3 or 4 days to have shipped and they stated their concern about storing my car there until I could get it (mind you they ended up having my car for 13 days, always saying Joe Shmoe didn't come in and they were behind). My son in law does deliveries to a business across the street and could see that my car had rarely been moved or worked on during the 2 weeks they had it. They put the starter in and when I called said it also needed an ignition switch for another $700. I said okay and now they say it needs a new lock cylinder and charged me $220 to program the key! So they finally got the car started after having it over a week but it won't stay running and needs a fuel pump for another $700. At this time I didn't have much choice and went and paid them $1847 in addition to a $300 deposit I had paid. So I go to pick it up and they say they don't recommend I drive it because it is misfiring and want more money for further diagnostics! Dudes, if you haven't been able to diagnose the problem in 13 days and $2147, you never will. The fuel pump was a misdiagnosis. You could hear it prime and even if it was weak, was not the problem. I was driving the car the day before I brought it to these guys. What are the chances of the starter, ignition switch, and fuel pump all dying in one stall? LOL These guys just threw parts at it and wanted to continue to charge for inaccurate diagnostic time they never did. Newsflash guys, it needs a tune up. You aren't gonna get thousands more dollars from me for the obvious diagnosis that me, a 60 yr old lady, can tell by listening to it run. DUH! Oh, and thanks for leaving your dirty shop rags on my velour seats and not putting any paper floor mats over my custom embroidered ones. I will see you when I come to pick up my Haynes manual I left with you and is not in car. Oh, I almost forgot, when installing the ignition they f'ed up my horn so it was blaring periodically all the way home. I had asked the guy before I left how to stop it and he said "CUT THE WIRES" LOL. I called when I got home (and my neighbors ran outside to see what the horn beeping was all about) and the owner said bring it back and he would fix what they did to the horn but they were closing for the day because it was hot outside. Welcome to the desert in late August. They even had the nerve to charge me $30 for the gas they put in my car after changing the fuel pump. Gas in a car I can't drive, THANKS! By the way the car is a 1991 Firebird that I told them was not worth putting a lot of money into.

    Installed the new catalytic convertor.

    See all

    5 years ago

    Service was great. Abel was friendly and professional. He got me in and out quick with new rotors and pads.

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of J D.
    0
    5
    1

    8 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    They fixed the nail in my wife's tire, on a Saturday, and they even put the spare back.

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Greg R.
    15
    15
    0

    8 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Universal auto is the best,they have worked on my Honda S2000 for years, always great work and reasonable..recommend them to everyone

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Critic T.
    46
    81
    81

    12 years ago

    Best customer service. They have done a tremendous amount of work on my car and they get it done right. Definitely recommend this place.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Great service. Fab helped me out in a jam during a trip from CA to AZ and got me back on the road in no time. Thank you!

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    These folks know how to repair vehicles. The price is fair and the folks are friendly. I won't go anywhere else.

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Anna K.
    144
    18
    22

    9 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Abel L.

    Abel L.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Beto C.
    66
    15
    2

    12 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Universal Brakes & Alignment

    Are you a STAR station for smog certification?

    Yes, We are a STAR station. You are welcome to come in today. We are open Monday through Friday 8-5pm.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Universal Brakes & Alignment

    Abel was upfront on the phone but suggested I bring it in so they could look at it and give me an estimate.

    Mentioned in 16 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Certified Smog & Auto Repair

    Certified Smog & Auto Repair

    (85 reviews)

    Our family of four cannot thank Certified Smog and Auto Repair enough for the outstanding service…read morethey provided during what could have been a miserable travel day. We were driving home to Phoenix from Los Angeles on a very hot day when, about two hours into our trip, our vehicle's air conditioning suddenly stopped working. With my wife and our two young children (ages 8 and 6) in the car, we knew we needed help fast. AAA directed us to Certified Smog and Auto Repair based on our location, and we're incredibly glad they did. As a AAA-certified repair facility, they took us in immediately and began diagnosing the problem right away. Even better, they completed the repair the very same day, allowing us to continue our trip without an overnight delay or major disruption to our plans. A special thank you to Santiago and Pancho for their professionalism, urgency, and commitment to getting our family back on the road as quickly as possible. Their quick work made all the difference. We also greatly appreciated that they honored our AAA membership and applied a discount to the repair. Considering this was an unexpected emergency repair while traveling, the final cost was very fair and affordable. Thanks to their excellent service, my wife and kids were able to ride the rest of the way home in complete comfort instead of enduring the desert heat. We know every repair situation is different, but based on our experience, this shop absolutely earned a 5-star review from our family. Thank you again, Santiago, Pancho, and everyone at Certified Smog and Auto Repair!

    If there were 10 Stars i would a just it to 10 .I have been receiving service on our trucks for…read moreyears and what I can say for sure is that my Husband and I are still driving and still happy with every thing that they have done for us both so far and just to let you know we do not live in Indio we live in Thousand Palms CA. Another example I had my truck towed there today and was not looking forward to what I was sure was going to be a disaster but I also knew that my truck was going to be in the right place with a company that knew after a while that between Santiago & Pancho it would be finished in the best of hands and it was..And that is the main reason I had my truck towed to Certified Smog and Auto Repair. And if you read the above you will know why you will be in the best hands with the Owners Santiago & Pancho in Coachella Valley and why i recommend Certified Smog and Auto Repair

    Universal Brakes & Alignment - autorepair - Updated August 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...