I called was given a smog appointment for the next day and they were ready when I arrived a little early. Complete in around 15 minutes and all paperwork explained and provided. Very fair price and friendly and professional. I also noticed the shop and area is tidy despite the limited space. I'll be going back when I need service and I recommend it to all who live in Lakeside, Bostonia, or even El Cajon. read more

Clear communication and friendly service. What more could you want from a mechanic?...

Do not go here . Not reliable . I called them and they said to come in 40 minutes . I came , they said "oh I can get you an appointment two hours" and explained I had called and they said I could come and drove all the way here . It's also disgusting in the front office . Ridiculous read more

Wintergardens Smog & Tune - Honestly disgusting place - Auto Repair Near Me - Lakeside, California

Been coming here for years. Best place in town. Friendly service from a distinguished veteran. Highly recommend!

My family and I have been taking our vehicles to Winter Garden Smog and tune for the last 25 years they have done exceptional work every time and we all very much appreciate all of their efforts thank you Winter Gardens smog in tune read more

This is the only place I recommend or bring any of my vehicles for a smog. They are fast and efficient, super nice people!! read more

Wintergardens Smog & Tune - Outside - Auto Repair Near Me - Lakeside, California

The work they do is fine and done by average time but the labor price will be exaggerated extremely. Labor price will cost more then the actual parts. For run of the mill car maintenance do it yourself. read more

I love these guys. I have been going there for a while. They have always done exceptional work on my car when needed and are knowledgeable and helpful when it comes to smogging and different options one may have. I highly recommend these guys. I always leave happy. read more

I want to thank Elite Especially Travis/Trevor not sure how he spelled it. He was so honest and so helpful. He did everything he could to help me with my SUV. Guided me to another facility that could. Thanks again. I'll recommend all my friends in the future to Elite. read more

I went to this shop on the high recommendations on Yelp. They did not disappoint. From my first phone call to the pick-up of my vehicle, I was highly satisfied. Their customer service is top notch. Mike was very thorough in explaining the issue with my car. He even had me test drive it before paying to ensure I was content. Highly recommend! read more

Great crew, they explained what I wanted to know, about a future brake check on the fluids for the future. Ashley has a mechanical background herself. I am not sure of who the guy was at front with her, but he too super profession on my smog certification, and how a retest would work if for some reason it failed. I was worried. Ashley said "you should never worry about your car" then I explained to her of another place I had gone to who I thought was not being above board with me having to replace the catalytic every two years? he words and expression set me right at ease! I LOVE THIS PLACE!! And by the looks and sound of it from a few others who came by as I was leaving so are they. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. read more

Having been recommended by a close friend, I took my truck there for a front wheel bearing that went bad. The work done was great and the price was cheaper than Pep Boys where I had the other wheel bearing replaced a few months earlier. When I began having over heating problems I returned to Mike and his guys at Wintergardens and they diagnosed it as a bad head gasket, I did not even think of a better place to trust my truck to have the engine worked on. Now a few months later with no problems whatsoever with any aspect of their work, I would definitely recommend them to my friends as an "Honest, Very Reasonable Priced place to have any automotive work done!" Thanks Guys! http://www.philolea.com/prerunr.html read more

Wintergardens Smog & Tune - Auto Repair Near Me - Lakeside, California

I trust this mechanic like I would trust my dad!! Extremely friendly and knowledgeable staff. Good pricing. They won't try to get you to do stuff you don't need. They're just all-around the best! read more

I have been taking my truck in for over a decade now. Mike and Justin know what they are doing and try to help as many people as they can. When you dont know a mechanic you can trust - I recommend them only 1000% of the time. Several of my friends and family members drive out of their way to Lakeside because when Wintergardens Auto says it - it is!! Please give 'em a try. They are just good guys and know absolutely what they are doing!! Thanks you guys! JC san diego read more

My family and I have been going in for repairs and tune ups for decades. Best value, wonderful work. And always leave our vehicles as clean as they found them. read more

I had the BEST experience...UNHEARD of in the automotive world. I had an oil change done at Kia of El Cajon. (I have a Kia) haha and they proceeded to tell me that i need my front breaks done. and gave me a quote of over $200 . I was talking to my co worker about and she suggested i get a second opinion from wintergardens smog & Tune and if it was true, they would probably be cheaper then a dealer (my thought as well) So heres the best part..... I drop my car off for a diagnostic at Wintergardens Smog&Tune and get a call back an hour later telling me that I DONT NEED NEW BREAKS! What, WHAT!!?? How awesome and honest is that! They are worn but not enough to warrant new breaks. I mean come on... they could have totally played me and made a little cash like we all think shops do. BUT NOT THIS PLACE!! Everyone from the owner to the workers were so super friendly and honest. They totally won my business for good! Bye Bye KIA read more

I met mike and Justin about 10 years ago once i received a referral from Dave who owned the Chevron gas station in Lakeside. He was retiring and told me to go to Winter gardens. Dave could not be wrong. He is first HONEST and Loyal. They are up front with all issues and and has always helped Susie and Myself read more

After many, many years of outstanding, responsive and quality service here I realized I hadn't written a review to appreciate everyone at Wintergardens Smog & Tune! They are amazing and for the past ten plus years have taken care of all our family vehicles as well as those of numerous friends... consistently amazed and delighted at the quality work, friendly and helpful people and their willingness to answer some of my more novice questions! Cannot imagine what we would do if we didn't have Mike, Justin and their team of pros here to help us with our numerous family vehicles! read more

Another great visit to Winter Garden's Smog and Tune! Mike and Justin are so great to work with! Added bonus is that they can do smogs as well! I have been a very happy and satisfied customer of Mike's since 1997! Thanks Mike and Justin for taking such great care of my "car" babies! read more

As always, extremely efficient and done in about 3 milliseconds ! Highly recommend these guys. read more

They saved me so much money and the guy at the desk was very friendly I willl never go anywhere else, so loyal!

Great auto shop. Owner Mike and all of his staff are friendly and honest. They can usually get you in same day and out in a reasonable amount of time. I even recommend to my boss and he was impressed as well. read more

Omg I have to say it agine this place is wonderful you all u can have all the trust in the world with this place I'm telling you this guy these people are amaseing u can't go worng comeing there .I was in a state of shock on the hugh favor he did for me praise God and please bless these people .I will never ever forget you all never ty ty ty ty . I want to give a big shout out to the all the employees .but to the man who helped me u know who u are tell your boss ty as well .your trully a great man .you really did great and I can't tell you a nuff how thank ful I am or my pregnant lady is .I will be personally telling anyone in San Diego that this is the best place to go .you will be treated fairly they are honest they are straight forward they are extremely honest .u can not beat comeing here at all folks . read more

Years ago, I started going to Wintergardens Smog & Tune for smog checks, Then I started going to them for repairs of all my vehicles and very glad I do. The one thing I really love about them is when repairs need to be done, they discuss the priorities with you if you don't have the money for all of the repairs to be done at once. They also give you a heads up on repairs that will probably be needed in the future. I always feel like what they tell me is information I can depend on due to their honesty read more

My family has gone here for years. They are so amazing, helpful and so trustworthy. I wouldn't take my cars anywhere else

I went here because my trucks previous owner told me that they would tinker with the engine to get it to pass. Since buying the truck I have put extensive work into that engine and I know for how much the engine has been improved in the 4 months since I purchased it however when I brought it to the shop they told me just from hearing it that it wasn't going to pass. I said that doesn't make any sense because they passed it when it sounded way worse. I told them that Jeremy (previous owner) told me that they worked on it and made it pass and that I have since given it a full tune up and had the manifold worked on why would it pass then and not now. They snickered at me and said that's what happens you buy it and stuff breaks down. I reiterated the fact that I have had extensive work done since then and that the engine has been greatly improved. They still refused to "waste my money" and never even attempted to check my smog. The only difference I can see between then and now is that the previous owner was a man and I as a female cannot possibly know anything about taking care of my truck. This is the first time I have felt like I was being patronized for being a woman. Haven't we moved passed this as a society? read more

I accidentally stumbled upon this place last week. I was driving up Wintergardens Blvd. and my car. just. died. As I started to panic, I looked to my left and saw -a mechanic! Not just any mechanic, these guys were so helpful, they pushed my car out of the middle of the street and took a look under the hood. Well, I was grateful for the kindness but I also did a quick Yelp on my phone and saw the great reviews. They looked at my car that afternoon, figured out what was wrong and had it done in the morning. I appreciated that they took the time to show me the old parts and explain what went wrong. When you're female, sometimes mechanics just figure you won't understand or care; they didn't act like that here. I am very happy to have broken down right in front of their shop, I have found a great mechanic! read more

I NEVER want to have to see an auto mechanic. However, every time I have taken my car, work truck or referred someone I know to Wintergarden I/they always leave happy. I couldn't imagine going anyplace else. Thanks for always taking care of me. read more

I have depended and relied on the service provided by Winter Gardens team for many years.... Honesty, dependability, reliability are part of this successful business. I have recommended their services to others and reviews have been remarkable. read more

MY FAVOURITE Auto Repair establishment. This is the place to go if your car is not feeling well. The guys have fixed both minor and major problems with aplomb and grace. My car has a smile on its face when it knows we're going to see the repair shop. It helps that their prices are fair, and their customer dealings are tip top honest. read more

I had an emissions problem which was beyond my capability to diagnose. I needed a good mechanic and after reading the reviews, I thought I would check this shop out. What I found is that these guys are outstanding! They have the equipment and knowledge to quickly diagnose the problem and the repairs are done right. They are very friendly and extremely helpful. I also think their prices are very fair. Randomly choosing mechanics is like a coin toss. There are good ones and there are bad ones. I was so satisfied with Mike and the guys at the Smog & Tune shop that I felt like I needed to recommend them to anyone who might read this. read more

Man, I was blown away by the service here. Professionalism and job knowledge is hard to find these days as well as great service. These guys have it all. I'll be back as a return customer and would recommend them anytime. read more

Mike and his crew have been servicing our family vehicles for over 10 years. Most recently he helped with my dodge that was just outside of factory warranty. Saved me a huge headache and bill. Thanks Mike. I would and have referred Mike to friends and family. read more

I was recommended here by my son's boss, but I won't use them again nor recommend them. I cannot speak about the quality of the work, I only know that after having my car a full day, with my 2 follow up calls seeming to irritate Mike, I was told at 4pm what repairs were needed and to bring it back (I had originally been told it should take a few hours, that's why I made arrangements to leave it there all day). I removed my vehicle, took it elsewhere the next morning and within 3 hours it had a new oxygen sensor and passed smog at the other shop. I guess if you have a vehicle you don't need to use and can just leave it sit with them for a few days, maybe they would be ok. read more

I made my last car payment 2 months ago...so of course, it broke down on me. I was refered to Wintergardens Smog and Tune by my regular auto shop. I was apprehensive about taking my car to someone I didn't know, (no one had touched my car but my regular shop), but as it turned out, my fears were unfounded. I was treated with respect and kindness by Mike and Geoff, and was kept informed on the progress on my car. The timing belt had broken, resulting in cylinder valves bending. The heads had to be redone, and valves replaced, so I was expecting an extensive repair bill. The work was done for WAY less than I would have payed at a dealership, or even another shop. A few days after I got the car back, my check engine light came on, so I took it back. They went through the engine again, and found the spark plugs I had were sub-standard and they replaced them. When I picked the car up, Mike wouldn't let me pay them for the work OR the plugs that were replaced! How refreshing is that! I'm going to take them some sandwiches, or maybe a pizza for lunch tomorrow! Even if it's out of your way, it will be worth your time, and your pocketbook, to bring your car to Wintergardens Smog and Tune! Thanks to the guys at Wintergardens Smog and Tune...I'll still be able to afford my vacation this year! read more

I called a week ahead of time to make a Saturday appointment. I arrived to my appointment ten minutes early, and asked a gentleman where I should park. His response was "Oh... they didn't call you? Yeah, they decided not to open today". So, my Saturday morning was wasted because this company didn't have the decency to inform me their shop wouldn't be open the day of my appointment. I can only imagine how they conduct the rest of their business. read more

I took my car to Mike on the advice of a friend, and have had it back twice since. Three times he has worked on my vehicle and three times he has gone above and beyond. He always seems to find some other little problem and never, ever charges for taking care of it. Each time I handed over my credit card I felt good about the amount he charged me. I will take my car to Mike from now on. read more

I agree with Freddy Z, Mike is the best!

LOVE THIS PLACE! The dude Justin always remembers who I am when I call (he's tinkered with my cars check engine light many times)! TRUST THESE GUYS 100!!! And being a chick I've never once felt like I was getting taken advantage of...unlike some other shit shops! A++++ guys! read more

I started going to Wintergardens after my parents started going there. Mike is nice and reasonable. He is very honest and doesn't try to sell you or oversell you things you don't need and gives you a timeline of when to get things fixed. I now live in University Heights and I drive all the way out to Lakeside to take my care to Mike. I would rather take my car somewhere where I know someone wont leave a hose lose or leave a cap off (where it has happened to many other places). Very Happy with this place. read more