These professionals have years of collective experience that has made them one of the best independently owned providers in the city!! They can repair any combustion engine problem and have worked on our family cars since 1982! They are fairly priced and on time as well. Easy to find off the 5 and Rosecrans. One of the best run automotive repair shops in the county! Joy is so good at the front office with knowledge and time management! The facility is clean and organized too. read more

I needed to bring my car in the shop to fix the first bumper and brakes. The office employee was very helpful and helped me talk through the cars issues. She was flexible with me as l am a college student and have not been to an auto shop at all. The mechanics were nice to, pointing me in the right direction when I got there. There are a place to sit inside the office and the paperwork was easy to understand. read more

The best most honest mechanics we have ever worked with. No matter what the issue is, they work to resolve it and offer constant communication with their customers. I have brought our personal vehicles and work vehicles to Woods for years and we are always happy with the outcome. Even if it's a big job, and something needs more time and resources, they are honest and fair. I refer friends and other people to them all the time and everyone is always so pleased with the service. Thank you Joy for the joy you bring to our lives. :) read more

I found Joy and Mario through a friend and im so glad i did. They are reasonable, they are reliable and they are really there to take care of your problem. They have great communication, explain things well. They are my new mechanics, they are a great team. read more

We have used them for many years. Joy & Mario have always used genuine aftermarket parts & been honest in all their dealings with us. They know what they are good at & give us good referrals to other vendors for work they do not do. Our used Honda 2013 has been perking along with their excellent help since 2015. read more

Woods coordinator, "Joy", actually really does know cars. And the staff mechanics are knowledgable, experienced, and honest. Their pricing is very competitive, and you will be supporting a long-time local shop when you use them. I have used them for many years and highly recommend them. read more

Quick, friendly response. Clean, well-equipped shop. Knowledgeable service. Extremely satisfied!

They need more workers! To keep up with the demand. It took to long to have my car looked at. The mechanic was on the phone while working on a car they should be focused on the job at hand and not on the phone while working. read more

I saw good reviews and got a recommendation for this shop, and I am glad I went there! My car's A/C system was broken, and they fixed it for a very reasonable price and did a wonderful job. Everyone at the shop was very friendly and professional, and they had my part ordered quickly and got it fixed in one day, even though it was an extensive repair. They scheduled me quickly and were available by phone each time I called. I will be going back for any future repairs on my car and will recommend Woods Automotive to friends and family. Thank you! read more

I was given a recommendation to take my car here after I started hearing my breaks. I was very satisfied with Mike and his crew. He was very busy when I called but told me to come down so he could listen to the breaks. If it was urgent to get them done he said he will squeeze me in even though he was slammed. When I went down there one of his mechanics took my car around the block to listen and when he got back he took a look at the breaks. Mike then looked up prices of the breaks, they will only use factory parts on your car, and broke down prices for me. He told me the price with and without turning the rotors and gave me the option of telling him what I would like done. He was super honest and straight forward. He also understood that I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg. I will be taking my car here from now on to be worked on by Mike and his crew! read more

Woods Automotive - Woods Automotive - Auto Repair Near Me - San Diego, California

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Excellent customer service and great communication. Was able to take my car in last minute and get it repaired faster than expected. Mario and Joy are awesome! read more

Joy at the front desk always goes out of her way to provide fantastic customer service, while also offering sound technical advice. She also does a great job of keeping records and she knows our vehicles very well. This is important, especially with a slightly older vehicle. Mario (head mechanic) has been at Woods for as long as I can remember. He always does great work, and knows my 4Runner better than anyone at this point. Reliable, honest, organized.... that's Woods. read more

This place is awesome. The mechanics and Joy at the front desk are extremely friendly and knowledgable. I am really glad that I found this place and highly recommend it. read more

Woods Automotive has taken care of us for years. You really can't get any better than their service and reliability.

I will try and keep this short. Took my car for brake check at another shop. Front brakes installed. was told I would need shocks and struts. in the way home, car seemed to ride a lot bumpier than before the brake job. Took to another shop to see if it was the shocks/struts. They told me the calipers were loose or ill-fitting and I should take it back and have them fix it. So I did. Was told the left caliper was fine, just the right caliper was bad. Still making noises so brought it to Woods again and they checked it and found the left caliper was also missing an o ring. At this point I was very frustrated and did not want to return to the first shop. Joy and Mario bent over backwards to fix it for me without redoing the whole thing. Honest and communicative and good prices! Thank you! read more

I FOUND MY MECHANIC! I moved from OC to San Diego last summer and the only thing I missed was my mechanic. Didn't have a reliable one in SD yet. Recently my check engine light came on so I called them up and they said they could take a quick look same day, at least know what the issue was. I rolled in and someone came running out to greet me. They ran a couple diagnostics checks on my car, found out it was just a error message due to the gas tank reading a vapor leak. I was off and running in 5 minutes and they didn't charge a thing. I appreciate a mechanic that isn't trying to nickle and dime you for everything or tell you that the car needs work when it doesn't. They didn't get any money from me this time but they got new loyal customer. Next time the car needs work it goes here. read more

I have been bringing my 2000 Volvo to Mike at Woods Automotive since I bought it in 2002. Prior to that he worked on my Acura Integra. Woods is the only mechanic my entire family (8 cars in total) has used for the last 20 plus years. Mike and his team are completely honest and trustworthy. They won't tell you that you need to fix everything on your car so they can make $. They have always told me what should be fixed now, what can wait and what should be watched but not worried about. I will never take my car anywhere else. If you need to get your car worked on, call ahead. They are busy for a reason (they rock) but they will always take care of you. read more

This is the best automotive repair I've ever done business with. Joy is just that, a joy to do business with. Mario knows his cars. They never pressure you to fix extra, but let you know what's broken. I will be back. read more

I have only been in the San Diego area for about a year now and don't really have a "mechanic" the way I did in Minneapolis. So I did what most of us do, I looked on Yelp! There were a few to choose from but I like the smaller, shops where the owner is there working along side the rest of the crew. From what I could read and the pictures, that's what Woods Automotive felt like. I didn't get to the shop until just after noon. He looked at the brakes and determined that for sure the fronts would need pads and rotors. A big job for my 97 Toyota Land Cruiser and he didn't think it would get done until Monday. Well I had guests coming this weekend and needed the car so that wasn't going to work for me. He asked me to wait for a bit while he made a call, so I did. He came back and somehow was able to switch cars around and would get mine in next. This is not something he had to do, but did it anyway. For a new customer, who after today, will be a return customer in the future. The staff is friendly and for a automotive shop, it was reasonably organized. He seems very busy, with lots of cars in his smallish parking lot. All in all, a great experience. read more

My dad went by here a while ago to see if it was worth fixing my car to get it past emissions. Eventually it wasn't, but he held onto their card and stuck it on my fridge in case I needed to repair the car I had to replace the old junker with. And then came the day when my brakes were metal to metal. I had gotten lazy with my brakes and I was looking to spend no more than $300 with repairs. Not only did they say they could do that, when they were just over a few cents they knocked the change off to make sure they stuck with the estimate. They were prompt, did not overcharge me (some places quoted me much higher), and respectful. Usually I feel pressure when I go places as a female by myself seeking car repairs, but they did not do that here. These guys are friendly and professional and I will come back anytime I need repairs. read more

Great experience! When I first dropped off my truck about 2 weeks ago, Joy came out and used the portable machine to diagnose the check engine light. She turned off the light and asked me to come back for a more thorough workup. About that same time, I asked if someone could give me a quote for replacement of my partner's Mazda 3 headlight. Mike came out and took a look and fixed it on the spot! For free!!!!!!! So grateful. So, I went back today for the diagnosis on my truck and the news wasn't good. I needed some major work done, which was a little unnerving because my truck only has 61,000 miles on it. Mike called and gave me a very thorough diagnosis of the problem and suggested I return it to Ford. He even consulted his database and called Ford to ask about the problem, and if they had had similar complaints. Yes, they had. I'm so grateful to Mike for going the extra mile by calling the manufacturer and printing out the details from the Ford website. He gave some great recommendations and suggestions that I will take with me to the Ford dealership to get this all worked out. I highly recommend Woods Automotive. It's a small location but the service I got there was A+. read more

Great work on my AC. I thought I was going to have to spend $1000+ because I remember as a child Honda's having expensive AC repairs. But Mike at Woods automotive was clear about everything, honest, and dependable. Joy was really great too! Really happy to have found a local mechanic for all my needs. Thanks! read more

After bringing my car here I felt safer and confident my car was properly repaired. My last mechanic moved away and have been searching ever since. The only reason this review is because of the price, which seemed just a bit more than other shops. But the work is quality. read more

I can't say enough good things about Woods Automotive. My car is a 2003 and I think the reason why it's running so well is because of Woods. They are extremely knowledgeable, fair and honest. They are great communicators and extremely reasonable. No matter the type of car or issue, Woods is your place to go! read more

So sad when Woods Automotive moved out of my neighborhood. In the past, I could take my car in and walk to work without having to get alternate transportation. However, making lemonade out of lemons, they found a facility that could service also our plumbing vans. The facility that they had in the neighborhood could not fit the vans before. The new place is not too far away and I can usually find a ride but since they moved we have been taking our plumbing service vehicles for regular maintenance so overall, I am glad that they made the move. When you find a place run as well as Joy and Mario run it and become friends talking cars and vans, it is worth its wait in gold. Love this team and the way they take care of our cars and vans. Foreign and domestic. read more

My first visit, seems like family. Joy and Mario extremely caring. I'm grateful I found these honest people.

I've been coming to this mechanic shop for over 40 years. Jon was great - Mike was great, and now Joy and Mario are absolutely great! I can get in when I need to and they are kind and personable. They are also gifted mechanics who diagnose and give the good or bad news in a way I can understand. They work promptly and thoroughly. In forty years I have never once had to take the car back in for a second go-round of the same problem - they always do it right! I recommend Woods Auto without reservation. read more

My car started over heating so I took it to woods and I had to leave it over the weekend. They told me I blew a head gasket and an hour of diagnosing was gonna be $100 previously. But even though I couldn't get the head gasket repaired at their price, they still only charged me $50 for the diagnostic even though they could've charged me the whole hour. They really are honest people and genuine about the way they run their business. Highly recommended read more

We've been taking our cars to Woods for 30 years and highly recommend them. They have always done great work at a good price with terrific service. But the most important reason we keep going back is that we trust them - to diagnose the problem correctly and be honest about what really needs to be fixed and what can be monitored/deferred. We keep our cars a long time (~15 years) and issues inevitably come up - and we've saved a lot of money when Mario (and the previous owners) have told us they didn't need to repair something yet. I never hesitate to take my car in to Woods because if it's something serious, they'll fix it at a good price and if it's not, they send me on my way. What dealer would do that? read more

I brought my 2000 Volvo S40 here for a check up last week based on the previous YELP reviews. I was looking for an estimate of the necessary repairs in order to sell it "as is" and within a day I rec'd a call from Mike who I think is the owner who explained exactly what was needed and how much I could expect to pay based on his assessment. Well, Mike got a boat load of repairs done on my OLD Volvo for less than $2,000 which I know that after having experienced the Volvo dealerships repair shops pricing that I was getting a great deal. I agreed to all of the repairs and in the process ended up selling my car to a friend after disclosing the repair costs. The car runs fabulously and I couldn't be happier, and I'm almost sad that I'm giving up such a great car! Go see Mike and Joy at Woods automotive ... you won't be sorry. read more

I'm a believer! Will return again. Mike is an honest mechanic. Isn't trying to squeeze every nickel out of you. Offers the best option and the less expensive work-around (if there is one); you get to choose. The receptionist/admin person, Joy, is fabulous. Take your car to Woods! Only suggestion: pin down, as best as possible, the estimated date/time of completion. read more

Mario and the whole team are great. Very friendly service and knowledgeable. Fair price for very good work. They fixed the AC, a light and did an oil change for me. read more

We are in town for Sea World and our car started making a horrific noise. We brought it to Woods Auto and I couldn't be more satisfied. They saw us quickly, diagnosed the problem and we are back on the road. We appreciate their honesty and great service. Thank you! read more

Joy and Mike at Woods Automotive are the best. Sincere, thorough and honest.

This is a great shop that gives the personal attention and will always give you the work you need and not anything else. I trust them completely to diagnose and fix the problems without adding on other work that other shops would do. When they do work it is also at a fair price and is done within a day. read more

I've been going to Woods Automotive since moving to San Diego a year ago. Customer service has always been friendly and the work is done quickly within the reasonable estimates given. This last experience was the best. I'm trying to keep my old minivan for as long as I can, so when I was having problems with one of the automatic windows, they showed a ton of patience and perseverance with unforeseen problems and got the job done. They really went above and beyond and still stayed within the original estimate. I'm glad to say that I've found an auto repair place that I'll stick with. read more

I called up Woods Automotive on Monday to ask if they could diagnose why my AC was not working on my 2002 Honda Odyssey. At first, Mike Dunbar (Owner) told me he was booked out until the following week. However, he asked me to wait a minute and then informed me to drop my car off at lunch time. Mike and an his team were able to diagnose that it was a faulty fan resistor that prevented the AC Compressor from turning on. He had it replaced same day and also serviced the oil in my car. Woods Automotive has excellent customer service and communication and treats their customers with respect and professionalism. There is a reason they have been around for 35 years, customer satisfaction. Thank you Mike. read more

Woods Auto ROCKS! They were able to get an axle seal replaced under the NAPA AutoCare warranty. This seal was recently replaced by another out-of-town NAPA shop and had begun to leak. At no out-of-pocket expense, they stood behind the Nationwide Warranty, and got the Jeep back on the road! Thanx Jennifer! read more

Very friendly and helpful right off the bat. Mike checked out my truck and said he could get it done today! Very happy with the professionalism, courtesy, and customer service shown by Mike and also Joy in the office. Also, the price is very fair for quality work - had my front brakes and calipers done, rotors resurfaced, and steering stops replaced for 625.00. Very happy with Woods Automotive and will DEFINITELY be back! read more

My wife and I have used Woods since moving back to San Diego in 2001 for our Volvo and Accord. I worked as a grease monkey for several years as a kid, and I appreciate a well-run garage. And as others have said, Mike and his team are honest, reliable, and reasonable. You need to book ahead, but worth the wait! read more