M45 Automotive

I love this place. This is my go-​to for Subaru repairs. Very nice guys, always make me feel comfortable.

This is an A+ automotive center that knows Subarus backwards and forwards. I have been there twice now and have complete confidence in there knowledge and ability to get the job done right. Tony is awesome and friendly. I plan on being a Subaru owner for the rest of my life and it’s great to know I have a go to center for any needs I may have along the way.

Big thanks to Tony at M45! He was able to take care of a small problem with my car and showed me how it’s done. I’ll be back again!

My 2003 Subaru Baja’s check engine light kept coming on without any reason or record. Tony and Troy kept me abreast of everything they found in a timely manner, fixed the problem and some other stuff my long time auto repair place had totally overlooked. They even changed my windshield wipers at no charge. I’ll be going back…

This is a top-​flight Subaru repair shop. I am totally confident in Tony (owner, along with his wife) and his crew’s ability to take good care of my 2003 Subaru Forester. He has even helped me over a long-​distance phone call when I had a radiator problem! These guys are friendly, competent, knowledgeable, detail-​oriented, kind, and fun too. Check’em out.

I had a great experience with Tony and M45. I needed several issues fixed (Head gasket leak, power steering, front end) and their prices were about 10% less than I’d been quoted elsewhere and everything was done quickly and with a great attitude.
I’ve been looking for a new shop for my Subaru and this is it!

We moved to Auburn in early 2014 and a friend referred us to Tony (M45) to service our two Subarus. At the time Tony was it — no other employees but, he has now added two mechanics. He is so personable and honest it is a real pleasure to take the cars there. Originally our 2000 Outback had several issues and Tony detailed what needed to be done, what could be postponed and the associated costs. When he finished that work we dropped off our 2010 Legacy for regular maintenance.
This month M45 had just finished putting on new rear brakes on the Outback when they discovered a leak (crack) in our radiator. Fortunately, no engine damage, and we are very glad it was found. The best part about M45 — great service and very reasonable pricing for the work they perform! Thank you!

The owner of this shop has gone the distance to learn more about Subaru’s than anyone that I personally know, and it shows. He’s got top notch professional help and they are extremely detail oriented. Tony is always willing to go the distance and be as helpful as possible, regardless of if it’s a simple or complicated fix.
One of the most enjoyable experiences at M-​45 is that I leave there with piece of mind and a smile on my face, knowing that I don’t have to worry about the work that has been done and I can rest assured they would fix any mistake they made and back it 100%
Thanks guys for all the service you have done on my ’05 Outback. The turnaround time was awesome and I couldn’t be happier with the pricing and service.

So glad we decided to try this this place. Tony was great! He explained everything that needed to be done and when we got it back it was just as promised. Done right the first time, great service and friendly too.

Called for help on my 2002 wrx because it’s been at another shop for way too long waiting to be out together, and they were extremely helpful and I’ve heard nothing but good things about this shop.

Brought my ’01 outback in for new head gasket. I was able to get the work scheduled right away. I went by on a Thursday just to check the place out Tony told me if I brought my car in that afternoon they could start on it right away. I couldn’t do that but worked out dropping my car off Sunday afternoon and dropping key in their drop box. Next morning Tony gave me a call and told me I was correct that the head gasket needed to be replaced and they could start on it right away. He also told me the would check the timing belt and water pump because they would be right there and could make any repairs and only the parts would effect the price. They got on it and I received a call that afternoon letting me know the belt and pullys were good but had the original water pump and was up to me. I had them replace it since they were already there. Tony called me Tuesday with an update and we played a little phone tag because I couldn’t get to my phone but he let me know they should be done Wednesday afternoon. That was great so I could work out a ride to get the car picked up. Engine compartment was super clean after the work. I am really happy with the job M45 did for me. I got out the door under $ 2000. I was quoted $ 2500 just to start at a Sacramento shop. Glad I found M45 I will bring my future repairs and maintenance I can’t do myself to this shop.

After several terrible experiences at the local dealer, I decided to ask Tony for a second opinion on a particular issue. Tony, you have a customer for as long as I own a Subaru. Tony is honest, easy to deal with, and treats his customers with respect.
Tony knew what was wrong with my car from walking around it, confirmed with an inspection, and gave me an estimate within an hour. The bill was in the amount of the estimate and I could not be happier with the work.
I have already given M45’s contact information to a friend with a suby. I will tell everyone I know with a Subaru, if you want honest, friendly service from an expert M45 is the place to go!

After I lost my local mechanic I searched for a trusted Subaru mechanic’s in my area and could not find anyone! There are many too!
After talking with Tony I decided to make a appointment, I drove 2 hours from Reno and will say that Tony has my business for anything I need to have done to my LGT, it is well worth the drive to feel completely comfortable with knowing my baby is in experienced and trust worthy hands.
I had a timing belt service and new LCA’s replaced. My car has never been serviced at the stealership and never will, quality service, very fair pricing and my engine bay which was quite clean prior, was left immaculate after the service, small touches like that say a lot about the service. If I could leave more stars I would.
Thank you Tony

I live in Half Moon Bay. The battery in my 2011 Outback recently died. I installed a new one — but had three lights flashing on the dash (brake, ABS, and Traction) afterwards. My wife took our car to a Subaru dealer in the Bay Area. They wanted to charge over $ 1,000 for repairs. They claimed that I had «improper battery installation» and in the process had fried the ABS control.
At any rate, I heard about M45 from my sister. I took the car to Auburn — and had Tony take a look. He thought the dealership write up sounded fishy, and proceeded to do some analysis on the car. He was able to quickly reset three systems in the car, and within an hour I had no more flashing lights on my dashboard.
Not only that, but he explained to me exactly what he was doing and why. He explained to me (laymens terms) why he was doubtful of the dealerships diagnosis — said I would probably have blown a fuse near the battery if I had installed it improperly. He made no promises. He just went about his business. He also didn’t bash the dealership — just explained that they sometimes have people of varying ability looking at the cars.
The kicker — he took a look at my cabin filter and replaced it. Gratis.
I drove off knowing that I would never take my Subaru to a different shop to get it serviced, regardless of what was wrong. I will gladly drive from Half Moon Bay every single time my car needs a service. I also thought that it’s rare that any business gets that level of loyalty from me anymore. (In fact, it inspired me to do my first Unilocal review.)
Thanks Tony and M45!

I really appreciate Tony and his business. He was so helpful and took very good care of my husband and I.

I heard about M45 from a friend who told me to get my Subaru Legacy checked by Tony the owner of M45. I was very impressed with how honest and real Tony came across and as well as his company he had in the shop.
My issue was my gear stick would not go into third gear, and a couple of friends and some family members were unable to officially diagnose the problem. With a quick drive and check on how the car handled Tony was able to figure out the problem.
I highly recommend this place and Tony can definitely get your car working again at very reasonable prices.

Top-​notch, honest service, with great prices and excellent customer service!
Our car broke down far from home on a Sunday night with major transmission woes. We originally had it towed to a Suburu dealership but got quoted expensive repairs leading into a trade-​in ptich. We then got retowed to M45, which was a good call. Long story short, Tony diagnosed the problem super-​quick and fixed it for half the price of alternatives. Outback still going strong!

This is a great place to get a deal on your Subaru. It’s less than the dealership and Tony is a great technician. I was fortunate to have my Subaru serviced here and the engine work was so much cheaper than the dealership. I feel very comfortable with the quality service my engine has 190k and running like it was at 90k. Thanks Tony!

I had several issues going on with my Subaru Outback. I had taken my car to the Subaru dealer for analysis and they gave me estimates that totaled between $ 6000−7000…which caused me to seriously consider giving up my car altogether! Before throwing my hands in the air and taking whatever I could get for my car, I wanted a second opinion and found one with Tony at M45 Automotive.
I described the issues to Tony over the phone and he seemed a bit skeptical about one of the issues in particular and recommended that I bring my car in for him to look at. I had been told that I needed the rear-​differential replaced, with an estimated cost of $ 2175. Tony put my car up on the rack and with the car running he listened to the back axle and wheel hubs with a modified stethoscope to diagnose the problem. The result, Tony figured out that the problem was actually that the right rear wheel bearings were bad and the problem was NOT the rear-​differntial. Tony’s price for repair of the bad wheel bearings…$ 350! Thanks Tony, you saved me more than $ 1800 right away!
Tony analyzed the other issues with my car and gave me repair estimates that were substantially lower than the estimates that I had received at the Subaru dealer. He laid out an action plan to complete the repairs over time, in order of what needed to be completed immediately and what could wait a little while. This was extremely helpful, as I was able to visualize how to accomplish the necessary repairs within my budget. Not only that, but I started to feel good about keeping my car again!
Tony was sincere in his approach in not only fixing my car, but also in helping me feel more comfortable about spending my money to fix it. Of course the money is important, but it was apparent to me that Tony believed in building a professional trust with me that was not just about maximizing profits right away. His approach put me at ease with how to manage the repairs and his enthusiasm to keep my car on the road was actually quite motivating.
Thanks again Tony, you’ve earned my trust and helped me feel a lot better about my car again!

I came in with a Mazda, Tony and Kristen (the owners) still helped me out. Completely straight forward with me. They were both curious, funny, and accommodating. Tony even let me use his iPhone charger.