Dan’s Precision Alignment

Very Long story. I will try and shorten it.
Dan is a master at what he does ! I have had many great alignment from Dan that others couldn’t do.
I had Dan install new front struts, rear shocks and to diagnose suspension noise and rattles.
all finished no problems to be found with the suspension.
Alignment done…
5,500 miles later on BRAND NEW tires the outer third of tread on the fronts were almost completely bald.
Take it to Dan. Dan has my car all day, I call he says come get it. I arrive, ask what I owe (assuming he fixed the problem) and Dan said, «i wont work on junk! » «Dude you need to take care of your car and rotate your tires more often. I will not work on it until it has new tires put on.»
I replied, if I had rotated the tires I would have 4 junk tires instead of two correct?
I said the problem is the alignment and or bad /​worn parts. I then stated. Im not here trying to get free work out of you I want and need my car fixed at full costs.
A couple things to point out here about his comment on needing new tires before he will adjust the alignment. I called 7 alignment shops and every single one said the tread wear has less then 0 effect on how the mechanic can do the alignment 0 !!!
I then called dan a day or two later and got the voicemail again. Left a message about my shock and surprise at his dismissal of me and my needs. .I stated that after seeing his reaction to my problem I felt he was thinking I wanted it done or corrected for free since it was himself that had just done the alignment and he was blaming my lack of tire rotation as an excuse.
I call back a day later and he answers and cuts me off and said
«IF YOU EVER CALL ME OR COME TO MY SHOP I WILL CALL THE POLICE AND GET A RESTRAINING ORDER»“
Befrore he said that I was still hoping to find a way to get the work done with no concern about paying again. I was takin back by his defensive behavior. Needless to say you wont see me around his shop.
So 2 shops later $ 2,600 dollars worth of suspension work that if you remember had been checked and given the thumbs up by Dan as not needing a thing and another alignment from a different shop.
Guess what new tires new everything and 5,000 miles later, outer ¹⁄₃ tread almost bald again!
How is this Dans fault you ask? Surely after 2 shops and all new parts put on he must be off the hook, right?
No he knew that day he refused to work on my Junk because I don’t rotate my tires enough,
he knew he had installed the new front struts incorrectly putting to much positive camber in that could not be adjusted out .
He had stated after Strut install that those were two off the hardest struts he has ever installed.
We all make mistakes Dan! I would have paid to have them re installed correctly and remained a customer. He is great at his job but do not expect to get any help if he god forbids makes a mistake.
Its all about character Dan and you showed me yours…
Oh ya my piece of junk is a 2012 Ford Flex

First off I would like to say dan is very good at his job he is aligned several of my vehicles where other people couldn’t get it right.
The situation arose where he didn’t return my calls for scheduling a thousand mile realignment after the initial alignment in my tires on the front started wearing oddly both of them I took it in she told me I needed to take better care of my car that I didn’t rotate the tires which I do rotate the tires this time they were two to three thousand miles over the standard 5000 mile rotation not enough to cause any problems. Then he was unwilling to align the car but putting the bad tires on the rear and the good tires on the front. My main purpose for taking it in was it felt like something was going bad on the front and one tie rod end ball joint something and when he said he saw that where and what no line up with those tires and would not put the good tires on the front to check the alignment and mainly find out what component if any was filling he wanted me to take the car back at the end of the day go buy new tires which those were new tires before he got hold of it and then bring it back in. After speaking with other shops in one shop evaluating the alignment issue it was found that he did make a mistake in his initial alignment and that’s fine we all make mistakes it’s how we handle them.
When I told him I had called him twice and left a voicemail regarding my thousand mile check up and he never got back to me he stated quote you need to stay on top of these things. Well yes I do but how many calls does it take for you to stay on top of your customer service? When the economy was bad dan bent over backwards for his customers now he’s an effing primadonna that has cost me quite a bit of money.
Odds are he’s going to do a bang up job a great job on your car but watch out for his mood swings

Was able to squeeze me in next day before I left for a road trip. Thanks for savings my tires the rubber. Did great work and the ability to re-​check after 1k miles is nice. Thanks Dan.

Dan checked out my Toyota Highlander days after I bought used from Carmax. He squeezed me in last minute, was thorough w pictures, making notes and guidance through the rest. Saved me from spending a fortune outside my warranty and I was able to take back to Carmax for full repairs with Dan’s finds.
He further checked their work a week later on tight notice and fixed some minor things onsite.
I’ll be taking all my vehicles to him from now on. Extensive knowledge and very fair price.

Dan got me in and out in 90 minutes for a reasonable price. Plus he is open Saturday which is huge for me.
I can easily recommend this alignment shop.

Dan made some recommendations for maintenance and updates to our 2003 Accord. He potentially extended the life of our vehicle and saved it from near death. Our timing belt made it to 140,000mi (way beyond safe usage) and our O2 censor was replaced. Rather than doing partial replacement on just the timing belt, Dan did replacements to the water pump, tensioner and any other part needing updating in the belt system. He shared that he does a complete overhaul because if any of the other parts break it takes just as much time to get in there to fix it; he likes to be thorough and use quality manufacturer parts and OEM when needed. He values doing the job once and doing it right for long haul.
I appreciate his communication in regard to explaining how the mechanics function and getting the most out of the vehicle. He’s honest on time and communicates if any changes to the schedule arise. He doesn’t push parts and services like other shops Ive been to. He speaks honestly and prices considerately. I highly recommend Dan and his team! If your looking for a qualified non-​dealership mechanic he is a gem.

Dan has worked on my cars for over ten years. He has done all my wheel alignments as well as a rear engine oil seal replacement and the installation of an air spring setup in a van. All have been high quality repairs and the costs have aligned with his initial estimate. I could go to the brand me dealerships, but I don’t because I trust Dan to do it right the first time.

Thus far Unilocal has not led me astray, Dan was everything all of you said he was, he got me in today, his price was fair and competitive, comparable to everyone else, even without a coupon. I was worried because one of the better known, local, tire companies recommended two other shops and hadn’t heard about Dan, but I had faith in my fellow Unilocalers. As Vickie C. explained, he does ask you to return just after the 1,000 mile mark to ensure all is well, and I will be certain to do so. The personal service and attention to detail Dan offers are not easily found these days, bolstering my philosophy of supporting local small business owners, especially when you get such value. Dan is open on Saturday’s as well, despite what it says on his hours of availability.

Dan’s Precision Alignment is as good as it gets. I needed an alignment on my VW Golf and Dan even took the time to perform an over all check up as well. It doesn’t get any better than one on one time with the mechanic. Friendly, honest, great customer service and affordable prices. Go see Dan. You will not be disappointed!

My fellow Unilocal friends led me to Dan with their honest reviews. Dan’s Precision Alignment is truly deserving of all 5 stars, they earned them.
Alignment is so important after purchasing tires if you want them to last. Dan takes his time checking everything and my car drove so smoothly after it was done. But better yet, he is such a perfectionist that he has you come in after 1,000 miles to tighten everything up and make sure that the alignment took properly.
I am so happy that I found this great locally owned business.

Great service, honest and trustworthy. Even asks you to come back after 1000 miles to double check that everything is still perfect.

Dan’s is an amazing place to take your car for any possible problem, help, or need. Plus he is there on SATURDAY! I took my VW convertible there when the window decided to stop working right before a rainy weekend in SD– bad timing. He went out of his way to do the research and find the part I needed for $ 400 bucks less than other places quoted me for. He really treats each patron with respect. He really cared about me and my car being wonderful! I cannot reccomend Dan’s enough to everyone for all your vehicle needs :) Small, friendly, fabulous work, and wonderful!!!

First of all, don’t ever underestimate the importance of alignment. I have a 2003 Toyota Tacoma and after 100,000 miles, I put on my second set of new tires and also changed out the struts and shocks. I’ve also driven my truck on some rough roads over the years and since changing the tires and struts/​shocks, my truck just didn’t drive particularly well.
I searched for the nearest alignment shop to Del Mar and came across Dan’s Precision Alignment. It was a totally spontaneous decision to get an alignment and I called him on a Saturday morning at 9:30. I asked if he had time to work on my truck that day and he said if I could get my car there in 30 minutes, he would be able to work on it. I quickly drove over, dropped my truck off and walked down to a local café while I waited. I came back about 30 minutes later and he was just getting started on my truck (a lady, with a prior appointment, showed up late so he had to attend to her car first). So he started on my truck… I’m a mechanical buff and love stuff like this so I sat in his garage while Dan got started. He was very eager to explain everything that was going on and what he was doing. I actually changed the struts/​shocks myself, but I never knew what was involved in an alignment. The equipment Dan has is incredibly impressive — LED lights that shine onto a reflective pad on each tire to calculate accurate alignment and all these complicated computer screens — the guy was legit and explaining everything to me.
Needless to say, my truck was not aligned properly and Dan did a fantastic job. He’s a true professional. After visiting Dan’s shop and watching him align my truck I will never let my vehicle go that long without an alignment. My truck drives so much better now. The best part was when Dan said, «I want you to come back after 1000 miles so I can check and make sure everything is still aligned. I won’t charge you.» He shook my hand and off I went. It’s not often you get to experience a mechanic like Dan, but he’s great and I will definitely be going back there and recommending him to my friends in the area.