Econo Lube N’ Tune & Brakes

I also posted a review of Express Tire just down the street from this place. Please refer to that review for more information. I got a good Fair Deal on service here at the Econo Lube

WARNING: do not go here. They will pressure you into getting unneeded repairs at a cost that is much too high.
Dishonest and will overcharge.
——
I came here to get a simple oil change. They were very quick, but then they made me climb down under the car where he told me my timing belt needed to be changed and that my car was about to fall apart because the ball joints were bad.
They guy then started to order parts over the phone even though I didn’t say to do any repairs. He wanted to charge me well over $ 850 for the timing belt and $ 300 for ball joints. I thanked him for bringing this to my attention, but I wanted to get a second opinion. He told me that he wanted me to make an appointment, and that he was ordering the parts and I needed to call him to cancel if I wasn’t going to show up. Very high pressure, but I have a sales background and can recognize when things are not adding up.
Things really didn’t add up.
I drove down to woodys who quotes me about $ 350 less than what Kevin at econo had demanded.
I called econo and explained that I was going to be getting service elsewhere, he raised his voice and told me something was wrong and that I was going to be ripped off… What?
I made the appointment at woodys, and when he was under the car, discovered that the ball joint cover had a scratch on it, and the ball joint was in pristine condition. No need to do any work to it.
I paid $ 624 out the door, which was less than half of what I would have paid if I gave into the slime balls a econo. I wonder if they would have even bothered to replace the ball joints, since it wasn’t even needed.
I have nothing but disgust for this econo lube n tune. What a racket. Do not go here.

Econo Lube And Tune in Imperial Beach is the only place I take my car. It is very important to trust your mechanic, and I trust the owner, Kevin. He never recommends unnecessary work, is reliable and trustworthy. He is one of the hardest working people I know. He is there 6 days a week, and never takes time off for vacation. Very knowledgeable, and backs up his work 100%.

I’ve been coming here with both my cars 2002 and 2004 for a few years now. Haven’t had any issues here. Kevin is the boss here and explains everything really well. Whenever I need something fixed he shows me the problem and explains. He even gives a military discount.

My family has relied on them for years. As previous raters have mentioned, they are efficient and get the job done quick. I normally go for regular oil changes, but if Kevin detects something wrong with my car then he’ll let me know everything right away– down to the price and time of labor (they normally finish an hour before the estimated time). I give my personal regards to the Kevin, he takes a long drive down everyday to IB and still manages to get my oil changes and car repairs done effectively without fault or additional problems.

I love this place, got my air filter system replaced, labor price unbeatable. Parts are always fair price if not the best price. Reliable and fast, definitely my go-​to mechanic

I’ve gone this shop for several oil changes (so worth it to come here-​QUICK, AFFORDABLE)
I had my brakes replaced for significantly less than what I would have to pay at dealership 2 years ago. Today they replaced at no additional cost. It covered by warranty. THANKS AGAIN!

Every time I use this place they do a great job! The mechanics are honest about the prices of parts and the work that needs to be completed. I always get my oil changed here, you can’t beat their prices! Also, there is a great place to eat Mexican food next door while you wait.

1. Rude asian guy at front counter 2. I doubt they used the «better» oil i paid for … they seemed to be «staging» topping off my oil level with a castrol gtx bottle. with no other bottles in sight.

This place is ok. There fast and very convenient. They over prize there work a bit but they do a good job. We get our oil changes there all the time. Kevin the manager is a ok guy.

Took forever to complete a smog check and even though the car passed amazingly well, they failed it for something stupid on the visual inspection. I’m sure just to try and get more money.

For me, this place was a rip. Took my car in for an oil change. Guy told me the oil pan bolt was over torqued and if he removed it I would probably need the entire oil pan replaced (since the threading would be stripped). He quoted me the cost with labor would be nearly $ 500. So I told him no thanks and took my car somewhere else. They changed the oil no problem and never said a word about the bolt.
Maybe it was an isolated incident, I don’t know. But at any rate it could have been an expensive incident for me… and a needless one. I won’t be going back.

BEWARE: My 19 y/​o sister went to this mechanic as a last result this morning. In the last two days, she’s had 3 diagnostics ran on her truck. It turned out it was an electrical problem and the place she had the diagnostic ran didn’t take care of electrical issues. There were no other problems… So she went to Econo Lube N’ Tune & Brakes and they attempted to screw her over.
They told her she needed a diagnostic and wouldn’ t fix the problem without the diagnostic. Okay, whatever. The guy she was talking to kept interrupting whenever she spoke, refused to listen to her concerns & what she needed. When she returned to pick up her truck a few hours later, there was a fresh break on her evap canister after doing a smoke test. There has also been multiple smoke tests done on this truck in the last two days. All coming up clean… They were gonna charge her $ 450 for the part & the labor. My sister went back to Express Tires (where the diagnostics & smoke tests were ran) explaining the situation, and they charged her solely a flat $ 200 for the part, labor was free. Just saying, this break wasn’t there yesterday. When my sister returned to Econo Lube N Tube to cancel the part & labor, the manager blew her off, giving an eye roll & exasperated sigh. Horrible customer service when it comes to arising issues & they are grossly overcharged.

This place f’ing sucks! Their dude Kevin is a liar and has a major attitude! He told us that the car inspection would be free, then after we told him we wanted a second opinion cause home-​dude wanted to fix things in the car that didn’t need to be fixed, he got an attitude, slammed his clip-​board down on the table and then charged us $ 50 bucks for nothing! Literally nothing! One of the things he said we needed was an air filter change… we went home after our second opinion and I looked under the hood, and the air filter compartment hadn’t even been touched. It was still dusty and no finger prints on it except the ones I put on it when I changed the air filter myself… This Kevin dude was so rude, he was throwing things, slamming things, gave us an attitude… it was an uncomfortable situation, thought I was going to have to yell for the cops across the way to come protect me from this guy… Don’t ever go there!

Awful…
They have a coupon in the Penny Saver that advertises a $ 17 oil change. So I called and asked what an oil change included and he told me 5qts of oil, oil filter replacement and top off of fluids. SWEET, right?!
Wrong…
I went in, I knew that my car takes 6.5qts, so I know that I always pay 6 – 10 $ extra which is fine. He told me there would be a BIT of a price difference, so I told him okay cool. When it was time for me to pay, my total was $ 44. What? He broke it down for me and told me that the $ 17 was just for labor, even thought it was advertised as the whole oil change. I Was charged for 7qts of oil, labor, a fuel filter and a hazardous waste fee. Also, my fluids were not topped off (my low washer fluid light was still blinking) and my XM radio was changed to Sex Talk radio… Real Classy. Will not be going back. I’m also going to write to corporate.

I did NOT have the experience the other reviewers had. I may have caught them on a bad day. I found tem to be rude and in no way, helpful. They were NOT quick and they were not busy. Cashier treated me like I was bothering him. I had a discount coupon which I gave to him when I got there. When I went to pay, amount he told me didnot reflect the discount. I questioned him and HE IGNORED ME. I thought maybe I would see it when I reviewed thedetail bill. NOPE. Honestly, I just didn;t feel like haggling. I will never go there again nor refer anyone to them. Next time I will make thedrive to Denery. I KNOW they are good.

So, I guess I would concur with Kim who said that the service was quick but the waiting room left something to be desired. When I went there to get my smog check done, there was no one ahead of me so they took my car right away and took care of everything fairly quickly. I actually wasn’t too put off by the couches, but the bathroom was horrible. The light flickered like a bad horror movie and there was trash everywhere. On the floor, in the sink, on the toilet, in the toilet, next to the trashcan. Everywhere. It was pretty disgusting. So, I would recommend this place if you need something done quickly but don’t have to use the bathroom. Or maybe it would be a good idea to walk across the parking lot and get yourself some fast food until your car is done. Either way, great service but crappy waiting facilities.

Fast and cheap… Plus you can prepurchase a car wash
for 6.95.

Okay, is it weird that I would write a review about where I get my fucking oil changed? Maybe, but if you’re down in IB you might want to see if you’re due.
This place is just your everyday Econo Lube, except they are amazingly fast at changing your oil. We’re talking less than 10 minutes, maybe even 5. No joke. Everytime I come here in the afternoon, there MIGHT be another oil-​change customer, otherwise they’re working on other cars (they have other services that I never use). In any case I barely have time to text my friends or check my email when they come in and announce that they’re done. WTF. Already? My ass just hit the chair!
I asked them to fill my wiper fluid, and they did, at no charge. And they left the handy dandy sticker on my windshield to gently remind me when to come back. And I always do!
Only 4 stars because the waiting area leaves much to be desired, but there is a somewhat comfy leather couch there. Still… ew. I guess I shouldn’t expect it to be like the lobby at the W. Still… ew.