C & D Auto Care

Wow!!! I didn’t know the words honest & mechanic went together, until I came to C & D auto care! I was referred to them through Mode Automotive in Kearny Mesa, since I had the state Smog CAP certificate and could not be happier! I am simply blown away by their excellent customer service. They are extremely accommodating, beyond fair and HONEST!!! They are very knowledgeable, professional and considerate of their customers. I would highly recommend them to anyone!

Dara and Bobby have the knowledge and expertise to take exceptional care of their customers. I know from personal experience that Dara is one of the most experienced shop-​owners in San Diego and uses top-​quality, state of the art equipment to ensure their customers receive the best service in the industry. I would recommend C & D Auto Care to anyone, including my own family and friends.

C&D is awesome! My door wouldn’t lock anymore and they took such good care of me. Very reasonable pricing, excellent service, and they have great online features that allow you to keep track of upcoming maintenance. I won’t go anywhere else!

I brought a truck I was thinking of buying for a pre-​purchase inspection and the guys did a very thorough job of it! Checked every nook and cranny, noticed things that I would never have been able to know without their inspection. Although the truck was in really great shape and only have minor issues, they did give me some bargaining chips when making the purchase — thanks guys! Got me a really nice used truck! Worth every penny to have it checked out by competent people, and a AAA discount! I will be bringing my truck back here for service from now on!

I had taken my vehicle to another repair place to have the brakes done. Had to take it back 4 times, kept paying more money to have more replaced and it still was not driving correctly. I took it to C and D, to get another opinion, and they stripped down my brakes, and called me to come down and see what they found. Even though my rear brakes were brand new, I had already worn one side down 25 percent. After a brake adjustment, it turns out I had been driving for weeks, with my brakes applied 100% of the time. My vehicle had no driving power because of that. C and D fixed my problem, and even though they spent a lot of time and labor discovering my problem, I was only charged for a brake adjustment. God Bless them.

Since there was nothing listed for «Criminal», I listed 1 Star.
C&D Auto Care should change their name to «C&D Auto Sabotage».
I have a special background and know cars very well especially my own. The last incident was when they released an UN-​SAFE” vehicle to a driver.
I am very cautious about who works on my car as it affects me or my Families Safety.
Over a period of about the last 2 years until it came to a head, I have had serious work done to my car and mistakes were made which later caused more problems up to and including SMOG tests. (Unauthorized work was done without permission, etc…)
Various parts were NOT «Secured» properly, special liquids were not topped off and wiring was «tampered» with, etc…
On several occasions I had to do post inspections to make sure of what was done or touched or left undone.
Tools were left behind, connectors Missing, and a hood strut left disconnected. The previous one was bent and damaged by Dar.(Typical of «Criminal mechanics») I had to get it replaced at a local salvage yard.
On another occasion I paid for a set of Injectors at $ 108 and Dar wanted to charge like $ 150 for just one. Either way, I still got the whole set installed and it runs fine.
The whole idea of a «criminal Mechanic» is to get you to Trust HIM and then he controls you, your decisions and your pocket book.
An Exhaust Pipe was not connected properly to the Engine and caused a crack which had to be welded at my cost later for a SMOG test. (Russel or Dar)
After ALL the work was done, there were way too many mistakes that could NOT be over looked. When I spotted the mistakes, the attitudes started to change.
They figured out I was NOT going to be an «Easy Mark”(Typical of «Criminal mechanics»)
The last straw was criminal when a simple fuel pump connector was not fixed and my car stalled in traffic which caused me to be at risk or getting hit by other cars in traffic.
I finally had to get towed to a «Qualified» mechanic who fixed the connector iin less than 1 hour with a Factory part less than $ 10.00 to the Fuel Pump which Dar claimed he could not fix.(Typical of «Criminal mechanics»)
(After having the vehicle for 5 – 6 days.) One of the so called «mechanics» named Russel called me several times in hopes of hurrying me over to pick up the vehicle when it was NOT fixed and tools were left behind.
Dar was really pissed off cause I caught him at it and he had to fix something and recover one of his own tools.(Why is that Dar)
Dar C&D makes promises and then tries to UP the Price after quoting a lower price. The Rude behavior and arrogance of these criminal mechanics becomes more obvious when you catch them at a serious mistake and there are no apologies. (Typical of «Criminal mechanics»)
I am a very nice person and highly educated and trained, but I will NOT be taken advantage of.
No hard feelings, until it became Criminal and a safety issue.(Then the State BAR gets notified) An Investigator wrote Dar up for NOT Providing documentation to a car repair he failed to do or finish and he failed the AAA standards as well because it makes them look bad too.
Bobby gets an Honorable mention and I think he is in with the Wrong Crowd.
Someone needs to be aware that keeping 2 sets of records and prices is illegal and there are requirements by the California BAR or Bureau of Automotive Repair.
I was not called when it was promised and they failed to communicate with me as they were not doing anything with my car except letting it sit in their parking lot unattended for weeks.
My car was never the same after going to C&D Auto repair, but changed for the better after I started going to another Trusted and qualified Mechanic a few miles away. The other mechanic has always communicated and never hesitated to tell me the truth so I could make an educated decision on my car and expenses.
Dar was everything but that. Dar LIED and kept the truth out of the discussion so
HE could control your car and not you!
This is not the end of C&D Auto Repair as the there are other agencies looking at the whole car shop now.
As I said, the Bureau of Automotive Repair issued a Violation against C&D and it is NOT their first Rodeo either. Triple AAA will also have to consider dropping them from the referral ranks as they do not want their Membership getting ripped off by Criminals like Dar is.

My car had stalled in a very frightening way on the freeway late at night driving back to San Diego from Redlands. We had to tow it home. We thought it was a transmission issue and when we took it to a transmission mechanic. (Summit-​Jerry was great, too.) He thought it may be a problem outside of that. He told us he would take it to a guy he has used for a long time period. That guy was Dara at C and D Auto Care. He was right. It was a fuel pump issue. Dara and Bobby were awesome. They answered all my questions (I had many…), gave us great suggestions on what to do next, and we walked away with a very reasonable deal, a fixed automobile, and excellent customer service. We will use them again!!!

Dara is by far the most honest mechanic I have ever done business with. He has flawlessly maintained and repaired four of my vehicles for over ten years and I have never once had cause for complaint.
When my vehicle doesn’t require a certain repair even though other shops have suggested it he won’t do it, and will explain why it is not necessary at that time. Also, there have been numerous instances he has waived labor charges and drastically reduced part prices to help my family budget for much needed repairs. Whenever I bring one of my vehicles in to C&D I know that they will be honest, do the work properly, and I will be getting one of the best deals on parts and labor around. Thank you everyone at C&D for doing such great work!!!

Dara has great knowledge about cars. He is a great mechanic and I highly recommend C&D auto care to my friends and family. Great customer service!

I brought my wife’s car here for their free brake inspection. After the inspection the guy behind the desk started explaining what they found. The way it broke down is that apparently the rotors, pads, drums and shoes all needed to be replaced. As he explained it, it was basically unsafe to be driving the vehicle without allowing them to make the repairs. Upon hearing this I was rather concerned for my wife, I took the receipt and headed home where I actually read the receipt which had all the notes on it. None of these notes stated anything close to what the guy at the desk said. I don’t know what he was trying to pull but I didn’t appreciate the dishonesty.

Dara runs one of the best shops around. Always there to take care of any problems I might have. Highly recommend him and his shop C&D Auto Care

Just bring your car here. Simple as that.
I’ve brought a Chevy, Honda and a Lexus in here many times over the years. Every time they fixed me up within a reasonable time and price.
Most recently I had a pretty big overhaul completed in my 02 Lexus. They were spot on the money with their assessment and spotted a few more items that needed fixing… This wasn’t a ploy, this was just standard stuff to get my car back up to a much better condition.
Proof? Firestone by my house did the same assessment and found many of the same problems… They didn’t find the engine mounts though… C&D did. An easy miss but man, an easy find too. C&D does a far more comprehensive review. They’ll even tell you what you can get away with for a few months without fixing now.
All in all, I paid nearly 4K for my car to be fixed. Firestone estimate after missing some important things, 6K.
Don’t bother going anywhere else. Go to C&D, seriously.

Found this place as recommendation from my gf. They have been going to Dara for a while and told me he takes pretty good care of people and does a fair job on price too. I met him when Midas screwed up my trunk when I had headlights installed. I drove from my place to Dara’s and he personally came and fixed my trunk (Midas didn’t put the liner back in and said it was like that when they started to work).
Anyway, my lights burned out (or so I thought) and I took it back to Dara’s. Bobby was very helpful the whole way through and gave me a good price for the lights ($ 4/​bulb which came to $ 9.73) I was more than happy with this and returned home until it was done. Well, I got a call from Bobby saying that they needed to do a deeper check and told me it would be about $ 75 to check it out. Turns out it was the brake light switch that was busted and they had to fix that. I was worried it was gonna come out to a pretty steep price but, only came to about $ 151 which isn’t too bad nowadays REGARDLESS of what you have done.
I went to pay him and heard a woman in line mention she was a AAA member. I am one too and showed him my card. It took 10% off my total so, I ended up paying only $ 130. They apply the discount if it’s over a certain $$$ amount but, that’s fine with me… any place that offers discounts is a win in my book =)
Overall, I am very happy with the service. Dara is in there working right along with the other guys and Bobby is very professional on the phone. I even saw Dara’s younger son (I assume it was) helping work on my car. So, he’s also showing his kids the business which I think was pretty cool parenting.
10 – 10 and will be using them again in the future.

The best place to go in San Diego. I appreciate their honesty, knowledge and efficiency. They made me feel taken care of, and my car is running so much better! I don’t know anything about cars but when I asked them a question they took the time to explain it to me. Thanks guys!

Very professional and acurate with their work.

I have been going to Dara for almost 10 years. I’ve brought him at least six different vehicles that belong to me or my family. I’ve also sent family members and others there, and nobody has ever had a bad experience.
C&D is a family-​owned business. Many days there are three generations of the family there. Dara, a master mechanic and former Toyota dealership mechanic, is an attentive owner with decades of experience working on cars.
I’ve read some of the bad reviews here, and I think they are bull. Some of them are just irrelevant. But the ones that claim that Dara would suggest work that doesn’t need to be done are absurd. I’m very much given to doing work before it needs doing, and Dara will always tell me if he thinks I’m doing something that doesn’t need to be done.
He also knows what aftermarket parts are as good as OEM parts, and will save you money where logical. If there is something else that should be done at the same time (due to savings on labor costs), Dara will tell you. He will also break down a list of what really needs to be done, what should be done, and what can easily wait.
I’m in my early forties. I had been ripped-​off by mechanics for years before I met Dara. Since I met him, I haven’t had a single problem with any of the service he’s done. Having a good mechanic is like gold. To tell you how much I trust him, I refer my own clients from my business to him. I almost never refer my clients to any type of service provider. If things go wrong, it could damage my relationship with my clients. But I know Dara well enough, and respect his work so much, that I know I am doing my clients a favor by referring them to him.

Took in my vehicle to get a Smog check and for a brake check since my brakes were grinding. The service came out to be a bit pricey, but that was negligence on my part, since they had to replace both the pads and rotars. It seemed to be fair priced for the work and parts. The staff here was very helpful and friendly. They gave me detailed explanations on what was wrong with my vehicle and then actually showed me what was wrong. After I had the work done I noticed a huge difference on the drive home. It was nice and smooth! I would definitely recommend C&D Auto Care!

Interesting to see the mixed reviews about this place. From my rating it is obvious my experience with the place was not a very good one. I had recently replaced a rear wheel bearing on my Ford Explorer and decided to visit family in San Diego over the weekend. When I got to San Diego I noticed that the same bearing was making noise. Fearful that I may not have torqued the axle nut enough and therefore caused early failure of the bearing I decided to jack the car up in my mother’s front driveway to check the looseness of the wheel. Sure enough there was plenty of play on the driver side wheel. Since I was checking the driver side I decided to jack up the passenger side to check for play. It was rock solid.
So I gave C & D a call to see how much it’d cost to replace the bearing. I was quoted ~$ 300 which was about what I expected. I drove the vehicle in about an hour later and handed over the keys and went to the mall in our other vehicle to eat lunch. About an hour later I received a call stating that they believed both bearings would need to be replaced and that the passenger side also had significant play. I thought it was odd considering I had checked for play just hours earlier. I told them to move on with work on the driver side and I’d be in shortly to check the play on the passenger side. About 5 minutes later I get a call back from Dara saying he could not in good conscience replace just the driver side bearing with the passenger side also bad. I told him I would come in to take a look at what he was talking about.
I get to the shop and sure enough there was significant play in the passenger side wheel. Again, I was scratching my head as hours earlier it was extremely tight. Either way, at lunch I decided to look up prices for an entire hub and bearing assembly, instead of just the bearing and retainer that they quoted me $ 94 for. I was in luck, as NAPA, which supplies their parts, had an entire hub assembly, bearing and all for $ 107. I asked them if they could match the price, or if I could just buy it and have them install it. I was surprised that he couldn’t match the price and wouldn’t even entertain the thought. (I will say that Bobby seemed like he felt bad that Dara wouldn’t match the price.) What was more surprising is that they quoted me $ 94 for a bearing and retainer when the same exact parts were available off the shelf at NAPA for ~$ 35. 250% markup is pretty steep if you ask me.
Anyway, I told them to take my car off the lift and that I’d have to do the work myself or take it to another place. I decided to take it to another shop down the road that my brother had recommended. There will be a separate review for that shop. Talking to the proprietor of the shop, I explained to him the work that had recently been done and that it may have been my fault for not being sure the nut was torqued to spec. I also told him of the diagnosis from C & D that my other bearing was also bad. I also told him that NAPA had complete hub assemblies available for $ 107/​each side. He made calls and agreed to honor the NAPA price. Total work for both sides with parts ~$ 640. He told me that he’d have the car ready the next day by 1 PM. I gave him the keys and went to the house.
Two hours later I receive a call saying the car was done. That was fast. I go to the other garage and see that BOTH brand new hub assemblies are still sitting on a table in the shop. Apparently neither bearing needed replacement. The driver side axle nut was a little loose as I suspected and just needed tightening. That was a relief.
What was interesting though was that when the passenger wheel was removed the axle nut fell to the floor. The mechanic suggested that it was recently removed from the axle. He merely had to put the nut onto the spindle and tighten it down. Total cost for everything $ 65!
You can draw your own conclusions as to why the axle nut was loose when hours earlier that bearing felt rock solid and hadn’t made a sound (that nut had been tight since the car left the factory floor). I have drawn my own conclusions and will never consider taking a car to C & D and in fact will steer everybody I know away from the place. If they did loosen that axle nut and sent my family and I on the road knowing that that wheel could fall off the vehicle at any given time then they have no conscience and could have caused injury or worse.

Honesty is hard to come by these days, no matter where you are doing business. Being a woman, I particularly hate going to the mechanic. Guys who have ever gone shoe shopping with their ladies can kind of understand that knot-​in-​the-​stomach, OMG feeling that I get! Dara was kind, honest & didn’t treat me like a stupid female… Worth everything to me! No guessing at crap or crazy charges. Check them out if you want help witha car problem and not add-​on BS.

I had C & D install a new radiator in my Toyota Camray July 2011. It started leaking
October 2012. The warranty was 12,000 miles or 12 months. I had only driven 5,000 miles. But the time was 15 months. Dara the owner arranged with the radiator distributor to replace it no charge anyway. And C&D installed the replacement at no
charge. Dara was very nice and helpful through the process.