Value Auto Repair

I brought my new car to Alex about 2 months ago to have some minor damage checked out. Although I didn’t have an appointment and the shop appeared to be very busy, he took the time to evaluate the damage, and put my car up on the lift to show and explain to me (in layman’s terms!) what he thought was the best plan of action. I was pleasantly surprised that they were able to perform the majority of the repairs on the spot. He also proactively gave me helpful advice on how to best maintain my car. I was impressed by how thorough and knowledgeable he was, even when there was no benefit to him. I’ll continue going to him with any work my car needs, because he’s proven that he’s a good, honest guy who’s always looking out for his customers’ best interests.
Thanks again, Alex!

Not being from this area, not having family around for a second opinion regarding my car. This man is trustworthy and honest. You don’t have to take my word for it because having one conversation with Alex and you automatically feel it. He runs a great shop, service is on point, and the man knows what he is doing.
All that is great, but let’s be honest. Money matters and in that case. You can save a few here with prices always affordable.

I am very satisfied with the service I received today. ALEX was very helpful, honest and efficient. I will be going back for all future work.

Excellent work and customer service. I brought my car in for brake pads replacement and oil change. I wasn’t sure if I needed both front and rear brakes change so the mechanic showed me how worn my brakes were before I made my decision. The prices were way better than those of Honda dealership. Totally recommend this place. Unilocal check in can also save you some money if you need brake work. Thank you Alex!

Going to Value Auto Repair was an all around awesome experience. Being a young woman who did not know much about cars, my dad likes to talk to the people I’m dealing with to get them fixed. After having a ton of bad luck with cars in Italy, it was a breath of fresh air to work with Alex. Not only did he graciously talk to my dad and help me, my brakes were fixed quickly and at a very reasonable price. To top it all off, he fixed all my squeaky doors:) It was overall a very good experience, and I will be going back for any more of my cars’ needs.

Came here without an appointment and had my car towed here after my serpentine belt got loose from some faulty bolts. Was addressed immediately and when the problem was diagnosed, was given a straight up answer with no fluff as to what my options were. The shop handled everything well and were real encouraging when it came to taking me into the garage and showing me exactly what was wrong and what they felt was best. Probably the only shop in National City that doesn’t feel shady.

I needed new brake pads and rotors on my car, after searching Unilocal and calling a few different places I decided to go with Value Auto Repair for 2 reasons. 1, it was the highest-​rated and had glowing reviews (I now know why) and 2, it was the best deal I found while calling around for quotes.
When I got to the shop I was greeted by Alex and he immediately took my car to get worked on, he kept me informed on what was going on. He was completely honest and didn’t try to talk me into getting other things done, which happens all the time elsewhere.
I was very impressed with their customer service as well as their very reasonable prices, I will definitely be going back for any car issues I have in the future!

Came in last minute for brake service. Took me right in. Great service and professionalism and great deal. Alex drove my car to get a feel for brakes before service. Also drive to get a print out warranties on my car with the dealership. Who does that? Genuinely good people who care about the quality of service they give you. Thank you Alex and your guys. Recommend this place to any and everyone. Thanks again!

To start off, I am a young women who has no knowledge of cars. So when I go to a mechanic for car problems, I come in blindly. I had a car problem occur and the second time it happened, I finally decided to take my car to get it checked.
I first took my car in at express tires in pacific beach. They ran a diagnostic check and charged me $ 120. No codes came up and they didn’t know what was wrong with my car. So, they recommended and pressured me a bunch of service towards my car. The total of all that service was $ 1150. I pretty much lost $ 120 and my car problem wasn’t fixed. With a quote of that much and unsatisfactory customer service, I decided to bring my car else where and get a second opinion.
I Unilocaled and found the highly recommended Value Auto Repair shop. I called and spoke to the owner Alex. I told Alex my car problem and he immediately knew what was wrong with my car. I was amazed. He said he didn’t need to do a diagnostic and quoted me a great deal on the repair. I brought my car to Alex and he immediately took my car in. About 40 minutes later, he thoroughly explained everything he did and fixed my car. I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders.
Alex’s customer service is beyond exceptional. If I could give this place more than 5 stars I would. Alex is highly knowledgable about cars and isn’t one to scam or over diagnose those who aren’t knowledgeable about cars, like myself. I have recommended Value Auto Repair to my boyfriend, my family, and friends. If you want honesty and great customer service come to Value Auto Repair. Thank you so much Alex. You’re my Go To Mechanic from now on !

ALEX IS THE BEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO MY CAR SINCE I GOT IT IN 2005.
I don’t meet a lot of genuine people in my life, but I know it when I see it– Alex is one of those people.
I brought my car in on a Saturday morning, and Alex took care of me right away. I told him what was going on, and he knew what it was right off the bat. He thoroughly explained the issue, and what options I had. I opted for the most realistic fix (which also happened to be the cheaper option). He didn’t try to convince me otherwise! He also pointed out that some critters were having a slumber party in my engine! Fruit residue and droppings, on top of my already disgustingly dirty engine. Anyway– I left and let him work his magic.
2 hours with my car in the shop, I get a call «it’s ready for you!» That was super quick! Phone call was short and sweet, but the best part of it was that he didn’t give me a handful of other «issues» that needed to be done (Thank God!)
Went to pick up my car, and my previously disgusting engine was PRISTINE! Not only did he fix the issues, but he voluntarily cleaned my engine and took on some minor tune-​ups FREE OF CHARGE. What?! Too good to be true, I KNOW.
I am beyond impressed with my total experience here! HIGHLY RECOMMEND. No other mechanic has expressed that much concern nor gave my car as much TLC than Alex. I am never going anywhere else, and I am telling everyone and anyone about this shop!
Thank you, Alex! You da man.

Unilocal was right. This is a solid shop. Alex got me in out in 15 minutes for a broken axle on my Hyundai. The price was $ 200 less than what I’d been quoted elsewhere and the part was brand new. Will be returning for future repairs.

Great price, great service. Front and rear brakes replaced for a little over $ 300, and Alex even drove with me so he could hear and explain the weird sound my engine was making (minor problem with the bearings that my vocal skills couldn’t quite imitate). Anyhow, a lot of mechanics would have pounced on the engine issue and tried to upsell or even flat-​out lie; Value Auto Repair took care of it for about $ 30. So finally… after 15 years in San Diego, five cars, and three transmissions, I have finally found an honest mechanic at a fair price (who also has an inspiring personal story, chat him up if you get the chance).

My PT Cruiser began stalling intermitently, and I took it to a mechanic who told me it needed an alternator, spent $ 280 to get it replaced. Right after that my car stalled on the freeway again. Thankfully, I didn’t get hit. Went back to the mechanic, visited two more mechanics and no one could figure out what the problem was.
I spoke with Alex over the phone this a.m. he told me exactly what parts to get, installed the part an hour later, and my car is working perfectly now! Finally!

These guys are awesome. They are fast and honest! I came in today around 730 to get my front front pads and rotors replaced and they didn’t open till 8 but they were already working around the shop. I was finished by 815. I would definitely come in here again.

Great place for auto service than going to stealerships.
— Alex (owner) seems like a good stand up guy
— fast and efficient service, didn’t have to wait long
— very competitive prices (got my brake pads and rotors resurfaced done here)
–highly recommend!

Awesome service Alex! Thank you again, It is very difficult to find a mechanic, Quick and 5 star on customer service, I know where to bring my car now for service :)

Snooping in the Unilocal,looking for a highly rated mech. Shop for my truck. Gave alex my first call and he won me over with a fair quote to fix my transmission.
Took the truck for fix, alex kept me updated through out, also they saw that my spark plugs were fked and they gave me an awesome deal for that fix which i am very grateful for.
Point is, alex and his crew are honest, fair and very humble. All they did was help. And I appreciate the work. This shop gots my business now and in the future. Thank you alex!

I would like to start this review by saying that I usually trust garages slightly more than car salesmen. My brother is a service advisor for a dealership and has told me horror stories about some of the unnecessary service his coworkers have sold. This was not the case at Value Auto Repair.
I read a lot of positive reviews on Unilocal so I called them. Alex was very professional and gave me a quote for new pads for my 2012 Honda Odyssey as well as turning the rotors. When I came to pick up the van he told me to take it for a test drive on the freeway to see if I was satisfied before I paid. I was very happy with the work they did. I think I found a garage for all of my future repairs.

One year ago, my now former auto repair shop told me that I had $ 1000 laundry list that needed to be taken care of. It was a sticker shock, since I also had dropped $ 800 in maintenance/​repair for my 100k mile service, a few months before. Since my car wasn’t leaking and everything seemed to be work fine, I kept my fingers crossed and tabled the repairs for a year.
Fast forward, it was time for another routine oil change and time to get that dreaded laundry list taken care of. Since I’m planning on taking my car on a road trip, I needed to get the repairs out of the way. After I hunted through many-​a-​Yelp review, I found Value Auto Repair.
Called up the shop and talked to Alex. He said he would do the oil change and look at the car. After I brought my car in and the oil change was complete, he gave me a list of things that needed to be done, in the following priority:
1. Tires
2. Font brake pads
3. Timing belt
4. Air filter
None of the above were items on my original laundry list. When I asked about the older repairs that were needed and how I was told that the parts were worn, he replied, «After 150k miles, of course it’s worn. If I did 150k miles, I would be worn, too.» He said he can give me a long list of all the things that *could be* replaced, but it doesn’t mean that they were necessary. Simply put, if nothing is leaking and the car sounds like it’s running fine, nothing is broke.
Going back to his list, Alex said that they didn’t do tire changes at the shop. So, he recommended a place. But, his next statement made me believe this visit truly deserves more than 5-​stars. I was fairly stunned when he said, «Don’t worry about spending your money with me. Safety first. You need to get new tires. Everything else can wait.»
He made note of a few other things that will need to be done, but none of it was a priority compared to the tires and the 3 remaining items. After stressing again the tires, I left feeling a whole lot better and only $ 30 poorer.
Hmmm…an honest mechanic, who can be candid, upfront and provide reasonable prices? I’ll definitely be a repeat customer!

I decided to give this place a shot after reading all of the great reviews. My last mechanic seemed to think I was made of money, but Alex was much more realistic. My car had a terrible rattle that he was able to diagnosis within moments of driving as a worn engine mount. The part was difficult to find, but he was able to locate it and install it right away. Less than $ 200 and an hour later my car was running like new again.
Alex even offered to refund the labor if the part didn’t fix the issue! When I picked it up it was ready for a test drive and he wanted me to take it home and make sure that it was fixed before I paid. I was confident that he had fixed it and insisted on paying right away, but it was a very kind and honest offer.
Alex made me feel very comfortable and fixed what needed to be fixed without trying to pressure me into unnecessary repairs. I will definitely return for further maintenance and any other issues that come up, confident that I won’t be taken advantage of.