Griffin’s Auto Repair

This place is great! As a girl I always feel skeptical about car repairs because of my lack of knowledge in cars. My car was having trouble starting and I wasn’t sure if it was the battery or my alternator. I took my car in on a Friday and was in and out within 45 minutes! It turns out I just needed a new battery! Chris was friendly and informative! At no time did I feel pressured to buy any additional services like at other car repair places.
I would definitely recommend Griffins auto repair!

I ended up dropping off my car here solely because it was a couple blocks away from where I live and I am so glad I gave them a try. They were really friendly and informative and made it a point to explain the processes that were needed and why. They were also honest about what repairs were urgent and which ones I could hold off on, which is unusual in this industry but much appreciated since most places usually try to push add-​ons to your services. I think this is my new go-​to anytime my car needs some love!

My Volvo had the traks light & ABS light on. I did not know what that meant. They seemed to come on and off and my driver door lock seems to work on and off. It will not respond to my key, the button on the old (what is the thing called with the buttons on it?) does not make the lock on the door passenger side work, sometimes all the locks to not lock or respond; the problem is random and not consistent.
I brought the car in. They charged me over $ 2000.00 for repairing the struts on the front of the car and replacing an ABS sensor on the rear of the car.
Now the locks still randomly work and do not work and the lock in the back of the station wagon will not go down and I cannot open the back of the car. The ABS lights are still going on and the trak light is still on. It seems to go on and stay on after the car is moving; sometimes it goes off. I see not relationship to anything that I do or do not do.
I drove earlier today and showed my handyman that the lights were still on so that I have a witness to the problem. (As it seems when I go in sometimes the lights are off and they look at me as if I am crazy.) After that the lights went off. On the way home later the trak light and ABS light were on all the way home for 20 minutes.
I have brought the car back twice since the repair as there are noises coming from the bottom of the car that sound like something is loose and clunking, thudding. They have no explanation for the lights still coming off and on. Except as I was attempting to understand what ABS is I was told that is effects the brake in the case of someone pulling in front of me and my attempting to stop. That is not reassuring as people commonly pull in front of other cars in SD.
So was the ABS sensor actually bad and did it need to be replaced in the back of the car or not? Did they actually do the repair? I was not given parts back to show and prove the replacement. If the lights were going on because I needed a new sensor on the rear wheel should not the lights be off now? Is the car safe to drive? Maybe the problem is simply that the ABS unit itself needs to be replaced? Maybe the sensor was not bad as I was told their computer read but the ABS sensor needed to be replaced? How am I to know? What do I do now? Did they use genetic parts and not Volvo parts? Is that the problem?
Is it the bushings on the Volvo that «are dry» and they lubricated them for me the cause of the noises while driving the vehicle? I have no idea. It does not seem safe to me. I feel angry that I brought the car in, paid $ 2000.00 and still have the same problems that I drove in there with to begin with.
I guess I have to take the car somewhere else to find out what was done and not done and to fix the problems. I am not a happy camper!
I thought that I could trust them but if I have the same problems now after they repairs that they told me I needed and paid them for what am I to think? I think I have the same problems that I went in with, paid $ 2000 dollars and still have the problems that I went in with!

Great auto shop ! Honest, Trustworthy, Fast for all your families auto repair I highly recommend !

The only benefit to this place was that it was close to my office. Otherwise, I ended up paying more than I would at my dealer, they were argumentative, their policy of leaving your key in plain view in your car for any passerby to jump in and drive off is irresponsible and they tried to nickel-​and-​dime me over a coupon I had. I won’t go back.

My car had a power steering problem and after desperately trying to find a place that DIDNT charge for an estimate, I eventually settled for griffin. who charged me 50 bucks to tell me what I already figured was wrong with my car. The guy that helped me was very friendly and got back to me in a timely manner… however i ended up finding a different place to have my car fixed who gave me a price of 100 dollars cheaper than what griffin wanted to charge me. I figure they charge a greater service fee simply because of their location but the customer service i experienced was no doubt great. Just wouldn’t suggest it if you’re looking to save some money.

Abraham was SO helpful on my Honda. I was about to take a trip to Santa Barbara two weeks ago and realized i needed an oil change and they had my car ready in hours the morning of my trip. Great experience and will be coming back to this place for sure :)

I was referred to Griffin by my auto mechanic to have my A/​C repaired. Griffin charges an up front fee to diagnose problems. I guess they get a lot of people backing out, otherwise they wouldn’t charge to diagnose. Griffin quoted me a complete replacement fee that was a few dollars more than the dealer rate; with the up front fee that’s a lot more than the dealer rate. Since my car was already at Griffin I agreed to have them do the work — otherwise it’s even more time off work to and more delays waiting for the dealer to fix my car. What bothered me the most is that I was hoping that a place that specializes in A/​C work would be more than a replacement shop. Replacing and fixing are different skillsets and the costs are significantly different. Perhaps my unit was beyond repair.

These guys are half the price of the dealership to replace my brakes. Went in with squeaky brakes and now it’s nice and quiet. All within a few hours. Abraham was the one who helped me and was quick to call me to keep me up to date on the progress.
For once didn’t feel cheated from a car repair business.
Thanks Guys.

One of the best auto repair experiences I’ve ever had. Craig and the staff were knowledgable and trustworthy. They were also able to explain the cost breakdowns to me in a way that’s easy to understand. Their pricing is fair and they do fast, quality work. Craig even made a maintenance checklist for me for later use. The team did my emergency repairs all in the same day, and called me as soon as my vehicle was ready for pick up. This place takes a lot of stress out of car maintenance and repair. Highly recommend!

I’m editing my prior extremely negative review because the General Manager of Griffin’s heard about my complaint and gave me a full refund. Admittedly, the shop still botched the repair job, and the shop overcharged me on parts and labor, but at least management has the intestinal fortitude to admit their mistakes and do the right thing. One thing to note; they do insure their work, and if the customer calls the 1 – 800 number on the bill, you should be able to get the issues fixed if they arise.

Beware. Had 2 warning light, low tire sensor light and traction warning light in my vw Passat. Nothing wrong physically with the car, just electronics. Charged me $ 108 to diagnose. He told me they fixed the traction warning light but with need another $ 108 to diagnose the low tire sensor. Pick up the car, both lights are still on. Didn’t have time to leave the car and they wanted for me bring it back for further diagnosis, and another $ 108. I wonder if they touch anything? Either way, I was out $ 108 for the day, with the same problem. Went to vw dealer and had the problem fixed with an oil change.
I paid $ 108 to park my car for the day at griffins!

Super nice staff, they did a good job, BUT they did have my car all day and charged an outrageous price for labor, I mean outrageous. I spoke with two other shops after paying over 500 dollars for an oil change and two leaks, and both told me that I over payed by quite a lot. They also told me about a 100 dollar credit that I would get for being a new customer and when I got there and asked about it he told me it was included, after looking at my bill I realized it was absolutely not added at all. They did a fine job but I will never be back, plenty of other great, reasonably priced shops that won’t over charge you. I recommend shopping around.

Brought my neglected SUV here for an oil change. I figured I needed some minor work done in order to pass smog. The shop gave me a list of things they found needed attention. I had the most obvious problem fixed first and I passed smog, no problem. They even ran a quick scan before I took it in. Nice clean shop, friendly front counter, no pressure, quick service, prices seemed reasonable.

Griffin’s is an outstanding auto repair shop in Little Italy. I brought my Audi TT to Griffin’s last fall for an alternator replacement, and I brought my Toyota Avalon in for brake work this week. In both cases, I dealt with Chris, who is excellent at clearly communicating the status and costs of the repair and following-​up.
Also, in both cases, Griffin’s delivered the work on-​time and at or BELOW their initial estimate. That almost never happens anywhere else. With the Audi, Griffin’s price was 55% of what the dealer quoted me for an alternator swap, and with the Avalon, it was 60% of what the Toyota dealer wanted to charge for brake work.
I’ve only been in downtown San Diego for a year, and am relieved to have found my «go-​to» auto repair shop going forward. Griffin’s has earned my trust, and I am confident they will earn yours as well.

Griffins Automotive Services is a awesome! I came to them after having a less than great experience at Mossy Volkswagen and will always return. Especially coming from a girls perspective, they’re very helpful and explain everything and don’t try to up sell you with services that are not necessary. If your local, you should support.

I’m very pleased with finding these guys. Had some issues with my BMW X, the engine failsafe light coming on and Chris told me to bring it it and got me in right away. Tim ran the diagnostics on my vehicle and saw what the issue was very quickly. He brought me out to the car and showed me a loose air flow boot that was mistakenly not tightened down from a prior service I had done while traveling in Los Angeles. Tim tightened down the part and sent me on my way. These guys are very customer service oriented and very honest. They have earned my business to come back the next time I need service.

I will keep this short. I recommend Griffin’s Auto Repair without hesitation! They do good honest work at a fair price. If you are a gal looking for a good mechanic who won’t hustle you, go here. I used to go to Hoss at Midway Auto over on Morena, and if you live in that area I recommend him too, however I work downtown and was looking for something closer. I have found it! Thanks Chris, Abraham, and everyone else at Griffin’s!

These guys were great! Free rinse because they are so nice and very knowledgeable about my prius !

Thanks Chris and Mike at the shop!
Had a jammed trunk and wasn’t sure how to proceed, being from out of town.
Called around downtown shops, and Chris was the only cheery voice who said they could take a look right away. Even the dealer wasn’t answering their phones properly. He diagnosed the problem right away and enlisted Mike to test the circuits one-​by-​one.
Although the problem would take longer to fix, Chris was able to manually unlock the trunk, so we could be on our way.
Never thought I would be reviewing a mechanic on a business trip, but it prevented a costly delay.
Great job Griffin’s!