John’s Automotive Care

My alternator broke and I called a bunch of shops. John’s auto was one of the only place willing to fix it the same day I brought the car in. They have excellent customer service and fixed it all at a reasonable rate, AND they gave a AAA discount The fix ended up being cheaper than I expected and they gave me a bag of candy at the end with green jolly ranchers (seriously? that’s my favorite flavor).

I would give them 10 stars if I could! One sad morning our ’73 Chevy Nova didnt want to start and after searching for places that would work on a car that old, we found John’s. Justin was our point of contact and he made everything so easy. They dont try and upsell or push you for things you dont want and actually call you back when they say they will. When it comes to broken cars, it’s never fun to deal with, but they were so helpful and friendly. Thank you to everyone at John’s for getting our «Willie» back up and running!

Was referred here by a coworker after I took my car into another shop for an oil leak and was swindled out of $ 1200 and sent home with the same heavy oil leak and another potential $ 800 recommended service to fix what they claim is still leaking! UGH
John’s Automotive was a breath of fresh air! The staff is friendly, specifically Bryson who was honest, transparent, and thorough; explaining to me what issues they suspected and keeping my car a bit longer just to do a thorough check that the oil leak was fixed before they sent me home (which I graciously appreciated.) It should be mentioned that what was found to be the source of the leak was actually not mentioned by the previous shop and ¹⁄₁₀^th of the cost to fix! John’s took care of me! John’s is the first honest auto shop I’ve found in San Diego. They have a new customer and I would and will refer ALL my friends to this place without hesitation. Thank you!

First time customer to this company and have had nothing but a great experience! Very personal feel and wasn’t pressured into buying any other services (unlike all of these other huge corporate auto services). Staff was more than patient with me and my needs and was very impressed with a welcomed sense of professionalism.
Another side note about their customer service was that I was having bank troubles (I was from out of town and had complications with out of area fraud charges) these guys stayed with me patiently as I was figuring out the issue cracking jokes with each other EVEN AFTER THE STORE HAD CLOSED! Could not be more thankful for them working with me so resolve an issue when they could have gone home after a long shift.
Ignore the negative comments a majority of people who do post negatively on a review that’s predominately positive either went through a personal issue or clearly had some major miss communication issues. NO IM NOT A UnilocalER but I do appreciate good customer service when I see it. Keep up the good work guys.

Wonderful experience! Lenny was a great representative and offered several cost savings options that other shops never even suggested for repairs needed on my vehicle. Will 100% be back.

Took my wife’s car in to fix the ac (it was blowing hot air). Not knowing what to expect, our experience was great. John’s team fixed it within a half day, and only charged us for labor once they realized it was simply an electrical issue (all they needed to do was re-​seat the connectors) they officially have my trust. It’s not often you meet honest, trustworthy people anymore. Thanks guys!

My entire family has been coming to this place since before it was John’s Automotive Care! What is that, maybe a 20-​year history or longer.
They’ve kept our cars on the road, reliably and economically, for eons. (Our current cars are a 1996 and 2000.) We trust them to prioritize repairs, giving us the straight truth about what we need to do now and what we can let slide for a bit.
Case in point: Back when the car was fairly new, the dealer (Hine) told my wife it needed new front and rear brakes. Fortunately, she thought that was odd, and she took it in to our *trusted* mechanics. John’s told her the brakes were fine. And, if I recall correctly it went another two years or so before it needed one of the sets of brakes done — can’t recall now whether it was front or rear — and another couple years before it needed the other pair!
In over 20 years of car maintenance and repair, things haven’t always gone totally smoothly. Cars are complicated things, and as they age they get even more so. But what’s notable about John’s is that when things go wrong, even the slightest bit, they really go the extra mile to make things right. They’re great people to do business with.
The waiting room has a good Wi-​Fi connection, and there are outlets and charging cords in the corner. That’s been my corner office for many a half-​day. Also, there’s coffee, water bottles, and snacks for customers.
There’s a discount for AAA members and Kaiser employees.
We recommend them to everyone we know!

I was referred to this shop by AAA when I needed a local place to do a star certified smog check. I called around to the 3 places they referred and this place had by far the best deal. Whereas the other places asked the model/​year of the car and priced the smog check on that, John’s Automotive gave a flat rate quote. Another facility tried to tell me that their price was due to the older model car and that the price includes the certificate. When I called John’s back to ask if all of the same was included they confirmed and said other places try to charge more for older cars but the same test is done on all of them anyways.
I finally went in right when they opened on a Saturday morning. They took the car right away and quoted an appropriate time for the testing. As I waited in the lobby they invited me to make myself some coffee (keurig) or to help myself to an array of snacks. I sat and waited there and watched as customer after customer was helped and treated as if they were long time friends as all the employees were so caring and helpful.
I only planned on coming here for the smog check but with that experience, John’s Automotive just won a repeat customer. I will definitely come back here for other services as needed.

I love these guys! I found them upon unfortunate circumstances via AAA when my 1988 car bottomed out on a pouring rainy day on the side of a freeway a few months ago. They quickly replaced both fuel pumps. Their shuttle service is great, the driver is very friendly and they even picked me up the day I went to pick up my car as well so I didn’t have to pay for a lyft/​über. I dropped in when my wiper blade kept flipping itself off and backwards and my own attempts wouldn’t correct it. They fiddled with it a little bit and sent me off without any charge.
They always offer coffee/​water & snacks while you wait, they’re extremely nice and reasonably speedy.

My 2007 civic went from sounding like it was going to explode, to stealthy silent. The mounts needed replacement. I knew something was wrong with the car and took it into the dealership months ago, only to be told nothing was wrong. Frankly, I don’t drive it often, or long enough to have stuck to my gut and go for a second opinion sooner. The service was quick, and price was fair. I don’t live too far away so they were able to scoop me up to pick up my car, and save me the cab ride over (YAY!) I take a little comfort that they are also a NAPA center, so that added coverage never hurts.

Im back again, now with my daughters car. These guys treat me like family. Brian and Lenny are patient and caring. Theres even a bowl of chocolates to sooth the soul in the lobby. Bring your car here! Extra discount for being a Kaiser Employee.

Love it! Great costumer service! As soon as I walked in one of the guys asked if I wanted something to eat, as they were just starting to eat their lunch. They had plenty of snacks, toys for kids to play with, and even a place to charge your phone! The only thing that kinda bothered me was that I asked if they could take my window panel off the see what was wrong with it. That alone was gonna cost me $ 100 so I just never mind. Then a little while later a guy with a Mercedes comes in and he can’t figure out why his car won’t start. They told him that they would check the electrical system for only $ 50. Other than that I would recommend them to anyone!

Expect a lot of push back on warranty returns, especially from Chris.
I had a brake job, performed by this shop last year, April 2014, replacing both front and rear pads, and rotors machined; brake fluid flushed, and so forth (your typical/​standard brake job). The problem: both inner rear pads wore down to 1 mm. I called the shop, and explained everything, and this is where all the push back started.
Chris asked for my mileage, and said I was at the warranty limit, 24k. Um, sorry bud, actually I’m still within the limit with 1k miles to spare (push back #1). I also told him that I’ve since relocated to Orange County, and he instructed me to call Napa customer service line, which is on the back of my receipt, and find the nearest shop to repair my pads.
Upon closer inspection, I find that the Napa nationwide warranty, listed on the back of my receipt is only valid for 1 year/12,000 miles, not the 24 month/24,000 miles nationwide that this shop says. To make matters worse, I called the shop nearest to me, and they proceed to inform me that brake pads are not covered under the warranty.
I call JAC back a few days later, and spoke to Bryan, He confirms what I was told that brake pads are not covered under the Napa warranty, and tells me that he’ll honor his 24 month/​24k, and will warranty out the pads.
I drive down two Saturdays ago, arriving early for my appointment at 8:30, and have the misfortune of being serviced by Chris. The first thing Chris asks me is, «are you still under the warranty mileage (push back #2)?» Of course I am, Chris — why would i waste your time, let alone mine? (Btw, a simple «good morning» would have been more proper, then to question my warranty status first thing in the morning).
Here’s, where things go completely south: my car gets inspected, and Chris tells me I need new calipers without even looking at me in the eye (bear in mind: i waited for my car the entire time inside the waiting room, since I have nowhere to go, since I drove all the way from OC, so we’re having a face to face conversation). What compounds the problem is he doesn’t even explain why I need new calipers.
Perplexed, I told him the car is not pulling to one side, so how does he know I need new calipers. He says it wouldn’t pull because rear calipers don’t pull when they fail. Well, that’s contrary to what
says.
He also said that when there is a 3 to 4 mm difference in pads, that’s when you know rear calipers need replacing (according to him, my outer pads were at 4 mm, and inners were at 1 mm, thus 4 – 1 = 3). Okay, but both sets of pads on both sides are worn equal, 4 mm outer/​1mm inner. That’s a red flag, buddy. How often do both calipers fail at the exact same time? That’s like both rear shocks, failing at the exact same time, or both headlights burning out, needing replacement at the exact same time. It just doesn’t happen. Not satisfied with the explanation at all.
Next Chris proceeds to tell me that I also need new rotors (again, no explanation — I had to ask questions, drawing him out), So, I asked what are the thickness of my rotors at currently? According to him they are below minimum thickness, .53, and .52, No problem, I asked if I could see the rotors, since every rotor is stamped with a minimum mm thickness. He tells me that only some manufactures stamp there rotors, but most don’t (push back #3).
I also didn’t like how Chris tried to tell me that his shop shaves rotors down anywhere from .10 to .12. I told him that with my last brake job (in April), according to my receipt, they shaved the left rotor .03, and I showed this to him as i had the receipt with me. He quickly changed his words to «well, we shave anywhere from .06 to .10?» Well, which is it?
In the end, my brake pads were replaced under warranty, despite all the push back. I also reluctantly replaced my rotors, but buyer beware, regarding warranty returns at this shop, expect some wrangling, which is unnerving.

I first went to John’s because it was close to my house and been to another mechanic 4 different times, who couldn’t figure out WHY my O2 sensor light kept going off. Well, after ONE visit with John’s they figured it out and fixed it! That was a couple of years ago and I have continued to go there for everything car related. I have referred several people there as well, which you usually get a free oil change coupon for and the person who got referred got a $ 20 off next service for being a referral! Everyone there very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. To top that off, they have a courtesy car to take you to the shop or back home while you car is being repaired! I don’t know if this is just for a certain amount of distance but they took me to work one time! As long as I live in SD, I will not go to another shop!

Referred to this place by Carrillo & Sons Collision Center, I’m not from here so I’m glad I was given a great referral. I worked with the mechanic name Chris, he was very helpful in explaining what was wrong with my car and what we could do to fix it. I was given an inspection amount that was cut in half because they honor military discount and didn’t need to do all the extra testing to my car due to the outcome of the first testing. They worked with me on the pricing and also offered a free shuttle to and from the location so I didn’t have to wait there all day. Once all my paperwork was ready they notified me by phone that the shuttle would contact me when they were on there way to pick me up, they also let my dog come with me to my appointment which is a plus because it’s a dog friendly location. Jeff was my driver, he was so nice to me and my dog. All the staff I interacted with were so professional, they also played with my dog and provided me with great customer service. They also provide coffee, water bottles and snacks just in case if you have to wait there for any amount of time.

I can see why this shop has such an awesome reputation. One of the most professional and pleasant experiences I’ve had dealing with an auto repair shop.
Wish I lived nearby to make John’s Automotive my go-​to!
Highly recommend.

Came here for a car alignment, super friendly staff and fixed my car!

I was referred here by my coworker, and have no regrets. If you’re looking for a solid mechanic that will not break your wallet, this is the place. From the moment I walked in, I was treated like a regular. I was made to feel comfortable with a snack in one hand and hot tea in the other. Chris is awesome and even offered to glue the rubber on my windows at no charge. They even give you a bag of candy when you’re done ! Highly recommended :)
P. S. If you’re referred, you are given a discount on your service. And if you refer someone, you get a free oil service ! Speaking of, every fifth oil service is free. Win win!

I went here about two years ago and meant to write a review. Awesome service, I was going to SDSU (living 600 miles from my parents) and it just felt like it had a homey vibe, like they weren’t trying to rip me off. Bryan helped me and even talked to my dad on the phone so he could get a better understanding of what was going on, it was such a relief. Obviously it was good service if I still remember his name when it was over two years ago.
Thanks Bryan!

I’ve been coming here for about 5 years and I’m in love with everything about Johns!
Their customer service is so spot on. I’m a young girl and when joseph was still working here he would call my dad (who lived in Seattle at the time) and discuss my car with him, since I don’t know much about cars.
I’ve always felt so well taken care of there whether it be joseph brian or Chris helping me. The staff is phenomenal!
My car has always come back perfect as well– always in perfect condition, the price is always right.
Overall this place is literally all you could ever ask for whether it be an oil change, tires or something more serious!
Go to johns!!!