John’s Automotive Center

Honest — reliable — great service. I’m surprised to see a few bad reviews on these guys as I have not experienced any of the other’s complaints over the 10 years or so that I’ve been bringing all my cars/​trucks to these guys to service. April is the greatest service writer — always cheerful and very customer service centered.
I actually received several referrals from friends before I started with these guys. Everyone I have run into that knows about John’s usually has great things to say. So it’s hard to have a «perfect» experience with any long-​term vendor, but mine has been pretty close … they only replace what’s needed, and don’t try to suggest a bunch of stuff that’s not needed. Overall — just a great auto repair company. Highly recommend …

Usually my go to auto ship, but this time I was charged for a tire rotation when it wasn’t needed, and I didn’t ask for it. After the rotation, my wheel started pulling hard to the right so I called Harold to ask why they rotated my tires. He said he wasn’t sure why and that I could come back to have it undone. Might not seem like a big deal to him but it is pretty annoying that I now have to spend another day getting work done on my car. I will take my business elsewhere from now on.

I’ve been driving a car for 40 years. These guys are by far the best. Honest, respectful, professional, expert, completely trustworthy.

I had a Flowmaster exhaust installed on my 2015 Challenger here and they did a awesome job. I called on Thursday about a install quote and had it done the next day at a reasonable price. Car was done a hour earlier than was quoted which was nice. People here are very cool and very knowledgeable. I will return here in the future with all my vechicles.

I have been coming here for years and they never disappoint. Harold and April are always so helpful. They have helped me with everything from changing a tire to doing an oil change to listening to that weird noise coming from under the hood.
I have recommended this place to my husband, my brother and a few friends. They are good about seeing you without an appointment too. They do get busy though so try and call first!

Been coming here for years. Great people, prices and service. Over the years they’ve worked on BMW’s, Hondas and Jeeps for us. Harold and April always try to work with their customers with busy schedules, and they can definitely be trusted. Never try to upsell you unneeded junk or overcharge you. If you get sick of your big dealership svc dept experience, or your warranty runs out, consider bringing your business to the good folks at John’s.

You know when you start dealing with a business and you get a gut feeling about it that makes you wonder how in the blankety blank it ever got even ONE 4 or 5 star review? That’s my experience with John’s Automotive Center on Miramar.
Here’s the short version: If you want to pay $ 160 for an alignment that doesn’t actually align anything, for needless installation of kits and changing stories about what is «broken» and what «needs to be replaced», and for extreme attitude over the phone and in-​person by the head honcho Harold, be my guest and let these folks work on your car. Here’s what actually happened for those who care to read on:
I came in for an alignment after an accident on my Prius. The guy who worked on it tells me he can’t do an alignment because my tie rods are bent, so I will have to replace them before he can complete the alignment. I pay $ 35 for this information. Ok, so far not too bad.
I go ahead and replace the tie rods and bring the car back in for the alignment. Now the same guy tells me that asides from the tie rods, either my spindle or strut is bent, and possibly the lower control arm as well. He then proceeds to tell me that he needs to put on a «camber kit» to complete the alignment, given that there are those parts in the car that appear damaged, so he cannot align the car perfectly without the kit. The biggest mistake I made was agreeing to this. The guy puts on the camber kit, and I end up paying about $ 125 for the labor and $ 25 for the parts (the camber kit), for a total of $ 150, which, added to the $ 35 I paid before equals $ 185 altogether. I ask the mechanic (Dan) who worked on the Prius: «so the alignment is good now?» to which he replied, and I quote, «the alignment is perfect.» I pay the bill, thinking «well, it’s definitely a bit more than the original $ 70 they quoted me for the alignment and sensor reset, but I guess if the alignment is fixed now, it’s worth it.»
I drive out of there and head for another appointment I had coming up and immediately notice that THERE WAS NO FREAKING DIFFERENCE in how the car drove before and after they did the alignment. The wheel was still off-​center, and the car still tugged to the right. The entire POINT of installing the kit was so that the car could be aligned WITHOUT changing the parts Dan mentioned needed to be replaced. If the alignment remained the same, what the heck did I just pay $ 155 for? If the alignment was going to be the same with the camber kit, then I would’ve just waited and replaced the broken parts and then gotten a NORMAL alignment without a freaking camber kit, and saved myself a good amount of money in the process!
So after I get done with my appointment, I call up John’s Automotive and speak to Harold, who is the 50-​something white dude who usually sits on the left side behind the counter when you walk into the front office. This guy gives me the attitude of all attitudes– I’m explaining to him the issue, and he’s trying to get me off the phone as quickly as possible, saying «we can take a look at it». Um, «you can take a look at it»? I just paid $ 155 for a nonexistent alignment and an unnecessary camber kit, and you’re telling me «you can take a look at it»? Harold then puts me on hold, goes and tells Dan (the mechanic who actually did the alignment) about my issue, and then returns and says that Dan said I have «bad tires», which might be why the alignment is off. Ok… ok…first off, I had JUST replaced the two tires on the left side of the car (where the accident was) about 2 weeks before the alignment was done– those tires have less than 200 miles on them. They are practically brand new. The tires on the right side of the car have about 8,000 miles on them, and have only been driven for about 200 miles post-​accident. The car did not have alignment issues before the accident, and the tires do not appear to be unevenly worn whatsoever– the alignment problem post-​accident would have to have been literally the worst alignment problem in history to produce «bad tires» in 200 miles, and it wasn’t: the car tugged to the right about 4 – 5 degrees and the wheel was off-​center about 3 – 4 degrees.
Second, all of a sudden he mentions my tires, when up until now he didn’t say ONE WORD about tires? So why put on the camber kit and tell me the alignment is «perfect» if that’s complete hogwash? By this point, I essentially know I’m being screwed– Harold tells me he can «squeeze me in» first thing next morning. I go in the next morning and before I even explain half of my dissatisfaction, Harold throws his hands up and says «I can’t deal with this right now», and disappears around the corner. I end up dealing with April, the receptionist, and they end up removing the camber kit and refunding me $ 25 for the parts.
So I ended up paying $ 160 just for a sensor reset and the information that my «spindle and/​or strut and/​or control arm and/​or tires» are «fucked up» (quoting Dan).
Worst. Car. Experience. Ever.

I was referred to John’s from Bear’s Tires down the street for an alignment and they seem to be straightforward and honest. I knew I only needed a 2 wheel alignment and they gave me an estimate for all 4 wheels, but when I returned to pick my car up, they pointed out I only needed the 2 done and that they were reducing the cost. That’s a great sign. I gave them ⁴⁄₅ stars b/​c this is my first time here, but will update my review when I have more time to get my AC recharged (hopefully that’s all for the AC) and my power steering fluid flushed.

This was my first visit to John’s Automotive Center for an alignment. Just got four new tires from Bear’s Tires and was referred to this shop. They were very courteous and the charge was reasonable (with a $ 5 discount). They also made recommendations, but were never pushy. Very friendly and prompt service. Will come back again.

I just recently moved back to San Diego from the East coast, and after a 3000 mile drive I needed some work done on my cars. The Staff here was super friendly, and welcomed me and my business like I have been a long time costumer. They did an excellent job, and their pricing was fair and comparable to that of one of the big quick lube stores.

Been going here for years. Always well treated and feel I can trust them. What confirmed this years ago is when I took my vehicle in for repair and they called stating that Ford had a recall on this item. They had my car towed to Ford which fixed it for free. They could have very easily just fixed it themselves earning $ 1200 in business for themselves. I appreciated that honesty and have been a customer ever since.

We brought our 94 Honda Civic here, after the Smog Referee failed it. They did an amazing job of researching and repairing it. The timing belt had slipped and they adjusted it. Not only did it pass smog, but it runs far better than it did before.
They were knowledgable, professional and respectful. I highly recommend them, and will be taking our other cars HERE for service.

After moving, I needed to find a new trustworthy and affordable auto repair place. I found that at John’s Automotive.
They have knowledgeable mechanics — vehicle problems are diagnosed and solved. Reasonable prices — I never worry I am being sold something I don’t need.
Additionally, their office staff is helpful and pleasant.
I would highly recommend to anyone.

We’ve been bringing our car here for over 6 years now and appreciate the staff here for their honesty and fairness. I also get my oil changed here and they usually got me in with a very reasonable wait time. Harold is great – he is very reasonable and I feel like I can trust them to recommend what my vehicle needs without getting ripped off. They’ve done a lot of repairs on my older vehicle and we’ve never had an issue. Thanks for the great service!

After my recent oil change and strut replacement at Andy’s Auto Repair, I was directed to John’s Automotive Center to have my front tires aligned. As I was a walk-​in that day, and they were pretty full at the moment, I was given an appointment time of 1 pm.
Though it took them 45 minutes to get my car done, the folks at John’s did a great job realigning my tires. Very professional staff — straightforward and don’t recommend anything unneccesary repairs that other shops may charge. The prices are reasonable, and the waiting area isn’t too bad if it takes a while to have your car done.

Great service, knowledgeable staff, no hidden fees or inflated costs. Only necessary work is suggested, never any extras thrown in unannounced. The staff takes the time to explain the suggested repairs before the work is completed, and also takes the time to show the broken parts that were replaced if you want to see them and get a review of what was wrong with the car. Trusted auto shop since 1985!

I just got new tires on my truck and needed a front end alignment. The place I used to go to went out of business, so I was stuck for a new place. I asked Robert at Bear’s Tires, the folks who put on my new tires, the name of a good alignment shop and he said, without hesitation, «John’s Automotive, corner of Miramar and Dowdy Drive. Know where that is?»
Well, I do now! I drove directly there, made an appointment for two hours later the same day, showed up and got my alignment done in 30 minutes for $ 58. Plus a handy printout of what they did, and all the explanations I could wish to my questions.
I can now take my hands off the wheel on straighaways and my truck tracks straight again.
Extra Bonus: Talking with Harold was fun; I noticed the 2CV car poster high on the wall and said, hey I drove a Deux Cheveux when I lived in France! He replied, I drove one on the Autobahn! (These cars are the original rattletraps, the NTSB would ban them here.) And we went on from there.
Great shop, reasonable prices, friendly service.

Very straight forward and honest car shop!
I am very pleased with the service I have received here! I was referred by a friend who has gone here for years, and have since taken my cars here three times!
The service has been excellent all three times!
The price was very reasonable. I have been pleasantly surprised that their prices always seem very low and not trumped up at all.
They also do NOT make you do repairs that are unnecessary! For example, I took my Jetta there for the 100K mile service and they told me that they would only do the things on the manufactured recommendation list that actually needed to be done. That they would not change filters and stuff like that if they were still in good condition. I really appreciated that, since I really hate spending money on things that are not needed!
Basically, I am so happy that I have found a car shop that I can trust!
Thanks Harold for running an honest and reliable car shop!
Cheers~

i’ve been coming here for 14 years now and its great to see the same core people still working here! The best thing is how the mechanics are happy to talk with you about your car and describe how things work or what is best for THE CUSTOMER.
The alignment guy is the best. (i think his name is Dan) all in all, very good shop. reasonable prices, prompt service

***This review covers the SMOG TEST ONLY***
I’ve been getting my car SMOG tested here for the past 5 years and the experience was always pleasant until recently. Like always, the staff was friendly when I dropped my car off and they asked me how it was running. I told them its been OK for the most part, but that I’ve been having some minor transmission issues.
Since it was a beautiful day, I decided to talk a short walk after handing them the keys. When I returned, I was informed my car FAILED the SMOG test. «Your check engine light was on. That’s an automatic fail.» they told me. I seriously had no idea. So I asked them, if they knew it was going to fail-​why did they still run the test? «We have to.» What kind of BS answer is that?!
They suggested I take my inspection report to my mechanic and have them run a diagnostic. Although the inspection report they produced shows where the issues are-​my mechanic will still have to perform THEIR OWN diagnostic. So the question remains, WHY RUN A SMOG TEST IF ITS A GUARANTEED FAIL!!!
Ultimately, John’s Automotive Center cost me $ 40 to waste 45 minutes of my time and give me a useless report. Upon seeing my check engine light on, they should have postponed running the test. Perhaps the failure of a SMOG test due to a check engine light is common knowledge, but I had never heard that and they certainly didn’t tell me. It’s evident to me this business DOES NOT HAVE THEIR CUSTOMER’S BEST INTERESTS IN MIND.
As if performing an unnecessary service to squeeze a couple bucks out of a customer wasn’t enough, they were unwilling to negotiate any kind of discount. I guess years of patronage don’t mean much to them…
If you need a SMOG test, do yourself a favor and look elsewhere.