M & C Auto Repair

I have came here quite a few times the first two times I came was because random lights came on my dashboard. The mechanic who came to my assistance was really friendly and connected the computer to the car to find out what the issue was. He got the problem sorted and didn’t charge me for it.
So naturally I returned to these guys when I seen a different light come on my dashboard. There was a leak in my coolant engine they ordered the part and I had the car the next day!
Very friendly owner and called me to keep me
Updated throughout!

I had a problem with my airbags. They fixed what I needed them to and didn’t at the cheapest price I could find which was $ 600 less than what the dealership wanted to charge. They were fast, efficient, and honest. They let me know the price up front. Overall, a good experience.

Disappointing service.
This place came recommended from another car shop because I needed a STAR smog certification for an older truck. Not only was I bummed because I didn’t pass smog on my first go around (first time ever), but these guys STILL charged me $ 50. They said I just needed to drive around a bit more and I would fine; then I could come back and they would only charge $ 30 for a re-​test. Came back a couple weeks later only to find out that their machine had broke and they couldn’t re-​test me.
Save yourself the pain.
Go see Alex over at PB European & Imports (Shell station on garnet). Free re-​test and they’re more professional and friendly.

I am posting this review because I think that good, honest, small businesses deserve all the support they can get.
For the past 12 years we have been taking our cars to their respective dealerships for service. We knew the costs were higher than most, but somehow thought it was the «best» or «right» thing to do. Wrong.
Recently we’ve had two incidents where the dealerships wanted to charge us an exorbitant amount of money to fix something. We’ve driven by M&C many times and decided to see what THEY would charge. Sure enough, it was a FRACTION (less than half) of what the dealership wanted and they never tried to upsell us or talk us into fixing something that didn’t need to be fixed. They are very honest and fast and you don’t need to wait a week or more to get an appointment with them. They can usually take you the same day. We will continue to take our cars here from now on!

Have been taking my car here for a five years. Will give an honest assessment of any problem. A couple times they’ve looked at my car for free and told me it runs fine. They’ll never charge you for unnecessary work and you can always trust their assessment. I live pretty far north now and I go out of my way to get all my work done here.

I’ve been taking my car (s) to M & C Auto Repair for more than 10 years now. Gilbert and his staff are the most reasonably priced, honest and expert/​experienced mechanics I have come across in San Diego. Yes, I have been taken advantage of other places and it just doesn’t happen here. When I had low funds and a used car, he consistently helped me to understand what was necessary to keep the car running and safe and what was not (necessary).
Most recently I have a newer car (2011) and so I only need minor adjustments and/​or just an oil and filter change. I don’t have to worry about someone trying to oversell me something I don’t need period. Gilbert is a rare find and worth checking out at his convenient location in Pacific Beach.

I had a terrible experience with these guys. I went it with a loose fan belt that was making a squeaking noise when I started the car. I told the guys I didn’t know which of the two belts was making the sound so they tightened one and said if it still does it come back. It was still making noises the next day so I went back to have the other belt tightened. When I went to pick up my car they told me it would be another $ 20 on top of the $ 15 I had already paid. I explained to them that this should have been fixed the first time and it doesn’t make sense to charge me more the second time anyways. They said that’s how it is. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone.

Great customer service! Fast and very helpful. Carlos not only told me what’s wrong with my car but explained it to me. They fixed my brakes in 45 minutes! Recommend to anyone having mechanical issues with their car.

I took my car in because he is the mechanic for the dealership I bought my car from. It’s a small garage but Gilbert is a really nice guy. He was prompt in returning my call and was fast and efficient on fixing my car! I will definitely return to Gilbert! If you are looking for an honest mechanic, I highly recommend him!

M&C Repair, in my opinion, is by far the best shop in PB. They always do great work, quickly, and most importantly for an incredible price. It’s almost like they don’t even charge for labor. They under sell and over deliver.
My brakes were shot and my car was making some strange grinding noises. They diagnosed the situation, ordered the parts, and had my car back to me by 10 the next day (they had promised it by 1)!!
I immediately recommended the shop to my bank teller when she said she needed work on her car. M&C is theeeeeeee best!

Went in for a smog and needed it fast in order to get to the DMV before 5PM. They had me in and out faster than any other smog shop I’ve ever been to. The owner is a great guy. Will be taking our cars to them for repair.

We took our 1996 Ford Ranger here to get a smog check. They were very helpful and I highly recommend them.

I had to get a smog certification at a STAR Station for my 14 year old truck. The place I used to go to is not STAR certified and they recommended M & C Auto. I took the truck there on a Thursday morning without an appointment. I was there by 10:15 AM and they said it would take 30 minutes. They called me after 25 minutes to let me know that it was complete and it only cost me $ 63.25. It was just a smog Certification, but it was quick, easy, and the price was reasonable. The entire transaction was smooth.

I have felt really well taken care of here. Repair costs have always been really reasonable, and they’ve gotten me in quickly. They’ve never tried to push extra repairs, though they’ve suggested a few things that I really did need.

This place was recommended to me a while back when i was having car trouble. It’s now the only place I’ll go. They are honest and helpful and reasonably priced. As long as you can get your car here — you really shouldn’t go anywhere else in San Diego!

M & C is an outstanding shop. I trust Gilbert and his crew implicitly from my previous dealings with them and today that was strongly reinforced when I brought my 2007 Toyota Yaris in to have it looked at. A belt was squeaking when starting it cold. An M & C repair guy (I forgot what his name tag said) stopped what he was doing to check out my car. The belt was brand new so he decided it just needed to be tightened. In about 20 seconds he moved the starter back about 2 inches which tightened the belt significantly. Here’s the best part: he refused to take any money for me. That’ s right! He added significant value to me, but because it cost him (and the shop) so little, he did it for me on the house. If that is not a sign of a top notch mechanic, in terms of trust, I have no idea what is. Thank you M & C! You have my business for as long as I live in San Diego.

Went here today for a smog check on my 23 year old truck. M & C is a ‘STAR’ station, which is what you need for old vehicles, I guess. The M & C guys did a great job in a reasonable amount of time. I was here on a referral from a non-​STAR station; the mechanic there told me that M & C is one of the honest stations.
I would definitely go here again for smog checks and repairs.

I recommend these guys to my friends… Honest work at honest pricing. I told them what Midas would charge, he beat it by $ 20 without question and got the work done in one hour!

I did not actually have any work done (because of what they were going to charge me), but i spoke with them on the phone and briefly in the shop. I needed to get my emissions testing done for an out of state registration, and they said it would be $ 45. Fair enough. The thing that stopped me was when I mentioned that my check engine light had been on for a while, and could they just check it while they were at it. He said it would be $ 65 just to diagnose it– I am no car guru but I thought that was a little steep, especially because aamco will check your engine light for free… So I decided to go to aamco instead.
If anybody knows much about cars, I would be interested to know if $ 65 is a fair price to check an engine light…

I own a 2000 Volvo Turbo Wagon (hey, I said TURBO so it’s totally gangster) and needed to get my timing belt and 2 side headlamps replaced. I called the Volvo dealership and they pretty much bent me over quoting me close to $ 800 for the fix. I then moved on to M & C Auto Repair per a friend’s advice.
I am always leery of mechanics. I am not a gear-​head whatsoever so these guys could be inventing problems assaulting my wallet and I wouldn’t even know it. But not only were they fair, they also suggested I get my serpentine belt replaced along with the timing belt. That saved me about $ 150 right there. I ended up dropping just $ 410 and the work was quality. Since the repairs, my car has run like a dream and I saved enough money to store in my M & C Hammer pants. See what I did there?