TLC Independent Toyota Lexus Care

I went here for the 15k mile service on my Lexus CT200h. The price was less than half what the Lexus Carlsbad dealer quoted, and barely over a quarter of what the Lexus SD dealer quoted. I was in and out in an hour.
The only negative is that they aren’t open weekends, but I can live with that for the price difference. I will be coming back.

How many reviews does it take to tell you these guys are the best! Honest, friendly and reasonable. Stop looking.

Alright, so let’s say that you didn’t win the World Record Mega Millions Jackpot of $ 474 million in 2012, or that you’re not one of the original Microsoft or Apple shareholders. You probably didn’t even buy any Las Vegas real estate when the mob transformed it from desert to Resort.
That being the case, you care about how you spend your money. Taking your car to the dealer? You might as well grab a couple of Benjamins and take your lighter to them.
On the other hand, TLC Auto gives you very dealer-​like service for way less money. My bride and I have been taking our Toyotas there for almost a decade now. We’ve always received quality service for a more than reasonable price.
Sure, you can probably find some Craigslist jockey to do the work for a few bucks less, but these guys back their work, know what they’re doing, and get it right the first time. They were even nice enough to change the battery on my Prius key fob gratis (Don’t count on that, the first person on the phone said they do it for the battery cost alone). Customer service like that is very difficult to find in the auto repair industry.
The one drawback: they’re so good that much of the time it can be difficult to get in, allow yourself a week to get an appointment.
Highly recommended, I wouldn’t take my car anywhere else!

Top notch Toyota specialty mechanics who know their stuff. I have an older Lexus so it only makes sense to come here versus the dealer. They are always busy, tho. Good for them… bad for us, since it’s hard to get in sometimes.

Been skipping service for my Lexus for quite some time now. Although I usually take my car to the lexus service center, people have been telling me to find alternatives that were cheaper. After researching on Unilocal I decided to call the top 5 for pricing. Basically needed to just get basic service for my Lexus hybrid. Called elite lexus service center and their pricing is ridiculous. The other Lexus service centers were pretty pricey until I ran into Toyota Lexus Care. They’re about 20% cheaper than most and 50% cheaper than elite lexus service center. I had my oil change and brake service. They got me out the door faster than the lexus service center’s so that’s a big plus. Will be back.

Came here yesterday to get my undercarriage splash guard fixed into place. They did it quick and best of no charge! They even added extra support washers on my old car because the splashguard was damaged. I would come here again!

My car is a Toyota Prius. Just completed my first appointment for a 30K mile maintenance as a first time customer. Sat there about a couple of hours and watched people come in and out interacting with agents. It feels like a community where this establishment focuses on service and customer satisfaction. Great first experience. I bet they would try to realign my tires if I went back to my previous service Toyota Mossy instead of telling me to go change my tires that are worn out to the bar, then come back for the realignment like these guys did. That saved me some cash by doing so. Overall 30K service is about 40 bucks cheaper than my previous service. Happy that I made to switch!

Been going her couple years now and I have to agree with the 5 star reviews. Staff are very flexible with scheduling and exceptionally friendly at the desk. Had a couple requested work done along with my usual every 5k mile oil change. They explained all details up front and charged a very fair price way below what I would have paid at the dealer. Fast service and referred me to a smog check place near by which they bring their cars to. I will continue to frequent this business and refer family and friends.
P. S. Fred, thank you for the hospitality and advice on the IPA’s. Ray, thanks for the great service!!!

Awesome alternative to genuine service around the corner at the Lexus or Toyota Dealership. They know which parts have to be replaced with oem and which can be aftermarket, and they do dealership level quality services.

These guys are great. Fair prices and knowledgeable techs. Will come again.

Best Toyota/​Lexus shop in San Diego by a mile.
Honest, professional, knowledgeable, and overall a great shop.
These guys are top notch and worth every dollar. Hard to find a shop like this.
Thank you TLC for taking good care my ride.

I have had my Toyota Camry serviced twice here. This many 5 star reviews is not a mistake.
Last August, the remote entry stopped working. I asked the dealer about an estimate and it was $ 300 to diagnose the problem. I found TLC and talked them about it. Remote entry isn’t a pending disaster so it was put off a few days and they called me when they could work it in. Anyways, they saved me a lot of money by getting a refurbished receiver and the total for the replacement and labor was about $ 300.
Now this week, on Sunday night I started the car and there was high whining noise coming from under the hood. I called on Monday, hoping they were open. They weren’t it was Memorial Day. So I called on Tuesday morning and they told me they are really busy, but just bring it by for a listen. I stop by around 10 am, he brings out a stethoscope for the car and a voltmeter for the battery. This was before I signed anything for payment. Jim tells me the alternator is noisy and recommends a replacement. I also opt to have the battery and one of the terminals replaced because it was really messy. I felt the price was fair for the job, and because an alternator is kinda important they were able to work it in the same afternoon.
The bottom line is, as a female I am so glad to have found an auto shop that doesn’t try to sell me things I do not need or overcharge me for parts or services. As long as I own a Toyota this will be my go to shop.

WOW!!! Today marks a special day in my history dealing with auto repair shops. Yesterday, my check engine light and VCS track lights popped on. Of course I looked online to figure out what it was… and everything led me to think it was an O2 sensor or mass air flow sensor… nothing less than a $ 400 repair for my 2002 4Runner. I called everywhere… including a dealer. Nobody was interested in diagnosing my 4Runner without charging $ 120 (which could be applied to a repair). I then found TLC and spoke to Fred. He said to bring it in and he would take a look at no charge. After plugging in his computer to my 4runner, it turned out to be a gas cap issue. He was done in about 2 minutes… cleared my codes and I was off. TLC will be the shop I take my Toyota to for any repair. It’s clear that they are HONEST and KNOW what they are doing. Thanks again!

This place is hands down the best place to take your Toyota or Lexus. I used to go to Kearney Mesa Toyota and Lexus San Diego but I have started to take both my 2014 Lexus and 2005 Toyota here for all my service needs. Yeah you don’t get a loaner car but I would rather have a great price and extraordinary customer service.
Here is just one example of why I will always take my car to them: I had a check engine light come on and even though TLC was too busy to service my car they let me come in to see what the fault was. Turns out it was a missing vacuum hose causing an emissions fault. They had an replacement hose laying around so they put it on, cleared the code, and sent me on my way. I would never get this kind of service at the dealership.
They are always busy so I suggest you make an appointment a week out.

So far so good… brought my car in yesterday for the 90k and the car hasn’t fallen apart yet. This is why:
–They beat the dealership in price by a lot. (like a LOT a lot)
–They were nice over the phone, and in person
–They were finished on time
–Free shuttle (this is HUGE)…one of the owners drove me and he was super friendly and accomodating
Yeah the dealership offers a free K-​cup machine and a TV in the waiting room, but I don’t think that’s worth double the price.

Went to a «Toyota» car care place downtown by where I live and it doesn’t even compare to this place in all aspects. I have a 2003 Toyota 4Runner that was making some noise that was concerning. As soon as I walked into TLC I was greeted and assisted immediately. I needed to get a diagnostic on my car because I didn’t know what was going on with it so I knew I potentially was going to be waiting for awhile, ended up being a little over an hour but I was alright with that. They even offered me all sorts of snacks and drinks while I was waiting… what service!
Fred took the time to drive my car around and figure out what was going on with it. He was unable to figure it out so allowed me to go with him so I could show him the problem. Nothing ended up being seriously wrong with my car so they advised me to just keep an eye out for the problem. I walked away not having to pay a cent, which surprised me because many places will charge for a simple diagnostic.
I will absolutely be returning to TLC for something as simple as getting my oil changed. These guys know how to provide exceptional customer service and truly take the time to assist you.

The best Toyota/​Lexus shop in SD!!! These guys know there stuff! Mechanics are legit!!!

So far I have had TLC do specialty things for me but I am about to switch all of my car care to them. We had a suspension kit installed on our van to help when loaded down and pulling a trailer. Fred and Mike suggested I buy a set of air bags and bring them in. They didn’t try to sell them to me which I sincerely appreciated. Instead they gave me the website where to buy them and just charged me a very fair price for installation. It works great.
Today I had an issue whereby the some failure lights came on (ABS, TRAC OFF and VSC). This trifecta of illumination locked the shift control knob not allowing the car to be moved out of Park. I had done some investigating and experimenting which narrowed some of the possible culprits. I managed to get the car moved (shift override button) and went straight to TLC. Fred came out and solved the problem in 10 minutes. My weekend instantly went from a bleak outlook to Sky’s the limit. No fussing or upselling. Definitely recommend them.

WOW! Thanks Fred and Jim awesome service as always! What I thought was some major oil leak deal turned out to be a leaking aftermarket filter. Fred took the time to clean it all up and show me what a mess the quick oil change place had made.
thanks again

I really appreciate people who specialize. So, being a Toyota owner, I wanted a shop that deals strictly with Toyota’s (and of course, Lexus too!)
My truck has been awesome since I bought it brand new back in 2004. But one day the check engine light, and two other lights came on all at once. Uh Oh!
I called TLC and offered a brief explanation and they advised my to bring it by,
When I arrived, they pretty much stopped what they were doing, came outside with a diagnostic computer, and within moments told me what was up.
Just like that.
For free.
I’m pretty handy under the hood, and so after a bit of research, I decided to tackle the job myself. But even after completing the work perfectly (If I may say so) the warning lights were still on. Ughh, I didn’t have the computer to reset them!
Well, you guessed it– the guys at TLC were kind enough to reset them for me.
Just like that.
For free.
To show my gratitude, I bought them a huge box of bagels and a gallon of coffee.
But, I’ll tell you this.
It’s just a matter of time until my faithful truck needs some love that I’m not trained to do, and I will definitely be going to TLC.

Excellent servie.