Woods Automotive

I FOUND MY MECHANIC!
I moved from OC to San Diego last summer and the only thing I missed was my mechanic. Didn’t have a reliable one in SD yet. Recently my check engine light came on so I called them up and they said they could take a quick look same day, at least know what the issue was. I rolled in and someone came running out to greet me. They ran a couple diagnostics checks on my car, found out it was just a error message due to the gas tank reading a vapor leak.
I was off and running in 5 minutes and they didn’t charge a thing. I appreciate a mechanic that isn’t trying to nickle and dime you for everything or tell you that the car needs work when it doesn’t.
They didn’t get any money from me this time but they got new loyal customer. Next time the car needs work it goes here.

Woods Auto ROCKS! They were able to get an axle seal replaced under the NAPA AutoCare warranty. This seal was recently replaced by another out-​of-​town NAPA shop and had begun to leak. At no out-​of-​pocket expense, they stood behind the Nationwide Warranty, and got the Jeep back on the road! Thanx Jennifer!

Great work on my AC. I thought I was going to have to spend $ 1000+ because I remember as a child Honda’s having expensive AC repairs. But Mike at Woods automotive was clear about everything, honest, and dependable.
Joy was really great too!
Really happy to have found a local mechanic for all my needs. Thanks!

Best auto repair service I’ve ever used (& I’ve been driving 49 years). Mike (owner), Joy (who handles the office side & remembers everything about my car), and their team have taken great care of my 1999 Toyota Corolla for 8 yrs. I lived nearby at first, but now drive out of my way to use Woods Automotive. Excellent mechanics & diagnosticians. Thorough, honest, reliable, timely, friendly. No surprises. No overcharging. They enjoy keeping older cars in great working order. They tell me what needs fixing, what bears watching, and what’s fine as is. They’ve fit me in when I’ve had an urgent issue. I completely trust their judgment. Superb in every way.

I called up Woods Automotive on Monday to ask if they could diagnose why my AC was not working on my 2002 Honda Odyssey. At first, Mike Dunbar (Owner) told me he was booked out until the following week. However, he asked me to wait a minute and then informed me to drop my car off at lunch time. Mike and an his team were able to diagnose that it was a faulty fan resistor that prevented the AC Compressor from turning on. He had it replaced same day and also serviced the oil in my car. Woods Automotive has excellent customer service and communication and treats their customers with respect and professionalism. There is a reason they have been around for 35 years, customer satisfaction. Thank you Mike.

Took my car here for years. Auto repair doesn’t come any better!

Guys are so helpful– my go to place! Even when i need a little assistance they are there to lend a hand! Love love

Very friendly and helpful right off the bat. Mike checked out my truck and said he could get it done today! Very happy with the professionalism, courtesy, and customer service shown by Mike and also Joy in the office. Also, the price is very fair for quality work — had my front brakes and calipers done, rotors resurfaced, and steering stops replaced for 625.00. Very happy with Woods Automotive and will DEFINITELY be back!

My wife and I have used Woods for about 10 years. Mike worked at the shop for John Wood and then bought the business. We travel a long way to bring our cars here because there is no place better. They are honest and keep great records for our vehicles. We bought two new cars in 2003 and they are both eleven years old with more than 150,000. With the maintenance performed here, we think we will get 300,000 out of our Honda Accord and Dodge Dakota. Joyce at the front desk is amazing to work with and she keeps customers informed.

My sister recommended Woods Automotive and I’m so thankful ! Not being a car expert, I have always felt taken advantage of at most mechanic shops. Two examples of the extra mile they will go for you: 1) the dealership told my sister she needed a new hose for her Volvo and quoted approximately $ 1,000.00 to fix. Mike was able to use another «type» of hose that definitely would do the job for a fraction of the cost. 2) My car was running into some problems where two mechanics told me most likely would require a new transmission. I took it to Woods, where he was able to diagnose the problem which was no where even close to a new transmission! I will be a loyal customer from here on out. TRUST is an absolute must when it comes to a car mechanic and you can trust Mike, Joy and the rest of the crew of Woods Automotive !

Great experience!
When I first dropped off my truck about 2 weeks ago, Joy came out and used the portable machine to diagnose the check engine light. She turned off the light and asked me to come back for a more thorough workup.
About that same time, I asked if someone could give me a quote for replacement of my partner’s Mazda 3 headlight. Mike came out and took a look and fixed it on the spot! For free!!! So grateful.
So, I went back today for the diagnosis on my truck and the news wasn’t good. I needed some major work done, which was a little unnerving because my truck only has 61,000 miles on it. Mike called and gave me a very thorough diagnosis of the problem and suggested I return it to Ford. He even consulted his database and called Ford to ask about the problem, and if they had had similar complaints. Yes, they had.
I’m so grateful to Mike for going the extra mile by calling the manufacturer and printing out the details from the Ford website. He gave some great recommendations and suggestions that I will take with me to the Ford dealership to get this all worked out.
I highly recommend Woods Automotive. It’s a small location but the service I got there was A+.

Mike was fantastic. I work nearby and have been having an issue with my car that was very concerning. It was speculated to be wheel bearing related and I was afraid of my wheel falling off. I stopped by to see if I should drop it off so he could maybe squeeze it in during his packed week and he took his time, even though it was 5 and he was closing, and he drove my car, listened for the sound, helped me figure out that it is not dangerous and seems to be related to the cheap hubcaps on my Subaru, I will be back next week for an oil change and other maintenance, he has gained my trust!

I’m a believer! Will return again. Mike is an honest mechanic. Isn’t trying to squeeze every nickel out of you. Offers the best option and the less expensive work-​around (if there is one); you get to choose. The receptionist/​admin person, Joy, is fabulous. Take your car to Woods! Only suggestion: pin down, as best as possible, the estimated date/​time of completion.

I have only been in the San Diego area for about a year now and don’t really have a «mechanic» the way I did in Minneapolis. So I did what most of us do, I looked on Unilocal!
There were a few to choose from but I like the smaller, shops where the owner is there working along side the rest of the crew. From what I could read and the pictures, that’s what Woods Automotive felt like.
I didn’t get to the shop until just after noon. He looked at the brakes and determined that for sure the fronts would need pads and rotors. A big job for my 97 Toyota Land Cruiser and he didn’t think it would get done until Monday. Well I had guests coming this weekend and needed the car so that wasn’t going to work for me. He asked me to wait for a bit while he made a call, so I did. He came back and somehow was able to switch cars around and would get mine in next.
This is not something he had to do, but did it anyway. For a new customer, who after today, will be a return customer in the future.
The staff is friendly and for a automotive shop, it was reasonably organized. He seems very busy, with lots of cars in his smallish parking lot. All in all, a great experience.

I brought my 2000 Volvo S40 here for a check up last week based on the previous Unilocal reviews. I was looking for an estimate of the necessary repairs in order to sell it «as is» and within a day I rec’d a call from Mike who I think is the owner who explained exactly what was needed and how much I could expect to pay based on his assessment. Well, Mike got a boat load of repairs done on my OLD Volvo for less than $ 2,000 which I know that after having experienced the Volvo dealerships repair shops pricing that I was getting a great deal. I agreed to all of the repairs and in the process ended up selling my car to a friend after disclosing the repair costs. The car runs fabulously and I couldn’t be happier, and I’m almost sad that I’m giving up such a great car! Go see Mike and Joy at Woods automotive … you won’t be sorry.

I was given a recommendation to take my car here after I started hearing my breaks. I was very satisfied with Mike and his crew. He was very busy when I called but told me to come down so he could listen to the breaks. If it was urgent to get them done he said he will squeeze me in even though he was slammed.
When I went down there one of his mechanics took my car around the block to listen and when he got back he took a look at the breaks. Mike then looked up prices of the breaks, they will only use factory parts on your car, and broke down prices for me. He told me the price with and without turning the rotors and gave me the option of telling him what I would like done.
He was super honest and straight forward. He also understood that I didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg.
I will be taking my car here from now on to be worked on by Mike and his crew!

My wife and I have used Woods since moving back to San Diego in 2001 for our Volvo and Accord. I worked as a grease monkey for several years as a kid, and I appreciate a well-​run garage. And as others have said, Mike and his team are honest, reliable, and reasonable. You need to book ahead, but worth the wait!

I have been bringing my 2000 Volvo to Mike at Woods Automotive since I bought it in 2002. Prior to that he worked on my Acura Integra. Woods is the only mechanic my entire family (8 cars in total) has used for the last 20 plus years. Mike and his team are completely honest and trustworthy. They won’t tell you that you need to fix everything on your car so they can make $. They have always told me what should be fixed now, what can wait and what should be watched but not worried about. I will never take my car anywhere else.
If you need to get your car worked on, call ahead. They are busy for a reason (they rock) but they will always take care of you.

I’ve been going to Woods Automotive since moving to San Diego a year ago. Customer service has always been friendly and the work is done quickly within the reasonable estimates given.
This last experience was the best. I’m trying to keep my old minivan for as long as I can, so when I was having problems with one of the automatic windows, they showed a ton of patience and perseverance with unforeseen problems and got the job done. They really went above and beyond and still stayed within the original estimate.
I’m glad to say that I’ve found an auto repair place that I’ll stick with.

My dad went by here a while ago to see if it was worth fixing my car to get it past emissions. Eventually it wasn’t, but he held onto their card and stuck it on my fridge in case I needed to repair the car I had to replace the old junker with.
And then came the day when my brakes were metal to metal.
I had gotten lazy with my brakes and I was looking to spend no more than $ 300 with repairs. Not only did they say they could do that, when they were just over a few cents they knocked the change off to make sure they stuck with the estimate. They were prompt, did not overcharge me (some places quoted me much higher), and respectful. Usually I feel pressure when I go places as a female by myself seeking car repairs, but they did not do that here.
These guys are friendly and professional and I will come back anytime I need repairs.