The DynoShop

Mark and the team here have given me a great experience, even though they have not once laid a hand or tool on my vehicle. I live about an hour from their location but needed an aftermarket auto computer tuned. Mark was able to accommodate me dropping it off and even mailing it back in good order once it was complete and I could not make it back down. There is a very technical nature to what these guys do that is over and above just turning a wrench that we all assume, and they have come thru in good order for me!

Would recommend this place to anybody in Southern California, they went above and beyond to make sure I was ready to go to the desert

This place is fantastic, I was there almost all day yesterday and had an exhaust system installed. Mark and the guys in the job did an amazing job on my toy. The shop normally closes at 5:00 but three of them stayed until after 6:00 completing the job. Since I was in the waiting room all day I saw many customers come in and how well they were served. I plan on going back very soon and getting their speciality the «dyno tune»
This is the first time I have ever awarded 5 stars to any business.

I highly recommend this shop! Mark the owner is a super nice and knowledgeable guy! Gave me great advice regarding maintenance on my BMW to save money. I’ve also sent friends here and they’ve all had great experiences!

My gf refered me here after having problems with my car. Mark, the owner, was extremely helpful and provided his services at an afforable price. Its hard to put a price on a trust worthy mechanic. Def will be brining my car and business back in the future.

I took my turbo 4runner to The Dyno Shop. The engine had just been rebuilt by another shop and the new power band was very poor. After over $ 400 and the addition of a highly overpriced boost controller (basically an air compressor regulator), I had a truck pushing 10psi (vs factory 7), a bad fuel ratio per the dyno sheet they gave me.
Worse, it hit the fuel cut hard on the way home — obviously was not road tested at all. They had me turn the boost down, almost back to factory settings.
And it still had the torque/​power coming on very high in the rpm range — bad for a truck. That turned out to be an incorrect cam for the application, but I would expect any dyno guy to get that from the chart. they didn’t. After I posted the dyno chart on a forum, tons of people called that as the problem (new cam solved it).
they basically added parts it didn’t need, didn’t solve the problem, didn’t diagnose the problem, and charged me full pop anyways.
I cannot recommend these guys.

Ok, so really don’t waste your time with these guys. I decided to give them a shot because of the Unilocal reviews (um, which sadly in this case DEFINITELY cannot be trusted), and because I’d tried JBA Speed Shop for Dyno service before, and felt like they really kind of «mailed it in». Little did I know that JBA was practically the Ritz compared to these guys.
Here’s how my experience went: first off, these guys don’t charge a «Dyno price»; they charge for 2 hours on the Dyno. Their hourly labor charge for RVs? $ 127. Not bad. For cars? $ 127. You’ve got to be kidding me. This place is in Santee, which ain’t no La Jolla Or Malibu, folks. So at that point, I should have made a quick exit. I didn’t.
My problem with this whole «paying for time thing» is that during the 2 hours on the Dyno, the mechanic involved seemed to be spending a lot of time fixing an RV, running around the shop, and just basically NOT doing anything with my car.
Normally, that would be cool, but he didn’t check for vacuum leaks, or really do much of anything outside of hook it up and race the engine to the redline.
Then, the customer service guy proceeded to offer me an estimate to «rejet» my carburetor for $ 850. Yes. That was the ACTUAL estimate. To give you an idea, I later «rejeted» my carburetor in 45 minutes. So what exactly this $ 800 was for, I have no idea.
I mean, this is the kind of place that I know flourishes in the Midwest, and in places where nobody ever says anything to anyone, or has Unilocal,but seriously. These guys are all about the ripoff!
Just sitting in their shop overhearing the call ins, complete with the «well, we’ve been doing this for 40 years, so…”-false authority building was just sad. It seemed like virtually every call they took involved a recommendation for some kind of extreme rebuild/​repair scenario that went from seriously unnecessary to practically fraudulent!
In hindsight, I should have just taken the $ 270 and bought a really high end air/​fuel meter.
Let’s add one other gut punch to the situation, shall we: they didn’t even provide me with a Dyno printout. For $ 270! Plus, the mechanic managed to almost break my transmission! What? Yep. So no printout, and repairs I had to perform MYSELF in order to leave their lot!
So why the second star? Well, at least they did point me in the right direction. Their diagnosis wasn’t totally wrong, but wow… save your money. If you go to the Dyno Shop looking for help and don’t know anything about cars, you’re in for some serious fleecing.

I just got my 2012 Mustang 5.0 Dyno tested here. Wanted to see how this new tune was working out. Super happy with the customer service and happy with the numbers. Going back to get my Boss 302 Intake manifold installed next week! Highly recommended shop.

I took my motorhome in on a Saturday to have a smog check and was out in 20 mins. This is the 3^rd time using them and have never had an issue. Will contiune to use them for sure!

I have been taking my Volvo to the Dyno Shop for about two years. I only go there every (3) months or so but when I walk in, Derek greets me by name. I like the peace of mind of knowing if they tell me my car is fine, it is, and if they say something needs to be done, it does. Great place for service!

The Dyno shop has worked on my Lexus and my Company cars for years now, and have always had GREAT service! Always fixed right the firest time. Derek dose the job of 3 service guy. (phones, counter, parts, ect). I Have found that they are Honest and you can trust what they say. Great job guys
C ya soon,
Jeff A

The Dyno Shop has tuned 2 of my cars. Have used there services since early 2000 to present. They take there time to make sure the job is done right; Technical knowledge is very impressive. The staff kept me up on what was going on and provided excellent service. They do get pretty busy so sometimes patience is a must, appointment would probably be recommended, but as I said their service is some of the best.

I was very disappointed with their customer service after my brother-​in-​law referred me there. I went in during the week to inquire about getting the exhaust pipe fixed on my RV. After explaining my problem to two gentlemen behind the counter. The phone rang. One of the guys — I think it was the owner — spoke on the phone while I talked to the other mechanic. He then got off the phone, asked the mechanic for a ride and they both left without another word as Derek came behind the counter.
Derek asked what I needed. I said I just had explained my issue to the other two guys and Derek said — «well, they didn’t tell me anything.» So I proceeded to describe my issue again. He said they could fix it, but he would have to look at it. Before I could I ask any other questions — the phone rang again. Derek answered the phone without another word to me and proceeded to engage in a long conversation while I waited. After what appeared to be a very lengthy wait, I finally gave up and left. I was extremely disappointed in their service. Customer Service 101 — serve the customer who is there first, either on the telephone or in person. Maybe my simple exhaust issue wasn’t enough for them. I was also going to inquire into upgrading my RV with Banks equipment, but that isn’t going to happen at the Dyno shop.
I ended up taking it to Lakeside Muffler and Welding instead for the exhaust issue. I won’t be back to Dyno.
It would be only 1 star, but the owner congratulated me on my new RV, so I am giving them 2. Still not going back.

Lucky to find this for my old RV from a Craigslist ad. Not only got my refrigerator replaced and furnaces repaired, but was going to have carburetor done at old place in Imperial Beach, when they said that’s what they do. Just tried to get smog check and repair with bad experiences at three different places around Clairemont. Dyno got the correct diagnosis of fuel contaminated oil because I hadn’t changed it in over a year and the oil looked clean. But apparently there is a reason for three months as well as 3,000 miles. (RV just sits most of the time.). They also did distributor and transmission, luckily having a used dipstick bulb from one of the many RVs they have for parts. Mark and Derek showed they know their stuff, and went out of their way taking it to Test Only center, customizing refrigerator and getting me at trolley.

So I received a coupon in the mail for a free oil change and tire rotation due to the fact that my birthday is in december. Called to make an appt. And they do not do maintenance on the weekends, only performance work. Odd, but they said they are open 7−5pm mon-​Friday so I made an appt for 7am so I could make it to work by 8:30 (I explained this to Derek, the office guy over the phone).
So I show up promptly at 7am, and the place is deserted. Doors are open and not a soul in site. Just as I’m ready to drive off furious, he strolls in with starbucks in hand at 7:24 like he’s early. I explain the situation and he says «ok» all asshole like. Then he asks if they have time for the rotation because «I know your on your own schedule». I almost punched his ass. Fuming at this point I fill out some paperwork and head to the back where they have my car.
I’m no idiot. Getting free service is a crap shoot. They either dick you around cus they know they aren’t making money or they do a half ass job. I walk back there to see the guy searching in the trunk for the locking lug nut star key. Only I don’t have locking lug nuts. This simpleton didn’t even look at them first or ask me. So then he starts pulling the tires, switches the front driver tire to the rear and puts it back on. WITHOUT BALANCING THEM. I bring this to his attention and he says it’s a) not included in the free service and b) they don’t have a tire balancing machine. Jesus Christ. If you’re gonna do something do it right.
The final straw fell when office man comes to the back of the shop and asks me to wait in the front «for safety reasons». Or to drain and replace dirty oil while I’m not watching. Who knows. I have never been to a reputable shop that didn’t allow me to watch my car being serviced. Obviously they have something to hide.
Don’t go here. Even if it’s free. Spend $ 30 and get it done right. I should have known when I saw the shop was on the border of Santee and lakeside.

I started with them in August just trying to smog my POS! That took alot of work but it finally passed today!!! But in this journey I needed major help! They brought my Van back to life… With a lot of patience and explaining why/​how– I have a functional car for my family! They also picked my car up, dropped it off and took me to & from work! Thanks Guys!!! I am VERY GRATEFUL for you all!

I’ve been going to the Dyno Shop since I got my first car and continue to take it all the way to Santee even though I now live near downtown San Diego. I know I can rely on their honesty, which is pretty important when you have an older car and are on a tight budget. I have tried finding reliable and honest mechanics closer to where I live, but no one beats the Dyno Shop. Also, Derek is a great guy who will take the time to explain things to you and give you his honest opinion, even if it isn’t the most profitable option for them. If you’re searching for a dependable mechanic you can trust, I highly recommend these guys.

Derek is a great customer service person… but as for being timely… they are not. They had my husband’s SUV to work on twice. Both times it took over a week for us to get the vehicle back! Something that was promised in 3 days would take a full Tues to Tues… ridiculous! They do have fair pricing, but I may need to stear my husband to a diffferent shop next time something happens to his car.