I called a week or so ago, on the second call the person I spoke with would not honor anything he said on the first call (about an hour apart, same guy). Not only that, this shop refused to accept my parts (all major name brands made in the USA). He said they do not take customer parts which is a huge red flag - shops that do this are typically installing cheap Chinese parts and marking them up substantially. With over a decade in this industry it's always frustrating to see shops take advantage of people like this.

Yes!.

Top notch.

Recommend.

Elite '2020 Elite '2020 I can't believe I haven't written a review sooner. I love this place and the people! I was referred by my uncle many years ago and have been coming here whenever my car requires maintenance or repair. Now that I live in Escondido, I still make it down thanks to their Saturday hours! The customer service here is exceptional and there's so many perks! I can always depend on them for quality service and pricing is spot on.

Thieves is the way to sum up this place. Next call is to the BAR (bureau of automotive repair) to report this thievery. Went in for a smog check knowing I might need to get a repair because it was a close fail last round and knew they were licensed to do test only smogs and repairs. Also figured the Napa logo and AAA certified repair center might be a positive thing. Results from their first test for emission output was a success the first guy tells me, but then the second guys says sorry it failed the visual. I'm going your kidding me right!!! Wrong!!! They said I had the wrong type of hose for a breather that connects to the air intake which makes no difference in emissions output and a plug on my charcoal canister that literally does nothing, was missing. I say ok your really gonna fail me for that. So I ask how much and they tell me $120 bucks, I said for $3 dollars in parts and he said they have a repair minimum. I said well I'll fix it and bring it back for my second retest and then explained that if I don't let them do the repair they won't retest for free. So now I'm starting to get frustrated and I was kind of in a time crunch so I told them to just do it anyways but make it quick( mistake I know). So "the repair" is made and the car is retested and what do you know it fails. The emissions where too high now. So you could imagine how frustrated I am at this point and the guy tells me it's only $200 bucks more (already in it for $170) to problem solve the emission problem (which of course doesn't include parts). I basically call them thieves and get out of there before I exploded. Ironically the place I took it to before didn't even mention the hose or plug problem. I would have expected them to pass it and maybe say something to the effect of the hose needs to be replaced and your missing a little plug. So if you plan on getting ripped off on auto work or smog tests then Johns automotive repair is the place for you. They are very greedy and clearly don't care about their customers. I can't imagine how many people this place steals from everyday. I felt bad for the the next guy walking in the door. I should have said something. Comment from John E. of John's Automotive Care Business Owner 7/30/2015Thank you for talking to us on Friday Justin. We understand your frustration in failing your recent smog test. The laws are very strict and sometimes do not make sense to us either. We did not make the rules for the smog test but we do follow the laws as they are written. If we had passed your vehicle then we would have been breaking the law and subject to large fines. We truly are on your side and want your vehicle to pass legally for the least amount of money. We offered you some good options on Wednesday when you were in for the initial test that are still available to you. We will test it again and if you pass it won't cost you a thing and if it fails we will credit you the labor we charged you towards the cost of the initial repair to make it smog legal. Read more

I first went to John's because it was close to my house and been to another mechanic 4 different times, who couldn't figure out WHY my O2 sensor light kept going off. Well, after ONE visit with John's they figured it out and fixed it!! That was a couple of years ago and I have continued to go there for everything car related. I have referred several people there as well, which you usually get a free oil change coupon for and the person who got referred got a $20 off next service for being a referral! Everyone there very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. To top that off, they have a courtesy car to take you to the shop or back home while you car is being repaired! I don't know if this is just for a certain amount of distance but they took me to work one time! As long as I live in SD, I will not go to another shop!

Reliable.

Honest.

Great team.