Meineke Car Care Center

I am so sorry I didn’t go on Unilocal before coming here. *terrible* I made an appointment and it still took 2 hours. (They tell everyone 30 minutes to an hour). They told me the tires would be about $ 40. Ended up being $ 125 each. Then they tried to up sale me– no. I understand they had a busy location which is good for business, but telling people something and doing the next is bad. Recommend more organized management.

Unfortunately, I need to add to the many bad reviews here. Maybe it will get Albert (who comes off so friendly and nice) to take a look at the way he conducts business. I took my car to Volvo for some repairs and the tech their said that whomever replaced the spark plugs on my car used the wrong ones and they have failed, 5 months later. Additionally he told me that they basically used glue on a gasket and it wasn’t sealed correctly. I called and spoke to a tech to let him know of this and he said someone would call back and they never did. I will never take my car here again.

Albert was awesome. Replaced the brakes on my Audi for less than the dealer even though we used dealer parts and it was ready in a timely manner. Would definitely use them again.

They wouldn’t honor the Menieke lifetime warranty for the brakes because the Menieke I got the brakes done wrote it in hand writing on the invoice. The owner was very rude & used his workers to talk to us to avoid the conversation. He will recommended to fix everything but the brakes that are on warranty. I Don’t Recommended this place at all!

This shop should not even be a legal shop, nor should even be still in business! I am begging all of you out there, PLEASE AVOID THIS SHOP AT ALL COSTS! THEY ARE LIARS AND DONT TREAT YOU THE WAY YOU SHOULD BE TREATED FOR THE AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU PAY THEM!!!
Here is our experience:
They fixed my husbands truck because his transmission fluid was leaking and they also replaced the driveshaft support bearing. Well 2 days before we were going to leave on a trip to go off roading, we noticed the transmission was leaking again… A WEEK AFTER WE GOT IT FIXED FROM THEM.
First of all, the manager, Albert (THE OWNER) should have given us the correct quote. He told us the day we dropped off his truck (Thursday) that the job was going to be around $ 200, which to me seemed fair. However, when we finally picked up the truck on Saturday, it took them 2 days to complete this job, the total was $ 350 which was over the amount first quoted, when we dropped off the truck and when we spoke on the phone on Friday.
Second of all, the manager told us that the truck would be ready on Friday morning, which would have been perfect since we had planned a trip for my husband’s birthday to go off roading in San Diego. We were happy to hear it would be done Friday morning since we planned on leaving Friday morning. However, when we called Albert on Friday around 8am, he said it wouldn’t be done till 5pm. So around 11am, i got on the phone and cussed him out saying we need to leave for this trip, we asked if it was going to be done today, he said that it wouldn’t be finished until maybe Saturday. So we were PISSED!!! and he didn’t seem to care!
How can I trust someone to work on our car, that I have already spent over $ 1500 on in 3 weeks, from them, if they can’t give us a proper quote the first time, and give us a proper time of completion after 3 times telling me it would be ready on Friday!!!
WE WILL NEVER BE RETURNING TO THIS SO CALLED «SHOP» EVER AGAIN! I WILL BE LETTING ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY KNOW ABOUT THIS HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE!!!

This place is terrible and dishonest… didn’t fix my taillight as they said they would and now they say they have no record of it. They said i needed several parts replaced that were just fixed. .i really regret taking my car here!

I took my car in to this shop to get new breaks and they didn’t complete the work we agreed upon and was paid for. When I went back they tried to charge me again for work they should have done and were paid for the first time. I had 2 other mechanics check the work after the second time I was there, they verified the work was never done. I will never allow them to touch my car again.

We will not be coming back. I was quoted a price over the phone and when I brought my car in the manager would not honor the quote. He went so far as accusing me of lying.

We have brought our Toyota truck and PT Cruiser here many times through the years and have always been happy.

Do not go to this or any Meineke for that matter. After this review I will be contacting the better business bureau and taking some further action as well. Simply went in for an über inspection for my girlfriend (a basic check on headlights, turn signals, brakes, interior etc) and a basic oil change. the man wearing an incorrect name badge said we needed a 200 dollar belt. Little did he know we already have a new one in it because there was a recall on that particular Honda and honda put in a complete brand new engine so the mileage on the car does not match the engine and many other components. The guys at this shop failed the inspection since we didn’t want the belt even though the inspection had nothing to do with the belt, it was no where listed on the inspection sheet. By the way most shops will replace this belt if needed for 60 dollars not 200. Anyways we left frustrated and disappointed at all the deception of this location. After pulling down the road we noticed at a gas station that the car had almost no oil in it. We drove right back and had to watch them add 2 more quarts just to get by. This is a very corrupt shop and will take advantage of anyone they can.

Yesterday my truck started making this loud squeaking. So I took it to Meineke in Aliso Viejo. They told me that both rear break rotors were cracked and need replacing along with the rear breaks. $ 347.00. They also said the front break pads were down to 10% and I should probably go ahead and do those too for another $ 200.00. That raised an eyebrow because I just had my whole front breaks rebuilt last March at Pep Boys. This morning I took it to Pep Boys to have it checked out. Guess what? They told me I needed new rear breaks but could have waited a little longer. The rear rotors are not cracked and just needed to be resurfaced. Which is normal when you change pads. My front breaks are still almost new. The real problem was a simple adjustment on the front break hardware that was causing the squeaking. It wasn’t even hurting anything, just making an annoying sound. Can’t believe those you guys tried to rip me off for almost $ 600.00!!!

They are liars and thieves!
Stay away from these dishonest guys!
The last and final time I went there they took the 4 parts I supplied them with to fix my suspension and only installed 2. They threw away my other two because they didn’t want to do the work. Still charged me for it. I got home and jacked my car up to see that the work was done. There was 5yr old thick dust and grime all over the parts they were supposed to have replaced. I immediately drove back and pointed it out to them. They said it was done. I said your lying, anyone can tell that it hasn’t been touched. Albert replies with what to you want me to tell you. I said I want you to tell me that you have the other two parts and that you’ll refund half my money and he told me NO. I caught him lying red handed and he didn’t give a crap.

I will never come back here for service ever again. My first time coming hear I called ahead to make an appointment and the man on the phone was rude and very rushed so I asked for an 8am appointment, and after taking none of my information he hung up. It was the strangest thing. When I arrived at 8am they didn’t have a time spot reserved for me and there were 3 others ahead of me. Prior to coming in I had also asked the man if they offered 0w20 oil and he confirmed. When I arrived I made sure to confirm they would use 0w20 and that they included tire rotation. After my car was finished (90 minutes after being quoted 60 minutes and with a so called appointment) I saw they didn’t rotate my tires and they used a synthetic instead of full synthetic on my car. This place is terrible.
Definitely do your research before you come here. I now take all of my business to aliso niguel auto!

I have been going there for the past 4years anf recently (about an year) service and the employees leave a bad taste to the customers. I am now thinking it is about time to look for a new oil change place. Owner, Albert is actually nice man but some of the employees. I would not deal with them period.

HORRIBLE!!! I literally just left this location after arriving a few minutes early for my 2pm appointment. I sat in front of 1 of 2 empty bays, made eye contact with THREE attendants and NOT ONE of them came up to me! That’s what I get for trying a new place, sticking with Valvoline Instant Oil Change.

Yikes. Now I believe the horrible reviews. I’ve never posted on this. Told me 2 hours …5 hours later I’m still sitting. As I sat here, MANY unsatified people. Its like a cluster back to Toyota and their high prices
Never come back

My experience with this place was awful. Terrible customer service. Overcharged, coupon not honored, talked to as if I had no knowledge about my own vehicle, a basic oil change took 3 hrs and almost two of the hours were spent in the bay. The waiting room was disgusting, hot, and crawling with ants and a bee. One customer who arrived after me for the same work had their car finished an hour before mine. No paperwork was even signed or shown until my car was ready (fishiness). I’ll never go back, it’s a scam. If I had wanted to spend 50 $ for an oil change I would have went to Valvoline and been in and out in 15 minutes. I could have gotten a cheaper oil change at the dealership.

I am upset that I even had to post 1 star for this review to go through.
I have never been treated like such dirt from a place. To say that they don’t understand customer service is an understatement.
On a Thursday my engine died and I brought it in for a repair. Who ever was there that day was very kind, and even offered me a ride home because he knew that it was going to take a while. Not only that, but he called me 30 minutes later with an update on the bad news that my entire engine needed to be replaced.
It took until Tuesday for me to get my car back and I even have to voicemail saved of the mechanic Albert saying «you’re car is like brand new! It runs like champ». I came and picked it up, it cost me 1700 $ (to be expected) and all was supposed to be good.
On Sunday I am leaving work, on the 405 freeway, and the car starts shaking and flashing the engine light. It then shut off entirely and I had to sit on the side of a freeway and wait for an hour and a half for tow truck to come.
I had the tow take my car directly to the shop (so i wouldn’t have to have it towed a second time) and left them a note with my info on it, the receipt for the tow, and my key.
I called at 7AM the next morning when they opened and Ryan answered. He said «Yes we got your keys and envelope, we will call you with an update».
I never got a call, and was at work all day like I had informed him, so I called first thing when I got off at 1:30PM. He said they didn’t have an update yet and that he would call me back.
I never heard back so I called again at 4:30PM and Ryan was very annoyed with me calling to check on my car. He also informed me that «No one is looking at the car right now. It’s parked out front». I got very upset and told him that it is the start of a work week and I need to know if I’m going to have a car to get to work tomorrow and that it’s crazy that I’ve been calling all morning and no one is even looking at it. He quickly raised his voice MUCH higher then mine (so I would have to shut up, right?) and said «I understand. We will call you when it’s looked at. I’ll get back to you in thirty minutes». Mind you– Ryan was SO inconvenienced by me, that we never even spoke on the phone for more than a minute. He couldn’t wait to hang up on me (as you can see in the screen shots I took).
I never heard from them again, so at 5:30PM I called because the shop now closes at 6PM. Ryan answered the phone, again, and considering I’ve annoyed him enough already today the first thing I said was «Hi Ryan, can I please speak to someone else». He responded with «your car is ready». I asked him what they even did to the car (because they now just did work on my car without even consenting me first) and he had no idea. He put me on hold and asked someone else. «One of the spark plugs needed to be adjusted» he said.
Now at 6PM I go to pick the car up and Albert is there to greet me and I told him I want to take the car for a test drive first (since the last time I left– it only took 5 days to die again) and that I would like to be refunded for the tow it took me to get the car back here. Its why I left them the receipt. He said «you got a deal on the engine already, and with new engine’s sometimes things like this happen». He was shrugging his shoulders at me and could have cared less. I told him calmly (he would have to even admit that) that they have terrible customer service and that if he didn’t think it was the decent thing to do– then so be it and I left. I wasn’t going to stand there and be dismissed by anymore employees at this place. I’m sure Albert and Ryan will get a drink after «work» and talk about what a pain I was for being upset over THE 1700 $ I JUST GAVE THEM FIVE DAYS BEFORE.
Excuse me– $ 1754 after the mediocre job they did resulting in a towing… that was, as he said, «not [their] problem».
I come from a large family of 9 people, all of whom go to Meineke for even a simple oil change– for 14 years now (since we moved to the area) and NOT ONE OF US will EVER be back.
Did I mention that on the Tuesday I picked my car up (the first time), my dad almost bought a car from them? Right off the lot? Because we TRUSTED THEM. Not anymore.
I hope the business you lose from this review, and our absent business was worth the $ 54 you almost laughed at me for.
Absolutely pathetic.

What they’re doing is illegal and currently have a number of claim suits against them. My father is a mechanic, and was one with Meineke for many years. I have some experience with cars and and understood from the state there was something wrong with this entire experience…
They are elevating the price they see fit voiding the original estimate. The original estimate you sign is a joke, try adding an additional $ 400 to it and you MIGHT have it accurate. The parts they are ordering aren’t even new or brand name (example being my part was $ 450 according to them, looking it up it should’ve have been more than $ 390 NEW.) They are charging dealership prices for garage quality work; if you’re in warranty, go to the actual dealership in the first place. If you’re forced to come here, the best they did problem-​free was an oil change.
I took the car to the dealership after the incident of them trying to replace the AC compressor and belt (Meineke claims I needed to flush out the entire system with the compressor, so it would be a total of $ 950 from the original $ 580 estimate. I told them I did not want the flush just the compressor but they wouldn’t provide it as is so I refused the entire service,) they have visual and written proof the part was never replaced and thus no labor was ever put into the car. They also said the AC compressor was not the issue and it was misdiagnosed entirely!
That means this Meineke inputted a false labor bill after the refused service. I was charged $ 200 for labor for them to reverse the job they already completed, which was initially a $ 600 increase from the original estimate. The barring were never touched, no screw was removed, it was never worked on at all. I reported this incident and am taking it up with the cops — they stole money and are claiming otherwise. Save yourself the trouble and find another more certified, honest, place to get your car fixed. There is no justice for people that get taken advantage of.

I’ve been here twice and both times were very positive experiences, their prices are a bit high on certain items but they are very friendly and they seem very honest.
came here for a flat (low pressure) tire and they were able to patch it up for cheap and get me back on the road.
came in here a few weeks ago again for a low pressure message again and they explained to me that because of the sudden change in weather it was causing my sensors to go crazy (which I should have known –_​-​) no charge for this one, great guys! I would definitely go back, and it’s great they are right around the corner from where I work.