Alpine Auto Repair

It has been a long time, but in in my case, the shop could not produce the old suspension parts they say they replaced. And they could not produce the oil containers for the synthetic oil I was charged for. If they are not known for quick repairs, at least they have the fastest trash removal anywhere! I live in Alpine, but since then, I do the repairs myself, or go down the hill.

Awesome company. I work for the rental car industry and have been in auto sales management. The fact that these guys have a state and federal fleet service contract, says enough, considering they usually go through either their own respective motor pools or through a dealership they were purchased at. I have had 2 separate services done with them over the past 3 weeks and they have been top notch each time. I had a slight issue with excess power steering fluid, which looked like a bad pump they had just put on, but after inspecting it, it turns out there was just some excess fluid from the flush on the outside of the hoses. No leaks yet, truck turns better than before and I will return for more services. And when I am done having the vehicle serviced, I fully intend to have them put a larger lift on my truck with a larger engine, better transmission, and maybe even a light bar or two.

I had a great experience with the Alpine Auto Team! They got me right in and out! The technician did have some recommendations to shoot for in the future! Office, waiting room and bathroom are really clean which is nice as well! No pressure at all especially being female mad me feel really comfortable! I will definitely be coming in for future recommendations and services! Great customer service!!!

It’s been a long time since I was actually at this shop but having recently been to an outstanding mechanic I feel like I need to also share my experience with this shop.
Honestly repair shops like this are the reason I hate getting my car worked on…
So long story short (er) the first time I took my car here I just needed brake pads changed. They went through my car and told me I needed quite a bit of other work primarily my timing belt. They quoted me $ 700, I know it’s a big job and I knew I needed it done before I went there so fine. When I went back they let me drop off my car and leave the shop before they called me to tell me that their quote was incorrect and the price had literally doubled. When I asked if they could do better the guy I was talking to reviewed the charges and was like «oh well yeah here you don’t really need this» and just disappeared $ 200 from my bill. I’m sorry? You were going to charge me $ 200 for something I didn’t need? Then when I went back to pick up my car the lady at the front desk hadn’t removed the extra $ 200 and made a big to-​do about it when I brought it up. THEN the mechanic came out and told me that my car was going to make sputtering noises because I needed something done to my transmission… not right away but eventually and that would be another $ 600…
I asked a few people about it and they had no idea what I was talking about and since then I’ve seen a few mechanics (I just had my transmission fluid changed the other day) and NO ONE has ever told me I need another $ 600 job on my car.
The. Worst.
EDIT: because I forgot to mention that my car wasn’t even making the sputtering noises they were talking about after they worked on my car. I’m guessing they said it to cover for any mistakes they might have made…

Thought I had a timing chain issue which have costs thousands of dollars. Jim said bring it in and he would test drive the car for free. He came back from the drive, checked my oil and discovered I was 3 quarts low!!!
I had my own oil at home and added it and the car issue is gone. I have to thank him for going out of his way and saving the day.
Thanks Alpine Auto Repair.

Receptionist not friendly and they tried to get me to service things I had done three months ago with a tuneup. I’m thinking they thought oh a female let’s see what we can get out of her! Not this girl I have a little knowledge on vehicles and not to mention it had just been done! They have a Google review that makes them look great. I love supporting small business owners but for my car needs I won’t be going back to them!

I went here to get an oil change and asked them to also check a sqeek i had gotten after I had hit a pothole pretty hard earlier that week, they said that I damaged the bar and something else amd i would eventually need to replace it and it would cost about 800.00 for both. I was really upset, I am a new mom and I dont ave alot of money so just to be sure me and my husband went to our friend who s a mechanic at the bmw of elcajon and he said there was nothong wrong with our car and we jus should get our tires realigned. The front desk lady seemed really nice but they are dishonest and tryed to rip me off.

Expensive (though you get what you pay for, and the work done here has been good — it’s also guaranteed, so you won’t keep having the same problem over and over), and they don’t tell you the total cost of repairs (i.e. including labor) up front unless you specifically ask, but overall a good place to get your car fixed if you don’t want to go «down the hill.»
They will also look at your mileage and do a 45-​point inspection to give you an idea of what kind of repairs you have coming up. Let’s face it: your car is going to break down if you don’t take good care of it, so shouldn’t your mechanic be telling you what’s on the way out of service so you’ll be prepared instead of stranded on the side of the road?
The smog guy only works on Fridays, which is kind of weird, but their mechanics are really good about explaining what they did, and what needs to be done in what kind of time frame so you can plan for future expenses.
They also have a free shuttle in the area, so you can chill at home instead of a waiting room while they fix your hooptie. Bonus!

Alpine Auto Repair replaced the transmission in my Honda Pilot. As soon as I drove off the lot I noticed an inappropriate whine when the transmission was under load. It was noticeable by back-​seat passengers.
The car was in and out of the shop at least 7 (seven) times resulting in denials, whines, and a variety of un-​imaginative excuses. In one unproductive conversation that I recall having with the owner, he said he was the «district service manager» instead of owner. I don’t think they ever disassembled the unit for this problem. On one visit they kept the car for 7 (seven) days and admitted that they didn’t do anything!

They did the job right. lowered the original quote for a electric window regulator… dang folks make a lot of money with parts alone… but bills must be paid etc and who am I to complain… The needed work was done. staff was courteous and a Napa warranty was thrown in too… front desk also honored a $ 25.00 off coupon I found on line… thanks

I give them no stars had to take car in many times for them to say o well this just popped up cause we fixed this trying to hustle me for my money i know cars and know they were lying played stupid at first and they just kept making no sence to where i just took car somewhere else

Today my daughter had an emergency out on highway 8 with her car which overheated. I drove out from Poway wiTh antifreeze to see if I could fix it. After adding it and testing the car it seemed fine but since she was driving to Phoenix we decided to be cautious and had it towed here. The employees were extremely kind, helpful and most of all, HONEST! They checked every single thing, without an appointment, and sent her on her way! They’re the best!
R Amato

Service was very quick and friendly. They really care about their customers and don’t try to up sell on things you don’t need. Having a girl in the shop set me as ease to know I wouldn’t be taken advantage of. I will be going here for all my car needs and recommend all my friends and family.

These people are crooks… I’m not going to give specifics because they seem to be the worst kind: They ACT really nice… put on a really tricky front to those who don’t see it… give a ride to a local hotel they recommend (way overpriced)… have an inordinate amount of plaques /​awards on the wall… so many in fact its almost hard to question them… but this is the precise reason to question them!
In the end, our car broke down a few weeks after they changed the tranny… or had one of their «friends» /​someone they refer do it. They overcharged… raising the price over and over during a few day turn-​around period.
I’m so disgusted with them… perhaps more so myself for believing their lies.
SHAME on this place.

We were traveling back to AZ from a weekend trip in San Diego. Going up the long hill on I-​8 my engine started knocking loudly and my check engine light came on. We turned around and headed down to Alpine. Long story short, they were able to fix the problem at, what I consider a fair price. It took longer than they estimated, but that’s par for the course when it come to car repair. Overall, I thought they did a good job.

I only go here for the Red, White and Blue oil change and tire rotation special. It’s cheaper than any other place in East County and includes 45pt inspection. Everything else is overpriced. The staff is very friendly and the wait area is very clean. I’ve had different service advisor’s tell me two different stories about what needs replacement on my car. One said the air filter needed replacement. When I didn’t do it and went back a few months later the other adviser said it didn’t. After an oil change they place the reminder sticker in your window for the next change with the incorrect mileage. They use the scam method of 3K miles instead of what your manufacturer actually says. So when I get home I just fix their mistake.

Why go «down the hill»? Because you will pay a lot more by going here. I had a slow leak in a tire, and I needed a tire rotation, so I took my car here. After a bit of time, the man came out and told me I needed two new tires. He said I had a huge piece of metal sticking out of one of the tires. I went out and looked, and while I can’t swear that they put something in my tire, I find it amazing that the object could have been in my tire while sticking out that far. It was on the surface that hits the road, not the sidewall. Just one rotation of the tire would have shoved it flush into the tire.
So now I did have to buy at least one tire. He offered two choices of tires — one at $ 100 and one at $ 140 (this one being more comparable to what I had and better quality, he said). There was no cell reception so I couldn’t price check anything. Out the door I paid $ 199 for one new tire and the rotation.
They also wanted to replace the serpentine belt for $ 180. I told my husband — I bought one for $ 29 — and it took my husband maybe 5 minutes to put it on. (My husband wants the $ 150 difference but at least I feel the money is going to better use if I pay him instead of Alpine Auto).
Anyway, I will not be going back, and I would just caution others to maybe get a second opinion and be prepared. I understand up selling, but I hate paying more than I should (the tire I bought would have only cost $ 95 «down the hill», and I think 47% markup is excessive).
But the people were nice.

Be very careful with these guys… the diagnostic fee scam, as noted here on Unilocal, is their easy way to pad their fees. I have kids, all with cars, and several of our own. I don’t take anything there except for emergencies and oil changes, and then only with
a negotiated, specific price, or a coupon. The staff seems to dislike each other, and
they do not understand that my (and your) repeated visits, to fix simple repairs that they have already charged you for, take TIME… and our time is money, plain and simple.

I was on my to Julian from North Park (central San Diego) yesterday to get my family’s Thanksgiving pies and had just pulled off the 8 at Willow Rd. to grab a drink at McDonald’s. That’s when my temp. gauge went nuts and my car started overheating. My car is a mature, older lady (10 years old) and this had never happened.
Unilocal listed Alpine Auto Repair as the closest place to go, but I was skeptical as it only had 2 stars. Yikes. But I was desperate and stuck.
Jim took great care of me from my panicky phone call to the end.
They diagnosed the problem, rushed the parts from El Cajon, and stayed late to fix it. (Good thing, as they were going to be closed for the next 4 days and I was 30 miles from home the day before Thanksgiving!)
I wasn’t able to comparison shop with the price he quoted because my usual shop was already closed for the holidays. Turns out, the price I paid seems about average. Shew.
But here’s the most AWESOME part: I was totally CRUSHED that I couldn’t get to Julian to buy my gluten-​free pies (from Apple Alley), so Jim GAVE ME THE KEYS TO HIS JEEP so I could drive up the mountain while they worked on my car. WHAT!!!
They got my car done, I got my pies, and all is good!

WORST NIGHTMARE FOR TRAVELERS! Find alternative place
My car over heated on the way from Yuma to SD, and would not start so I had no choice but to be towed here, which turned out to be worst decision made possible.
I was greeted by a polite gentleman (oh yes, he knows how to act polite) and was told he would try to find cheapest way possible for us to fix it up.
Well, I’m very skeptical about a auto shop since i’m a girl and they always try to take advantage… I never trust an auto shop anyways.
I thought the Radiator was blown, well after paying $ 49 for diagnose, (its small town so i let 45 $ go) they quoted me about $ 3800 worth damage, including head gasket broken and had to take the whole engine apart. lol
They also told me they would NOT replace only radiator because they care about their QUALITY work and want to do only what can REALLY fix the car… LOL after telling them that we are going to leave, they magically said «they would do radiator for $ 600» WElllLLLlllll NO THANKS. I called the next auto shop near by and they quoted me very quickly, way less than ALPINE even with the towing fee.
He kept saying he has lots of business, its not for the money and he just want customer to have good work done, RIGHT. He talks like freaking preacher but really people he is full of crap.
I get the feeling, they do business by quickly taking large amount of money from tourists that feel like they are stuck (which your not guys, u can find cheap towing company around trust me) and SLOWLY taking money from LOCALS at ALPINE by frequent oil change… and this and that,. THEY THINK THEY ARE SMART, people don’t let them treat you like a dumb customers.
They really do sweet talk, so please be warned, I feel like IF THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING, they’d purposely fix it poorly so u get more crap done from them, they seem so sneaky.
I went to other shop, well they didn’t see any problem but radiator and i made my vacation and home… ALPINE AUTO only added a stress, please please ppl be smart and go somewhere else.