Dan’s Auto Repair of Elk Grove

Dan is my hero!
He saved me $ 15,000!
I was was going to buy a 2009 Subaru Outback from Elk Grove Buick/​GMC. It has blown head gaskets and and he stopped me from buying it. I’m so glad he did.
Do Not buy from Elk Grove Buick/​GMC…
Very nice and helpful staff, clean, convenient location, nice area, reasonable pricing, very informative.
I’ll come back for sure!
Thanks again Dan and staff!

Another amazing experience at Dan’s Auto Service. I have been going here for 10 years and have NEVER had a bad experience. I took my wife’s car in this past week because we heard a clunking sound every time we came to a stop. He ultimately turned the rotors on each wheel and the noise stopped. Then I asked how much (I simply dropped the car off the night before) and was told «no charge»,. I tried to pay, but again was told «no charge, you’ve been a good, long time customer».
All of my family members cars are served here. I trust them completely and their hourly rate is significantly less than the dealers. I always feel I am only getting necessary work done, at less than the book rate, and at very reasonable charges.

Today was the first time I used Dan for auto service. He and his crew did a fantastic job. I inherited a car that had been sitting in a garage for 2 years. Long story short I wanted to get the car inspected, battery charged etc so I could turn the car over to my daughter who just received her learners permit. Dan not only did everything he promised but also changed the battery and brake pads by the end of the day. My daughter is getting a drivers lesson in the car from my wife as I write this. This will not be the last time I use Dan for my auto repair needs.

I love Dan. My car was in and out in 2 days and he did not overcharge me. If i need anything im going to him

I took my car in to replace the battery, a $ 250 dollar fix. Come to find out that all the sudden he has taken out a fuse and my panel in the front does not display anything anymore. It is pitch black and I can’t use my gps or use my radio, let alone listen to music. I now use a small speaker via Bluetooth because when I told him about the problem he said he took it out (the fuse) because after he fixed the battery it began out of nowhere making a «crackling» noise. He said that he could not diagnose as to why this had happened but only that he could have his friend inspect the problem for about $ 150 and that’s just to get a diagnosis. On top of the $ 250 for the car battery now I have to pay to fix something and figure out the reason it’s not working in the first place, when it was all perfectly fine before Dan put his hands on my car to «fix» it. I confronted him multiple times that it needed to be fixed because it was never «crackling» before I brought it in, yet he claims there is nothing he can do but lead me to his friends shop for a $ 150 inspection. I would rate 0 stars if I could.

So one day, my Mazda’s engine basically exploded out of nowhere.
Since I was near Elk Grove, I decided to look for a mechanic near there so I wouldn’t have to tow it too far. The folks at Dan’s Auto repair were efficient and no-​nonsense. They were able to see me pretty quickly and get my car back to really fast (considering they had to replace the engine). Since the repairs were going to be pretty expensive, they gave me several options to try to mitigate the cost. I did my homework and found that all of the options presented to me were on the cheaper side of the price ranges I was seeing. They were also very helpful in providing advice on maintenance after the repairs were done.
On the whole, Dan’s Auto Repair was a bright spot in an otherwise crappy situation.

I’ve taken my Honda to Dan on three occasions. What I like about his shop is its organized and clean. I call ahead and make an appointment but unfortunately that doesn’t eliminate the wait time, especially if he has to order the parts. He’s demonstrated to my satisfaction that he knows my Honda, as the stuff he’s said aligned with what the dealer service department also said. He’s stretched a little thin sometimes because of his high standards he will want to do something himself (like test drive or run for parts).
I think he is honest and competent which is what I look for in a mechanic.

TAKE YOUR CAR SOMEWHERE ELSE. Nice thing for mechanics is you can’t exactly just take your product back for a refund. This shop talked me into doing a very expensive job. Really wish I would have got a second opinion.
I’m out $ 1,100 for an A/​C that I was told would work «like new» that I can’t turn on the rear A/​C (kids, back seat, all that jazz…) without some new clicking sound that reverberates from back there. Never got the follow-​up call I was promised. Dan’s line «maybe it will go away» really sucks. I feel ripped off and disrespected.

Excellent auto maintenance/​repair. Since I first called Dan he has provided nothing but honest opinion and good prices. I ordinarily get my oil change and maintenance done and its easier than cutting coupons to get similar pricing at other auto shops which usually take much longer.

Dan’s the man! Brought my BMW here for water pump and thermostat replacement. He charged me lower than I expected. Honest and reliable shop. Highly recommended.

This place is good and fair if you need minor work/​oil changes/​etc. Fair pricing and nice employees, quick service, very professional.
If you need ANY major work I suggest finding a friend to diagnose EXACTLY what you need done, otherwise you’re screwed.
I brought my automatic car in after it had been stalling whenever I was at red lights or idling. The code it read said it had a leak in the manifold. Great. This auto shop changed the manifold and injector gaskets. Good start but my car still wasn’t fixed and still was stalling. They then suggested doing another thing AND told me they wanted to replace my coolant tank. My coolant tank was fine before so I declined because all that work was too expensive and I just dropped $ 320 for the work they did that didn’t help ($ 252 of that for labor ha) I brought my car home and opened the hood and my coolant tank was SPEWING coolant. It was cracked. And it wasn’t cracked and spewing before I dropped it off. Did they break it? Do they suggest a ring around of repairs for you to pay for before actually getting to the root of the problem? Maybe. All I know for sure is there’s a broken car in my garage.
I’m upset about this experience, but they can do basic repairs quick easy and cheap so I’ll give them that.

Yes! Dan is the man! I brought my dodge to another mechanic and he said I needed to replace my transmission and charged me xxxxx amount. My husband and I discussed it and we decided to try and find another mechanic who can meet our financial needs. Dan said he can fix it for $ 600 cheaper. He looked at our car, drove it around and did some diagnostic test and called us back and said the transmission doesn’t need to be replaced! Yes, it was making some noise but it’s not going to break down any time soon. He said it may even last you 2 or 3 more years! What great news that was ! Even if the transmission didn’t last that long, although I hope it does, his honesty and knowing that it doesn’t have any urgency made me feel a lot better. Dan said him and his staff fixes cars like it’s their very own. That’s good to know! He fixed some minor stuff on my car, and now my car runs like a million bucks! We’re gonna start having them take care of all our cars from now on.
If you are looking for an honest mechanics, come see Dan and his staff! They’re great!!!

Dan is the man! Since I bought my Audi, I’ve been taking it to the Audi dealership for repairs and maintenance. Being that it’s an Audi, parts and labor burn holes in my wallet and my heart.
My dad told me to take it to Dan’s instead. I took my old Malibu there once, and he did a great job as well. The first time I took my Audi to Dan was when my oil light was on. B5s are notorious for that. I did research online to see how to get rid of it, and most of the posts say that it’s the oil pressure and blah blah and might blow up the engine. I got super worried, so I called Dan to see if he could see me right away. Since I told him about the oil light, he was able to squeeze me in that day! You usually would have to wait 3 days for an appointment. Dropped off my car and called for a rental. I guess Dan and… I believe it’s Hertz, have an agreement with each other. Good gimic! I already knew I had like $ 3000 in repairs with the car, so I was hoping Dan could help me in reducing the costs. In te end, he replace te oil sensor, oil pan, and some other stuff. It all came out to $ 1200 instead of the $ 2500 Audi quoted me.
After this first visit, I’ve been taking my baby to Dan. He’s saved me a grip load! Sorry Audi, even though you’re always so nice to me, I gotta go with Dan the Man from now on!
We’ve taken all our cars to Dan, and he’s fixed all of them properly! You might have to wait for an appointment, but it’ll be worth it. He and his workers take the time to examine the cars and make sure that they are in driveable condition.
I highly recommend coming to Dan’s for your car’s needs. He will take care of you, your wallet, and your car :)

Visited this auto repair shop again the week for the first time this year, but have had plenty of excellent experiences here in the past. All my family members take their cars to this auto repair shop anytime they need some work done on their vehicles. I have taken my Volvo sedan here twice now and before that, my Isuzu rodeo a handful of times as well. The work is always perfect and they are quite fast with the repairs. The quality is also great, the owner is a master technician and definitely knows what he is doing! I would 100% recommend this auto repair shop to anyone who may have car troubles but is looking for great customer service and affordable prices. I’ll definitely be back next time I need something checked out! Thanks Dan!

First off as a business owner myself we/​all have the right right refuse service to any customer whom we deem a «problem» client. Basically there are some people who you are NEVER going satisfy! Period! No matter how good the service or how accurate the estimate is, some people will never be happy!
I have never had a problem with Dan or any of his staff. I would recommend him to anyone I know!

Lexus IS300 — Check engine light.
1^st time — took it to Dan for check engine light P0440, said it was the PCV valves. Changed it and drove it for 40 – 100 miles, check engine light came back.
2^nd time — brought it back to Dan — worked on the car again, same check engine code, and said it was the charcoal canister. I said i didnt want to spend $ 400 on a new charcoal canister if it’s not the problem. Dan said he will go ahead and get a used charcoal canister with warranty, for $ 100. I said OK change it. Took the car again, drove it for another 40 – 100 miles, check engine light came back.
3^rd time — check engine code got worst from 1 code to 3 codes this time, P0440, P0441, and P0446. Took it back to him… said he will have a buddy smog check it to see what part of the Evap system is failing. His friend said came back and said purge solenoid, and charcoal canister. So he order the purge solenoid from lexus to swap and replace the charcoal canister because it was under warranty. Drove it for 40 miles, then blam, check engine light came back on. He told me this time will be his last time trying to fix this car, he flat out admitted to me that EVAP system check codes are hard to fix.
Out of all this, $ 95 labor charge (x3) each time i brought the car in, plus parts. I spent nearly $ 600 for this check engine light and they couldnt fix my car. I will never bring my car into this incompetent guy again.
Overall, I took my car into another shop, they smoke test the gas tank and found out it was a bad fuel tank overfill check valve and gasket. Have that change and no more check engine light.

I no longer trust Dan. You may notice many unhappy reviewers of late. I suspect business isn’t as brisk as it used to be (I got my car in next day as opposed to three days later) and Dan’s bills still need to be paid.
I took my SUV in for 30k service. Dan changed things even though they were changed only 5000 miles earlier. I’m sure my air filter and cabin filter were fine in that short amount of time being that it took 25k miles to change the first time. And when I compared charges from another shop six months earlier for the same parts, Dan charged $ 5 more for the air filter and $ 15 more for the cabin filter.
Time to find a new mechanic.

$ 95 for a check engine diagnosis flat rate. Labor rate $ 90/​hr (included in diagnosis, not in addition to)
That being said when I called for a check engine light to make an appointment Dan wanted me to make sure I tightened my gas cap all the way as that is the most common cause of a light. I was mildly impressed with this. They will do maintenance with non oem parts but you can tell they don’t want to.
Other than that the people I interacted with were professional but not overly friendly.
4 stars because I was not overly impressed but not dissatisfied and will be taking my vehicle to another shop for future repairs.

All these great reviews are spot on. I’ve been meaning to write a review for sometime. I found Dan’s when we moved to Elk Grove in 2011 and my 10 year old Tundra suddenly had a check engine light come on. Nothing worse than being in a new town and not knowing where to take your vehicle. Hate paying dealer prices so I searched around the Internet and took a chance here since he had so many happy customers. The Tundra ended up only have one of the small evaporative hoses that had come loose. Dan fixed it, zip tied it so it wouldn’t be a problem, reset the engine light and charged me nothing! I was astonished, to say the least, I wasn’t even an established customer. He simply said it only took a couple minutes to figure out so he didn’t want to charge! A dealer would have charged me around $ 100 just to look at it.
I’ve been back to Dan for brake work and tuneups for both the Tundra and our Maxima. He is hands down the best. Super honest, super friendly and knowledgeable when it comes to vehicles. Dan is the man!

I will FOREVER be a customer of this place.
I brought in a 2003 Acura RSX which hadn’t been maintained very well and had a whole slew of problems. Dan and his crew were very thorough in letting me know what the issues were with the car. My transmission almost needed to be rebuilt, but they fixed the issue and saved me $ 2000+.
Dan is very honest and cares about his customer. He’d rather do his best to save you money than to overcharge you and screw you through un-​needed repairs. He cares very much about his reputation and it shows.
Make sure you call and set an appointment as his schedule fills up fast.