Garden Grove Radiator And Auto Care

This place has been servicing me and my extended families cars starting over 10 years ago. There is no place I would rather take my vehicles. Harvey will really do what he can to make sure you leave satisfied with your service. I have sent several friends there also which also come back happy.

I wish I could add 10 more stars to that rating! This review is a long time in the making, but I can tell you with all confidence that the owner of this place, Harvey, is a fair, honest and trustworthy mechanic and as long as I own a car, I’ll want Harvey to take care of it (Harvey — please don’t ever retire).
A few years ago, I was the caretaker for my parents. As I drove them to appointments, etc., it just happened that I ended up driving their Volvo exclusively and let my Subaru sit in the driveway — for a long time. Very stupid, I know. When it came time to get my Forester working again, we took it to Harvey, after having read the reviews here on Unilocal.I won’t bore you all with details, but this was a long, difficult, and costly repair. Who knew that gasoline turns into a shellac-​like substance when allowed to sit for a period of time? Well, I do now. Anyway, Harvey went out of his way to explain everything that was going on, and he worked very hard at trying to save us money where ever possible.
Sometimes I think he still seems too good to be true, but he is true, and he is that good! I’ve had some horrible experiences with car repair people, and I was only too happy to hand the whole maintenance thing over to Big Man. Even though he is point man on our repairs, if I’m at the shop when we pick up the car, Harvey is really good about including me in any discussions. We were so happy at the end of that first repair, or should I say car rejuvenation, I made a batch of lemon bars for Big Man to take over for Harvey and the rest of the guys, as a special thank you. In fact, each time our Subaru is ready for some type of maintenance, I make a nice batch of lemon bars for all the guys. I shall be eternally grateful to Harvey for being so trustworthy, and to Unilocal for helping me find him!

My car was overheating and I wasn’t sure what the problem was. It was also stalling out. I brought my car here around 3 and by 5 PM they knew what the issue was. By 12 the next day, my car was ready to be picked up. The price seemed fair.
Harvey was extremely helpful. He went over all of the bill and then went over all of the prices for work that still needs to be done. I believe Harvey to be a very honest man. I will go back to him for the work that still needs to be done.
I had a voice mail tonight and it was from Harvey wanting to check out how I am doing and how the car is doing. Wow!!! This has never happened to me before.
Thank you Harvey for making my experience so positive. I was looking for someone to trust and I have found you.

Another mechanic told my adult daughter that her 2003 Ford Taurus was running on only 5 of its 6 cylinders and that repairs would cost about $ 2,500. The radiator also needed to be replaced. In searching for a Radiator Repair shop on the Internet, we found this shop which it turns out offers Complete Automotive Service.
The Unilocal reviews were all five-​star, except for a single rant that I do not even consider credible. Everyone raved about owner Harvey Sandoval. When I met him, I could see why. Harvey did an engine diagnosis and found that there was no spark going to the #4 cylinder. He suspected a faulty ignition coil. Luckily, he hit the nail on the head. He replaced it for $ 360, a far cry from what the other guy told my daughter. We also paid Harvey to replace the radiator. Now my daughter has a car that runs smoothly and cool.
I am happy to highly recommend Harvey and his shop. He was honest with me, explaining everything in terms that I understood. And his prices are reasonable.
The words honest and mechanic usually don’t go together. In this case, they do.

I have been taking my cars here for the last 4 years and I couldnt be happier and more comfortable about the care and maintenance they are receiving.
The owner is personally involved with every car and is always willing to answer your questions. I get good accurate estimates with a job completed on time.

Will NEVER bring my car here again. Have taken my car here twice, and both times ended up being way more than original estimate.
First time I went it was supposed to be $ 300 for some repairs and ended up being $ 600. This second time that I came was the final straw though. My brother’s car (Ford Focus) was not starting, the battery was dead, so we bought a new battery and hooked it up. The car started, but would die right away. We immediately noticed that the battery cables were too loose, but we couldn’t tighten them because they have become warped. So I had the car towed down the street to GG Radiator & A/​C to get that done and to give it a once over. Immediately, Harvey (the guy running the place) said that it probably wasn’t the cables and it sounds like something else. After a day, I called him to get the status and he said that it was actually the ignition switch that was the problem. He said that his Ford Mechanic tested the switch and confirmed that it was bad. The repair would cost $ 300, and he made sure to mention that he couldn’t guarantee that the switch would be the only problem.
This confused me, because this was never a problem at all. My brother (who is an engineer and knows about engines) said it doesn’t sound right, and that we should just take the car to the Ford dealer, so I told Harvey that my brother just wants to replace the cables, and that it might just have something to do with the alarm system resetting, so we agreed to just have him install the new cables and that would be it.
Another day goes by and I call for the update and, suprise! Harvey tells me that, hey guess what? Turns out my brother was right and it was just the battery cables that needed replacing. At this point he was Mr. Nice guy, he said the oil and air pressure in the tires were low and that he’ll fill them up for me. That was nice of him, but WTF? He told me that his special Ford Mechanic TESTED AND CONFIRMED that the ignition switch was bad! So what happened? Suddenly it was good again?
The first time I took my car there, I just kept agreeing to all the additional expenses he kept tacking on to my bill, because I just trusted him (he seems to be a real nice guy), so I think he got the impression that I would continue to just agree with whatever he said, but after I told him to just replace the cables, he probably realized that the jig was up and suddenly became Mr. Nice guy, offering to fill up my tires and everything.
There’s no other conclusion I can come to, other than he was trying to rip me off. If you TEST AND CONFIRM that a part is bad, there’s no other reason for it suddenly being good, other than a) he was deliberately ripping me off, or b) he’s incompetent. Either way, I will not be doing business with these guys anymore.
Buyer Beware! These guys are Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, or just bad mechanics. Take your business elsewhere, and make sure they’re AAA certified. Do not be fooled by their big smiles and friendly demeanor. I’m 6′ and a pretty big guy, and I know more about cars than the average person, so if they were so bold to take advantage of me, then they will straight up rape your mom.

Love this place, have known Harvey most of my life, even when he was just a worker before he bought the place. Harvey is down to earth, looking to really help, and some one you can TRUST… My Grandpa, Dad, and Me have all brought our cars over the years, Harvey always doing a great job.

This is a great shop. Harvey is the main boss here and doesn’t act like a money hungry shop manager. He is quick to diagnose the problem based on what you describe to him. I’ve had my AC, Alternator, Spark Plugs, Spark Plug Boots, Oil Changes, Transmission Filter/​Service and Differential Gasket work done at GG Radiator. Price is always fair and well below what the dealer quoted me.
A big plus, is that they are open until 6pm. I’ve noticed that more shops are closing at 5pm, making it difficult to pick up my car after work… fortunately that’s not the case here.
Saturday’s tend to be their busiest day, so try to get your work done on Tuesday or Wednesday.
This is more than an AC shop. They have a diagnostics tool, osea, they plan to find out what is wrong with your ride and fix whatever needs to be fixed.

I went in to get my throttle position sensor replaced as this location is a ACDELCO service center. I was quoted a reasonable price so went ahead and asked for the service. Harvey did tell me that one of his mechanics was in lunch and another called-​in sick, so he did ask if I could come back an hour later; and I did. I came in an hour and a half later and right away they started working on my car and had it ready within the time he stated it would be done by. My debit card didn’t go through as payment because of a bank issue yet Harvey understood and let me know that I could leave my car overnight. I ended up having somebody go by to drop off the money for me and Harvey had negative to say throughout the whole time. This is a great shop and I highly recommend it.

A gf of mine jacked up her AC and found herself here at Garden Grove Radiator. After going with her to pickup her car, I went to take my car in. I had a good feeling about it and Harvey (the main dude) is reallllllly great. They have always done a great job on my Acura Integra and even when my tranny blew and I didn’t have all the cash to put up for it, he worked with me. It’s pretty close to my work so it was also convenient to drop off and pick up the car to and from work.
Harvey is just a great person in general. I work in the Automotive Industry with Tools & Equipment (and since he used some of my stuff), there was common ground there. Hmmm maybe that’s why he didn’t screw me over. hhahha. No, honestly, he is very personable, checks everything, sometimes maybe a bit scatter brained but it’s because he runs the shop on his own (busy busy busy!). If you’re in the area, give him a shot. He’s really great. I have a new car now so no point for me to head over there, but if go there tell him the asian chick Crystin with the silver Integra said HI!
:D