Nick’s Auto Service

found Nick when AAA driver suggested them for my tow destination… got to know him and now trust him implicitly… not the cheapest for sure, but total always comes in below estimate and his quality is unquestioned… highly recommended
BTW, what sold me on this place was the following experience: got a coupon for free oil change from Tustin GMC and went in knowing my brakes were suspect… had them checked and got a call from the dealer that my brakes AND rotors AND master cylinder were bad and cost would be $ 1600…since I was dubious about the master cylinder being bad, I passed on them doing the work and drove over to Nicks… I told him of my money issues and negotiated a price to do the tires and brakes only for $ 850 total… after dropping the car off to have the work done, I got a call from Nick that not only was the master cylinder OK, but my brakes had at least 20K miles left… so basically, this mechanic turned down $ 850 worth of biz to wait until I really needed it… I was sold on Nick after this… finally, as of this writing (almost 2 yrs and 25k miles later!), I just finished having the rear brakes done for $ 450 — which included rotors — and M/​C is still OK and I have 5k miles left before the fronts need to be done… boom
p. s. these people that write negative reviews are a mystery… how could there by such a disconnect between me and them???

«if it seems to good to be true, it probably is…»
I needed a special type of Interstate battery for my car and looked up the appropriate model number online. As the batteries cannot be ordered online, Interstate allows you to identify the appropriate model number and then provides a list of locations nearby that may have or can order it.
As the battery I needed has about a $ 40 spread between low/​high retail prices, I called a handful of businesses in the area to find the best price. I called during the 2^nd week of January 2016 and spoke with a female who happened to be a co-​owner according to Nick. I think her name was Stacy? but at this point, cannot recall for sure. After having looked up the battery’s model number on the Interstate website, I provided the female (co-​owner) with this information and she confirmed it against her information and said that «I have it in stock and it is $ 173.95.» As this was a very good price for the battery, I again confirmed the battery model number and price with her and then asked her to hold one for me. She said that «it is a common battery and that we always have 2 – 3 in stock.» She then said to just check back prior to coming to get it to ensure that it is in stock and the call was ended.
I did a few more price checks and then called the female co-​owner to re-​confirm the battery’s price as the other places I called were all substantially higher. She again confirmed the battery’s model number, price and application and then I thanked her for her help and said I would come get it when I am back in town.
Upon returning to OC on 1÷18÷2016, I called Nick’s to try and stop by to pick up the battery. The gentleman I spoke with confirmed that the battery was in stock at a price of $ 199.95. I told him what the female co-​owner had said to me to which he replied «she’s not here today and neither is the owner.» He told me to call back the next day.
I called back the following day and spoke with Nick, the owner and he said that what the female co-​owner had said was incorrect and I asked him if he would honor her price to which he replied «no.» He offered to do it for $ 191.95. As this was still the best price, I drove over to pick up the battery but upon arriving there, he did NOT have the battery I wanted in stock. I expressed my frustration to with him about how I had called MULTIPLE times to confirm the battery model number and price and the only thing he said was «well, I have this other one that’s very similar and will work but if you want that one we’re gonna have to order it. That lady you spoke with is the co-​owner and I can’t assume responsibility for what she discussed with you as she is not here to defend herself. Maybe she made a simple mistake with the model number… I don’t know.» I re-​informed him that I reconfirmed the model number and price multiple times with her and folks I spoke with the prior day.
My overall impression is that neither Nick, the female co-​owner or the staff that answered my call the prior day know their products and based on some of the other reviews I’ve seen on Unilocal,they don’t seem to pay particular attention to detail. It seems as though if you entrust your car to them for service that they may just slap whatever parts they have lying around their shop into your vehicle «as long as it works» and then tell you that they put in the actual, recommended part. The difference between the battery I wanted and the one they had was a single digit in the model number to which I placed emphasis on this when speaking with Nick and his staff.
As far as my battery goes, it turns out that that battery is very uncommon (contrary to what the female co-​owner told me) and was on back order for at least 2 weeks. I was lucky to find one at a dealership the same day and they sold it to me for a reasonable price.
I have tried to be kind to small businesses in that past (to give them a chance) but this is now the second time I have tried to deal with a non-​dealer small business with my import brand and they were unable to handle a job despite me providing explicit details on what it is I wanted. Unfortunately, it may still be best to stay with the big boys (dealers).

My truck broke down on the way to school in San Diego and I got towed to Nick’s Auto Service. I did some serious damage to my truck but the service I received was the best in my entire life. They were not only extremely knowledgable and honest about what was wrong with my truck, they were friendly and attentive and the price was more than fair. They patched me up better than I even hoped for and got me to school on time. Truly appreciative and highly highly recommended to anyone thinking about going. You are making the right choice.

Before you make a payment, you’d better check your vehicle at first and make sure that no parts of your vehicle are missing.
Before you leave your vehicle to them, you’d better check your vehicle at first and which parts are already there and which parts are already missing. Or when you find some parts of your vehicle are missing, you cannot explain it, and they will not admit that its their responsibility.

Wow I have nothing bad to say about this place! My car had stopped on me and I had it towed to nicks auto that afternoon. After a couple of hours I received a call that my fuel pump was no good, they told me exactly what it would cost, which by the way was beyond fair and my car was ready for pickup early the next morning. I would strongly recommend this place especially if you are not really mechanically inclined and don’t know much about costs on services, they are very honest and get the job done unbelievably quickly.

THIS PLACE IS SHADY! I don’t write many Unilocal reviews but after how bad my experience was here I felt compelled…
I went here with a potential buyer of my vehicle to get it checked out for any unknown issues. After the mechanic spent ~10 minutes driving and looking at my car, he had the potential buyer (who paid for inspection) go back and told him there we’re multiple things wrong with it (oil leak, compressor leak, etc.) and would cost ~$ 3.5k to fix it. I was very surprised since there has never been any signs of leaking on my garage floor. After this, they reported these issues on my CARFAX. I brought it into a dealer service center to have them check on these issues — turns out NONE of these were real and they completely lied about the issues. My car was still under warranty and could have been repaired free to me had there been issues.
I would never return to this place and would strongly recommend no one do business with someone this unethical.

Not all mechanics are bad. Although I didn’t technically get service from them, these guys were honest when they tested my battery. I took in my prius because it had been having many bad starts, and today, it didn’t start up at all until I took out my battery and plugged it back in. I was pretty sure it was getting low so I took it to Nick’s. These guys could have easily said it was «low» and taken my money (a prius battery is pretty expensive) but they told me it was low but normal for a prius since it was hybrid. Thanks. I appreciate that.

Fixing our brakes costed $ 1,296 on a 1994 Toyota 4Runner. Right then there was a red flag, however my boyfriend was willing to pay that amount. We needed our car fixed before our big move from California to Washington. When we got it back, everything seemed fine so we packed our car with our stuff and cleaned out our apartment etc etc. We were on the move not even 10 minutes out of Irvine and our brakes were giving out on the freeway! Literally an accident waiting to happen. People were yelling at us because our back tires were smoking and smelled like burnt rubber, so we slowly pulled to the side and didn’t really know what to do since we had put the last of our money into the move and into fixing our car with a ridiculous estimate. We called the shop and they told us sometimes these things happen, (are you freaking kidding me?!) and that we should go to the nearest auto shop and that they will refund us what we pay at that shop. So we went peddled our car across the street into what looked like a shady auto shop that actually fixed our car for $ 75!!! Mind you, this was 3 months ago and the car works great. Because of this second auto shop. So yeah I’m pretty pissed we had to pay almost $ 1,300 to have our brakes go out on the freeway in the middle of our move and not even get a sorry or a partial refund to the outrageous price.

Fail! Steer clear of here! I was quoted a price of $ 39 for an oil change and they said it would be done in an hour… 2 hours later my bill was $ 98…they unilaterally changed my air filter and added labor and never got permission to do the added work…

The end of May I had a problem with my Truck on the way to Work. It was drivable to get home. I was recomended to use Nicks by a co’worket that has used him for several years. I phoned the shop, was able to have my car towed there by AAA. The mechanic took time with my vehicle to diagnose the correct problem. He repaired several issues at a very reasonable price. The car went into the shop around 8:30am and was completely repaired and ready for me to drive away by 3:30pm same day.
On leaving I was told if I needed my fluids and air pressure checked to bring in and they would handle it for FREE.
I will certainly use Nicks again and would reccomend it to anyone looking for mechanic work in irvine.
Carrie

SHADY!!! I took my car here because they had a 10% off coupon. I brought it in because it was slow to start… I had replaced the battery less than 2 years ago. But my car is 11 years old with over 130,000 miles I figured it would be a good idea to have it checked out. First of all, $ 85 for a diagnostic is a bit steep but we’re in Irvine so I sucked it up. They called me the next morning and told me an extensive list of what was wrong. Transmission work $ 225 (my car does not pull, lag, or do anything suggesting an issue with the transmission),
Oil leak (they wanted to charge $ 215 just to CLEAN to find out where the leak was coming from),
a brake inspection $ 42.50-$ 250 (my brakes have not squeaked or hesitated once),
a new air filter and wipers (this is one I kinda already knew),
and a new battery ($ 200).
I called my dad who has worked on cars for 40 years and he told me all of that was pretty much ridiculous. I called them back and told them not to move forward with any of the work and that I would be getting a second opinion. They said «OK» with a rude tone and that was the end of the conversation.
10 minutes later they call me back and say «well, we had your battery on a charger but now YOUR CAR WON’T START and you need a new starter» ($ 400)
How is it that I was able to start and drive my car to the shop, they put the battery on a charger, and now only after I say I’m taking it somewhere else all of a sudden my car won’t start?! I asked him how this could happen and he actually said «I DON’T KNOW, it just won’t start»
If I would have let them put a new $ 200 battery in my car like they suggested, would this have happened? Why would they jump to the conclusion that it’s the starter… alternator maybe?
This place is shady, rude, and complete rip-​off. Now I can’t even get my car to start to take it to another shop.

I have used Nick for over 15 years (on and off) and one thing I have learned is that he is a very honest man. A few times in the past I pulled my cars from him because I didn’t like what I heard and I thought the price was too high… Turns out every time, he was right and his price was very competitive. Quoted me 4,000 on timing chain, I thought he was crazy and went to another guy that charged me 2,500…When all was said and done that 2,500 turned out to be 4,200. Another time Nick wanted to charge me 1,400 for shocks on my car… I went elsewhere for 750… after everything was said and done it really was 1,250 after 4 trips and many hours of wasted time. Everyone in business has to make money and Nick does that, but his work is very good and I have been burned not going back to him twice. Never Again.

I don’t know. I guess I didn’t exactly have the same experience as everyone else. I brought my car in with a transmission problem and radiator fluid leaking, and ended up paying almost $ 200 for him just to tell me that I had a transmission problem and a radiator fluid leak. The transmission problem ended up being too expensive to fix, so I might as well not have fixed the radiator cap, but he did it anyway (that was $ 20 of the $ 200). And even though I mentioned I had AAA, I didn’t get any of the perks or discounts anyone else did. Since I ended up having to buy a new car and get a rental in the mean time, I kind of wish I hadn’t even bothered with Nick’s, since I did a pretty good job diagnosing it myself and would have preferred not to pay anyone else $ 200 to do it.

Dropped off my car for inspection and they quickly figured out what was wrong and better than what I was expecting. Very competitive pricing and they even offered aaa discount I didnt have to ask!
Best of all was that they did the worn immediately and I had the car back in just a couple hours! Very accommodating.
Thanks guys

My clutch was loose and I couldn’t shift into gears for my miata. I took it to Nicks out of convenience. Although i did not end up having my car serviced there, the workers were pleasant and the evaluation that was suppose to be around 80 $, ended up being free. I want to thank Chavez and also the nice skinny Caucasian gentlemen that was at the cashier! seriously! after paying 285 $ to the Tow yard, it was a relief to have a nice break. THANK YOU!!!

Nick is honest and just a really great guy. Our car broke down on our way to our vacation. We had it towed to his shop. he said the engines gone– and not only did he not charge us a fee for the inspection, but he also said we could leave the car there in the lot w/​o fees until we got back from our vacation. That’s integrity, that’s service. He’s been very professional, honest, and an overall great find! 5-​star for sure.

Had my brake pads and calipers replaced at Nick’s on my Kia Forte last week. The only mechanics I have used in the past have been through the car dealers. I was a bit skeptical choosing a mechanic from Unilocal but, I didn’t really have a choice since my brakes were grinding and I needed them fixed yesterday. I called several other mechanics in the general area and either they didn’t work on my type of car or were unable work me in. Nick answered the phone and without hesitating said he could take a look at my car that day. I had the tow truck take my car to Nick’s and it was smooth sailing from there. Not only did Nick have an estimate earlier than originally promised but, the final cost was hundreds less than what I had expected. His daughter assisted me when I picked up my car and, she was friendly and kind. When she was unsure of what the final cost would be, she apologized and asked her father. The best part is that my car’s brakes are now fixed and I am happy. I would not hesitate in taking my car back to Nick’s and I would recommend him to anyone.
In summary: Great repair, knowledgable mechanic, reasonable prices, fantastic customer service, and AAA approved (with a discount, too). What more do you want from someone with whom you entrust your vehicle? Thanks Nick!

I was a little thrown off by the price, but then again I was sick and tired of going to mechanics only to find myself returning again and again and again. Nick, on the other hand, was very thorough with the issue at hand. He gave me a fairly nice discount on the work, but keep in mind, you don’t just receive a discount automatically. I was towed by AAA due to an overheating issue with the car. The points, there was not any additional unnecessary stuff thrown into the car to make it work, just the bare essentials.
So again, for my particular issue with the car, it has been resolved successfully, and it has been several months since I visited the mechanic and the car is running well. Thank you Nick.

THIS PLACE IS A FRAUD!!!
I had a guy who has worked for different companies fixing and working on cars. He installed new brakes and rotors on my truck. A few months later I had some vibration. He checked it and said I needed to have my rotors turned. He warned me that wherever I took the my truck to have those turned would try to up sale me.
I took my truck to Nicks and they called to tell me my race was bad in the rotors and that they can’t turn them and that I need a complete brake replacement at the cost of $ 768. I asked them if they could at least turn the rotors and they said no they had to replace everything. I paid about $ 150 for their ‘time’. Yesterday, I took my truck to the guy who installed them and we pulled off the rotors and the race was fine– no damage whatsoever. All they had to do was turn my rotors and my problem would have been solved.
I don’t know a thing about working on cars and it is imperative that I have a shop I can trust. I am at their mercy. It is clear– this shop is a fraud. If I didn’t have a person who knew what they were doing I would have spent over $ 700 and thought the place was great for finding and fixing my problem. BEWARE OF THIS PLACE!

Nick’s Auto is great, and I’m definitely not surprised by all the rave reviews. I’ve been here a few times in the past couple of years, and I’ve never been disappointed.
One of the best things about Nick is that he doesn’t talk down to me even though I’m a woman. I’ve had a lot of problems with my car, and he always takes the time to explain what’s wrong with my car and what he’s going to do to repair it.