J & P Auto Service

I found this place by accident, on my way to Esalen on the Big Sur coast with a friend. We blew a tire (safely) on a Saturday at 530pm, on a trip we were planning and anticipating for weeks… !
Luckily I have USAA roadside assistance (highest rating if that is relevant ;), and the option to choose my repair shop. My only request was one that was OPEN, and they took us to J & P Auto. All of my tires were borderline bald, and in anticipation of a roundtrip drive from SF to LA less than a week out, and the need to order the right tire size on Monday since they didn’t have it in stock, I decided to leave my car Saturday– Monday to get a whole new set of tires.
They gave me a great price for middle-​good quality tires, we found a rental car at the tiny nearby Monterey airport, and the owner Jose even offered and drove us there as it was the end of his day. Yes, they were waiting for us actually, before they closed.
We continued to Esalen, and on Monday drove to pick up my car, with 4 new tires, all done in the middle afternoon. The guy who charged me and signed me out was so happy, and I was so happy with my experience there, that I asked him if it was a good place to work. He emphatically said yes, he loved it there, and really enjoyed a small place that focused on good work.
We were in and out so fast, and then on our way home back to San Francisco. I felt very blessed to have been helped by such a stellar shop, all by accident! They saved our much-​needed trip to decompress and relax at Esalen.
Thank you Jose!

This has been my worst experience ever with a mechanic. I take my car to them and get told I have a big issue. Pay a lot of money to get a new engine. Then a few months later the same issue keeps happening. I take it back because he said I got a one year warranty with him for engine. Tells me will let me know in a couple days what’s wrong. I wait a week with no call. Finally call and get told he’s been super busy and will do it that day. Couple more days later I show up. He gives me some dumb reason why car is overheating and tells me it’s fixed and I can take my car. Why not call me and tell me if it’s done??? This happens about every other month for the next year. The last time I waited almost a month and I would drive by. My car wouldn’t even move. I personally think he just took my money for new engine and would just give me a quick fix that would wear off shortly after. I recommend staying away from this thief.

Initially, we trusted Jose to repair our vehicle.
However, after spending $ 3400 and 1 month to replace the total engine, I am now renting a car to drive to work 2 weeks after picking it up due to the same exact problem that I had prior to having him «repair it».
He is totally unresponsive to calls or texts and takes days to weeks to respond. He had my car from Feb 20 until March 17^th without working on it, meanwhile I had to make it to work every day without a vehicle.
I would think after replacing the entire engine, it is a really bad sign to have to rent a car to make it to work.
Other cons:
1) Shady– he changed his story about 3 times and never actually gave us a mechanism as to why the engine needed to be replaced.
2) Unprofessional. Never returns calls. Takes forever.
3) Poor service– I now have to start over in repairing my vehicle after significant financial investment and time.
4) He refused to provide receipts or proof of items serviced.
5) He refused to provide me with a summary of the check engine light.
6) We were supposed to get a «warranty» on the parts and work but good luck getting him to uphold this.

I couldn’t have had a better experience! Needed an emergency quick fix on short notice and did the job perfect! Nice guys and sweet prices! I would definitely recommend J & P Auto Shop to anyone who needs work done!

Jesse and Jose are straight up, hardworking, good honest dudes. I had a nightmare when one of my fuel injectors went on my way home to San Francisco, but Jesse and Jose helped me out and I was very appreciative of their help. It was a costly repair but I felt it was done for a fair, reasonable price, a lot cheaper than in San Fracisco.
I would have no hesitation in recommending these guys, they know what they’re doing

These guys do great work and the prices are more than fair. I wouldn’t go anywhere else.

Great guys at this shop. My car was towed here after my rim cracked on hwy 1. The staff here helped me get my car back on the road as soon as it could.

Jesse was amazing from the time I brought my car in to their shop to completion. I have a Land Rover which is very hard to find someone to work on them, it turned out that my car needed extensive repairs to the transfer case and axles… and they went out of their way to not only do the repairs in a timely manner but answer all of my many, many questions. I would highly recommend them to anyone!

Great price, in and out, can do everything from tires, repair, re build, to oil change! Good local place to my house that I can rely on to do a good timely job

Super job! Fit us in on a Sunday afternoon to fix our trailer tires. Without their help our weekend would’ve been ruined.

Great customer service and is willing to charge a little less to work with your budget. Open 7 days a week! Very happy with their service

Jose did an amazing job helping us out with our car problems! He was very knowledgeable. He fully explained to us what exactly was going on and didn’t try to up sell us, like car dealerships do. I greatly appreciated his help. Thank you so much Jose!

Best shop in town, my husband and I were traveling through town on our way up to Oregon when we realized we needed new front tires and break pads. They were able to order new tires over night and have us out of his shop in under 2 hours. Their prices are very reasonable, you could tell from the start they were not going to be a business that was trying to take you just for your money. Thank you Jesse! Ps. Family owned as well.

I live in the Gilroy area and I was in the neighborhood for a work related training. Long and behold my car would not start when it was time to go home. Luckily, it was earlier in the afternoon when it happened. I was only covered with 10 miles of free towing service through my insurance.
I called Jesse and he was able to give me a quote on the phone. He was able to diagnose the problem on the phone with me. He also promised that he would be able to get the work done on time that day. At the shop, he recommended a better part and he explained it the way a good mechanic would. Jesse was very professional, honest and helpful all the way. The final price was the same he told me on the phone.
I would totally bring my car back to him if only I live a bit closer. Thanks Jesse — you’re the man !!!

I have been researching the replacement of the catalytic converter on my Toyota Corolla for a few months as I knew mine needed replacing and prices around the country ranged from over $ 1500 to as much as $ 4500. I also knew when I had the time, I would take it to J & P Auto as they have always been complete, honest and thorough in every job for my car, my son’s car and anyone we sent there. I hit a curb the other day digging something out of my console while driving and found I flattened the right front tire, had Siri find me local towing and chose Peninsula Towing (831) 324‑0047 or (831) 578‑8550 and had two guys show up within 5 minutes as they were out testing a junker they had been refurbishing– put my donut on and had me follow them to their shop. Imagine my surprise when we pulled up to J & P Auto! I didn’t know they owned both! Taking this as a sign to get the work done on my car now, I explained the situation to Jesse and the owner, Jose Perez gave me a ride home! Jesse kept me informed every step of the way as I gave him the go ahead to fix everything, as I had a few other bothersome issues that needed fixing. In all, I got roadside assistance in 5 minutes, plus the ride home– four new tires, an alignment, removed and replaced both catalytic converters, changed the oil, flushed the transmission & replaced the pan which had a stripped bolt, flushed the engine coolant and bled that and replaced the faulty wiper nozzle. The grand total? $ 1,545.73. That was the lowball estimate on all the forums for just the catalytic converters!!! Plus they are considerate, kind and made me feel like a million bucks! There is no place I would take my car but to J & P Auto. They have always been honest and fair with both my son and I and anyone I have sent there. I even had an acquaintance who had purchased a car and was told by a mechanic that it needed an entire list of repairs and she took it to them for the tuneup that was «#1 priority» on said list and they took the car back to her and told her they could tune it, but it didn’t need it and it «wouldn’t be right.» They took it right back to her at her workplace, told her where they parked it and even locked it up tight. This place and these guys are GOLDEN!

got major work done here only to find out that the work did not hold up one year’s wear and tear! we asked for original parts and was suggested aftermarket parts not a good recommendation for the best long term investment.
ended up putting out another thousand dollars, and I am considering if I should follow through with my instincts and really look into the receipts of these parts that were put on! such a headache. i left a message for the owner so hopefully I will be able to speak to him directly.
i will be updating this review later this week after said conversation.

These guys truly helped me out in a jam and I couldn’t be more thankful. If you’re feeling helpless/​stranded in Monterey or Big Sur. Call these guys. Call them anyways, they’re great.
I was on my way up the PCH on a Friday to spend my birthday in Big Sur/​San Francisco. I hit a fresh rock slide on my way up the PCH and discovered on Saturday that I’d cracked my oil pan.
I had to get towed all the way from Big Sur to Marina, CA on a Saturday afternoon. I was calling around everywhere in Monterey/​Marina to see if anyone could help me that night as I had a show and my bday in San Francisco on Sunday and I didn’t want to mess around with a rental car or having to drive all the way back to Monterey. I called an oil place, and must have sounded desperate, because the guy on the phone recommended these guys. I called them and they said they’d take care of me.
Granted, a tow from Big Sur to Monterey takes awhile, I pulled into their shop at about 5:30 on a Saturday night. They estimated the job would take up to 4 hours for their mechanic to complete, I said fine. I went out to get some dinner and I got a call telling me my car would be ready before 8pm because everyone stuck around.
I went back to the shop and sure enough, my car was ready and about 4 people stuck around to get it done. I happily paid my 500 dollar bill (very reasonable) and tipped them all on top of that.
I told my girlfriend that I would need to find a family run business that would help me out in a jam. This was the perfect find. They were sympathetic, kind and even offered to drive me and my girlfriend to a place where we could play pool while we waited.
A++++++++++++++
Also, if you’re a regular AAA member and you’re headed up the PCH, maybe upgrade your membership to get that free 100 mile tow. I didn’t do that and I paid the price.

Recently purchased a used vehicle from a private owner. Found some problems after a week of driving it. Did research on an automotive place that would check out why the transmission was slipping. Called this place as it is about a mile from my home and open on Saturday’s. Got a decent estimate price. Took it down there and Jesse the tech was very knowledgeable. Said it would be an hour and a half. Though we didn’t get a call for about 3. Went down to pick up the car and he explained why my tranny was slipping. The previous person put the filter on wrong ect. He fixed it and didn’t go $ 1 over the estimate price. He also (knowing we just purchased the car) did a safety inspection and put air in my tires, filled my windshield washer basin among other thingsand took the time to explain it all. He took the time to explain everything to me and my husband and even showed us the part he took off and why it was on wrong. Though it is a small one car garage and it looks like a bachelor lives there the service was better than any dealership service station I have been too. I now have a new mechanic and will take my car there any time it needs something done.