Cox Auto Service

Found a coupon in the San Diego Reader for $ 20 off synthetic oil change! Was in and out within half an hour! Super nice guys, speedy service, would definitely go back! 5 stars from me.

DO NOT USE COX AUTO SERVICE ON MIRAMAR ROAD. My wife bought a Living Social deal that provided for three free oil changes from them during a one year period. We used the first one last Fall. When we went to get the second one this January, the manager, Tony, said he had cancelled the deal. When I said that didn’t seem fair since we paid for three oil changes, he just shrugged his shoulders as if to say, «tough».

I highly recommend this place. Tony the manager has great customer service. The shop has some of the best prices in town and speedy service. Thanks cox auto for the great work.

Updating to 4 stars as I found that marking up prices for parts is pretty common! I would go back to Cox again for future service!
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Changing the review to 3 stars, until I investigate this further to confirm it it is a common practice to mark up prices of parts by 100% — 300%. Cox did mark up by a 100% only, their service was no problem, I have a problem with the marked up prices!
Please read my review to the end to understand what I mean here. I am a man who doesn’t hurt anyone or anyone’s interests for nothing, at least consciously.
There is absolutely no problem in their customer service, or the skillset, or the way they handled my car. I am satisfied with their service, no questions there. The amount charged for labor seemed fair to me as well. But yes, there’s more to it then what meets the eyes.
Leaving the oil filter, coolant and synthetic oil, I had to get three things replaced: Transmission Mount, Right Engine Mount and Valve Cover Gasket. I am not very well versed with cars, and I don’t really know much about the parts, and Victor did a good job of explaining me what they are and what they do. The problem is, neither did I offer to get the parts for him, nor did he ask me to get them myself. Victor called his parts supplier asked for the parts and wrote down the price for each. He shared them with me and I did find them to be high. I requested to give some discounts to which he agreed, to a little extent.
I left the car at Cox Auto Service in the morning and picked it up in the evening. The job was well done, no problems there. I paid the $ 700 bill and picked up my car.
Only complaint was with the part prices, but ultimately found its a common practice. 4 stars to Cox.

It’s been 3 months since I got my mom’s car fixed at another shop that offered me a much better price, and everything is working great.
AVOID this shop. The guy who runs it seemed really cool at first, but after I gave his shop just one star for poor pricing and service, he replied to my completely truthful review by calling me a low life, telling me to «leave town and let the good people live there». Lol I guess I struck a nerve
That one star was clearly a very generous rating

I had just gotten into a car accident and was a little frazzled to say the least. Tony and his staff were incredibly efficient, courteous, and above all professional in guiding me through the process. I did not have to worry about much after leaving my car in their very capable hands. The repairs were done in a couple of days which is much sooner than expected given the time frames repair shops generally take for the kind if damage done. All this was done at no great cost to me WITHOUT skimping on quality. Tony really made what is generally a grudging and frustrating experience into something quick and painless.

Great experience. Drove in off the street. Needed a simple job done – change a couple bulbs in the headlights. Sure, I could do it myself, but I didn’t want to bother. Tony met me out front, got the work started, and got me out pretty quick, even with having to wait for the right bulb to be delivered. Tony is very personable and offers good work for a fair price. I’ll be going back.

Went here to get the wheel strut replaced, Tony and his crew did an amazing job for a low cost as well and in no time at all! I will definitely be coming back here for future car needs!

My car started smoking really bad and I had it towed to these guys after finding them on google. They went through the car with me and explained the whole process. Prices were extremely reasonable and most of all I got it back the same day. Turns out my power steering pump was leaking badly and needed to be replaced so I had the oil changed with free tire rotation! Thanks guys!!!

They ripped me off and over priced me. Save yourself from this place don’t go there. After owning cars for many years I’ve learned a lot of things and was able to clearly understand what they did.

This place deserves 0 stars. and the people that are satisfied will probably find something wrong with their car soon. I came here for an oil change with a coupon from the reader. upon arriving there were a couple men sitting outside smoking ciggs staring at me walk up, I was then told to go inside and I would be helped in a second. they finish their ciggs, came inside and are just blatantly rude. It was very loud inside when he asked for my name so he couldn’t hear me and then he rolled his eyes and walked to the door to shut it. Then says «spell it» I did and he says «you dont know how to say your own name why didn’t you just say your name» wtf?! then after getting all my info says okay 50.00. I have a coupon for 29.00 synthetic oil change he tells me my car takes more expensive oil and then asks for my keys. At this point I wanted to just leave but I drove a long way and figured their service may be better than their professionalism. After 30 minutes I am told my car is almost ready when a couple walks in and asks how much longer and he tells them «right now» he yells at the guy under my hood and says «pull the VW out!» um, if my car isnt done being worked on then why is he pulling it out. and if it is already done what was he doing anyways. Point being my car has been perfectly fine and running peachy. Suddenly he tells me they found a leak and after leaving, my check engine light is on. They are rude, unprofessional crooks. there is no doubt in my mind they did something to my car. DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR HERE.

I’ve been to Cox twice. In both instances I found Tony and his techs to be through and friendly. And Tony charged fair and reasonable prices for the work done. Without applying any undue pressure, the tech also pointed out a number of maintenance items that needed attention (taking me into the garage to show me each item while my truck was up off the ground and we could see underneath). I’ve been pleased with Tony and his shop’s work. Very personable and gracious, and easy to work with.

Avoid this place!
A few months ago, my truck’s front driver’s side strut snapped on my way to work. I took my truck to Cox Auto Service because it was one of the closest places and I couldn’t drive far with a broken strut. They recommended that I replace both front struts which seemed reasonable since one was completely broken. They also recommended I replace the lower ball joints because they said they were worn and loose and would cause my new struts to wear out prematurely. I agreed to all of this and left my truck at the shop all day for the work to be done. Tony called me when the work was done and even drove to my office to pick me up in my truck. Everything looked in order so I paid and was on my way as the last person locked the shop and left at the same time I did.
This is where things begin to go bad. Just driving through the parking lot I noticed that the steering was extremely tight and my wheel no longer returned to center on its own. I called the phone number for Cox, which turns out to be Tony’s cell phone. I told him about the steering issue and he tells me to bring it back in so they can look at it. I brought it back in and the mechanic put my truck on the rack and looked around then told me that it would take time for the new ball joints to «break in». I wasn’t quite satisfied with this but I’m not a mechanic so i decided to give it some time.
A few weeks later there was no improvement and there was a new problem. The steering veered to the right when applying the break and going over bumps. I took my truck back to Cox and dropped it off for the day for them to diagnose. At the end of the day the answer from Tony was that there was nothing wrong and that it is normal for a vehicle to pull to one side when breaking. I couldn’t believe the manager of an auto shop said this. I insisted there was a problem. Tony told me if I took my truck to another shop and get a diagnosis that I could bring it back to Cox to be fixed. (I am not kidding! He actually said that.) I let Tony know that I would take my truck to my regular mechanic to be fixed and I would send him the bill. My mechanic found that the struts that Cox installed were low quality not the right type for my truck. One of the new struts had a spring cup that slipped a few inches because it couldn’t handle the weight of my stock truck.
Cox ended up causing more damage than they fixed and then insulted me by telling me a major problem that they caused was normal instead of diagnosing and fixing the problem. I now need to get both upper and lower ball joints replaced to fix the tight steering issue that still remains. Luckily I paid the Cox bill with my Chase credit card. I disputed the charge and Chase was able to get the full amount refunded back to me. It would be nice if I got to keep that money but now I have to pay my mechanic to fix the damage that was done to my truck which will likely end up costing more than I originally paid to Cox.

Tony is extremely personable and truly genuine! I told him that I was a student at UCSD and brought him my car to fix! He was below prices of other shops and gave me a student discount (he understands how broke we are and really helped me out!!) He gave me a ride back to campus and had my car finished the same day even though I had tons of work to get done. He is definitely not like the shops I have gone to before where they keep your car for a week and keep tacking on charges. He even stayed late and offered many times to give me a ride to pick up my car! He wanted to make sure the experience was as convenient for me as possible!
He didn’t mock me or laugh at my stupid questions but kindly explained the workings of the car to me I had questions about! Such a great guy.
I just came back again for a brake lamp light and cruise control not working. He had me in and out in less than 20 mins and offered to give me his car for however long they needed to work on mine!
He always goes above and beyond and tops off my liquids and refills things. You can tell that this business is his life and he always puts his customers first. He definitely has a life long customer with me!

Tony and his crew did a great job fixing my car and saving me $$. Tony is pleasant to deal with and his crew put my car back together correctly. Definitely a trustworthy place to go! Thanks again Tony.

I came here a few weeks ago because my 2003 Honda Accord wasn’t starting. At first glance, it was solid service. Tony (the owner) said he that the problem was a bad alternator and dead battery. Since I’m not a mechanic, I obviously trusted him. He sold the new parts and labor for a whopping grand total of $ 600. The car ran, and I thought everything was fine.
Fast forward to today (¹⁄₁₇). I stopped by a Goodyear to have my tire checked out, and as soon as I get there, my car stopped working. Didn’t start. The head mechanic at Goodyear came out, took a quick look at my car, and immediately told me that the problem was the Mass Air Flow Sensor not working. Basically, Tony sold me parts that I didn’t even need, and did NOT identify the actual problem. Cost of repairing the mass air flow? $ 200. Now, I’m out $ 800 for an 11 year old car when I should’ve just spent that on a down payment for a new car. I called Tony today and asked why he didn’t fix the actual problem (hoping he would offer a deal on labor costs or something) and he just gave excuses as to why he gave me new parts I did NOT need.
Save your time. Don’t go here. Tony takes advantage of people in shitty situations, and doesn’t actually fix the problem. My guess? He wanted me to come back so he could «fix» my problem again and throw him even more money. Do NOT go here!

went to this auto shop 6 months ago for the first time to change oil and maintenance service. since then never go to any where else honesty, professionalism, reasonable cost with great smile and attitude,.on more than one i heard the owner offer customer a free car to do their thing while the car is being repair.
I highly recommend this shop.
sab, LA jolla.92 122.

My oil pan was leaking.
Went to a few places to get it fixed and they all said it is going to cost about $ 550 parts and labor.
Took it to Toney and he replaced it for me for $ 300.00 part and labor!!!
Not only he fixed my car with a very reasonable price, he gave me his own car keys and let me drive his car for one whole day until he got my car fixed. It took him only a few hours to fix my car but I could not return to him since I had classes all day so he just waited until I got back to pick up my car and give him his car back!
I don’t think anyone would ever be that nice except him!!! Definitely go to him.
Its cheaper than the other places and he is very friendly! Ask him any question you have about your car, he will make sure you have received the help you need!!!
HE IS THE BEST!!!

I have a 97 Toyota 4runner limited V6 and I have always gone to a different mechanic. The car has 175 000 miles and purrs like a kitten. However, a few different things began happening to its performance that made me visit my mechanic. The engine was overheating and there was white smoke coming out of the tail pipe — both sure signs of a blown head gasket or a cracked head. My mechanic took the car for a day then told me to scrap the car. Too expensive to fix compared to its value. I said NO WAY!
That’s when I found Cox Auto. I knew it was going to be a big job and these guys quoted me the best price (about ¹⁄₃ of what the dealer would charge). I ordered the parts myself as I was going to do the work but I couldn’t afford enough time to sit down and finish the project. Tony was willing to take my parts and do the work.
However, this was not the end of the story. Upon opening the engine, the guys at Cox discovered that my engine had multiple cracks in the engine head — a very expensive fix. At this point, I bit the bullet and decided to invest in the vehicle rather than scrap it. Tony’s guys replaced the following items using my factory parts:
Two new engine heads complete with valve jobs
New radiator
New water pump
New timing belt
New spark plugs
New thermostat
Complete oil change
Complete radiator flush
Now, there were a few bumps along the road (grungy loaner car, 3 weeks to complete) but all in all I am very happy with the way my car turned out. Tony was upfront about the costs and I cross checked them around town to make sure they were competitive.
I can understand from the other reviews how you could get off on the wrong foot with Cox Auto. But the fact is, as a car owner, you are responsible for knowing a little something about the service you are requesting. If you don’t care to learn about your car and you want 100% trust of your mechanic, go to the dealer and pay the premium for it! Anyone going to Cox Auto is looking for a good price and sometimes you have to put up with some inconveniences to get the best deal.
The day after I picked up my car, I drove it 150 miles to Palm Springs and it did not overheat. I drive it everyday and Tony’s guys have restored the reliability to the engine that I was used to over the first 175,000 miles.
Thanks, Tony!

The brakes in my car were making some noise so I started looking for a repair shop. It was late afternoon on Saturday so most of the repair shops had already closed. My options were limited so I had to go to Cox, even after reading their bad review.
The mechanic does not seem to be qualified for his job. He could not find the problem, and it was hard to communicate with him because I can speak English only, which he could not understand.
I was charged $ 25 for the 10 minutes of unprofessional «inspection». All other repair shops, even those in the same complex, provide inspection for free. I asked Tony why was I being charged when the mechanic could not even find the problem, and Tony responded very rudely.
I paid $ 25 for nothing. I will never go to this place again.
PS: While I was waiting, Tony showed me some controversial «documentaries» and tried to preach.