Dan’s Auto Repair

Best mechanics in town! My mothers been going to Dan for years and a sudden alternator problem led me to their garage instead of my usual mechanic. Not only were they competent (fact checked their knowledge on alternators) they were professional as well. Recommendations given on maintenance were on point and Robert their head mechanic noticed an oil leak! (Power steering fluid clamp).
The repair was timely and Dan the owner was professional and fair. Don’t mind some of the negative posts about lies or up selling repair that’s not needed. All of that I believe are communication issues dealing with thick accents which is relieved by Robert their head mechanic who speaks perfect English.
Checked with another professional and everything they said about being stranded/​charging systems was all true. I needed this repair! Honest, competent and efficient. The repair of the oil leak (clamp) was free! I found myself a new mechanic :)

I’ve been a customer here for about 5 years now. Quick, if parts are readily available, always quoted and paid that amount. I’ve never been pressured to replace or fix something that didn’t needed to be, like some places that make you feel like your car will explode if it’s not replaced. Being a woman, it can feel intimidating or that yoy are being taken advantage of, not at Dan’s. Brought my Toyota in for oil change and got A+ service. Thanks Robert! #oilchange #loyalty

Warnjng!!! Stay away from this place!!! Took the car here to change alternator and check brake. The vietnamese lady called me back and tried to hustle me into fixing more stuff. Told me i have a radiator leak (its a new radiator and i pressure check before), need to change axles (got that change 6 months ago), and a bunch of other stuff that was bogus. Everything for 1k she said. How dumb can they be to think everyone doesnt know about car… i told her i only need alternator change. after 5 minutes of trying to hustle me into doing all the unnecessary stuff, she got mad and said fine only alternator. Nevetheless when i picked up my car she charges me $ 140 more by saying she had to buy extra parts. i didnt want to argue. so i just paid and left

Been coming here for years. They’ve been my family’s go-​to mech for anything. Really great, honest service and pricing. My car is 10+ years and still running fantastically because of Dan!

I’ve used this shop for several of my vehicles and they’ve always done a good job at reasonable prices. The shop is in a strip mall type place but they seem to have plenty of room in the back to do repairs. The front office woman is pleasant and also mechanically knowledgable too. I believe she’s the owners daughter. several times I’ve brought my own parts with me for installation and they’ve had no problem just charging me for the labor to install them. The owner seems up front and is willing to take the time to explain existing car issues with the customer. Will continue to use them and would recommend them to others.

DAN’S THE MAN! … so are his team members!
Just wanted to say that phrase.
I’ve recently had difficulties with my Suzuki.
There were internal engine issues, a recent radiator issue, the check engine light was bright and orange and a weird sloshing sound, like liquid, was moving around in the dashboard.
I’d received a LOT of help from another mechanic (AMAR’s review can be found under my profiles reviews) but it was time to take the car into a shop.
I went through the process of calling everyone in the greater Mira Mesa area, and beyond, with no luck for a reasonable repair estimate.
Luckily, I jumped onto trusty Unilocal,read the reviews for Dan and took a chance.
Dan was BEYOND fair in his estimate in regards to price, and extremely generous in regards to time (for what other businesses quoted me a two-​week project, Dan and his team finished in FOUR days!).
I was told to come in and view the part and I’m glad he showed it to me; it was corroded from water damage and obviously unsafe.
Dan made a few other suggestions in regards to spark plugs (the non-​American ones could be replaced to make the foreign car run longer) and even corrected a leaky coolant hose, which somehow was overlooked when I got the radiator replaced.
Dan and his team appear to be trustworthy and professional to me.
I highly recommend giving Dan and his team your business!

First of all, I found out about this shop through a friend and ever since I have exclusively use this shop for all my car needs. I currently have two vehicles and they tend to run into problems and/​or need maintenance often due to my heavy usage of them. I always bring it here and they are always fixed quicker than I have a chance to come pick them up. They often get part I need for the car that very same day and I am instantly notified of the progress. I’ve used them so much now that it seems like they always go out of their way for me. This is one of the few places I’ve seen that treats their return customers so well and I don’t feel like I ever need to find another shop as long as they are around. Which is great because for me, finding a good repair shop is always a huge pain.

I bring my car to the shop to change the break. The car was absolutely fine.
However, after they checked, they recommending me to do a complete transmission flush, given my car didn’t have transmission flush for so long. The total cost come out 220 $ for the transmission flush. So finally, I paid 370 $ for the service.
This morning, I start to feel the car shakes when I shift gear from R to D. (could be personal feeling)
Being skeptical, I went home and do research, and if you search for «fluid transmission flush v.s. change», all the forums they discussed that you should never do a FLUSH — only do a change.
Being skeptical, I called the dealership, they told that if it’s under 35K miles then you can flush, but if it’s older, then a flush is NOT recommended. Instead, change it twice, one month after another.
Also — the Dealership charge only 179 $ for the full flush using complete Honda transmission oil. Unlike at Dan’s Auto Repair, they mixed the oil and could cause further damage to your transmission. And they charge 220 $ (???) 40 $ more than Honda Dealership.
I would have push them to give me back the money, but feel that it just wasted my time. I know them a while back (random pick), and stick with them when I need break changes, etc. but I realized that they do low price service for breaks (150 $ — front break), but they will try to rip you off in other ways.
As a loyal customer, I’m very disappointed. I feel disgusting for business who make money this way so won’t even bother to ask for my money back.

I went to Dan’s auto a couple of times before. I didn’t have any issues before today. I brought my car in for maintenance, so I figured an oil change and tire rotation. I received a call from his daughter who told me that my struts were leaking and that I would need all four to be replaced. I told her that I replaced the front ones a couple of years ago and she said that was impossible because they are original manufacturer parts. Yeah… How is that possible if I got them replaced at Dan’s Auto? After a while, I got a call from Dan saying that there was a misunderstanding because the struts were so dirty. He told me he would take care of the leaking front struts and I could do the rear at a later time. So all I would be paying for was the transmission flush and an oil change. When I got there, I paid a little over 400 bucks. I guess I needed some new filters and spark plugs which was not mentioned prior. I have never paid so much for regular maintenance work. I guess I didn’t even get my tires rotated cause I didn’t get charged for one. *sigh* Before today, I would have given them 4 stars. Today really changed my mind on them. I’m definitely looking for a new place to go.

I’ve got my oil changed, tires change, and all types of repair here. The workers are helpful and nice. I’ve been going here for years and can really depend on them and value their opinions.

Used the shop for about six months to make repairs on six work cars and two personal cars. Prices seem fair, Dan seems like a nice person, and his daughter who runs the office is also pleasant. A couple some heavy duty work done with good results.
Problems started to occur with communication and wrong things repaired and frequent returns for same issues. Brake work that was done on one car kept squealing when driving and would stop when brakes applied. Pads were swapped out twice but same issue still occurred. Another car had a persistent squeak from the rear suspension, but Dan did about $ 2,000 of work (on three occasions) on the front end for some reason with the noise still continuing! Another car also had brake work done but when picked up it made a horrendous scraping sound from the wheel Response from the shop was that the hubcap must be bad. When asked why the sound did not occur before it was brought in then there was no adequate response. They put tape on the hubcap clips but noise continued, and was finally repaired on the third attempt.

I found Dan thru a co-​workers recommendation…
i had a check engine light on that needed to go away before i could smog my car to get my registration completed.
Dan was honest, clear & so helpful to all of my needs. He found the parts that I needed fast, when the car started to have another issue he said just bring it on back… i did — and he made it work so well i passed smog with EASE… the extra work he did — he did not charge me for. :)
it’s a family run business… Dan’s english at times is a little hard to understand, but rest assured he really takes the time and enunciates to make sure you understand what he is trying to tell you. i loved that he was able to explain to me what the issue was with my car… and when I came back — he even had a used part that he was able to use to correct my issue… and didn’t even charge me extra for it.
his rates were very reasonable — he has a lounge for you to sit at while you wait… so you could sit out front on the bench or brickwork.
BONUS AWESOME FACTOR: When i came in — i also had a lovely bumper that was being held on by tape that i just had no time or energy to put into fixing. i mentioned nothing of it to Dan… after i drove away from Dan’s shop. i went home. went upstairs and then all of the sudden it dawned on me… i wonder if he fixed my bumper… i ran downstairs and i tell you what — it was like a kid of Christmas morning that just opened their longed for present: MY BUMPER WAS FIXED — and they didn’t even TELL me they did it or that they were going to do it.
That speaks volumes to the integrity and honesty of this shop.

This guy deserves so many more than 5 stars. I have never in my life walked into a mechanics shop for the first time and felt completly comfortable. It is not very often you find an HONEST and CARING mechanic but Dan is one of those guys. He will not tell you that you need work you don’t really need and he’ll tell you what you need now and what can wait. He took such good care of my car and even fixed a few things for free that other places would have charged a stupid amount for! If you get a chance, ask him how he became a mechanic. Very cool story :)

I’ve always been lucky enough to take my car to my family’s car dealership for service. Well, everyone retired, and I moved 1,500 miles away, and was feeling cold and alone after some awful experiences with a certain local Dodge dealer. Luckily for me, my employer, and his entire family, have been going to Dan for over 20 years. Any time someone tells me that they take their kids’ car somewhere, I know it’s reliable. WAS I RIGHT!!! I’ve never met a more happy, honest, and eager to help mechanic. His first concern was my safety. His second concern was my budget. He made sure that I would be alright, and even gave me a price break when he saw that an additional part needed to be replaced before he could let me drive the car safely again. He took the hit $$ wise so I wouldn’t die, basically. REALLY GREAT!!! He also showed me all the parts he removed from my car, so I could see where it all went, and how bad everything really was. He was way faster than the dealership, and even though he’s far away from where i live, I will make every attempt to visit him whenever I need some work done, and right down to the oil changes. I’d take a whole day to go see Dan if needed, because he makes me feel that comfortable. Here is the last trustworthy mechanic in the world, I think. Thanks Dan!!!

Went to Dan to have my break fixed, and he did a good job. two thumps up. will go to him for next time.

I have been taking my 2001 Pathfinder to Dan for 2 years and have been thrilled with his service every step of the way!
Now, Dan isn’t into fancy waiting rooms, courtesy shuttles, or free car washes, he is just a down to earth honest mechanic and I am THRILLED to have found him!
Dan is Vietnamese and sometimes I find it difficult to understand him over the phone… I prefer to talk to him in person. However, if I have to talk to him over the phone he is really cool about saying the same thing 3 – 4 times until I understand. (I appreciate that.)
Dan is really good at telling me what I HAVE to get done RIGHT NOW and well; what I can get away with for a while… For example, my A/​C wasn’t running very well. Dan told me I needed a new A/​C pump and it was going to be pretty expensive. HOWEVER, Dan said he could add extra freon and that would «get me through the summer.» The extra freon was like $ 10. Woot! Thanks DAN!
Dan itemizes his bills according to parts and labor… his labor charges are very reasonable. I had my car at his shop for several days, (LONG STORY.) One day he said he spent 7 hrs straight on my car, he only charged me $ 137 in labor! That is less than $ 20/​hr if I don’t count the 3 other days he worked on my car. The dealer charges $ 35+/hr!
So, if you are looking for an honest mechanic and not all the fluff from the fancy places, Dan Auto Repair is fantastic and he really tries to get your car back to you as quickly as possible.

I have been coming here for several years and Dan is definitely an honest mechanic. He goes above and beyond to provide a great service on my car.
He doesn’t try to sell me on extraneous jobs to fill his pockets the way other places do and will let me know if he sees something that requires immediate attention. For example, he told me I had to replace one of my leaking axles and upon inspection the build up looked pretty old so I knew it was legit but left me slightly puzzled and slightly agitated since just 2 days prior a certain tire shop that replaced the tire on this particular wheel had made no mention of this.
Dan is a nice guy and his services are reasonably priced.

It’s a rarity to find an honest mechanic that knows what he or she is doing, and I can say with confidence that Dan does great work in a timely manner, and does not try to swindle you for your money. I’ve been going to him for the past two years, and the service is by far the best I have experienced. Speaking of service, I lost my gas cap and he replaced it free of charge. I went to him for new brakes, and he called me three days later and told me that my car was ready. Dan Auto Repair is great secret tucked away in Mira Mesa and I always recommend him to any of my friends that need their car serviced.

First off, let me address the previous review. You are dealing with Dan and his voice does sound like yelling at times when it changes tone but probably more of confusion than anger. His job is not to sell cars, he fixes them. If he is selling one then it is most likely someone elses that left it there or he is helping someone out. His English is broken and not the best but far better than many. Even I have hard times understanding him at times. I have owned many cars in my days and even I didn’t know that «fully loaded» meant it came with heated seats. To me it means power windows, door locks, side mirrors, etc. I just use a heater when it is cold.
Ok. For my review I give him 5 stars. I own a party rental company and have been using Dan for at least 6 years (since I was referred to him) for all of my business and personal vehicles. I have never had (knock on wood) a vehicle break down on the side of the road that has been repaired by Dan. I can’t say that with the other companies I have used. For us, it is very important to make sure that vehicles don’t break down because our customers are depending on us. Sometimes he does more work than I thought needed to get done but that also goes into he sees the problem before I do and fixes it because he knows I have to depend on the vehicle. His costs are reasonable, his service is great and with the exception of not always understanding him, hes the best !!!