Diko Smog & Auto Repair

They no longer do SMOG, just putting it up so they see it and change it as Unilocal said they don’t check their messages often. I’ll delete it when the title is corrected.

Diko did a tuneup and checked out my brakes which needed rear calipers. Didn’t sell me anything not needed. Fair price for all parts and labor. My first time there but I feel like a long term customer already. I have five cars in family and now know where to go and get honest service.

Been here 3 times. Very knowledgeable, humble, hardworking, very reasonable price. Diko is awesome and so is his staff

Honestly, I have to say I am pretty astounded by the high reviews. I took my Saab to Diko a couple times and received very poor service! In fact, at times I questioned if the mechanics even knew how to work on my car. First off, the clutch was put in incorrectly. I could barely shift into fifth driving off his lot. He said it might be out of adjustment, you think?! The second time I went in for a simple water pump replacement. They successfully broke off a bolt and moved a bunch of parts near the engine they should not even have been touching. The most astonishing part is that they kept my car for nearly two weeks to fix it all. Fortunately, I was able to get my car to LA to have my main mechanic undo all of the poor labor. Lastly, their garage is not that clean. They are constantly smoking cigarettes while they work on your car. I even had one in my car when I picked it up.
Diko is friendly and affordable, however this does not make up for the poor service I got. Perhaps he just shouldn’t work on european cars if he can’t deal with their complexity.

WOW !! Our car broke down leaving the airport on Saturday after returning from vacation, heading back to our home in Palm Springs. My initial plan was to have it towed to the closest Dealer even though they could not promise they would be able to get to it before Monday. The tow truck driver suggested towing it to Diko’s; we decided it was worth trying. Diko quickly diagnosed the problem, explained what needed to be done, gave me an estimate and promised he’d have it ready in 3 hours. After ordering the parts, he personally gave us a ride to a nearby restaurant. When we returned, in 2 ½ hours, he was finishing up. The estimate was «on the money» and about ½ of what it would have cost at a Dealer. He even gave the car a much needed wash.
As we drove away I couldn’t help but think how refreshing it is to deal with an honest, hard working, friendly, man-​of-​his-​word. I’d recommend him to anyone.
Lary W.

Honest, straight forward, fast, transparent and friendly. Diko personally gave me a ride back to my office after I dropped off my Audi. I told him I could take a cab but he was insistent that I save my money and that he drive me.
His team is very capable and go above and beyond. I’m relieved to have found an honest mechanic.

Awesome Friendly Service with great prices!!! Diko took care of my vehicle in no time! I was a first time costumer and he treated me like I was a regular! Highly recommend him to anyone!

I highly recommend Diko’s shop. Being a girl who doesn’t know everything about cars makes it challenging to find an auto shop that won’t rip me off or try to sell me on things that my car doesn’t need. That is not the case with Diko– He is very honest, understanding, doesn’t try to «sell» you, and even stayed really late one night in order to get my car back to me ASAP. He recently replaced my transmission, and gave me a very reasonable price for parts and labor. I am so thankful for him and his shop, and will definitely recommend him to friends and family.

These guys hooked up the repair on my 1978 Honda Accord when it blew a headgasket. Great service and in my experience, totally trustworthy. Prices were reasonable. I wouldn’t hesitate to come here again for future services.

Outstanding customer service from Diko and his employees– Diko himself gave me a good deal on a lengthy job for my Camry. I needed a new timing belt & water pump package, and turns out I had a serious oil leak in the back of my engine so Diko helped me keep it affordable and had my car for about a day and a half and was done.
Not to mention he cleaned everything under the hood, and made sure my messed up hood was properly latched down, to keep me safe from it flying up. Two thumbs up to Diko.

Diko is amazing! I have been going to him for over 3 years now for all my car maintenance needs. He is extremely honest, trustworthy and an overall wonderful man. He always gives me a big hug and is so friendly! My fiancé and I just brought my 2005 Elantra in, that sounded pretty rough, and now it’s running like new! His prices are always WAY below what you’d pay at a dealership and very fair for the time and energy he spends fixing your car. He also goes above and beyond diagnosing your car to make sure he repairs the actual thing that needs to be repaired… there’s no guessing game like other mechanics. I would recommend him to anyone! A+ service every time!

I made a trip from Las Vegas to MCRD in San Diego, about an hour away from San Diego my car started to make a noise on acceleration. I asked a gentleman who was driving the shuttle bus at the Marine base if he new of a auto repair shop, he said he did, I was sent to DIKO auto repair. DIKO stopped what he was doing and went to work on my car. He replace my water pump and two hours later I was driving away. I saw my grandson graduate from the Marines, went back home to Las Vegas. I will always remember him for his help and will visit him again when I go back to San Diego, He is truly a master, and a fine gentleman

When another mechanic (A & H Kearny Mesa) couldnt diagnose my car properly and ripped me off, Diko was there to save the day. I took my car in, he diagnosed a squealing sound and said my rotors needed to be resurfaced. Rotors are now resurfaced and the squeal is completely gone. The other shop charged me $ 318 for a job that didnt need to be done. Well done Diko, I will be going to your place more often!

Mister Diko is the best mechanic in town because he’s so quick and charges totally reasonable prices. I’m very satisfied with work on multiple vehicles I have brought to him for a range of necessary repairs. If its not necessary, he won’t tell you to do it. That kind of honesty is hard to find these days.
He likes his tips in the form of cookies. Seriously. One time I had a weird thing with my windshield wipers and was totally broke — he fixed it in like 10 minutes then let me pay him in cookies and a smile. :)

Please note that Diko Smog & Auto Repair has moved to 4005 Pacific Hwy, San Diego CA 92 110, literally just around the corner from his old location! Go see him! He’s great!!!

As I’m on the way showing my sister around the city, randomly my car breaks down… right in front of this shop! And though it sucked, honestly it must have been a sign from above that I did! My car was leaking fluids and stalling like crazy. I dropped my car off on a Friday afternoon, and got a call from the owner himself assuring me that he’d take care of my car first thing on Monday!
Fast forward to Wednesday, he let me know that it was ready to go. I was already preparing myself that the repairs would be close to 800 bucks and not ready to go until the end of the week, and luckily the repair costs and time ended up being half of that!
Though I don’t speak car language at all, Diko and his staff were more than happy to explain what was going on to me. I felt so comfortable, and it is honestly refreshing to know there is a car shop that’s honest, good at what they do, and stands by their word.
The reviews don’t lie, this place is awesome! I will definitely be bringing my car back here!

Diko is knowledgeable, kind, and just an amazing person, not to mention a business owner. I trust him implicitly which is very important when it comes to auto repairs. He will fix whatever it is, tell you if anything else is wrong and always find the most cost effective way to do it. He’s not concerned about money, but service and that fact alone is why I willfully over pay him (he doesn’t charge enough!) and wouldn’t even think of going to anyone else.

Diko Auto Repair in San Diego is hands down the best place to take your foreign or domestic automobile for repair. I can’t remember how I found Diko, however 5 years later, I am thankful I did. He has worked on my BMW for both major and minor repairs. The first couple instances I hired him, his quote was SO much lower than competitors, I stopped comparing prices. He is always reasonable with price and very honest what really needs to be worked on. I highly recommend Diko Auto Repair in San Diego!

Constance C. has it right. Diko and his shop are a gem.
Been going here for five years. These guys know what they are doing, they won’t add any hidden additional charges or cheat you.
The first time I had gone, the engine light kept flashing. I had taken the car in to have it looked over and was going to be charged $ 500. I asked what the problem was and what was said. just didn’t sound or feel right.
Took it to Diko and it was a cracked gas lid. That’s it!
Problem was fixed!
I recommend Diko to anyone who is needing car repairs.

Diko and his shop are a gem. My car recently broke down at a gas station in Point Loma and one of the employees told me about his friend off PCH who is the best. I now think of my car breaking down at that location as some type of serendipitous event because I will never take my it anywhere else.
The starter needed to be replaced, but there was a leak somewhere and Diko was determined to find out the origin. He had tons of cars in the shop and I felt guilty for just dropping in randomly, but he assured me it was okay. Not only did Diko solve and fix the problem, he also fixed my air conditioning (without me even asking) and placed an air freshener in my car. Diko really is the best.