Civic Center Auto

Reviewed for Smog Check. This shop is ok for oil change but not smog.
False advertising on CL. Advertised smog check for $ 21.95/$ 31.95 (depends on vehicle year) + $ 8.25 cert.
Refused to honor those prices but insists on $ 42 + $ 8.25 cert to complete smog check.

I came in for a smog test. My vehicle is an older RV. Sloppily dressed Asian smog tech barked at me: «90 dollars». What about a pre-​test only? Another bark: «80 dollars» (for a pretest that most stations would charge $ 30!!!). This place is not getting my money. Rude treatment and outrageous prices. Do yourself a favor: go elsewhere.

Vietnamese folks.
When I went to change my engine oil around noon, on tuesday, There was no customers.
I was in and out within 20minutes!
Total of $ 25 and did not complain at all~
Simple and decent enough for my quick visit to this place,
If I am around the area,
I am definitely coming back ;)

Henry and his team did one hell of a job on my car. Henry isn’t like most mechanics; he will tell you the truth and not beat around the bush. His determination amazes me. Out of the slew of «mechanics» I’ve dealt with, Henry has knowledge of fixing imported cars (mine).
Tip: go to the mechanics with smashed finger’s, they know what works and what doesn’t.

I took my 97 Honda Accord for oil change and tire rotation; $ 45 and 2006 Ram 1500 for oil change, tire rotation, and new coolant; $ 135. The prices are fair and good service.

Came for check engine problem. Henry is very honest and fixed the issue in reasonable time and cost.
very rare to find a honest car mechanic. Henry is awesome!!!

This review is well over due… I have gone to this place for several years now, I have referred many people here. Good for smog, oil change, probably the cheapest place for a brake job. you start building a good relationship with the mechanic (Henry) so I thaught… anything else then what I described above is a DANGER ZONE seriously trust me .I know from experience. Henry ruined to cars my son’s car which was toast and his girlfriends it went in ruining and came out all blown up. we had to get the car towed to another shop. bad bad business

My number one stop for car repair, maintenance, smog, etc. used to be Ivy & Truman Automotive in Sunnyvale before this one. It just so happened Civic Auto is more convenient for me now since it’s not out of the way when I need an urgent and quick fix on my car. Been here a few times mainly for oil change, flat tire, and one smog check so far. Thank goodness, nothing drastic like engine/​transmission trouble yet.
First time I set foot here, gotta say it wasn’t love at first sight. Cars were parked in different angles so I had no idea where & how to park mine without being a hassle for the incoming customers. I dropped by for an oil change which was $ 25. I thought that was a fair deal. The whole thing lasted no more than 15 minutes. I’m unsure if that was a good sign ’cause I’ve been told the longer you have your car draining, the better you’re getting rid of dirty oil. Fifteen minutes isn’t enough to drain all the filthy oil, right? Or so I’ve been told.
Second visit: I needed an oil change plus an achingly flat tire which nearly busted my fine rim. I have to say the mechanic who’s been assisting me has always been that one person, and not to mention, he did not have the best attitude. First of all, I felt unwelcomed and awkward when I politely asked how long will it take to get an oil change and get my tire patched altogether. He ignored me. So I approached him again and asked one more time. His reply was to wait in a frustrating tone of voice. How rude! Quickly I made a decision to just leave. But, as I was leaving the owner stopped me and asked if I’ve been helped. Of course I said no. Anyway, long story short, the mechanic guy ended up doing my service. I could tell he looked bitter and unhappy about it. Paid $ 40 (oil change & patched tire). I just wish that guy would communicate better, and treat customers right! After all, customers are their bread and butter.
I would like to come back for my next service with hopes that when I see this guy he would be in a much lighter mood and ready to offer good service. I rate this 3.5÷5 stars.

This place doesn’t look like much, but the work is good and prices are great.
You want to ask for Henry, tell him Luke sent you!
I’ve been going there for years and always had a good experience. Most recently I was at Acura dealership for a regular service. Acura quoted me $ 389.95 for front and rear breaks, Civic Center Auto charged me $ 168.56! Can you believe that? And yes, CCA re-​surfaced 4 rotors. I had other work done which had similar savings, but the kicker was that Acura was going to charge me $ 33 for wiper blades, Henry threw those in at no charge.
My black 2009 Acura MDX is my baby, and I have no problem leaving it in Henry’s hands.

The owner is every evil. We both agreed $ 530 for changing timing belts and water pump. After I drop my car at the shop, 3 hours later he calls me and say I need to pay $ 50 more to replace the 2 small belts. He says if I don’t replace them they will damage the engine so I was tricked to agree. When I get home just to realize I got rip off. $ 530 is suppose to be for the full timing belts kit and water pump, so the 2 small belts were a big rip off.

In and out within minutes for a full smog test and DMV submission. even with others in front of me in line. Nice enough guys that just want to get the job done.
Will return!

Been taking my car here for oil changes and smog checks for a while, but recently took my truck in for an oil change and was quoted $ 30. He said the owner has raised the prices, even though there are multiple signs posted saying oil change and filter for $ 19.95 up to 5 quarts of oil, with each additional quart $ 3 if you need more than the 5 that is included. My truck takes 6 quarts, so price should be $ 23, which I always paid in the past. I walked, then decided the next week that I’d go ahead since it was still not that much higher. He then proceeds to quote me $ 35 this time! So I left and did the oil and filter change myself.
I then took my wife’s Honda in the following week for an oil change. Was quoted $ 25, even though it’s within the 5 quarts that is supposed to be included in the $ 19.95 oil change. I said okay, so they drained the oil and removed the filter, then realized they were out of those oil filters and I had to wait 30 minutes for a courier to arrive with one.
They may not be making much/​any money on oil changes, but if you advertise a price for a service then STICK TO IT!
Always been happy with the smog side of the business. Fairly fast service and a good price.

Nothing fancy about this place. It’s a hole in the wall, but who cares, it’s just a smog check. Price is excellent. Why pay more for a smog check? This is the place to come. Service is quick. Will come here from now on.

the cheapest place to get a smog check… it’s $ 30 total including the certificate. I was in and out of there within 1 hour… did not have to make appointment either.

This place is not the cleanest, most well-​organized place, but it is one of the cheapest. That said, I can tell they don’t do the best work, but their work certainly is adequate for most maintenance jobs. Just be willing to wait…
The location is easy to get to, but it’s also easy to miss and drive right past. It’s just past the tire shop on northbound El Camino, north of SCU. They have a pretty large fenced parking lot, and a pretty small sign. Also, there’ll probably be lots of cars and people waiting around, but no help in sight.
I think they must get most of their customers from their PennySaver ad, because there are countless repair shops in a one mile radius, but most of them aren’t doing a fraction of the business this place is doing. That and lots of the people I see have PennySavers. You don’t even need a coupon; their prices are written on huge signs outside.
They’re extremely busy, so if you don’t get there early or don’t mind waiting, you’re better off leaving your car, and even then, it might not be ready exactly when they say it will. I waited in a cramped room for several hours. I did see some people leave pissed off that their cars weren’t/couldn’t be done in the time they expected. (Some people thought they could just drive into a busy shop and have an A/​C service completed within 30 minutes of their arrival…)
I had a 60K service done. Everything was drain & refill. (They don’t use flush machines to remove/​recycle ALL the fluids.) They used bulk oil on my car – which is pretty much standard – so I couldn’t confirm the brand, quality, or weight. Still, they did use long-​life coolant and synthetic transmission fluid from sealed containers, and my filter was delivered from the jobber while I waited. (I also noticed they were using genuine Toyota filters on Toyota’s – mine is not a Toyota – which might explain why Allen L had to pay more for his Toyota oil change.) Still, I know they have to be losing money on oil changes; it’s a loss leader to get you in the door.
The service was fine for the price, and I didn’t mind waiting. I think it might even have sped things up. (I noticed they worked on my car while I was watching and delayed completing a brake job for someone who just dropped their car off to pick up later.) They also did a road test, which I appreciated, since many shops don’t even do that anymore.
The one thing that troubled me – and for which I’m dinging one star – was the A/​C service. They advertised $ 30 for «AC service», but since we were both in a rush, the mechanic in charge, who supervised my oil change and did both my transmission and A/​C service, didn’t bother to get the preprinted A/​C quote, and I didn’t insist on nor sign one. So when he charged me $ 60 (simply to hook up his guages, take a reading, and top off my system with less than a pound of freon for about 10 minutes – and the freon wasn’t exactly cooperating since it was a hot day,) I was understandably surprised and unhappy. When I asked him why it wasn’t the advertised $ 30, he said he wasn’t charging me additional for the freon – what little was necessary to be added.
As an auto technician in a past life with heating and A/​C certification, I’m not unfamiliar with what should and should not have been done. What should have been done for double the advertised price is a complete service, which @a minimum includes evacuate under vacuum, leak test, refrigerant ID & inventory, recharge, and freon/​lubricant @additional charge, if needed. I could have gauged the pressure and added a fraction of a pound (@$ 15/​can) of refrigerant myself, but since I didn’t have the tools to evacuate & recharge the system, I trusted he would do it, especially when I saw that he had the equipment to do this automatically, unlike what he had done manually on the fluid drain & fills. He was just too cheap, too lazy, or too rushed. Probably all three.
I know a «real» A/​C service costs $ 100 – 200 & takes a couple/​few hours, so I should be happy it only cost $ 60, right? Not when the advertised price for service is half that, or when he didn’t really do anything to justify the higher cost like add a couple/​few pounds of freon or actually evacuate/​recharge the system & test for leaks. There are other ads in the PennySaver for A/​C service, at least one of which specifically states evacuate & recharge for $ 25-​$ 30 plus freon. Next time, I think I’ll go there for A/​C service, & probably for the other services as well.
I did later bring my mom’s car for an oil change. It was cheap & they do that OK. We did have to wait a while, but I expected that.
BTW, they also run the $ 20 smog place «next door», which is actually run by the same peope as Civic Center Auto. (Used to be Civic Auto Pro.) That place is also really busy, with long lines of people waiting to get their car smogged. If you’re in a rush, pay the extra $ 10 and go somewhere else, because you’ll probably be waiting awhile here.

I just go here to get my oil changed, they make it fast and easy, usually takes less than 20 minutes. They also have early bird specials.

Great service and prices. Thanks to Henry and Kevin.
I’ve been shopping around for a replacement timing belt and water pump for a few weeks for my 1997 V6 Toyota Camry. For those of you who might not know, a timing belt replacement is suggested every 90,000 miles. My car has a non-​interference engine, meaning that a timing belt failure wouldn’t damage the car engine, unlike many Hondas. However, the cost of getting my car towed to a mechanic because of timing belt failure would exceed doing the proper maintenance. Also, it’s suggested that you replace the water pump together with the timing belt because they’re right next to each other and the cost of labor exceeds the cost of the parts.
Toyota dealers in Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Milpitas, and Dublin were giving me quotes between $ 950-​$ 1100 + tax to do the timingbelt/​waterpump for both parts and labor. The quote I got here was $ 480 for parts and labor, tax included (they charge $ 380 for a 4 cylinder engine because it’s an easier job). This shop uses OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts. While they were at it, I had my 6 iridium spark plugs replaced for $ 200 (Toyota Dealer price $ 270 – 360 for same work).
Despite the good reviews here on Unilocal,I always have my doubts regarding any auto mechanic I’m unfamiliar with. I had already changed the air filter, O2 sensor, and I had a a different mechanic replace the brake pads and shocks/​struts of my car a year ago. From the Toyota dealership, I was aware that the power steering hose of my car was leaking, but I was unwilling to pay the dealership price to fix that.
Kevin noticed the power steering leakage and called me midway through the timing belt replacement. He offered to patch the hose up with clamps for $ 30. I agreed, and the hose seems to be working fine so far. I’m glad that he didn’t try to offer unnecessary repairs, because I know what I’ve already fixed.
Because I was already doing all these repairs, they gave me a oil change with a filter for free. They normally charge $ 20 for that, so I’m happy about that.
Overall, great experience. You won’t get shaken down for your money here, and as a bonus you get to support a solid small business.

Fast, cheap, thorough. When I need an oil change, I go here. It gets done in 30 mins or less and costs around 22 bucks. They recharged my AC for $ 65. nice.
When any other service needs arise, crossing fingers, I’ll be back here.

I believe these guys are the same as Civic Auto Pro.
I went there today (1-​21-​2011) and the way they work is pretty fishy. These 2 guys communicated with eachother over wireless phones regarding my estimate when they were only a few feet away from eachother and the estimate was astronomical in price but I was pressed for time and had to go with them simply due to time constraints. When I was shown what needed fixing they suggested items that had NOTHING to do with my critical issue but the «estimater» said an item did, if even remotely. My issues were smog related and he wanted to change my water pump. Everybody I talked to seemed very unprofessional and I was very concerned about the cost and asked to speak to the owner and some guy claiming to be the owner talked to me. Don’t ask me why I didn’t feel like this guy was being truthful because all he did was justify the astronomical cost. I really hadn’t time to shop around so I just left it there. I asked if it would be done today (it was around 10:30 AM) and he claimed how time consuming it would be and that it may or may not be done. Well by the time closing time came no phone call as to the status. Real professionals would have at least called by closing time to say it would be there over night. They came highly recommended but they showed very little professionalism and they had the feel of untrustworthyness.
Day 2: Ok so after talking with the owner on the phone at around 8:30 AM for status he now says «hopefully we will have it done today» I asked by what time and he replied «well we close at 4 so by 4, it’s alot of work…»
This is only getting worse and worse… I think I made a very bad mistake taking it to these guys. For small mindless jobs maybe they are OK but for real repairs I suggest staying away.
1-​22-​2011 PM: These guys are weasles. I call an hour before closing and he says «we try to finish today» after I ask when it will be done he says «I call you at 4» which happens to be their closing time. I go there at 15 min before closing time and my car is running and the hood is open and the engine is smoking… yes SMOKING! I ask the «mechanic» why it’s smoking and he says «oil». My car NEVER smoked prior to taking it there. The «mechanic» says it is not done yet and won’t be done till Monday… around noon. The «owner» comes up to me and asks how I was and of course being extremely agitaed I am asking what the issue was and why it was taking so long. I had gotten other estimates over the phone through out the day and most labor time was 8 hrs… these guys have had it for 2 days going now on 3. After giving me that same crap about «there is alot to do» and after telling me on the phone «they had been working on it ALL DAY» he then said as an excuse to the long time that «parts don’t come in on time or at the same time and that other customers come in for oil change and we have to service them» so the fact that he said «they have been working on it all day» was infact a lie? I asked him what time it would be done on monday he said 2 or 3… completely contrary to the «mechanic» when I pointed this out he simply stared at me. What a mistake it was to take my car there. What a horrible mistake.
1-​24-​2011 1:42 PM: Called these weasles today to see the status of my car and used the phone I have been using in the past and the phone just rang and rang. I did this 3 times in a row and all it did was rang. I used another phone and he picked up on the first ring. He has now stooped even lower to ignore my phone calls. I asked about my car and he again said he would try to have it done… yesterday was a sure 2 or 3 today and now it is back to «I’ll try»…When I questioned what the issue was he said «I want to do it right» and questioned my even asking and added «what do you want me to do give it to you like it is?» and I asked him if he had worked on my model of car before and he responded with «yes, and this takes a lot of time»…So a full tune up takes more than 3 days… when I inquired about how on Saturday he promised it would be done by 2 — 3 today he then said «not all the parts came in». Mind you it was running on Saturday when I just showed up to check on the status without him knowing but the engine was now SMOKING rather substantially. He obviously could tell my frustration and said «if it is not done by today I’ll deduct $ 50 from the bill» Well I’m losing well over $ 50 a day not making it in to work and I pointed it out said I needed to know because if not I needed to rent a car and he then said «that is why I am GIVING you $ 50 so you can rent a car» so an alleged deduction from my bill for his incopetency has now become a gift. The cheapest car rental on this short a notice is $ 70 a day… that is if I can get in there and they still have cars. What a complete disaster this has turned into and what an incompetent and unprofessional place this is.

This is the same place as Hiep Auto in Unilocal.I needed a smog and the gas station by me was quoting me $ 49+cert. Did a quick Unilocal check and these guys smogged my 2002 Acura for $ 35 out the door including cert. Very fast. Definitely recommend these guys for smog check!