Hiro Auto Service

I’ve been going to this place for a couple of years now but have decided to move on after dealing with one of the guys who works there. His demeanor on the phone is totally unprofessional and a real turn off. I think someone else has had an issue with him as well, referring to him as an «asshole manager». Bingo — that sounds like the guy I’ve dealt with in the past. Sorry Hiro, you have a real pendejo working for you.

Massive oil leak in my engine and they massively fixed it. Wow! The Best I Ever Had!

It’s never a pleasant experience searching for an auto repair shop when your only means of transportation is being hitched to the back of a AAA tow truck. I found myself in a pickle, I needed to find a shop that was cheap, honest, AND would do quality work. I know that’s a lot to ask for, and I honestly figured as long as I can find a shop that met the first two criteria I would be willing to settle. After receiving several estimate’s from a handful of local shops I was about to give up on my search and was preparing to live off of instant noodle’s and Costco hotdog’s for the next month. I decided to call Hiro’s Auto Service, despite being a bit out of the way from my residence.
When I phoned Hiro’s, I felt comfortable enough to use my last complimentary AAA tow to bring my car to his shop. The conversation was brief but I was able to quickly get his temperature; he was not pushy, initially he mentioned that they were a bit busy and he may not get around to seeing my car till the following week, since my vehicle was not drive-​able I inquired about any storage fee’s if my vehicle were to stay overnight AND IF I decided not to use his shop. He reassured me that they wouldn’t charge me any sort of storage fee’s if we decided not to use his shop.
(this review was started in 2014 while I was living in LA). I forgot to leave the feedback so I will finish the review 2 years later. While I no longer reside in Torrance and have since moved away from the area. If I am ever in the area and need auto work done, I will not hesitate to come back to Hiro’s. The work was completed in a timely manner, no issues with the quality of work and especially liked their honesty.
Thanks!

It saddens me to have to write a bad review for a place that used to offer great service but it has to be said, the management at Hiro’s is atrocious.
I was first referred to Hiro’s from a friend of mine who had frequently used Hiro to take care of his car needs. Being new to the area at that time, I took his advise and checked this place out. After my first visit I enjoyed the quality of work and continued to go there for my car needs. Everything and anything in between from oil changes to replacing a timing belt I brought to Hiro’s.
Needless to say I spent quite a bit of money here and had up to that point trusted and honestly enjoyed getting my car serviced here.
That all changed one unfortunate and terrible day when one bad visit left a taste to sour in my mouth EVER to get me to go back to for lack of a better word, trust my car with the asshole manager at Hiro’s.
Long story short I had been having an issue with my vehicle, my engine would pretty much just shut off randomly and without warning from time to time, then start back on. In fact my car would pretty much just shut down. The breaks would stop working and even the power steering would go out!
Obviously this was a pretty dangerous situation to be in so I took it immediately to the fine mechanics at Hiro.
First and foremost I want to make clear I don’t blame the mechanics and heck to this day would even trust them to do work on my vehicle again if not for the manager. I don’t want to make this too personal and start naming names but anyone who goes there or plans to will have to deal with him so just prepare.
Anyway they couldn’t quite figure out the problem with what was exactly causing it and since my vehicle had been well maintained and seemingly no reason it should do that advised that I drive it a bit more and if the problem occurs again bring it in immediately.
So under their advise I left and sure enough when it happened again I came back.
This is where the trouble started happening. I don’t know if it was some sort of miscommunication or misunderstanding but the way the manager treated me that day made me truly regret ever having spent one cent of my hard earned money at a place that cared so little for not only customer service but customer safety!
As the mechanic was talking to me and advising me on what best to do the manager took me aside and very harshly referred me to seek service at another shop.
I was really confused and honestly taken a bit back by this. I thought he was joking. To this day I have no idea why he felt this way and chose to handle this situation so poorly.
I could totally understand had I been rude, unruly, or even causing a scene to kick someone out but up until he arrived the conversation between me and the mechanic was cordial, respectful and just plain friendly. There really did not seem like any reason business as usual shouldn’t have taken place, but if I knew the reason why I wouldn’t be writing such a negative review I suppose.
So it really perplexed me on why I was basically being kicked out of the shop that I had been going to for about 2 years at this point. I’m not one to cause a scene so I simply asked had I done something wrong or did something to offend him, because if so it was 1) not my intent and 2) if there was a misunderstanding I would like to apologize if I caused it and would like to move forward amicably.
However the manager simply go mad and angrily yelled go somewhere else we don’t want your business. Keep in mind this was done in a very deliberate, rude, and manner in which to insult.
To THIS DAY I have no idea what I did. In fact I wish i knew. Maybe he was having a bad day? Maybe he confused me with someone else? I don’t know.
But to send a loyal customer away who has spent thousands of dollars on work there is just unacceptable and made me feel compelled to warn others about this place. Add into the fact I was still left with my dangerous vehicle issue.
You might not have this same experience and I hope you don’t but if it happens don’t be surprised. There are better places out there that value customer loyalty and know how to maturely and rationally.

My wife told me to go to this place. There are many other auto shops in the area that are closer than this place but I was told they are honest and do good work. I showed up and immediately was helped. I believe his name was Robert. I explained my problem and he said that it did not sound like an alternator problem. He then told his assistant to pull my truck into a bay so they could check it out. They tested a few things and then told me what to do and try out first. If it does not work then bring it back and they would check out some other things. He said he did not want to waste any of my money so try his recommendations first.
I was very impressed with their honesty and willing to help. I highly recommend this place. He did not even charge me for his time!

Run!!! Hiro auto shop are greedy dishonest people. I thought they were honest because all the great reviews on Unilocal.Took my car to get and evaluation and repaired. They said I needed a new distributor and that it wouldn’t be so easy to take out and replace due to a broken bolt. They quoted 500 – 700 dollars. I took it to a different mechanic and left with a 300 bill. 220 for the parts. It took no longer than a hour to fix. You’ve been warned. I understand that the business has to charge to make money, but that was extortion.

I normally don’t leave reviews… But this place seriously deserves it… First of all, i haaateeeee when my car has issues… I’ve never had a reliable mechanic… I don’t even know who to trust. I bought this used Dodge Charger recently… i test drove it, seemed fine, and for two weeks it worked well… Then this light started coming on the dash board, and the car just wasn’t running right… Not sure what the issue was. So I contacted the Dodge Dealer, and they suck ass, can’t even take a simple appointment, on top of that, they wanted to charge me $ 200 just to look at the car! So I took it to Aamco, that claimed they do a free inspection, but they just checked the codes, still couldn’t tell me what was wrong with it, and wanted me to pay them $ 200 as well to just do an inspection. All other mechanics were telling me to get rid of the car, it’s a lemon, and that it’ll probably cost me $ 2000 to fix!!! I was in a rut, not sure what to do, so I searched and searched the internet for a decent mechanic. Found Hiro Auto on Unilocal,read the good reviews… I took my car to them… they inspected the entire vehicle for free… they fixed ALL THE ISSUES for $ 200… it’s been three months, car is still running perfect… I mean. PERFECT… i feel they are my new secret weapon. I buy a lot of used vehicles. and usually, if they have an issue, I just sell them off before it becomes major… Now… I don’t have to sell it off, these guys FIX ALL THE ISSUES! For a FAIR AND REASONABLE PRICE… What you’ve always wanted in a mechanic, these guys do it!
I’ve been telling all my friends about them. My bro took his old Honda Accord to them, and for $ 90, fixed it up, he’s had no issues with it since then!

Excellent customer service. I was having some car trouble and I took it here to be evaluated. They were very welcoming. They thoroughly checked it at no cost. Although they do not do major repairs they were very helpful and went to the extra step of making some calls and gave me some recommendations of what options I had. I went to do further research and found someone that can help me with the problem with their recommendations in mind. On top of that on a day that their office is closed they did a follow up call to see how I was doing with my car and the owner personally offered to continue to help search for deals. I think their service is above and beyond. I would definitely use them for your everyday service needs. It just shows that they care and will go the extra mile.

Highly Recommended. My favorite car service shop, will go to them first for any car problem advice. Reasonable price and always great, friendly service; Honest opinion compare to other places who just want to make $$ out of you if you don’t understand anything about car. Can be a wait because they are always busy, but if you have time is worth it. Make sure you always make appt first.

THIS IS MY PLACE!!!
been coming here for years now, and I can’t seem to bring my car (s) anywhere else!
You don’t have to worry about getting ripped off here, honest service & reasonable prices!

Great for cheap oil change… but if you actually need work then be prepared to be overcharged.
they up-​charged 50% on parts and $ 18 for can of freon? only $ 8 at pep boys. All shops mark up parts… but not 50%.
For Labor… also charged too many hours for simple job.
**50% up-​charge on parts refers to same brand part.
Anyway… just make sure to check prices on parts and labor quotes.

Very very disappointed. Just moved to Torrance and was in search of a good and trustworthy car repair shop. Went here due to high Unilocal rating, BIG MISTAKE! Brought my car in at Hiro due to some issues with the transmission. They said they were pretty sure what needed to be replaced. I trusted them and told them to get it done. Next day, smoke was coming out of the hood of my car. Thought of bringing it back to them but changed my mind and brought it straight to the dealer. Dealer found a crack on my radiator. Not sure if they missed it and misdiagnosed the problem or tampered with the radiator on purpose. Will never find out since I am not coming here ever again!

. Saul is a very honest and nice guy. If you’re looking for a place that won’t rip you off, take your car here!

Came back here again now with a new car. My complimentary maintenance with Toyota just recently ended and the dealership told me on my next visit to them I must replace my pads and must resurface my rotors. They quoted me $ 294 and it is subject to change depending if I have to replace my rotors. I went to Hiro since I know how honest they are and their work is 2^nd to none! Jun checked in my car and prepared my car for the oil change. He the found out my brakes doesn’t need replacement soon as I still have about 40% on the pads! Good job Toyota! And they also paired up my 2 brand new tires and placed it on the front because according to Toyota Cerritos they have to charge me for labor and they must balance the wheels again if they will do that. LMAO!!! They think I know nothing about cars and they think I can fall for their moves!
If you are looking for honest and quality work with no up-​sell or BS marketing for unnecessary services, bring your car here! You won’t regret it!

Disappointed. Usually they are very understanding with taking people in for an emergency cause they are closed on holidays but I am disappointed with their customer service. Rude guy picked up and didn’t even care or acknowledge that I needed to get an oil change and I’m one of their valued customers. He didn’t even care that it was an emergency. Oil change doesn’t take long and he advise that it takes 45 min to an hour. All the times that I came there it only took them 15 min. I am beyond disappointed. Never coming back here again and will not refer anymore friends/​family or people to them.
If I can give them a 0 star, I would.

Before coming to Hiro, I use to take my car to another local mechanic for all my basic services. After purchasing a new car, I wanted the absolute best service that was a) competitively priced and b) reliable. Not to say that my previous mechanic didn’t meet those standards, but they were just so, for lack of better words, bare-​bones with their service. You ask for oil change, they take your car, change your oil/​filter, your car gets returned.
What I love about Hiro is that I come in asking for an oil change, they ask me what kind of oil I want, they take my car, change the oil/​filter, check the brakes/​tires, and provide me a diagnostic report once their done. No pushy sales pitches; just «this is where this is at, you can probably afford x amount of time before you need to get that changed.» I love that they go the extra mile for the same amount I was paying at my other mechanic.
The only con about this place is their popularity. Good luck trying to get your car serviced on a walk-​in. I tried on a Tuesday afternoon assuming it would be empty, but unfortunately had to make an appointment for the weekend. But then again, they must be doing something right to have their schedules booked. I think I found myself a new mechanic and will definitely be coming back for any future service.

Came back for another oil change today and was in and out in 30 mins. $ 25 for the oil change and tire check — can’t beat those prices! Thnx again Hiro Auto!

Took my car in for an oil change.
They could of totally ripped me off as I told them to do whatever needed to be done.
I believe his name was «jay»? Not sure. Quoted me and told me he would only do what was needed.
They did the oil change and mentioned some things that will need to be done eventually. (Normal service things which my cars manual says that should be done at a certain amount of miles.) he checked everything out and quoted me prices for things if I decide to take care of in the future.
The guys at this shop were very friendly and professional. I immediately felt that I can trust them and will refer them to friends.
Also, they offered coffee while I wait. They have a keurig with plenty of flavor options. And the waiting room in nice and air conditioned.

A trustworthy auto repair joint. I towed my car at 130 am from Lax to the honda dealership. At 930 am, I re-​towed it to Hiro without an appt. By 1225pm, I had a new alternator, clean battery leads, a declination of unnecessary work that I forecasted (battery change), and a renewed faith in mankind and decent, honest businessmen.
I was ready to sell my Honda … Scott reassured me of the reliability of the car and reviews the upcoming maintenance. Love these guys!

Surprised I didn’t review Hiro sooner.
I definitely love taking our Camry to Hiro’s.
Quick, kind service. And they don’t make you get something done that you don’t need.
I definitely love their new location!
They get busy, so the key is to plan ahead and make an appointment. If you have an appointment, you will be out of there in a jiffy!