Superior Automotive Repair

Sam and his team were awesome. I went to Superior based on recommendations from friends. My car had failed a smog check because of a faulty sensor. Mark diagnosed the problem and explained what would need to be done to fix it. The total cost to replace the sensor and pass smog was less than half of the estimate I had received elsewhere. When I picked up the car, Sam went through all the work that was done, gave me documentation explaining the work that was done, and identified things that would need service in the future (as part of a regular maintenance plan). From start to finish, a great experience.

I found this place on Unilocal while searching for a place that does VW repair. I have to say that all the good reviews are true! I will be taking my car here again. I fully trust Sam and his crew.

Everytime I have brought a vehicle to Superior automotive I have had the best service, Sam is very honest and trustworthy. My smogs always pass, and they work on VW’s. I feel very safe having anything done at superior. Bring your vehicle to them if you want it done right.

Regretfully, I have to eat my lovely words from April. In May, I had tie rods, brakes and wheel bearings replaced at Superior. Ends were loose and car was returned shortly thereafter — Sam had the ends tightened as a courtesy.
Fast forward to August of this year — transmission and both drievshafts were replaced, Drove the car for a week or two and in early September, I went on vacation and the car was not driven until I returned on October 17.
Four days later, when stopped at a light, the car made a loud noise when I tried to accelerate. It went into gear but would not move forward. After emergency tow and inspection, turns out the axle bolts were missing and the axle had become dislodged from the transmission. I was extremely fortunate that this happened while driving in slow traffic, and not while traveling at freeway speed. Got the axle replaced along with related hardware, at another shop near where the car fell apart.
Bottom line: Second time this year that a major repair was performed which subsequently fell off the car. I wrote Sam a letter and followed up with a phone call, he won’t reimburse me for the emergency repairs and offered discounted future work. Thank you, Sam, but no. The consequences of this type of failure are no joke. I can’t trust this shop’s work any more.

I went here over 10 years ago. From the reviews it seems like they are still providing great service at reseonable prices in the south bay. Little shop great prices.

I’ve taken my ’88 Cabby a few times and I would not trust it with anyone else. Sam and his crew is honest, reliable and trustworthy.
Sam is very good at helping me understand the issue and prioritize any repairs needed.

Just wanted to add my 2 cents to the reviews here. I’m happy to see how positive they are, this place is a gem. I grew up with a dad in the auto industry, so I’ve always had a bit of a mistrust towards mechanics. I’ve heard too many horror stories, I suppose. This place is amazing. My SO has been going to them for a long time and I’ve never regretted him talking me into taking my car in. They do excellent work and their prices are very good. I was hooked from the first time Sam (or it might have been Brian) brought out a part they replaced and showed me exactly what had broken & why they needed to replace it. They stand by their work and if there are any issues that crop up afterwards, they are quick to get it straightened out. Not to mention, they are just generally really cool people.
We like them so much that we drive down from Mira Mesa. For an oil change. (Or, you know, any thing else that needs done.)

Still a great place. Since the last update we have started to take our ’93 Toyota Land Cruiser in for regular service and they have yet to disappoint. I love that they do a good job all of the time. I now have family members taking their cars in for regular and major services too.

My car was having problems and I went to some other mechanic on Broadway at first and they told me to simply change my coils and spark plugs and that should do it for me. So I droped about 100 dollars and changed the parts and nothing happened. My car was still having problems. I then decided to go to Superior and they told me that they would tell me exactly what was wrong with it and if I wanted to fix it they would do it. Later on that day they called me to let me know that it was a valve that needed replacing. Told me they could do it the same day and I was able to pick up my car later on in the day. All I got to say is that these guys are honest and they are the real deal. They know their stuff and wont try to rip you off. Big thanks for fixing my passat.

I must’ve called Superior Automotive Repair several times within a month – always making an appointment, but having to back out because of work or other engagements. But quite frankly, things needed to be fixed, so I eventually made my way over there. I was supposed to be working that day, but I suspected that my struts needed to be fixed. When driving down the road, I could feel every rock and crease in the payment. It was awful!
They removed and replaced my front struts with KYB and added in a little extra. The subtotal was about $ 470 – which I think is very good for replacing struts.
The owner is extremely friendly and I found the employees helpful. They’ll probably be seeing me all summer since I have an old car!
By the way, this is the place to go if you have a Volkswagen. I myself own a 1989 Cabriolet and saw nothing but VWs in their lot, so this is definitely their specialty! They know what they’re doing: D!

I’m the first reviewer? Really? The first? Wow, I’m surprised.
Let’s take a little trip in my time machine and I’ll you a story. Brrrrrrgggaaahhhhh… the time is spring 1994 and I just bought a 1972 Volkswagen Bug 8 months earlier. The crooks (at Rudy Lusti VW) said it had a rebuilt engine and the car itself was in immaculate condition. I’m driving home and my car starts billowing black smoke (like the smoke monster on Lost). I was freaking out! I call a friend of mine that works on cars to come over and have a looksee. He tells me the engine is fried and I need a new one. Wait… what? I just bought the car 8 months ago!
I pull out the yellow pages (it’s true, I didn’t have a home computer in 1994) and start looking for VW places. I’m calling around getting more upset with each call because some places are telling me it’s going to cost $ 1600 for a new engine. The car only cost $ 1900!!! Sobbing like the smoke monster just killed my grandma, I call the next place on the list, Superior VW. The guy who answers the phone (Sam) takes 15 minutes to calm me down and has me tell him the problem. Fast forwarding a little… I get the car towed down to Chula Vista (farther than I’d like to travel but oh well). Sam confirms my friend’s diagnosis and tells me the new engine will cost $ 800 installed. Wait… what? Mama always said «if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is». I tell Sam that it’s going to be a few weeks until I can come up with that money since I didn’t have a credit card. What does he do? He tells me… get this… I can pay $ 200 now and the rest when I get the money. Now I’m REALLY in the Twilight Zone.
Brrrrrrgggaaahhhhh…back to 2009. I’ve been going to Sam and the guys since that fateful day and I’ll never go anywhere else. If you haven’t been there or you’re a new customer, you really missed out on Sam’s Dad (RIP Pops). He was a character and always chatted with me while I waited for my car. Don’t expect a hoity-​toity place with a spectacular lobby and refreshments. You get the shop and the shop only. Sure, there’s a place to sit inside but if it’s a sunny day, I bring a beach chair and hang out in the sun while reading a book. Sometimes places have to jack up their prices to cover the overhead of the fancy-​schmancy lobby so I’ll take the fresh air and sunshine over some soda and a cookie anyday. You can count on getting a fair price and excellent (guaranteed) work. If you happen to need brakes, go ahead, pay a little extra for the lifetime brakes. The next time you come in, you only have to pay for labor. It’s worth the extra couple bucks and worth the drive down to the South Bay.