Harbor Auto Service Center

Costa Mesa, United States

4.8

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 949-574-1858
Website:
www.harborautocm.com
Address:
1995 Harbor Blvd, Costa Mesa, CA, 92627
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
1.9 mi173
2 mi35
2.1 miOCTA;UCI Express Shuttle
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes

Today

Today –
Local time (Costa Mesa) 05:53 Sunday, 6 July 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Wednesday 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday 7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

We provide the most professional, and honest auto repair and maintenance in Orange County. Servicing all Asian and Domestic vehicles. For the folks with European vehicle we have excellent referrals, we can not be great on every single vehicle on the road. We believe in specializing in order to provide the upmost professionalism. We have been established for nearly eighteen years. And we treat all customers the way we wish to be treated, with respect.

Thanks, John Pavone, owner operator.

History

Established in 1996.

I attended PACT Professional Automotive Career Training.

After graduating from PACT I received a two year AS degree in Honda & Acura technology. After almost eight years of working for a Honda dealer as a lead technician, my father «who knows little about cars «and I opened Harbor Automotive Service Center. We have always been honest, and courteous. 17 years later we are still here, and we are proud of that. And we realize that if it weren’t for our customers there would be no Harbor Auto. That’s why we love them so much. Thanks to you all for making it all possible.

Meet the Business Owner

John P.

Business Owner

I was born with a wrench in my hand. I was always amazed at the sound and function of an engine of any sort. I was fortunate that my folks could afford to send me to any school I desired. Dad wanted me to go to a great university, but my heart was in the engines of cars, boats, anything motorized. So I went to just about every auto training course I could get into. After a few years of working on boats, my neighbor who was a councilor at a community college turned me on to the Honda PACT program.

I attended and completed the PACT program in 1991. I immediately obtained employment at Costa Mesa Honda. After a few years there my father who was retired early, and I decided to open an auto repair shop. The rest is history.

A couple of things I’ve learned in the past 20 years, HONESTY pays off, and the world is still full of beautiful genuine people.

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20 reviews of Harbor Auto Service Center

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Irvine, CA
Friendly. Efficient. Honest. Excellent. Very fair. I’ve been bringing both of my Toyota Tundra trucks here for 15 years and have always been happy with their service. thank you!
Place rating: 5
Trabuco Canyon, CA
This shop is great. The shop owner and crew are all good honest hardworking guys who have been in the business a long time. They replaced my alternator which I had put in a year ago myself had gone bad. I had a warranty on it from where I purchased it so I had to pay the labor. I generally know the cost and time that most fixes take and they did it at a fair price in a timely fashion. They even hooked me up with some pizza for lunch. Thank you John and crew!
Place rating: 5
Newport Beach, CA
After going to 4 other repair places and getting the run around, I finally found this place. Thank goodness, John the owner was so great. I was told my honda civic needed a new vtec solonoid and that it would cost me atleast $ 500, but that wasn’t the case. John first pulled the code on my honda and then opened up the hood to check my oil. Come to find out my car had no oil at all so he filled it up and the check engine light went off.
All of this stress I had, anticipating to spend a few 100 and he came to the rescue. He explained the exact issue and why my check engine light came on. I am new to orange county and I now have a place I can trust that won’t rip me off. I will recommend this place to anyone looking for an honest mechanic who really cares about thier customers.
Place rating: 5
Newport Beach, CA
I was very satisfied by the service here at Harbor Auto. John was friendly, up front and had my vehicle back to me in one day like he said he would. Was happy with the price, there were no surprises and had my car back quickly. If the need arises again, I will definitely be a return costumer.
Place rating: 5
Costa Mesa, CA
I’ve been here twice now. Both times I was impressed. I left feeling they treated me honestly and fairly. The guy behind the counter is always cheerful and enthusiastic. I’ve used a LOT of mechanics in the past. And these are my new guys!
Place rating: 5
Costa Mesa, CA
My wife and I are in our 70’s. In all our many years, we have not found any auto service that comes close to their quality of work. Michael and John Pavone work hard to work with you (without pushing for unnecessary new parts!). They are beyond friendly and honest as they really care about you and your car. They saved us a lot of money and the work was top notch (without any delays). Our neighbors that have used them all agree they are the greatest… as people and mechanics!
Place rating: 5
Costa Mesa, CA
These guys are great. If you want an auto repair shop you can trust take your car to John and Michael. I took my grand cherokee there last week to repair a leaking power steering hose and waited for my car. Hour and half later I was driving away a happy customer after John fully explained the repair. I know it doesn’t sound like much but I listened to him talking to other customers about their repairs and always was straight up. This place is not about up selling it’s all about customer satisfaction. I am taking my mercedes there tomorrow.
Place rating: 5
Lake Forest, CA
These guys are the friendliest auto mechanics I’ve ever been to, and they are honest and fair to boot! I needed to get my brakes and routers replaced I was expecting all four tires but John said I really only needed the back done. The mechanic (didn’t catch his name) also spray painted behind my hubcaps black because they were rusted at no charge… Something I was going to do on my own but kept forgetting about. They were really busy but still managed to get me out the door in a reasonable amount of time! Check this place out they deserve your business!
Place rating: 5
Irvine, CA
201511_​04
I usually don’t write Unilocal reviews unless they are extremely very good or extremely very bad. Anything in between is just expected from a business.
I would never have imagined to give a mom-​n-​pop auto repair shop five stars. I have had so many bad experiences with shops like pep_​_​_​and puurr_​_​_​_​. So, I have only taken my car to the dealerships for the last 15 years.
Make a long story short, I took my car in for an oil change at the Toyota dealership. They usually do a good job but usually cost 30% more. Well, this visit, they told me that I should change the engine valve gasket. Gave me a pretty crazy high price.
I heard of Harbor Auto along time ago but regardless, I was still skeptical. I called them and they gave me a reasonable price for the engine valve gasket.
I took it to them and met Mike. I had to wait 15 minutes before he got to me because he was helping other customers.
He gave me the estimate but before even started; he told me that he wants to take a look at the engine valve gasket. So we went out there and he confirmed that oil was leaking. He then got a socket and tighten the bolt. Immediately, he told me that the bolts are just lose. So he tighten all ten bolts for me and told me to drive it for a while and monitor the leak. HE DID NOT CHARGE ME.
That was pretty dam honest (and rare for auto repair shops) so they get five stars. I appreciate your honesty Mike!
I will bring my car back for spark plugs and will update further.
Place rating: 5
Lower Lake, CA
Best mechanics in Orange County!
It would be difficult to give a higher recommendation. The gentlemen at Harbor Auto Service Center provided what turned out to be the best service that I have ever received from a mechanic!
John, David, and Mike were friendly, competent, and show that they’re willing to go above and beyond to provide their clients with superb service. My father has been a long time client and I now see exactly why.
I had my 2006 Toyota Tundra serviced on October 9th for a new timing belt, water pump, serpentine belt, oil change, and tire rotation. Not only were the jobs performed same day, but Mike took the time to mend a broken fender that I had left untreated for months (free of charge of course). They also adjusted my brakes free of charge while they performed the tire rotation, and as if that wasn’t enough, they cleaned the engine which had been dusty and oily etc, such that my engine looked brand new.
To put it simply, I was very pleased with the work done, the customer service, and the cost, which seemed very reasonable for the amount of work done.
Kudos
Place rating: 5
Santa Ana, CA
I am so glad I decided to come here! My drivers side mirror was damaged by who knows who and of course didn’t leave a note. I wanted it fixed ASAP. After getting an estimate of $ 40 at south coast Toyota, I didn’t think the cost should have been that price. After all there were no broken parts or electrical damage. The parts just got dislocated. I Unilocaled auto repair and these guys popped up. They greeted me promptly and were so down to earth and funny! These guys fixed my mirror for free and in less than 5 minutes! That was so sweet of them. They seriously made my day! I’ll definitely be recommending this spot to friends and family and be back for my auto repair and mechanic needs.
Place rating: 1
Westminster, CA
My first experience here actually started off really great. My car had the Check Engine light on and after looking at Unilocal reviews I decided to take my car here. Mike, who seemed like a really nice guy, was at the front desk and helped me out. He asked when I needed the car by and I said I would like it by 1pm. Unfortunately I did not receive a call from Mike until 2:45pm. He apologized and said he lost track of time. He had good news about my car and said the Engine Light issue was a quick fix. He offered to come drop the car off, which I thought was a nice gesture. Unfortunately, the situation only got more unprofessional.
Mike gave me a call and said he was close, so I waited outside for him to show up. To my disbelief he shows up in another customer’s car which he had mistakenly thought was mine. He was ready to drop off ANOTHER customer’s car. I told him that wasn’t my car, and he goes back to the shop and finally comes back with my own car. I’ve truly never experienced this kind of unprofessionalism at any car shop before and will not be returning.
Place rating: 5
Newport Beach, CA
Truly honest mechanics! My whole family takes their cars to them, now! Will never find mechanics like these guys… ever!
Place rating: 5
Orange County, CA
After a frustrating encounter with the idiots over at PepBoys, I tried my luck at this shop. They diligently went above and beyond and repaired all the burnout headlights in my car without charging me too much. Really appreciate the service here. Will be returning. Never go to PepBoys.
Place rating: 5
Irvine, CA
My husband has been taking his tahoe here for years, and trusts these guys without hesitation. We just passed the truck onto our son, and took it to the shop to investigate a squeaking noise. One of the guys walks up and says «That looks like’s John’s Tahoe.» They recognize their customers’ cars. (Not because it’s been in the shop often. It’s because they remember their customers.)
Place rating: 5
Irvine, CA
It’s tough to give any business a solid 5 star. If there was one i would be sure to give that score to it would be the guys who work here. Highly highly recommend.
Very honest mechanics and business owners. I do hope they expand they facility so more people get to know these guys.
Awesome people and service.
Place rating: 5
Irvine, CA
the best guys out there. So someone hit me and all state was being a pain about it and said that they were not going to pay for the mechanical parts that THEIR OWN client messed up… I was SO mad because it was the person’s fault and told all state that I needed to take my car to my own mechanic, the adjuster came out and the boys were able to prove that the damages were due to the accident in literally 5 minutes. SOOOO… all state mechanics are horrible and harbor auto is the best of the best, and they are so honest about their work. I’m a UC Irvine student who had trouble finding a mechanic that I trust and I honestly these guys 1 000 000% they are awesome.
If you take your car anywhere else you’re messing up!
Place rating: 5
Irvine, CA
These guys are awesome! I was in the area and randomly found them on Unilocal.
I took my truck there to get the breaks fixed and they were able to do it right then. In the hour or so I was there, I saw what honest, funny, and respectful professionals these guys are. I saw a number of people come in asking for different repairs that other shops told them they need and these would tell them that it wasn’t necessary. Instead of trying to pull a fast one on people who didn’t know much about cars they would educated them and save them money. They will be the only place I will ever take my any vehicle to. Very Impressed!
Place rating: 5
Newport Beach, CA
Had a great experience on my first visit. I called same day to see if I could get in around noon (I didn’t expect they could accommodate same day) BUT was pleasantly surprised. Mike let me know it would take 45 mins to an hour and he did not disappoint. I am thrilled with the service and will be back !
Place rating: 5
Lancaster, CA
John, Mike and Mike are great. Girlfriend loves these guys. They hook us up for free all the time. Not just good honest work. They’re a ton of fun.
PS AAA batteries are terrible.