Kapahulu Auto

Earnest and Mike is honest and reliable they not looking for the fast buck. Honesty hard to find in a mechanic. My family and friends here. Big earnest is to be trusted.

We took our 2006 Audi there after the Audi dealership tried to charge us 8k. Audi said the car wasn’t even worth a trade in; only scrap. Kapahulu Auto was had great customer service and said to bring in the diagnostic paperwork from Audi to see what they could do. They quoted 3k, and the car was fixed a week later for only 2.5k! I’m extremely happy with the work that they did and the personal service received from Mike! I highly recommend you give this place a try!

Mike was awesome and so accommodating. Had my jeep towed in this morning when they were full. He kept my dad up to date on the progress of the car and was open to suggestions about the best way to go about fixing the car. My dad is also a mechanic but lives on the mainland. Prices were very fair and I got the car back the same day. I dropped it off at 930 and got it back by 4. I have nothing but good things to say about Kapahulu Auto.

The staff at Kapahulu Auto is absolutely awwwwweeesome and I can’t express that enough!!! They fixed a problem I had after I got an oil change at the Cutter dealership on Ala Moana (they forgot to tighten my drain plug, and put in the wrong type of oil), and then topped the oil off for free!!! I had Cutter refund me, and Kapahulu re-​do the oil change. I had also noticed something else going on with my car, and thought maybe I needed new spark plugs. They checked it out for me, and saw it wasn’t the spark plugs. They took two days to try and figure out what was going on, but couldn’t fix the problem. They suggested getting a re-​flash on my computer at a dealership, cuz they don’t have the equipment for that at their shop. The most amazing thing about this is, THEY DIDN’T CHARGE ME FOR THE TWO DAYS OF LABOR!!! Mike (I think it’s his shop) said since they couldn’t fix it, they wouldn’t charge me, WOW! They only charged me for the oil change; how amazing is that!!! They are so professional, helpful, kind, and dedicated to their customers, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS PLACE!!! Debbie the receptionist is also super sweet, friendly, and helpful. These are the kind of people you want working on your car!!! :-)

Lo-​and-​Behold. I had to come back.
My engine was making a weird noise, I wasn’t sure what it was. So I pulled into Mike’s, when I pulled in, he remembered me! Which is super strange, because the last time I came here, he ran a quick diagnostic that was less than 5 minutes, so I was surprised he remember my name. Maybe he reads all the reviews we leave him? (I thought that was really professional and nice of him to remember my name).
He said it sounded like my Engine Mounts (For those who don’t know — engine mounts hold your engine in place, so it’s not moving around). Anyways, apparently one or two was broken, so the noise was coming from it moving around while I’m driving and shifting gears. He told me to leave my car so that he could see which ones were broken, so he could order the parts. That took about 3 – 4 hours.
When they were done… He told me it was safe to drive around for now. But to bring my car back the following day and they’ll fix it. Then repair took 3 – 4 hours to do, and came out to $ 396. I saw on the receipt he gave me some kind of mechanic’s discount (how nice!).
I’m so thankful to find such an awesome and honest mechanic, that doesn’t give the run around. And I thought it was nice that he recognized my car (maybe my dents) and remembered my name. Lol. I truly reccomend them and would bring my car back if anything comes up. :)
P. S. I read the review about someone saying that they had to sign a waiver before paying and Mike didn’t give me one, he told me an estimate.

If you’re looking to repair your auto, Ernest & Mike are honest guys and do a great job from small jobs to big jobs. I say this from the times I’ve taken both cars in for a fix.

I was extremely satisfied with my service here. I didn’t have an appointment but they were able to fit me in the day I called. I drove down, talked with someone for a few minutes about the issue, and left. Got a call within a couple hours with the diagnostic, and a call a little later when it was fixed! I was hoping for good, polite, informative service (which I absolutely received from beginning to end) and I got efficient and thorough service, as well. This will be my go to shop from now on, although hopefully I won’t be seeing very much of them…

This place gets NO stars! I had a dent on my truck for several months. They told me it caused my entire back brake system to be destroyed. They told me it would cost almost $ 1600 to fix. They charged me $ 60 just for looking and giving me a bogus diagnosis. I priced the parts which they charged more than half of what they really were. So I went to another place and they the dent has noting to do with my brakes, it was just wear and tear only costing me $ 500. Haven’t had a problem since. Trying to get over on customers is NOT a good way to do business.

My husband and I have been getting our cars serviced here for years. They are a great bunch of guys, especially the owners, Mike and Ernie. They are honest, friendly and get the job done. Never ever had a problem with them. They are super busy, so heed the warning and schedule an appointment. Perk: Rainbow Drive in is just a few steps away!

Just had my Xterra repaired here and they were awesome. It took a few days to order my part in but as soon as it arrived, they fixed it and called me straight away. I’ve had issues finding a solid mechanic in town and I’m stoked I’ve found one now.
Thanks guys

First off if you can… MAKE AN APPOINTMENT! They get awfully busy.
I dropped my car off this morning when they opened just for an oil change without an appointment. Took until 3:30 for it to be finished. (I was at work so not an issue). But other than that, they were quicker than quoted, friendly, and efficient in all aspect.
You know you’re gonna need an oil change in a few days… Make an appointment. These guys were great.

Thank you Kapahulu Auto Repair for your work on the minivan door. We need the vehicle to last awhile longer and you helped by securing the door for under $ 50. We will definitely recommend you to anyone who asks for opinion on local repair shop.

Long story short, driver window broke, got fix in Kakaako area by auto glass shop. Cost me $ 450. Broke again in 1 year, engine light on now. Brought it here, fixed window with new motor, changed dead spark plugs, service oil change, rotate tires, new wipers, safety check. Engine light disappear. Running great, same price. Nuff already, this the place.

My former boss recommended Mike and his shop to me when I was having radiator issues on my Honda Civic. My usual mechanic quoted me $ 460 which made me panic because the price seemed outrageous. My boss said that this place was great and they wouldn’t rip me off like that. He was right! I will definitely be coming back here for future work and tune-​ups. I saved over $ 200 and the service was excellent. He explained everything to me and I felt like this was a place I can trust. :)

In the past, I’ve had both good and bad experiences with car mechanics. From the outside, Kapahulu Auto doesn’t look like much, but the quality of service was great and the price fair. I live down the street so I pass this place often and they always look busy. Despite this, when my newly purchased Xterra needed some love, they were able to get me in on the same day. I’ve taken my vehicle there 3 times within the past 5 weeks and each time Mike (owner?) was super nice and took his time to explain what was wrong or what needed to be serviced. Once, my shifter cable broke and I called them after-​hours, they answered and recommended a great tow company to bring them back to the neighborhood. Mike was super cool and came over a couple of streets to get my vehicle from my house, since it wouldn’t shift. When my car was overheating, they could have told me it was something more serious and replaced a part just to get the money, instead they found out and fixed the problem (a simple radiator cap), that solidified the 5-​star rating, for me.
Also worthy of mention is the woman who answers the phone, she is also very pleasant. It’s nice to bring your car somewhere you don’t have to worry about them trying to rip you off. Hopefully I don’t have to take my car in again any time soon, but when something needs work, I’ll def go there.

My AC in my BMW X Series was not working and man was this Summer HOT! Got quoted $ 1300+ at other shops. I told them the symptoms and trouble shooting I did. I know how to fix cars to a certain extent, but AC is a different beast. Turned out my AC system did not have a leak like I thought. Just a couple O Rings were old and not holding the seal. Total cost for Labor, O Rings and AC flush and Refill was $ 130. Way better than $ 1300+ !!
Very Mom and Pop feel, friendly and in my case fast (Next day pick up).
Not all Mechanics are bad.
Thank you Mike and the Team at Kapahulu Auto.
My car is SUPER COLD now!

My son and I came here for a safety check. Its a small place off of kapahulu and they are busy, so i suggest you call and make an appointment first. Ernest was wonderful… we were in and out within 20 minutes.

After calling Ward theater security guards and bothering a nice lady to help me jump start my car, I wanted to give up. My 2007 Kia Rio with only 45,000 miles never gave me a problem, but I can’t seem to diagnose it. I called Kapahulu Auto to see if they were willing to take my car in, might be something wrong with my starter since after jumping it, it still wouldn’t start. They said it would cost $ 322 to do a starter change but the guy on the phone said «Probably just need battery change. Your car is pretty new, I remember your voice, you have a Kia right?» Well I’ll be damned.
I took his word and I phoned a friend who helped jump start my car again. We waited longer and revved it better till my car finally started. That’s when I knew it was just the battery –_​–
I called Kapahulu Auto again and asked if I could just drop my car since I got it to start and I don’t mind if it doesn’t get done till tomorrow. They said sure! I pulled up to their crowded lot, I got a help from a nice Asian lady and the guy came by and went right on it. I got there a few minutes after they closed but they were still willing to help me out.
The guy was super nice, quick, and he educated me about my car lol. It was so fast, like I was going through a drive thru at a fast food restaurant, I was in and out. He changed my batteries right there. The total kinda surprised me at $ 138 but with them accommodating me like that I think it was worth it! All the other places I called needed appointment and were not so helpful. Thanks Kapahulu Auto!
Btw I got my brakes fixed with them a year ago and it’s still working fine. Probably why they remember my voice lol. There’s a few bad reviews about this place but you just gotta see for yourself I guess.

Brought my car in because there was a weird noise from the engine. They told me that it’s the compressor and the a/​c clutch that’s making a noise, and that it was fine. That was Monday. I took it back home and found a scratch on the door. Not a big deal, I guess.
Today, the timing chain snapped. Car is not running anymore. Thanks Kapahulu Auto.

Took my car in because it was overheating. I was worried it was going to be really expensive. They fixed it quick and for a good price. Nice touch was that they fixed one of the loose screws that is holding my license plate on)
I’ll definitely be back if I have future car troubles
Update: I just realized when I brought my car in, my blinkers didn’t make a sound when they were on. Now they do! That’s two extra things they did for me)