Advanced Auto Pros

I’ve brought my car into the shop twice now and I will never go to another shop again. You can trust that they’re being honest about what needs to be done and they explain everything in a way that even I can understand. They’re extremely knowledgeable, trustworthy, the work is done efficiently and in a timely manner while being reasonably priced as well. I would recommend this shop to anyone but especially to women who are afraid of being taken advantage of and have car maintenance anxiety like I did. They really are the best in Orange County in my opinion!

This place is absolutely outstanding. Johnny is a really nice guy who really took care of me and ask exactly what I expected and wanted from his service. I stopped by to inquire about a small space or left for my 4runner. Johnny really asked me what I wanted to do and really took my request into consideration. He was really accommodating and very verbal with what I was asking them to do. If anybody is looking for a honest and good place to get your car worked on for your truck fixed up the place to go. I’ll be referring people to you Johnny!

I brought my Tacoma in with a misfiring cylinder. Dennis gave it the once over and unfortunately the misfiring it was doing earlier in the day wasn’t happening after I brought it into the shop. Then, rather than recommend service that «might» work, they told me to hold off and play it by ear. Anytime a shop is not pushing for service (your money), it makes me think they are doing things the right way. To top it off, they changed a brake light I didn’t know what out free of charge.
I will be back.

I brought my car in because the «check engine» light was on. It turned out the light was on because of a loose connection caused by the technician at a Toyota dealership (that changed the oil the previous week). They even found out that my cruise control cable was not properly hooked up. They corrected both issues and did not charge me a dime. WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE! I am definitely going to recommend this business to everyone I know and they definitely have won me over for life. What great customer service!!!

Great shop. Honest. Great staff and ownership. Highly recommended.

So glad that I got a referral to this shop. I’m from way out of town (Texas) and had a fluid leak on my FJ. Went in and told Johnny what I thought the problem was. Once the truck was on the lift they were able to quickly diagnose what the real issue was and had everything fixed up very quickly.
Super friendly staff & extremely accommodating. Plus they’re very, very dog friendly! It can be hard to find trustworthy mechanics — you don’t have to worry when you’re at this shop.
Thanks again, y’all!

This is my second 5 Stars Review! Johnny and his team did a great job repairing my car so we could go to Mammoth and return safely… Job well done, you diagnosed the problem and did amazing job repairing it!

I have been coming here for a few years. My experience matches what other reviewers have said, they are honest, don’t bs you with unneeded repairs, are competitively priced, and give you good information. I want to share a very specific stories why these guys are the best:
On my last car repair — I had metal parts to recycle, so I asked if they take metal parts for recycling. They told me they will take them, they usually collect everything in the shop and sell them to some guy to get a little money. Great! I come by like a month later (I procrastinated) and Dennis is at the front desk. He greets me and asks what’s going on with my Civic. I said «nothing, it’s running great» and he says «YES!» and does the victory fist clench like he’s won the championship of automotive repairs. He’s smiling and suddenly goes «wait, so why are you here?»
I think this speaks volumes about the guys here. These are not shady salesmen who will do the least they can and sell you as much as they can. They are mechanics who want to help people, and yes get paid to do it, and yes mechanical work is expensive and is sucks to pay for, but this is the best place to do it.
Another instance that comes to mind: From our past conversations, they actually remember that I’ll change my own oil and do minor things like filter replacement etc. I went in for a break check to figure out what was wrong. They told me what needed to be repaired, the price, then told me I should consider doing it myself, it’s within my skill range. They recommend this because they saw my timing belt was in rough shape and they needed to recommend replacement (which it did need to be, I knew). They could easily have just done the brake job, and then told me to come in for the timing belt too, but instead opted to make a recommendation that wasn’t good for them, but was good for me. Again, they literally recommended I don’t pay them to do the work because they thought I could do it, so I could save that money instead for a bigger repair job.
Also — I asked «how long do I have on the timing belt», the question I’m sure every mechanic hates since how could they really know. Johnny kinda gave me an iffy «I would replace it soon.» I asked «how soon?» and his response is the best response I’ve ever gotten for a «soon» time frame. He said «If it was me, I might risk 2 – 3 months, if it was a friend I’d tell them within a month. And if it was my daughter, I’d do it today». I don’t think I’ve ever been given a clearer picture of the time/​risk scenario for a repair.
If Unilocal had a super mega-​recommend that you had to pay for to use, I would pay for it with these guys. And if these stories don’t convince you, In my experience Advanced Auto Pros was consistently the cheapest or close to the cheapest price for shops in the area. I don’t bother pricing out with other shops anymore.

If you guys are looking for an awesome shop for all your mechanical needs, this is the place for you.
I took my FJ to Johnny to have it looked over before a 6,000+ road trip that I will be taking with my dad in a few weeks. I wanted it to be checked over to make sure that my ride was up to the challenge. Not only was I treated professionally, I was treated like a life long friend.
Even with as busy as the shop was today, Johnny was able to fit me in and got the work done quickly. I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience at Advanced Auto Pros. If you are looking for master mechanics that will treat you right, give them a shot.

I just don’t have enough good things to say about Johnny and the fellas at Advanced Auto Pros! He has helped me with all of my cars, did major brake work on my z71 Suburban, checked out my tranny on Audi A6, replaced the radiator and all hoses in my F250 6.0 diesel and has saved my daughters Buick from the wreck yard a few times. I also have a fleet of Scions for my field guys, and we now have Them serviced at Advanced Auto Pros. Most honest and authentic guys around! I reference them to everyone needing work, family, friends, friends of friends and even on Facebook post with people looking. Thanks for everything Johnny!

Amazing service with the customer in mind from the beginning! I stumbled on to Advanced Auto by following Dennis to this shop. Dennis is a Master Tech and Engine Guru when it comes to vehicles and I’ve been trusting him for years with my vehicles.
I was pleased to meet the owner, Johnny Wedell. In speaking with Johnny you know his passion and energy is service, working with people, and giving an honest day’s work. No smoke and mirrors here.
If you’re in need of regular maintenance or major repairs this is your place! Truth about what you need to keep your investment on the road and in service. No price gouge or surprise when it comes time to pay. Johnny and Dennis kept me informed of what was needed and the price so there is no «sticker shock».
Oh yea, and they prioritize your options from «got to have it to keep you safe» up to «it’s something to keep in mind for next time», meaning it will be needed but not a must right now. That’s appreciated when you have other expenses to consider. Not the normal shuck and jive you see with some repair shops that only know the «up-​sell» routine.
Do yourself a favor and skip the other stops and shops. Advanced Auto is where I trust my ride — and my families safety!
Thanks guys for keeping it real and keep up the fantastic service.

HIGHLY recommended for any of your auto care needs! It was my first time trying them when I needed new brakes and it was one of the best auto care service experiences I’ve had. Fantastic customer service! Johnny is so helpful and an honest mechanic. Being a girl, you’re always scared you’re going to be upsold or ripped off but he did nothing of the sort! He gave a very fair price, and even said he could get me cheaper parts if I really wanted but he recommended using the parts made for specifically for my make and model. I will definitely be back!

I’ve been going to Advanced Auto Pros for more than a year now and the quality of the work there has never been less than exceptional. Johnny does a wonderful job maintaining our cars, often preventing a problem before it becomes catastrophic and saving us a bunch of money. Their prices are very good; they charge at or near cost for all the parts I’ve ever had to order. And they go above and beyond for their clients. Johnny even drove to my apartment to bring me a new battery when mine died. If you’re not a customer, you’re missing out. (And Dennis is great too.)

Johnny and his ACE mechanic Dennis create the perfect team.
I am a fleet manager of a local senior park and have had plenty of repairs done.
Warranty work is no problem. Accomadated me to my schedule.
These guys are the real deal.
Thanks you guys. Scott

I don’t usually do reviews. But taking my car here was such a relief. I hate taking my car to shops and trusting random strangers. So it was important that this shop came to me highly recommended. The owner Johnny personally took care of me. Looked at the car pointed out what was going on with it and prioritized what needed to be done. Most things he let me know where fine but we could keep an eye on. No pressuring to do work that is not in dire need here. He was straight forward and honest with the assessment. His crew Did the work that I brought the car in to have done at a lower price than I thought it would be which was awesome! When does that ever happen? So looks like I got my Mechanic locked in from here on out. Definitely recommend this shop.

I was visiting my brother in Irvine from nothern ca and had a problem with my intake manifold. I had several conversations with Johnny and with Dennis as well, and they explained everything to me clearly and what needed to happen in order to get my car repaired.
Needless to say, I’m back on the road and had no issues driving over 400 miles back to Napa.
These guys know their stuff, and they are very helpful from the beginning.
Highly recommend them

This is the second time I have taken my car to advanced auto pros and I can tell you this is the best shop around town. The owner Johnny and his team of skill mechanics are extremely courteous and professional. They demand perfection and deliver satisfaction to the customer everytime, and they actually care about the life of the customers car. I mean I dont know another mechanic shop that offers you a lift if you need it! Johnny also Guarantees his work with Warranties on pretty much all parts and services.
Take your car to ADVANCED AUTO PROS you wont regret it. –Riley

These dudes are awesome. Johnny & Dennis at AAP did such a great job on my truck that I took the wife’s ride in the next week. They are very clear on their diagnosis of the problems and solutions. Their prices are very reasonable.
The first time I went there I needed a ride back so I asked if they can recommend a taxi service. Johnny quickly said «I’ll take you back», not even knowing where I live.
Finding an honest and good auto mechanic these days is a crap shoot. Look no further than AAP. Thanks Unilocalers, I owe you one for this.

As I am writing this review, there are 12 previous posts, all providing 5 star reviews for Advanced Auto Pros and Johnny Wedell, the owner of the establishment.
At times, I am superstitious, I’m not all that fond of the number 13 for example.
In this case, I am very happy to be the 13^th out of 13 to recommend AAP with 5 stars (I would give a 6^th if I could).
At the behest of one of my colleagues who swore how good Johnny and AAP were, I had them on my checklist of to do’s when I could afford care. My colleague insisted I go sooner rather than later, that Johnny would be more than fair, would get the job done right, would guarantee his work, do it with a smile, efficiently, carefully, essentially living by the Golden Rule.
Too good to be true for auto shop, right? In this case, Johnny and AAP are every bit the most honorable and knowledgeable kids on the block (literally — they’re next to a few on the block at the Irvine Auto Center).
I’ll spare you boring details of why I went (brakes, metal on metal, I’m a fool pushing things too long), but am I ever glad I did.
If you are pushing the envelope with your car… stop. Bring it to AAP right now. Mention this review or any of the other 12 and I imagine Johnny will take care of you. Better yet, don’t mention it, and he’ll still take great care of you… he’s that good.
I can’t recommend him enough. I am bringing my other car in ASAP because I better practice what I preach… no more delays… I can get my cars fixed today.
Thanks Johnny!

It takes a lot of automotive knowledge or a lot of luck finding a reliable mechanic. I am, of course the lucky one.
Johnny came with a very high recommendation from one of my trusted friends. My husband and I are very pleased with the level of work he has done on our 74 Bronco, 2011 Audis A8 and Q7. He is thorough, timely, courteous and honest. Really. Even an automotive dummy can trust him because he won’t take advantage of them! Thanks, Johnny!