Vtec Auto Repair

Simply put, I love this place. This is the place to go if you need an oil change for your car. They specialize in Honda, Acura, Toyota, and Lexus. No need to make an appointment, it’s first come first serve. I suggest going during the weekday because they do get quite busy on weekends. They are efficient, straight to the point, and really nice! I know nothing about cars so when I needed my first oil change, I wanted to go somewhere with reasonable prices and excellent service. Thank the Lord I found this place on Unilocal.They don’t try to add more services when you’re there: if you say no, they politely oblige. I tell EVERYONE about this place. I go there to also check basic car stuff: tire rotations, brake checks, etc… Oil changes range from $ 20-​$ 43, depending on what type of oil you want for your car. Once again, they don’t force you to purchase the more expensive one. Awesome service, great/​knowledgeable people, and great prices! Go here!

Got to give them a five-​star rating! Vtec was highly recommended by many of my friends, so I thought of give them a try today. I’m glad I did. Their check up on my car was thorough and Jeff took time to explain to me of what needed to be fixed and what doesn’t. He pointed out some minor problems but they are not in urgent to be fixed right now. He even took me inside the workshop to see my car and show me where the problems are. The service time was within 1−2hours, and the report was clearly listed of prices of services and parts, as well as the problems they found. The best of all is the price that I paid was much less than what I expected, and I am very satisfied with the great service that I got. Vtec is my auto shop from now on.

Was blown away by the efficiency and timeliness of the services. Feel like a fool wasting so much money at the Toyota services dealership. Even when I managed to use coupons at Toyota, it still ended up being twice as costly as what VTech charged me.
The service and technicians are great and honest with the costs. Absolutely worthy of its praise and I will be back.

VTEC for my Civic!
Love this place. If you’re looking for somewhere to have your Honda/​Lexus fixed up and not willing to pay for the dealer fees and price — come here!
Found this place based off Unilocal reviews. Initially came in for an oil change because it was cheaper than the dealer, but then I started to come here for my other needs as well.
My Civic needed new break pads as they were squealing and I shopped around the dealer and pep boys for quotes. Both of those places definitely tried to pull an fast one on me and said I needed new rotors and pads. Then I took my car here to Vtech. They were super honest about the work I needed done (I came in here assuming I needed everything replaced), and they told me my fronts were at 60% and I just needed back breaks!
The owners are Chinese so if you’re Asian or have Asian parents who hate going to the dealer because they don’t understand English (lol) come here! They’ll definitely help you out :)

Always fair prices and high quality work. I’d give them 6 stars if it were possible. Always fast turn around and very easy to work with. Very highly recommended!!!

I was on my way to take my mom from rehab center to a dialysis center, unfortunately my car won’t start, lights lit up but it just won’t start. I called roadside assistance and he told me it could be the starter. After I’ve made arrangements to get my mom to dialysis I immediately called Vtec and told them I need it to be fixed, since I need to pick up mom after 3 hrs. Jesse said he needs to see it first to make sure if it really was the starter and he has to order the parts. He said they are closing at 5:00 pm, it was almost 4:00 when I got there. Jesse got on the phone and ordered the parts, had a mechanic take care of it. Before 5:00 pm, I was already driving away from there. It cost me more than what I expected but the part was from Mitsubishi itself and the most important part I can pick up mom from dialysis.

VTEC is great. They are timely, reasonably priced, reliable, honest, and helpful. Some positive stories:
— I took a car I was looking at buying there to get checked out ($ 20). They found a number of serious issues and told me they wouldn’t recommend it. Great!
— Took a second car there, same price, and they recommended that one. I’m very happy so far
— Ran over a basketball in our garage with our car, which produced a rattle at higher RPMs when turning. Couldn’t figure out the problem, but took it there and drove it around with a guy to illustrate the problem. He lifted it up and found that a piece of metal had been bent by the basketball and was rattling against the exhaust. He bent it back and sent me on my way, no charge. I was so happy I had them do a fluid change I needed on the same stop; when do you ever leave a mechanic with a fixed car and no charge?!?
— Sent relatives from out of town there with an A/​C problem. They couldn’t fix it, but recommended a shop a couple doors down in the same complex, which managed to get the part they needed in over the weekend (this was a Friday afternoon) and have them back on their way Monday morning
The atmosphere is a bit «old school» — front desk management is done with handwritten slips of paper, etc. But they manage to be efficient this way, and in a way it’s refreshing in a day of electronic everything.
The waiting room is nothing to write home about, but tolerable for a short wait, and there is a Panera within walking distance if you want a nicer place to wait.

These guys are great. They are good, honest mechanics and do great work for a more than reasonable price. They are my go to place for oil changes and important repairs. I usually go in the mornings before the rush because they can get busy pretty quickly as most good mechanics do.

Been coming here for years. Oil changes are the best deal, but I do all my maintenance at Vtec. Jeff and Jimmy are very professional and honest. They don’t do appointments, so it’s first come, first serve, so be sure to go as early as you can. There used to be a long wait time in the mornings, but ever since they expanded across the way, service has become super quick and efficient. They specialize in Honda/​Acura and Toyota/​Lexus, but I think they do work on other Japanese brands. Would definitely recommend taking your car here.

Super happy with my service at Vtec! There is a bit of a wait these days so plan ahead. Best place for honest advice, correct repairs the first time around, and at a great price. My Ody loves Vtec!

I had used Vtec a few years back for my son’s early 2000 Acura CL… always quick, fair priced and willing to offer low cost suggestions.
The AC in my 08 Honda Accord stopped blowing cold air intermittently. I was told to just come in this morning and they’d have a look. Arrived around 9am, a few people already waiting, but was told they would have a look within the hour. As promised, within 30 minutes, they came to me and said it was a faulty relay… and it would take an hour or so to fix. I said to do it… and 45 minutes later I was driving away with ice cold air conditioning…
They are fair, fast and from my experience, trustworthy.
I’ll certainly use them for any other needs for my Honda and Toyota.

Vtec is a life saver. My only complaint is that they’ve gotten so popular that there’s practically always a wait. But I can’t blame them for being awesome at what they do.
I love coming here because the guys are so nice and honest. They’ll be straight with you and give you only what you need, no up selling or mysterious fees.
An oil change is usually $ 20 and they’ll even rotate your tiers if you ask.
It’s hard to find a mechanic you can trust and I’m so happy I found Vtec.

Background
I moved from NYC to SoCal in 2001, and never really bothered looking for a trustworthy mechanic. Back in NY, I used these guys named Jack and Tony. They were also Chinese, but spoke Cantonese. Jimmy and Jeff are just like them, except they speak Mandarin.
Culture
Here’s the thing, their «western» mannerisms may not be there, they probably haven’t read a single sentence from Emily Post, they’re not here to be your friend or to buddy buddy with you. They will listen to what your problem is, fix it and get you on your way, at a reasonable price.
My Experience
My neighbor actually recommended them, so I decided to make the additional 10 mile drive (each way) to these guys. I had two vehicles that needed service. One that definitely needed either brakes, rotor resurfacing or both. The second required an oil change and «possibly» replacement struts as recommended by another shop.
I decided to take the sure thing in first, the vehicle that needed new brakes. They looked at it, and said the brake pads were still at 70%, but the rotors are warped. The pads were actually aftermarkets and tend to be more «abusive» to the rotors. Abusive is my term, I think Jimmy said hard. He said they could just resurface the rotors, and that should work. I asked how much for the Toyota factory pads and resurface. I thought the price was more than reasonable, and had them do it. The odd thing is, I THOUGHT the last time I did the front brakes, it was at the dealership?!? But I may be wrong. It was just over $ 200 out the door, compared to my previous front brake job at the dealership for $ 515!!!
I liked the vibe I got from these guys, so the next day, I brought in my other car. Changed the oil and inspected the strut. Strut had a little leakage, other than that, nothing to worry about! The other shop wanted to replace the strut for $ 1K!
I have found my new auto repair shop!

Came here at 4pm and was out 20 minutes later.
First time time here and first time getting an oil change for my car because it’s new. I got quoted initially $ 34 due to the oil, but the receipt ended up being $ 47 — The person behind the counter was nice and apologized and only had me pay $ 30 due to the miscommunication. Definitely would have paid the higher price (completely understood why it was higher)!
I’ll be coming back and at least I now know what I’m paying! Great service — thank you.

So far I have had two visits to Vtec. One being a brake pad replacement and the other an oil change all for my 2007 CR-​V.
I usually show up before work. around 9 ish. for the oil change, it wasn’t TOO busy, granted there were a few other people waiting. But it only took about 30 minutes!
The brake pads were estimated to be longer… after lunch. This was expected.
They were right on time.
Knock on wood, nothing bad to say. will update if anything goes wrong. Will update if I come back :) So far so good. very affordable prices and straight to the point.

I came here a couple of days ago for an oil change. I came in at about 10:20am and drove off at around 10:45. I have a 2004 Honda Accord, so the oil change only cost me $ 20. The whole process was super quick and easy :)
I’ve heard that the place gets really busy later on in the day, around 2pm and later. If you really need a service done quickly, I definitely suggest going in the morning!

I always appreciate good honest business owners. I feel like the guys at Vtec Auto Repair are just that. Not only do they take the time to explain what services are being performed on your car, but they also make sure that everything works with your time and budget.
While their shop is not the like some luxury dealers in the OC, they are honest, affordable and extremely knowledgeable about Hondas, Acuras, Toyotas and Lexuses. I’ve been coming since I got my new Honda CR-​V in 2010 and I would not take my car anywhere else. I’ve had the following services done:
–Synthetic Oil Changes ($ 45)
–30K Service
–60K Service
-(Soon to be) Brake pad replacement
Pros:
–Affordable
–Overnight drop off available
–Comfortable waiting area
–Nice Staff
Tips:
–If you’re coming Saturday, come as early as possible because it gets packed!

No bullshit. Came in during lunch break, got my oil changed within 30 m. Got out, no hassles.
Your mileage might vary depending if they are busy or not but in general it’s very cheap and fast. They prefer cash for obvious reasons so drop by a bank first.

I’ve been coming to V-​tech for a while to get oil changes done. You have to come in early to get first come first serve basis as they get packed into the afternoon. I would give them a 5-​star rating based on that alone. I never had an issue until now:
On my last oil change — Jimmy proceeded to tell me:
«This is going to be the last oil change because all you do is come in for oil changes. We do other services and we cannot survive on just oil change.»
uh — WTF?
First of all — don’t advertise oil changes if you are just going shut a customer out. If you have that service as an option at your business — chances are people are going to keep coming for those services. It’s business 101.
Secondly — there hasn’t been anything wrong with my car so what other services are there? you guys always do the diagnostic and everything seems to be fine from what you tell me in the end so good job there, buddy.
To agree on some part — yeah — you do have other services. But I just come for the oil changes and I have been coming for close to two years — if this was a problem, why not advertise: «OIL CHANGES FOR CUSTOMERS WITH OTHER ISSUES».
Good job turning away business, guys. I’ll remember to use my crappy Mandarin the next time to see if that will help — oh wait, there is no next time.

Vtec is great for oil changes. They try to get you in and out quickly and they charge a fair price for the work. For oil changes, it’s a no brainer from past experience.
What concerns me is this: I had an old Honda with a busted universal joint so that the drive shaft no longer attached to the rear axle and was clunking around loudly. It’s not a big deal once the shaft is removed but your car sounds obnoxiously loud within a quarter mile as the drive shaft swings and bangs against the underside of your car.
I didn’t have any big wrenches or power tools so I called ahead and asked Vtec to remove the 4 screws attaching the drive shaft to the front axle so I could throw away the drive shaft altogether and drive my car as a full time front wheel drive. It’s basically a 3 minute job with the right tools.
I confirmed with the guys at Vtec by phone and they clearly understood what I was asking them to do and said yeah no biggie, we understand you just want us to remove it off for you.
So I get there and on the ramp it goes. Once on the ramp, they lost credibility with me when they tried to tell me I was looking at a major and necessary job to replace the entire drive shaft which would run me a few thousand and that my car would no longer run without a new shaft attached between the rear and front axle. I saw his eyes light up with green and I think he saw «sucker» pasted on my forehead. Luckily I understood the basics of car mechanics and I was seriously thinking, «Really you want to play this game? I thought you guys were better than that.»
I told them to reattach the broken shaft back on my car so I could drive away, and the guy’s jaw dropped in shock that I wasn’t the least bit concerned. Then I called them out, and he immediately backed off and said they would complete the job as we discussed by phone. He claimed to not be aware that the car would still drive without a shaft on but would take my word for it (if they really thought that, which I don’t believe for a second they do, they honestly should close down as incompetent mechanics). 5 minutes later, I was off. The car is fine and runs really well now.
So for oil changes, they are the king around Irvine for your Japanese import. I’d be weary of doing much else unless you understand your own car better than they do.