Don Keating’s Used Cars

I’ve lived in La Mesa a while now. Been around the block a time or two. These people are golden. Look-​you-​in-​the-​eye honest.
Need an oil change? Stop here first.
Need new brakes? Stop here first. (With your emergency brake.)
Trade in your old car for something «newer» — keep an eye out — they only deal quality, for old-​neighborhood prices.

In July, I bought a pre-​owned car from Rick (the owner), It is working out real well. He was recommended by a mutual friend. Rick is a wealth of information in (it seems like) all aspects of the automotive field. He is very helpful, friendly, and works to do things right. In no way does he take advantage, he is on your side. They also do repairs, and seem reasonable in that area, too. It seems many of his clientele have been with him for years.

BEWARE: Expensive the last time they repaired my car. Now my car has been in the repair shop for a week and they are just now ordering parts. I have to call them every day to ask about diagnosis and repair timeline. I’m beginning to wonder if this is where customer service and reasonable prices go to die. When I’m done with this repair, I will add or subtract a star.
UPDATE: They took over 2 weeks to diagnose, order a part and repair my car. Their final bill was 20 percent over estimate, and they said it was a shame I had to pay car rental for 2 weeks.
Their car sales strategy is to sell clean looking cars at 30 to 40 percent over value.
Never again will I do business with them.

I moved to La Mesa 3 years ago, and found these guys through Unilocal,knowing my car needed some maintenance at the time. A/​C fan, wheel bearings, a couple busted buttons… nothing awful, but all together, it was going to be a fair amount of work. Well, I’ve had to make a few trips there in the last 3 years – I’d say about a half a dozen repairs, some serious, some basic maintenance – and I gotta tell you, the professionalism, transparency, and courtesy is something I wish all mechanics had a reputation for. Before doing any work, not only do I get a call and an estimate, I get an invitation to the shop to show me the damaged parts, what they should look like, and a full explanation on what the part does and the impact not repairing the part in question will have on the vehicle. And almost every time, they manage to come in under estimate for me. They are the best in the biz, and as long as I live in the area, I’ll keep coming here for my auto repairs. These guys aren’t just my mechanics anymore – they’re my friends.

friendly staff, very reasonable prices, quality service as well! hard to find family run establishments like this where they treat their customers like family as well!

Can you still find an honest reliable auto mechanic in this day and age? The answer is yes at Don Keating automotive. Everyone there is really nice. They take the time to really explain and even show you what is going on. They will explain what HAS to be done right away, and what would be good to get done within in a certain time frame, but can wait. That way, you can plan ahead and save money to get the work done.
They understand that people NEED their cars and are really good about getting the work done quickly. And their work has always fixed the problem the first time.
I can’t say enough good things about them. I have gone to them for a bit over 10 years and I don’t see ever going to anyone else but them. They are the best!

Honest, friendly, fair, and knowledgeable. These are the kind of people you want to give your business to.

Was recommended by my brother to this local auto shop after hearing good things from him and my mother about the service and affordability. All three of us own Toyota cars that are 2003, or newer (my brother owns a hybrid).
Bottom line they were very professional, very informative about the current and future care needs of my vehicle, and the labor was very reasonably priced.

This was my first time going here and I had the best experience I’ve ever had with a mechanic. Everyone is SOOOO NICE! You don’t get that gross, slimeball feeling that you normally get when you go to an auto-​shop (you know, that feeling where they are telling you that you need new EVERYTHING and end up spending far more than you ever should on parts that probably don’t even exist.)
Everyone was super honest, super nice, the cost didn’t surprise me and I had a good feeling when I picked my car up. They took the time to show and explain to me the problem I had with my car and what went wrong.
I will definitely be coming back for any further auto related issues I need to deal with.
PS– They have really pretty cars to look at too: D

It’s been an arduous, seemingly endless journey throughout my driving-​life to find an honest, capable mechanic. That is, until I found Don Keating Cars.
I was recommended by a family friend to try this place out when something went wrong with my Mazda. The service, attention to detail, professionalism, and even the price are all outstanding at this shop. The auto technicians here are truly committed to helping their clients. This is the first shop I’ve been to where I feel confident that when I bring my car in, I won’t be taken for a ride. And I feel confident coming in without having to drag along a man to talk for me. No one will talk down to you here.
All in all, this is a great service shop. Adam has helped me with the (numerous) issues with my Mazda. He’s rad, and knows a LOT about cars. He was able to explain things to me so I could understand clearly, which is a RELIEF. Usually when someone tries to explain mechanics to me, I’m left with a «…whuh?» expression.
Your search for an honest mechanic is over! The next time your car breaks down, bring her here.
I am cursed when it comes to cars, so I’m screwed if I move out of San Diego. But I’m thankful for what I have here!