La Mesa Automotive & Alignment

I’ve always had very good service with La Mesa Auto. They installed a clutch and flywheel for me nearly 3 years ago, they’ve also done simple stuff like oil changes and rear pinion seal repairs for me.
Today, I had them install a new water pump w/​a coolant flush, a new serpentine belt, and replace a very warn, leaking valve seal cover gasket on my S-​10. Whole thing cost less than $ 600, which was lower than other quotes. They also found and patched some (new) rodent damage (which doesn’t surprise me because I live in Ramona) at no charge!
That’s why I recommend these guys. I drive clear across town and make reservations to have these guys work on my truck so they can tell me what exactly’s going on, completely fix and explain how to avoid the issues in the future. That’s a mechanic you want to do business with.

I’ve had them work on 3 different cars, first time I was totally satisfied, second time I took a car in to find out why it was running so sluggish and $ 350 later they said the engine was just worn out @ 90,00 miles. Later that day I did a 5 minute search of the Internet on the the symptoms of my cars problems then bought a $ 6 can of MAFS cleaner, spent 5 mintutes spraying the sensor and presto ran like new. Last week I had them do an alignment, while watching the mechanic I was shocked to see him use a crescent wrench which keep slipping off the adjustment bolts rounding the heads off. Finally the lazy sob grabs a socket and a box wrench to finish one side only to repeat his idiocy on the next wheel. I was waiting for Mark to show up to chew his ass out but he was a no show. I can’t for the life of me understand why the owner allows his morons to use such tools on people’s investment, this isn’t some 3^rd world country were there’s no resources.

My husband and I have been taking our cars here for a couple of years now. I really appreciate their honesty. I recently had some car trouble and took it to a place closer to my house (BIG MISTAKE) They gave me an outrageous prize for the repairs. I took it the next day to La Mesa Automotive and they gave me the exact same diagnosis for 700 dollars less than the other guys. Not only did they offer to give me a ride home so I wouldn’t have to spend all day there waiting for the repairs they even offered to give me a ride back to pick up my car as soon as it was ready, and I don’t live nearby either. There needs to be more mechanics like this on times like these. This place is fair with their prizes and very trustworthy. They don’t try to over diagnose.
Oh and It was such a nice surprise to see my car washed my windows washed and my wipers were replaced all at no extra cost. They also topped off my coolant since I was running low. Really love these guys!

Ive been taking my car and truck here for over 10 years. Ive always thought they took care of me, they SEEMED to fix every problem but it takes them hours or days to fix a simple brake job or alignment. Its very irratating. Recently i switched to West El Cajon Automotive and they did a 40 point inspection along with a oil change and they found so many problems and janky work. They put 2 different drums on the back brakes which was causing me problems for about a year. I would always take it bake, they would fix it, then a week later it would always come back. The other day i noticed my coolant looked really brown. I took a look at it and realized that it was filled with rust. I took it to another place and they told me that whoever replaced my coolant diluted the shit out of it causing rust to build in my radiator hose and possibly damaging my NEW radiator that i got installed by La Mesa Automotive. They put the cheapest parts on your car. The rig stuff together to make it fit or work if they dont have a part. Everyone that works there is a crackhead not to mention the fact that they left a meth pipe in my car. Horrible mechanics! Horrible. Stay away from this place, I used to love this place. But now knowing they did all this janky work to my car i highly doubt i wil ever go back!!! DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM! I switched to West El Cajon automotive and they are by far the best mechanics i have been to. Not to mention the owner is always on Fox 5 news

I’ve had two experiences with La Mesa Automotive. First time took car in for suspension work and alignment. When the car was picked up it had 65 new miles on it. Owner Mark admitted he had driven the car to La Jolla to assist another customer. He never mentioned this when I picked the car up, but came clean when he was caught. He offered to pay for the gas and we settled it as being bad judgement with his promise of a free future alignment. Should have known better!
Months later I took another car to Mark for new shocks, cv/​axles and motor mounts (hoping to get that free alignment he promised). They did the work quickly and had the car ready on time. Within a mile of freeway driving I thought I was feeling slight vibrations at certain speeds but couldn’t get a consistent feel. By the time the car got to Santa Cruz (450 miles) it was shaking so bad it couldn’t go over 30 mph. Took it to the local Honda Dealer and the new axles/cv’s needed to be replaced at a cost of over $ 650. Only explanation offered was that parts were damaged on installation or installed incorrectly.
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Returned to La Mesa Automotive and showed Mark the bill to re-​do his work and printout showing that his supposed alignment was not within specs. He initially said that they should have caught the vibrations on their test drive and offered a partial refund if I would return the following Monday for payment. When I returned Mark said he would not honor his earlier decision or his labor warranty. He just shrugged his shoulders when I asked him why he said they should have noticed the vibrations during their test drive. He also claimed that the Honda Dealer’s computer alignment was wrong when it showed his alignment done incorrectly.
The girls in the office are extremely nice and very accommodating. But don’t be fooled in to thinking that the work being done on your car has any sort of warranty or that your car might not be used for their business purposes without your permission.

I brought in my axle to have the wheel bearing removed. Mark (owner) removes the bearing and tells me the hub is unrepairable. No problem so far.
I told him that I would order the part (not a common bearing or hub) from Virginia.
Even though I told Mark that I was going on vacation he was insistent that my new bearing would be fine while being away and I could pick it up when I got back. Anyway long story short he can’t find it when I came back and even give him a week to track it down and surprise surprise he didn’t. Literally had to yell/​talk shit (after being more than nice) to get my money back. Never have I been so mad at a mechanic in my whole life. Then this CLOWN calls me 5 days later and says he found it. Enjoy the $ 200 paperweight ya douchebag.

I made an appointment 11am on a Saturday. I show up right on time, a guy says «uhhh we’re closed, we’re sending all the customers home.» I told them i had an appointment, they told me I should have gotten a call… No i did not get a call. Apparently their boss just didn’t show up for the day and didn’t let anyone else know about it. Do they do good work here? I’ll never know. But apparently they don’t know how to use the phone.

La Mesa Automotive & Alignment gave me one of the best, if not the best, customer service experiences I have ever had. Mark (I believe that was his name) helped me with aligning my IS 250. I will definitely be going back and recommending family and friends to go here! Thank you!

I brought my car in to get some work done and 4 weeks later I am leaving with nothing done on it at all. I had to keep calling them for any info. I kept getting the run around with them saying call back etc…2 weeks in i had to get something from my car and I found my keys in the ignition with the windows down. (Really? leave my car open with keys in it) When i finally had enough wait time, I asked for my keys, i was over wasting my time with them. Guess what? they were in my car in the ignition once again with the windows down in the general parking lot. I could have easy walked away with my car twice. It was a Poor business experience with them I won’t be going back unless i need my car stolen.

Mark, dude you are the best! I came to get a smog done next to La Mesa automotive, I decided to check have them go over my truck. Mark was not only very knowledgeable but Honest! He spent 30 minutes going over my truck replacing fuses and making sure everything was good to go! $ 25 bucks later I got my smog done without a problem! You have earned a customer for like.

After two letters, the BBB doing nothing and me finally having the courage to call the place, I was refunded the money for the bad brakes, so I give them 1 more star for making things right

I recently purchased a new 2013 car and wanted to install an aftermarket Eibach spring kit to lower it. After doing a little research and the fact that La Mesa Automotive & Alignment is near my house I decided to stop by and get a quote. I had received a quote from another shop and after talking with Mark (sorry I can’t recall any of the other folks names), he agreed to match their price! I felt comfortable leaving my car in their hands since they are very knowledgable, willing to discuss your needs, and their shop is clean and orderly.
I am very particular about my car, or anything else for that matter, but the proof is in the results. I didn’t have to wait long before I got the call to pick up my car. My car looked awesome and it was done right! This may sound like a simple thing, but they installed camber bolts while doing the alignment which helps ensure that my ride stays as close to stock geometry as possible, which some of your more shady shops wouldn’t do. There was a slight mix-​up in whether bolts were included in the price but they didn’t give me a hard time nor try to stick it to me at the last minute.
Overall, I was very impressed and would have no problem recommending them to anybody for any routine or aftermarket work. Thanks!

Went there to have my tires rotated and balanced. It took over 2 hrs because the tech could find a weight for my rim. Shouldnt they have those readily available? Prices are fair though.

Woke up today with a dead car battery and a full calendar at the office — not a good combo. AAA came and jumped my car and I called La Mesa Automotive since they are right around the corner from my house. The price was competitive and when I asked how long it would take they told me 15 minutes. Score! I headed over and they got to work on it right away. Unfortunately, during the process they found the terminal needed replacing due to corrosion. They didn’t hesitate to take care of it without increasing the charge. What a pleasant surprise! We’ve been here before with the same great customer service and quality workmanship and won’t hesitate to return and to recommend La Mesa automotive to our friends.

I had some work done on my truck back in feb and it recently wouldn’t start. Brought it here and found out what the other guy said he did he didn’t actually do. Scotty, Keven and the owner tooks such good care of my truck and really went out of their way to make sure everything else was good and my truck ran right. They are so awesome! I will go no where else from now on anytime my truck needs anything. Thank you so much!!!

I was referred here by my mother in law last year. So I figured we give it a try, and have been back since then.
These guys have taken care of us and show great care and respect towards us (women) and that is something most ladies are always skeptic about, but I can personally say that here you do not have to worry about getting ripped off by high prices and all the non-​sense that comes with it.
Leo is always there and greats us with a smile, and always has some good advice as well as all the mechanics there!
we had an issue with our hood not opening for the smog check place next door, and these guys came running to the rescue, after we were done they took the car to the shop and fixed the issue!
I would recommend these guys to ANYONE and EVERYONE I know (and I have!)

I was referred here by Discount Tire Company because my alignment was very screwed up. The inside of my front tires were wearing off badly. I made a 9 am appointment, but I came in at 8:30 to drop off my vehicle. Even though I came in early, they started on my vehicle right away. I left for a walk and when I returned 45 minutes later my vehicle was already done.
They completed a 4 wheel alignment in a great reasonable amount of time and since it was a referral, they charged the agreed rate with Discount Tire at $ 49.99. I was very pleased with the customer service, professional work, and the price.
Great Job!