The Auto Center

The owner, Claudio, knows his craft excellently –a must with mechanics. What sets him apart, is he cares about the customer, he wants to help you, and he’s a great person willing to go the extra mile to do so. I fully recommend trusting him with your service.

When my car didn’t pass smog, I had to get it diagnosed and fix the issue. I came across The Auto Center in La Mesa after looking up some reviews and figured I would give it a shot.
Believe me, I am typically reluctant to put my faith in mechanics; however, as soon as I met Claudio I could tell that he was a trustworthy guy. He was extremely personable and upfront with me about the job. I could tell that he was genuinely interested in helping me pass my smog.
A few hours later, Claudio calls to tell me that he is unable to work on my car because he does not have the correct tool to test a 91 Accord. He was able to provide me with some references and explained exactly what I needed to have done to my car. Obviously there was not any sort of transaction, but I never felt as though he was trying to make money off of me.
Even though Claudio didn’t work on my car, I greatly appreciated his advise and personality. If you like honesty, then I would highly recommend speaking with him about your car troubles!

Claudio is a really nice guy to talk to, and a really great car mechanic. Notice I didn’t call him a «certified auto technician» (although he may be one). He’s an old school, old fashioned, honest-​to-​Gawd highly talented car mechanic.
He doesn’t wear a pin-​striped shirt, protective gloves and walk around holding a Samsung tablet while wearing safety glasses. He wears black shirts and black pants. His hands are greasy, and he carries a spiral notebook in his back pocket, along with a stub pencil. No Samsung for Claudio. He’s really, truly ‘Old School’ when it comes to fixing cars.
He certainly does not have the «check it and chuck it» mentality so pervasive in the auto industry nowadays. He actually fixes things that are broken, if at all possible.
His reputation for honesty and fairness in dealing with his customers has a solid basis in fact. He displays pictures of his family and is happy to talk to you about them.
His shop is. .. well, ‘cluttered’ doesn’t seem to adequately describe the place, but that doesn’t really matter. The building itself is from the ’40’s, it appears, and could use a little attention. Problem is, Claudio is far too busy taking care of his customers, fixing their cars.
He’s honest to a fault, and his shop could use some spiffing up. However, he will fix your car, and you will be happy with his work.

This is the most Honest car shop I’ve ever been to. Claudio the owner is amazing, and doesn’t try to take your money!!! I’ve been going to dealerships for ever! I was tired of spending so much money! So I found this place, and I’m so happy I did. I recommend all my friends and family to go to him!!!

Claudio is great. I took my 5 YO Jetta to him for what I thought was a bad sensor. Turned out to be something else but Claudio didn’t make me feel stupid for being wrong. He’s got a great sense of humor and helped me out fairly quickly even though I came in late in the day during the holidays. The work was done efficiently and I felt super comfortable doing business with the Auto Center. I’ll continue to bring my cars here.

Claudio is everything you want in a mechanic: he’s honest, fair, fast, and has a great sense of humor. I’ve never, ever had to return my car to fix a mistake. I’ve used his service for over five years now and not once have I had a problem.

Well my Mother use to go to them for all her car work and at first I thought Claudio was Honest and would treat my Mother who was 66 at the time and dieing of a Heart Condition but NO! He overcharged her and then one day the worst happened, she need brake work done and after 5 hours of he and his workers making her wait in the sun because they said his office was dirty. She paid him and almost got Killed on I-​8 because his worker who btw still works there only put 3 lug nuts back on and almost caused her to get in a deadly wreck on the freeway! Claudio told her not to call the police and offered to pay her off! so not to tell anyone about this. Shortly after my Mother passed away from Heart failure I call Claudio and told him and he didn’t care that’s the type of businessman and person he seems to be and by keeping that man Ray who did this on his payroll well that shows you what he is all about! I called the BBB and they are looking in to him now. I strongly would never recommend his place to ANYONE! I feel sad because she passed for no reason and he and his workers are not the type of people you want to do Business with!

This place has been completely dishonest with me. About two weeks prior, I had just replaced my battery and had a complete engine inspection. I had taken the car in to Auto Center for a rotor/​brake job. One hour later, the owner calls me and states, «Your timing belt needs replaced». Then, thirty minutes later, «Your water pump seems to be leaking». Then, thirty minutes later, «Your battery is damaged… it needs to be replaced». I know none of those things were true, as I had just had the car maintained/​inspected by another mechanic, who just replaced the battery, and checked all of those parts. After the last call, I halted all of the work and brought the car to another mechanic, who also denied that any of those «problems» existed. I called the other company who did the engine inspection, and they provided me proof of the inspection that any of those parts were in disrepair. The owner, here, appears to be very unscrupulous.

Claudio has helped me several times when my husband was on deployment and I needed someone trustworthy and good. He worked my truck into his schedule and I knew it would get fixed correctly and at a reasonable and fair price. Recently our friends were on a trip from CA to VA with an old Honda van that they inherited. They were on a time crunch and the van broke in San Diego… A lady and three kids… the first day of their long trip. Claudio worked them into his schedule, called all over San Diego looking for a new part for the old van and even put them in contact with a auto parts recycler in Chula Vista who was the only place that had the connector they needed. He fixed the van and they were on there way with just a ½ day delay headed for the Grand Canyon and a memorable coast to coast trip in Gramma’s van. Who else would do that??? For an genuine honest auto mechanic try Claudio and his great mechanics!

Been going here for years when we lived in La Mesa. Claudio is that rare thing often sought after: an honest, talented, knowledgeable mechanic. You CAN trust these guys. He knows his stuff and he’s fair. When some part I couldn’t name if my life depended upon it failed about a week or so after he installed it, he replaced it WITHOUT CHARGE the same day the car was towed in. Amazing! No wonder he’s so busy. But he’s worth his weight in gold … his shop has several bays, and is easily accessed right off the 8 — Spring St. exit. Have your car towed into his lot, pour yourself a glass of wine, and call him in the morning. No need to worry. He’ll take good care of you. Thanks Claudio.

Believe the hype, Claudio is easily worth 10 stars. I brought in my car and he figured out what was wrong with it just by listening to it. He gave me a full run down of what he would have to do and kept in frequent contact with me to give me updates and status reports. He was also very up front about the price of repairs and each step of what the repair would be. Even though I didn’t end up repairing my car (traded it in), he didn’t charge me a penny to have looked at it and kept it on his lot. I could not recommend him more!

Anyone that has read any of my reviews knows I’m not afraid to say what I really think and I don’t pull punches. It’s not often I get to say nice things about a business and it’s probably because I run a small business myself and I expect the same level of courtesy, professionalism, knowledge, and honest dealings that I give my own customers. When I saw that this place got a lot of 5 star reviews I was skeptical. It’s near my house so of course I checked it out when my van needed A/​C work. Well here is an oasis in the world of automotive repair, «The Auto Center» in La mesa. First of all, I happen to prefer a small friendly personal touch kind of place when I go anywhere for any kind of service. That’s exactly what I found at Claudio’s place. I really think he should call it that-«Claudio’s Place». I was in the car business for years starting in 1994 as a salesperson and worked my way up to management and finance. I watched morning meetings at large dealerships with the service managers threatening the workforce that if they didn’t up sell and basically rip off the customers more, they would be fired. I know how cut throat and manipulative that business can be. «Claudio’s Place»… sorry… «The Auto Center» is nothing like any dealership or auto repair shop I have seen in this life. I had dreams about having a place like this to bring my baby (my Van) to but never thought there would be a real one and I’m so glad that there is. Now when it comes to my Van I’m very picky and I want the best but I also realize that the best comes with a price. Guess what? Claudio is a lot like I am when it comes to charging people for his services. He hates it! He would give it to you free if he could. His prices are like from another time. My kinda guy. Friendly service, honest dealings, reasonable prices, knows his stuff and what a great guy to deal with. Thanks, Claudio… for everything!

Claudio is great. You’ll feel comfortable trusting him. He didn’t charge me anything to take a look at the problem and see what was happening with my car. I sent my husband there too and we were both super pleased. We just moved into the area and are STOKED to find a car place we can trust!

(I tried to submit a review previously but it seems to have disappeared into the void.)
Claudio has helped me out a few times in the past few weeks as my car has decided to basically fall apart. Without getting into many details, he has been extremely helpful and straightforward. I am not a mechanically inclined person so it is important to me that I feel like my mechanic is being honest and not trying to milk me for unnecessary repairs. I’m really confidant that Claudio has been very honest with me. He has helped me fix a few things for VERY reasonable prices and has referred me to other mechanics for work he doesn’t usually do (full engine replacement). He even called around and found a place where I could get it done, priced it out and did all the leg work for me.
I highly recommend this shop.

Great place to bring your car, cheap place to get some new tires, he was previously a tire specialist with good year. Claudio knows his stuff

Another «Thank You» moment for having Claudio as a mechanic; had a screw lodged in my tire and not only did i have that fixed, but while checking my other tires, 2 valve stems were leaking. As a frequent traveler to Los Angeles, I am thankful that Caudio and Ray go out of there way to not only fix the problem, but to do the extra check on my other tires. I’m good to go, and feeling safe out their on the highway thanks to The Auto Center!

4 reviews aren’t enough. i went in to inspect a used car. the job was done in 15 mins WITHOUT test drive and NOT THOROUGH inspection. i bought a lemon because the guy told me the car was in good condition. all he did was take a quick look under, under the hood, connect a scanner, and he’s done.
BAM! $ 70.
never again. please go to another mechanic for a thorough inspection and pay the same price. that was a scam.

My family and I have been using the Auto Center in La Mesa for years. It’s hard to find a mechanic you can trust… when you do, you have to keep him! That’s Claudio! He does the job right every time and is 100% reliable and trustable! LOVE LOVE LOVE CLAUDIO AT THE AUTO CENTER!

The owner, Claudio, goes out of his way to treat his customers right. You cannot find a more honest mechanic. No, they are not perfect here, and may keep your car for a couple days, but it will be repaired right. If you live in the neighborhood, bring your car here.

I drive a recent model Ford. Now, I’m not all that mechanical, nor am I a huge do-​it-​yourselfer when it comes to cars. I like to take care of the basics and leave anything complicated to the pros. Thus, I need a mechanic that I can trust not to take advantage of my laziness or rip me off by ordering parts or repairs I really don’t need.
Luckily there’s the Auto Center in LaMesa. The Auto Center is an locally-​owned shop in La Mesa doing business for over 11 years at the corner of University and Spring St. in downtown La Mesa. Claudio and the crew have never disappointed me. I’ve come in for simple oil changes as well as smog-​test problems and tire replacement/​installations. No matter what my concern, I know that the work is going to be done right the first time, that I’m going to get honest pricing, and that I’ll have my car out of the garage in just a few hours. These guys stand behind their work, and usually you can come back for free tweaks or adjustments if needed. Plus, as an added bonus, I always get tips and advice on how to take good care of my car. If I had to sum up my experience in just two words, it would be: «No Bullshit.»
I know it sounds a little weird, but I actually enjoy going to the mechanic these days. Above the counter, you can see various awards, thank you cards, and testimonials from the satisfied customers from around community. You hear the same five classic rock CDs playing on the stereo. You’re also likely to hear the owner/​operator singing along.
When I show up, I’ll describe the problem and get an spot-​on accurate estimate of how long and how much. I know my car is going to be taken care of by someone who values my loyalty as a customer and someone who has a reputation in the community for providing efficient, quality service. If you usually take your car to one of big national chain stores, for service, you are going to really like the Auto Center, guaranteed.
I absolutely hate to wait for anything, but the convenient location is definitely one of the best things about the Auto Center. I usually leave the car and walk across the street to the library, or down one block to Cosmic Coffee or Java Mama and get some work done. If I have somewhere else to be, the orange line stops right there. I’m not all that into antiques, but downtown La Mesa also have a variety of recycled junk stores to browse if you have about an hour to kill and a few pennies to spare.
That’s why I recommend the Auto Center. They don’t waste my time, they don’t waste my money, and they help me to take good care of my car.