Saddleback Automotive II

Reading the reviews here first before writing mine, reinforced my experience. Good to know. We’ve had all our cars serviced by Mike for about 12 years and I feel like I can trust him to recommend needed repairs, repairs I can delay and repairs/​services that just don’t make sense. Like another person said, Mike often doesn’t charge me for what seems like time evaluating an issue that could warrant a charge. So when he does come with an estimate — even a big one — I trust that it’s in the best interest of my family to move forward. And when he can’t handle something, he’ll let us know. It’s nice to know we have local businesses we can trust.

The first time I took my car to Mike was for a starter issue that he couldn’t recreate. He Kept the car for 7hrs and didn’t charge me a dime. Friday afternoon, I get an engine light, drop the car off, with no appt. or warning and get it back, diagnosed and repaired, by 3p on Sat (after they close). An hour Later, I get a call the there is 40 $ in cash in the console, that Mike’s Guy found under the seat, while the car was on the Hoist. Really? I mean, Who does that? Saddleback Automotive 2 does, that’s who…

We have been bringing our cars here for about 15 years and have received nothing but excellent service. The owner Mike is a great guy, he always makes us feel welcome and his prices are always fair. He’s had the same technicians working there as long as I’ve been going there. They’re very experienced and professional. If your looking for good honest mechanic who won’t take advantage of you then this is the place for you!

Don’t let the older classic cars in the photos fool you. Mike and his crew have taken impeccable care of four of our Lexus’s over the last nine years. Wouldn’t dare trust our babies with any other mechanics in the OC.
Btw, I’ve yet to feel overcharged for ANYTHING, be it a simple oil change on up to a major project in changing the timing belt. They’re more than fair.
Bottom line, they’ve earned our trust 100%.

My family has been coming to Saddleback Auto for at least 10 years. Mike is the only mechanic that I trust. We trust Mike so much that we never buy a family car without calling Mike to ask his opinion and/​or take it to him for a once over prior to buying.
What I like about Saddleback Auto is if they can’t do it, they tell you. They are honest and up front. If there has ever been a time where the original cost is more than expected, I ALWAYS get a call for approval prior to the work being completed.
I HIGHLY recommend Saddleback Auto.

If you want an honest reasonably priced auto repair shop go to this one. Mike is a down to earth guy who tells it like it is. I found him about a year ago and he is my go to mechanic for all my cars. Thanx Mike for your honesty and integrity

My daughter had a headlight come out. Rather than taking it in to be serviced, we decided to just buy a bulb and put it in ourselves from an auto parts store.
My husband was able to get it out easily, but was out of town when I purchased the new bulb. There was no way I was going to attempt it so being that I was right next to Saddleback Automotive, I decided to ask for some help.
Mike was so nice and gladly offered to put the bulb in. This small project actually ended up taking much longer than expected due to some complications.
When finished, they just told my daughter to have a good day and didn’t take any money from her.
From what we experienced, this is an honest auto shop and we will definitely be taking our cars in for service there in the future.

This place rocks. After one of the cheap oil change places busted something in my car (it was dropping oil like crazy) I came here based on a work colleague’s recommendation.
They did a masterful job of explaining the issue and what my cost-​effective options were. Car has been humming great ever since.

I wish I could give this place negative stars — here’s why — I was quoted $ 45 to fix the timing in my 79 corvette — I dropped my car off in the morning per the convo I had with Mike the day before; my work day was coming to an end and I had not heard back; I called to find out what was going on and Mike told me some fabricated horror story of how my power steering pump was cutting through the frame of my car! «Sparks are flying everywhere, we are trying to get your power steering pulley to stop cutting your frame in half» is what I was told. Yes, this does sound ridiculous — also I was told about several others problems with the car in areas I never asked them to look at. I told them not to fix that stuff just do the timing. When I went to get my car the next day even though they said it would be a fairly quick job I was hit with a $ 234 bill despite my $ 45 quote. I told Mike I didn’t appreciate that I didn’t get a phone call to ask me if they could run up my bill and Mike just told me that they got busy doing one thing after another and that’s what it is. I am not even sure that is LEGAL! I signed a quote for $ 45 and got a bill for $ 235 and he was trying to up sell me to $ 1,100 — $ 1,500! I couldn’t help but think that they ran my bill up looking for things on the car to fix that I didn’t ask for. To top off this terrible experience I looked at the power steering pulley — the one that was supposedly cutting through the frame — it wasn’t even touching the frame, the belt coming off the pulley was rubbing on the frame and needed another 1/​16″ of clearance; so I adjusted the 2 adjustment screws on the power steering pump bracket which took all of 20 mins and got’er fixed myself. Mike also told me that my power steering hoses were all crazy and he didn’t know what was wrong with it even though his shop is supposed to be the vintage car specialists in Mission Viejo — he told me my power steering lines were crossed and that is wrong — I told him according the the service manual for this car that is exactly how it is supposed to be — his answer was «well, maybe they are supposed to cross and then uncross later, I don’t know.» If he doesn’t know how an older power steering system works then how is he a vintage car specialist??? That could also be why he wanted to just charge me to replace it instead of fixing it. Mike, in case you are reading this — the problem is that the power steering control valve needed to be balanced — the hoses were set up correctly and I am glad that I knew something about my car or this guy might have succeeded in selling me a bunch of stuff that I didn’t need.
I would definitely not go here if you can avoid it — the sad part is they have lots of loyal customers that rave how honest they are — the sad truth is that most people just don’t know enough about their own cars to know if they are being lied to … :(

Can not believe the business and the professionalism of the manager Mike is. Must not of had much education growing up with the type of verbal communication he has with other humans! How is he still employed and have people still working under him. Never will do business with him again!

Looking for a new mechanic in the area so I thought that I’d try Saddleback. Been there twice for unrelated mechanical issues and I feel that I’ve been treated good and the service has been quick. I hope I will never have to return, but If I need a mechanic, I will be back.

We have taken our 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2011 Prius to Mike for the past few years. He has provided faster, more expert and friendlier service than Jeep or Toyota service at a small fraction of their billing.
He honestly estimates his shop’s availability. If tomorrow is better than today, he will tell you on the phone to save tying up your car all day at the end of a long line of cars already in the shop. He lays out options and priorities for repairs objectively and honestly. They end up costing what he estimates in advance. The work is done when promised. He takes extra care to make sure I get in an out of his shop and my hand control vehicles safely on my crutches.
It’s his shop, he is part of the workforce fixing the cars, and he is the man interacting with the customers. And he is a good guy. It is a stark and obvious contrast between a shop like this and other shops and car dealers where the mechanics are under the gun to produce revenue no matter what for owners who are not present, not part of the workforce and indifferent to whether today’s profit comes from loyal satisfied customers or just another bunch of frustrated car owners who haven’t met Mike yet.

We’ve been taking our cars here for over 10 years. We have always been treated fairly and honestly. The work is always done right and on time. It’s so nice to have a mechanic that you can depend on! One example of their honesty: Several years ago I brought my car in because the engine smelt like it was burning oil. I wasn’t sure whether it was a major engine issue or what. To my surprise, Mike found that I had run over a plastic bag and it had melted around my muffler. Instead of conning me into a major repair, that I wouldn’t be surprised would happen else where, he only charged me for the small amount of time that it took to scrape off the melted plastic bag. Mike has the business model that every mechanic should have. Treat your customers honestly and they come back over and over again. Try to make a quick dishonest buck and you’ll never see the customer again! Mike has got it right. That’s why we keep returning!

After years of going to another garage and getting inconsistent results and then trying out a few other places I stumbled across these guys and they’ve been our go-​to place for both our cars ever since. Most importantly, they’re honest. They also have been very fair in their pricing and I’ve had no issues with the quality of the work delivered. Highly recommended.

This is long over due. To keep it short, a few years ago I had a Ford Explorer with fuel injector problems. A local dealer quoted me over $ 800 to fix the problem. Mike at Saddleback fixed it for under $ 300.

The mechanic or owner, Mike, is a very honest gentleman. I’ve had my 4runner maintained here for years and it runs perfect at 200,000+ miles. The other day, it wouldn’t start. My Dad told me my alternator needed to be replaced, but it was Sunday, and saddleback was closed. So I dropped it off at the shop, put the keys in their little envelope they provide, and left a brief explanation of what I needed fixed. My note said, «truck won’t start. Alternator needs to be replaced. You are approved to perform this service.» So on Monday, I get a call from Mike, and he tells me its just my battery, not my alternator, and that everything under the hood looks great. I was so stoked, I had him do a oil change with the money I was saving. When I picked it up, I thanked him him for being an honest mechanic, and promised to put it down on Unilocal… So here it is Mike! Thank you!

Who would spend $ 8K on a new engine for a 2001 Toyota Highlander? Me! Partially because I come from a generation that fixed things and kept them working. Mostly because I checked into trading my car in and spending my $ 8K on something else … Something else was absolute crap compared to my car. I love my car! Yes, it’s a 2001, it’s also a Limited edition with all wheel drive, heated leather seats, a 6 cd changer … and it’s paid for! I was offered between $ 200. and $ 6800. for my car and the same carmax location was charging $ 25K for the same year and color of my highlander, but it wasn’t a Limited edition, it didn’t have all of the features my car had. The cars they had in my price range would have been huge step down from my car and would have taken every penny I have, and I would have ended up driving a piece of crap! Like a used Hyundai or some old KIA there was nothing decent in my price range. What I did was the right thing — more importantly — I went to the right mechanic. Saddleback Automotive II has Mike and the very best mechanic crew there is. They didn’t just replace my engine with a 3 yr warranty, they also replaced the seals, fluids, spark plugs, the radiator, and everything else in between. I might as well have a brand new car! Better — I have my car! With zero miles on it! I can’t promise you that your car with all the same work will only cost you $ 8K. I have no idea what your car needs or has wrong. However, I can promise you that you won’t find a better mechanic team, one that you can count on and trust. I have had decent mechanics, I had good mechanics. Now I can honestly say I am sticking with these guys at Saddleback Automotive II. Mike was honest with me — even when he had to give me bad news, he did what he could to bring down the price, and they did so much more than I paid for. They did work that was not added to the bill. I’m glad the mechanic I was going to refused to deal with my car this time. It was divine intervention that I found the right place. What a huge blessing. When Mike says «it purrs like a kitten» he wasn’t kidding! The mechanic that did all of the work came out to meet me when it was time to go — he was so cute — he leaned over cupping his ear & said «I can’t tell if it’s running!» I asked him «so are you the guy that’s put all of the blood, sweat and tears into my car?» He nodded yes with a big proud smile. he commented about «the bad sound» it had when I brought it in. It sounds like a brand new car now, mike washed it for me too, so it looked like a brand new car too. I’ve been out driving it around and it runs like a new car! I am so happy! I have tears in my eyes! So very happy! Why the hell would I trade this in for a piece of crap? When I can have my beautiful car like new? Now I have the very best mechanic! They will get my trust and my business forever!

I have had them work on a few of my vehicles… until. I noticed after taking one of my vehicles there that I actually checked some of the work being done personally and another shop (3^rd party). I first looked at some of the work that I had done. Found there pricing to be higher then average and service done right the first time lacking. Simple things overlooked that grandma and grandpa wouldn’t worry as much about. But then again how many miles are they driving daily. Oil pan leaking after gasket fix, New transmission brought back not 1x, not 2x, at least 3x I brought it back after spending over 3,000.00 for a rebuild. I asked Mike to replace the lines with AN after the hack job that was done and the install on the after market external trans cooler installed. Brackets were not installed with it. They just pushed plugs through the existing a/​c core upfront, left the old attachments inlace on OE radiator. Used spliced lines from original line (instead of installing a fresh solid line). Had to take my transmission pan off no less then 2x to properly replace the gasket and seal on it. Upon requesting the AN lines to be used Mike basically told me people don’t use those types of lines on transmissions.
My experience was this place is to high priced for the lack of integrity of doing the work right the first time. Was there a warranty, yes… Did i have to use it, yes… Was it do to shotty work in the first place that could of been prevented given the quality was better from the start, yes… Mike had it fixed after my 3^rd trip back regarding the same issue. And this was just the big ticket item. There were at least 2 other issues I found that I fixed or addressed with Mike.
Is Mike a nice guy yes. However I don’t know if the quality of work is just his mechanics or his hiring choices…
Measured and found wanting more for what I am paying with this shop.

When Mike was closed one Saturday, I took my car to Firestone for an oil change. They told me I needed over $ 1,000 in work — just the way to ruin a Saturday after you think you’re being all productive by getting an oil change. I took the car to Mike the next weekend, and he told me most of it wasn’t necessary. Just when I thought Mike couldn’t earn more of my trust, he did.
A tip: they’re open the first and third Saturdays of the month. Plan around it, because it’s not worth going somewhere else!

Great shop and honest, they don’t try to upwell you. And if you have a hot rod or classic car Jack is the best (Tip: he likes cigars as a tip for appreciation for the extra work he does lol) Mike is a little gruff, but a nice guy and always comes through!