Monterey Auto Service

This place is very greedy and squeezes any penny from customers once you are hooked. Don’t be trapped by their low smoke check price and you will end up paying more if your car has some issues need to fix.

Man, their front desk service just sucks… it’s like they’re pissed that you want to do business with them… Went in to make an appointment for a smog and oil change… The guy had to force himself to say hello…
Major change from the last time I went in… I notice, now, that their ratings have dropped a LOT… easy to understand why, especially if that attitude made its way to the service area… Don’t think I’ll be using them till I see their ratings improve.

Super fast and efficient service. Dealt with my insurance so I didn’t have to. Top-​notch service!

Took my honda for a smog test, I stood in the front lobby area for 15 min, a couple of people kept saying someone will be with me shortly, there was no customers. I kept waiting, I was on my hour lunch hoping to get quick smog check. Nope no one ended up coming to check my car in, so I left.

Took my daughter’s Grand Priix to get a smog yesterday only paid $ 29 and was done in an hour. Been going here now for a long time take all 3 cars here always good and calls me if there is any additional stuff before touching it on my car

Dropped off my wife’s BMW for an oil change. I provide my own mobile 1 oil and filter and just have them do the change for me. I provided them with 5 quarts of oil which are the ones that I buy from Walmart for about $ 23.
Came back to pick up my car and they charged me for three additional quarts costing me an additional $ 30.
Never did they call me and ask or mention that I need 3 additional quarts. Not to mention I could have bought another 5 quart jug for $ 23 from Walmart.
Secondly as a guy that restores cars and build engines I was just too lazy to do the oil change myself which is why I went to them.
Not ever going back. At least call me or don’t rip me off when you put more oil in without asking me.
It’s the small stuff that these shops use to take advantage of us.

Worst place ive ever dealt with. Customer service is the absolute worst the front desk guy Michael is a complete joke. (Claims to be the owner). He is more about his personal profit off you then he is giving satisfying customer service. He’s so unprofessional, when he disagrees you, he will yell cuss and become very hostile, mumble things under his breath… Even flipped me off as I left With all the good mechanics in today’s world… There’s no place for people like him. Will never go back. All of this was because he wanted an extra $ 50 on a part from my insurance company that they didn’t have to give him. Amco right down the street was sooo much better and will definitely be going to amco instead from here on out

Unfortunately, I have to write a negative review on Monterey Auto Service, where I have exclusively been taking my car for the past eight years. I’d always felt that they were honest and pretty fair in pricing; I’d never had an issue with that. Several times they were SUPER helpful, even, when I had minor issues like a flat tire. They took care of the problems pretty quickly and without delays. The only thing I DISliked about the business was the lack of good customer service. The employees were never the friendliest bunch of guys I’ve met, other than the older gentleman (previous owner, I think?) who operates the shuttle. He was always very personable and polite and I enjoyed my rides with him. The others left a lot to be desired in their general attitudes. But I figured, What the heck … As long as the work is done, and done right, and I’m charged fairly.
However, my mind changed last week when I showed up for an oil change. One customer was at the counter being ‘helped,’ and three other people sat in the lobby. I assumed they were just waiting around for their cars, as they were reading the newspaper or watching t.v. Well, I stood there, three feet from the counter, for TWENTY-​FIVE MINUTES without my presence ever being acknowledged! I was floored. Really? When the guy behind the counter (the owner, I believe) finally finished with the first customer, he called over to one of the guys sitting nearby that he was ‘next.’ Never so much as glanced at me. I thought, Am I completely invisible??? No «Sorry for the wait,» or even a «Take a seat and I’ll let you know when it’s your turn,» nothing. Not even a simple «Good morning!»
I turned and walked out the door and effectively ended my long-​time relationship with Monterey Auto.

I had just purchased a car the prior week from Sunnyvale Toyota. The whole experience over there had been dreadful (please see abbreviated review) Anways, Sunnyvale had told me that I could bring in the car to have my AC looked at. The AC had stopped working after only a week. The service manager over there said that he could not fit me in until next week. I could not believe it. I had just purchased a vehicle from them and they could not accommodate me. Since I needed my AC so I did not show up at my work dripping wet from sweat, I decided to check out a local car repair shop. After calling around, I finally was able to talk with a gentleman named Michael at Monterey Auto Service. He seemed very nice on the phone, so I decided to give it a shot. When I arrived, I explained my problem and he walked me through the process and costs. He seemed to know what he was talking about. I wanted to make sure this was not going to cost hundreds of dollars, since I had sunk my last penny into the purchase of this car. He explained the labor cost and potential costs of parts, all of which sounded reasonable. I signed off for the repairs and sat to wait in a very nice waiting room. It took about as long as he mentioned to fix the problem, and there was no additional costs. Michael was very professional and also answered some other questions I had about my new vehicle. I would go back again to this business with any future issues with my car.

Took car in for smog cert. the young man at counter was very nice, polite. Meet his father in law. A marine, (Tom) had a great conversation with him. Thanked him for his service! Smog check was quick, very nicely priced, and the young man even made me a copy of Cert. In case DMV looses theirs proof of completion.
Great clean place!
Tom.

My parents RV broke down on Thursday before Labor Day in the middle of the road on their way to the campground. The police that came to help them recommended they have the RV towed to Monterey Auto Service, so we called and they said they were closing at 5 but would wait for them to get there. Once they were finally able to get there (after 5) the owner told my parents they would be camping in their RV for the weekend. He drove around to find the part they needed and when he got back it didn’t fit, but guaranteed he would have the correct part the next morning and he did! A possible disastrous weekend turned out to be a fun filled weekend.
Definitely good and honest service, would recommend to anyone!

I wish I could give this place negative five stars. Monterey auto has the worst customer service. Don’t come here unless you want jokes and sarcasm.

I needed a smog check and oil change so I began my journey of searching for a repair shop that offered a combo of great reviews, reasonable prices and was Star Smog Approved (a detail that the DMV deems necessary for registration).
I know nothing about cars but I was relieved when I walked in (with no appointment necessary) and Michael was kind, knowledgeable and friendly– they even changed my old wiper blades for no additional cost!
The car was ready when it was promised it would be, with no hidden fees or additional costs. As much as I hope for no more repairs, I will definitely be back here in the event that I should have any… terrific service! Thanks, Michael! =)

Jerome S.
6÷28÷2014
I go to this place for smog test only so other services I am not sure of what they do. The guy who attended to me should be replaced. after checking me in he answered a phone call for about 10 min while I wait until he is done, I tell him I am a bit of arush but tells me that he should attend tto the phone call first as he us a customer also wow, when did a call come first before a physically present customer, then he attends to me with an attitude, asks me about the make and model of the car while in fact he has the smog test form fron DMV, wow does he have an IQ or what. Don’t go to this place, unless you want to ruin your day

Went in to get my car smog for 29.99 since I heard it was the best deal in town but when I walked in they wanted me to leave my car there for 4 hours!!! I have never had to wait that long for a smog so I decided to go elsewhere! Down the street I paid 39.99 but it was done in 30 minutes!

The place looks nice and that is how they attract the customer.
The price for the service is higher than the near by AUTO shop. I did a SMOKE CHECK service there and failed. So I have them to check the car. The diagnostic was cost me $ 150 dollars and gave me a $ 1500 dollar estimated repairing list. I was shock and did not trust them anymore. I went to the other shop and spent $ 400 dollar for repairing. I passed the SMOKE CHECK without any issue. Be aware… This shop would do anything to make you pay big bucks.

I LOVE these guys. I wait until I’m in town just to take my RV and car there. Really, I’m serious. Family owned, Jose and Michael have it down and have a very experienced crew. They work hard to do the best for the customer in fact they bend over backwards and I really trust these guys.

Horrible service… went in for a light bulb change and Michael said they said it will be an hour and 15. Came back an hour and a half later and they said they haven’t been able to work on the car yet. No apologies no nothing. A Saturday wasted. Will not come again.

I typically drive newer vehicles, but my daughter has an older used car and on two occasions she has had an issue with her vehicle in the past year. I’m always a little apprehensive going to independent auto shops, most do not have very good reputations as trustworthy and honest.
So with a bit of apprehension I took her vehicle to the shop and what was diagnosed during her «oil change» at one of the local oil change shops in town was actually something much less in terms of severity and repair costs as advised by Monterey Auto. They finished very fast and did a wonderful job.
The second occasion my daughter was driving home and phoned me to tell me her car was not running well and she thought her transmission was going out. She met me at Monterey Auto and they told me they would diagnose the issue and call me. Well, before I could get home the owner call me with the diagnosis and told me he thought they could have it fixed before the end of the day… and it was 3:00 PM when I brought the car in. What service! The price was very affordable and I can’t say enough about their communication and service. I’ll continue to keep taking my daughters car back when repairs are needed.

Updating to address the Bill’s comments:
1A) Regarding a metal pipe that rotted «due to lack of maintenance», I challenge you to show me where, in the Chrysler Sebring maintenance log, that it says to «check for a rotting pipe in this location». While the Sebring is an admittly crappy vehicle, there’s nothing about rotting pipes anywhere in my manual.
1B) The reason it was in the shop for SEVEN days is because you guys don’t work weekends (as other shops in the area do), you ordered the needed part the FOLLOWING Monday, and you guys FAILED to reset the «check engine» light, regardless of the fact that it will reset (because THAT problem that I brough it in for was STILL not addressed by you guys)!!
2) The water pump leaked before, during and after. I mentioned that WHEN I dropped off the car. After a damn week, you told me to not drive it, but you had not addressed the pump issue at all. I’ve had the pump replaced before and it doesn’t even take 2 days for that work.
3) I never said that resetting the «check engine» light could fix anything, nor was that kind of ignorance implied. I was simply pointing out that you FAILED to reset it as it should have been reset within the 6 days you had the car, and requiring the car to stay overnight to clear it was ridiculous. I should have driven over to the Auto Tune place, which is able to do it in 2 minutes while I watch. It’s simply a matter of connecting the computer and clearing the codes. Of course, if there’s still a problem, the light will eventually come on again.
Bottom line from my experience for anyone going here is that I had no feeling that my service mattered: I was just another $$$. Expect higher prices, and don’t expect quick, thorough service. I more recenty reviewed another place just two blocks south of this place that is much better, with faster service and better prices, and they work weekends and they are friendly.