Lsi Automotive Service Center

I have a 73 fj40, a 78 fj55, a 1980 right hand drive diesel, a 98 and 2000 land cruiser and a beat up old chevy pickup and LSI cares for them all. They always call me on what it will cost, they have beat everyone as far as mechanics go that I’ve worked with on efficiency and turn around time. They’ve done everything for me I’ve asked — replaced engines (even my old diesel engine from australia), gotten body work done, gotten specialist electrical work done… I’ve asked them to do a lot over the years — and they always blow me away with the super super fair pricing… and solid, thoroughly complete, stand by work. This review covers from going to John and Dwight and team for around 10 or so years. Thanks LSI.

Joes says one to two days. Day one, calls says they need it another day –no problem. Day two, no call. I call at 5, Dwight says Joe should have called earlier that afternoon –he didn’t. I ask Dwight what they found, Dwight doesn’t know anything days call tomorrow. Day three, I call in the morning Joe says they need it all day again and $ 150 to diagnose further. My engine was building pressure, when I originally dropped of car I asked them to specifically look at a couple hides to see if they were clogging my pcv system and also to see if the hose that popped of (due to the pressure build up) to see if It could be the problem (was told by another mechanic specific to Volvo that it was the issue) I just wanted a second opinion to make sure there weren’t underlying issues plus LSI is cheaper (now realize why) to get the work done. So I ask about wether or not the clogged hoses could be the problem or if the looked at it and decided that couldn’t be the issue… Very straight forward question. He couldn’t answer and then started getting very vague (like trying to ask a politician a question) and then said he’d need to talk to Dwight… Why? The night before Dwight knew nothing about my car. I try to pry and find out if they even checked the issues I spoke of and also asking what exactly they were going to do with the $ 150 to diagnose the problem but he was very evasive. It’s all a little strange because there are only certain things that are going to cause the pressure build up I was getting and it’s just a matter of starting with the least complex and most likely problems and working you way down the list so at the very least he should be able to say ‘we looked at the pcv system, it’s definitely not that so now we need to look at this and that or do these tests to decide if it’s one of the other limited issues that can cause the pressure. But after getting absolutely no info on what has happened with my car so far in the last two full days I decide if rather not pay $ 150 for them to just start pulling things apart with no real direction (apparently). In the mean time I had talked with the other mechanic done more and did some internet ‘research’ and was feeling more comfortable with the original diagnosis, it’s now Friday morning and I’m working with no time to pick up the car and take it back to the other place plus if I did I’d have to get back in line and probably not be seen until Monday so I say, ‘Joe regardless if there is other issues I still need the clogged hoses in the pcv system cleaned out and the other hose that blew off reattached (hose is under the manifold and a 4 hour job) so let’s just do that and go from there’ Joe says if I’m going to do that I should just take it back to the other guy. I explain to him that I have no time to pick up the car and bring it to him (I’m working) so I’d appreciate if if he could just do that work for me because it’s work that needed to be done anyway. Then he tells me he wouldn’t be able to do anything to my car until Monday or Tuesday anyway. What? You just told me you had at least two hours to do more diagnostic work but now all of a sudden you don’t have time to remove some parts to reconnect a hose (super easy job, and 4 hours of bill-​able labor that can probably get done in 2 – 3). At this point I’m feeling like it’s really shady that he seems to have no idea what they’ve done so far, he can’t tell me what they are interested in looking at further, they have already wasted 2 full days and apparently my car is still behind in the list of cars and they don’t have time for me until day 4 of having it… There weren’t even a lot of cars at the shop… I tell him I’ll just pick it up from him when I can. 3 hours later my girl friend gets her mom to drive her over so she can pick it up and they tell her it’s not ready and she’d have to wait a half hour… She says that’s s long time and she has the kid in the car. Then they ask her to just come back after 2. She tried calling me, I don’t see the call for a few minutes so she leaves … I get a hold of her she tells me what they said so I call them back. Why the f*** would it take my car a half hour to get ready, we decided you weren’t working in my car anymore 3 hours ago… Oh we didn’t tell her that, I just asked her to wait a minute while I put the covers back on… Oh so now my girlfriend is lying … Wtf?
Update:
The car ended up only having the issues I originally thought it had… There was no need for further diagnosis … Glad a saved my $ 150, especially since I had also brought my jeep in for diagnosis prior to bringing in the Volvo. It cost me an hour of labor for them to tell me I needed a new intake manifold runner control motor. I ended up getting that installed somewhere else because of my issues I had with them on the Volvo … Check engine light came back on with same exact codes … Great work guys, you’re just so good at what you do

My whole family takes their cars to LSI. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with my car! Very fair prices and they don’t try to take advantage of women and assume we know less about our cars like so many garages do.

Best proced, most honest, and awesome mechanic hands down. These are the guys you need to go to. Haven’t let me, my family, or any of my friends down.

These guys are awesome! My car broke while I was down in Oceanside and I was devastated at the thought that I would have to cut my vacation short. Not only did the LSI crew fix my car, they were very reassuring and told me about some great food/​things to do in Oceanside. When they were explained what they thought was wrong and saw I didn’t really understand, they took the time to explain it in a way that I could get. I felt very comfortable while I was there and never like they were only trying to make money off me.
I didn’t end up getting the repairs done there (it was something under warranty), but when my car got towed to the dealership, the dealership found other things that were broken and said they fuel pump was perfectly fine and LSI was wrong… well now my car is in the shop again because the fuel pump is damaged, just like LSI said.
These guys are awesome mechanics and great people.
Thanks guys!

Let me just say this, get your work done at this shop. I love how these guy’s treated me. They were straight forward about what work needs to be done to my car and what work can wait. Very honest group. I feel like I found my new home for all my future car work. Couldn’t be happier.

Dwight and his crew are the best!!! This is the most honest automotive center around… I’ve been going here for years now and recommend LSI to everyone I know. I am a woman and Dwight and the crew never rip me off… I trust Dwight always, he is a mechanical genius… who also served our country proudly!!! Thank you for your service Dwight!!!

Truly impressed by the service. I was sent here by Oceanside Transmission (another great shop), because i needed emergency radiator help. I was driving to San Diego, just wanted to get home and my car overheated. i eventually made it to LSI and they took great care of me. Fixed the radiator, replaced the thermostat, and got my car road ready in under 2 hours. They even recommended a great pizza/​taco/​beer place a block or two down the road. Great service, good prices and i never felt like i was being talk down to or patronized when they talked about my car. If i lived closer, this would be my go to mechanic. Thanks guys!!!

Everything people rave about is true. Dwight is a real find. I walked in and was given great customer service. They stand behind their work and don’t charge enough.

Do not come here unless you like to waste time and money on poor quality automotive repairs and a dead engine. That’s what ended up happening to me. I had a engine replacement done as my engine needed a rebuild. Instead I decided to opt for the engine replacement since it was more cost effective. I was given a so-​so engine that had problems the minute I picked it up. I could see the poor workmanship immediately when I saw the zip ties under the hood. I gasped at the eye sore. That did not stop there. My car had low idle when I drove off the lot and then it started dying at every stop after a week. Took it back to get the air idle control valve replaced. Okay. A couple weeks later, the engine dies on the freeway. I take it to another shop, since I was tired of the poor quality work I was receiving from the mechanic Dennis. The shop looked at the compression and it was so low it was nothing. The rear seal was blown out and all the oil gone. This engine was supposed to be warrantied and the shop will not tow the car over. They wanted to ask questions and investigate non-​liability causes instead of honoring the 3,000 miles /​3-​month warranty. That kind of warrant is too short of a coverage, while other shops will provide you with a 24,000 miles /​24 month warranty. But I guess that’s good for the shop since the work that comes out of that shop is shoddy. No thanks!

We were traveling from the Central Coast of California and our brakes went out on Friday morning. The dealership wanted $ 500 to fix it that day. Dwight and John and got it done in 90 minutes on Saturday morning for half the price the dealer wanted, and we were back on vacation without a hitch. Their shop is clean and orderly, their work was great and they took the time to explain to us what was going on with our vehicle. I wish they were in my area so I could use them for all my repair needs.

These guys are the best. Dwight, the owner, lives and breathes the subtleties of automotive repair. HE CAN FIX ANYTHING including my 1949mgtc. He can improvise solutions. And he can save you a lot of money. he is VERY BRIGHT.
His shop is always in perfect order and clean. His workers are diligent and courteous.
I can only hope Dwight enjoys good health because he is important to me.
Then there is John, his shop manager. Don’t be put off by his similarity to a Yetti.
In fact, he is a very sweet guy and has many interesting sidelines in the music world.
Any one that I have referred to LSI continue to go there. I now live in Encinitas and I still drive to Oceanside for their service.
Don’t tell anyone else about them! Vic pine

I have an old-​ass truck. Seriously. Right now it’s got 270,000 miles on it and still runs like a champ. No, that’s not a typo. 270,000 miles. The guys at LSI have been caring for my old beater for the last 10 years and I’m pretty sure she still does as well as she does because of their top notch service. Excellent work, unbelievably great pricing, truly friendly and respectful customer service — you really do feel like they have your best interests in mind.
Alas, I have moved away and miss my guys at LSI. A big heartfelt thank you to Dwight, John, Chuy, Beto and Dennis!

These guys are fantastic. The work that they performed was accurate, completed quickly and affordable. I just found my new auto repair shop.

Stumbled onto Lsi while trying to find a shop to do my pre-​purchase inspection on the car I was buying. I was looking for a shop in the area that would do a compression test on an ’02 Subaru WRX wagon, which apparently is a real pain in the– to do. I called four shops in the area and was turned away from three of them… yeah.
But, hey, this is not about those other shops, it’s about these guys and they did it. It came out to $ 90 ($ 30 for the inspection, $ 60 for the compression test) which is more than a fair price. John helped me out. He’s really knowledgeable and he gave me peace of mind when buying this car. It had a lot of miles on it so it definitely helped to hear that everything was in good condition. He broke down everything in the P.P.I. and explained whatever issues there were and how much the fix would be.
They’re on a first come-​first serve basis so make sure you get there around or before lunch, depending on the job you have for them. That way you can make sure it gets done that day.
Definitely go check Lsi out. If I lived in the area, I would go to these guys all the time.

I have been a very satisfied return customer for many years. Dwight is an Auto Repair Shop owner if impeccable integrity, and his staff reflect that. Costs are clear and reasonable. Help is offered when repairs are high, especially appreciated by my family and friends.
Problems are clearly explained, all efforts are made to resolve any issues as quickly as possible.
LSI has a legion of satisfied returning customers. I never hesitate to recommend them.
Teresa Masters

I have been going to these for about a decade and I still continue to be impressed by their honesty and good work. I’ve never had to take a car back to them for faulty work and they never over charge me. I cannot say enough good things about them.
Nancy M.

I have taken all kinds of vehicles here and it has always been a good decision. Dwight knows what he is doing and runs a good shop. When picking a shop to work on your car, pick the one with an owner that was a helicopter mechanic.

Dwight was a true hero. He fixed up my blazer as good as new & helped out a girl in need. Top notch for sure.

Honesty is critical to me when it comes to getting my car fixed, and these guys are honest. My husband takes his truck there now (he is usually a guy who takes his truck to the dealership to get fixed), and he really likes them too. They tell the truth, do a good job, don’t overcharge you and are genuinely nice guys. What more could you ask for? This is the place I tell everyone to go to get their vehicles fixed!