Fast Automotive Center

Been taking my care to Fast Auto forever. Ralph is extremely honest and professional. Took my car there a few times thinking I needed a repair only for Ralph to tell me that it was nothing– no charge! Lots of times thinking I needed a major $ 500 repair only for Ralph to tell me it was minor and charge me almost nothing! There is a reason why they have been in business so long. Notice when you go there that they know the names of all their customers– that makes me feel good.

Stopped in last week without an appointment and was treating well from the start. I had a couple of questions that Ralph was able to handle on the spot. several people came and went while I was there and all three guys did a good job of handling the customers and tons of questions… all with some language barriers… NOTE: if you have a chance to take a picture of the «problem» it will help them tremendously… funny the main complaint was the guy with a car that was ‘hot wired’ by Volkswagen, and did not work correctly!!! it is tough to be honost in this industry, but think about it, they have 20 Plus years in the busines… thanks Ralph… DAC

Fast Automotive is an honest repair shop. I have been taking my cars to Ralph for 20 years now and have complete trust in his recommendations. I now live in RB but still take my cars to him.
I have taken my truck in thinking there was a major problem only to have Ralph tell me it was minor and only needed a little tune up. I once took the car in for what I thought was a new brake job only to have Ralph tell me they just needed to be cleaned. That’s why I will always take my cars to Fast Automotive.

These guys are great, pull right up and Brian comes screaming out to help me. Good prices, good explanation of procedure, and good service… Oh and their service was FAST, just like their name!
J

These guys are awesome. I have an 84′ jeep that was having evap problems. They diagnosed, fixed and smogged the car within a couple hours. Extremely happy with the service

It’s amazing to be able to call with any car questions and have my concerns addressed in clear, understandable terms. Really honest, friendly auto shop :-)

You’d think a Smog Check would be a routine service, right? Like an oil change? Wrong. This was the worst smog experience I have ever had, and I have many smog checks over the years.
Summary:
* Service Techs ran my car under load for 90 MINUTES before being able to complete 1 single test.
* Proprietor indicated that one engine monitor indicated «not ready» for test and issued a failed report.
* I made an appointment with my usual mechanic to read engine codes 48 hours later, all ok, and showed me the report
* Returned to Fast Automotive Center to obtain a «passing» smog cert based upon this report.
* Proprietor blamed an unrelated incident from over a month ago (dead battery) insisted that he had to re-​run the entire test, and that I would have to pay for it — again.
* Took it directly to another shop recommended by my mechanic, passed smog and issued certificate within 20 minutes — ZERO issues, friendly service, and $ 15 cheaper than Fast Automotive.
During the smog check, I heard the technicians put the car on the Dynamometer (rollers that put a load on the car’s engine) and then run the car through its paces several times. After about 30 minutes of repeated dyno runs, I noticed that they frequently stalled the motor, and the engine rpm fluctuated up and down in a bizzare manner — it did not sound like a normal smog test. After 45 minutes I looked out into the service bay and could tell that they were having problems — and looking anxious about it. I asked Ralph (the owner) whether there was a problem with the car. He told me that a typical smog test can take 30 – 45 minutes and not to worry. After another 20 minutes of dyno runs, he came back and admitted that they were having trouble. Apparently, they could not maintain a constant speed on my car because the gas pedal was «touchy». Mind you that is a pampered, late model, low-​mileage car (40k) with zero mechanical issues. He actually asked if I wanted to take it to another smog facility down the road that could do a better job. At this point we were so invested in the process, I gave them a final chance. Unfortunately they continued to struggle with my car and after an hour and a half they finally completed the test. Ralph informed me that it failed the test because not all of the engine monitor codes were in the ready position. He asked me if they codes had been reset or if I had ever disconnected the battery. I told him that the battery had discharged in storage over a month ago. He latched onto this — blamed me for not telling him this in advance (not sure how I would have known to do that). You’d think that he’d ask me something like this before the smog test if it was such a critical detail. To make up for wasting my time and burning 10 bucks worth of gas, he was good enough to give me a $ 10 coupon. Did I mention that I actually had to ask him for it? Ugh.
Anyhoo, the car passed all of the tests except this one check box. He assured me that it would reset itself once the car was driven for 50 miles or so. The implication to me was: Go drive the car, bring it back, and it will pass the test. In addition to this step, I took the car to my mechanic the following day — a certified Porsche Master Technician. He looked at all 5 of the DME codes in the car’s computer and showed me that four of the five monitors were in fact set to «ok» and typically the smog tester will pass the car in this case (The only monitor that was not reset was the fuel tank vent monitor, probably from gassing up before going into the smog test). After starting the car and allowing it to idle for 30 mins it reset the last monitor. I drove it directly back to Fast Automotive and let him know that we were all set. And we all lived hap… WAIT a minute!
Ralph told me that he could not pass the car without re-​running the entire test. Dyno flogging and all! OK, fine, but gets better… he also told me that I would have to pay for the test all over again. Flabbergasted, I told him what my mechanic told to me about the codes — that 4 of 5 of them were set to «Ready» after the first test. He contends that NONE of them were set to ready when I brought it in (keep in mind this was 48 hours ago, and I saw the DME first hand). All he could think to do was to blame the discharged battery incident from back in December.
Of course there was no way I was going to let them put my car back on the dyno and treat it like a terrorist that won’t name names. This time I called my mechanic for a recommendation (I should’ve done this in the first place). He recommended Inter Auto in Escondido. I called, and Javier agreed to take my car in immediately for smog testing — no appointment needed.
Within 20 minutes I was holding a completed, passed smog check with certificate. Oh, and it was $ 15 cheaper. Learn from me — don’t waste your time and money on a Smog Check at Fast Automotive.

Very highly recommended for automobile/​vehicles repairs, oil changes, anything you think of.
1: Very professional
2: Very honest, never had hiding fee for us
3: Very friendly staffs

Swung by n a Saturday to get a smog check. Took great care of me and didn’t charge to much for the check. They seem like they one there stuff and are honest.

I was referred here by a colleague of mine when looking to get some work done before a smog test. Something was wrong with the electronic monitoring system in my car and needed to be fixed before I could have it smogged.
Dropped my car off and got a call back within an hour with an accurate diagnosis and price quote. Everything sounded good so I went ahead.
When I picked up my car later that same day, Ralph (shop owner) told me he was able to clean the part that needed to be fixed instead of replacing it — saving me $ 200! And after I had already agreed to pay for it to be replaced!
That is what I consider to be good, honest business practices and I have been back several times since then with the same level of service.
Ralph is a true professional and good guy. You can count on quality work at a fair price.

~$ 80 per hour labor rate. Shop Mgr (Ralph) is a pro. Very organized, knows his stuff. Shop keeps Saturday hours which is really helpful. Mechanics are really good!

Been going here a long time. Ralph is honest and works quickly.

Fast Automotive is a great place to take your car for repair. I found them to be very honest and skilled in both diagnostics and in repair. They saved me quite a bit of money by making the correct diagnosis and by not making me pay for extra, unneeded repairs. What’s more, the staff and management are very friendly and do a great job of explaining the problems and best solutions. Their rates are very reasonable as well. I don’t hesitate to recommend them to my friends.