Tahoe Diesel & 4 Wheel Drive

I do a ton of driving and recently noticed what appeared to be a «messed up» bushing near my cv joint (Messed up is the technical term right?) so before I drive about 120 miles to Mammoth today, I thought I would have it checked out after work yesterday just to make sure it was safe to drive until I could get it into the shop. THANK GOODNESS I went in. As soon as I believe the owner, Jim, got down and looked at my suspension, he noticed immediately that my axle was BROKEN!!! Right at the front passenger wheel, I couldn’t believe it. Not sure when it happened but apparently it’s common on lifted trucks. Understandable. He said there was no way it was safe, that at any minute it could break apart and possibly cause an accident! That being said, I figured I would be cancelling my trip to Mammoth and my Memorial Day plans, bummer! But Jim looked online right away and found a new axle from Napa Auto Parts right down the street. I said order that baby, lets do it! He said he would have my truck done in about 2 hours. I couldn’t believe it. Another mechanic gave me a ride home, only a few miles and they called me when my truck repair was complete & even came and picked me up again. The price I paid was about $ 75 less than originally quoted and the service was above and beyond anything I expected! I mean, it was like express Axle service! LoL! I got lucky with them being able to fit me in on a holiday Saturday for sure! Now this afternoon I can make my trip to Mammoth and enjoy some time off and feel safe driving again. I have brought my current vehicle and my last Toyota to this same shop and have always received great service!

Great service at a good price. Diesel service on my Sprinter RV. On time and under price quoted.

No free retest on smogs. Didn’t tell me before hand

I called to have my smog done they got me right in and it took less then 20 minutes. As my car was being pulled around I noticed a brake light was out I asked if they could replace it and when I went to pay for the light they said no worries its on us. Never in my life have I had a repair shop do something like this and I will only take my car to them from here on out. Great customer service and very fast!

Exelent. Job done fast. As requested and when issues do occur they always seem to help in the best possible way even sometimes doin extra work beyond their compensation.

Do NOT take you car here!!!
On the way back to San Francisco we broke down and were towed there by CSAA. They could not fix our Volvo and after 4 days we were forced to tow our car to Sacramento for repairs.
Tahoe Diesel charged us almost $ 750.00 for parts they installed that the Volvo dealer proved were faulty.
They made several very unprofessional comments to us including: «That’s what you get for having a Volvo» and «The Volvo shop mechanics don’t know what they’re doing»
We have found them to be unprofessional, rude and we question their mechanical skills and competence as a business in general

I tried to give this shop a chance multiple times but after getting the run around and seeing my vehicle sit in the same place that I had it towed in I’m, done. If you have something quick and easy (like an oil change) I guess they are ok. Anything more complicated, take you vehicle somewhere else. Unless you are not in a hurry and you can leave it for days.

So I had heard that the snow was coming here in Tahoe and was told awhile ago by another shop that I needed outer tie rods so I figured I better get this done before the snow hits. I originally went to the shop that told me I needed them and they couldn’t get me in because they didn’t have the parts. I called another place and they couldn’t get me in. I remembered Tahoe four wheel drive because I got an oil change there before so I called them. They were super friendly on the phone, and they said they could get me in right away. They gave me a ride to a nearby shopping center so I could kill time while they were doing the repairs and they came and got me when my vehicle was ready. Overall, it was a good experience and they were under the quote I received from the other place! I will come back and I will recommend to a friend!

What great service… I have been going to them for 20 years!!! I have had many different vehicles and they have the knowledge and experience that you look for in a repair is establishment.

Terrible customer service. Dropped my truck of monday for and oil change and to address a whistling sound from my engine. They did not call me Monday, they did not call Tuesday so Wednesday afternoon I call to see if my vehicle was ready they informed me it was, but when i asked aboout the noise they had never checkhed. They said they would call me back Wednesday evening when they knew more and didnt… Thursday I called they never fixed the problem, probably never tried. As soon as I picked my truck up the sound started again, so I turned around and went back, mechanics listened didnt know what it was, then proceeded to tell me to «MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO COME BACK» I told them I had and appointment for Monday when I brought it in and they refused to look at my truck.
I WOULD NEVER GO BACK TO THESE HACK MECHANICS!!!

My car broke down 25 miles outside South Lake Tahoe (SLT) Friday afternoon around 1pm and I was in desperate need of some assistance. AAA towed my car here by 3:30pm.
Upon initial arrival, the owner of the place (I think his name is James) just didn’t really bother with me. I told him what was wrong and he kind of brushed me off. Finally 4pm rolls around and Im freaking out with my family (three other people) and he tells us that the car wouldn’t be ready until tomorrow (Saturday). Fine. So our family rents a car and hauls ass across the state back to SF.
The next day I called and they told me something was wrong with my fuel pump and that they would have to order a part from Reno. Fine. I asked for a quote and he told me «No more than $ 800.» So a few days, and a few more calls go by and by Tuesday the car is ready. So I go back to Tahoe and pick up my car. When I get there, they all seem pretty confused with who I am and what car I have, despite our numerous conversations (at least 8). And it’s almost closing time and they are taking their grand old time getting my paperwork ready. And when I’m about to pay the bill is magically $ 50 shy of 1K. WHAT? So I’m pretty irritated and he goes «well we had to run diagnostics, blah blah blah (I stopped listening b/​c I was mad)» This would’ve been wonderful information to know when you KNEW YOU HAD TO RUN TESTS.
I’m not sure what’s their problem over there, but they seem to have an attitude and are generally lackadaisical about everything. I completely understand that my problems are no more important than other peoples and they have other things going on, but I let them know how important it is I have this car (I was in the middle of finals). And the fact they seemed to charge me up the ass for work that I know costs less else where pissed me off, but what can you do? I still need work done on my car, but it runs, so I guess they served their purpose.

I was in Tahoe on the Saturday before Christmas with car trouble in a snowstorm when my van’s transmission started to give a nasty burning smell, and lost power. With my family in Tahoe and my folks coming up to San Francisco the next day, I was over a barrel and waiting to get hammered. Unilocal showed 3 shops, only one of which would take me. According to other Unilocal reviews, each shop would charge $ 200 ish for a transmission service.
James at Tahoe Four Wheel Drive scanned the transmission, noted a «code,» and I started seeing trouble. But after checking the trans fluid and not smelling too much burn, he took another look and realized that my chains were on badly (backwards and without tensioners) and determined that my wheels had been spinning inside the chains, which would have caused the code and the burning smell. When I got back to SF, my mechanic confirmed that Tahoe Four Wheel Drive was right.
After seeing my on the Saturday before Christmas in a blinding (for me) snowstorm and having me at his mercy, he put on the chains correctly, sold me tensioners for $ 2 and charged me $ 25. I’ve been very lucky with mechanics, but James and Tahoe Four Wheel Drive did me right when they could easily have fleeced me.

I got side swiped coming over 50 in a storm. It seemed fine, but I wanted to get the truck, actually not a 4wd, inspected before driving back home. I called another shop and they didn’t even want to talk to me.
Fortunately, the mechanic at Tahoe Four Wheel was much different. He was very helpful on the phone, and said bring the truck over. He took a quick look at it in the lot, and said everything seemed o.k.
Most of the damage was just in front of the driver’s side door, and it only glanced the wheel. I drove it home, cautiously at first. It had no problems. Still, having a mechanic look at it gave me the peace of mind. Finally, he refused payment. I was really grateful for his time and helpful attitude. From my experience, they deserve their AAA approval.

Good business. Professional service. Highly recommend. Was stuck in a bind with a tough repair. They were able to save me about $ 5000 that Ford service shop had ‘recommended’. Would refer a friend here.

I would never go there again. My clutch went out in my truck and they told me it would cost me 1000 dollars to fix it. Obviously I had no choice so I told them to go ahead and fix it. Then they call me the next day saying I need a new transmission and it’s going to cost me another 1000. I asked them if its absolutely necessary and they say yes so I tell them to fix it. All in all it cost me 2,200 $ for a new clutch and to rebuild my transmission. 9 months later my clutch exploded at work in Chico. The people who fixed it here fixed it right and were amazing. Definitely do your research before heading to Tahoe 4 wheel drive. A brand new clutch should never go out in less then one year. The mechanic told me they put in a clutch with plastic parts as opposed to a metal clutch. Idiots.

My 18 year old sons truck needed work while he was in Tahoe. This shop was overpriced, but we didn’t have many choices. They were marginally friendly, very slow to perform work, and did a poor job, leaving the ABS cable dangling. Would not recommend.

Definitely a class operation, they went out of their way to help me in an emergency situation and then charged me a VERY reasonable amount for a diagnosis.
Their schedule precluded them actually repairing my vehicle, but the diagnosis and other info they freely provided made it possible for me to complete repairs myself, so I can SKI tomorrow instead of dealing with car repairs! AWESOME!
Thanks Very much!

Saved my bacon! My car broke down on Xmas eve and I was going to be stuck here. Jim stayed three hours past closing to get my car fixed so I could get my family home for Xmas. Honest, reliable work. This business has heart and I would recommend them to anyone!

Simply the best mechanics and best run shop in town. They are fair, professional and very knowledgable. They do what you need and won’t try to sell you more if you don’t need it.