Complete Automotive

These guys are the best around. When I was in a pinch, they fit me in last minute and provided invaluable details on a pre-purchase inspection. Their reporting is useful and intuitive - showing photos, providing commentary, and listing how immediate the issue is. Thanks to Jason, Cole, & Tyler, I knew exactly what was going on with the vehicle prior to making a decision. Thank god I did, because she was a complete dog!

I went in here as a girl who knows nothing about cars, that had no clue what was causing a leak in her car aka. as a very easy target for an upscale. Complete Automotive fixed the problem in under an hour for a fair price--saving me from a lot of damage with an upcoming storm. I have been scammed by other mechanics in the slo area-- and I was terrified this would be a similar situation. After this honest service I will only come here and will recommend it to all my friends.

Brought my 2018 Lexus ES350 to them after the dealer said my car needed a new water pump and Toyota/Lexus water pumps were on a nationwide back order. John was super helpful and found the correct water pump for my car. Customer service here is excellent and I'm happy with the work they completed. I highly recommend Complete Automotive.

Sorry for this long review, but I want to include all of the facts.
If you'd rather skip my diatribe, here's the bottom line:
Don't have your work done here if you can help it.
At the very least, ask what they charge for performing diagnostic testing and confirm that they will not charge for that if you have your work done there.
This rating is not so much about the work performed (as it's only been a few days and so far everything is running fine.)
Rather, this rating is based on business practices and unnecessary charges.

I was visiting family in Grover Beach when my van started overheating on Sunday 09/17/23 as I started to head back home to San Diego.
I searched on Yelp for a mechanic and found these great reviews for Complete Automotive.

Without hesitation, I scheduled an appt. online.
Received an email from John recommending I have my car towed in, which I did through my insurance policy. He also recommended not coming into the shop as it would take awhile to diagnose the problem.

Shortly after my van arrived at the shop, I received a text message with an estimate of $197. to perform a chemical block test which I approved. Let me add that it was slimy business to wait until my van was already towed there to inform me of this cost.
An hour or so later I received a breakdown of the work that needed to be performed and it was quite expensive as you can see from the attached invoice.

When I requested that he not charge for the diagnosis since I was having the work done at his shop (as this has always been customary when I've had work done at every other auto shop) he stated that the diagnostic work was considered labor and it's standard practice to get paid for that as well. We haggled and he finally stated he would only charge 50% of the diagnostic fee.

When I came to pick up the van on 09/19, there was a customer waiting at the counter while John was computing the cost for what sounded like a radiator leak. As John broke down the cost, he stated that he WOULDN'T CHARGE for the CHEMICAL BLOCK TEST if the repairs were performed at Complete Automotive.

When I got to the counter I said, "Well I hope you won't charge me for that test since you were willing to do his for free."
He then realized I was the customer with the van (he hadn't seen me up to this point) and he said, "we spoke about this yesterday and I told you I would only charge you half."
I reminded him that he wasn't going to charge the other customer AT ALL!
John said, well that was only if he was going to have the repairs done here.
And I said , I had my repairs done here to the hefty tune of $1600!

To the others who have raved about how solid and trustworthy John is...WTF!? Politeness while being screwed over is the worst.

In closing, should John respond to this with some lame excuse, hey John, give me back the $97.50 you charged for the diagnosis.

PS. My mechanic at Smart Auto Repair in San Diego, would have only charged me $1,100 for the same job.
Unfortunately I was 300 miles from home when this issue arose so I was at the mercy of a mechanic that I had no history with and the only way to know if they were honest was to trust the reviews on Yelp.

Thank you Gentlemen for the great service and patiences with questions! Never have I felt like I wasnt getting help with my Jeep. John and his crew is always great and helpful in all that they do.

I was there today to get my car 'smogged', perhaps a little sus about all the 5-star reviews.
I have to add my own 5-stars to this. Frankly, this unassuming shop in the middle of Tank Farm Road blew my doors off.
John was at the front desk and was kind, courteous and right on the money when he said (even tho I missed my morning appointment) "your car will be ready in 20 minutes".
I'm coming back now that I know about this place.

Driving down on vacation from Reno and the car went haywire.
Called in and John answered and from the get go we were at ease. Fearing a vacation debilitating cost we were so pleased when it was fixed in 30 minutes and charged so fairly.
Could not have been happier with the service and the team.
Hopefully will never have to visit them again but if we do we know we are in great hands and a reliable team.
Thank you for making our visit with you so pleasurable.

I came here to post about the exceptional service I received at Complete Automotive, and I see that I already gave a 5-star review two years ago. Well nothing has changed in those two years except that I have gained even more respect for John and his crew. This time I brought in my daughter's Chevy Volt for a strange rattling noise. John spent hours on the car, which was obvious, because he ended up knowing that car inside and out. In the end, he couldn't solve the rattle and didn't charge me. It was completely unexpected that he wouldn't charge for his time. John is a good human being and a master of his trade. We are fortunate to have his services here in SLO.

I took my kids on a trip to Avila Beach and lo and behold, the day after arrival a warning light came on in my car telling me to "Check Charging System." I didn't think much of it because I had never seen that warning before, and I suspected a battery issue.

We went about our day, minimally driving, and the warning disappeared once but then came back. I called AAA, only for the guy to come and tell me that it wasn't a battery issue but the alternator and that he couldn't tell me with any degree of certainty how much farther I could drive the car before it died. I was getting nervous because we had to leave our Airbnb and drive home, so I didn't have any planned place to stay if the car died.

The next morning I called Complete Automotive right when it opened and spoke to Jason on the phone. I mentioned I needed an alternator and if they had the part and could install it the same day. He said they should be able to have a part delivered and that the work could be completed the same day. I asked him if he thought I should be able to drive to the shop, and similar to the AAA guy, he was hesitant, but he said that as long as the car started normally and nothing was flickering I should be able to make it, so I decided to take my chances.

With some renewed confidence, I cleared out of the Airbnb asap and drove the kids over. It was one of the most anxiety-inducing 7 miles ever. Upon getting to the shop just before 9, I met Jason and he texted me the estimate for the work while another guy verified the alternator was the issue. He was a very friendly and pleasant person to talk to and definitely put me at ease about getting the car fixed. He said the part was ordered and would come sometime around 10:30-11 and that they might be able to get it done before noon. I made the kids hike over to the local Starbucks and around 10:30, as we were walking back to check on the status, I got a text saying the part came early and they'd be done in 10 minutes. Sweet!

The experience was definitely straightforward and efficient, and I have no complaints. He even told me that they checked out the car and suggested some other part I should replace when I got home. It's too bad they are so far away or I'd put these guys on speed dial!

We were camping in the area and planning to use our van as our tent when the starter went out. I asked for quotes on Yelp and John replied first thing the next morning with a quote and a morning time slot to complete the job so we could have the van back to sleep in that night. John was super helpful, and got it done quickly for the quoted price. It was a stressful situation to be far from home with a car that needed to be towed and repaired quickly and Complete Automotive helped us to get it done and back to being in vacation mode very quickly. We are so grateful!