A-1 Shell

It took me 5 months to convert this building from a 3 car mechanic shop to a 1,200 sq. ft. Mini mart. Jacob & Ron, the owners were a delight to work for. There main concern for investing in this transformation is to give excellent customer service (Bahar is great) and a beautiful place to get a coffee, a lottery ticket, energy drinks, beer, wine or simply use the granite and marble restroom.

I bought an out of state used RV and needed brake and light testing done to register it in California. I went all over the west side trying to find someone that would do this testing. Most of the places that came up in the Unilocal search didn’t even exist anymore or said they no longer did this testing or NEVER did this testing. The guys at A1 Shell were very busy but said they would work it in. The wheels were rusty and very difficult to remove to check the brakes, some of the light bulbs weren’t working, I didn’t have an appointment, but they figured it all out and got the testing done in a couple hours while I waited. They were friendly and explained everything before they did it. There’s a small convenience store to buy coffee or snacks and a bench where you can wait. Recommend these guys.

They seem OK — they were the referral from the AAA driver. I asked Jacob a million questions about the possible issues regarding the Car that Wouldn’t Start but Not Because of the Battery.
I might have gone through with his diagnositic ($ 89 up front), had I not been made aware of one issue that harkened back to some recent work I had had done elsewhere with my regularly scheduled mechanic. So, I ended up bringing it back to my tried and true guy in Hollywood.
I will say that I was impressed with Jacob in the Service Department. He seemed very knowledgable and straightforward. I was a little less in love with another guy there who kind of coldly handed me a paper to sign and asked for my $$ first. Maybe that’s the way they roll, there, IDK. We’ll see. At least, I know now these guys exist — for the West LA’r in all of us.

My car broke down on a Sunday late afternoon, and I got it towed to this place through AAA. The operator said that there would be an AAA discount. But I remained skeptical. I have a fantastic mechanic who does most of the work on my car (Bobby’s Auto on La Cienega), and boy do I wish I just used another AAA call to get my car over to him.
Because the shop wasn’t open, I had to leave my car overnight. Basically, like what others had said, I had to sign away $ 90 for leaving my car and the diagnostic.
So here we are:
The Good:
–Jacob is patient at explaining the work he needs to do on the car, and was great at giving me a timeline on when I would get my car back.
–The job itself seems fine.
The Bad:
— Just for kicks, I called up the mechanic that I usually go to for an estimate based on Jacob’s diagnostic. The part that I needed (pedal accelerator unit) would have cost around $ 500. That was not negotiable, which is fine. My mechanic said that his labor would be $ 80. Jacob at A-​1 charged $ 180. More than twice as much for the same labor.
— Jacob’s attitude can be a bit insufferable. In my case, he knew he had me by the metaphorical balls, and that getting my car over to the other mechanic would be more effort than it’s worth. Our conversations were punctuated with «I just want you to be comfortable. You can take your car anywhere you want, that’s fine.»
The Ugly:
–For every mechanic that I have ever been to, the diagnostic is waived if the mechanic does work on the car. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I feel this is pretty standard. These are apparently NOT the standards with which A-​1 functions. Apparently, Jacob was doing me a BIG FAVOR by waiving the diagnostic part. When I mentioned that my mechanic’s quote, he offered me another 10% off the labor. When I go to pick up my car, I notice the 10% off that we had talked about, but I did not see the AAA discount. Apparently the 10% «discount» he offered WAS the AAA discount. So… what favor? All lip service. Looks like I wasn’t the only one either. Apparently another reviewer experienced the same thing.
Bottom line:
The job might be solid (I still have to drive my car a bit more to make that determination), but you could most likely get it done for cheaper elsewhere.

My cars tire blew out on the 405, the triple a operator suggested I leave my car overnight in their lot and they would take car of me in the morning, told me they had a discount on tires, by 2 for $ 100.00
I dont know the area so I thought that was a good price and told the operator to have my car towed here and id pick it up in the morning.
We arrive at the place and the triple a tow driver asks me why im having it towed here, my 1^st sign that something was off about this place. I told him triple a recommened it, he stayed quiet but I could tell something was off.
I speak to the overnight cashier and he has me sign a paper that says $ 90 for diagnostics and overnight parking, I looked at him and told him I dont need diagnostics done, I know what happened, I just need a new tire, he just looked at me and told me to qrite tire on the paper, still didnt feel right though, I just got here and the hidden fees were already starting.
So fast forward to 7 am, I get here and a guy quickly starts to go jack up my car, I tell him before anything I need to talk about prices. I tell the guy what the triple a operator had offered me, and he just laughed and told me triple a doesnt work here… I knew it…
I asked him to direct me to the man who handles the prices, I would have to speak to him first. An older middle eastern man (late 40’s early 50’s) comes out, I explain to him again the reason I brought the car here was because of the triple a operators recommendation and «specials» they were apparently having… I received the same response from him, a mix of indifference and mockery. Told me triple a has no control over their pricing.
Im a grown man, I work in sales, im not a stranger to sales techniques so I know when im getting the run around. The older man begins to tell me that the tow truck driver must of said that because he didnt want to tow my car far away and just wanted to drop it somewhere, which I tkd told him it wasnt true because it was actually the operators suggestion.
He finally gets down to pricing and tells me its going to be $ 90 dollars a tire… «What about what I was offered over the phone, is there anything you can do about that?» Nope… he proceeds to talk negatively about triple a and blames them (which isnt making him sound any better at this point).
By now im livid, maintaining my composure but at the same time letting the guy know im not putting up with any of thi, he looked at me like what was I going to do because I dont have any other options…
So I call triple a to come tow my car, ill talk to triple a, get the tow reimbursed, but first more importantly I just want to get out of here.
The triple a driver when he showed up told me this has happened several times beforw at this shop but the drivers get suspended if they say anything, and the guy that I had been dealing with had conned several people before hand.
if you could of just seen the shell service attendants face when triple a showed up, made my day. No amount of backtracking could fix this.
Im just happy to be out of this shop.
Please, please, please, never come to this shop! Shop around, get informed, get estimates, but dont let these people scheme any money out of you.

My car gave out on the 405 and AAA took it to them. I was a bit apprehensive at first, but they did an amazing job! I had taken it to a big name oil change place and they screwed things up, but A1 found the problem, solved it and fixed it at a very fair price in just one day. They were honest and when I asked for a full run down of what they did to my car, they took the time to explain everything to me without rushing me out the door. I think I’ve found my new mechanic!

Worse service I ever got. Do yourself a favor and pull in across to Chevron.

Wow these guys are amazing! My car broke down at the 405 and the 10 freeway. My car was towed to them, they diagnosed my car, found the parts they needed, and actually personally drove to go pick them up so I would have to wait a day. They broke it down for me on what I had to pay for and replace. They also stayed well after closing time to get my car ready because I live an hour away. Amazing service, amazing people. Jacob, Ron, Tom, Juan, Moe. These guys are awesome and did the work on my car. Thank you so much !

I wish I could leave less than 1 star! I went despite the reviews and shouldn’t have. They quoted me $ 59 with certification on the phone but then tried to charge $ 10 more. He then argued with me then said «fine don’t take it». Well I didn’t. I left after they wasted my time and theirs. Went to smogs just smogs and it was $ 15 less and they were nicer and faster. AAA should remove their certification of this jenky place! Plus they didn’t even do a dyno test or anything!

Not only did they massively overcharge for a smog check and oil change, but my VSC light came on (for the first time in the history of my 11 year old Highlander’s life) after they completed their $ 150 oil/​smog check. They assured me that it would «turn off after a mile or two of driving.» When it did not turn off, I called them. They assured me that «it will turn off after five or six miles of driving.» I asked them if they would fix it for free if it did not and they, again, assured me that they would «of course, take care of it for free.» When it still hadn’t turned off after 20+ miles of driving, I took it into them, expecting a «we’ll fix it attitude.» Instead, they told me «it must be something wrong with my transmission» and urged me to pay for an «all-​points check» and/​or take it to the dealership. SERIOUSLY? Total scam artists and incompetent to boot. I have alerted AAA, too.
AVOID!

The mechanic was very patient, open and willing to explain in detail all my questions and very helpful all in all. I confirmed and checked all his prices for parts and labor, and reasoning for having to replace things with other mechanics I trust, but couldn’t use because of distance, and he was lower or the same price as them. I would go back anytime. They even cleaned my car. Very nice.

These guys are total scam artists! When I took my car here for a smog check they didn’t tell me that if your check engine light was on, it would be an automatic fail. My light was on due to a very minor problem (if you don’t cap your gas lid properly on some cars the check engine light will come on), so it shouldn’t have even been an issue. But these guys still tested my car and let me fail, and then proceeded to charge me an extra $ 15 for a retest! What a rip off! I took my car to my mechanic and he told me the issue was the gas cap and my car was totally fine, and that the car would fail automatically if your light is on. The next time I got a smog check, I went to another place on Pico (found on Unilocal), and before we even started, the guy asked me if my check engine light had come on in the past few weeks. He also said he never charges for re-​tests. That is how a smog check business should be run! Apparently the check engine light issue is such a common problem, the guy knew to ask prior to even starting the test! So, when these idiots at Shell saw my check engine light on, they should have told me I wouldn’t pass, but instead they proceeded to test just so they could charge me the extra $ 15 for a retest! What BS! Do NOT go to these guys… They’ll just try to rip you off!

I like to get gas here because it’s right at a major intersection. There is another gas station across the street that has the same prices too. This location is well-​lit on busy intersections so I feel safe. They also have a promo with Ralphs that you can use by putting in your Ralph card FIRST. I always forget to take advantage of the offer. Darn!

I went in for an inspection of brake, light, & smog.
In a nutshell: they took an unbelievably long time, charged 50% more than what others charge, and tried to generate work for themselves by giving me BS.
They wasted many hours of my time, not only with the initial visit but with driving back there to get a pass after having fixed what they specified.
I took it to another place and they got the job done quickly and at a much better price. If I’d gone to the other place to begin with, I would have paid 100 bucks. This place charged me over 150.

I just went to A-​1 Shell today for the Auto Club’s 89 point check up on my car for $ 89.00. I have a 1990 Honda Accord and it was rear ended, not bad, but my trunk is mis-​aligned. Since it is 21 years old, I wanted to know if I have mechanical work that needs to be done and if it is worth it to paint my whole car like new. Jacob, the manager couldn’t have been nicer. He said it would take 2 – 3 hours, and it did. It was a very thorough check up for all systems, They check off good, ok, unacceptable. Jacob’s mechanic found a few things that wee unacceptable. I knew I need a valve cover gasket and have a leak. That was confirmed. I also have a leaking seal by the timing belt. That was confirmed. Jacob himself drove my car and found the idle rough. Sure, I need 2 engine mounts. So, that was confirmed. He found my transmission a little rough. Well, it is a 21 year old Honda. They showed me a screw in one of my new tires and said $ 25 to patch. I declined as I had another patch for less near where I live. Jacob said he would charge the same.
It turned out that the screw was in the recessed part and did not penetrate the tire and Jacob told me so. That was so honest. I would not have known. That gave me good feeling.
Another customer with a 1998 Camry came in and after hearing her story, I decided not to have my car painted all over. She had been in one accident and the other party’s insurance gave her a check. She found an inexpensive body shop and had her car repaired and painted. Then she had another bad accident and again, the other party’s insurance paid her. They totaled her car. and paid her. She had her car fixed and painted and it has nicks and scrapes from people who sideswiped her. I have a carport and not an enclosed garage. I have been vandalized an dburgled twice. I have a door with key marks and I thought if I have my whole car painted like new, I would be so pissed if people did these things. So, for now, I am only having my trunk fixed. My car does not look bad. It does not look new. And, I will put money into the mechanical things. Jacob told me which ones were he most important. My car is still good and he said also «Don’t paint the whole car.» Fix certain things and keep driving it.
I found them thorough and honest. And, while I have used the Auto Club’s 89 point check up, when I bought used cars. It was invaluable. I highly recommend it if you have an older car just to be sure what it will need in the future. That way no surprises. His check up verified what I knew and some things were added to my list.
They have a convenience store for snacks and drinks and I went across the street to a mini mall for lunch. I sat on the bench and waited for my car.
I recommend both Jacob’s A-​1 Shell and the Auto Club’s 89 point check up.
Audrey Linden
July 18, 2012

I trust these guys and I can give no higher compliment to a mechanic.
Jacob remembered me from 2 years ago when I brought in a car to have him check out and see if I should buy it (I didn’t per his advice) and he even said that I should call him if I had any questions about cars before I bring them in to be checked out and he would advise me free of charge. This is why I made the drive all the way from West Hollywood when my car’s steering wheel was having issues.
They quickly figured out that I needed a new rim on one of my tires, but then also I might need to fix the suspension. He then even called around a few junk yards for me to see if he could get one at a decent price, but since it’s an unusual car, we had no such luck. New rim costs $ 179 and the labor was only $ 25. They ordered for me right away and called me the next day when they got it, installed the new rim in about ten minutes, checked the suspension, and everything checked out! I’m having them do some work on the weather strip next week and Ron just told me to call him the day before and he would schedule me an appointment.
Ron and Jacob are nice, straightforward, good people and fast workers! I highly recommend A-​1 Shell for auto repairs!

This place is a complete scam — I agree with the previous review by Trader J that suggests the AAA drivers get a kick-​back for bringing people here.
My car overheated near the 10, so I called AAA and asked for a tow. They suggested a center near me (in Redondo) with a nighttime drop-​off. When the driver arrived, he insisted that the place didn’t have a nighttime drop-​off and suggested A-​1 instead. I should have suspected something was up, but I went along with it. The next morning, I called the station for an estimate — $ 1200 for a water pump/​timing belt replacement. I called 3 other places, all of which thought $ 750 – 850 was more appropriate. I called AAA, who agreed to tow the car elsewhere free of charge (since they probably realized I was getting scammed). A-​1 still had the audacity to charge $ 90 for a «diagnostic» fee.
Also, just as Trader J mentioned, there are always plenty of AAA drivers hanging around this station. It couldn’t be more obvious that this place is giving out kick-​backs. Definitely lodging an official complaint to AAA to get their approval removed.
DO NOT GO HERE

First off, I wish I could give 3.5 stars, because I don’t think they deserve 4. So, I’m rounding down to 3.
I was on the 405 going north when my car just overheated right past the 10. I called AAA and asked them where to get it repaired so the tow truck guy recommended this A-​1 Shell (this Shell is also AAA approved). So he takes it there and because it’s after hours (most places apparently close before 6:30 pm), I had to leave my key with gas station guy overnight and they would take care of the problem in the morning. Luckily, I live about 1.5 miles away so I could walk there, but otherwise it would have been a pain to deal with (I think there should be some late night mechanics– what are people supposed to do when their car breaks down late at night?).
Anyway, since they didn’t give me a call the next morning, I called them around 7:45 and apparently had to remind them my car was there for service. I think Jacob took my call and told me that he would diagnose my car and then call to tell me how much it would (nice of him to do that). The diagnostics took a lot longer than I would have liked, but he did call me and gave me a breakdown of what he was going to do. He also told me that it would be ready by noon. I had to call them to find out if my car was ready or not. Once I picked up my car, I noticed that they had changed things around when they went for a test drive. And my shifter was way smoother (manual tranny).
When I looked at the itemized breakdown of charges, I noticed that it wasn’t unreasonable, but what WAS unreasonable was the labor charges. Sure, a new radiator might be $ 200, but I do NOT think replacing a radiator and thermostat should have cost me $ 635! It was more expensive to put in a new radiator on this Toyota than it was to repair my cooling system on my Mercedes!
Overall, they were nice and friendly, but I don’t think I’ll be coming back here.

WARNING — This repair station is a COMPLETE RIPOFF.
My girlfriend who lives around the block had her car towed here when her battery failed. She later told me they charged her $ 240 for a battery!!! Oh, wait, it was really only $ 140 for the battery, but another $ 100 in labor and «battery tests» for a total of $ 240!!! She literally had to hold me back from me going and giving them a piece of my mind. The dealership which is the most expensive place to get car repairs is FAR CHEAPER than this place.
These guys PREY on people who don’t know anything about automotive repair/​maintenance. If you are a single woman, stay as far as possible from this place. These guys are scam artists.
On another note: There is a towing place right next to their station (authorized AAA tow). I suspect this repair station gives big kick-​backs to the tow guys who bring unsuspecting customer’s broken down vehicle to this shop. I always see lots of tow trucks and the tow guys hanging around and talking to these guys. These may even be related companies. The scam is to take advantage of desperate people whose cars have just broken down.

Car overheated going North on the 405 (morning commute) near the getty.
Said my car had a blown head gasket then pressed hard to get me to go to a dealer to get it fixed. I suspect they didn’t even check the car, or at least even did a simple inspection.
Then, when I was getting it towed to another place I found on Unilocal (I’ll get to them later), he said he was going to give me 20 $ off the «inspection» because he said he felt sorry for me or whatever. After the ‘discount’ was $ 60. Then I remembered the AAA lady said I get a discount for being a AAA member, and asked for that discount too. He said that was the discount he just gave me. Yeah, I guess he wasn’t all that nice after all.
When I was getting it towed, some of the mechanics were making fun of me for blowing my engine. Thanks. Insult to Injury (to the checkbook)
So I took it to A Right Solution here:
Literally within 5 minutes, WHILE I WAS THERE, Walter showed me the problem. It was just fan malfunction which got my car to overheat which blew some hoses. That’s it. Went from a minimum $ 3000 to a little over $ 300.
Note: A Right Solution doesn’t only do Saab’s. Walter is amazing and you can call him up anytime and he’ll tell you what he thinks. Real nice, straight up king of guy. Once you go there, you’ll be hooked as evident from his shop ALWAYS being full.