Japanese Motor

I have to admit that I was nervous (reading Unilocal reviews) on bringing our truck here to get fixed six months ago but my husband’s good friend highly recommended Japanese Motors and BJ (the owner). We brought our truck in and BJ was very nice and knowledgeable and honest. We had three other quotes and BJ’s was the cheapest. Today I brought my car in cuz the radiator busted. BJ fixed it in a few hours and got me back on the road. We highly recommend Japanese Motors and BJ.

Walked in telling these guys exactly what I wanted fixed and they tried to get me for $ 90 «diagnosis fee» For what?! I’m telling you what I want fixed. Do yourself a favor and do what I did walk straight out.

This place is crazy. …they just need your money… well I took my car here because my passenger side window wasn’t going up… He diagnose it and found burn fuse and told me your widow motor is bad too… so I ordered one online and replaced it myself… Still not working. …I took it back and he said they are busy, come back later. …he’ll no I’m not going here anymore… Went home open the door cover saw the switch wire was completely cut and taped so I can’t see… I taped them back and it works… He could have charged me for joining those wires back that he cut…

I used to bring my Hondas here years ago. I immediately thought of them when I purchased an older Civic for my 16 year old son. I brought the car in for a timing belt, water pump and transmission flush. I received a phone call 2 hours later from the front office stating that I needed $ 600 in additional parts and labor for other things that the mechanic had identified as bad. I explained that I didn’t have that kind of money and asked them to do only the work that I had requested. To my surprise, I received a second call 10 minutes later from the mechanic himself. He explained that all $ 600 didn’t have to be done immediately but that there were some critical components that needed to be addressed & that would be cheaper to do now since that part of the engine was already open. He told me to forgo on the transmission flush and instead change the tensioner and replace the seals that were leaking. All in all about and additional $ 100 in parts & labor. I’m so appreciative that he took the time to call and explain everything to me. He even told me that I might be able to do some of the other work myself since he knows that I’m handy with cars. The work comes with a two year or 25k warranty. I will definitely be bringing the car here for future work & would recommend them to anyone with a Honda. Thanks guys!!!

Brought my car here for a waterpump and turned out the timing belt needed to be replace also. I received a reasonable quote after shopping around and decided to go with these guys. The gentlemen behind the desk offered to give me a ride home so I wouldn’t have to wait which was really nice of him. I got a call the following day saying to come pick up my car! I haven’t had any issues and very happy with the overall service I received. I don’t take the time to write reviews often but after reading all the negative ones I just had too. There’s always two sides to every story.

First time here, I came in for a simple oil change when the guy at the front desk let me know that my car had a loose oil pan and the gasket was damaged. He was friendly, knowledgeable and let me know how much the cost of repair would be plus wait time. He said the wait time would be around 2 hours but it look a little long then that, he was nice enough to ask for my number and give me a call as soon as my car was done. When I arrived back to pick up my car he told me that my coolant was very low and would refill it for no extra charge. They were nice, knowledgable and affordable however the service was a bit in the slow side but then again I don’t work on cars and don’t know how much labor was put into it. I’m giving them 4 stars and will definitely come back to The Honda Specialist.

DO NOT GO TO THIS CHEATING /​INSINCERE SHOP!!!
You will either, 1) get scammed, or 2) get ripped off big time.
I fell for this one and felt really stupid after realizing it. I should have listened to people here on Unilocal.This place deserve a ZERO star (if I can give zero). People don’t give this place a low rating without a reason, and I totally understand how they felt now.
What happened to me was that on Friday (Oct-31−2014) I had my father to take my Honda Accord 1991 for a smog test (Note not in the same shop here because this one is not STAR certified).
The smog test didn’t pass the EVAP functional test /​pressure test, thus failing the smog check, but all other tests passed. However, the fact is that my car doesn’t really have any problem (please read on, you will know what I am talking about). Presumably thinking the EVAP system has problem, my father brought my Accord to this Japanese Motor shop. We had Japanese Motor to diagnose the EVAP system and figure out the problem, and potentially get it repaired there if the cost for repair is reasonable/​acceptable.
At this point, what it means by the EVAP system failing? It means the Fuel Vapor Capture system has a leak. When pressure test fails, it indicates a leak in the fuel system. A leak doesn’t mean fuel dripping out. It typically means there are micro-​cracks on the fuel pipe, a failing gasket/​o-​ring, or defective fuel cap, etc. But we don’t know the exact cause at that moment.
At first we tried to ask for a price for the whole check-​up and repair. The front door reception told us they need to diagnose the problem first. The cost would be $ 88 whether they find a problem or not. I then asked about the labor rate and a ballpark estimate for a typical EVAP system repair if there are any problem. They won’t tell me that. Because we didn’t want to find another shop (and didn’t check Unilocal before we go), we had authorize them to diagnose the vehicle.
After an hour of waiting (we watched them whole time and they didn’t really do much in that hour, to be honest with you), and they told me that they’ve «confirmed» a leak in the EVAP system, and would quote me a repair for $ 425.
Due to the high estimate of cost, we got scared away and decided to take a look at the problem ourselves at home. So after spending the weekend for tracing down the problem, we couldn’t find any problem at all. Later we decided to bring it to another shop for another inspection.
We brought the car to a friend-​referred shop on Monday, the shop tested the EVAP system (the whole pressure test and visual check kind of test) and found no flaws. No flaws… wtf… The shop then ran a smog test and PASSED. At that moment, I exploded and cussed at the first Smog shop and this Japanese Motor shop; more on this Japanese Motor shop.
On the retrospect, I understand sometimes smog test is not 100% correct, that’s why they have free re-​test if you failed the first time. I didn’t really blame the smog shop too much. But this Japanese Motor shop, they should have correctly tested my EVAP system and just tell me it has no problem. And my friend told me an EVAP pressure test + visual smoke test typically take about 20 – 25 minutes to complete. But this Jap motor shop took an hour to do. And we watched them and it really seemed like they were screwing around to pretend they’ve checked your car.
And also don’t forget to mention their attempt to charge you for the repair for $ 425. Seriously, man, they could have done nothing and claimed the car was repaired and get your money. I am highly disappointed and feel ashamed of this company of their malpractice and unethical actions.
Save yourself from hell and whole lot of trouble. DO NOT go to this shop. They focus on getting your money than to get thing done. Go to other shops in the nearby area, and there are plenty of them available.

Please! Do not take your car to get serviced here. I should have listened to people who left previous reviews when I had the chance. Unfortunately, I needed a whole new engine replaced and opted for the cheaper mechanic instead of the dealer. If only I could go back to that day.
What I can do is warn others not to take your car here!
I waited three weeks for my engine to be replaced on my Lexus is250 for what should’ve only taken 2 – 3 days at the most. After one week of waiting and promises that my car would be done «tomorrow, tomorrow» I decided to stop by and see how things were going with my vehicle. When I arrived there, the engine I purchased and had sent there was still sitting in the plastic it came in and the engine cover hadn’t even been removed. I complained to the person in charge, as any person in their right mind would do, and he kept giving me the run around.
After an additional week, and added cost for parts (new radiator, hoses, etc.) my car was finally done. With the money I spent for a rental car for 3 weeks ($ 1200) I should’ve left my car at the dealer to begin with, they would’ve provided me with a free rental car and excellent guaranteed service and certified mechanics.
not even a few weeks after I picked up my car for service, my car was leaking coolant everywhere and stalled on the way to bring the car back to Japanese motors. They claimed that it wasn’t their fault and that I must’ve hit a curb and caused damage to the radiator. BS! He also tried to say I already drove over the 3,000 miles covered in the «warranty» complete BS impossible for me to have driven that many miles in less than three weeks. I had paid for a brand new radiator and engine to be replaced, there should’ve been nothing wrong with my car. I spent well over $ 3,000.
Long story short, they ended up «fixing» the radiator. They failed to provide me copies of receipts of when they supposedly bought a new radiator and other parts.
It has been a week after they «fixed» their mess and my car is leaking coolant once again and my check engine light is back on.
I don’t even want to deal with these people, their mechanics have no idea what they’re doing and the person in charge feeds you complete bs.
Please! save yourself the misery, do not get your vehicle serviced by these scam artists.
Needles to say, I will be taking my vehicle back to toyota dealer to get an inspection and save myself from the stress and extra added costs to keep fixing my vehicle with japanese motors.

If I could give this place a zero star I would, I brought my honda here many times and all they do is take my money and nothing was fix, they fix the wrong stuff and then charge me an arm an a leg. Don’t waste your time and money here. I took my car to another place and they fix the car for less and they said this place don’t know what they’re doing.

I brought my truck there today to get a smog test. I brought the coupon from the Penny Saver and the young kid said «no problem» and then showed the owner (I assume the guy behind the counter) and then told me that it would be at least an hour and a half. I was fine with that and told him I would wait. So then he said that my truck probably needs a «test only» station and recommended that I might want to take it somewhere else. He then told the mechanic to check and see if it’s a «test only» (even though my DMV paperwork does not state this)…the mechanic came by a few minutes later and asked to speak with the guy privately… they went out and then came back in and he told me that «Yup…your truck is „test only“» so he couldn’t do it. I walked out knowing that he just didn’t want to honor the coupon from the Penny Saver. I went to Ed’s Automotive (whom I highly recommend) which is located a couple blocks away and not only is my truck NOT a «test only» but it passed no problem and I received a great deal.
This person blatantly lied… the only reason I can understand is that he did not want to honor the coupon…(then why have a coupon available at all)
Horrible Horrible Horrible… I would not recommend at all and I am, in fact, going to report them to the BBB as well…
He should not be allowed to continue doing business while lying to customers.

They did not fix my problem took my car here 3 – 4 times to get it fix but they are always sitting on their a** and taking their sweet time and my car not even fixed worst customer service ever ! Think twice before you take your car here

This place has the sign that says smog check also so I came here 4 times and never got any help. This place is ridiculous. The 2 first time I came they said they weren’t star certified and appointed us to another across from them. And the 3^rd time we came they said the guy that does the smog is on lunch and this last time we came here they told us that the machine was down. I don’t recommend this place to anyone if they are planning to smog their cars.

My original post was in ⁷⁄₂₀₀₉. I don’t know why it took me four long years to repost some information. This is just an updated information. This place doesn’t deserve any star. Z-​E-​R-​O!!! After resolving my issue with them thru «BARS» and almost a year in 8/​2010, my car was due for a smog check. Well guys… guess what!?! It didn’t pass! I find out that one of the hose has been CUT! It comes to my mind to think back that Japanese Motor was the only place that have touched my car. and it was a new clean straight cut thru the thick hose. I believe they did that in a way of getting back. Shame on a shady business!

Good custom service (that you can find any other places) but the price is too high and they are focus on getting the money out of your pocket too much. I wait about hour and a half to get the diagnostic test done. i was so stupid going in there because i think i was gonna end up let them fix my car and waived diagnostic fee (and they keep remind me about this fee that I have to take care of). Unfortunately, their quote was about $ 370 for part and $ 320 for labor. I negotiated with them, they reduce down the labor to $ 260. I end up call other shop and I found A&C auto shop, Mike, the owner is not even ask for the diagnostic fee. He said he is not charging just to look at it. I stop by the next day, Mike diagnosis free of charge in an half hour and get my car fix within an hour.

Worst auto repair shop I’ve been to. They lied to me, ripped me off (way overcharged me for parts), did NOT fix my car by the time they told me, and in the end, my car was NOT even fixed right. Now I have to find another repair shop and spend alot more money to have it repaired. Before going to any auto repair shop, check with BBB and the BAR (Bureau of Auto Repair) about how many complaints that shop has had and its reputation. Wish I had done that in the first place, lesson learned.

This place is horrible! I paid $ 700 plus some to fix my A/​C and guess what it still doesn’t work do not go here!

Great sevice! They are very detailed with their inspection. I like most how they gave me all my options without pushing me to get everything done! They don’t say, «Would you like to change you air filter? It’s recommended every time you come in!» Thanks guys

ugh. let’s just say frustrating. they really didn’t get things done as they say they would. maybe go here if you have the time to wait around for a few days.