Alse Auto Repair

Hands down the best, no nonsense, inexpensive and honest mechanics I’ve been to! Highly recommend…

They were quick to help, staff is very friendly and we were taken care of. Thank you!

This place is awesome. Sam and Alex did an incredible job! I was pretty frustrated as I was rear ended and the other party was being difficult to deal with. Once everything was squared away through insurance, ALSE took beautiful care of my Tacoma. They even went around and fixed up other small unrelated scratches, free of charge. Repairs only took two days. Highly recommend coming here! Customer service was above and beyond. Thanks ALSE

My grandma needed repairs to be done on her old-​mobile vehicle, so I used my good friend’s suggestion to go with Alse Auto Repair. Well, they did estimate really quick, asking price didn’t bite at all, so we’ve decided to use them. The whole process only took a couple of days, and job was finished on time. I think these guys provide trustworthy and reliable service, they tell upfront how much it cost and how long the project takes, so there’re going to be no extra or hidden charges. I am definitely will use them again whenever My grandma’s driving automobile needs some TLC or simply check-​n-​change. Great job.

I was really disappointed when my Toyota 4 runner got into an accident. It wasn’t even my fault! The car is pretty tough but when I got hit from the side, the door was damaged in addition to the body and frame. My insurance wanted to take me to a different body shop but I made them take me here based on the good reviews.
When my work was completed I couldn’t believe my eyes! The car looked better than the day I got it. These guys are the real deal. They do a fantastic job and take the time and care necessary to make your car good as new. While the insurance covered the costs basically, I looked at the itemized list of repairs and it was actually quite reasonable. They also were very good at communicating how long the repairs would take and when it would be ready. I would definitely go here again!

Today must be my lucky day. Lon did a quick and affordable smog check for me. The shop is kind of in the hood, and is outdoors, and a little messy like most automotive establishments but who cares. I’m there to get a smog test done and it was fast, easy, Lon was friendly. Just a heads up its not possible to turn in to this place while driving east in El Cajon blvd, easiest approach is to come 15 south, head WEST on El Cajon blvd and the place is just ahead on the right next to a used car lot. Missing the turn was about the only thing I can complain about with this place :)

Sam and Alex are great, they are gentlemen.
they fix car right and charge fair price for it.
I don’t see a problem, if you like pay for nice waiting room and coffee in big dealership, go for it.
but for independent body shop Alse is great.
been using them for 5 years„ no problem at all.

I went to Alse Auto the other day to get a quote on some bumper damage, and was pleasantly surprised to find that their quote was $ 350.00 less than a quote I had for the same job with another company. But, that was just the tip of the iceberg. Alex helped me initially and he couldn’t have been nicer. I was then turned over to Sam and, like Alex, was very helpful; they both really cared about my car and giving me the best service. When I went back a few days later to have the bumper installed, I was extremely pleased with the job: the paint matched perfectly and it was installed with the utmost of professionalism.
Not only would I go back (which I hope I don’t need right away) for any type of repair, I will recommend this shop to my friends. I took several business cards to hand out. Thank you Alex and Sam.
Char K.

These guys are the best! Sam always takes good care of all of my cars and treats them as if he was working on his own car. I highly recommend him to all my friends and they always leave happy!

These guys are the best. I am so happy I was referred here. Those of you taking your cars to dealerships, I am sorry! Try these guys out and you won’t be disappointed and your wallet will thank you.

This place is a total dump. The staff are assholes and over paid day labores with no papers. They tried to charge me 735.00 to paint a bumper on the 2003 Toyota Camry.
(Rip off!!) I got a quat from Toyota San Diego to do the same job for $ 480.00 so they charge more for the same job then the Toyota dealer??? Avoid this place at all cost

This place is a joke. They did a minor repair on my 2013 Fiat 500. When they color sanded the hood they messed up a brand-​new headlight and refused to do anything about it. They told me I can’t prove it even though the car only has 300 miles and it’s a 2013. You can clearly see that the headlight was burned by the buffer. Don’t take your car here worst customer service in San Diego

These guys charge wayyyy too much! I got an estimate for work and then I went to another shop to compare prices and this shop was 75% more than the other. In addition to the ridiculous prices, you have to deal with the scary old Russian guy who is super rude. Go here if you like to over pay and deal with terrible customer service.

Did a great job with my car! All the repairs done well in a timely manner. would recommend it.

I took my 2006 chrysler to this shop to be painted and have some body work done on it. I chose the shop beacause it was close to my house. I Unilocaled the business to see if they have any reviews and they did not. At first everything seemed ok and legit. I was told the car would be done on 3-​31-​2011. I explained to the owner that I had a rental and it was costing me 40 per day so he assured me it would done on time. He kepted calling me and raising his quote. I told him I was on a tight budget but told him to continue with the work. Well finally the car was done today. There was a low paint spot to the point where you could actually see the body work and primer under the paint. there was also a very nasty scuff on the hood. Overall I was excited at first it look really good. So when I mentioned the low paint spot, he said it would cost me even more money to repaint, basically charging me for their mistake and bad workmanship.
He overall had the nastiest character and I felt like he was trying to shake me down for more
this point it costing me more money having this rental so I told him to continue and paint the fender and hood properly. He had the intentions of giving me the car back and when I noticed the low paint spot he tried to talk his way out of redoing it with all kinds of excuses that didnt make any sense. They part that really upset me was how he tried and make me feel guilty for his bad worksmanship. he mentioned it’s going to cost him more money to repaint the car.etc. Obviously not no problem, If the job was done right the first time, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I am supposed to pick up the car in the am. I just feel I need to report this beacuse I’m sure this is not the first time someone has been duped by his dishonestly and bad business.
Thank you in advance for listening.

Perks of living in the hood:
Lots of culture
Lots of gunshots
Lots of Mariachi
and lots of shady auto repair shops
Finding Alse auto was seriously a Godsend. I went there to get my brakes replaced. They did it in 30 minutes while I was sitting there watching them.
I’ve since sent my roommate there and he loved them as well. Plus, going here makes me feel like I’m a Russian mob boss. Go there and you’ll understand.

One thing you should know about me… mama LOVES any and all shady ‘hood hookups. I once spent 12 hours down in TJ to get close to 1K of body work done for $ 250. Holla! So when my bro and a former roommate waxed poetic about this place I was ’bout it ’bout it. Now its not for the faint of heart… you do have to brave the «mean» streets of City Heights near Hoover High School but I work close by so it was perfect for me.
The owner and the mechanic I dealt with, affectionately (or ominously) dubbed «The Russians» by my friends, were really nice and seemingly 100% bulls**t free. I get it, I have boobs and am therefore genetically predisposed to a lack of auto knowledge. I never felt like they were talking down to me or trying to pad my quote.
The bottom line. They replaced my brakes, rotors, etc. for $ 210 including labor. I’m so thrilled to pieces with their work and how quickly they got it done that I’m planning on getting my body work done there too.

We’ve been happy with this shop. We have been going to it for over 7 years, doing most repairs of two cars with them.
The only disadvantage for us is that it is a long drive for us (from UTC area), but this is not their fault. That’s why some jobs, especially such as oil change, were done at a place near our home.
Alex and Sem, the owners of the shop are honest people and knowledgeable mechanics with over 20 years of experience.
They have very reasonable straight-​forward prices (no coupon or specials games). On several occasions having repairs done with ALSE Auto saved us up to 15−20% compared to other shops. How? They don’t charge as much for labor (or should I say ‘they don’t overcharge’?!).
You won’t get extra perks at their office such as coffee or donuts, but they are not a coffee shop, are they?
They don’t want to waste anybody’s time, but
they take time to explain the problem and possible solutions to the customer. My wife noted on several occasions that they explain things in detail to her and to other female customers that she observed.
I have not seen them suggesting any unreasonable repairs. On opposite, they suggested me not to do some replacements that another shop (Boulevard Automotive in PB/​La Jolla) recommended, and demonstrated why those are not really needed.
I always see them busy, so, sometimes you might need to wait until they can work on your car, but they always ask you right away about your problem.
If you bring your car early in the morning when they just opened, — there is a good chance that they might start working on it right away.
It is hard to find an auto-​mechanic you can trust. We are happy with these guys.