Cliff Brown Automotive

LOVE THIS PLACE! Barry and his staff are all absolutely awesome. If o could give them 10 stars I would. My biggest worry with going to car repair shops is being over charged, it’s almost like the dentist, they always find a reason for you to pay more or to have to come back. Not this place. Their prices are fair, and their work is done in a timely matter and everyone is super nice. For someone who grew up in a small family owned car repair shop, this place makes me feel like I’m home. It’s hard to find a good, honest and fair priced car shop. I have had a handful of repairs and replacements done here, from oil changes, head light replacement and now a new rim installed, and I have never had a negative experience.

Honest, knowledgeable, and fair prices. And they continually turn my car around same day, even when it’s extensive work. It took me 4 mechanics around SD before I found one I’m happy with. They know everything from classic American muscle cars to modern foreign cars and everything in between.

I used Cliff Brown Automotive on a weekend when my car’s window got stuck in the down position because it was the nearest auto shop that was open. The mechanic told me that the motor for the power window had to be replaced. He was able to fit my car into his schedule and fix the window in a few hours but the price ended up being $ 349.

Cliff Brown is truly the best place to go when you have to get your car repaired or serviced. I mean, who really LIKES spending your hard earned money on car– related stuff that no one sees, but then again, we need to keep the wheels greased so we can keep that car on the road!
I go all the way down to University Heights from Carlsbad, because I feel confident that I am getting the best value for my car-​repair dollar. When Barry says something needs to be done on my car, I believe and trust him, and know he’s not sending me down the merry La-​la land path that so many disreputable car mechanics do.
The charges for service with Cliff Brown are always less than I’ve paid other places, and I know that it is done right, quickly and fairly. There is a very good reason you see so many 5 star reviews on this place– they have earned it!
In addition, they are open on Sunday– who does THAT in this industry?

My daughter had this place recommended by a tow truck driver. The estimate was way over $ 2000. When she had the car towed to a second shop for another opinion, the second tow truck driver looked at the estimate and said the parts they wanted to replace were not the ones that needed to be replaced and he showed her proof. The second garage fixed the car for $ 113. They agreed that the automotive place was trying to replace things that were not broken. Using this repair place would have been a costly mistake.

I dropped my car off Saturday night at Cliff Brown Automotive. Barry, the Manager surprised me with a phone call today (Sunday morning) to tell me they would fix my car by Monday. I am happy with the service and price to replace my starter on a SUNDAY!!! AWESOME!!!

Cliff Brown Automotive was recommended to us by a tow truck driver almost 15 years ago. They are always fast, thorough and under budget! We can leave and pick up our vehicle before and after hours, and they explain everything.
We won’t go anywhere else.

I’m pretty new to San Diego so when my evaporator went out, I was panicked to find a good place to get it fixed. We called all over the city to try and find a place that wasn’t going to charge us a million dollars for a $ 100 part! We called Cliff Brown’s for a quote and they were $ 700 cheaper than any other place that we called. I was skeptical but, why not!
We took my car in early on a Monday morning. They were incredibly nice and again quoted us exactly what they had quoted on the phone. I’m still skeptical because it’s so much cheaper than everywhere else.
I picked up my car a few days later. Everything was fixed, my AC works great. Best part, my total was EXACTLY what I was quoted over the phone and in person. Not one dollar added!
This will be my mechanic from now on!

Went there first thing in the morning, Pennysaver in hand, to get a smog check. I almost didn’t believe it would actually only cost $ 27, total. But it did. Not that they were mean or anything but I was hoping for a slightly more friendly reception, maybe a smile? Anyway, although the place itself is grubby, the location across from Lestat’s is great. Relaxed with an Italian soda while they ran the test. When I returned, the guy said he was done, which worried me. Why didn’t he say it passed? He explained there was some extra work because of aftermarket parts, and luckily he had enough info to get it done, and, oh yeah, it passed. Can’t complain!

I’ve been taking my cars to Cliff Brown for years. I’ve never had anything except excellent service. I read a review where a reviewer was attempting to slam Barry for diving a beater, well that old truck has a ton of miles, it’s a testament to keeping you on the road. Yes the exterior is a tad shabby but it’s a garage not a club, expect some grease. The service is great, quick, and priced fair. I’m going there today for my routine maintenance. Five stars.

Take a good look at this place. That should tell you everything. But look at what Barry drives (a beat-​up dirty truck,) and ponder that for a minute. You would think the manager of an car repair shop has a nice ride. He takes that heap to work ’cause he’s afraid of the customers he ripped off.

I went down to San Diego Smog and Auto Repair with my 20 $ smog check coupon but their machine was down. They recommended Cliff Brown down the block so I decided to give them a try. As soon as I pulled up a very friendly worker asked me what I needed. After I explained the situation, he was happy to honor my coupon. He told me I was there was one car in front of me in line and but still had my car finished before I finished lunch! Because of the good experience I had I asked him his pricing on a couple of maintenance items I needed done on my wife’s car, and it was very reasonable so I will be back there very soon.

Ok! I have been coming to Cliff Brown for about 15 years! They are absolutely the most reliable and honest people I know. Barry is the coolest guy! He just saved me from a flat tire today. I can call him and he takes care of me immediately! No stress with him and Cliff Brown around! Thx!

I took my car to Cliff Brown Automotive to get a brake inspection. I didn’t suspect anything was wrong with the brakes or brake system; I had just bought the car and wanted to have a peace of mind in making sure everything was working properly. I dropped off the car, got a call back 2 hours later from Barry, who explained it was ready to pick up. Barry explained to me what he «thought» was wrong with the car:
1. The front right caliper was stuck
2. The sway bar links needed to be replaced
3. The 2 outer tie rods needed to be replaced
4. The shocks needed to be replaced
All of these repairs would cost me over $ 1,000 according to Barry’s listing prices.
Before I decide on spending that much money on parts and labors, I like to get second opinions from other repair shops to verify if those repairs are even necessary. I took my car to Pep Boys and they explained to me nothing was wrong with any of the following parts listed above. Instead, they «SHOWED» me the slight cracks in my front brake pads and suggested I replace my two front rotors.
Since I got two different evaluation results for the brake system, I decided to drive my car from San Diego all the way up to Menifee to my friends repair shop to get an ACCURATE evaluation. It comes out Barry was wrong and Pep Boys was right.
I called Barry the next day to ask him how he ruled out the replacement of all the parts listed above. He seemed very short fused. He explained that when he lifted my car and attempted to spin the wheel, there was some resistance, which is why he concluded the caliper to be stuck. If the caliper was stuck, I wouldn’t even have a properly working brake pedal and it would be quite noticeable. Furthermore, he said the joint inside the sway bar links was broken and the sway bar link was bent. Did he even disassemble the parts? How would he know that?! I saw it for myself and it was not bent and very sturdy.
Don’t trust Barry or his mechanics. I asked him if he could show me the proof of all of the «problematic parts» and he simply said NO. What a waste of my $ 18.95 for such an inaccurate brake system evaluation.

SCAM ARTISTS! All positive reviews are from shop employee’s family and friends. Avoid this shop if u know what’s best for u!!! Read the one star reviews before considering BARRY and his crew!

I recently moved to SD and needed a smog certification to register my car in CA. I only chose this place because it’s a few blocks from my house and I saw an ad for it in the Pennysaver. I called and they right up front told me the cost ($ 50) and expected wait time, which was actually really helpful. Unfortunately the coupon in the Pennysaver doesn’t count toward registration transfers but it does count for registration renewals, so if you can, look in the Pennysaver for a coupon for a $ 19 smog check. When I got there the guys were really friendly and personable. They called me when my car was ready, which was in less than an hour. The place is in a good location as there is a lot to walk to on Park to keep busy.
The one thing I didn’t like about this place was that the guy decided to tell me I had a lot of things wrong with my car when I didn’t ask him for this list. Oh well. Still, this place is good enough for a smog check.

I was referred through the grapevine for a smog diagnostic and repair, mainly because they have experience with Volvos and Mercedes. I was told by a couple other mechanics elsewhere that one of the components (the EHA valve) is «plug and play» (the price is ~ $ 240 for a new one and it is a special order item) and I did my research.
The diagnostic is $ 90. Compare this to a certain place that charges $ 240. To be honest with most readers, most auto repair shops refuse to do any work without a diagnostic. With a smog test it is required; if you decide to «easter egg» and change parts, the cost doesn’t count.

I got a call while I was riding the bus back to work with the work that needed to be done (bad resonator and attempt to adjust fuel injection before replacing a rather expensive fuel distributor). 2 hours later I was told that the adjustments were successful. I picked the car up later that evening and passed the smog test with flying colors. The total price was only slightly more than the cost of the diagnostic alone at the other place (and I am sure that I would have ended up paying $ 1000).

This POS place doesn’t even deserve one star. I went here due to a recommendation by a friend. I knew exactly what needed to be done and the man refused. He states that I have to pay for a whole diagnostic. No I will not pay when I already know exactly what was wrong with my car. The man was rude and very hostile and was demeaning to women. I would never recommend this place. They were awful

Been going here off and on since 2006. First few trips for repairs were pretty good. then the work started getting sloppy. I’d get home from having work done on the car, open the hood because I notice something funky on the way home and I find loose or disconnected vacuum hoses, inter-​cooler piping not secured and throttle body hoses improperly installed which lead to boost leaks and poor driving. This happened on more than one occasion.
Last time in I had them do an alignment. Got the car on the road and it kept pulling to the right. Took it back and was told it was because of the crown/​slope in the roadway. Not in the mood to argue about it I took the car to an alignment shop and sure enough, the alignment was out of whack. The alignment shop did a ’ good –will ’ alignment for me, got a print out of the work done and sure enough, it tracked straight as an arrow.
Don’t know what happened since those first few times. I’ve also noticed a pretty good turnover in mechanics. That could be the issue.

Took my car here to get a smog check. Instead of saying «Hey, this won’t pass with the check engine light on», they ran the tests, let the state know my ride failed and took my $ 50. My asshole hurts after going here. I’m guessing these are the types of mechanics that clean up on the naïve.
Too bad Advantec doesn’t do smog tests. At very least he’d have been honest with me up front rather than run a quick $ 50 grift job.
They were nice enough guys. Then again, Ted Bundy was a pretty swell chap too.