Pacific Beach Certified Auto

Steve and Liz are the nicest people ever and will do great work on your car!

Best family run auto repair around… Stevie Q and Liz are the best!!!

So so friendly and very accommodating. They will take the time to explain the issue at hand and even offer a test drive together to confirm the problem/​confirm the problem is fixed. Would highly recommend!

Came in cause my coolant sensor was going on. They filled up my coolant for free no charge amazing service !! In and out under 5 min.

Best auto shop in San Diego, honest, friendly people.
They fix the transmission of my jeep wrangler 08 for a great price and super fast.
100% recommended.

I happened upon PB Certified when my girlfriend’s car broke down near her work down in PB. I don’t know the area, so I went with closest place (that had solid Unilocal reviews). BOY DID I LUCK OUT! They did a great job and were extremely nice. I felt like a life long customer from the moment that I walked through the door.
The iceing on the cake was that I had to head back up north before they were done with the car and they dropped the car off at my girlfriend’s work, since she couldnt leave before they would be closed. THATS customer service!
I would recommend them to ANYONE!

Thought about this one for a bit, but with new info I know that this will help people.
I went into PB Certified (PBC, at times here) with two issues, and was quoted a fee for diagnostic labor. I thought the quote was high, but I figured they may be good at what they do, and I am willing to pay for quality. I didn’t know how high it was until the problem was handled elsewhere, and in hindsight, it is clear that I didn’t get what I paid for.
As I said, I had two issues with my vehicle.
The first issue — I now know — was related to a faulty ignition relay. PBC discovered this issue, and narrowed it to the relay in the electrical system. As the issue was yielding an inconsistent result (car starting intermittently), they began by replacing the relay to test (which I was not charged for), but it still functioned intermittently. Over the next few days, they kept my car, and updated me periodically with «still nothing!» in terms of a remedy. After 5 or 6 days (I believe) I finally, I told them to stop working on the issue as they admitted they were stumped. Fair enough, I suppose. Diagnostic fee lost; «maybe it is a more complex issue?», I thought at the time.
So what was the issue? The connections on the plug on the relay in question were rustled loose. If one were to look at the plug with any scrutiny (as I now have), the conclusion would be inescapable. When you pick up the sensor, the wires clearly fall out of their plastic fitting (but I am not going to describe it further here). Especially given that they tried another (presumably functioning) part, and the intermittance of the issue, I cannot understand how the fitting was not investigated, especially given the high diagnostic fee (as compared to the shop that actually fixed it today) as such a fee should imply that a thorough inspection will be done. How it was overlooked by PBC is baffling, but again, they didn’t end up charging for a repair, and I do not consider incompetence to be malicious.
The second issue was regarding the transmission, in that it would not shift into overdrive at high speed (when it should engage). While PBC did not claim to be experts in transmission repair, they assured me that it is usually an overdrive relay, which they would check, and then replace if necessary. I would like to emphasize «check» and «if necessary» in that sentence.
When I returned following the initial diagnostic — when I got: «we’re still working!» regarding problem #1 for the first time — I was informed that the issue was in fact the overdrive relay, and they would replace it for a price beyond the diagnostic fee. I agreed, and they apparently performed the work (I haven’t pulled my transmission to verify this).
I returned to pick up the car, wrote PBC a check for the work, and I then immediately drove the vehicle on the freeway. Sure enough, it would not shift into overdrive (as of this writing, it still doesn’t). Not once, and not at all. I tried downshifting to a lower gear, engaging the overdrive button, shifting to neutral, everything I could think of, etc. to no avail.
I called PBC back regarding this issue, and spoke to the owner, who informed me he thought that was strange, as «it was» shifting into overdrive, after they did the work. I was told to bring the car back for them to look at it again, and when I did, and they’d looked again, PBC informed me that it was «something else» but that they aren’t experts in transmissions, and offered me a referral and coupon to a transmission expert.
It was at this point that I decided to cut my losses, and find a mechanic who was interested in fixing my car.
Many of the reviews here reference the fact that «they explain it to you» as you go along, and I understand that is comforting to people. Certainly they do – they even printed out a diagram of the service light reset and where I can find it, as they weren’t going to switch it; thanks — but on the overdrive issue, there was no explanation It was, «we replaced it, and it was working, now it doesn’t, go away». Although it is impossible to prove, I very much doubt that it «was working», as it never worked for me and I drove right off of their lot and straight to the freeway, where my car was at 4800 RPMs at 60 mph, and not in overdrive.
I don’t doubt that they replaced the overdrive relay (but I don’t really know), but since the work they did, didn’t fix the issue, and especially in light of the clear oversight regarding the first issue, I do doubt that they did any significant investigation into the route of the problem. Nevertheless, they were more than happy for me to pay a premium for a diagnosis, and to take my money to replace parts on my car, with no positive results.
Since this is not an advertisement, I am not going to plug for where I’ve ended up (and happily so), but feel free to PM me and I will let you know.
PBC is zero-​for-​two on my vehicle, and I am out no small sum of money for nothing. I do not recommend PB Certified.

IF…
You’re not a car-​guy and need someone you can trust.
You’re not from the area and need a reliable team to work on your car.
You don’t want to go to Jiffy Lube (no offense to those guys).
You’re a grown-​up and able to make an appointment (although not always necessary).
You’re willing to pay for what you get (these guys are fairly priced, but an oil change probably does cost more than Jiffy Lube).
Had a neighborhood mechanic before you lived in San Diego and yearn for someone that gives a darn for customer service and a job well done.
You like nice people.
You live in the North PB /​South Birdrock area…
Then this is your local garage.
No one ever WANTS to take there car in. But when you need to, you should go here.

Very Honest Upstanding Business
Very sweet couple who manage/​own shop
Helped me with figuring out lingering problems on my 2003 G35.
One Occasion, had noise issue with belts, did not charge me, let me take the car to test it out for a week before paying.
Highly Recommended!

I am so impressed by this auto repair shop. You can not go wrong here — they know cars and can explain it to you so you know what is going on also.
I have brought several cars here over the years as a local PB person and never have had a problem after a repair. Plus everyone is nice.

Wow you guys who put 5 stars must be all independently wealthy… this place is way over priced… mostly cuz they take twice as long to fix basic problems… therefore charge for labor is 2x. Unless its an emergency its crazy to pay those costs.

super friendly and seem really honest. plus, they don’t seem to have a problem with you bringing in your own parts to have them install (i.e., if you can find them much cheaper online).

Well, trying to save a buck and change my own oil as I have done on all of my previous cars, I drained the transmission fluid on my new car and had to have it towed to PB Certified. Steve and Elizabeth were more than understanding. They replced the oil and transmission fluid and also, as in previous visits, asked me if I needed a ride home.
They also have the best licorice! ;-)

Fords, Chevy’s, Lexus and if my kids Big Wheel breaks down, I’m bringing it here!
The only place I will bring any of our cars.
Going to Baja? Steve will get it ready for you! I’m sure he just winced at that and can’t guarantee anything but I feel so much better knowing they’ve looked over it.
They’re locals and support the community to boot.
Great people, Great Shop!

Absolutely the best Auto business in PB. Rarely do you find an honest mechanic, but you will at PB certified. And the gal that runs it is nice and professional.

This is a family owned place, and it shows. I have literally never received such good customer service in my life. I brought in my BMW M3 for a repair, so they know their way around BMWs. It’s rare that I go on Unilocal just to review one place, but that’s how good they are. Five stars!

This family run shop is amazing!!! I’ve taken my volvo here several times and they have fixed it for a completely fair price and they even gave me a ride home! I would highly recommend this shop to anyone and if they can’t fix your problem they will refer to someone who can