Del Mar Auto

I asked if they did pre-​purchase inspections on used cars. Guy asked me what car, to which I replied «probably a Ford». Then he paused for a second, and in the most condescending manner, he said, «can’t you do better than that? Why not get a Honda? A Toyota?»
So here I am writing this review, thinking: «Probably not, but I can do better than giving my business to you.»

Okay I am really mad I called this guy yesterday and told him if I could come in today for an oil change he said okay I said at 3
I was Able to go in earlier today because I cancelled some plans and he didn’t want to do my oil change he said I said three and he could do it so okay I said okay thank you and I went back at 2:50 almost 3 he got there and tells me no he couldn’t do it anymore that I said I wasn’t going to go back! I never said I wasn’t going back I just said okay thank you I even asked him so I come at three and he said yes so I don’t know why he said no that made no sense now I’m really mad
Now I have to find another place to do my oil change I wasted my whole morning doing nothing waiting for three! And I don’t even live by here so I had to sit in my car and wait I’m really pissed off if I could give it 0 stars o would!

I have been going to Tony for years. He’s been honest, reasonable in price, and has always taken care of my cars (have had two that made it over 14 years with his service). He even saved me money when the ford dealer refused to acknowledge my car needed a repair. He evaluated the car, and told me exactly what was wrong to tell the dealer. He was spot on and saved me $ 2500 as the car was under warranty (which is why they didn’t want to fix it). That doesn’t happen often, especially being a female who is no expert in auto mechanics.
All the negative reviews seem really off because I’ve only had the best service at the best prices, and he is always nice. Maybe those who posted are the ones who are rude and didn’t get their way? Especially the battery poster… what he charges is completely fair, and you probably got a crappy battery by going elsewhere to pay less.

Tony is the best! Great service starting from speaking to him over the phone to dropping my car off. Service is quick and honest and saved me a third of the cost Acura wanted to charge me for replacing my clutch and battery. Tony also called a week later to check up on my car. No other mechanic has ever done that! They really care over there and are no way trying to scam you or charge you ridiculous labor hours.
Thank you Tony for making this whole experience easy and less frustrating. You saved me a lot of money, time and frustration. I appreciate your hard work and dedication!
Sincerely,
Francheska

This is the second time I have come to Del Mar Auto, and after the incredible service they have given my car both times, I will never go anywhere else.
There was an uncharacteristically bad rainstorm this morning that I happened to be driving in, aka the So Cal equivalent of the apocalypse. The right lane on Sunset (which I was driving in) was completely flooded, and I drove over a very large debris/​rock pile that knocked a plastic piece off my car to the point that it was dragging on the ground whenever I drove.
I immediately took the car over to Del Mar Auto (which is close to where I work) and within a few hours they fixed a) the plastic thing that was coming down from my car b) my hubcap, which was bent, and c) my bumper which was slightly unhinged.
The best part? They didn’t even charge me! Tony just told me to drive safe!
Love this place! Best service in town.

BEST MECHANIC IN THE WORLD. Have been a loyal customer for a few years. Tony is incredibly honest and hard working. He is knowledgable and looks out for your best interests. Cant recommend him highly enough.

Tony comes off as being short when you first meet him, but he’s really a nice guy. Unfortunately I had to come back to him several times for a proper diagnosis of my issue (not his fault, just the nature of the problem). So I got to know him a little and he is a nice guy.
He repaired the issue and did it for a reasonable price. When I went to pick up the vehicle he explained that he had done the repairs but that after repairing/​replacing the parts he felt the underlying issue might be something else that he would be glad to diagnose in the future. He told me he didn’t feel right charging me the full amount and adjusted the price substantially. He showed me the parts he replaced and I was out the door. Weeks later the main issue I came in for is not back and I will return to him for a future diagnosis when the time is right.
Tony will tell it how it is and sometimes that comes off as being short. In the end his ethics are right and he did right by me. I recommend him.

Tony is a great mechanic in my books. No games with him, just tells it like it is. He’s helped me on a couple cars now, and each time he’s been able to diagnosis the problem immediately when other car mechanics could not. He’s fast, reliable, and always made sure that I fully understood what the problem was and how he planned to fix it. His rates are comparable and competitive. Great job Tony, keep up the good work!

Great Mechanic, very honest and frank. Doesn’t play games, wich is just what I want when i need to get something fixed on my car.

I’ve been to Del Mar Auto repair a plethora of times over the last few years. I’ve had things taken care of on my car such as the brakes, oil, engine, etc. Each time I’m greeted with a smile and a cheerful welcome. Some may call Tony short, but I’d prefer the adjective «blunt». Tony doesn’t beat around the bush. He’ll tell you exactly what is wrong with your car and his quote never changes drastically from beginning to end. Of course there are sometimes problems that pop up throughout the course of the repair (as is the problem in almost every business), but Tony makes sure that the customer always knows what’s going on with their car before proceeding. I will continue returning to Del Mar Auto as long as I’m in LA county.

I just love Tony and how professional he is. He is a bit frank with you, but that’s because he is honest and will tell you what he needs to do to your car and inform you of the options that you have before he begins working on it, making sure that you fully understand everything before proceeding.
On a couple of occasions my car has had the service lights come on, and he has always told me what the issue is, how much it will cost, and gives me time to make arrangements if needed. He quoted that a timing belt replacement would be over $ 700, then reduced the price when I came in to pick it up because it didn’t require as much labor as he thought, which I felt was amazing. He could have just made me pay the originally quoted price, but now I see how honest and professional he is with his work.
Recently my check engine light came on a day after getting it repaired, so he let me bring it in, right as he was closing the shop, did a diagnostic and showed me how to prevent the issue from occurring, all at no charge. Any other place would have turned me away to come back tomorrow, but he took the extra time to make sure that everything was okay. Thanks Tony.
I recommend Del Mar Auto to everyone I know with a car for prompt, reliable, honest service.

Car was stalling and I happen to be in the area. Tony was very rude and short with me from the start. Since car wouldn’t start I felt at his mercy. He said he need to charged my battery to determine if that was the issue, and that it would take two hours and cost $ 45, which would than be deducted from total price if I decide to have him take care of the issue. Two hours later he called and said it would cost $ 123.00 for the battery with instillation. Tony told me that the battery itself was $ 98. When I questioned his price over the phone, he got angry and told me to take it or leave it. I fond out later the same battery is $ 70 standard.
In short, Tony is rude, and dishonest. A two hour charge is not necessary to determine if a battery is dead. It is simply a way for Tony to make sure you accept his unreasonable price, since you are automatically $ 45 in the hole.
I understand peoples need to make a living… but to make a killing???

So I guess my uncle used Tony as a mechanic in the past for his Honda and said he was a pretty cool guy. He also said he lives in our neighborhood which is a plus. Our family likes to support fellow residents that are business owners. I’ve been driving past his shop for years (I believe it used to have another name?) and there used to be some pretty cool vintage cars parked in front of it from the 50’s and 60’s. I’d stopped in a couple of times to chat with him and some of the other guys.
My uncle told me Tony had an early 80’s Oldsmobile Cutlass and that he saw it was for sale. I’ve had a couple of those and I think they’re pretty cool! So my uncle showed me the car parked on the street and I decided to give Tony a call since there wasn’t a price on it. So I called Tony and asked him how much the car was. He told me he wanted $ 3000 (flexible), which seemed a little high. When I told him that sounded like a bit much, he got a little short and without saying goodbye just HUNG UP the phone on me. I thought that was really rude. I tried to call him back and he didn’t answer his phone for whatever reason.
Anyway, I’m a firm believer in good customer service and supporting independent mechanics, but I thought that was not really necessary. As a matter of fact it was pretty uncalled for and not cool. I told my uncle and he was kind of surprised that Tony did that :(
***RESPONSE TO OWNER COMMENT 5−9 – 11***
Tony’s response to my initial review is not accurate. This is indeed the same Tony I spoke with on the phone and not a previous owner. The phone number written on the for sale sign of the car was the same one for Del Mar Auto.

BAD SERVICE! IN FACT, NO SERVICE!!! No Customer Relations whatsoever. So, I really give him and his place NO STARS (but this won’t let me post less than 1).
A total waste of a drive to his station.
I spoke with Tony on a Tuesday about bringing my car in for a Brake & Light inspection. I asked him when would be the best time to come in. He told me before noon on Wed; not at all on Thursday and ANYTIME on Friday. I chose to go in on Friday. Traffic was heavy that day and unfortunately, it took me 40 minutes to get to his shop.
When I got there at 3:40 he WOULD NOT ASSIST me. Yet, his hours posted on his own website and Unilocal’s site show that he’s open until 6pm (M-​F).
He said that if he were perhaps, wearing the right clothes he might help me — but his guys were going to be busy and he firmly said NO — with no apologies or alternatives.
I was very disappointed. After driving there for 40 minutes to then get turned away — especially, when I needed it for DMV registration — was very disappointing!
He could have told me on the phone to be there by a certain time in order for him to be able to service my car — but he said ANYTIME on Friday… I got there at 3:40pm… they close at 6pm according to his website.
I asked if he would at least check the lights in the meantime (which is just a visual job — no need to mess up his clothes) — and then have one of his guys check the brakes after they finished up what they were working on. I would have waited — however long.
He said — flat out — NO.
Too bad I wasn’t given any choices or the courtesy of an «I’m sorry» or perhaps an offer of a perk if I would come back the next morning on Saturday — or if he could take care of me first thing on Monday… I got NADA, NOTHING like that at all…
Instead, when I asked him, «so what does this mean?» — he said point blank that he was NOT GOING TO HELP ME and sarcastically said, «what do you expect my guys to stay until midnight! «
Well, it was unfortunate that I wasted my time driving there in traffic for nothing… so for sure he lost me as a customer for the inspection and anything else… I was looking for another mechanic on the Westside since my usual mechanic is in the Valley — and have a lot of people who always come to me for referrals.
In fact, right now I have 4 friends who are looking for another mechanic on the Westside right now… and so he not only lost me, but at least those 4 and anyone else they or I would have recommended from there — and hopefully, anyone who reads this post.
Now, clearly not only will I not recommend him — but I will also let people know so they DON’T GO THERE and waste their time!
In any case, the next day I went to my reliable mechanic in the Valley — who took care of me even though he was busy with other cars. He fit me in.
In fact, David at High Tech Auto on Lankershim Blvd in North Hollywood, took care of me himself!!! He wasn’t worried about his clothes. I called him the day before and honored his word.
In fact, when David at High Tech Auto inspected my car’s brakes, he told me that I still had a couple of thousand miles on my brakes and should change them soon…
Guess what? Instead of waiting, I chose to do them right then and David accommodated me.
So that’s extra work that Tony at Del Mar lost out on too. I would have even come back the next day if Tony was decent about it.
Oh well, I guess I’ll still drive out to North Hollywood to get excellent service (and BETTER PRICES TOO! — High Tech was $ 20 less on the Brake & Light Inspection!).
Check them out. High Tech Auto 818−508−1998. Ask for Dave.

Del Mar is great. When I took my car there, they were very friendly, did great work, and had reasonable prices, couldn’t get any better!

Wow! I was stranded on my way to San Diego with AAA and Tony happened to drive by. We got my car to his shop and he fixed it in two hours (maybe my tears helped!). I was back on my way to San Diego to see my family for the one day they were in Southern California.
Thanks Tony!

My 2002 Lexus ES300 starter went out. Found Tony here on Unilocal.He gave me a great quote and recommended a tow company, they got the car and I was soon driving again. Tony noticed the car was running rough when he started it up and found the throttle body was quite dirt and cleaned it out, no cost. The car runs so great now, I didn’t even notice is wasn’t running perfect.
Thanks Tony! He wasn’t just fixing a problem but was making sure my car runs great. Like a great doctor you take your kid to.

Tony and his crew are the best. Reasonable, Reliable, and fast. Tony is a straight shooter and will take care of your car.