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SD Auto Shops

San Diego auto & transmission

Transmission Repair Goes Wrong in Four Ways. Here Is Where Each One Happens.

A star rating tells you how people felt. It does not tell you that one shop gives cars back with the same fault and another simply runs late — both of which land at 3.9. We read 3500+ published reviews across 30+ shops and sorted the complaints into the four failures that actually cost you money.

See all fourShops clear on every one

The four failures, and where they happen

These are the four that cost you money, time, or the car a second time. Each percentage is how much of that shop's own criticism is about this one thing — so a shop with very few complaints can still lead a list on a handful of them. Read the shop page before you write anyone off.

The same fault comes back

The one that costs you twice. Reviews describing a problem returning, or the car going back more than once for the same thing.

  1. Valley TransmissionEl Cajon23%3 of 13
  2. Morena AutomotiveSan Diego17%2 of 12
  3. Miramar Automotive & TransmissionSan Diego13%3 of 23
  4. West Kearny Mesa Automotive & TransmissionSan Diego13%4 of 31
  5. West El Cajon Automotive & TransmissionEl Cajon13%5 of 39

18 other shops were measured the same way and are not on this list.

The bill is not the quote

Reviews about coming in over the estimate, or a price that did not match the work that was done.

  1. West El Cajon Automotive & TransmissionEl Cajon15%6 of 39
  2. Valley TransmissionEl Cajon15%2 of 13
  3. West Miramar Automotive & TransmissionSan Diego15%6 of 40
  4. West Kearny Mesa Automotive & TransmissionSan Diego13%4 of 31
  5. Soto's TransmissionsSan Diego13%1 of 8

18 other shops were measured the same way and are not on this list.

The warranty does not hold

Reviews where cover was refused, ran out sooner than expected, or did not include the labor. Worth reading before relying on any promise.

  1. Valley TransmissionEl Cajon31%4 of 13
  2. AAMCO San Diego (Mission Bay)San Diego26%9 of 35
  3. Certified Transmission SanteeSantee25%2 of 8
  4. Soto's TransmissionsSan Diego25%2 of 8
  5. AAMCO Transmissions & Total Car Care (Chula Vista)Chula Vista22%6 of 27

18 other shops were measured the same way and are not on this list.

Nobody calls you back

Reviews about a car sitting for days with no update, calls not returned, or finding out about extra work after it was done.

  1. Summit Transmissions and Auto CareLa Mesa26%7 of 27
  2. West Oceanside Automotive & TransmissionOceanside24%8 of 34
  3. Miramar Auto RepairSan Diego22%6 of 27
  4. Metro Transmission and AutomotiveSan Marcos22%5 of 23
  5. MR Auto SDSan Diego20%3 of 15

18 other shops were measured the same way and are not on this list.

What customers single out

When a transmission job goes right, people tend to write about the same four things: whether they were dealt with straight, whether the bill matched the quote, whether anyone explained what had actually failed, and whether the phone got answered while the car sat in the shop. Here is who gets named for each.

Shops customers call honest

Reviews saying the shop did not sell them work they did not need, or could have charged more and did not.

  1. Miramar TransmissionSan Diego154of 402
  2. MR Auto SDSan Diego109of 348
  3. Morena AutomotiveSan Diego90of 264
  4. Miramar Auto RepairSan Diego76of 232
  5. Miramar H & A Auto Repair CenterSan Diego75of 179

Shops customers found fair on price

Reviews comparing the price to a dealership quote or another shop's estimate, favorably.

  1. MR Auto SDSan Diego49of 348
  2. Phan's Auto RepairSan Diego31of 188
  3. Miramar TransmissionSan Diego27of 402
  4. Miramar H & A Auto Repair CenterSan Diego26of 179
  5. Miramar Auto RepairSan Diego25of 232

Shops that explain the work

Reviews mentioning being walked through the problem, shown the part, or sent photos.

  1. Miramar TransmissionSan Diego44of 402
  2. MR Auto SDSan Diego33of 348
  3. Morena AutomotiveSan Diego24of 264
  4. Mode AutomotiveSan Diego18of 149
  5. Kearny Mesa Automotive & TransmissionSan Diego17of 212

Shops that keep you updated

Reviews about being called back, kept informed while the car was in, or easy to reach.

  1. Miramar TransmissionSan Diego30of 402
  2. MR Auto SDSan Diego20of 348
  3. Lemon Grove TransmissionLemon Grove11of 137
  4. Morena AutomotiveSan Diego10of 264
  5. Kearny Mesa Automotive & TransmissionSan Diego9of 212

Clear on all four

8 of the 23shops with enough critical reviews to judge stay out of the worst five in every category above. That is not a claim that nothing ever goes wrong at them — every one has unhappy customers and their reviews are on their pages. It means no single failure dominates the complaints they do have.

Every shop, A–Z

Ratings and counts published by Yelp. Shops under 25reviews appear here but in none of the categories above — there is not enough to count.