Brake Stop & Auto Repair - San Marcos

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Christen Lauren
3 months ago
I saw a deal on Groupon for an oil change and 12 point inspection and called to find out more information. I'm not sure the name of the man who answered the phone, but he was so incredibly rude. He was dismissive and condescending, talking to other people in the shop while I was in the middle of a sentence. When I was asking questions about the service, he seemed annoyed and made me feel stupid for asking them. Also, he said they wouldn't honor the Groupon price and that I'd have to pay an additional $35 due to the type of car I have. Based on looking at the other reviews I'm glad i didnt bring my business here. Very disappointing, work on your customer service!

  A.J. Butierez
4 months ago
I have a 2016 Chevy Equinox that suffered an engine blow out back in September. I took it to the guys at Brake Stop and Richard took great care of me and the car. He kept me in the loop with everything and was very communicative. It s been a few months now with the new engine and you d never think I had to put a new engine in the Equinox. Thanks, Richard and the team!

  Rayzell Simpson
5 years ago
Not bad for a small business. They offer alot of services including renting out uhaul trucks. It took about an hour and fifteen minutes to do my oil change,tire rotation, 12 point inspection, and fluid top off. There was a man well beyond his prime doing the work which I was not comfortable with. But all the men were very nice. The place is kinda run down and dusty but couches are comfortable. My biggest issue was I bought a Groupon voucher that offered all services listed above for $69 but when I arrived I was told it would be and extra $31 because my car uses synthetic oil. it's not the issue of the money. Its just I could have bought a synthetic package instead and still saved a little money. All in all I would recommend it's very economicly friendly.

  Kimberly Becker
2 months ago
Richard and the rest of the team super friendly,very helpful ! I really appreciate how they take pictures and show you exactly what needs to be done. Definitely will be going back and recommending Brake stop to everyone!

  reese buckingham
3 years ago
I left my vehicle at this business for about two hours so they could conduct a brake inspection, and when they called saying they finished the inspection, the manager told me one of their mechanics damaged my vehicle's bumper. When I asked for them to pay for the damage, they refused, and said that the damage was my fault for parking so close to the curb stop. The manager on property refused to work with me on creating a solution, and denied me any helpful information.Service: Brakes

  Victoria Morrison
a month ago
Highly recommend using this location for uhaul rentals. Great prices, friendly staff, easy process for pick up/drop off.

  Terry Vaughn
3 weeks ago
Had my work van towed in with brake issues. Richard and his team had me out the door, back on the road in no time.Best!

  RAY NICE
4 months ago
Called for the price on a vehicle inspection so I could start uber and they told me "85.99$ and will take care of you". Called Firestone right after and they said 19.99$.

  Aaron Scott Parker
2 months ago
My car had to get smog checked so we could register it, whenever we would call they would come up with a different excuse each time on why it was taking so long, around about 4 months later we got the car back with 2 thousand extra miles, and still not fixed, leaving us with a massive bill to pay for nothing, we found another shop and they got the job done quick.

  josh mayer
6 years ago
TERRIBLE!! I went in to get an alignment and brought my $ 29.99 coupon with me .first off I was told right away it will be more for truck or SUV which the coupon states in fine print .I expected that in the first place. I didn't expect it to cost almost 3 times the coupon amount. After showing I wouldnt be paying the first amount that he claimed it would be because of so much more labor for his technician to do. He bumped the price to the regular price of. $89.99. So this guy should've saved us both time and the embarrassment for me pulling a coupon out like some old grandma ,he should have told me the coupons I brought were completely waste of paper and time for the printing company that prints all that junk mail . every service I asked him about he would say something different and cost more to actually do it. Mind you this place was a ghostown on a Tuesday at 4pm ...tumble weeds blowing by me. the only "technician" I saw was so busy sweeping the floor and the other one was most likely on FB,IG,Twitter. In the back office. My truck was only on the life like 15 min .and seemed to be out on a test drive for most of the time .when I watched them they werent turning any wrenches or anything. I took it in for major drift to the right and the owner showed me it was fixed corrected on paper but he said it will still drift to the because my tires need to be replaced with brand new tires. Guess he wasnt really watching me when I pulled out the coupons .I can't afford new tires .the worst part is I matched up the tires with same size and tread etc.in front .and it drifted the same if not worse. I called almost right away and he insisted I get new tires and when I do he won't charge me for alignment.The way the owner talked and explained things just seem like he was talking out of his ass and pretty sure he saw that I was need of tires and could get away with not actually doing the alignment how its supposed to be done . can't wait for more ex cuses when I show with 2 new tires in the front next month and he will most likely tell me it's too late too much time has gone by .pay another $90. Nothing worse than paying for something and feeling it was not even done or not done right .the night before my tire blew our on the freeway because of the alignment wearing the tire down so bad .and the drift was never fixed .I have one star because I can't give zero.

  Dalila Curiel
10 months ago
Exploiting VulnerabilityJust so they know who is writing this. I have a 1996 Ford Explorer. I recently had an extremely disappointing and infuriating experience at Brake Stop & Auto Shop. As a single mom who is already struggling to make ends meet, I sought their services hoping for a fair and reasonable deal. Unfortunately, what I encountered was nothing short of exploitation and dishonesty. Upon arriving at the shop, I explained my financial situation and emphasized that I needed an affordable solution for my brake issues. Instead of offering a helping hand or providing honest advice, the staff at Brake Stop & Auto Repair took advantage of my vulnerability and proceeded to inflate the prices to an outrageous extent, charging me over 1k in changing my brake pads. Also mentioning that i can FINANCE!!! As a result of this unacceptable experience, I was forced to decline their services and search for an alternative brake shop. Thankfully, I managed to find an honest and reputable establishment that fixed my brakes at a fair and reasonable price. REASONABLE PRICE that i was charged from an honest shop to fix my rotors and brake pads WAS 200 DOLLARS !!! This stark contrast only highlights the deceitful practices of Brake stop and further solidifies my belief that they are exploiting vulnerable individuals for their own gain. I urge all potential customers, especially those in vulnerable situations, to stay far away from this establishment. Their unethical business practices and exorbitant pricing demonstrate a complete lack of integrity and empathy. No one should have to endure such mistreatment, especially when seeking help during difficult times.

  Michael Andersen
a year ago
Took a vehicle to inspect why it wobbles while moving and They kept the vehicle for three hours to justify the diagnostics fee for noticing bald tires. Will not be doing business ever again with this scam shop. Avoid them, they are not thorough whatsoever. We are an auto body shop who does lots of business with mechanics. We tried this shop and they proved to be unethical. They could have seen the tires when I dropped off and allowed me to return it but instead they held it for a certain amount of time to take a 99$ fee to point out wires coming out of rear tires. They even initially tried to charge me 204$ for inspections and alignment but I quickly made it clear we need a report why it s wobbling before we do an alignment. Scam scam scam. Do not use them.Service: General repairs & maintenance

  Nathan Fontaine
a year ago
This gotta be the worst place I've ever been to. These guys tried to scam me for services they never conducted on my vehicle. Then they wouldn t even allow me to take my car with me after paying my fee. Very unprofessional and rude, cussing me out the entire time to a point the police had to get involved. Fortunately, the kind policemen quickly discovered the shady business they were conducting and forced them to release my car. They even hung up on me when I was attempting to pay as they were bitter of my clarifying questions. So unprofessional and embarrassing police had to step in to do their job. If you are in need of repair, I guarantee you any other place would be miles better than this place, especially under their new management. 0/10 .Service: Auto engine diagnostic

  Francois Habchi
10 months ago
I took my car to the dealer and I was told i needed a new engine. My friend recommended this shop, so I have the car towed to brake stop in Poway. They did a diagnostic and my car was fixed for under 800. Been driving it for over 3 month with no problem. Thank you guys for the wonderful jobService: Engine repairService: Engine repair

  Dan Miranda
10 months ago
About two months ago, I saw this same customer complaining about that review about police getting involved anyway, I ve been a lifelong customer with Brakestop and auto repair for the last eight years. I was there when that happened to be honest, you, Mr. Nathan were being a little too hard with the gentleman if you were tell everybody the truth maybe it ll be different for other people But the real story is the customer. Nathan did not want to pay their diagnostic fee and that s why the cops were involved because Nathan wanted to leave the premises without paying anything lol some people love to make other companies look bad because of their own issues I guess .They ve been great. I totally recommend this place the guys behind the counter are like family , good people and trust worthy. Thanks, Brakestop.

  joe goutier
5 months ago
Be careful going there a worker name Manuel sold my son a motorcycle that was in someone else s name not real sure of the type of work. They are putting out when they are doing that type of thing.

  Diana Ballard
a year ago
I went for brakes and was told the struts were bad and leaking so they replaced them. I was not happy with the price however after he showed me them and explained they were high quality and would last a lifetime, I understood the cost. I had to return a couple days later because of a brake problem and they took the time to fix the problem which was not something they worked on before and they did not charge me. They were very nice to deal with.Services: Steering & suspension repair, Wheel alignment, Brakes, Auto brake replacement

  Jennifer Daniel
11 months ago
I ve been going here for a while and have been mostly happy with the service provided however their prices have gone up quite a bit recently unfortunately. I would have given more stars except for that. $95 for an oil change!?Services: Auto emissions testing, Oil changeServices: Auto emissions testing, Oil change

  Simran Singh
2 years ago
I have used them for smog on 2 cars before had a good experience but for everything else they are not recommended. Here is a recent experience: My car had a check engine light on and had them diagnose it they said it needed Sparks plugs and coils. I told them Spark plug were done 20k miles ago. They said it needs them and I okayed the repair for with an oil change for $680. The next day the check engine light comes back. I bring it back at 745AM and wait till 815 the manager is late again. He said expect a call in 2 hours. I dont hear back as promised till 2pm. I visit them and no one has touched my car. I asked for the Manager of the manager and speak with Richard Cardona over the phone, who promised me a response. He called back at 445Pm saying my car needs a head gasket repair for $2200. I have no confidence in their ability to do anything right or deliver as promised. They wont refund my money for the spark plug and coil repair not needed. They are short staffed. AAA reviews are not good either. They don't open on time every day. I have observed this over 8 visits before my work at 9AM. The manager is always late way past their published business hours and some support staff is waiting outside.Services: General repairs & maintenance, Auto engine diagnostic, Engine repair

  Patty Nuno
2 years ago
They left oil all over my vehicle. The smell was terrible. To top it off they told me I needed repair that equal out over $600. When I declined to accept they finished my car to leave it with oil everywhere. Even places oil shouldn t leak from. Horrible professionalism, dishonest staff. They do terrible maintenance to the vehicles. I d like to be compensated for the oil change as well as what it took to have another shot look over and clean their mess! I have pictures and videos showing the terrible condition break stop repairs left my vehicle in.Service: Oil change

  Azita Zamani
a year ago
Watch out! They rip you off. Customer service is zero. He failed to tell me there is a $30 fee for using credit card and charged me without me knowing. They see a woman charge top dollar and take advantage! I am furious!Service: Brake service & repairService: Brake service & repair

  Maryanne Mikus
2 years ago
I have used Brake Stop many times for several different cars and have left a happy customer every time. They are friendly, helpful, and they don't try to sell you a bunch of services you don't need. I highly recommend them!Service: BrakesService: Brakes

  Graham Johnson
5 years ago
I am not usually one of those people that complains when they have a bad experience however in this particular situation I feel that I must share our experience with the manager of this place. My girlfriend brought her car in to this place with a coupon for her breaks. We double checked that we could use this coupon before having them do there mandatory 70$ inspection fee (only charged if we don t have something fixed). The manger said it would be perfectly fine he quoted us a repair of 119$. Then an hour later we get a call from him saying that her car requires different breaks and her rotors need to be replaced (the rotors are a year old and do not need to be replaced we double checked with two other mechanic shops) the manger then told us that we had to pay 500$ for 4 breaks and 4 rotors and he would not honor the coupon for the breaks we needed because the coupon did not cover her breaks (the coupon does not say it only covers certain breaks) after we fought long and hard with the manager about how he should of told us before that the coupon would not work for her car we decided to pay the 70$ inspection fee and not give our business to a shady company. THIS IS WHERE IT GETS BAD ! After we got her car back there was a mysterious NEW DENT IN HER CAR!!!! Do not go here they have zero customer service and will try to cheat you and if you disagree with them they will hurt your car!!!

  Kelsey Wang
5 years ago
Javier had taken care of me well for my past several oil changes however, I don't think I will be returning. My husband went in to fix a couple small items on a 2007 Rav4. He needed a new seal on his front window and to fix a track on his glove compartment. We ended up paying $360. He was told he would be charged $128 to check out the car and its alignment. They ran the test but did not do the alignment because we need to fix another item on the car. He charged an extra $80 for running the alignment test even though they were not able to perform the actual alignment. I am very saddened by this experience because my husband feels like he was over charged and taken advantage of. He called our local Toyota dealer and they said they would have fixed the car for $200.

  Maryssa Evans
5 years ago
If I could give this place a -0 I would!!!!! I ve never written a review in my life until now!! The guy at the front (manager supposedly) is the worst manager in the world! I communicated on the phone exactly what I wanted with the coupon for my breaks and after the inspection he said I couldn t use the deal because my Scion tC didn t take ORGANIC BREAKS!!!!!!!!! He said the deal was only for organic breaks!!! He should of communicated that in the beginning. He quoted me at $500 when it was supposed to be $150. I actually paid the $70 service fee because I didn t want to give them my business!!!! DON T COME HERE IS YOU WANT THE TRUTH AND GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! A GOOD MANAGER would have honored the deal not argued back at you.

  Juliana Gonzalez
4 years ago
Incredible service! Javier took great customer care, and ensured I & my car were well taken care of. It's not often that you get genuine customer service who care about the people who walk in. I called late in the afternoon, and Javier immediately said ai could come in for new brakes & rotors, despite them closing in 2 hours. He made sure my wait was comfortable by offering water, and anything I needed. He was knowledgeable, efficient, and very kind. I highly recommend. BrakeStop of San Marcos is my new go-to auto shop.

  Mike Wojcik
2 years ago
Went in for a standard oil change and fluids top-off because I had bought a Groupon. I read the fine print very carefully and the Groupon said everything was included in the price of the Groupon except for small extra charges for cars with funky oil filters or needing special oil (of which my car does not).At the end of the service, I hand over the Groupon and am given a list of addition charges that I need to pay that aren't covered in the Groupon. I explained that all of those charges should be included in the Groupon and anything that isn't covered is listed in the Groupon fine print from Brake Stop (none of these "extra" charges were listed). I was told that Brake Stop Corporate submits the wording to Groupon but that this shop always charges these extra fees. I asked to speak to a manager (none were on site) but they called someone up and the desk guy talked to him. When their phone call was complete, he said that he was mistaken and that his manager said that some of those charges shouldn't be there ("Finally" I thought, now I can get out of here). But then he started explaining that his manager said there was a whole different list of charges that do apply instead! The total was less than before but the point still remained that I ALREADY PAID FOR THE ENTIRE SERVICE THROUGH GROUPON! The desk guy could see I was getting upset with this price-gouging and bait-and-switch so he said he'd do me a favor and knocked off a few of the charges. The EXTRA total came out to $7-8 dollars and so I just paid it at that point because they still had my keys and I just wanted to get out of there.Once I got to my car, I popped the hood to check on my fluid levels (which was part of the service). Wouldn't you know it, they hadn't done a thing with any of them. By this point, it was dark and late and I had somewhere else I needed to be and I didn't have the energy to go back and argue some more. So I took my car (and all of my future business) and left, never to return to a Brake Stop.

  joeavauto
2 years ago
I own a dealership in Arizona and my daughter lives in San Marcos. We had to replace her struts (which had failed and her tire was practically lying on the ground) and Norberto made sure he would help her. He got the job done in a timely manner. Parts are not cheap right now, so don't be surprised at their cost (supply chain problems.) This is true in Arizona and the rest of the country. I will have my daughter go to them anytime she needs help. Thanks for helping a worried dad from Arizona!

  Mayur Jain
4 years ago
Updated review:Based on the conversation with the owner, it appeared to me that he genuinely wanted to make things right. I'll consider them again in the future and hopefully things might be better.Original review:Be aware of the prices they quote you before the job v/s what you actually pay. They quoted me $275 on the phone and I ended up paying more than $500 for the same work.

  Beverly Stanzione
4 years ago
.Today I had a very bad experience with Brake Stop. I got a Wheel Alignment 2 weeks ago and when I got on the Freeway it was horrible so I called Brake Stop to let them know that the Wheel Alignment was horrible and we made an appointment for May 29 @9:00. I paid 69.00 dollars for a Wheel Alignment so I thought they were going to do it over and make me happy, but that didn't happen. He had me sign a work order that said $128.00 for a diagnostic test which I did not need so I told him I didn't want the diagnostic test just redo the Wheel Alignment so they put my car on the rack not even for a minute and brought me my keys and I said did you fix it and he said no and I told him this was bad business. I have had my oil changes, Wheel Alignment and tires there I will not be going back there, poor business. There grade is F-. Very poor business when you don't try to make the customer happy