Japanese Automotive Specialists Santa Fe

Reviews

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

  Maya Wamukota
2 months ago
First time I called Japanese Auto Specialists I was shocked to hear Allen pick up on a Sunday! He was instantly so personable, I planned on going to him for repairs I was preparing for.My car ended up breaking down earlier than expected and by a miracle I was around the corner from Japanese Auto Specialists. Allen had other clients to tend to, but this man gave me his word when he said he would look at it tonight and he meant it when he started my project after 6pm (thats next-level customer service!)I was blown away to hear the next morning my beloved car was fixed and ready. The breakdown was a terrifying experience, and this man heard my family crisis and treated my car repair as an emergency.Allen is an absolute genius in his field despite working overtime at night, he performed quality repairs leaving my ride smooth and safe. His rates are awesome and he definetly did extra favors without charging labor. He is not only empathetic towards his clients, he is empathetic towards the cars! You can trust his strategy is most cost efficient. I am so grateful to have found an incredibly dependable, honest mechanic and I am so excited to know my Subaru will continue receiving the BEST. See you soon, Allen!

  R G
5 months ago
Allen is the best mechanics I have ever met. He truly cares for his work and all his customers, and it's in his bone. Early this year, my family had a car emergency situation when we were on a road trip, and Allen (even knowing we're from out of town and would probably be just a single time customer) did everything he can (including overtime) to help us and making sure we could get back to our home safely. His workmanship were great, the parts he used and the cost were great, and most of all, he's truly caring and a honest mechanic which is hard to come by these days. Unfortunately I'm not local, otherwise, he will def. be my one and only go to shop. Thanks Allen!

  Will Hockett
5 months ago
Allen is one of the best mechanics I ve worked with. Kind, and with great rates. Will take a short drive to help diagnose the gremlin. Feel confident in his work and grateful for his service. He s probably not great at managing google reviews and yelp, but that s because he s a true mechanic and not a keyboard jockey.

  les722
3 months ago
This review is a bit overdue! I was driving home to Taos from San Diego a few months back in my older model Nissan Rogue, and just before reaching Santa Fe on a Friday, right before 5 p.m., my car started acting up: strained while accelerating in altitude, and loud muffler. I didn t dare continue up the crazy mountain road home. The Nissan dealership said they were closing soon and they could see me on Monday. I called a few other places who pretty much said the same thing.My situation was also financial. I was unemployed and short on funds. I had to get a hotel room due to the unfortunate timing. Saturday morning, I researched online to see if there were any type of mechanic services that could help me get home. I found Japanese Automotive Specialists Santa Fe. The reviews were ALL excellent, and I had a good feeling in general. I called, not expecting an answer on a Saturday morning but lo and behold the owner, Allen Shortle, picked up the phone and said he would be happy to help me.I drove over from the ridiculously over-priced hotel, and Allen took the car for a test drive. He then did a few simple temporary fixes in order to get me home that day. He did not scare me into extensive and/or immediate repairs. It was a very inexpensive fix to get me home. He also offered his expertise as to what needed to be done for the longer term.I got home safely that afternoon. I was so incredibly impressed (and relieved) to have found someone so sincere and willing to help me in my tough situation. It s difficult to find someone who genuinely cared that I make it home safely, rather than taking advantage of the situation and charging me more for work that was unnecessary at the time.Not only do I highly recommend Japanese Automotive Specialists, but I will also try whenever possible to have any issues with my car completed by Allen Shortle. I cannot say enough about his honesty and integrity! Driving down to Santa Fe is well worth the trouble!

  Shawndra Tharp
4 months ago
Allen is the most genuine human being I have ever met. He listens to everything you say. He listens even to your opinions and instead of telling you the way it is going to be, he allows you to be apart of the trouble shooting and repairs. I am lucky to have come across him while traveling. Thank you Allen

  jessica Hoehns
7 months ago
Very thankful for Allen at Japanese Automotive! I was traveling in from Texas, when I had my check engine light come on before departing back home. It was about 6 PM on a Sunday and I drive an American made sports car. Allen showed competence in his skills, helping me find a temporary solution when literally no where else was open. I was so stressed out and he reassured me many times I would get home fine til my guy could look at it. Excellent and honest work!!!

  Trevor Whitman
a year ago
Allen is great! Came to him with my 09 corolla with 300k miles giving me intermittent a/c and a pretty worrying rattling noise coming from where the compressor is. I dropped it off on Friday and he coordinated very well with me over the weekend via phone every time he found something that needed fixes and included pictures. By Monday he had replaced the compressor as well as the alternator, refreshed and winterized my fluids and threw in a free full synthetic oil change! I picked up the car Monday afternoon (today) and it is running like an absolute dream! Will be using Allen in the future, great job!

  Jillian Krickl
2 years ago
Allen was a godsend. I was driving from Santa Fe to Boulder on a Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago when the "check engine" light as well as multiple others displayed. I'm not from the area, and I didn't have much time to spare. It's often incredibly hard to find auto repair shops open on Sundays, so when Allen not only answered the phone but also made time for me, I was grateful. He fixed several issues with the car and charged a very reasonable rate. Thank you, Allen!

  Myles Maland
2 years ago
My check engine light turned on as we were pulling into Santa Fe. As it was a Saturday afternoon I wanted to find somewhere that could address the issue as quickly as possible. We found Allen and he got us right in. He ran the diagnostics and determine the problem and told us it would take about two hours to complete the work. He even gave us a loaner car for those two hours so that we could go grab a bite to eat. Alain was a true professional and very kind and compassionate. I would highly recommend Allen and his shop to anyone that needs quality work especially in a pinch.Service: Auto engine diagnostic

  G Fan 1
7 months ago
I brought my car to Allen because he has good reviews on google. I have a 2015 Civic, and it's been making a grinding sound. I took him for a ride, and he immediately diagnosed it as the wheel bearing. I offered ideas for other things it could be, but he was sure it was the bearing. Paid him to fix it, got my car back, and within the week it starts making the same noise. I take it back to him, and he tries to turn it around on me and tells me I was the one who rushed into fixing the wheel bearing and I should have let him diagnose further. Also, I did not have lights on my dashboard when I gave him my car. Yet I got it back with almost all the lights on. I'm disappointed.

  Dom Aragon
a year ago
My wife and I were in a pinch on a Saturday night with our Civic and we were looking for someone or anyone, to help us on a Sunday. The check engine light turned on, it seemed like the transmission was possibly slipping, and The throttle was somewhat sticking in third gear. We called Japanese Automotive Specialists and Alan told us to bring the car in Sunday morning. He and his team worked on it, diagnosed the issue, which was a bad sensor in the transmission and a flush of the transmission fluid. He also showed me how bad the air filter was and how it was making the throttlebody dirty, that, causing the problem of the throttle seeming to somewhat stick. He had us out the door in a couple days.I highly recommend he and his team, great customer service, great transparency, and their business earned a repeat customer for regular maintenance on our vehicles. 10 out of 10, would recommend!

  Noah DeLay
5 months ago
Best car service I ve ever had. Full stop. I can t recommend Allen s thoroughness and thoughtfulness enough!

  Ashley Martin
6 years ago
Great experience with Allen while getting a pre-purchase inspection on a used Subaru. He was able to get me in and out within 30 mins, and was *so* detailed and thorough ("this needs replaced; this is fine for now but will probably go within the next 6 months..."). Super nice guy, too! He prefers you come by yourself for purchase inspections because he doesn't like to badmouth people's cars in front of them :)

  favor ellis
5 years ago
Allan was so kind and helpful. He answered my call at 9am on a Sunday and was able to start working on my CR-V at 10. On a Sunday! He was honest and fair and I definitely recommend this shop. (Plus there s a really sweet shop kitty!)

  piazzadelpopoloprods
5 years ago
Alan told me repeatedly that he would do his best for me. I had tried everything to get rid of the mice in my vehicle. Everything. Several times. But they still were able to get in.The stench was unbearable. Alan let me know there were no guarantees but he would due his best. I can t tell you how happy I am to have a clean great smelling truck with no rodents. Bottom line Alan saved me thousands of dollars. I would of had to replace my truck. It was hazardous. Thank you Alan-such a gentleman-YOU are the best.

  LOGAN WOLFF
4 years ago
Alan helped us out diagnosing a weird wheel / axle noise on a trip from NC to CA in a 1992 Honda Civic. Awesome and genuine person.If we lived in Santa Fe this would be our shop!

  Brandon Gould
4 years ago
They went out of their way to save the day! My car broke down on the way into town @ 4:00 pm on Saturday afternoon. I knew almost every shop in town would be closed on Sunday, and I needed to get back on the road by midday Sunday to get back home to my kids who were staying with friends for the night. Japanese Automotive agreed to do what they could to replace the broken parts ASAP. They called me less than 18 hours later and let me know that the car was good to go. I was amazed by the quick turn around! Turns out they worked late into Saturday evening, called in a favor from a local dealer to get the hard to find genuine parts first thing Sunday morning, and even called in a second mechanic to finish the job before noon on Sunday. I was even more amazed that they billed me less that what the job would have cost at the dealer (even though the work they did was totally overtime/after-hours). I safely made the 300 mile drive home by Sunday night in time to tuck the kids into bed. I cannot thank and endorse Japanese Automotive enough!

  Zeek Hub
5 months ago
This man helped me and empowered me to succeed when he did not have to. Blessings upon you

  Rachel Doyle
a year ago
Allan is a really kind man who did a great job on my car

  10aurum48
5 months ago
Allen always provides great service.

  Celeste Tesla
4 years ago
Alan is simply wonderful on being a mechanic. He's very direct & is willing to help you if you are in a bind

  Allen Shortle
a year ago
As the owner of this establishment we are sorry for your last experience with us. Many things listed in the review from 11/22/21 were incorrect and not valid. I did speak to you about this and did not receive a response. Please feel free to call or come by and we can remedy this situation.

  Norman schwindt
2 years ago
Got an appointment same day to drop off my r1 really dependable! Good people

  Dan Lowrey
6 years ago
I personally know the owner and hard worker Al, he will get the job right the first time

  Jason Frayer
3 years ago
Allen is just a great mechanic and human.

  Tyler Wood
3 years ago
Allen is awesome! Would highly recommend!

  michael russell
6 years ago
A bit expensive, but good, reliable service.