Placentia Auto Repair

BEWARE!!! Listening to them would have costed me $3000 for a $300 dollar fix. My AC was blowing hot, so I went in toward the end of the day to get it checked out. They drained my coolant, said my freon levels were healthy, and told me my compressor was broken. Replacing it costs around $2600 for the parts alone. I even called later and asked them if they 100% confirmed the compressor was broken. They insisted it was, which again, was completely false. To top it off, they charge $200 for diagnostics. I really paid $200 to almost get got. I brought the car to Tustin Toyota today, and the mechanic easily confirmed the compressor was working by driving power into it. They notified me that my freon was low, refilled it, and added dye to detect the leak. On top of that, they’re giving me a courtesy check in two weeks to help identify the leak. If you look past the five star reviews and look at several of the other low 1-2 star reviews, you’ll see others having a similar experience. This place is clearly not trustworthy, and you should bring your business elsewhere.

Came in with a failed smog test, no secondary air and an engine light for catalytic converter. There estimate was$11,340 for (2) catalytic converters, spark plugs & coils. THEY NEVER ADDRESSED THE SECONDARY AIR issue! After several text, including with the General Manager, they sent me a false “AI” generated message that said there parts would fix the issue, WRONG! I also did an AI search and came up with a common problem, the Secondary Air “Valve”. That and a set of spark plugs ($173) took care of it. JUST A LITTLE OVER PRICED and won’t have fixed it. Obviously one STAR ⭐️ is “way over rated”.

Great service! They did a very thor3 inspection of my car to let me know what condition it is in. The replaced my brakes and rotors with new high quality parts. Would definitely recommend going back!

I was very pleased with the service I received, Gilbert and the crew did an excellent job on my 2016 Kia while keeping me up to the minute with the progress of the work. I ended up needing quite a bit of work but they were able to complete it within a couple days. All the work performed was explained to me in great detail with pictures and the prices quoted were very reasonable, I recommend this place to everyone needing.quality work at an affordable price.

Joe did a great job.

I recently took my 2016 dodge charger R/T in for an oil pressure switch replacement after getting a check engine light, and I was confident that was the issue. During their inspection, they recommended additional repairs, which I agreed to. These included control arm replacement, a brake fluid exchange, and other related work. In total, I spent around $2,600 on the initial service. Before bringing my car in, I had no unusual noises or issues beyond what I originally asked to be fixed. After picking up the vehicle, I immediately noticed a new squeaky, belt-like noise as soon as I started the car — while still in the lot. I went back inside right away and was told it was “probably nothing” and to bring it back if it continued. A few days later, the noise became significantly louder and developed into a harsh, repetitive knocking sound. When I checked under the hood, I saw fluid spraying, and the engine sounded like something was failing. I immediately turned the car off to avoid further damage and had it towed back to the shop the next day, since I had just gotten off work. At that point, I was told it was a water pump issue, which they stated they were “not liable for.” What really concerned me is that they later mentioned they had heard the noise earlier but never communicated that to me during the initial service — even after performing what they described as a “full inspection” and telling me my car would be “almost 100%” after the repairs. I was initially quoted around $1,100 for the water pump repair, which was later reduced to about $725 after I pushed back. This was on top of the $2,600 I had already paid. Regardless, this was an issue that did not exist before my visit, and I felt put in a position where I had no choice but to pay to get my car back in working condition. Overall, the lack of transparency and communication was very disappointing. I would strongly recommend getting a second opinion and ensuring any issues are clearly documented before leaving your vehicle with them. UPDATE: After posting this review, management reached out and acknowledged the communication issue. They issued a refund for the water pump and offered a complimentary oil service. I appreciate them taking steps to make things right.