Brian’s Automotive and Diagnostics

Brian, you are a wonderful mechanic, shop owner and a straight shooter! Your staff is exceptional. You don’t keep our vehicles any longer than necessary and you are honest. What a breath of fresh air! I also researched your shop and you are registered with the BAR. I learned the hard way that there are actually shops out there that do not follow the laws and guidelines that keep consumers safe.
We are so blessed to have found you as you do follow the laws. You call us if there is a problem and ask us what we want to do; you give us your professional opinion but leave the final decision to us. You do not oversell us on things we do not need… thank you thank you thank you!!!
You have a professional and courteous staff. You go out of your way to help your customers. You have our loyalty.

I’ve been bringing my vehicles for years onto this business. First it was Marks, then when Brian picked up the business, continued with him. Brian is a very an honest mechanic and does his best to give the best price and service. We’ve never had an issues or difficulty that Brian could not handle. Recommended

I have been meaning to right this review for awhile. Brian and his team are great! It was my first time here and being a female, it can be really intimidating to find a great mechanic shop and making sure I get a fair price. Brian did just that and was quick with changing my oil! Thanks for staying honest and having great customer service!

«The last honest mechanic» as my Dad would say. Our family has been going to Brian for 20 years. I’ve referred many friends and am confident they’ll have a good experience as well. I always feel as if I’m treated special there, but Brian, Candice, and the team treat everyone as if you knew them for years. Brain is a no BS type of guy. The reality is that’s the type of guy you want working on your car. Thank you Brian for all your hard work and putting up with my crappy car choices all of these years :) oh and my crappy driving too :) I am pleased to see all of the positive reviews here because this shop deserves some recognition

Happy customer once again! I made an appointment for an oil change a few days prior to the actual date I needed the oil change (always make an appointment, they do get busy. that’s how you know they are good!). I received 2 text confirmations (by my request) which is excellent since I tend to forget things now and then. I was in and out within 30 minutes, which is awesome! When I go to other places they usually have me waiting 60 – 90 minutes! Will continue doing business with Brian’s Automotive and Diagnostics.

My coworker recommended Brians and when my car broke down, AAA had them on their lists of recognized auto shops. Candice waited on me from start to finish. She’s very accommodating and very helpful even drove me back to work. I’m impressed with the service and the price is very reasonable. Brians Auto lives up to the expectations– highly recommended.

Too much respect for Brian and his team. After going through a couple disappointing cars and meeting a few mechanics along the way, I haven’t been so at ease with bringing my car into a shop until I started going to Brian’s. Not once have they tried to upsell me. And the prices are fair and reasonable. Not all heroes wear capes.

I called to see about making an appointment. Never been to this establishment before. The female who answered the phone was rude and crude and made sure I knew since I wasn’t a customer that she wasn’t going to waste her time dealing with the like of my scummy person or vehicle. With that kind of phone service I’ll never try going to this place again. She made her point and nothing in the world anyone does from this company would ever change my mind. Impressions are indeed made on a first impression, including an attitude over the phone. Nice to have so much business you can afford to be rude to potential customers and get nasty reviews.

Short and to the point review. I checkedThis place out due to their high reviews. Let’s just say they lived up to their 5star rating, I was very pleased with the price and service (AC and other things done for under $ 400)I think it’s operated by the owner and his wife. In this business its hard to make everyone happy but his guy happened to accomplished that. Il be coming here for all my car needs. Don’t get rip-​off somewhere else, at the very least this guy is honest (it’s all you need).

I have brought my cars and trucks here. Everytime I’m there Brian’s working away. This place is amazing, they remember your name, and prices are very low. Most dependable mechanic ever, anywhere!!!

Honest and a good business man.
I brought my car into Brian’s shop with brake concerns… convinced I needed to get new rotors or at least break pads. My experience at other places always seem to quote me $$$$ for a fix.
I was pleasantly surprised when I was told I had another year or so on the pads. To be able to bring my car in and feel like I’m not getting ripped off is such a relief.

I brought my car here with no idea what was wrong with it. The people here were absolutely fantastic. They figured out the problem and fixed it all in a day and in my opinion at a very reasonable price. I will definitely be bringing my car back here when needed and will be recommending this shop when anyone asks.

Great service. I gave them plenty of opportunities to sell me things I didn’t need and they didn’t bite. I will be back.

Another good review here. Brought a vehicle here for a pre-​purchase inspection. They did a great job hearing my concerns and completing a thorough inspection. Offered to diagnose a code for some extra $, but they figured it out quick and didn’t charge me the full amount. A rare honest mechanic here. I love this place. I’ll be brining my future cars here without a doubt.

I had to get a smog check to renew my registration, it just so happened that i needed an oil change as well. I was told it would take roughly 45 minutes. The staff was very friendly and the whole process was done in about 20 minutes.

Javier at Inter Auto tried to get me into paying another $ 180 on top of the $ 90 I paid for a diagnostic on my 99 Mazda Protoge, because he claimed to actually diagnose my car would cost more than the $ 90. I mean, isn’t that what a diagnostic fee is? You pay the fee, and you’re told what’s wrong with your car.
I have a 99 mazda protoge with about 190K miles. So it’s an older car with a few minor problems, but runs fine. I bought it cheap, so I’m not about to spend a huge amount of money on it. It’s had a rough idle ever since I bought the car about 8 months ago, and recently the check engine light came on. My friend’s OBD 2 scanner revealed that it’s a «lean bank» code.
Well after dropping my car off for a whole day at Inter Auto, and was called and asked for another $ 180… I quickly returned without paying the extra fee, drove off with my car dissappointed, and dropped it off at Brian’s.
I was told at Inter Auto that my compression in each cylinder was too high. Brian told me the values measured were actually normal for my engine. He also mentioned that my car wasn’t running lean and wasn’t sure why the light was coming on, that for the most part my car is running fine and doesn’t need anything.
Above all, he didn’t even charge me just for checking out my car. Where Javier at Inter Auto was trying to get every dollar possible out of me, Brian was reassuring me that my car’s driving fine.
Next time I have any car trouble, I’ll definitely be going back to Brian’s.
Thanks!

Finally found a reliable mechanic! I originally took my truck in for a smog check (it failed several times over 5 months – from two different smog stations). Brian quickly diagnosed it and told me my catalytic was bad… why the other 2 stations couldn’t tell me that I don’t know. Brian said I could take it anywhere but since I am new to the area asked whom he recommended. The shop was busy but made an appointment, after it was installed took it back to Brian’s and passed no problem. 5months of stress taken care of in no time! Because of this excellent service I took my car in recently for a timing belt, water pump, and cv joints. Again spectacular service! Car no longer shakes at 70+ and I know that the work that was done is probably better then taking it to the dealer and a lot less expensive.
Highly recommend Brian’s Automotive to anyone that needs work done! I use to work as a mechanic (didn’t have time to tinker with things – especially real time consuming repairs ie timing belt) and Brian’s has gained my trust and business. Will be taking all my vehicles there from now on.

So I’m a hustler. Hell everyone is, right? We all want the best for the least and we all get pissed when we don’t get it. I brought my e39 here for service and for smog and they quoted me a healthy amount and explained everything IN A DETAILED INVOICE on all work that had to be done AND in level of importance.
This is worth noting since the car would go to my brother upon the purchase on my new Audi and my dad wanted to sleep better at night knowing that the car was safe.
They delivered everything as requested without batting an eye and my brother calls every now and then with a few questions here and there when something comes up. (if you ever see the e39 in the shop its a forest green BMW. Honk and say hi!).
I’m now calling places for quotes for 40k service for my 2013 A4 and after calling the dealer I literally got a heart attack. With my heart pounding I decided to call here. The woman who answered the phone told everything that that service entails and laughed when I told her what Audi quoted.
Needless to say — my Audi will get serviced here from this point on.
Audi: BUT! We give you a loaner car for the half day work that we’ll be doing on your car?
I don’t care. I’d rather sit at home and have a Lord of the Ring marathon for that type of cash and wait for my car to be finished.
Super lame.
The kicker is that the 40k service is just an oil change and tire rotation. Har. Har. Har.

Always a great experience when going to Brian’s. We’ve been taking our family vehicles there for years as well as countless friends and extended family. Always an honest, straightforward and realistic diagnosis with a fair price. Thanks Brian and team for being a great shop, it takes a lot of stress away!

Brian is seriously as good as it gets.
I always live by the statement that everyone needs a good mechanic, lawyer and dentist. Because you can get massively screwed over in all 3 of those departments.
You can 100% trust Brian to not take advantage of you and your knowledge of cars (no matter how extensive).
He’s been doing this for years and MANY people around Escondido trust him and his staff. They are great!
I pick people up here ALL the time (because I work at Enterprise) and I have heard nothing but GREAT things.