Lee’s Auto Repair

I was looking for a new mechanic after moving to the Allied Gardens area. Decided to stop in here for a simple synthetic oil change and tire rotation. I was impressed that I was able to be in and out in about 20 minutes which I thought was great since this isn’t a quick oil change place and I didn’t even have an appointment. The price was very reasonable. One thing that also stuck out to me was while I was waiting another customer had asked me how long I had been coming to Lee for. I told her it was my first time and she said she’s been using him for years and he’s the most honest mechanic she’s ever found, which was very reassuring. Since then I’ve been back to get my brakes changed and I’ve always been very impressed with his quality work and his prices are much cheaper than the dealership. He won’t try to upsell you on anything you don’t need. It feels great to have found an honest mechanic and I’ll be bringing my cars here from now on.

New humble review. Short but sweet. (Like me) Dude is HONEST, reliable, dependable and the most reasonably priced mechanic you’ll find. I have sent a couple friends and they’re happy campers too. Lee!

Lee’s is a great shop. Lee is very nice, honest, reasonably priced, and flexible. You can take your car there in the morning and usually it’s done in the afternoon or sooner. I trust him 100% and have recommended him to many people who have all been happy. I’ve been going there for many years. I know him so well that he’ll diagnose a problem and even if I decide not to have it fixed, he won’t charge me for the diagnosis. Granted, that doesn’t happen often, but it shows he’s fair and not greedy. You won’t be disappointed.

Lee is a reliable and efficient mechanic! Dude, you rock!

I took my 04′ trailblazer here because Mr. Lee was recommended by a great friend. And let’s just say my friend was 110% right! Mr. Lee took my truck in right away. He had it done in less than 3 hours. It didn’t cost me a lot. And he even showed me the parts he took out of my truck when he explained everything to me. He went above and beyond to take care of me! I will recommend him to everyone and I’ll definitely keep coming back!!!

Lee has worked on my car twice. He’s extremely knowledgable and finds and fixes issues quickly. I’ll continue coming to get my car worked on by him.

I am so remiss for not having reviewed Lee’s until now!
I’ve been going to Lee’s for my Japanese and American cars and have been sending my auto-​illiterate friends there for well over a decade, and have yet to have a bad experience. Quick, friendly, and honest shop — a rarity in automotive repair. Highly recommended.

FAN-​TAS-​TIC!!! This was the most efficient, honest, and thoughtful car repair shop I’ve ever been too! Yes, all those «5 star reviews» are TRUE!!!
$ 280 for a mustang alternator! Waaaaaay better than other shops! AND YES, he uses NEW parts! Just cannot thank him enough for stopping his other jobs to work on mine. I was there 45 minutes total!!! Just incredible! Thank you so much for the great work!

Brought my vehicle in today for an oil change, repair my headlight and replace my windshield wipers. Got me in and out quickly and reasonably priced. I’ll be coming back.

Brought my car here for the past few times and always have a good expirance. Quick service and friendly.

I am updating my review for Lee. For additional details, please see my review below. I had knocked off a star, as it is a bit of a bare bones operation, not a lot of extras… but after going there for the past few years, I realize that I like the way Lee does not have any extra waiting rooms, customer service agents or anything that would raise the prices. It is nice to talk directly to the mechanic, and you never need a reservation. I also like how he is direct. He doesn’t try to get you to do repairs that are not needed. At my last visit, he gave me back my keys and told me to get a new car… not in a rude way, but just did not think I should put more money into my car given the repair it needed. If my net car is Japanese, I will continue to see Lee.

I was referred to Lee’s by my brother. Lee’s also has good reviews on Unilocal.I was quoted over 1k for brakes by a place in la mesa and Lee charged me under 300. He was honest, trustworthy, and affordable.

Always good until the last couple times I went to him. Otherwise a very good mechanic.

Estimate was $ 2900… total ended up being $ 3500… difference of $ 600 without warning me or calling to tell me…
They gave me 3 month warranty on used motor. When it started leaking coolant immediately, they said it was unrelated to the motor swap and would be $ 120 more
Two weeks later it threw a check engine light for an EVAP purge solenoid, which is a part of the used motor they sold me. They claim that the warranty was only for the motor itself and none of the components that came on the motor.
The overall motor swap looks good but I’m not a fan of pricing discrepancies and warranty discrepancies. At $ 3500, they should have taken better care of the customer

I’m going with two stars because I’ve been here before and have been satisfied with the service. This time however, took my vehicle in for repair and Lee called me within a couple hours of dropping it off. He told me it was a gasket that needed to be replaced and he couldn’t find the part, that was it, he said come and get the vehicle there was nothing else he could do? Thought it was odd he would give up so quickly on a basic repair. Took it to a certified shop and it turns out he misdiagnosed the problem. Repair was made, car ran fine and no gasket was even needed?
Not sure what happened there, he seemed very disinterested in helping us.

I came here after a few recommends and was not let down. My front brakes were started to get gnarly on my car, so I showed up at 7:30am so I could be the first one there. It said they are closed on Unilocal on Saturdays, but he had me come in and get it fixed. It was a very simple process and was done in about am hour. There was no upselling, he even let me know the back brakes were just fine. He didn’t look for anything else wrong with it. it was very hassle free and simple. I plan on coming back again soon for more repairs.

I’ve written a (5 star) review for Lee’s Auto Repair under «Lee’s Japanese Car Specialist». And I wanted to write one here too as I’ve always been completely satisfied with the service! Lee is honest with you, will work to get your vehicle repaired swiftly, will save you a few bucks if he can and knows his stuff.
Lee has repaired a number of things for me. Within the past couple of months he replaced a cracked radiator and put in new rotors, before that, maybe a year earlier, he did a quick repair on a failing bearing. He’s knowledgeable and I wouldn’t take my car anywhere else. So long as I have a Japanese car — I will have Lee take care of it because I know the job will be done right and with honesty.

AWESOME!!! Unilocal wins again. Honest small-​business wins again.
Called to see how much they’d charge for a pre-​purchase inspection. I wanted to purchase a 2011 Honda Fit from a private owner and needed an experienced opinion since the car had high milage (70k). The Honda dealership wanted $ 180. Lee wanted $ 45 and had excellent Unilocal reviews. Decided to trust Unilocal.I never regret that decision.
Not sure if the person who helped was Lee or not… I think it was, he was a bit older than the other guys and seemed to be dealing with the customers most.
He spent about 5 minutes walking around, checked engine. Then they raised the car, took off a tire to see the brakes etc. Everything was done in 15 minutes.
He told me the car needed 1) a new battery, 2) transmission fluid service, and 3) new tires (tires were at 20−30% and wouldn’t last more than 3 months). All basic maintenance that’s not surprising considering the milage. The owner kinda challenged the battery, saying there was just a little corrosion, so Lee hooked up a testing device and showed the owner the low power. The owner finally accepted the verdict. They discussed the other points a bit and I stayed out of it. I paid the $ 45 and told the owner I wanted to think about it, because I still might like the certified used dealership warranties. Promised to call the owner by the end of the day.
Sounds like a finished deal, right?
Nope.
After the owner headed out, I lingered. Then I approached Lee and asked if he had 5 minutes. I wanted his objective opinion about the car without an owner arguing each point.
Lee’s advice: It’s a good car with a good engine. He could tell that it really was mostly freeway miles. He said that the only things that should be addressed in the next 6 months are the 3 he mentioned. I asked if he thought the price was good, and we discussed that a bit. He agreed I wouldn’t get a better deal elsewhere, especially at a dealership. He did suggest I get something «safer» by which he meant larger in case of accidents — he mentioned how easily small cars are crushed. But if I wanted good gas milage, low depreciation, and subcompact, this was a good car.
In the end, the owner agreed to replace the battery and change the transmission (I’ll do the tires when needed), and I’ll be picking up the car next week. I really appreciate Lee’s 5 minute talk with me, it put any doubts at ease. Seems to know his cars, gave me reasonable quotes on repairs I might want, and sincerely took care of a customer that he met for less than 30 mins. Appreciate that. Highly recommend. $ 45 for reassurance on purchase is worth it. Will definitely use him if needing repairs in SD.

This place is 100% worthy of all its 5 star reviews. I am still stunned at how great the service is. Mr. Lee is like a magical genie who snaps his fingers and makes the pieces of your car fly back together. He went above and beyond all expectations.
Yesterday morning, we called and asked if Mr. Lee could do a 100,000 mile tune up on our 2006 Honda Odyssey. It also needed all new belts, spark plugs, and tires. The power steering pump was also leaking. All in all, the estimate was around $ 1300, which is still far less than the $ 2200 the Honda dealer said this type of tune up would cost (Honda dealer quote was minus the power steering pump replacement).
My FIL (who was with me when I dropped off the car) had used Mr. Lee for his Prius many times. FIL said he and my husband could fix the power steering pump since it was easily accessible, so I signed up for the rest of the services.
I think I dropped it off at 10 on and it was ready by 4.
The car runs so much better. And Mr. Lee generously gave my husband some bonus tips for replacing the power steering pump, which my husband did this morning.
AND– the cherry on top– read this carefully. Some time ago, I clipped a very high curb as I was turning out of a tight parking lot, which kind of tore the front bumper off. It attaches via some clips, some of which were broken. If we took it into the dealer, they would have wanted to replace the whole front bumper to the tune of $ 2000. The other option was unscrewing it, taking the bumper off, and seeing if we could straighten it out before attempting to reattach it.
Soooo— when we got the car back, we noticed something different.
Are you ready? You might need to take a seat for this or even lie down in case you actually pass out.
The bumper was on again! All pristine, like it had never happened!
No charge!
Did you read that right? Did your eyes deceive you?
They did not. It is true. No charge.
I really almost wept when I saw my fixed bumper. Who does that anymore? I thought all those guys were extinct.
In a world full of shady and lackadaisical mechanics, Mr. Lee is a beacon of light. As long as we have some good guys like him still actually caring about their work and taking so much pride in it, the world will survive.

I waited a few days to write this review to make sure everything was still in working order from the repair. Was referred to Lee’s from a friend and was a little skeptical at first, but he quoted me a good price and gave me a discount on the parts to replace the A/​C compressor in my Civic. The work was completed the same day. Just for comparisson, the dealer was going to charge me $ 1600+ while Lee’s charged me a little less than $ 850 plus taxes and Freon recharge. It’s only been a couple of days but everything is still working great. I would go back for major repairs/​maintenance and refer friends to him.
One recommendation is to call before and get a quote and to check how busy he is. I had no appointment.