Recommended auto repair facility in San Diego?

July 31, 2006 9:05 PM

I think I need an alignment; looking for a recommended mechanic in San Diego. I need Saturday hours, and am hoping for some place near a movie theater, shopping, or the like.

My car is pulling to the right, and I think I need an alignment. I drive a 1993 Pontiac minivan. I'm in between Mission Valley and El Cajon, but I don't mind driving a bit to get to a good place. I cannot take time off work in the immediate future, so I need a place with Saturday hours - preferably fairly long Saturday hours, to make sure I get it back in one day.

Between us, my husband and I have only one car (the one to be repaired), and I am the only driver, and we just moved here recently so don't have friends and family in the area -- the point being, I would really like to find a place near a movie theater, mall, shopping center, or the like, so we can just hang out and kill time instead of faffing about with buses and expensive cabs. Alternatively, a place that will give us a ride home and pick us up again when the car is ready would work (in fact, that's probably even better). Or, at least a place near a trolley line or a bus stop.

It may well be that I would be better off posting on some San Diego-centric site, but I don't know of any - links to other sites on which to pose my question are welcome, too.

posted by thatgirl to travel & transportation (5 comments total)

If there's a Sears near you, they do this kind of stuff, and are likely to be open on Saturday. (Most mechanics aren't.)
posted by knave at 9:58 PM on July 31, 2006

I'm a big believer that a good mechnaic is hard to find.

Go check out the Mechanix Files over on Cartalk.com.
posted by filmgeek at 4:00 AM on August 1, 2006

yeah, my first thought was sears, too. they're not the best mechanics in the world, but they are generally competent across the board. and usually sears is attached to a mall or something like that. (call first and make sure they do alignment though, it requires some specialized equipment).
posted by sergeant sandwich at 6:09 AM on August 1, 2006

Check out some of the smaller shops on Miramar Rd, past the 805, by that big white pyramid. There's a shop next to a Japanese Auto-Tech place. A guy named Eric works there, long hair, ponytail. He does an AMAZING job, bumper-to-bumper inspection for free.
posted by dvjtj at 1:11 AM on August 2, 2006 [1 favorite]

I've been happy with SAMCO on Armour St. in Kearny Mesa. They guys there are nice and when I got my timing belt replaced, they let me know that it was still okay and offered to wait till later.
They'll also give you a ride somewhere if you need it, though I don't know how far they'll go--they took me to work which was just a few miles away.
Welcome to SD, by the way! Feel free to email me if you have other local questions.
posted by exceptinsects at 3:33 PM on August 2, 2006