Success Auto Tech

I come here for all my repairs, fair price and the owners are really nice, they always offer me Starbucks as I wait for my car to be serviced. They are very professional and quick with the repairs.

I’ve been coming to this shop for since 1995 and I love them! They’ve always taken care of me and give me recommendations of what to service and keep an eye out for next!

*****DISHONEST DISHONEST DISHONEST DISHONEST*****
*****SHADY SHADY SHADY SHADY SHADY SHADY*****
All NEGATIVE reviews are so deserved and earned. success auto tech will RIPPED YOU OFF. Read all the Negative reviews. So many FAKE reviews by friends and family
LIE, STEAL, CHEAT = success auto tech
CREDIT CARD PAYMENT is the best so you can DISPUTE the FAKE REPAIRS & EXCESSIVE CHARGES!!! NEVER pay cash!!! success auto tech will tell you that you don’t have to pay sales tax if you pay cash. That’s a LIE!!!
Don’t take your car to success auto tech!!! SHADY SNAKE CHARMING owners will rape your bank account dry. DO NOT /​NEVER sign the Inspection Estimate just leave your contact info (Name & Phone #) because these shady owners will write down all these FAKE REPAIRS and bill you for them!!! Like signing a Blank Check. BEWARE, alot of the time they all ready done the repair before even asking you if it ok to do the repairs!!!
Really «SHADY» business practices They hold your car all day and overnight pretending to do all these USELESS diagnostic tests. They quote you initially low price of $ 50 – 150 for the repair to lock you in then call you back to screw you by saying that’s not the problem. Now the repairs will be ALOT more EXPENSIVE!!! The repairs Ballon /​Skyrocket /​Inflated to over $ 500+ in repairs (Double, Triple, Quadruple + the Original Estimate).
Fake, Cheap, Low Quality Auto Products parts are used to repair your cars and will cause a lot more damage and more money to fix later on. Original manufacturer’s parts are NEVER used in your repairs as they mention. All Lies!!!
They try to SCARE you /​INTIMATE you by saying your car is unsafe /​dangerous to drive to hustle to do Un-​Necessary Repairs or Charge you for FAKE Repairs that they never do. Always tell you you need a Oil Change, Transmission Fluid Change, Radiator Fluid Change, Need New Brakes, Air Filter Change, Need New Spark Plug and Spark Plug Wires… etc. just to Jack up /​Inflate your repair bill
I asked them to see & save old defect parts and was told they trash them or there is a core fee so the vendor took back the old defective parts. I ask other mechanics and they tell me there is never a core fee for these products. Success Auto always does BAIT AND SWITCH!
Your car’s first repair estimate is a LIE. Will always cost you a lot more

This place is super friendly and helpful. I’ve been to many auto repair shops before I discovered this place and it is by far the best. The staff was very helpful on what needed repairing and they set me up with what seemed to be VERY good, reasonable deals since I own an expensive car and can never find places that give me reasonable pricing. The staff member that helped me was Hien I believe and he was extremely professional and friendly. I will definitely be staying with this shop for awhile. Very much recommended if you’re looking for a long term auto repair shop with a great staff and deals!

I am shocked to see these guys got a «3» stars on their ratings; they don’t even deserve a «1.» I visited this junk shop two years ago once and never went back. Why, you may ask? All because this Long guy was trying to rip me off. I went there to fix my A/​C because it wasn’t blowing cold air. Long — recommended all the unnecessarily recommendations such as changing air filters, flush transmission fluid — just trying to squeeze the $ out of my wallet. Thank god I didn’t buy into his b. s for two reasons. #1, I am a salesman myself so I know when people are trying to hustle me. #2, the timing belt he recommended me to change cost $ 140 and not surprisingly til this day, my car is still running good with the SAME timing belt I had two years ago! The reason why I am writing this review is because my girlfriend just recently visited this place for oil change; she said it was somewhere «cheap» on S. G Blvd and I wasn’t aware that she went to this junk shop until I was helping her pay her credit card bill. She said the «cheap» oil change was only $ 35 but I was shocked when I saw her bill was $ 280!!! And I saw a long list of b. s recommendations on the yellow invoice. I was so pissed because she works hard to earn money. Nevertheless, there’s nothing we can do since she has already paid those shady folks. I am writing this review, hopefully to prevent more people getting scammed by these shady folks! AVOID THIS PLACE OR ELSE YOU’D REGRET IT!

Things cannot be any worse of my experience here.
I was here just to repair the tire, nothing more. But instead, they broken the tire pressure sensor when they are removing the tire. After they reinstalled the tire, computer system indicated the tire pressure sensor fault. They took a very long time to figure it out, but finally failed. And then they refused to take the responsibility and gave me a quote $ 85 for repairing the sensor. It’s completely ridiculous! They are so unprofessional and irresponsible! Then I was trying to call the police to solve this problem but the police needs at least one hour to get here because they were taking care of a family dispute. Considering i really don’t have time to wait, i went to a dealer to fix it.
Bad experience, totally.

First came in for an oil change and check my wipers because they weren’t working right.
Ended up having to fork over $ 200+ because apparently my tire alignment was off and I needed to fix my rear brakes.
I came because they were a family friend but even then they are trying to rip me off. Never bring your car here. I realized my mistake in not checking the reviews beforehand.
Going to find another mechanic to trust.

This place will sucks your blood dry you have been warn. The owner is very dishonest but they try to act like they care a lot f… Some bs. Do not come here. I used to come here before and then I stopped for awhile cause of their bs then just a couple days ago I decided to give them a try again but unfortunately it’s still the same try to sell u things that ur car don’t need and they charge a lot. This place is totally trash. DONT COME HERE FOR SERVICE.

My vehicle registration renewal is due soon, and I was driving around after 6 PM to find a place still open that does smog check. The regular place where I do smog check has already closed.
So this place was opened, but it seems they are just about to closed. I met Hein, and he said he is willing to do it for $ 58. I was reluctant because most places charge $ 40. He knew this and he quickly changed to $ 50. I said okay. Though the sign inside said $ 31 for smog check for regular size cars (I’m not sure if the certificate is included). But I thought it’s fine if I’m going to pay an extra $ 10 or $ 20 if they are willing to service me just as they are about to close.
Hein then looked under the hood and pointed out five things he wanted to repair. The belt was supposed to be cracking and needed to be replaced. Then he said the brake fluid needed to be refill for $ 20 and then the transmission fluid also. Then another large part that has to do with brakes had to be replaced. And the windshield wipers needed to be replaced.
What he didn’t know was that I saw my regular trusted mechanic earlier that SAME DAY for an oil change. And my regular mechanic didn’t say any of those things were wrong. As a result, I turned down all those repairs.
The smog check didn’t pass. He said it had something to do with the car computer being wiped clean or that it wasn’t driven long enough on the freeway to record the gas emissions. He did give me an official printout, so I trusted him on that. He said if I bring it in before two weeks, I can get it retested for free. However, he said I needed to reboot the car’s computer, and he said he will do it for $ 30. It sounded fishy. I asked him again if it was necessary, and he said it was. So I agreed to do it. Later I researched online that Autozone will reboot the car’s computer for free or you can do it yourself by just disconnecting the car’s battery for 10 minutes. Why would he charge $ 30 for something that can done for free???
In addition, he also said I didn’t pass the smog test due to his visual inspection of the gas cap. He used a flashlight and showed me that there were cracks in the rubber seal.
Though I wasn’t able to see them. He said he would sell a new gas cap to me for $ 25. I declined because a gas cap at Autozone only costs $ 8. Then he said I needed a toyota factory made gas cap to pass (which usually costs more than $ 25). I called the DMV and asked if this was the case. They said no and that any good, generic gas cap would pass.
With hesitation, I took my car back two weeks later to get the smog check retested. Once again, they ask me if I wanted to fix those unnecessary things. I declined again. They did keep their word and did the free re-​test.
As other reviews mentioned, they do some minor good gestures. He saw that my tires needed more air and he did refilled my tires for free (which any mechanic will do anyway if you ask them to). But that small gesture doesn’t make up for trying to screw me out of hundred of dollars for unnecessary repairs.
AND I REPEAT, I SAW MY REGULAR MECHANIC ON THAT SAME DAY, SO I KNEW FOR A FACT THEY WERE UNNECESSARY.
STAY AWAY from this place. I hope this place goes out of business due to their unethical business practices. I know there are dishonest people, but this place takes the cake.

I agree with: HK C, Jeni K, and
Michelle L — «He told me I needed some work done that I had just had done» I completely agree and that is what happened to me! Excuse me Success Auto Tech, don’t you remember changing my transmission oil 10,000 miles ago? (HOW DARE YOU TRY TO RIP ME OFF?)
Should have known something was up when every time I was done servicing my car there. they would brain wash me by saying, «See we do a good job, an honest job. not like **** **** (another auto shop a few miles away)» (WHO WOULD SAY THAT ABOUT THEMSELVES ANYWAY? IF YOU DO A GREAT JOB, YOU DON’T HAVE TO TELL THE CUSTOMER YOU DID A GREAT JOB. THE CUSTOMER WILL REALIZE IT THEMSELVES AND YOU’D BE BOOMING WITH BUSINESS… THEY DON’T HAVE ENOUGH BUSINESS GOING ON HERE, THAT IS WHY THEY SELL YOU UNNECESSARY MAINTENANCE)
Standard oil change requires changing oil filter and oil. Well guess what? I did my last 5 oil changes with Success Auto Tech, and they NEVER changed the oil filter. How do I know this? I got my oil changed at another auto maintenance place and that’s what they showed me. (NOW I SEE THE TRUTH… THANK YOU FOR NOT CHANGING MY OIL FILTER SO THAT YOU CAN MESS UP MY CAR.)
Changed my transmission oil at 30,000 miles with Success Auto Tech. At 40,000 miles, I came back to do a routine oil change where Mike, the mechanic, that always works on my car, suggested I should change the transmission oil because it looked dirty. He then continued to say that he changes his prematurely. My response was, «How often should I change it?» Mike replied, «every 20,000.» Lance/​Long (THE OWNER) comes by and agrees with Mike that it should be changed every 20K miles. I was puzzled and now realized what these guys were trying to do. I replied, «I had my transmission oil changed 10,000 with you guys.» After I mentioned this, Mike and Long drop the ball on bugging me to get my transmission oil changed. (WHY ARE YOU GUYS TRYING TO RIP ME OFF? WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO SELL ME AN UNNECESSARY MAINTENANCE?)
MAYBE NO ONE COMES TO YOUR PLACE BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE BEING SHADY… LONG, HEIN AND MIKE. JESUS CHRIST.
DO NOT TRUST THESE GUYS. I AM SO DISAPPOINTED… I THOUGHT THESE GUYS WERE MY FRIENDS. They seemed so nice and honest. APPARENTLY GREED GO THE BEST OF THEM…

I agree with the reviews that when you bring your vehicle here, the quote is much lower than what you will be shelling out when your car is released. Yes, I mean your car is basically held hostage because the service guy makes you feel that it will not be safe to drive nor perform well, unless you get the recommended service.
I brought my vehicle here on a recommendation and thought this was a trustworthy business. The quote sounded reasonable. When I went back to see my vehicle after they inspected it, the parts were removed with oil driping and in a state of disarray that repairs had to be made before the vehicle could be driven off!
As your car is being worked on, more repairs and services are needed and the charges pile on. I was trusting and eventually the bill was twice what I had anticipated for the repairs. Incidentally, I checked the cabin air filter after it was supposed to be replaced. I found that it was washed off and had holes in it!
Unfortunately for me, I went on a recommendation. I would not take my vehicle to this shop again. Beware!

I agree w Fatty’s review:
Overall, they really do bait you in for more than what you actually need repaired. I came here initially because my sister-​in-​law was a long time customer of theirs and swore they were honest to the bone. If I knew anything about cars then (I admit, or even now), I would not have been so keen on being a repeat customer.
Their initial quotes are always reasonable and seem much cheaper than other places. However, EVERY time I go in for a check-​up or routine oil change, I inevitably find myself shelling out $ 400+ for some repair or another. Granted, my car is over 10 years old, but after finding out about Unilocal and the wonders of peer review, I realize the repairs were unnecessary and, if anything, made my car less authentic (they don’t even use genuine Toyota parts!).
What finally made me realize that they were not honest was because of the aforementioned review. (yes, I guess I am gullible — seeing as how they got me more than 4 times with their schtick) The last time I went in, they had me change BOTH the front brake discs, which apparently is not normal unless you have been driving around with worn-​out brake pads for a REALLY long time. My brakes had barely been squealing for a week when I took my car in for a check-​up, and I ended up paying over 600 benjamins for the repair.
I finally moved on to a much better mechanic — Kerechek on Valley, and I’ve also had a good experience with Rosemead Auto Repair down the street from Success Auto. I went to them recently for a 21 point inspection using a livingsocial deal and they told me what a shoddy job Success had been doing to my car the last few years and that I did NOT need anything done for now.
So long, Success. You will not be missed.

Buyer Beware… While Hein does a great job, he will tell you you need work done that is not necessary He told me I needed some work done that I had just had done —and done well. I gave 2 stars because if you know what needs to be done, take it here and have them do that work — – but nothing more! They will bait you.

This place is a joke! I always go to Avon Tire for any auto services. Since they stopped doing smog check there. I came here for a smog check. I don’t remember his name, but he seemed like the manager or someone in-​charge. He told me that I need engine air filter & transmission fluid change. What he didn’t know was I know my car better than he does. I just did that a few months ago. I am NOT going back there.

It seems that they do a good job BUT beware of being quoted and finding at the end that you have to fork out more. They go ahead and act on what needs doing when they see it needs to be done BEFORE you have approved it. Twice I’ve been here and had to fork out almost double the initial quote because there were more things that needed repaired than initial assessment. It may be a good thing in the long run, but not being given a choice to hold off on spending another couple of hundred is not appreciated.

I have really mixed reviews about this place.
Let me start by saying i’ve been a loyal customer of city tech auto also and have been looking for a new mechanic that i can trust. I also read the reviews about Success Auto and decided to give them a chance to see if all the 5 stars were true.
I went in to do a rear brake change and was quoted ($ 130) which was awesome !!! Then i soon realized that this entire place was baiting me in for my entire bank account. I was really disappointed.
To make a long story short, my $ 130 brake change turned into a $ 600 repair. A mechanic by the name of Long was an expert on suggestive selling and was a real charmer at doing so.
When i drove in, i told them i heard a squeeling at the rear brakes and needed my rear brakes checked. He said okay. 5 hours later and 4 cellphone calls in between, i was told that i may need to change my air filter, ac filter, power steering fluid, coolant fluid, transmission flush, etc… All this was over 4 phone calls while i was at the hair salon across the street.
What made me suspicious was the fact that he tried to sell me brake hardware for an extra $ 30. My car is only 2 years old people. I used to be a mechanic and was really wary when he added that on top of my brake job. Then came the big wham-​o that just totally set off the alarms in my head. He then told me that I needed to change both disc on my brakes. You only need to change the entire disc if you’ve been driving with worn out brake pads forever and totally rode it down to the medal. Even then, you can still grind the disc down to smooth it out to use with the new pads. I new this because i used to do brakes way back then. I kept quiet to see how far he would go with more money making suggestions.
I was left with going back to City Tech until i find another decent mechanic that doesn’t take me for an idiot.
The pros:
I have to admit the customer service was quite overwhelming. He made me feel important and seemed to check everything in the car from A to Z. He even told me to come back and he will clean my engine. If he did all this and just stuck to the original problem of just doing my brakes, then he would’ve have been my mechanic for life.

I had been a loyal customer with City Tech for over 5 years and I do not regret cheating on them one bit when I got my car fixed here a few weeks ago. What pushed me to do it was the price.
City Tech quoted me ~$ 180 to fix a window regulator & 4 hours to complete while Success Auto Tech quoted me 40 bucks less & only 2 hours to fix… so I said, screw loyalty, I’m broke.
They checked out the rest of my car and of course there were other problems, but I knew they were legitimate and got a few belts replaced, new brakes, several oil flushes/​changes, etc. What makes this place a 5 star mechanic shop was the extras they did for me. Elsewhere, they’d nickel & dime me but Hien was super generous and helped me w/​a nail in a tire, unclog the windshield water dispenser (whatever its called), cleaned up my foggy headlights, and replaced 2 nuts/​bolts that were damaged by City Tech mechanics, when I didn’t even request it.
Hien & his crew stayed late to make sure the job was completed so I can get to work the next day. They did the work in a fair amount of time, even though I dropped the car off very late.
An added bonus was Hien showed me all the old parts that was in my car and explained everything they did. I may have cheated on my old mechanic but it was all worth it!

Came in to do my brake pads. Hien and Lon super friendly and can tell he wasn’t giving me BS answers and run around. I know enough and what is a fair price and he gave me a fair assessment. Things i notice is there are several workers and they work pretty well together and sometimes multiple people will work on your car. They will check your entire car for any potential problem and some might think they are just trying to squeeze more money out of you, they will not force you if you don’t want but will give recommendations and most of the time to me at least it made sense. Had flushed my power steering and before i left the shop Loc check my car once more and saw that the fluid didnt have the color they expected and I think he chewed out one of the staff and had them re-​flush it. They test drive the car to see it all works, probably some of the nicest and meticulous mechanics i’ve met. On top of that they air sprayed out my engine bay, pretty clean and highly professional group of people. Will be coming back and recommending to my friends

I’ve been coming here for over 10 yrs. Was referred to Hien from an ex bf. Hien is definitely 1 of the nicest & most honest & helpful guy! He explains things patiently to u & keeps u in the loop about everything. I absolutely appreciate this great place! Hien will give u awesome deals.

My boyfriend reccommended this auto shop since this is where he gets his car fixed/​mainetanced. I brought in my own Castrol oil and Fram oil filter so they could change my oil and since my boyfriend knew Randy, the mechanic who worked on my car, Randy only charged me $ 10 for labor.
I don’t know if that’s expensive, but in total, I spent $ 68 to change my oil (I drive a 2007 Volvo S40). Other than that, Randy is super nice and friendly, and he got the work done fairly quickly (within one hour). Good stuff.