Advantec Auto Repair

I desperately needed an oil change but had been burned by dealerships and other oil change places in the recent past, so I was hesitant to try out a new place. I saw the good reviews on Unilocal and decided to try out Advantec. I’m so glad I did! Everyone was super nice, they were able to get me in ASAP, and from start to finish it was quick and easy! I’m definitely coming back here for any oil changes and/​or any car problems I have in the future.

The only maintenance place that I will take my cars to in San Diego. In a sea of questionable automotive repair businesses it is refreshing to know that I can come to Advantec for quality service and pricing, along with knowing that I will be working with people who are straightforward and honest.
Bonus: There are a ton of other places to explore on Adams Avenue while your car is being serviced.

Need a mechanic who you can trust? Look no further. I tried these guys at random after reading some Unilocal reviews. Wow, was I ever impressed! Not only were they able to do fast work on a moment’s notice, but the work was quality, the cost was right, and the service was amazing.
As I was driving away another light came on inside my car notifying me that I had a tail light out. I zipped back around and asked if they had time to fix it since I’m still nearby. Not only did he fix it in five minutes, but they refused to charge me for it.
He also gave me advice on models of cars to buy (since I’m in the market for something newer) that require the least amount of maintenance. I checked online, and everything I read supported what he said. Sean and his team are great to do business with, and I will bring my car here as long as I live in San Diego.

The price was ok and they finished my car pretty fast how ever the old Asian guy was very rood acting like his s**t don’t stink and talking down to me.

My boyfriend Craig has been coming here for his car needs for about 7 – 8 years, and I recently just started bringing my car here. Mostly because Sean sold me a car, and it’s been running great! Everytime we stop by Sean knows us by name. My boyfriend trusts Sean and his judgement when it comes to cars and I do as well. I just got an oil change today (by the way, you get a discount if you pay cash) and got the ok to be able to drive my car up to LA for the holidays. Many thanks to Sean and his team, I’m definitely bringing my current and future cars to them if I ever need anything.

I’m a big fan. I take both my wife and my car here for any work that needs to get done from oil changes to bigger issues. They are always fair and honest. While it may not be the cheapest for simple things, I know the quality is great and they are being transparent, which is more important than saving $ 10 this time.

Stopped by to get new break pads and front rotors, and was quoted a competitive, fair price for high quality parts. The staff were both friendly and professional, and the owner, Sean, was a pleasure to work with. He spent significant time discussing not only matters of business regarding the parts my car needed, but expressed interest in my personal life, and what I did for work. I also had brief conversations with a few of the mechanics all of whom were professional and laid back, making me feel comfortable that my car was in the hands of intelligent, capable professionals. All in all; cool dudes, fair prices, high quality parts, with quick turnaround so I could go about my day. 5 stars.

Yet again Maureen and Sean have saved the day! I have been coming here for the past few years and they always leave me so incredibly grateful! They are honest and will always try to give you the best deal. I would never go anywhere else! Such wonderful people and a joy to chat with! Very happy they are part of my favorite friendly neighborhood. I wish I had the time and money to leave you guys cupcakes every time I visited! LOL Thank you thank you THANK YOU! :D

This place is as good as it gets! I needed new brakes, so I stopped by to get an estimate. After hearing how much it would cost, I called 6 – 7 other places and Advantecs price was by far the lowest. Everyone there was so nice and helpful! and you get a discount for using cash.
I referred my friend here and she is hooked as well! They have gone above and beyond to help her with all of her car issues. Another mechanic shop damaged one of her axles and Advantec helped her to get in touch with them and even got on the phone with them to explain that they had to cover it at no cost!
Basically– they are amazing and you should never go anywhere else.

Diagnosed and fixed my cracked radiator today (Saturday) all within 3 hours! Thumbs up!
I returned here after they read my check engine light without charge about 3 weeks ago (unrelated to radiator). I was in a rush to get up to UC Irvine and they gave me the clear to drive. Awesome team!

These guys are fantastic! I cracked my side view mirror on my Nissan and needed it replaced. I bought a new one online so I just brought the replacement with me and they literally installed it in 5 minutes! I am not exaggerating! All of the guys were super friendly and not creepy at all (you know how some can be). I was in and out of there within 10 minutes with a new mirror that looks perfect and works again! Plus it was only $ 40 and they gave me a $ 5 discount for paying cash. The nissan dealership was going to charge almost triple that to install my new one. Great place! I’m thrilled!

I was stuck on a freeway with a broken water pump in afternoon rush hour traffic. Shawn from Advantec volunteered to remain after hours to receive my car from the tow company. This all happened on a late Friday afternoon. He then repaired my car early next morning and I was able to be back on the road before noon on Saturday at a fair price. Shawn informed me on every step of the way. This was my first experience with Advantec.
I couldn’t have anticipated a better outcome.
I’ll be Back, to have my car maintained by Advantec.
Thanks again Shawn and Crew.

Brought in my car for what I thought was a bad or dead battery. At first look Sean said the alternator needed to be completely replaced for about $ 450. However looking at it more carefully he realized the problem was just a loose wire and fixed my problem with absolutely no charge. The receptionist is very helpful and very communicative. Everyone there seems to put the customer first. He wouldn’t even accept a tip for his service. Thank you Sean for saving me $ 450!

The underlying problem with this business is Sean Dang, the owner. He is a sociopath. In any transaction with him, you will lose. What I went through with him should serve as a warning of what you are in for, should you make the mistake of dealing with him.
bought a 2005 Isuzu Ascender from Advantec for $ 5,300 cash plus my car, a 1997 Corolla which they said they gave me $ 800 credit for. Initially they said $ 1000 but they changed that to $ 800. During their sales pitch they said, «we put a new motor» in the Ascender. Despite the claims of Sean Dang, I never met or saw the previous owner of the car. Sean Dang is the one who conducted the sale, took title of my old car, and took the cash from my hand.
I was towing a trailer with a load of 1500 pounds; the trailer weighs 1305, so I had 2800 pounds to tow, and the Ascender is rated to tow 5300 pounds. On a flat, level highway, with an air temperature of 80 F, the coolant chamber started bubbling and sizzling. The engine overheated and the car broke down. I was stranded on a remote Nevada highway, with a disabled vehicle in the middle of nowhere, left to die while Advantec counted my cash.
A Good Samaritan who happened to be passing by helped me locate a mechanic a few miles away, who towed me to his shop. The motor installed by Advantec was not «new» by any definition; it was an old junkyard motor with writing on it. The head gasket was completely worn and full of leaks. See the photo. Pressure from these leaks forced the coolant out of the system and this caused the engine to overheat. When I called Advantec, their first words were «How hard you been pushin’ it?» as if to automatically lay the blame on me.
The repair cost me $ 4,500 and took 3 weeks. I had to fly home and wait while it was repaired. During this time Advantec paid me $ 1,500 in hush money and said to me, «It’s your car now.» As a final insult, they tried to give me additional driving tips just as I was leaving — still trying to lay the blame on me.
There was an additional problem with the headlight switch, which caused the lights to turn off unexpectedly. This created a dangerous situation on a 2-​lane highway at night, with oncoming cars approaching. Fortunately my turn signal gave me just enough light to see to get off the road safely. I was never warned of this problem before the sale.
Advantec never admitted any responsibility for the failure of the car, nor did they ever express any concern for my predicament or my losses. I was a fool to trust Advantec and I would never let them touch any car. They have no conscience. When I first posted this here, they called me furiously and put enormous pressure on me over the phone to remove it. These people almost killed me, yet all they care about is their rating on Unilocal

Fantastic Service. Quick, reliable and honest mechanics here at Advantec.
I came in just for an oil change, which took only about 15 minutes. During that time the owner was kind enough to answer a few of my questions I had about my car. One of the questions he answered would have cost me $ 100 just to diagnose; which a lot of other mechanics would have required had I asked them the same question.
Before changing the oil I had informed Advantec that my vehicle held 5 qt. of oil and we had agreed upon $ 31, it turns out my vehicle holds 6 qts. and Sean was a man of his word and gave me the extra qt. for free. Plus I received a $ 5 discount for paying with cash which is quite a bargain when I totaled up my entire savings.
Again, I was thoroughly impressed with how I and my car were treated; Thanks Advantec, I’ll be back again!
— Stephen

Amazing service! Sean and the team have helped with my Mazda CX-​7 on multiple occasions and have now helped with my fiancé ‘s Lexus IS. The first time I brought my car in, I needed to figure out what was making my headlights so dim. His team tried restoring the headlights and as much as they did it, my headlights were burnt inside so the brightness improved a little bit but not so much. Since their efforts didn’t make it as bright as I would have liked it to be, I wasn’t charged. I love their customer service! I then brought back a set of new headlights to install and they gave me a great deal!
The second time I needed to bring my car back was for my front brakes. Another shop had quoted me double the amount that Advantec had. It was insane and I’m so glad I called Sean before getting it done elsewhere. I love how they don’t try to rip you off and provide honest recommendations for your vehicle. Most shops try to charge you for every little thing!
This last time I brought the IS in, we were thinking it we needed a brake replacement. They informed me that the brakes were good and it was the rotors making a squeaking noise. They also didn’t pressure me in to getting it done immediately. They checked the battery and told me that the car needed a new battery and saw that I still had warranty. So they recommended I take it back to get a new one! Talk about great recommendations and not trying to steal your money!
If you are looking for a honest, great customer service, and people who won’t rip you off… This is your go to!

Thank goodness for Unilocal because I found a genuine go to repair shop!
To be honest, Pep Boys and JiffyLube were my go to shops for quick oil changes and spontaneous auto repairs. But after getting off the phone today with a rude rep from Pep Boys regarding my service engine light, I scrolled through Unilocal and found Advantec.
Sean patiently listened to my concerns and was sincere over the phone. I brought my car in with no appointment and near closing time and he still assisted me with utmost customer service. He troubleshooted my car, explained the issue and filled up my transmission fluid which was very low at no cost! I had both of my kids in the car with me and he made my stop quick and stress-​free!
Gestures like this will keep customers long term! I’m actually due for an oil change so I’ll definitely be back soon and in the future as well.
Thank you Sean! You are much appreciated!
Jasmine Lara

I think I found my go to repair shop! Everyone has had the terrible experience of having shady mechanics sound like they’re making up nonsense to charge you more… This doesn’t seem like one of those places.
They’ve been very honest with me about what I need done. The most important part was that they were very understanding about my budget. They were honest about what needed to be done now and what could wait to make sure I would at least have a functional car for work. They were even nice enough to make a print out of what issues I needed fixed, how much it’d cost, and how long it’d be until it absolutely had to be fixed.
My car runs well now. The mechanics were very polite and kept me up to date on everything being done. Maureen, in the front office (across the street) was super friendly and very informative. I would suggest this place for anyone who needs car repairs!!!

I LOVE THIS PLACE. and I will review it over and over again — especially to counteract the stupid, pointless, and completely unwarranted bad reviews. Like the guy that said it’s shady to promote the use of cash? Huh? I’m confused. How is that «shady»?
Sean and the rest of his team have always been the complete opposite of shady. They’ve fixed minor issues for free and quoted me accurate TIMES and AMOUNTS.
I’ll never, ever go elsewhere.

This place is exactly what I’ve been looking for in a mechanic. The prices are unbeatable and they are quick with their service. They don’t hassle you or bother to up-​sell you with additional, unnecessary services. I don’t think I’ve ever waited longer than 20 minutes to get an oil change. However, if you do happen to come on a busier day, there is Twigg’s café on the same block to grab a nice cup of coffee while you wait.
Overall, this place is quick, efficient, and cost effective. This is now my go-​to place to get my oil changed and have confidently recommended it to others.