Complete Automotive

We needed a pre-​purchase inspection on a used car. I was pleasantly surprised that the owner, John, was able to schedule me in for that same afternoon. As other reviewers have said, John is friendly, honest, straightforward, easy to talk to, and explained everything right at my level. His fee was very reasonable and significantly less than another repair shop that I had used prior. John told me exactly what we could expect with the car, which repairs were most urgent, etc. I highly recommend Complete Automotive!

The mechanics at Complete Automotive help me feel secure driving a used car with a new baby on board. Recently I got a new-​to-​me car and needed it inspected and tuned up for safety and reliability. John’s cost estimate was accurate as was his timeline of when the work will be finished. As a woman I appreciated his honest attitude and the fact that he didn’t talk down to me about what kind of work the car needed. I’m so lucky to have a mechanic I trust!

Needed a new water pump. Local dealer price was too high. Read reviews for Complete Aotomotive and called John, the owner. Quoted me a more reasonable price, scheduled me quickly. Couldn’t have been more friendly or helpful. SLO has numerous repair shops and car dealers. But from now on, I’ll go here for all my auto service needs. No need to trust anyone else. THOROUGHLY impressed. Thanks John and your guys.

A little disappointed in last visit I was told my oil drain plug was getting weak and would probably need repair soon first of all I’m a mechanic of 35 years and got hurt that’s why I went to complete auto I’m the only one who touched the car and I use a torque wrench so I know that up until they did 4 or 5 oil changes it was ok second I just did my oil change myself and found no problem with my drain plug so lm not sure what’s going on over there but I’m not going back

Took my son’s car here strictly based on good Unilocal reviews. Car had a very difficult to find short circuit in tail lights. They spent alot of time trying to diagnose and ultimately ran a new wire from fuse block under hood to rear of car, not an easy job. I couldn’t give them alot of time due to my schedule and they performed. Honest, tenacious and fair price. They have my business now for all 4 cars in the house.

They where very professional and didn’t over charge I will return if I ever in car trouble again.

Trustworthy. They are NOT trying to rip off college kids. Very smart! John and Craig both have walls of awards and certificates for extra education! Didn’t even charge me for a diagnostic!

Honesty and integrity — that’s Complete Automotive in a nutshell. I brought my car in and they checked it out — the part needed for repair was $ 1050.00 — they could have sold me that plus the installation fee. Instead they determined the part could be fixed with a bit of welding and they sent me to a repair shop that specialized in welding. The total repair was only $ 114.00 — not only did Complete Automotive save me over $ 1000.00 they gave my business to another repair shop because it was the right thing to do. Bravo! If only more businesses acted this way.
Thanks again Complete Automotive :)

Roses to john and his crew at complete automotive. you are all wonderful, talented people who care about the customer and our vehicles.
i brought my 2001 camry in for a regular oil change. presto, it had finally felt its age. other than one water pump, i had never done anything but maintenence on this sweet thing. it will be the car i take to my grave. anyway, after dropping my car off in the morning, when i saw «complete auto» on caller id, i knew there was trouble. well, a few days later, my car is in perfect condition. and, cheaper than the estimate by a couple of hundred dollars. mostly this car is functioning just like its old self when i first purchased it in 2001.
thanks to the staff expertise they changed about every item that wasn’t on the block or the header. LOL. they were professional and when i was ready to melt due to the fact i had just contracted to have our roof replaced, john was such a gentleman and exemplary business owner, and i was able to see the need and the results of his and his staff’s excellence.
please go here, people. you will be happy with their unnderstanding, and ability to do a great job. thanks to you all at complete… i know i was late in getting this Unilocal on. good price on a difficult job.

Last week, while traveling to the area, my car started misfiring badly. Luckily, with Unilocal’s help, I found John with Complete Automotive. He was quick, honest and fair. His crew diagnosed the problem correctly the first time and made the repair right away. He even picked me up when the car was ready. Besides being a heck of a nice guy he runs a great shop.

Last year I switched over to Complete Automotive based on a friend’s recommendation. It was a great move. John and his crew know what they are doing, but most importantly, John is just a good, honest guy. Here are a couple examples:
I had a battery I’d purchased a few years back from another repair shop was going bad on me. I went to Complete Automotive to buy a new one — they had me by the you know what if they choose to, since the battery completely died in their parking lot. But rather than just simply sell and install another one, he took the time to trace down the source of the battery, called them up, and arranged for me to get a huge discount on the new battery since this one had failed early. Within an hour, he had the battery delivered and installed. After paying something like twenty bucks for a new battery, he barely charged me anything for the install. All that customer service was no charge.
Just this morning I brought a car in that has an airbag sensor issue. They quickly diagnosed the issue and John told me that rather than pay him, I should go to the dealership where they would replace the problem part for free as a warranty issue. Cost for the diagnosis: no charge. Wouldn’t take my money.
I heartily recommend Complete Automotive for HONEST service at a fair price.

There is a reason this place has 5 stars. This is the second time I have had them work on my Saturn. Apparently, a part they replaced the first time went out. (sometimes it happens). They made good on the warranty without any fuss and John made sure to get it taken care of quickly. Integrity is something many auto shops lack. I’m glad I found this place. :)

The people at Complete Automotive are NOT your stereotypical mechanics. Immediately upon entering I felt welcome and cared about; it was clear they wanted to build a relationship with me, rather than with my wallet. Everyone I spoke to was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. All that, coupled with the fact that their prices are significantly lower than those at every other auto shop I’ve been to, means I will look no further for a suitable mechanic. I’ve found some that I trust, and will continue to visit so long as I live in San Luis Obispo.

I brought in a 2003 Saturn sedan whose ventilation system had been broken by another shop. Its AC was not functioning, and John Rowe, the owner of Complete Automotive, diagnosed the problem right away. He gave me a very reasonable estimate, refilled the freon, and rectified the original problem. Then, on his own dime, he fixed the broken parts that the other shop had left in place. I guess he gave me several hundreds of dollars of free labor and parts. He never once bad mouthed the other unprofessional mechanic, and he was always kind and honest with me. For the first time in my life, I tipped the mechanic who had done the work on my car. John Rowe and his shop are the best I have dealt with in forty years of owning cars!

They offered to stay past closing hours on a Friday to replace my car battery, I ended up calling and telling them not to wait because the roadside came so late. I went in the next week and got my battery placed in 30 minutes for 30 dollars cheaper than the dealership. Great service, quick, and great price. Highly recommended.

after buying a used volvo i was worried about keeping it in awesome working order and john has helped me do that! always honest-​always helpful-​always communicative, these guys rock. i have been given the ‘girl treatment’ at many local mechanics, but never here. in fact, i had the same thing that happened to another reviewer (toby p.) happen to me after a rotation. i brought my car in thinking it was either tread or balance-​and they showed me the uneven tread-​and said that happened with rotation on occasion. they even gave me kudos for knowing what was up with my car which is not the humble approach i was used to with most mechanics. i’m a lifer!

Complete Automotive was great. They were able to fit me within a half hour after I called even though it was in danger of crossing over into their lunch time. I had them do a diagnostic of a used car that I was looking to purchase. It was quite a bit cheaper than what the dealership quoted. I was impressed with the small details they were able to catch even though the truck was in overall great condition.
They were very friendly too which is always a plus.

After having a loose spark plug pop out and being new to the area, State Farm recommended towing it to Complete Automotive. Though extremely busy, John took time out from his day and put in 4 new and better plugs in my Camry and had me back on the road in about 15 minutes. He could easily have charged me two to three times as much and I would still have been happy. Thank you John, it’s good to know there are people like you still in this world! Service like this will pay for itself a thousand-​fold.

After just one visit to Complete Automotive, this is the only place I will bring my Jeep for repairs when im in a pinch. First call I made was immediately answered by John, very friendly, great communication. Upon arrival to the shop I learned that this shop is deep rooted in SLO history and I immediately knew I was at the right place.
After dropping my vehicle off I was called back about 2 hours later with the diagnosis and John already had a more than reasonable estimate worked up for me.
The problem I brought it in for was a stuck brake caliper. The day before I had been driving on Tank Farm and noticed a putrid stench of burning rubber/​plastic and smoke coming from my right front tire. This was devastating as I have an obligation in just one week where a lot of people are depending on my 4×4 vehicle.
So I drove it to my bands studio about ¼ mile away, and just luckily enough it was only a hop skip and a jump away from Complete Automotive so I just took the small chance of driving it to the shop instead of dealing with the hassle of towing.
Now with all this one usually questions well it must be expensive or the quality must be bad, well I can attest that you really probably wont find a better rate anywhere in SLO, the work was solid AND they managed to have it done and ready for me the VERY NEXT MORNING! Very understanding, very respectful (yes I am young but I deserve respect too and nothing is worse than a cocky business owner with a puffy chest blowing smoke up your ass) and just all around a great business run by great people.
Thanks Complete Auto! I’ll see you next time!

I went to Complete Automotive due to the dreaded «it makes a funny noise when…» They had a couple theories based on my description, and walked right out to the car and tested one out; they recreated the noise right there, figured out a couple of other attributes of the issue, and got to work.
They were upfront with the estimate, kept me in the loop on what was going on, and had the car ready when they said it would be. The took me back into the shop to show me the parts that were replaced, and commented on a couple of other things in the car; it showed to me that they took the time to look over the whole thing, not just the one spot. I left feeling like I could trust the work ethic. Several months later and no issues at all.
Nobody likes having to have their car repaired, but it’s nice to find a place that does the job well.