JC Auto, Inc.
"Excellent service in every way. Please read full review for details."
THE SHORT STORY: I would give JC Auto 10/5 stars if I could. Honest, meticulous, efficient, courteous, and affordable don’t even begin to cover it. I didn’t realize going in how lucky I was to have chosen JC Auto off a randomly generated list on google, it was kind of like winning the lottery. The level of service provided was unparalleled in my experience. If you want the best possible work done on your vehicle by the best people, take your business to JC Auto.
THE LONG STORY: I’m a Canadian travelling in California, and was driving through the area when my truck broke down, carrying a small box camper containing nearly all my worldly possessions. I took the truck to JC Auto, where it was explained to me that the engine was severely damaged and it would cost thousands of dollars to repair. I asked the owner/mechanic Jason if he thought it would be worth it to replace the engine, and he told me probably not, since the truck was so old another part would likely break, and it would be cheaper in the long run to scrap the truck and put the repair money into getting a new vehicle with less problems. He then found a trailer online that would fit the camper, made a series of calculations to ensure it could take the dimensions and weight, drove me over to purchase it, towed it back with his own vehicle, then proceeded to move the camper from the defunct truck onto the trailer with an ingenious system he made up on the spot using two tow truck pulleys and a forklift. He then wired the trailer lights in with the camper lights (this was all done remarkably fast and well I might add) so it could be driven safely. After that it was then a simple business of renting a truck from u-haul and getting back on the road.
I also want to add that on top of that, the staff at JC Auto were incredibly patient and helpful in terms of helping me find accommodation (in additional to helping me find a safe motel to stay at they gave me a ride there every night so I wouldn’t have to walk through a sketchy area of town by myself) making various phone calls associated with the truck and trailer, and explaining how to apply for a certificate of salvage to present at the border so I can get back into Canada at the end of the trip. I could go on, but there is not enough space here to record all the ways in which they made the continuation of my trip possible.
A less principled business could have easily convinced me to pour money into a quick fix, or simply left me to fend for myself in a foreign country with no friends or family. If I hadn’t had the good fortune of taking my truck to JC Auto I probably would have spent the remainder of my trip money getting my truck towed back to Canada, as there was no way I had the knowledge or resources to get my camper onto a trailer by myself. JC Auto are good samaritans in the truest sense of the word, as well as being skilled mechanics and business people who consistently demonstrated the highest possible quality of work, whether it be wiring trailer lights, providing consultation, or knowing the various state laws about salvage and vehicle surrender. I could go on, but I think the actions I have already described speak louder than any adjective I could write.
THE SUMMARY: By far the best experience I have had with any auto shop in my entire life. If I lived here I would never take my business anywhere except JC Auto.