Brake Stop & Auto Repair - San Marcos

Avoid this place at all costs whatsoever. Around this time last year, the flywheel went out on my Porsche 944 turbo (951). Unable to find any mechanic whatsoever in a 45 miles radius who would work on the car, I decided to take a gamble on eddy and boys here. At first they looked like an honest small mechanic shop, however that couldn’t be further from the truth. After doing a full inspection on the vehicle, I was quoted for around $15,000 in various repairs. These included -new clutch kit -new engine mounts -new water pump -new timing belt -new fuel pump -new cam housing gasket -new alternator and power steering belts Now most of this list seemed correct as regular maintenance for this vehicle every decade or so and was all soon to be due anyway. Nothing raised any alarms at all. However when I received the vehicle back after 3 weeks that’s when the nightmare truly began. After testing the vehicle, I could immediately tell the timing was off, so I brought it back to be adjusted immediately. Eddy informed me that everything seemed correct and the parts simply needed to break in. I was told to drive the vehicle 500 miles or so then bring it back. After driving 500 miles without pushing the car at all, it still seemed incredibly off. I would end up bringing the vehicle back numerous times to solve this initial problem. After my third time receiving the car back, I noticed a significant loss of compression and really bad overheating. This final time I brought the vehicle in and the car was transferred to the San Marcos location to be inspected, at this point I was informed that my second cylinder had a crack in it. I was quoted for an additional $12,000 to replace the engine. Frustrated, I declined any further work and purchased a new vehicle. The length of Brake stop and autos incompetence was only revealed to me after I took the car to a reputable Porsche mechanic. It was discovered that the clutch kit was poorly installed, and the car had a blown head gasket caused by you guessed it, incorrect timing!!!! Additionally the engine mounts that were installed were incorrect for the specific year and model of my car, which is something I also pointed out to eddy as the engine sat unusually high compared to the previous mounts (and no it wasn’t fully bc the engine mounts were collapsed eddy). After connecting with brake stop and auto and confronting them about this news, asking for them to simply repair the damages their faulty work caused or full financial compensation, they completely changed their story and told me they never said there was a crack in the second cylinder and they would give me a super amazing deal and recondition the engine for $6,000. I never brought it back to them. I did look into legal action regarding the damages caused by incompetence however came to the conclusion it was too expensive and not worth my time, and left the situation as it is. Another thing I later discovered, was the prices they quoted me for parts were heavily inflated compared to what they actually cost, and no that is not including the service fee. They lied about how much go payed for the parts to further squeeze money out of me. Ultimately Eddy has proved to me he is fully willing to take advantage of customers and lie and cheat his way to every dime. I heard nothing but constant excuses from him the entire him. I was an 18 year old college student at the time who simply wanted to have the car my deceased grandfather gifted to me repaired. If you are reading the google repairs considering this shop, please steer clear. DO NOT make the same mistake many of us leaving reviews have

Nov 01, 2024 · Toby Roth

Highly recommend Brake Stop and Auto Repair Shop. Excellent customer service by Richard. He was very helpful in diagnosing my cars issues and offering same day service. Very professional and efficient!

Dec 13, 2024 · Amanda Zicari

Not bad for a small business. They offer alot of services including renting out uhaul trucks. It took about an hour and fifteen minutes to do my oil change,tire rotation, 12 point inspection, and fluid top off. There was a man well beyond his prime doing the work which I was not comfortable with. But all the men were very nice. The place is kinda run down and dusty but couches are comfortable. My biggest issue was I bought a Groupon voucher that offered all services listed above for $69 but when I arrived I was told it would be and extra $31 because my car uses synthetic oil. it's not the issue of the money. Its just I could have bought a synthetic package instead and still saved a little money. All in all I would recommend it's very economicly friendly.

Mar 06, 2019 · Rayzell Simpson

I left my vehicle at this business for about two hours so they could conduct a brake inspection, and when they called saying they finished the inspection, the manager told me one of their mechanics damaged my vehicle's bumper. When I asked for them to pay for the damage, they refused, and said that the damage was my fault for parking so close to the curb stop. The manager on property refused to work with me on creating a solution, and denied me any helpful information.

Aug 27, 2020 · reese buckingham

⚠️⚠️⚠️ WARNING ⚠️⚠️⚠️ Do not take your vehicle here. They will talk down about other businesses to ensure your trust and gain your business. But as soon as you sign that contract and turn to walk away they pick up a dagger and stab you in your wallet. The phone call you will receive will surely be inflated. These thieves tried to charge me $1100 for a starter and battery. I specifically asked for a full diagnostic. They wanted me to pay this charge before they could do the diagnostic that I had my truck towed in for. They have a AAA driver that they clearly are in cahoots with and I will be reporting then as well. Do Not have your car towed into this scam shop. The professionalism of mgmt is the worst you can imagine experiencing. You have been warned about the smooth talking scam artist manager sucker.

Jul 01, 2024 · charles stewart

I dropped off my U-Haul rental, and the drop-off at the Brake stop in San Marcos was smooth and really friendly. Really a warm welcome after a tough move, was really appreciated. Thank you!

Mar 22, 2025 · Ken Michaels