JP Automotive & Repair LLC

I really hate to be this guy but I don’t want anyone else taken advantage of. I did not have any service done at Jonathan’s shop but I did purchase a truck that was built by him and he referenced his shop on behalf of his reputation. I purchased the truck 2-24-24 under the impression it had 0 issues. The truck had a “oe equivalent” rebuilt gen 4 6.2 with a cam and some head work. He also claimed it had a built 4L80 by Big Dave transmissions. I asked if the truck had been tuned which I was told it had a street tune by Charles Barber. I test drove the truck and all seemed well, he washed it before I arrived and seemed like a stand up guy who was selling because he had too many vehicles. I only came across one issues while looking at it and that was some valve train noise that he insisted was fine. (Noise ended up being incorrect pushrod length) -not a big deal. I ended up picking the truck up for $13,250 and hauling the truck home. Once I arrived home, I started the truck to back of the trailer and it stalled 3-4 times, I texted him and he insisted I just needed to hold the gas for a few seconds so it could idle. That was my first red flag. Fast forward to around March 20 I noticed the truck started having some issues. Cruising around the truck was fine but during acceleration you can hear popping coming from exhaust and I started noticing small amounts of white smoke coming from exhaust. I texted him for some further engine information- (exact engine and upgrades, as he didn’t send invoice next day as promised)- and asked if he has had any issues which he insisted he did not. Also at this point the truck started leaking from the waterpump gaskets. I ended up doing a compression test and found 7 cylinders had around 180psi but cylinder #5 was at 160psi. This prompted me to perform a leak down test on cylinder 5 which pressured the coolant system and informed me I had a issue on hand. Fast forward to may 1st, I finally received all the parts for a head gasket repair so I tore the truck apart. Once I pulled the heads off I noticed cylinder #3 and #5 both had holes in top of both pistons. Again, I texted and let him know. He was helpful with me on letting me know which parts he had used to rebuild so I could proceed. Unfortunately the debris had ruined the rod and main bearings so I knew it needed a full rebuild or replacement. I opted for buying a iron block 6.0 and I reused the cam and heads after cleaning. I had the new motor in and running by may 23rd. Again I reached out to him for some help on some grounds and a few other questions and he helped decently over text, which I do appreciate. At this point I’m happy to have the truck back up and running but I also had expected the tune to be bad due to it damaging 2 pistons. So I scheduled a tune with my tuner. Fast forward to today 6-13-24, after I worked out all of the bugs the truck had. I took to my tuner, we strapped it on the dyno and pulled the old tune file. He immediately called me over and showed me the timing table and said “no wonder you torched 2 pistons.” He then informed me the whole tune was lean and the truck had too much timing at WOT. As much as it sucked to pay so much and have to redo everything I was still happy to have the truck running and driving after my tuner sorted it out. Then it should be no surprise by now, the truck failed again. I drove the truck 2 hours after the tune to a different city, noticed the trans felt a little funny so pulled to a secondary road. As soon as I hit the road the trans started slipping and would not accelerate. Luckily I was able to pull into a spot and call a tow truck. I checked fluid which was full and I let truck cool off for about 10 mins. After cooled down the truck did go into drive and into reverse but after about another 5 mins of truck running it stopped going into gear once again. Once again texted Jonathan asking if trans has a warranty or if he can make it right and he has left me on read. I don’t do bad reviews but if he can’t even build a personal truck I wouldn’t trust him

Jun 14, 2024 · Jacob Ray

I'm leaving a 2 star review and not a 1 star because the front desk lady was so courteous and kind, but otherwise I had a bad experience here, either due to incompetence or manipulation. I started having issues with my air conditioning at the end of summer 2023, and my previous mechanic diagnosed it as a faulty compressor. I waited until the beginning of this summer to get it looked at, and JP Auto had the best reviews close to me. They confirmed a bad compressor and charged me $930 including labor to install a new one. AC worked for 3 days and then started blowing hot air again. I took it back, they called me the next morning and said they had let it run in their parking lot and it blew nothing but cold air. They offered to give it one more day, I accepted that offer, they again reported nothing but cold air coming out. I thought that was strange because I tried using it morning, afternoon, and night and it never blew cold air. By this point I had to be in Georgia for a week, so I'm dealing with the fuming heat 2 and 1/2 hours there and back. When I get back, I ask my friend at work, a sharp guy with 15 years experience as a mechanic, to look into it—within 30 seconds he observed that the compressor isn't running and the Schrader valve in the AC line is broken. Refrigerant is clearly bubbling out of the top of the valve. I finally get around to bringing the car back in, they confirm a bad Schrader valve and fix it, but are unable to recharge the refrigerant. They trace the issue to the fuse box and quote just over $200 including labor for a new one. I'm lamenting my bad luck to my friend and he says, "It sounds like they're just throwing parts at the wall and seeing what sticks." He looks at my car again and immediately notices that the compressor wasn't plugged back in all the way by the JP Auto techs. He plugs it in until it clicks, then confirms the AC relay is bad. We replace it, AC works for another few days, then blows hot air. At this point I'm working exclusively with my friend. We replace the relay again, this time with OEM (a $12 fix), and he observes that the compressor plug isn't connecting properly, likely because it is aftermarket and doesn't fit exactly right, so he bends some pins and we have functioning AC again. Not only that, but he hooks up a scan tool and notices that there is plenty of refrigerant in the line already. That was 3 weeks ago and I haven't had a single issue. As I said, I don't know if the crew at JP was trying to scam me or simply doesn't care enough to take time to trace the root issues, but I will not be returning. I'd advise against this business.

Aug 13, 2024 · Tim Wortman

Took my 2006 Toyota Sienna in to have the air conditioning checked. Blowing hot on driver's side and cold on passenger side. Shop ran a diagnostic check and Replaced bad part. Great Customer service, kept me informed during process, was not overcharged for repair. In and out in one aft

May 06, 2024 · Peggy Farley

When JP fixes your car, it's fixed. They are the only people my husband let's work on our car. They are not flea market mechanics. They are professional, have a family environment, and they actually like working on cars, so no bad attitude grease monkey wasting your time. You in and out the same day call and make an appointment. They don't rob you on the parts or labor they are fair, and the bathrooms are clean. If you are a single woman, go there but have your money right cause they do great work you will be back and running in no time.

Mar 14, 2024 · Nicole Archa

They repaired my car within hours and it's running great now. Will definitely go to them again for any mechanical issues with my car in the future.

May 28, 2024 · lovelyj 75

This JP Automotive does nothing but charge you five times what another mechanic fixed it. JP Morgan was charging me for a 1700 transmission and they ordered the wrong transmission but it didn't need a transmission best man put a clutch in it and I have driven it all day long and you'll never took the transmission out y'all didn't do anything but try to charge me $3,970 something dollars when this mechanic only charged me $580 and the parts I had to get for him was $370 from advance Auto parts. I would not recommend this JP Automotive to anybody

May 05, 2025 · Deedie

A very HONEST and thorough repair shop. I would give them my business over and over again. I know they will do a good job without trying to scam to make more money and it’s fixed right. Thank you for being good to your customers!

Mar 31, 2025 · Angela Wallace