I took my 2005 mustang to 829 Auto on 1/24/2023 and I talked to Matt because I wanted to have new shocks and struts replaced since my mustang has been showing its age as far as ride comfort. I specifically and intentionally picked this shop because of all the good reviews he had in google and yelp. Matt was very accommodating and took the time to explain to me my best option and the best manufacturer to go with without spending too much money. We must have talked for at least half an hour talking about cars and his experience as a mechanic and as a businessman. He is friendly and a pleasant man to talk to. I got an an impression that he was a straight shooter and an honest business owner. As a military Veteran I appreciate straight shooters and no nonsense people to deal with. I told him my budget and he straight right away stated that "oh you will be spending less than that." He didn't try to upsell me nor did he try to offer me more work on my car I did not want or need. That sealed it for me and because of his genuine good customer service I felt comfortable to ask him to upgrade my exhaust to a dual exhaust system as well in my mustang v6. He said that he can do it and gave me options also in which manufacturer to pick with good price and performance. So I said let's get it done and he went to work in ordering the parts and gave me an two days to get the parts to his shop. He told me he will call me when the parts were in and sure enough on Thursday two days later he called around 4pm and told he got the parts and to bring my car in the next day on Friday. I told him I could not because I had work scheduling issue and I asked to bring it on Saturday forgetting that he was closed on the weekend. But I wanted it done right away and so he informed me that he was willing to do the install on Sunday since he said he was going to be in his shop anyway to do light catch up work and was willing to squeeze me in. I again appreciated that and he work on my car from the time I-dropped ed it off at noon till when he called me 15 minutes till 7pm that Sunday night. He installed new shocks and struts and new dual exhaust system in my mustang v6. Now the car ride is much improved and the exhaust sounds much better as well than the single exhaust. Matt also took time to modify the back bumper and cut out to accommodate the left side exhaust. It looks very OEM and it looks like the bumper has been stock all along like the bumpers on GT mustangs. It saved me money from having to buy a new bumper with dual exhaust cut out and having it re-painted to match my mustang. All in all I am ver happy and satisfied with the work that Matt did and I will be coming back for other work on my cars as needed. I highly recommend 829 Auto and Matt the owner for any car work as he is a stand up guy. I waited a week till now to write this review to ensure that the work he did was worthy of a good review and to see if the work held up an nothing falls apart. I have been driving my mustang for a week since last Sunday of the install and the car has no issues. Matt and his shop 829 Auto proved to me that the great reviews I saw on Google and Yelp were not fake and other people were not lying. Thanks Matt!! read more

Matt is THE G.O.A.T. He can do anything automotive related, literally ANYTHING, from installing an intake or doing a tire change, to full blown transmission rebuilds and engine swaps. It has always been surprising to me how more people don't know about him. I've known Matt for about a year now and he's been completely honest in every way when it comes to repairs and pricing, his labor rate is also unmatched in this business. He does things for significantly cheaper when compared to most performance shops, while delivering the highest quality work, he never cuts any corners and always makes sure the customer is set right. He's told me he's been doing this stuff since he can remember, which is very evident in the way he does his work, and finishes it. There should be a way to give somebody a 6 star review , this guy might even seem too good to be true, but he's legit as can be! I can GUARANTEE every single negative review on here was somebody who either got p*ssed off or was impatient for whatever reason, and wanted to take the blame out on Matt. You seriously could not ask for more from a mechanic, especially one who single handedly runs his business and keeps it alive. I've taken my WRX countless times to 829 Auto, NEVER had a negative experience, it's always been super straightforward and down to business, he's even done things for me for free as a good gesture, since I'm a returning customer. I also drive my car around like an ABSOLUTE maniac pretty much everyday, since I know I can always take it back here and count on Matt, it's like this reassuring feeling that everything will be fine. I can't stress enough how good of a shop owner and mechanic Matt is, he WILL DELIVER! read more

I had my KIA Sportage check engine light ever since my former trusted auto shop for years changed the engine. They tried to fix it for several times, but they were not able to find the problem. I took the car to several reputable auto shops hoping they have a solution to fix the check engine light but unfortunately, the check engine light keeps coming back. I drove the car for almost 2 years with a check engine light and I cannot renew the car registration because it requires a smog test. I was very frustrated because I wasted a lot of time and money to solve the problem, and I cannot find an auto shop to fix the problem. My cousin referred me to 829 Auto shop. I took the car to 829 Auto and after several diagnostic testing, Matt of 829 Auto explained to me the problem on a display monitor and also mentioned the cheap parts that the former repair auto shops used to fix the problem. When I took the car to 829 Auto, I forgot to mention to Matt that the engine was not the original engine of the car. But due to his expertise he was able to find out that it was not the original engine and he said that the auto shop that installed the replacement engine installed a different engine type and size. Matt put a lot of patience and expertise to fix my car in spite the KIA dealer that he ordered the part from frequently sending him a wrong engine part. I'm very HAPPY to say that my KIA engine light was fixed and passed the smog test. Matt, you deserved more than FIVE (5) stars. A Big THANK YOU! read more

i don't review much and to be honest I wish I did to give shout out to more small business owners for their hard work and customer service. I came to this shop after an attempted car theft. Had it parked in a gated lot which didn't really deter any thieves really, but fortunately for me they could not hotwire my car and steal it. The burglar did however damage my ignition switch and it wasn't possible for me to start my vehicle. i called 829 auto to see if they would be able to take a look and assess the damage and the owner Matt allowed me to tow it over. Once my truck arrived he immediately checked it out and with a bit of skill and experience adjusted a few things around so that my key could turn the ignition and also corrected the shifter. Took him like 2 mins to do this. He didn't try to upsell me and he didn't even want to charge me. I really appreciated that and i couldn't leave his shop without compensating him so I pulled out some cash and at least asked him to let me pop for his dinner. now at some point I'll have to get my ignition switch replaced but he was able to get my car running so I could make it back home 2 hrs away. if I am ever in the area I plan to schedule a service at his shop. The way I see it, your hard earned money is best spent when it needs to be spent on goods or services provided by straightforward, hardworking small business owners. Thank you Matt! read more

If you are looking for Fast, Quality and Friendly service this is the place. After looking at a couple of exhaust shops in town and going through reviews i stumbled across this one so i decide to stop by. Upon arrival i let them know what work needed to be done and from there we set up an appointment. The owner of the shop Matt ,explained to me the process of what would have to be done and the potential problems he would run into while working on the vehicle. Appointment day arrives and I drop the car off before i head to work which was hassle free, just signed a few documents went over what was going to be done again and given a rough estimate on time and cost and boom on my way. Estimated 1.5 hours but ended up having the car for about 4 hours making sure the whole catback was aligned and properly installed around the initial price discussed. I am extremely happy about how his work turned out and would definitely recommend people check him out , i know now i will for sure be back when i need work done ! read more

Matthew was awesome, tuned my car in no time. I have 2019 gti. He was awesome on the phone, came down to his shop and he got it done quick. No rudeness and it was fair pricing. Shows me what options i have and even told me what should be my next step.. Few things on mind...... for consumers You cant please everyone. People got different situations, if it didnt go their way you give 1 star or bit"ch about something. What the heck is that. Same goes to you YELP. YELP is the biggest scam for businesses. Seriously, HOW ABOUT BUSINESSES MAKES YELP REVIEW FOR YELP???, and most people that complained on 829 didnt even get any work done. Lol. Keep Doing what you doing matthew. Your awesome bro. Btw yelp wants you to pay them so they can advertise you as a good company. So much company paying good money but shitty service and fees. Consumers should try and risk instead of relying on stupid comments. As ive said above people got different situations and problems. I hope this helps! read more

Recently bought a 2009 VW GTI that already had an APR ECU Upgrade. We were having some rough idling and lagging issues so researched an approved APR service and found 829 Auto. I had already done some research on my own to understand what ECU and TCU upgrades were but after speaking with Matt the owner and having him test drive our car he further explained the issue, filled in all the blanks for us, and gave us recommendations. We took his suggestions and he completed the work quickly and our car is no longer having those issues. Matt also told us the cam follower might need to be replaced as well, he said he'd check it out for us but in the end it didn't need replaced and he didn't charge us just for checking it out. He did find that our rear engine mount needs replacing so we're having him take care of it for us. In my opinion, I feel Matt is an honest and reliable business person, very informative, and we will use his services in the future. We highly recommend!! read more

I have been looking for a honest and reputable Auto Mechanic in the southbay area who has experience and expertise with German automotives. Thumbing through yelp I ran into 829 Auto and was very glad I stopped by. Matthew the owner was very patient to explain to me the process of getting my car Carbon Cleaning. He led me into the back and showed me what he uses as a product and as a device to get out this carbon build up quite often seen on these Audi 2.0 turbo motors. He's so honest that he even showed me videos of the machine exhausting the cleaner out of my car. It shows you the integrity of this guy. He is very well versed in everything from normal maintenance to high performance tuning. I have been spending time and money driving my car up north as far as an hour to get a good reliable mechanic that knows German Cars. I will be taking my cars here from now on as long as he's here. Thanks Matt. read more

Took a car here a few months back for a pre purchase inspection. Owner and operator was a very cool and humble guy who knows his stuff. His shop was very clean and in good order. After a short conversation ill be taking my cars here anytime i need something done, as you can tell he cares for his business and as the owner and operator that means he needs good work to be done there to make it grow, which to me was much more appealing then giant repair shops with hundreds of locations with people who are working there and see it as just a paycheck, while he sees it as the success of himself and his business riding on its quality work. Id recommend this place to anyone interested. He had great pricing and was very knowledgeable. read more

Fantastic service, honest opinions, trustworthy shop overall. Matt is such a friendly, open, trustworthy guy. He is not going to cheat you, tell you what you want to hear, or upsell you. He gets straight to the point and gets the job done efficiently and properly. My car is currently at this shop getting some oil & coolant mixing fixed. When he was checking to see what was going on, he went ABOVE & beyond to find the root of the issue. He tried to drop a camera in there and do whatever he could to tell me exactly what was going on. He didn't just look at it and charge me whatever. He did what he had to do in order to get me a proper quote & scope of work. 2nd time here and I don't plan on going to anyone else around. read more

i went to a couple of shops before bringing my car to Matt those other places ran a diagnoses or OBD and quoted me a couple of thousands for catalytic converters i reached out to my cousin and told her what happened she called a friend that works at a muffler shop surprisingly she recommended 829 auto so i went ahead made the appointment and took the car to Matt he asked me if i had time to leave the car for a few hours to check it when he called me it was only oxygen sensors when the other places took a few minutes to tell me it was catalytic converters i highly recommend this place Matt is very professional and very honest and has integrity read more

I took my 1997 Toyota Tercel to 829 Auto and needed to know where the oil leak was coming from under my car. Mat did a detail diagnostic test and took pictures of where the oil leaks were coming from and was able to fix the oil leaks. My car does not leak oil from anywhere now. I now have a clear mind in knowing that I don't need to put oil in my car every week. I recommend that if you want a honest mechanic go see Mat at 829 Auto. He is trustworthy and very honest. I definitely will refer to my family and friends to go to 829 Auto. Thank you Mat!!!!! read more

If you're on google looking for an honest, trustworthy, kind, informative, detail oriented, legit and hard working mechanic. Matt is your guy. He will take care of you and I hope you take care of him because he works on his off days and puts in overtime! He helped me out, gave me a reasonable price, got things done quick, worked with me and explained everything thoroughly. If it weren't for that, I would've not came to this shop. You won't waste your time and energy. He will inform you on everything and offer reasonable solutions read more

First of all, Matt is amazing!!! I brought my car in initially to slightly lower my car and a week later needed my brakes repaired and was HIGHLY IMPRESSED at how knowledgeable, honest and professional he is!!! Let's be honest, finding someone we can trust to work on our car can be a very stressful but I'm here to tell you that you no longer have to look any further.... 829 Auto is the place. I'm so happy that I found Matt and will definitely be taking our cars in for repairs if needed. Thank you Matt. I will be back read more

I brought my VW in for an APR chip tune, Matt came in early to accommodate my work schedule. He was professional and took the time to explain what to expect, how to properly care for my engine to keep it running for a long time. You can tell that he really cares about cars and does not take shortcuts on parts or repairs. No upsells that mechanics can be known for. They also do regular repairs and service, I will not hesitate to take my car there if I have any issues with it in the future. read more

I had been calling all around Chula Vista/National city area trying to get my car worked on and there was no one reliable to assist me with my car issue. Matt is super awesome and was able to help me within that same hour that I had called him. Matt did an amazing job with handling my car and was able to assist me under an hour from when I got there! If I could would rate him an 11/10!!! Thanks again Matt! I will be getting all of my car services done by you! read more

Matt is easy to talk to and will help you along the way, whether that be explaining how to do the service on your own or explaining every step of the process that they do on the car. They work to make sure the service is done properly and at a high level of quality. Went here multiple times and definitely will go again when my car needs it. read more

Definitely recommend 829 auto! Matt was super kind and helpful. I handed him a big list of repairs my car needed & he finished it all quickly and efficiently. He made sure to ask me about my price comfortability on parts and provided me with options. Overall great work and fair price. Absolutely returning for all my auto needs(: read more

The owner who is also the mechanic is very friendly and very knowledgeable on all types of cars. Also has his website for aftermarket parts. Great prices, i would say better than any other shop I have been too. It is a one stop shop. Has been helping me with my 2016 Mustang GT and I will only go to him from now on. read more