I got a check in the mail from this shell station that my insurance wrote them for my car repair. The repair occurred 9/28/17, the check was dated 10/23/17 and has a six month expiration as most checks do. This check was mailed to me Friday, 7/6/18. EIGHT MONTHS LATER! I have no idea why the check sat in the Palm Springs shop for eight months, or why they decided now was the time to send it to me; luckily AAA cut me a separate check and mailed it to my home, otherwise I would never have been reimbursed. read more

Responsive when your are in a pinch. Classic travel tale. Car gets a pebble in the brake lining - can't be driven. And have to return to San Francisco. The car arrived at 4 PM of Friday, one hour before closing. Within the hour the called, and handed me the pebble, road tested it, and my anxiety was calmed. They seem like a good team. The service was so affordable - $50 for solving this crisis. And while you wait, go check out the art museum .. just a few blocks away. read more

I was once told everyone needs a good electrician, doctor and mechanic.... If you need auto service and want a fair deal, speedy service and the job done right, look no further and call right now. All the locals know the service dept and Mgr and vouched for them so I went there. They did not dissapoint and went well above and beyond my expectations. Kudos and thanks. I'll be going there for all my automotive needs now. And that's the truth. read more

Oil Change, Plugged two tired. The employees are very friendly and polite. My vehicle was ready within hours, the cost affordable and a free car wash. I would return here again. read more

It was the best experience I ever had in getting car repair! Especially because I am not a local and was referred by a local. Thank you for your outstanding service on my car, outstanding customer service from Robert and all the employees at Downtown Shell! I will happily sing your praises far and wide. read more

My car was due for an oil change earlier this year and after I pick the car up and drove home, the splash debris guard underneath my car fell out and couldn't drive it. I call the station and explain what happened and had a tow truck tow it back in to be repaired. Recently I did the exact same thing at this station and my splash debris guard came apart again. I talked to the new guy in charge there and he refuse to repair it and told me that we put it back together as well as we could as a courtesy to me. He suggested that they could order a screw kit and when I repeated that he said this to me over the phone, he literally lied and said he never said such a thing. He's dishonest, very poor customer service and I'll never bring my car into this Shell station again. read more

What a great find! Came into town for a weekend getaway and brake pedal started soft slipping. Jasper and the team there completed an inspection, spotted the issue that was a far easier fix than feared, and got me out in no time at a fair price. If I were local I'd make this place my go to repair shop. Fast, fair, and trustworthy. read more

this gas station/repair shop misdiagnosed my car and almost caused a freeway accident i came there because my car was not consistently starting up. first the sales manager, jasper recommenced i get a replacement batter for $220 which i did not need since my battery checked out fine. secondly,he also said the alternator was working well. i got on the freeway and all the operation systems died in the car. i towed it to a legitimate place and they said the alternator needed replacement. i replaced it and the car drives well. don't get conned, avoid this place. go at your own peril read more

UPDATE: I had posted this review to the wrong location, my apologies to the folks in the north end of town. I have since taken review off the other location and am now posting on the correct location I visited las week. This place quickly going downhill, will not come back! Morning cashier asleep at the register, a bit clueless and doesn't speak English. But the bigger problem is the guy answering the phone and taking your case. Immediately you sense his stress and unhappiness as you interact with him. Abnormal and erratic behavior... oh and "speedy", I sense he may be on drugs. I came here for a smog test as advertised online. First, when you sign the paperwork he ignores you as he walks away from you, out of his tiny office without giving you instructions. Will it take an hour? 30 minutes? Should I wait around, or go and come back in the afternoon? Almost as if he does it on purpose in order to get you to ask him questions. Once you ask questions, that's when he starts belittling you and treating you as if you should know better. When the car was ready I asked him a question about the bill, as the non-English speaking cashier was charging me more than what he had quoted me. A simple question. For that he raised his voice again, began disrespecting me, says, "you should know this, you've been here before". Interesting enough, the last smog test I had done at this station was four years ago. I explained to him I'm not familiar with the day-to-day operations and fees they charge at this station. He raised his voice again, continued responding with rage and a sarcastic laugh at the same time. Scary. I'm hoping the owner reads these reviews for the better of his/her business. I can't imagine why any business would trust such a despot and arrogant employee to be the welcoming committee for his local customers. read more

Don't bother explaining to them what's wrong with your car. They have complete disregard for the customer. Whatever you say just goes in one ear and out the other. Case in point. I had the power steering pump replaced about two months ago and ever since then I've had difficulty when I back out of the garage. I explained to them that when you back up with the wheels turned and then proceed forward and try to straighten out the wheel it's very tough to turn the wheels. it's almost as if there's no power steering involved in and you have to fight the wheel. I explained this phenomenon to both Jasper and to the mechanic who was going to fix the problem. When I got the car back and tested it there at the station, backing up and trying to turn the wheel as I went forward. No difference. Same problem. I turned to the mechanic who was standing there and I said, see it does the same thing.The mechanic said well when we put it up on the rack and turned the wheels with the engine on and with the engine off they worked perfectly. Well, I said did you try the scenario that I outlined to you? And he said, well when we put it up on the right and turn the wheels it seemed all right. We went round and round a couple of times ... and then I gave up and left. So don't waste your time trying to explain what's wrong with your car to these guys. They have complete disregard for the customer. Neither Jasper nor the mechanic heard a word I said. They didn't bother to test it the way I said it was having problems. read more

I was referred tp Down Town Shell from the CAP website to get my repaired. Jasper acted like he was too busy to do his job so I waited an hour until he could get to helping me. I was told the gasoline needed to be replaced but they no longer worked with CAP (an organization that helps low income people with car repairs to pass the SMOG test). I paid $300 and the car still failed the SMOG test, he told me to drive the car for a month so the sensor would reset itself. I waited a month and went back, he then said it would cost me $119 to his his mechanic drive me car to reset the sensor. After two hours he said "It must be your Cat Convertor" and my engine light was off. He told me I needed a new Cat. convertor and oxygen sensors but the bad news was he could not locate one for my car. He took my $119 and I went home called Autozone and they had one for $575. I called Jasper back and let him know and he hung up on me. I will be disputing the $119 I was charged today for nothing. This man hates his job and acts totally unprofessional. DO NOT trust them with your vehicle. read more

Came to get my oil changed the gentleman who help me write up was very friendly and went through everything with my car.. thanks jasper

I drove over 40 min one way to get my service done at this shop; yes, they're that good. In fact, I drove here 3 times to bring all 3 of my cars for service. George and the rest of the staff provide exceptional customer service. I have a choice to go anywhere but I won't go anywhere else I get honest feedback about my cars and they provide the best recommendations to get service done right. I highly recommend you go visit downtown shell. Bonus: they have a car wash on site..get your car serviced and washed on one block. read more

Just want to shout out to Mike and the crew at the service area for helping me out yesturday at 4:45; with no hesitation, greeted with professionalism regardless of there 5pm close time. I had just got off work it was raining and as I approached my car I saw it had a flat . But I went with my intuition and carefully drove it to the station. Pulled right in and 10 minutes later wala fixed and on my way home from a long day at work. Thanks Guys for making this worst case senario into a 5 star experience read more

Downtown Shell - Auto Repair Near Me - Palm Springs, California

Can you say, Crooked with a Capitol C! I went in for an oil change and smog check. My check engine light was on, but I thought it would turn off when the oil was changed. It didn't. They saw it, knew it would not pass a smog check with the check engine light on, but did the test anyway, knowing it would not pass. Obviously, so that they could get the money for the smog check. Instead of saying, "Because your check engine light is on, you'll need to address that before we can smog check you." But that's what a reputable company would do. Which, clearly, they are not. Skip this place and find somewhere to have your test and work done. They are a throwback to the crooked mechanic days. Haven't they figured out that that's not good business yet? Get a clue!! There are other options, any one of them should be better than these guys! read more

Got stuck with my car right near by shell, had Dave look at my car and he just save the day ! Very professional and friendly.! I recommend this place to anyone! Thank you Dave :) read more

Between my car and my Mom's car, I've been there 3 times this week for service. Every time was excellent. Jasper was precise in quotes and the cars were done when expected. I feel confident in recommending Downtown Shell for your car's needs. A+ read more

Smog check Went in and had my car fail, due to not being driven enough miles since servicing. I was not advised by the mechanic that it needed to be driven since service before checking. I asked if he would recheck my smog after driving a couple of hundred miles. He informed me that I would need to PAY AGAIN! SERIOUSLY? He charged me $42 for basically NOTHING! The guy is a rip off artist, plain and simple..... Save yourself some grief and STAY AWAY! read more

Worst place to go for mechanical repairs, maintenance or a car wash. These people are liars. They tell you one price then charge two or three times as much -- for poor work. My six year old daughter could detail my car BETTER than the job they did. STAY AWAY and FORGET THEM!!! read more

I've gone to this station for gas & service for 4 years. Jasper, the shop manager, has done the job all that time. He knows i've spent much there. However, the last time i went in I got a smog check. I left thinking it was all digital and what I was going to need for my new car, bought in Arizona, would be online as it had been for my California car before. I was wrong and needed a hard copy for DMV. I didn't have it and went back within a month but he told me that there was no history kept onsite. He told me it would be another $50. I asked if he could cut me a break and he said no. Seemed weird to me that no record existed at the station so I called around to other smog places that all told me California smog machines, that all of them had to use, kept onsite records for 90 days. They all did reprints in that time-frame for free up to $5. I'm filing my complaint with DMV for an investigation because it feels like a scam. At least that's what the mechanic who did my 2nd smog check, at a discount, said. read more

I made a mistake by going here for Smog Test. I didn't know they could charge you for the test, with just a visual inspection. This is an incentive to find something wrong repair and replace and retest. Just the idea that they can do this, legally, should have kept me away. Go to Smog Only shop to avoid this possibility. read more

Great car wash, However bring your valuables inside with you when you go in to pay, or they may be gone. I caught one worker going through the back of my suv when I was only having the outside washed. read more

I have owned 2 Lexus cars. I recently purchased another one and I trust only Downtown Shell to touch them. Prices are fair, AAA certified, AAA discount honored here. Trustworthy auto mechanics. The owner is one of the greatest people!! He really cares about the services they offer. I relocated to Las Vegas, but I won't mind waiting to get to Downtown Shell for my car repairs. Their like family. read more

My suggestion, bring your vehicle ANYWHERE ELSE. Very high estimates on any type of auto work...apparently they jack up prices for the tourist crowd. If you're a local, don't even THINK about bringing your car here. read more

Best I can tell, they need new pumps. My experience is with their diesel pumps...perhaps the standard pumps work better. To start with, the pump was incredibly slow, something I had noticed there but not documented previously. After several minutes and very few gallons pumped, I finally timed a gallon, and it took 1:12. That would be over 20 minutes to fill a 20 gallon tank. Then as I was talking to my partner about how long it was taking, I looked over and diesel fuel is spilling out of my tank, onto my vehicle and pooling on the ground. In over 40 years of driving and filling tanks on various vehicles, I've never experienced such a thing. read more

Got me in & out during lunch time for a smog check! Going back for an oil change due to the great service and convenience of downtown activities while I wait. Thanks Glenn! read more

I bought enough regular gas to fill 57.4% of the tank. The gas station was unremarkable.

Don't get your car smog completed here. They never told me that my car didn't pass the smog. They said they would turn in the paperwork. they are rip off artists. read more

After Glen left.. beware!! Service manager resolved an issue by stating "don't come back, it will make my day"! Apparently never took a customer relations course. Make sure if they do anything to your car they don't try to get every cent they can by not fully stating the facts or, in my case, then denying they said that. After so many years, 30+ of a trustworthy and honest place...SAD read more

Failed smog test because of deteriorated in take hose they said would get back to me as soon as mechanic was back from lunch "still waiting for that call" so I took it to a smog check only company and passed stating the hose was not deteriorated and called them. So did they do something to make my car fail so they can make for money???? I think so and now they will not refund my money. read more

Carwash: The workers are so friendly and great-always a nice job for the price. What I cannot stand is the short, older, heavyset lady behind the counter with the bleached blond hair. EVERY time I go in and stand at the counter with money and bill in hand she ignores me for a minute or two while carrying on a conversation with the workers (joking and laughing, not actual business) Thats fine but the Cardinal Rule of retail service is to acknowledge a customer when they enter your establishment and certainly not to ignore them for a few minutes until you are done with your non business related conversation. She never makes eye contact, speaks or thanks me the entire time I am standing there at the counter and she is giving me change back. I have had many jobs (and even life in general) where basic manners and politeness are just what you do. I dont know where this lady is coming from, but it infuriates me to 'bother' her with paying for my carwash, so after 2 years of that same treatment EVERY time I go in I am moving on to another carwash. Its just unnecessary rudeness for her to be that way. I wonder how much business she has lost them doing that. read more

We went to get a smog check and were told the cost was $60.00 including the certificate, after waiting for over 90 minutes we were informed we didn't pass.....due to no belt on the smog pump??? A normal FAIR business would look at the belts before taking our money and wasting our time. Now we have a failed emissions test entry on our CarFax record.Upon inquiring how they could engage in such unfair business practices, they stated we don't do that?????? answered "You have to open the hood to do a smog check and you can"t give your customers the courtesy of looking to see if any belts are broken." "You take the money and can't give your customers a true value, just plain rip off tactics". He stated that's our policy ??? WE BELIEVE THIS IS CRIMINAL BUSINESS PRACTICE !! When we asked how much it was for a retest we were quoted $60.00.....Full Price, every other smog check company charges $0 to $20 for a retest. This was a very unorthodox way of doing business extremely UNFAIR! I will be filing a complaint at the Bureau of Automotive Repair and Better Business Bureau for fraudulent business practices and unsatisfactory workmanship. I will be suing in small claims court to recover my fraudulently obtained money!! BEWARE of Downtown Shell 300 N. Indian Canyon, Palm Springs. read more

Father took his vehicle here to get new tires. When he went to pick up he was told there was a lot wrong with the car and the total cost to fix all these "ISSUES" was $2,700. My father called me and I had recently driven the car so was hard to imagine that much was wrong with the car. I live in LA, I drove down picked up the car the next day and dropped it off at my mechanic here in LA. I gave my mechanic the work order from Downtown Shell with their breakdown of everything wrong with the car. I came back later in the day to my Mechanic and asked him so what on that work order is wrong and how much is it going to cost me. Answer.... NOTHING! Absolutely nothing which they claimed was wrong with the car was wrong with the car. They were just trying to scam a Senior Citizen out of what little money my father has. This company will be reported by me to the consumer fraud division of Riverside County. read more

After calling me and telling me that all my repairs had been made and the car was working, I should come pick it up. Get there and the battery is dead. If they had test driven it, it would have charged the battery. Started to drive home and within 2 miles, car starts overheating, exact same problem they said they fixed. It was 445pm and i called them back to talk to manager. I was put on hold. I called back five minutes later and the manager had miraculously left in that time. Amazing. I called the next morning and was continually told they did all they were supposed to and that there was something else wrong and that I would need to buy a new battery for 350 for them to even look at the problem....I had already paid 350 for the repairs that did nothing....the manager hung up on me, i called back and was basically told I'd have to pay lots more money for them to fix the problem that I already paid them 350 to fix. This used to be an honest shop, no more. Do yourself a favor and stay the hell away from these crooks. read more

I don't know about the experience the other reviewer had, but we've brought our 2 cars into this place a number of times and we've always had quality and friendly service at reasonable prices. We live in PS and recommend this place highly. read more

Was just at the Gas station to fill up as i always do at this station. I also use this station for repairs. I used to at least. No More. I was there this morning and the door was locked as the attendant was in the restroom. I asked how long and GLEN was rude and told me he was the OWNER and i could go get gas somewhere else????? I just asked how long. This GLEN was so rude that i will never return to this station.I will not recommend this station anymore.He was cussing and trying to intimidate me but it did not work ,i filled up and left as he had all the employees standing outside laughing and smiling like a child. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL read more

I have had fantastic work done on all 4 of my vehicles there. Jim and Glen do an awesome job of letting you know what needs to be repaired on your vehilces. Jim has been working on my vehilces for 20 years and I have NEVER had an issue with his work! read more

just a hole in the wall car wash but super convienient &, as for the lady reviewed by the disgruntled reviewer john w (in a business suit) - consider her part of the "charm", if you will. read more