The owner, Patrick McCullum, is just a great person. I searched everywhere on Yelp and through my…read morefriends and family, for not only a great mechanic, but, moreover, I wanted to find a great and honorable human being -- something that is SO hard to find these days!
I am a 70-year-old woman living on social security benefits and when I realized my much-beloved 2008 Toyota Rav4's brakes were not responding as they should, I gulped deeply, knowing I may not be able to afford the current costs to keep any car running.
I posted a Yelp project and watched the responses come in. Some were offensively overpriced and written with an attitude like they didn't want to be bothered. But something about the immediate response from Patrick that was not only polite, but caring and fairly priced (my nephew in San Francisco is a car collector who does his own work and is, fortunately for me, extremely conversant with repair prices on almost all vehicles, classic cars, old cars, new cars etc., and he told me what cost was fair and what was not.)
Meeting Patrick led me to believe I had been led there by the "Big G in H" (wink). After being warmly welcomed in Patrick's lovely office, I was led to an equally lovely little waiting room to enjoy an ice-cold water, a TV, and a comfortable chair as I awaited my Uber pick up to drop me back home. I barely arrived home when I received my very fair quote via text (pdf so I could print it out if I wanted), from Patrick. I approved the quote and only about an hour later I was on my way back to pick up the car -- such a short amount of time!
I live in Sherman Oaks so coming up here is not a short trip in traffic. But my sister still lives here in Santa Clarita, so I can just hang out whenever I need to make the trip to have Patrick upgrade my Rav4 in future. Well worth the trip. I love my 2008 Toy and only have 145,000 miles on it (that I hope to turn into 300,000 with Patrick's help)!!!
I cannot recommend him highly enough.
If you are tired of being taken advantage of by certain dealership service departments or sole proprietors who are, how can I say it kindly, "opportunistic" when they know you have to have your car working and working fast so that puts you at a disadvantage and gives them an advantage over you, try Patrick at Platinum. Not only is he a great business owner and mechanic, but also an accomplished painter, and Tae Kwando studio owner and teacher, and if you know anything about Tae Kwando, you know it is not only a martial art, but it also builds in you a strong moral center. I know this as a former Tae Kwando student, and I recognized that in Patrick.
I hope this review brings you the same peace of mind I found in finding Patrick at Platinum Auto Repair. Have a blessed day! And your car too!!! I mean with the outrageous price of gas and new cars today...we all NEED a mechanic we can trust!!! Getting back on the road fast and knowing that your baby (car) is feeling fine again, feels a little like Christmas!