This automotive shop came highly recommended, but I was reluctant because trusting people to be honest is hard, but after speaking with a tow truck driver, who has towed multiple cars to this location, I became convinced, that they must be good. The day I had it towed over to the shop, it was a quick process and very seamless. I was greeted by Blue, who was very professional and reassuring. I have a 2018 Chevy Malibu that would start when it wanted to and stop on you while driving. After leaving my car, but a couple of hours, it was communicated to me that my starter needed to be replaced. After picking up my car and driving home later that day, I received a message on my app saying my battery was critically low and I needed to start the car. It was not yet 5pm, so I called up Blue and she instructed me to bring it in the next day. Once again another seamless drop off with Mr Kellerman telling me he would look into the issue and get back to me. I received a call by noon saying that after checking things out, my alternator needed to be replaced and it was not my battery. All I can say after having this car for 7 years and never having issues, I can't complain. Needless to say Kellemans Automotive will definitely be the place I take my cars, and recommending others to. If you want honesty, good communication, reasonable prices and a quick turn around time, this is the place. read more

Kellems Automotive - On the road again, and I am so grateful for Kellemans Automotive. - Auto Repair Near Me - Redlands, California

I have been a customer of Kellems as long as I have been driving. The customer service is amazing! Elias and his team treat every customer and vehicle with respect. I will always refer anyone who needs work done. This is a business you can trust! read more

05/13/2025 BEWARE! BEWARE! BEWARE! Sort the reviews by 1 Star and dont make the mistake I did. A lot of their 5 star reviews are what seems to be spam and posted during same time intervals. I will be taking Elias and this shop to court. They take advantage of people that don't know about mechanics, disclose things "wrong" with the car once they are in the middle of finishing the job saying "sorry we didn't catch it", say one price over the phone and then quote you another. They are a nightmare. I am a young woman with not a lot of money and they have taken advantage of me. I am down $1,600 dollars AND now I don't have a working car because they didn't diagnose a blown head gasket but fixed everything else instead. I told Elias that I would be reporting him to the Better Business Bureau because of the shady tactics and he said quote "I don't care about them". I even asked him to clarify what he just said and he said it again. This man is a red flag. I will update with court details as it develops. You have been diligently warned. Update (05/14/2025): After posting my review yesterday, they had 3 other 5 star reviews posted the same day after not having any reviews for 2 weeks on google. Coincidental? It appears like they are trying to drown out the negative reviews by having relatives and spam add untruthful experiences. That is my educated opinion. Check Facebook and Yelp for a more accurate rating. read more

These guys saved me thousands over the dealer in repairing my Acura MDX air conditioner when it broke down in the middle of summer. Parts weren't available, so they actually rebuilt the compressor. Very impressive. Job came in on time & on estimate. Almost a year later and the AC is still working great. read more

Honest, reasonable, commutation is great, quick to repair! I refer my friends and family to Kellems!

I've brought my car to them a couple times for loud knocking and grinding noises expecting to pay a lot for suspension repairs. Both times, they were able to diagnose things properly and the fixes were rather simple. Saved me a bunch of money. Very honest and trustworthy shop. They also were pretty good at calling and updating me throughout the process. read more

I came here to get a smog check. As a woman I'm usually very intimidated going alone to places like this. Since the second I walked in, they made me feel so welcome and so comfortable I knew I had picked the right place. As I waited, I talked to the owner for a bit and he was so nice. The girl at the front desk who does the oil changes was so sweet to me. She even wrote down things that I needed to get repaired on my car so that I could go home and show my husband ( I know nothing about cars) on the way out they offered me some candy and it was so good. If I ever need anything, I will be back. Oh, and I wasn't even there long. They worked on my car immediately .I was in and out. read more

Kellems Automotive is an excellent place to take your vehicle. Amazing service! Elias and his team are fast, efficient, provide high-quality service. Elias is fair and does not over charge. He's reasonable and cares about the customers. I don't think I'll ever go to another mechanic as long as I live in the area. He's been in business for more than 20 years serving many many repeat customers. This is a family friendly mechanic shop. While taking care of my vehicle they were also quickly taking care of other customers, getting them in and out. Thank you Elias and your team! I'll be back for my smog real soon. FIVE STARS read more

Amazing service great people. And fast quality work. Owner is such a sweet man. And the technicians are the very best.

Auto repair shops. The experience at these places can sometimes be similar to those as the Dentist; painful and expensive. Lets face it; nobody WANTS to spend time at an auto shop unless we absolutely have to...and everybody has had their horror stories about bad service or being ripped off at these places. Finding an honest repair shop can often be a challenge, at best. They are located on Redlands Blvd, across the street from the Pep Boys and the 99 Cent Store, in a place chock full of auto repair/tire/smog shops. Simply put - I can't recommend Kellems enough. Here's what brought me to this statement. My wife drives a 2013 Honda Fit and its heater hasn't really worked since we bought it (used) Of course that isn't an issue right now during the summer - but come winter it's a must-have. Especially since she works as a caretaker for a couple elderly clients and is often taking them to do their shopping, or for doctor's visits, etc. So this year I banked my tax return with the intention of finally getting the care looked at. Since I didn't know whom to take it to, I posted on a local Highland Facebook group I'm on for recommendations. Kellms came up more than once..and even a lady who's a friend of me and the wifey recommended it. After reading the Yelp reviews, I was guardedly optimistic. So last Thursday (8/3); I took it in. I explained the situation to them and even asked for them to look over the AC system just to make sure it was working as well as it could and left the car with them. Saturday I got a call from them (2, actually!), and they explained that their diagnoses was an AC/Heater door actuator switch... and even though 99% of the more modern cars out there had an electronic switch. ours was a manual one and a dealer part would be required. He quoted me a price of around $1000 for the repair; as much of the cost was the labor to take the entire dash apart. He also explained that the dealer part would take a week to come in; and asked if this was okay. I said yes as I had earmarked 3k for the repair in case it was the heater core. So Tuesday comes along and I get a call from the shop saying that not only was the car ready; that when they took apart the dash they saw it was merely a cable that had broken that needed replacing; which brought the repair down to $800. Wow! Needless to say I was very happy! The repair was perfect and both the AC and heater are working fine... But get this!! About a half our ago the owner calls me to not only ask how the car was running, but to tell me that he was looking over the invoices for the week and he realized they had overcharged us for a $50 part that he thought would be needed at first, but that they didn't need after all and that he forgot to take it off the invoice when the wife picked up the car. He said just bring the invoice in if we ever come back for another repair and he'd credit us the $50 towards it. WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS DOES THIS ANYMORE?!?!?!?! Kellems does. They were very polite and communicative the entire time, up front about what needed to be done and what it would cost, respectful of my time and very honest when they caught their accounting mistake. Talk about a breath of fresh air. Seriously, if I could give this place 6 or 7 Yelp stars, I would. We will certainly be bringing our cars here when we need them looked at. Highly highly recommended. Tell the man at the front desk "Wayne from Yelp - Helen's Friend" sent you! read more

This business was beyond friendship and kind. I went in for a smog check and The girl that works the front desk named Blue gave me a 10% discount and she didn't even know me. She was just a wonderful person who showed she actually cares about people. Highly recommend!!!!! read more

Kellems Automotive - This is the wonderful auto repair shop I just got a smog service at. - Auto Repair Near Me - Redlands, California

Horrible communication, owner Elias and reception- Sherry, Lied to buy themselves more time with my car. Said they had to "order a part for compression test - and once that came in my numbers were all over the place with 1 cylinder being 25" - i wouldnt have been able to drive my car at all if that were the case, and I drive 40+ miles daily. Yet still had me to come down for pick up. AFTER I got there they had a ' friend of the shop ' do the test drive and said there are check engine lights and codes for misfire, barely made it back around the block. I asked to see the car and go on test drive and was told the car should not be driven like that. ( which the car was fine upon taking it in ) Had to leave it over night causing me to pay for an Uber to work instead of the arrangement to come back to finish 2nd half leakdown test on a cold car another day. Next day Elias says he "cleaned" the sparkplugs and did the leak down test and now all my numbers are with in normal range, no check engine light no misfire. They also don't know how to make a written quote/estimate- receptionist said thay in 20 years, they have NEVER been asked for a written quote. I think their clients are blind to the advantage Elias is taking of them. They also put 8 miles on my car. Why did they need to drive it so far for a compression test. There was no need. They also returned my car with black grime all over the exterior door ( white car ) interior door panel and steering wheel. I wipe down often after covid. NEVER HAS A MECHANIC CAUSED ME SO MUCH STRESS and needless additional money. DO NOT GO HERE. I was referred by Discount tire, I went and told them what happened and the manager was appalled and apologetic- saying he will not refer there again. read more

Kellems Automotive - Milage when I picked up the car. - Auto Repair Near Me - Redlands, California

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Zero stars if I could. Just went in for a smog. Diesel truck so it is a very simple smog. It passed. No issues. Called me up to pay so I paid $53. More than most places but not by much. No big deal. Soon as I'm done paying, the cashier turns to the manager and asks a question. He informs me that my vehicle has an open recall and can't be registered with DMV until the recall is completed. Informed me I needed to complete the recall, then come back and re-smog the truck. I asked if I would have to pay $53 again. I was told yes. Basically took $53 from me. No offer of a reimbursement, no credit for service performed. Nothing. Just waited til I paid then told me I would have to do it all again. Buyer beware. Go somewhere else. read more

Fast, fast, fast, and they'll tell right away if your car is smogged. Very good pricing and exactly what you need.

This is a Top Notch shop. Honest, Knowledgeable and Reliable. A rare kind of experience. Peace of mind. Need I say more. read more

I initially went to Kellem's on the referral of my friend who had good service from them and they took really good care of me at first. They even offered free diagnostics at one point when my finances were unable to support the help that I needed. However, upon referring my other friend there they made promises regarding free diagnostics that they did not keep after failing to communicate that they had reached a point where they wanted to charge for basic labor. They also said that they conducted certain basic repairs that they did not complete. If they had communicated these things I would have paid but instead they did not contact us in a reliable manner and ultimately said that we had agreed on terms that we were carefully trying to avoid due to our budget for total repairs. Although my friend did sign off on the $90 for diagnostics, which is where he went wrong, they have had us sign and not charged us before so I'm at a loss as to why things changed this time around. After talking to them in person and expressing our frustration we were told they were not going to force us to pay and in the future would have to honor whatever our written agreement was. I do appreciate them and their work in the past but this last interaction left a bitter taste in my mouth. They are a small shop so maybe clients and verbal agreements got mixed but my friend and I are not liars or scammers and we would pay up if we had agreed to do so. Bottom line, if you need repairs this place is a decent place to go with fair prices but you are going to have to cross your T's and dot your I's. Make sure you read what you sign and keep everything on paper. I will not be going back... read more

Thank you for excellent customer service when I need you guys have always been there. You go over and beyond. I really appreciate it!

We have been going to Kellem's for years. They are the best. Fair price, honest and very responsive.

Stay clear of this place. I was going to be charged for work done on my car that was not done right. An exorbitant amt.!! Stay away!!

Kellems Automotive is Definitely the place to go to have your car serviced. Not only did they prepare my truck to pass smog, but they also went the extra mile and fixed an issue that was not connected to the smog test... read more

Kellems Automotive - Auto Repair Near Me - Redlands, California

Have taken all my cars to Kellems for years! always great service at a great price! He will work with you to give you the best price possible. read more

Extremely unprofessional place. Terrible work for high priced slow labor. The employees were rude and they did not fix any problems, rather just had me pay for an unnecessary diagnostic. You will be better off going to an official repair facility because you'll end up paying high prices anyway. At least you avoid the racist undertones from their employees and support better more ethical businesses. HOPEFULLY I SAVE YOU some money, time and peace of mind. read more

This shop is awesome. The owner & employees are all very nice & honest. Support your local business. Definitely recommend

I should of posted this last January but I was too upset and wanted to take some time before I wrote something about this establishment. We have always taken great care of our cars, right before moving here we replaced the cooling system, new brakes, tires, battery and several belts on our BMW X3. (90,000 miles) The car was running great.....if something needed replaced we replaced it. (The car had one owner & had always been inside of garage) looked new..... We first brought our X3 to this establishment in July 2018 for struts, then over several months for maintenance like oil changes, etc.... Anyway, the car started with a small oil leak, we honestly didn't think much about it. The low oil or engine lights never came on, and Kellem's never said anything about the leak.... As we were driving the car out of town one day it completely stopped on us......so we had it towed to this establishment because my husband trusted the owner....... After a couple days He told us that the engine had blown and would be tooo much to replace, he offered us a ridiculous amount of money to take it off our hands. Hmmmm My husband felt like he had no choice so be careful, get second opinions.... NOT everyone is truthful..... read more

Extremely unprofessional place. Terrible work for high priced slow labor. The employees were rude and they did not fix any problems, rather just had me pay for an unnecessary diagnostic. You will be better off going to an official repair facility because you'll end up paying high prices anyway. At least you avoid the racist undertones from their employees and support better more ethical businesses. HOPEFULLY I SAVE YOU some money, time and peace of mind. read more

Kellem's has worked on many of cars. They are honest and do quality work. The are courteous and professional. I have never been taken advantage of by Kellem's. They have always been upfront with us by informing us of the price before they start working on our vehicles. It is hard to find people that you can trust. We trust Kellem's. Lib C. read more

If I could honestly give this shop 0 stars I would and let my explain why. I was going to this shop for about 3 years to service all of my vehicles until about 4 years ago after I realized that the owner was financially taking advantage of me. I want to share that it took me so long to write this review because I'm still hurt by the situation especially with all the money I've spent getting work done there when I was at a point in my life where I was barely making it with 3 small children. The part that makes this even worse is that I personally knew the owner, Elias Hatter, outside of his shop since I used to help him at the bank I used to work at. He always had friendly conversations with me and truly acted like my friend all those times I dropped my cars off to him in full trust that he always had my best interest in mind. I never questioned why I had to pay another $100 to get the same issue fixed when my air conditioning still wasn't working or why my check engine light came back on after he claimed the issues were "fixed" or even the $2000 I had to pay to replace my transmission which I'm not even sure if my transmission even needed to be replaced now that I think of it. I remember the day where I brought my car to him for the last time as clear as day. I told him the day before that I thought my battery was bad since my car would lose power shortly after I had started it. He checked my battery in front of me and right away told me that I needed a battery replacement that would cost me $100. While his technician was working on my vehicle, I was texting my friend who gave me the idea to double check if I had a warranty with autozone. I called them shortly after and was informed that my battery was still covered under warranty indeed. As soon as I told Elias that I wanted to take my battery to autozone, he was insistent on telling me that the battery had already been replaced and that he would call autozone to make arrangements with my warranty. It was almost as if he was panicking which gave me even more reason to not want to have him call autozone to make the so called arrangements. So after paying the $20 for "labor" to put my battery back in, I took my car to autozone and it was confirmed that my battery was perfectly fine and that I only had corrosion that needed to come off. Even when I told the technician my story, he was shocked that my battery was was "checked" while the cables were attached right on the parts where it had corrosion which was the real reason for the bad reading in the first place. I was shocked that the owner stooped this low just to make a $100 off of me. The fact he even charged me $20 when he knew himself he was trying to rip me off is a perfect example of the kind of person this man is. I just want to end this review by saying that unless you already know a lot about cars and how they work, I wouldn't recommend coming here at all. Me and my husband were clearly taken advantage of since the owner knew that we hardly knew anything and placed all of our trust in him. I hope that this helps others with finding a true honest mechanic to work on their vehicles that deserve their business as well. read more

I was across getting my tire changed and the maintenance person suggested I get my car checked out the check engine light was on. Thank God there was this automotive place right across! The customer service was wonderful, they were getting ready to close but still took the time to check out my car. I will definitely recommend this place, fast and friendly, definitely coming back. read more

Definitely an honest businessman. I have used their services twice for my daughters older Acura RDX. Not only are his prices more than reasonable, but the honesty' about repairs/parts needed and not needed are one of a kind. Very flexible on dropping off and picking up. I found my go-to for any vehicle repairs and or opinions needed. I definitely recommend this business. read more

I've been using this shop for over 5 years now and have yet not been disappointed with service. The owner is very knowledgeable and friendly and understanding to the customers needs. His price's are fair & quality of work is excellent. I highly recommend this auto shop to anyone looking for good service. read more

Today was my first time here and I was amazed. My car would not stop running when I turned it off, so I brought it in. I left in tears thinking this was going to cost me a fortune. I received a call an hour later saying my car was fixed. Turns out it was something simple and they just had to connect some wires. I asked them what I owed and they said $0. Thank you so much for being honest and making my day. You have a customer for life! read more

I found the owner to be a very professional and very helpful I took my car in because it was missing thought maybe a tuneup Would help but it did not and the owner recommended coil packs which was the problem anyways they did a great job at a reasonable price and the advice was priceless read more

I own a 1999 Jeep that occasionally requires unexpected repairs. Kellem's Automotive has accommodated my needs every time my vehicle requires service. His prices are fair, the work is good, and his customer service is excellent. His staff have even provided taxi service on occasion. I highly recommend Kellem's Automotive for your vehicle's maintenance and service needs. Jeanne R. read more

I despise dishonesty and cheating when it comes to a service that you pay for with your hard earned money. I have not written a review in a while but bad service is something that I will not stand for. The BF and I had been having problems with his car recently in which it just doesn't start. We had brought his car here 3 times within the past year and a half. The second time we had to deal with the owner trying to fix all these other things unrelated to the problem at hand. Now today, the car was brought back to the shop because it would not start again. The guy said he would look at what's wrong for a fee of $59 and to pick it up later. When it was time to pick up the car, the guy said that there was nothing wrong with the car that he could find. When they attempted to start the car, it wouldn't start and he said the problem was the starter. I think you can see the problem. The car wasn't starting in the first place. We had to jump start the car to bring it to the shop. We did that the last time as well and this time around. $59 for what? He said there was nothing wrong with it. I don't think he even bothered to check what was wrong with the car. Now the BF is car-less for more time than expected. This is definitely the last time we will be doing business there. We should not have brought the car there this time around but some lessons have to learned the hard way. So far going to this place has been a waste of time and money. An update of "what's really wrong" with the car will be up later. P.S. Don't piss off Yelpers. read more

This is my first review on yelp and the troubles that I've received because of this place has caused me to write this review. My car's starter stopped working, and I had my car towed to this shop because it was the closest. I also got an oil changed and my tires rotated. My complaints: -The estimate I was given on the cost of the service was WAY lower than how much I was actually charged. I was charged over $400 -They stripped one of the lug nuts of the front tire -I was told that my brakes were less than 15% remaining and that I should get them replaced soon. TOTAL LIE. My friend checked them and the car mechanic at the Car Doctors of Loma Linda checked them and they had over 50% remaining. I think they were taking advantage of a person who knows almost nothing about cars (me) and I shake my head at them. Don't go here. Go to the Car Doctors of Loma Linda off of Redlands and Anderson. read more

ELIAS HATTER of Redlands, CA...LOST IN COURT to me(as Kellems) as well as a SECOND court case three weeks prior Troy Tankey in Fontana Superior court. Both of the cases ELIAS HATTER OF Kellems' Automotive refuse to resolve, MY case in court admitted 'he said gas pump but that part is interchangeable with oil pump, mechanic people mix it up all the time'...What? That's an insult to a real repair person. TO DAMAGE ME FURTHER...even though superior court ruled he is owed nothing for switching repairs and leaving the engine in pieces for 6 months unable to reassemble...ELIAS HATTER IS CRIMINALLY STEALING MY VEHICLE refusing to release it. Not releasing a vehicle with zero owed? When I return and Elias Hatter refuses? He will be arrested on my next visit as this is long past incompetent mechanic bully. Go ahead HATTER sCREW WITH ME ANOTHER MONTH. I PROMISE TO FILM IT AND POST IT EVERY WHERE. read more

I take all my cars to get what ever service they need! They have always taken excellent care of me and my cars, everyone there is amazing and super nice! If I have a question they always answer it appropriately and professionaly, no matter how stupid the question may be. the work is always top quality and I can trust that it is done right and true, without getting screwed overpaying! read more

Kellem's is an honest upfront auto repair shop. I have been there twice and won't trust my car to anyone else. I have seen the owner in there both times and he has spoken with me and he tells me if it can be fixed and how much. I went in today for an oil pan issue, he was able to check it out and I asked him to check everything else routine as I'm taking off to San Francisco later this week. Mr. Kellem told me to bring mycar back tomorrow and he will install my blinker light that I had at home. As a female you can feel intimidated going into a "guys place" not here. read more

Very pleased with service. Looked up gave me options of costs on parts. Very professional. Best labor costs. Everything up front Right on target with cost estimates and time. Recommend Personal service read more

Kellems automotive is the only place we trust for servicing our vehicles. We have been going to Kellems for all of our vehicle repairs and maintenance for 12 years, and we have always found them trustworthy, caring and honest. I highly recommend them for all of your automotive service and repair needs. I wish we could give them 10 stars. read more