It's the little things that make a big difference. A recent transplant, I was looking for a family owned shop like I had used (for 20 years) at my previous place. I used Moonlight Motors a couple times, but ran into a problem a couple days ago that I needed help. A headlight bulb ring had fallen down to a pan below the engine and I could not get to it. Moonlight Motors was able to do it quickly and spent a few minutes explaining why I was having problems with the new LED low beam bulbs a local auto parts store had sold and installed for me a few months ago. What the auto parts store did not tell me was that the replacement bulbs would not secure into the headlight assembly due to its design. As a result, the bulbs were loose and essentially pointing down to the ground. The staff at Moonlight Motors were very kind and discussed my options. They recommended DDM Tuning in San Marcos, who were able to solve the problem. THANKS MOONLIGHT MOTORS staff for your assistance and referral. It's the little things that make a difference and taking the time to explain what the problem was (not the reason I was there, but related) and identifying another business that could solve the problem shows they will take the extra step to take care of their customers - even a relatively new one. Added bonus? They didn't charge me to recover the ring. Will continue to bring my vehicle to them! read more

Moonlight Motors is the best!! They really appreciate & take care of their loyal customers & their refferals!! Just Call Tony & you experience what I mean!! They are the best,they're honest& empathetic! Moonlight Motors is the best read more

Great tire shop helped me when I had a flat for a very good deal would reccomend to friends and family ask for Tony !!!!! read more

Moonlight Motors - Great tire shop helped me when I got a flat for a very good deal would definetly reccomend to friends and family ! - Auto Repair Near Me - Encinitas, California

I was in town for only a couple of days. Had a pretty serious issue with my truck. They took me right away. Parts ordered quickly fixed and on my way. Would recommend this business 100%. before I contacted Moonlight motors. I contacted other business around there since I am not from the area.. most of them told me I had to make an appointment and it would be 3 to 4 days before I would get in. they understood my situation and took care of me. Thank you Moon Knight motors read more

Today, my daughter's KIA Forte stalled when her traction light suddenly lit up, and she couldn't accelerate in the middle of the 5 Freeway on her way home from San Diego. Luckily, she was able to exit the freeway. She googled the closest auto shop, made a phone call and spoke to Riley, who told her to come by despite it being almost closing time. They ran some quick diagnostics on the car and found that her engine oil was a bit low, which they topped off. The diagnostic also indicated a crankshaft sensor failure. She was given two options: leave the car there and wait until Monday for the fix (as they're not open on weekends), or reset the faulty indicator and drive it home. The second option was a huge risk, driving a car with a faulty sensor for about 1 to 1.5 hours to Orange County. She took the chance, crawling along at a maximum speed of 40-50 mph on the freeway, but she got home safely. Riley, we can't thank you enough for the kindness you showed and the amazing treatment she received from everyone at Moonlight. We will always be grateful. read more

The had me at the giant Yeti out front. Amazing service. Kind people. I took my ancient Subaru in and they had to weld it back together. Love how they text you the quote before they call so you are prepared to discuss. Nice place. Recommend. read more

Had the the best service done in my car here. Very authentic and genuine people as well. Will be taking my car here from now on.

How often do you find a business that truly cares about their customers, go above and beyond to help them out in an emergency and take the time to send you a 'Thank You' card after they've completed the work. That is exactly what Marty and his staff at Moonlight Motors do everyday and did I mention they do exceptional work too... they do! Thank you Marty and your team, you are all stars!! read more

Moonlight Motors - Thank you card - Auto Repair Near Me - Encinitas, California

Done right first time, under estimate and on time. Great communication and photos to back up what they are saying. Super customer service- followed up with a hand written card. Recommended! read more

Excellent service. Staff was very helpful. My car is old old and they had to improvise with parts. It was expensive as expected but it's running great. Thank you read more

Took my truck in to be serviced, by a much more capable garage. They charged me $700 ($300 less than Moonlight). read more

I came here in July when my check engine light came on and I put a few grand in to my Subaru with them. I found them on google and I don't know much about cars so didn't realize how much I was being over charged. The girl at the front was super nice. They told me when I picked my car up they also found a valve cover gasket leak but it was fine for now. 2 months later my car started smelling like burning oil so I went back and they wanted to charge me $300 for a diagnostic test to confirm it was the leak and then $1200 for parts and labor for one gasket. I was frustrated the diagnostic fee would not be waived since I was certain it was the leak they already found in July. I ended up leaving and going to a place in PB who did a free diagnostic test and confirmed it was that leak. They quoted me half the price for parts and labor. I ended up going to a place in Solana Beach (closer to my work) who found the same leak and is fixing it for less then half of what Moonlight quoted me. They also offer a shuttle back to your office and are fixing it in one day. After talking about my experience here with others I found out my experience was not unique. I'm so glad I did my research before spending $1200 when it was a $560 job. They have nice customer service but the pricing is too high and both mechanics I went to told me that was far too much for a valave cover gasket leak. read more

Was very much looking forward to working with a local & well-reviewed shop but ended up quite disappointed. AC hasn't been working so I made an appointment on a Thursday to bring it in Tuesday at 7am. Was without the only car I have access to for 8 hours only to be called & told that they did not have the machine needed to diagnose the vehicle due to the new type of freon in it. Not at all upset that the equipment isn't available, but moreso that it sat in the same spot completely untouched all day only to be told then that they didn't have the capability to even run a test on it, let alone to fix it. This seemed to be known information to the shop on Civic models 2016 & after so it wasn't a surprise that day. I reported the type of vehicle I was bringing in 5 days prior so I'm unsure why I couldn't have been notified at that time, when I was called on the day before the appt, on the morning of the appt, or at any point as it sat in the parking lot all day. If I had been informed up front that it could take 8 hours before the car would even be looked at despite a scheduled appt I would have politely declined & taken it elsewhere. I understand the shop is busy, but I imagine many of the customers are too. I won't have the time to take it in to another shop for over a week due to my own busy schedule at which point I'll be without a car again. Not usually one to complain but a little consideration would have been kind. read more

Small town feel business, like where everyone knows your name kinda thing. They have great communication and I think competitive prices. I love that they are local and honest. I have become a loyal customer! read more

This review is long overdue. People tend to write reviews when they have complaints but my experience with Moonlight Motors has been nothing short of superb, fair, accommodating and honest. Marty and the crew have been taking care of me and my VDub for four years now. They always fit me in without hassle, make it as convenient as possible and offer me honest counsel about my vehicle, trying to help me save money and time where possible. The work is always flawless - I've never had any issues. In fact, they've helped me to pinpoint some issues without any extra charge when they would have been perfectly justified in doing so. I trust them implicitly. I also live in the neighborhood and can say the team at Moonlight Motors are also very good neighbors in a mixed residential and commercial area. They've gone above and beyond to help out beyond auto repair. To me, this truly speaks to their good character. When the day comes for me to leave the area, I'll still come back to Moonlight Motors when I need service from good people I can trust. Thank you, Marty, Adam and team! read more

Its never fun dealing with car issues and dishonest repair shops, especially as a female (unless you are a mechanic). Moonlight Motors is another one on my crap list. I had my car towed and was quoted $149 for a "proper diagnosis". The next day I received 2 separate lists of POSSIBLE repairs and maintenance items. There was no definitive diagnosis, rather an exhaustive list of maintenance and an assembly line of items related to the starting system. As if the previous day the car worked fine but today there are 15+ repairs needed ;) AND the repairs requested mounted over $2500. They never provided a definitive diagnosis and I was forced to pay(again) to have it towed to an honest shop to actually diagnose the starting issue. Complete scam, dont waste your time and $150 like I did. BTW don't ever get spark plug replaced here either it's almost $600!! Haha read more

Moonlight Motors - Abominable Rip Off - Auto Repair Near Me - Encinitas, California

Dropped my BMW here for an oil change and asked them specifically if they can service BMW's. They say yes, no problem. The next day I'm in San Clemente and my car beeps that my oil is low and I need to fill it immediately or my engine will be damaged. I only discover this AFTER driving the 40 miles up to San Clemente, and driving it around the day before. I called them and they did not offer any kind of compensation (how about you give me my money back for the oil change? Simple enough, no?), barely said sorry, and basically insinuated that I don't know what I'm talking about. I pulled into a shop in San Clemente and they said I was at 5 quarts while my engine needs 7. They topped me off for free. I'd drive the 40 minutes to San Clemente to get my oil changed before coming back to Moonlight Motors. Avoid at all costs. read more

Don't try to make an appointment for a wheel alignment. Even if you make an appointment weeks in advance, there's no guarantee they can do it on the day of your appointment. I asked, "well, what good is an appointment then?" And was told, "it gives you the opportunity to drop your car off to have us look at it." Thank you so much for the opportunity, but I think I'll pass. I get that in some cases you don't know what you're getting into until you get into it. But with wheel alignments, it's pretty straightforward, and you know it's not going to take longer than an hour to an hour and a half. It's not necessary to leave the car all day. I get that it's more convenient for you, but it's not convenient for your customers. And you should never try to make your customers feel like you're doing them a favor, give me a break. read more

The plastic panel under my car came undone and was dragging on the road. I pulled over off of the 5 freeway (talk about stressful) and tried to pop it back in place myself but it would not stay in place. It didn't feel safe to drive so I had to call for a tow truck to take my car to repair shop. I called 3 repair shops to see if I could have my car taken to their shop for them to fix the panel. Each of the 3 repair shops had rude and disinterested people answering my call. One guy was eating (loudly) on the phone while talking to me. Another person asked me three times in the span of three minutes what the issue was because he kept getting distracted by something or someone on his end of the phone. Another person acted like he never heard of such a problem and seemed confused and seemed irritated as to why I would be calling his auto repair shop. I get it, I know my issue isn't going to be a huge money maker for someone to repair. I was willing to pay to have it looked at and fixed. I wasn't expecting a freebie. As a business owner myself, I understand that time is important but I ALSO know cultivating good customer service can lead to future work and good relationships. Finally I called a fourth repair shop, Moonlight Motors, and Marty answered the phone. He spoke clearly and listened to me. He understood my dilemma and he said what he would do, attach zip ties to hold the panel in place. Yes! Someone who knows how to cultivate good customer service and relationships!! He refused to take payment even though I offered. It's a sad state of our community when I am blown away that a person would answer the phone like a professional, listen for 5 minutes, and then try to solve my problem. Even if Marty had told me that he couldn't solve my problem I would have respected that and thought nothing less of him or his shop because I was impressed by his phone conversation and customer service skills, they were a huge improvement over the previous 3 calls. And yes, I will be bringing my car back to Moonlight Motors when it needs any future repairs! Thank you Marty! read more

After being a customer for 6 years my last few experiences were not up to par and were frankly, very disappointing. While I can understand why they have fewer appointments these days, what is not unacceptable is the general sense that they have sacrificed honest customer service in favor of making money. While my last two negative situations with them was righted on their end, (they charged me on two different occasions for an oil change not needed or already done) that my car came back to me with a hard start problem it had not had prior to an oil leak fix - one that they could not find the source or solution to. Fine. Ever the loyal customer I took my car back one last time for a check engine and tire monitor light not remedied by proper tire pressure. They informed me I had a gas leak and would not pass emissions and asked if I wanted to do a smoke test so they could investigate. Since I plan to be able to pass emissions it seemed like the smart thing to do. Where was the gas leak coming from that was causing the check engine light to go on? The gas cap. I needed a new gas cap. When I asked why such a simple and inexpensive solution was not mentioned to me or done first I was told that they did not do the cheapest thing first, they did the most logical. When I said that after 6 years of taking my car there I felt I had been taking advantage of, their response was that of a truly uncaring entity. "I'm sorry you feel that way." If you've got money to burn this is probably a great place to go as they will check the logical (and most expensive) solutions to your issues and suggest tests and repairs that may not be necessary at all or yet. I can not afford to spent $380 to figure out that I need a new gas cap. And for that I say, "I'm sorry I made the mistake of trusting these people." read more

The best, most honest, reliable, friendly auto shop ever. I brought my car in for an oil change and they told me a host of bigger more urgent issues that needed to be resolved (one of which we had issues with in the past so we knew they weren't scamming). They estimated a cost for us and then called us back to let us know they found cost savings. We were going out of town so they offered to do the work while we were gone and then drive the car to our house. They followed up and sent a personalized hand written note after. Truly the best owned business ever read more

Moonlight Motors was amazing fixing my car, I had been putting it off for a very long time, mostly because of the inconvenience...but they managed to fix everything and QUICKER than the expected time frame. I am very pleased and will definitely be back next time!! read more

Be Careful and ask a lot of questions. This place had charged me $50 a day just to park the car while I figured out how to fix it. I called the owner and he said that was discounted from usual rate of $75 a day and that it is meant to be steep considering their limited space. When I got the car, the place had ample parking. I was in a pinch as the car had a totally disabled engine. But had he told me it was $50 a day , I would have rented something to tow it away asap. They also quoted me $2500 more to have the repair done then doing it with my own mechanic. I just hate it when they take advantage of the situation. read more

Following an extremely frustrating experience with a national chain, I called Moonlight. This was my first experience with them. They are a family owned neighborhood business and I was treated with respect and concern for the issue I was dealing with on my car. My car needed a new starter and it was not reliable. Moonlight was able to get my car in quickly, it was repaired in the timeframe quoted, they communicated with me AND cost considerably less than the national chain. Everyone was courteous and I felt like my business was appreciated. My 10 year old car is running great now and I'm a happy customer. read more

They are overpriced and didn't specify charges or call back before the work was done. We told them what the problem was and they did an unnecessary diagnostics test and labor before I authorized it. I think a diagnostic test should cost $50 and then the shop should call before going on to any other work or labor. Oil change was done and charged fairly. We did come to a conclusion on price and terms but unfortunately we won't go back. read more

My vehicle needed an oil change, and Moonlight was able to schedule it for the next work day conveniently. The oil change and inspection took about an hour, and I was on my way. My experience was much better than what I had experienced at the local car dealership. read more

After seeing my review, Marty (the owner) called me and said the insane price for oil was a computer mistake, not the regular price. We had a productive discussion, and I am satisfied with his explanation and am open to giving them another try the next time I need service. read more

Honest family owned car repair, very happy with their work! Reasonably priced. I also like how they send you the link to the diagnostics.

My phone call with Ryli was so pleasant. She scheduled me right away. I went in for the free check up. They gave me a detailed report of everything that they checked. It only took about an hour. The mechanics I really trust. They helped me with my issue and I left there feeling so grateful. I will definitely return to Moonlight Motors for my future car issues. Thanks guys. read more

Had a minor accident and wanted an estimate for he repair. Walked in and within 30 minutes they were done! Great service PLUS a hand written thank you not for coming in arrived a few days later! read more

They fixed my breaks very quickly, and were extremely friendly and helpful! They went the extra mile by checking in to see how my car was doing which I appreciated. I would definitely recommend and will go back for any car issues in the future read more

I have to say coming to Moonlight turned into a huge headache for me and my wallet. I came here 5 weeks ago after finding Moonlight on yelp, my check engine light had come on and so I came here hoping they could fix whatever the issue there was, I brought in my car the next day as Ken let me know they were busy that day. I arrived at 9am with my car and explained the issues I was having, Ken was very nice at the front and let me know they would be in touch. I called around noon as I had not heard back and Ken said they were behind. I did not find out what was going on or get my quote till almost 4pm that day. They explained that my gas pedal sensor needed to be replaced and I needed a new battery along with a push/start button as it was getting stuck. The next day I picked up my car close to 5pm they assured everything was running smoothly on my 2014 Jeep Cherokee and $950 later I'm walking out the door. Later that day I called and left a message that my Bluetooth wasn't connecting and there seemed to be electrical errors, no return call. I called and left two more messages and never heard back. I now am bringing my car to a reliable shop as my battery light came on and it turns out that the gas pedal sensor never needed to be replaced and there was a different electrical error. The sensor that cost me $300 of my hard earned money, money that during a pandemic must be stretched even more wisely. I'm sad about the customer service that was given, I'm angry that a more thorough diagnostic of my car was not done. At first I thought the text and picture of their scanner/diagnostic seemed cool but at the end of the day you have no idea what you're looking at. All I can say is get a second opinion and be wary of what is said from this body shop. read more

Moonlight Motors - Auto Repair Near Me - Encinitas, California

Great service! I felt taken care. Their online portal is very user friendly and helpful. Easy to see and understand what's wrong with my car. I used to go to Toyota dilership for service, but MM way more economical They even delight their customer with a little surprise treat. Which is really nice touch read more

I took my car here a couple times for an oil change. Last time I went I asked for an oil change. About 6 hours later they said my car was finally ready for pickup. They ended up doing a full inspection, which I didn't ask for. They told me I needed a new head gasket or new engine. I got a second opinion and they told me my car was fine. I ended up spending like $300 on a rental while waiting for a second opinion. Would not recommend. read more

Took my car in because light came on my dash indicating a headlight was out. All I was charged was $8.55 for the part. I looked up previous records from VW dealer and last time this happened I was charged over $100 Thank you Moonlight Motors!!!! read more

I stated that I needed a Tune-up because thats what I ask for. Along with an oil change. I've called other places & received a around about figure on what I may pay for. Now I can make an Educational decision on where I want to go. Fuel is expensive and like I said before, Im on a budget. Thank you for your time. And have an awesome day. read more

This shop will will bleed your pockets and have no intention of actually fixing anything . They are a scam and a joke of a shop . Your better off taking your car anywhere else . read more

My car had been towed to Moonlight Motors at least twice now and I think my review is overdue. My car was first towed in December of 2011 and Marty had taken care of my questions with direct answers including a quote which he called me with after they found what was wrong with the car. My car was ready within a day for pick up and I was able to go to work the next day. They said my 2001 Montero Sport needed a new alternator and a battery. They also let me know that there's an oil leakage that could be causing the belt and battery problems but it might not be worth it to replace the belt because the car itself isn't worth that much. A few months later, my car was acting funny and died in the parking lot at the grocery store a couple times. They told me the car still have the oil leak but they're not sure if it's all that is. They changed the battery since the battery and labor were still under warranty and I didn't had to pay anything. In the recent months, my car refused to start and I had to have it towed again to Moonlight Motors. They again changed the battery since it was just under the last month or so of warranty. I didn't had to pay anything and the car was ready for pick up by the end of the day. They didn't push for a new belt or whatever, which I appreciate because the car is really not worth fixing. I'd rather fix the small stuff and ride it until it falls apart. I appreciate Marty being thoughtful that he stayed open so I can pick up my car because I couldn't get out of work until late. I also appreciate him not pushing it because it would have been ridiculous to spend as much money (or more) on a car that isn't worth too much. I think he understood I just wanted it to last for however long because I just want to get from point A to point B and not kill me on the freeway. read more

Moonlight Motors is simply the best. Everyone at the shop is friendly, knowledgeable, and I never feel like they try to over-sell or take advantage of me. I have been using and recommending them for a number of years now and they have never disappointed. Thank you Marty and staff for the years of great customer service!! read more

So, I took my car to Moonlight Motors and was so impressed with everything that I wrote a review. I don't do that often. Imagine my surprise when I received a delivery of fresh baked cookies from Moonlight Motors. Hey! That's my deal! If I appreciate a service or kindness I usually reciprocate with cookies. Well, they beat me to the punch! Cannot say enough about how well my car runs, the kindness they showed by washing my filthy car and then COOKIES!!!!! Looking for a great place to take your car? This is your place! read more