I was referred by friends & I made an appointment online over the weekend for a Monday smog check. They took my car right in & it took no time at all for it to be completed! The office- waiting area was very comfy cool. Nice soft benches. The employees were very friendly & the price was a good deal. Thank you! read more

This place!! This unassuming little garage has been great for our Family. We have used them for smog checks and for a wheel alignment. Easy to schedule an appointment, always busy, the people working there are super courteous. I am a fan! read more

We called before coming to see if we could have our alignment done on a truck as a walk in. We spoke with Abel on the phone and he told us to bring it in. Right upon arrival we were greeted and they came up to check out the car. They were able to quote a price for the part needed and the labor. Price was reasonable and he let us know he could get it done right after the car they were working on. We went to the Mexican restaurant next door Taco Jalisco which was great. We took our time before heading back where they let us know it was almost done. We waited in their air conditioned lobby until it was done. I highly recommend this place, it seems like very honest work and great people. read more

Was a pretty good alignment for about 20 mins; BUT the bolts they needed to tighten down on the tie rod were not even done properly so 10 miles later my car is looking like it's going to a low rider meeting. Took it to a different shop had it done correctly not worth my time waiting for an inconvenience and another $150 read more

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Literally have me waiting almost an hour just to change one thing on ONE TIRE ! My appointment was at 9 & I got here 15 before & I still have been waiting. read more

I had come by for a smog check and found this station to be professional, personable, and honest in their assessment. Like many businesses in our community, they are wanting to keep a solid customer base. Some places do this by pretending to be something they are not. Universal does it by doing excellent work and being exactly who you want a quality mechanic to be. read more

I've been here a few times for my smog check, always 15min in & out. Today it took a bit longer but it was because they were providing some top notch customer service. It had been raining all morning and they offered two women who had just dropped off their a ride to across the street so they wouldn't have to deal with the rain and congested traffic. Didn't mind waiting at all just to witness that there is still good selfless customer service still happens. Also $70 for a smog check was great value. read more

Bottom line these guys have always taken care of me at a fair price is always nice to have a mechanic that you can trust

Great service, very knowledgeable staff, reasonable pricing , I would highly recommend.

Efficient service with confidence alignment done well. This is a working location that has locals getting oil changes, tires, motor issues right where you as a customer can see the work being done. Thank you guys! read more

I came to get some work done on my car this morning & was taken care of right away by Abel. Great place that's been around for years. Thank you guys for always taking care of my car needs, also the kind & awesome service! read more

This place is a joke my father had my truck aligned here and it continues to pull to the left and the steering wheel is crooked, if work was required to align it properly I wish they would of said something instead of just taking 160 from us. I'll be paying again but elsewhere to have it aligned. read more

Universal is awesome. Great price, great service. Honest and delivered all the work as promised.

This place is the worst. I had my car towed here because it was close to where it stalled and would not restart. They told me they would need to do 3 hours of diagnostics at $135/hour to determine the problem. Said it was the starter (go figure) and the part would be $304. The starter they said was burned out was one year old and under warranty but would take me 3 or 4 days to have shipped and they stated their concern about storing my car there until I could get it (mind you they ended up having my car for 13 days, always saying Joe Shmoe didn't come in and they were behind). My son in law does deliveries to a business across the street and could see that my car had rarely been moved or worked on during the 2 weeks they had it. They put the starter in and when I called said it also needed an ignition switch for another $700. I said okay and now they say it needs a new lock cylinder and charged me $220 to program the key! So they finally got the car started after having it over a week but it won't stay running and needs a fuel pump for another $700. At this time I didn't have much choice and went and paid them $1847 in addition to a $300 deposit I had paid. So I go to pick it up and they say they don't recommend I drive it because it is misfiring and want more money for further diagnostics! Dudes, if you haven't been able to diagnose the problem in 13 days and $2147, you never will. The fuel pump was a misdiagnosis. You could hear it prime and even if it was weak, was not the problem. I was driving the car the day before I brought it to these guys. What are the chances of the starter, ignition switch, and fuel pump all dying in one stall? LOL These guys just threw parts at it and wanted to continue to charge for inaccurate diagnostic time they never did. Newsflash guys, it needs a tune up. You aren't gonna get thousands more dollars from me for the obvious diagnosis that me, a 60 yr old lady, can tell by listening to it run. DUH! Oh, and thanks for leaving your dirty shop rags on my velour seats and not putting any paper floor mats over my custom embroidered ones. I will see you when I come to pick up my Haynes manual I left with you and is not in car. Oh, I almost forgot, when installing the ignition they f'ed up my horn so it was blaring periodically all the way home. I had asked the guy before I left how to stop it and he said "CUT THE WIRES" LOL. I called when I got home (and my neighbors ran outside to see what the horn beeping was all about) and the owner said bring it back and he would fix what they did to the horn but they were closing for the day because it was hot outside. Welcome to the desert in late August. They even had the nerve to charge me $30 for the gas they put in my car after changing the fuel pump. Gas in a car I can't drive, THANKS! By the way the car is a 1991 Firebird that I told them was not worth putting a lot of money into. read more

Universal Brakes & Alignment - After this my car still takes numerous cranks and wakes the whole neighborhood before I can get it started. - Auto Repair Near Me - Indio, California

Friendly & Fast...they make ya feel like family! Highly recommend Universal Brake. Great experience

Great service! Ask for Javier for any work on your vehicle. Very communicative and helpful with any questions. The price is what I expected it to be. I've went through other shops In town and they were pricy as f.ck trying to get rich smh but go to universal Javier will work with you. Thankyou UNIVERSAL BRAKE & ALIGNMENT! Most definitely coming back here! read more

Universal Brakes & Alignment - Installed the new catalytic convertor. - Auto Repair Near Me - Indio, California

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A relative had a brake repair job and recommended them. I had a standard oil change, tire rotation, and filter change - reasonable price and professional service. Nice waiting room inside - plus there are two fine Mexican restaurants for breakfast across the street. Cheaper for auto repair here than in Bay Area. read more

Where to begin.... I live in Nevada. On December 26th, 2018, while I was down in california to spend the holiday with my in-laws, I had a transmission issue with my car in Indio. The tow truck driver didnt give us an option, just towed us to Universal Brakes and Alignment, and as he drove off he told us to tell the owner hey, apparently they are buddies. My car was at this shop from December 26th to January 19th. We were billed the next best thing to $1800. We were repeatedly told lies about the status of our repair, the 2 foremost of them are as follows: 1: that the only thing the shop was waiting on to get my car running was a part from the dealership. They told me this lie several times over a 13 day period, culminating in the mechanic finally telling me that they were finally ordering the part a week and a half later than they originally said. He informed he that he had simply spent a week trying to fix the old broken part instead of ordering a new one like I told him to. 2: I was told that after the part finally came in, that all that was needed was to reprogram the transmission shift module, and they would have it done the next day. My wife and I rent a car and drive 4 hours on a Wednesday to Indio, only to be told that it wouldn't be done until friday. We called out from work on Thursday and friday. On Friday we were told it wouldn't be done till Tuesday. We call out until Tuesday. On Tuesday we were told that after 25 days and almost 2000 in billed services, that they couldn't fix the car and that we needed to have it towed away within 12 hours. My father-in-law purchased a trailer and moved my car himself to another shop which fixed the car in 35 minutes and charged $175. In addition to being lied to, the inexperienced crew at this shop caused one of my ignition coils to catch on fire (for which we were charged to fix,) damaged the wiring for the secondary air pump, which caused the car to fail Nevada smog, which we were NOT told about. Furthermore, they cut the wires going to my tachometer, forcing me to shift without it by ear alone, and not only did they cut the wires, they didnt even wrap them so that they sparked when they touch. They also removed my oil pressure sensor entirely, sealing the system with silicone, causing an oil leak which was quickly remedied by my normal mechanic in Las Vegas at no charge. This shop not only billed me for damages they did to my car, they cost me several hundreds of dollars in multiple rental cars and lost wages, refused to release the car into my hands on three separate occasions, knowing full well they did not have the correct equipment to finish the job or to even fix the problems they caused. We were billed for this extra labor. These people are con artists and should be avoided at all costs. They cost me my job and are the reason I am currently paying car note and insurance on an undrivable car. read more

Once again Abell and Xavier went above and beyond to diagnose and locate parts for my sister Toyota sequoia thank you again guys

Promises, promises. First, it was 2 days, then it'll be done by the weekend. Nope, been over a week and still nothing with a hefty deposit down. Unbelievable, I will never recommend this shop. Afterwards I looked at older reviews from locals, not good. Was recommended to this shop, shame on that person. If you want decent work done in a timely fashion, go anywhere else. This also interfered with my vacation plans because it kept me stranded, wasn't able to meet with friends and definitely caused a damper on the bank account. The owner didn't want to refund my money and absolutely wasted my time. The professional way to do it would've been to send me somewhere that could help me instead of all the promises that ended up just being lies. So incredibly dissatisfied. read more

$50 for no alignment, nothing, down the toilet.do not recommended. Come for alignment leave with $50 charge and still unaligned car.do not recommended at all read more

Amazing service! I took my 2016 428i BMW car for an alignment. They were fast, nice, and affordable! Definitely going back for other services!:) read more

Called this morning for a quote from Javier on a Wheel alignment for my Nissan Sentra. I dropped it off and was very pleased with the great customer service and care that I was given. I will let all my friends and family members know to stop by and get all your wheel alignment and brakes services done at Universal Brake & Alignment. You won't be disappointed at all. read more

These guys are great! We were in the area for vacation. They got us in & took care of us! Very professional & courteous.

Had new sway bar bushings and an alignment on 02 F150. Absolutely best service and pricing, couldn't believe how quick my truck got done and I was on my way! Very happy with the work done and Abel (the owner) even took the time to text and ask me if was happy, A+++ service and I will be back!! read more

They did some work on my vehicle, when my vehicle was returned to me it had check engine light on. I took it back two times for them to check it out, if maybe they left something loose, but of course they said the work they did did not involve engine. They did do a "full assessment" on vehicle and said 2 codes came up on their system and it might take a while for them to figure out exactly what was wrong. It was just so weird to me cause my light was not on prior to me taking vehicle there for brakes and oil change. I lost my trust in them and took it to a friend and it ended up just needing a battery. Not sure if they drained my battery while it was there, but come on, how can a mechanic not know something that simple. My check engine light immediately turned off and vehicle runs great. It really sucks cause I do need a mechanic I can trust for the future since my mechanic friend is always so busy and and 40 minutes away, but I guess it's worth waiting and the longer drive. read more

We are new residents of Indio, just one day here, and we've found our forever auto service spot! Excellent service, knowledgeable, yes, but also super welcoming! As a teacher at Hoover Elementary, I adore the fact the owner is a Hoover Hornet! Highly, highly recommend!! read more

Nice shop. The staff is always friendly and reliable. Ready to aid you in whatever you need. Very reasonable. Will definitely come back!

Best place for rims, tires,alignments in town!! Highly recommended. Family owned. Best priced! read more

I went in a couple weeks to get my brakes checked because they had just started grinding metal to metal all of a sudden while I was driving. Universal Brake & Alignment happened to be just around the corner from my location at that moment. While my brakes were definitely in need of repair, I was also told my bushings were bad, my water pump was leaking, and my oil was just about empty. I told them I couldn't even afford the brakes, let alone anything else. The salesman told me to request a loan from Acima, a company that provides loans for emergency car repairs. Due to the severity of my brakes, I did so and qualified for a $2700 loan. Due to the fact that I rely on my car for work and could not spare the time needed for all the repairs being recommended, I stuck with getting just the brakes and a serpentine belt. Normally I get my oil changes from Jiffy Lube, so I took it right over to check my oil levels and do a complimentary fluid tip off. They said my oil was only missing less than a 1/2 court and while I am due for an oil change. 85 wasn't an immediate need. They also filled my coolant, but said they did not see a leak in the water pump. Then yesterday, as I was driving in the neighborhood near Universal, my brakes were squeaking. Afraid I might have the issue I previously had, I brought my car in to be checked by Universal again. This time I was told my brakes are fine but my wheel bearing is bad on the driver's side and should be repaired as soon as possible. This morning I took it to a friend's trusted mechanic for a second opinion. Everything Universal told me was wrong was bullshit. I feel like they are con artists more interested in making money on phony repairs rather than taking care of the customer. I can't afford to go into debt to fill their pockets. The loan I got for the brakes was $400, however the payback is double. They are shysters and I will never go back. I will tow my car somewhere else even if it breaks down in front of their shop. read more

Universal doesn't care about his customers time. If you need the job done in a reasonable time find a different shop. ​ Abel took 4X the quoted time and still didn't have my car done. Some of us need our car to get to work. I won't be back. read more

Abel is the best. He takes care of all four of my vehicles. He never pushes me into spending money on things that don't require immediate attention. He is honest with his assessments on how long he thinks it will be for a part to be replaced. This is why he will always get my business. He cultivates long term customers through trust. read more

I recently took my Jeep to the dealership for a recall repair. The dealership of course recommended a bunch of expensive repairs including the need for new front struts. I knew that I needed a second opinion and Abel was my first call. Abel's team changed the oil, rotated the tires and did a thorough inspection and no repairs were needed. It's nice to have an honest mechanic in the neighborhood read more

Cheap price but efficient and job well done. Would recommend to anyone for tire needs

I had my car alignment done here prior to going out of town and a day later noticed that my car was still pulling to the left. I called them a week later when I got back into and was placed on hold for a good 5 mins. Once they found out it was a redo the customer service rep did not want claim responsibility and passed it to the mechanic that did it. I took it back and had it re-aligned and the mechanic was rude and blamed my car stating that it didn't pull left for him. I left irritated and seemed to be fixed, but not for long as it started pulling to the left again. I went to Firestone and that when I found out my control arm bushing was at fault, they spotted within ten minutes and I got it repaired. I tried to get a refund and they denied me. This happened a while back just wanted to post this experience. read more

The only alignment shop in the valley that was able to hoist up my lowered car because they have a low profile 4 post hoist. These guys are extremely professional and after 8 other shops I went to who weren't able to align my vehicle, it was satisfying to find one who not only could do it, but also did it without an appointment in less than 1 hour!! Highly recommend them. read more

Universal Brakes & Alignment - Auto Repair Near Me - Indio, California

Did some searching for repair shops for a brake job. Abel was upfront on the phone but suggested I bring it in so they could look at it and give me an estimate. He was up front, honest and the service was excellent. Very trustworthy and I will recommend them to family and friends who need brake service. read more

Came to get smog check. Did an amazing job. Fast and professional. 10/10 would come back again.

We were about to drive through the desert in our truck and RV and stopped to get a tire checked only to find we had a total blowout on our RV! Rueben and the rest of the crew had 3 jobs ahead of us and jumped up to help us quickly to get us back on the road. These 3 angels Saved us and our dogs from a potentially bad situation and they were so gracious and fast and helpful. We definitely recommend!! It's so nice to know there are great people still left in the world! read more

You didnt even do a diagnostic on my car but charged me for one. Lied about that price to even begin with. Then tried to price guage me $200 just for calipers and i wasn't going for that crap. I went somewhere else and got the highest customer service you could receive and a fair transparent price unlike yours. ($334 total cost full front brake job)You deliberately try to rip off customers, including me, and is not honest what so ever. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. TRY TO SCAM ME BECAUSE I WAS FROM OUT OF STATE (MASSACHUSETTS) read more