Alpine Garage in
Mammoth Lakes (CA)

Stay away! No accountability. Sloppy work. Untrustworthy. Ripoff. As an out-of-towner, I took my Volvo for repair due to a busted coolant container over the Christmas break. Took two trips and made two payments (he had taken a photo of my credit card). First, they replaced the coolant container (which promptly leaked again within an hour), and then they replaced the hose, which should have been fixed the first time around. Put me back by over $3000! OEM parts cost <$250. Mike blamed his mechanic for overcharging (a great example of a boss who throws his employees under the bus) and promised to refund what was overcharged. Six months and nothing. The reason I am writing it today is that I took the car to the dealer for service, and he was shocked by the sloppy work and wrong parts. Shame on Mike and Alpine Garage!

This mechanic is a scammer. I took my car in because the engine emissions light came on. When I tried to explain the history of the issue, he interrupted me and said, “I have a master degree in auto mechanics so I’ll diagnose the problem.” He charged me 400 dollars to “replace” an oxygen sensor. He said he was leaving town and I had to pay him over the phone and he would leave my keys on the wheel. After I picked up my car the engine emissions light came back on 30 minutes into my drive home. Mechanic would not return my calls. I then took my car to another mechanic who said no oxygen sensors were replaced and no work had been done on my car. Alpine Garage charged me $400 dollars to turn off the warning code and lie to me. I read another review where Alpine Garage told another customer he was leaving town and they had to pay over the phone. This seems to be a way to not take accountability and not have to face customers. Terrible service and a dishonest human. I am disputing the charges on my card.

Had a great experience getting our car fixed here a few weekends ago! Mike was super nice and efficient. Couldn’t ask for anything more and would definitely recommend stopping here for car troubles.

When I could not get a timely response from other places in town Mike came through! Managed to get my car out of a condo garage, sourced the part and brought it back fixed the same day. Can’t ask for much better service than that!

On a family vacation to Mammoth, my truck broke down, He told my wife that he could fix it by Friday, or Saturday morning at the latest. I had it towed to him on Thursday. He spent a few hours troubleshooting it and said that it was a bad fuel transfer unit. Told me he was flying out of town and couldn’t work on it anymore. I ordered the part from Napa and it was going to be there on Tuesday. Saturday morning he calls me complaining about how my truck is still in his lot and blocking snow removal and that he was going to charge me 200 for snow removal. I Had to spend more money towing it to another mechanic on Monday, who was able to get it running with a part from one of his trucks just to get me home. Turns out Mike was wrong about what the issue was with my truck and caused me to spend more money extending my stay by a week in our Airbnb and towing to someone else. I Heard from a friend of mine who also had the same experience with him. Seems like if he doesn’t know how to fix your car, he’ll just tell you he works for Red Bull and has to fly out of town for them and that he doesn’t have time to fix your vehicle. Don’t waste your time or money with this guy.

Easily the worst mechanic I’ve ever been to. I brought my truck in to have an ignition coil replaced. The following morning Mike called me to tell me he had replaced the ignition coil, that he had test-driven the truck and it was running smoothly. He said he was leaving town that morning, so I had to pay the bill over the phone–$570 for the job at $175 an hour. When I picked up my truck, the engine was still misfiring so badly that it was undrivable–clearly it had not been test-driven or properly fixed. Not trusting Mike to do any more work on my truck, I had it towed to another mechanic, who told me that when they opened up the engine compartment they found a bolt missing and that the ignition coil Mike replaced had not been fully screwed in, which resulted in the engine continuing to misfire. When I told Mike about this, he apologized and offered to refund me what he had charged me for labor. However, when I tried to arrange a time to come and pick up the check, he would not answer my calls or return my messages. I had to go back to his shop in order to get him to talk to me, at which point he denied any wrongdoing and threatened to take me to court over the matter. After some conversation he finally agreed to refund me $200–less than half of what he charged me for the “labor” he did. If I didn’t live locally and didn’t have the ability to talk to him in person, I’m certain I would have never gotten even the half refund. There are plenty of competent mechanics in this area; unfortunately this is not one of them.

We were in Mammoth this summer and we had trouble with our truck. Mike squeezed us in, even though he had a garage full of cars needing repairs.. He checked everything, which enabled us to make the journey back to LA without the fear of breaking down. He was both kind and knowledgeable, I would highly recommend him to anyone. Catherine

Don’t take your car here, Mike scammed me. Had a service light come on during a road trip and brought it here for maintenance. He had my car for less than 2 hours, told me it was an ignition problem & charged me $500, and the service light came back on a few days later. Another mechanic told me it’s actually due to an emissions issue.

This place is great! I came as a walk in, took about half an hr to get an oil change on my subaru forester! Staff is polite, good prices too! They had seating outside, which I liked a lot ( there's also sitting inside) Definitely recommend!

Would recommend Mike to anyone. True gentleman and scholar. My audi Q7 flashed a drive system error on the way up to Mammoth and had to pull over multiple times. I brought the car to him at 830 am. He had the problem diagnosed, had the parts for a cylinder/plug replacement and the car back to me by lunch time while I spent the morning on the slopes. Can't thank him enough.

Excellent experience! Mike at Alpine Garage really saved our few days in mammoth. I saw a puddle of antifreeze around my truck and couldn't find evidence of a leak around the radiator or engine. Concerned about traveling 300 miles w/ the kids or just 'topping off' antifreeze, I needed a professional to check it out. Mike diagnosed what he thought it could be in a few seconds. Turns out when I had the radiator & hoses replaced a couple years ago, there is a hose at back of engine that the mechanic chose not to change it out because it is difficult to get to. Mike knew the engine type, had the part, and had my truck ready in a few hours. My family and I sincerely thank you Mike!!!

Mike the owner was awesome. A truly honest mechanic who saved my a$$. Steering wheel shaking coming down the mountain . Took it to Alpine Garage, told him my issues, he ordered the parts (front brakes) and told me to come back at 7 AM to get started ( shop opens at 8). 2 hours time spent not only fixing brakes but checked everything beneath my van, including topping fluids. Today is his anniversary, 43 years of mechanic. Really great guy and price was affordable and he included a discount at his cost. Thanks again Mike!

Had a great experience with this garage! The weather did a number on my car, but Mike was super knowledgeable and able to diagnose and fix my car trouble without needing anything from me. Highly recommend this garage for people in a bind!

Mike was so helpful! I called in thinking I’d need new brakepads and rotors. He ordered the parts and started working on it right away the next morning. The fix went very fast and its located behind a promenade with a coffee shop, laundromat, and restaurants to spend time at while you’re waiting. If you’re traveling and want someone trustworthy to bring your vehicle to be fixed, this is the place!

Wow, Mike really saved me last weekend. My fuel pump went out while on vacation in mammoth, and when I called around I was told that there was no availability (for weeks). Mike was also busy, but he took the time to help me after hours. The service was very affordable, got my family home in time, and I really appreciate his attention. If only I lived in Mammoth I would come here for every service!

On my way here I realized my brakes were bad. I left a message for several auto mechanics and Aline called me back first! He told me to bring it in by 8am and he would have it done by 10 or 11, which he did. Not only that, he drove it back to the condo we are staying at and had a friend of his drive him home. Highly recommend as my brakes now run great, and I am sure we will get home safe and sound!!! Many thanks to a fantastic auto repair shop! Best service ever!!!

Mike saved our vacation!!! Not only did he take our car in overnight, get up early to fix the brakes, but he also drove us to our hotel and picked us up the next day. We are so grateful to you MIke, not only for your hard work, but your incredible kindness. If I lived in the area, I would use you all the time!!

Mike was able to quickly diagnose the issue with our car, and efficiently fix it. He was courteous and helpful during the entire process. Next time we have a car issue in June Lake or Mammoth, we will definitely be going back!

I brought my 05 v8 four runner to another garage in Mammoth as my engine was idling really low and starting to leak oil. They didn’t resolve the issue and gave me a head-gasket scare. I called Alpine Garage, dropped off the four runner and went to work. Later that day I got a call with the best news ever, he fixed a fuel injector leak and the engine was running like a champion again. After performing all tests for engine performance and fixing the leak, I got my bill. I thought it would be really high, but instead it was barely $200. My oil change at the other garage was more than half of that. He saved my wallet and fixed my idling issue with the best customer service and timing I’ve ever experienced. I would recommend this shop over any shop I’ve been to from here to my home in Florida, the best service you could find anywhere.

We came up from OC and had been in town for a couple days. Check engine light came on in our Benz Sprinter and I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a big deal and that it could wait until we got home. Mike took us instantly and ran the scanner. It was something minor cause by altitude and he was able to zero out the light. You can tell Mike is the kind of guy that everyone loves - no exception here. We chatted about the area and his experiences. Great guy! Would recommend him for anyone needing auto repair up in the Mammoth area. Thank you Mike!

We were headed to Lake Tahoe when our car suddenly overheated and we searched up the closest auto repair shop and Alpine Garage was the nearest but it closed exactly at the time we broke down... luckily early in the morning we called Mike and he told us that of course he could take a look at it, but since we didn’t have a tow truck and the fee was over 250 to tow it for 3 miles, we just ended up pushing the car to his garage and he said that within the hour he’d tell us what the problem was. Turns out we blew a gasket and he wasn’t able to repair it, but even after he gave us a diagnosis he didn’t want to charge us a fee for it and he was more concerned with getting us on the road. The mechanics in this area don’t really do big jobs so you’re better off getting a U-Haul to tow your car if it doesn’t turn on. He was such a great and kind person so I definitely recommend his services.

Mike at Alpine Garage was able to help me out when I had some car trouble on a road trip. It was last-minute, but he squeezed us in anyway. Mike was super friendly and very accommodating. I recommend this shop to anyone passing through the Eastern Sierra on a road trip with any car trouble!

My wife and I were headed up Highway 395 to South Lake Tahoe when our Jeep Grand Cherokee started to overheat just outside of Lee Vining. It was after 6pm and all the mechanic shops were closed. We spent the night in Lee Vining and early the next morning arranged for a AAA tow. We called several mechanics in Mammoth Lakes, but only Mike at the Alpine Garage was available to look at the car that morning. The tow truck got us to Mike’s garage at 9:45am. Within 20 minutes, Mike identified the problem as a failed water pump. He said he would be able to get a new water pump delivered from Bishop by early afternoon and would get us back on the road that day. Mike lived up to his promise. He devoted the next several hours to removing the old water pump (which is not an easy task) and installing the new pump. We were back on our way at 2:45pm and the Jeep ran fine. Mike completely flushed out and replaced the coolant, and also gave us a new radiator cap. Mike not only had a very friendly personality and was sincerely concerned about getting us back on the road, but his pricing was very fair. I told him that I wished there was a mechanic like him in our home town!

Paul & I recently limped in with what turned out to be a bad water pump for a Jeep Cherokee. We had been traveling a month & were on our way home the next day. Mike’s daughter conveniently was in Bishop & brought the part to him rather than waiting for it to be delivered so we were out of there in the same day versus two! We love Mike!

My Touareg got "check engine" light on while driving up on 395 to Mammoth Lakes. The guy from the Alpine Garage resolved the issue (air sensor) in 1 1/2 hours. Very pleased with the service and price ($80). I would really recommend this German lady owner shop. It proves one more time than there is always a place for a "service done right at a right price". Keep going "old lady"!!!!

On a road trip from Manitoba to California we started experiencing some car trouble. We made it into Mammoth Lakes and connected with a nearby garage. we were so lucky that it was Mike at Alpine Garage. it was the Memorial Day long weekend and he was able to diagnose the issue, order the part and get our touring beast back on the road in no time. He was super friendly, interesting and got back to us promptly about what was happening with the car. Never before have we wanted to move to a town because of the car repair shop!

I had a cracked radiator and came in to Alpine Automotive to see if they could help me out since I was on vacation. Mike's wife picked up the radiator in bishop and had me back on the road in 4 hours. I was very impressed with his service, friendliness and prices. He definitely made a satisfied customer for life.