Idyllwild Garage in
Idyllwild-Pine Cove (CA)

Myself my Wife and our 2 Toddlers decided to take a Day Trip to Lake Hemet to Fish (8/10/2025). While at the Campground, we noticed that one of our Tires had gone Flat, so we Called AAA (around 5:50PM), the AAA Operator said Idyllwild Garage would be Responding to the Call with an Estimated Arrival Time of 6:45PM. 7PM came along and Nobody had Showed Up, so I Googled "Idyllwild Garage" and got they're Phone Number and Called them Directly. I Spoke to a Lady who said was Idyllwild Garage's Dispatcher, she Confirmed my Name and said she was Aware of the AAA Request and that they were running "Slightly Late" and would Arrive in "15 Minutes" which would have been around 7:15PM. NOBODY EVER CAME! We were Stranded with our 2 Kids in the Cold and Dark Campground until 9:30PM until a Game Warden came to Check on us, and Helped us Out. I will be Filing a Complaint with AAA.

They got the job done. They need to retrain their dispatcher, that girl has an attitude problem. They're only in business because they are local and there are no competitions. Heads-up for those that need their service, don't expect any kind of professionalism from the telephone dispatcher, one of the shittiest customer service I have ever experienced.

Nothing major, but we’re traveling with our travel trailer across the west for a couple of months. Visiting Idyllwild when a “change oil soon” light comes on. Steve and the folks at Idyllwild Garage got us in the next day for an oil change and all the required inspections. Really appreciate them. Thanks!

Here on vacation and had a diesel leak in the fuel filter. Could have just replaced the seal but they talked me into a $75 filter and I didn't mind because my filter was at half life. They squeezed me in and got the filter done quickly and I really appreciated it. The guys were real nice too. The only complaint I had was that the filter ended up being like $170 on top of the standard labor rate. So, in hindsight, I would have rather just replaced the seal. Kind of felt like a rip off but am grateful they helped me out.

this place is great and convenient if ever stranded on the mountain. Thank you for helping. we appreciate you.

I brought my car here and it was making all sorts of very loud grinding wheel noises. They took it in. We're able to figure out what was wrong quickly. They ordered the parts and even went all the way down the hill to pick them up. Went above and beyond to fix my car all at a very fair price. They kept me updated what was going on every step of the way. And had me on my way as quickly as possible. I will continue to take my car here as long as I am driving.

Did a great job on a couple of my vehicles! Very honest shop and do superior work. They will have my business from now on . Thanks you guys Rock !

Really appreciated the availability and work that Idyllwild Garage was able to perform on my son’s car while we were there on vacation. Service and follow was excellent.

Steve and everyone were amazing. We broke down close to Lake Hemet. They towed us and did great service. They didn't oversell us or pressure us into making other repairs. Accurate and efficient. Absolutely recommend.

Cannot thank these guys enough. Our truck was broken down in the middle of the road they stopped what they were doing to come over and help us move it to their shop and fix it enough to get back down the hill. I would 100% recommend them. Absolutely amazing customer service!

Very helpful people if you are in need of auto repairs, tire check, air, water or even a tow. They will even drive you home and pick you up. Best auto repair shop on the mountain. ⛰️ I've been a customer for over 30 years.

Thank you Steve! I had an issue with another SMOG shop refusing to do a smog on my 2008 f250 because 1 reporter wasn't 'ready'. Steve reset everything, had me drive a learn route to make sure everything was good, no issues and it passed. It's nice to have a knowledgeable and honest mechanic to work with. You've earned ALL my business going forward!

I've always had fair prices, car fixed. Always nice. Miss the heck out of John. Steve you are stepping in those shoes like they are your size. Great job to all the staff and family. Life long customer ????

We got stuck in the snow and Dan came and saved the day! He actually just helped us turn around and drove us to our rental in our own car. Super nice and friendly!

We needed a tow through AAA. After being told it would be an hour, we waited for 2 hours before calling AAA for an update. We were told the supervisor would reach out to the driver and call us back. After another hour we called AAA for another update and were only then told the supervisor had contacted the drivers and just couldn’t get anyone to tow us to where we needed to go. Nobody contacted us at all. They cancelled the tow and didn’t even notify us. We were one block away from their garage. Going through AAA we didn’t have a choice of who we used. I would highly recommend avoiding this business if at all possible. They completely washed their hands of their commitments to AAA out of it being an inconvenience. We then had to start a new service call from a contractor further away. It’s absolutely unbelievable the lack of courtesy and professionalism this garage showed. It’s one thing being stranded. It’s another insult over injury to be completely left hanging and not even have had the simple courtesy of a phone call to know it. Terrible, absolutely terrible. I don’t write a lot of reviews, but this was such a blatant display of horrible customer service, not to mention abandonment of an obligation they made to AAA for members in their service territory.

Dropped off for oil change. They checked everything, topped off my washer fluid, did the oil change and filter, no other filters or anything else changed. They charged me $145…. Which I paid despite knowing it was ridiculously overpriced. I had someone call to ask after to get an oil change quote, they were quoted $100 (still over priced, but less than the $145 I paid). So either they charge $45 for the wiper fluid I didn’t ask for or they charged $45 over because I’m a woman.

We were visiting in Idyllwild and on our last night, a foot of snow fell overnight. Gorgeous. We already had chains on the car but managed to get wedged at the bottom of the driveway. Idyllwild Garage was there in less than 10 minutes, and had us out in less than 5. Very friendly, helpful folks. It was a pricey rescue, but we didn't have a choice! so it was worth every penny and I am very grateful to them for getting us back on our way home. :-)

I just needed winter tires put on my car. They said they were going to charge $50 per tire. Never in my life has anyone tried to rip me off this bad. Saying it had to do with the sensor.. yea right… the sensor reads itself.

AWESOME!! Thanks Chris and team!!! After a spirited ride up to Idyllwild, my Porsche started spewing coolant. I thought I’d be replacing the water pump or hoses or something worse. They topped off the coolant, drove it around and pressure tested it and discovered that there were no leaks, but likely just the overflow container needed a little breather. They could have charged me a fortune, but let me know that everything was Ok, and I could replace my radiators at my leisure.

We used this business for assistance with a tow, as they are the designated AAA company for the idyllwild area, and I was blown away with their exceptional service. Beyond helpful, very friendly and efficient. The owners Steve and Tamera were more than helpful, and the driver Dan was absolutely amazing! I could not suggest better company for that area! Their prompt service and friendly demeanor just made a nightmarish experience so much easier! Thank you guys for being amazing!

I'm grateful to have a reliable mechanic shop on the hill. They are busy but don't slack on the quality of customer service or automotive work. I've been to "the other place" and was severely disappointed. You want a mechanic you can trust when you live in a rural area. Idyllwild Garage is the place to go.

My truck broke down on top of Black Mtn. Trail.. after blowing my front seal on my transmission. I called Idyllwild Garage and spoke with Steve.. Instead of taking the $1000 tow fee he could have charged me, he gave me instructions on how to get my transmission seal to hold fluid. Spent 90 bucks on sealant conditioner and fluid and was able to drive my truck 3 hours back to San Diego. Can't say enough about how great a guy Steve is and how appreciative I am of him not stiffing me like most mechanics. Haven't ever met the guy, but if I lived in Idyllwild, he would be my go-to Mechanic.

Great service! Honest, polite, professional, and local. Smog certificates available. Snow Chains and towing services. Reputable mechanics. Worth the wait if there is one! DOG FRIENDLY too! Steve has a pocket full of doggie treat bones.

Steve did am awesome job getting myself and my car down the mountain. He was professional and went above and beyond! I can't give these guys enough stars. Thank you for your services.

I came into to town to visit my sister only to find out my van was stuck in park on an incline. I called the garage and for a nominal fee they picked up my van diagnosed it and had it fixed by the next day. They were very friendly and the mechanics were awesome. They fixed the problem. They also allowed me to keep my van there 2 extra days because we were snowed in and couldn't get out on the street until it was safe.. Thank you Idyllwild Garage...

I was so pleased to have your professional assistance. Thank you so much for your gracious help, we slid off the drive of our rental home at Rocky Point in Pine Cove (1/15) in severely icy conditions and you provided a swift, truly professional response. Courteous on the initial call, the engineer (I kid you not) provided expert instruction every step of the way in maneuvering the car back onto the road, saved any damage from the surrounding trees and rocks. All of my thanks to the entire team, I could not give you higher praise. Use this company, they are professionals.

The Idyllwild Garage was worth a million bucks to me when I had a flat on my Harley. Steve the owner had my bike securely loaded into a trailer and truck within 45 minutes. Chris, the driver, was a great guy and also a very safe driver. In the end, if I had to have a flat, this was a great place to have it. They are a AAA station and AAA had a work order to them within 1 minute of the call. if there were ten stars available in this rating, I would give it to them.