Mesman Motors — Local services in Mission Viejo

The entire experience concluded in about 1 month's time.

The issue with my car is the clutch. I drive a black Honda Fit. At some point, the gears began to pop the clutch out and I even had major difficulty entering gears towards the end before I reached out to Mesman Motors and delivered my car for work.

Initially, I had a good impression. Geoff was cool, told me he would get the car checked, that the transmission would likely have to be removed to get to the clutch etc. I said okay and so they started to work on my car.

I was told that they would reach out in about 3 days to tell me if the transmission should be removed or not to check the clutch itself. It took a little longer than those 3 days but I understood, mechanics are busy - no biggie. Then when I was called about pulling the transmission, we talked about the price and I said yeah okay do it.

About a week later they called and told me that a spring in the clutch had popped out. I really liked that they sent me pictures of the issue, that was new and appreciated it.

I was then quoted for a new clutch. I was hesitant to pay for the top notch clutch that was being recommended because I have financial constraints. I am a full time student, a full time employee at a veterinary specialty hospital, and I don't make that much money. Instead, from about 12500 dollars, I was called back and quoted for about 1200. I agreed to that and they got to work.

About a week after that, I was called and told that the car's gears worked "like new" and that the clutch was working in perfect condition. I told Geoff that I was in a bit of a snag and that I would have to finish paying the rest of the work in about another week. Of course, I didn't ask him if I could take the car as I have a motorcycle and was getting around just fine.

Things changed the moment I told him I needed a bit of time to get the money together. Geoff began to ignore my text messages. I called and asked if he had received my text messages about waiting for me a few days and he replied with, "Yeah, i got the jizt of it."

I felt like he was treating me like I was going to pick up the car and disappear into the wilderness or something. Obviously, I felt a bit disrespected considering I had already paid most of the money and I wasn't necessarily asking for anything extraordinary, I simply asked him to hold up a minute while I got the money together to pay for the services.

Finally, my motorcycle had some issues and I had no choice but to ask Geoff if I could have the car back while I got the money together. He replied with, "I guess. I guess I could trust you with it." As if the car belonged to him or something.. hell, the car doesn't even belong to me necessarily since I'm still paying the car off.

Anyways, still, I am grateful that he said yes and so I came by to pick up the car. Upon picking up the car, I noticed a screeching sound coming from the engine. I didn't think much of it because it sounded like a dry belt. Also, the last thing I was going to suspect was the clutch, I literally had a 1200 dollar bill to replace it - why would it be the clutch?

I called about two days later after I picked up the car. Paid the rest of the money which was about 160 bucks or so. The screeching continued.

Eventually, I texted Geoff and told him that my car was screeching and that I had noticed it when I picked it up but didn't think much about it then. Geoff was again very rude about it. Eventually, ignoring my texts about the issue. At this point, I felt reallllllyyyy uncomfortable dropping off my car at this shop.

My car still screeches. I am sure that I will have to replace the entire clutch again maybe by the beginning of next year. Another pretty penny. Hopefully this next time I get it done, it will be done right.

Go to this shop if you have to but don't let it be your first choice. Try other shops with a whole lot more reviews and reputation. Pay a little more but be glad that the work will be done right and that the shop will treat you like an adult and...

UPDATE: June 2025: Front end service to replace worn swingarms/bushings and do a front brake service as well.

As usual all services were performed quickly and efficiently and the price was more than competitive.

If I could give more than 5 stars I would - Mesman provides excellent service with superior communication. Thanks to Geoff and team for always treating us right!

UPDATE: August 2024: We had overheating issues with our car after replacing a broken hose.

Took the car to Mesman who performed a tricky diagnosis quickly but then also kept the car for a full day performing multiple additional tests to ensure the problem was completely solved. It's been nearly a month since the service and I'm happy to report we have had no issues whatsoever.

Their attention to detail and care in servicing our car most likely prevented a much worse and much more expensive problem from arising.

As with all my experiences with Mesman on multiple different cars I can't thank them enough and I give them the highest recommendation possible for your car repair needs.

UPDATE: January 2023 - went back for a radiator replacement for our Subaru Outback. They took care of it as quickly and efficiently as always. The price was right and the same-day turn around was awesome. In just over three hours we had our car back and it’s running like new. Can’t recommend Geoff, Gus and the Mesman team highly enough!

Original post: I have been going to Mesman Motors off and on for around 15 years. During that time I have found Geoff and crew to be honest, knowledgeable and always willing to do what they can to take care of my car issues in the most cost effective way possible. Case in point, my latest service; I have an older model Acura MDX which is used as my family’s second car. It runs great, looks good for its age but is not worth a ton of money at this point in its life. As such, when I started having ignition problems I was concerned that fixing the issue may not be worth it. I had the luxury of letting the Mesman team take their time to thoroughly test the electrical/ignition/CPU system to insure a proper diagnosis. Once they confirmed the needed part they researched the most cost effective repair route and gave me a detailed estimate (as they always do) and the necessary time to make a final decision. In the end they were able to repair the problem at a much lower price than the dealer would have. They did not try to up sell me into other repairs (but did let me know of a service I should have in the near future) and my car is back to running great. Lastly, I would like to thank them for staying open and servicing the community during these crazy times, and for the procedures they have put in place to keep themselves and their customers safe. I highly recommend Mesman Motors for any auto repair issues you might have, let's support our great...

I highly recommend Geoff and his team! Also, it definitely helps that Gus is always prompt in answering the phone and being so personable just like the owner Geoff. Picked up my car and literally spent an extra 40min just chatting it up with his crew!

I’ve had some bad experiences with car mechanics that I was really taking a chance on Mesmen motors, and boy was I absolutely GLAD that I went with them. I own a 2010 Toyota Yaris that has seen better days and they were able to do the job needed to get it up and running again without upselling me on anything. Geoff even gave me advice on what to do next should I choose to do the other “easier jobs” with my husband.

What I love about Mesmen motors is they fully diagnose your car and they show you pictures of what the condition of said part on your car looks like that needs to be repaired before they start doing the repairs. You have full autonomy on what you want to get fixed without being pressured to fix other things you may not have the budget for. BONUS, They reprogrammed my key for free (I thought I lost my key, got a locksmith, and now that key doesn’t work because it needed reprogramming which Mesmen motors did for me!) The communication between Gus and Geoff via text, email, and phone call was EXCELLENT! I knew what was happening at all times and they were super efficient. Left my car on a Tuesday afternoon picked it up Thursday afternoon (which I think is an amazing timeline considering the state of my almost falling apart car) but hey it’s a Toyota, it’ll last forever ha! The cherry on top was them offering to give me a ride to their shop because I told them I didn’t have transportation. Now I will say I live extremely close to the shop so I understand why the free pick up was offered, but still, what kind of auto shop does that if it’s not a dealership? Well, Geoff and his team does!

Anyways, if you are looking for a family owned, honest, efficient, and professional auto shop, I highly recommend Mesmen motors! You won’t be disappointed! Thank you Geoff and your team, I truly...