An Honest Auto Mechanic in Monrovia, CA: Ha's Autocare Service

One of the most important things for those living on a tight budget, especially in Los Angeles, is to find an honest auto mechanic. A good auto repair shop should be skilled, economical and reliable in finishing auto repairs on time. Ha's Autocare Services, located in Monrovia, Calif., has always worked out well for me, and the repair shop comes highly recommended.

Ha has been working on my cars for upwards of 5 years. As a broke journalism student, I tend to run old cars into the ground, but I have been lucky enough to find used cars that need little maintenance.

Inevitably, however, things come up from time to time. As far as I know, Ha is the sole proprietor of his shop, located in the back section of a small automotive business park on Walnut Ave. between Primrose and Myrtle Avenues.

I have brought my cars to Ha's for everything from routine oil changes and tune ups to an entire motor swap and clutch job in my last car, a 1992 Acura Integra.

I bought the 1992 Integra used from a private party, and as it was my first car with a manual transmission, I quickly blew the clutch. The car was having engine trouble as well at this time, as one of the cylinders was blown out. I was initially skeptical to have such major work done at a small auto repair business such as this one, but I decided to go ahead with it as the price was right. The motor installed was a Japanese domestic market B18B2, a 1.8 liter non-VTEC motor native to the 1994-1995 Acura Integra in Japan. It was cheaper at the time to order this refurbished motor rather than rebuild the stock one, and it also gave my car a modest performance increase and excellent reliability. The B18B2 block and head, the clutch and all associated parts was around $1700 in 2003, including a smog check, which the car passed with flying colors.

He is always friendly and has never been over his original estimate. For a point of reference, I recently had a new alternator installed in my 1991 Toyota Celica GT, and all parts and labor came to $276. There are mechanics out there who might be able to do the job slightly cheaper, but I trust him wholeheartedly, and it is a decent price.