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M.I.T. Drivetrain Specialists
1112 Pioneer Way, El Cajon, CA 92020, United States
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M.I.T. Drivetrain Specialists
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De
Review №1

I would highly recommend this Business for any Transmission needs, I had my 2005 Ford F-150 rear differential changed out, I went from 12 MPG, TO 20 MPG. I Also notice that when I pull my Travel Trailer the amount of Torque improved greatly, Where as I would pull The Vejas grade on interstate 8, and only could manage 45 MPH up the grade, NOWI am able to go up the Grade @55 MPH with no problem. They came Very Highly recommend from a friend and THEY EXCEEDED MY BEST EXPECTATIONS!

Co
Review №2

This shop and all the people that work here are top notch. Ive been taking my off-road rigs there for years and they have always done a fantastic job and are always incredibly personable and take time to not only make sure things are done right but they also take time to teach me about the vehicle and the mechanics behind whats being done to it. I cant say enough good things about this shop and I wont be taking any off road vehicles of mine anywhere else at all.

Bo
Review №3

Decades of wrenching have afforded me, for the most part, a well tuned spidey sense to detect when Im in the presence of highly refined BS or deeply refined technical knowledge. I detect the latter here. My needs are simply defined but perhaps not so simply filled. I want my Jeep to carry my wife and I up rocky hills without breaking.Jeff and Kenny spent 30 minutes with me at closing time, talked to me in terms I could understand, and proposed a solution that shaved 42% off a competitors estimate with solid explanations why their solution is preferable to me.Install is scheduled next week. Ill update after break-in and testing. My biggest worry at this point is my savings will be devoured by that sweet looking Atlas they have perched in their lobby like a fresh sardine to a tuna.Update. Picked up Jeep. No up-selling. They pointed out a few worn parts and replaced them with very reasonable pricing. I had excluded wiring the locker and Im not 100% sure I picked the right spot for the switch. I think Im going to add a pilot on the dash off the 12v to the diff as both confirmation and reminder that its locked, as I cant see the switchs pilot light where I put it. Besides not visible its a great spot. In reach and not going to be hit accidentally.They graciously gave me a window sticker, which is on moth balls pending a 6 month real world test. VERY happy so far. I hope Im proud to run their sticker in 6 months.

Wi
Review №4

MIT puts in the time and effort to do the job correctly. All of the team, including the shop cat, treated me like family and patiently explained each step of the process. They turned my stock 2001 Jeep Cherokee XJ into a beast. I plan to return for future driveline and suspension upgrades.The whole story of my experience:I first brought my XJ into MIT right after I bought it for a check-up and an estimate for lifting the vehicle. Kenny, Jeff, and Karen were all quite friendly and honest with me about the condition of my XJ. I am new to the off-roading scene, and they explained to me some safety issues that they recommended addressing as soon as possible. MIT installed new U-Joints for me and gave me an estimate to install a Rubicon Express 5.5 long-arm lift kit.Due to the cross-member being out of stock, I had to be patient and wait until the component became available. Kenny called me regularly to update the kits status, and MIT worked with their RE representative to obtain the parts as fast as possible.I dropped off the vehicle along with unibody stiffeners that I had purchased during my wait. They ran into many rust issues with my truck and replaced or repaired the components as they ran across them. Each time they called me to ask for authorization and gave me a detailed explanation of the process and the hazards if I opted out of fixing the issues correctly. Because of all the rust issues, they had to finish my vehicle between other bookings, and after patiently waiting, I was finally able to pick up my XJ!Kenny kindly took me through the bill line by line, explaining all the hardware and labor. I have been to many shops to correct issues with this XJ, but MIT is the only place that took the time to explain everything in detail to me.My XJ drove pretty great on stock suspension and felt even better going home on the new lift-kit. I was able to have more aggressive tires and wheels installed without cutting the body. MITs expertise is demonstrated by how my XJ feels more stable despite the higher center of gravity with the lift-kit than on the stock suspension. The unibody stiffeners have also greatly improved how the vehicle feels while driving. I would recommend MIT to anyone looking for a place that takes good care of their customers and their vehicles.I included a before and after of my Jeep Cherokee XJ. More photos can be viewed on Instagram: @yellow.xjMy only criticism for MIT is to update their website and start an Instagram page. As someone new to the off-road scene, I frequently use social media to choose where to take my business. Plus, who doesnt want to see photos of their shop cat?

Te
Review №5

Kudos to the staff at MIT. Kenny, Darlene and technician Mario were very professional, helpful, knowledgeable an friendly figuring out the problem my wifes 2006 Jeep Liberty. I would highly recommend MIT to anybody who needs help with their suspension or drivetrain.

Ja
Review №6

I cannot thank MIT enough. They not only took their time to inspect every one of my concerns with our 2017 Tacoma but they helped us find a hotel and tell us about the area (we arent from the area and living out of our tacoma). They truly treated us like family, this included the shop cat, Mamie! We previously had other shops not understand or struggle to help us with our problem as our Tacoma isnt stock, but they knew exactly what we were referring to and were able to help us get back on the road in less then 24 hours. In conclusion not only are they great, kind, down to earth people who just do good things, but they are so knowledgeable and passionate about what they do. Thank you again!!

Ge
Review №7

Went to get quotes on some things the jeep needs. Jeff was very helpful, and advised me on how to fix the problem with my jeep without having to actually replace any parts. Im going back to have them fix some things that need it though. Glad I found this place for the jeep!Also they have a shop cat whos very friendly!Edit: So I brought the wj in to have the front end adjusted and some other minor issues with both of my diffs. They fixed the leaks, adjusted the front end and shes running great. Got a call from the shop too to follow up on how everything was running. Its been about 2 weeks since Ive had the work done and everything is going great with the jeep. Highly recommend this place if you have any type of 4x4 that needs work.

Jo
Review №8

Always professional, stand behind their work, have been using them for at least 20 years.

da
Review №9

I took my 99 xj in for a few things over the years, always new what they were doing before I new, my last visit there was the same I tried to tell them what to do and how to do it and they told me the way it needed to be done and as always they didnt disappoint me, my 20 year old jeep drives and rides awesome better than a new one and it off-roads great it will go just about anywhere I have the balls to go and then some, Im very happy with there work and a great bunch of people, so dont wast your time or money at the other places, unfortunately I did but then I found MIT drivetrain specialist in El cajon they made my jeep Great Again . Thank you MIT for getting me out on the trails again .

St
Review №10

I have had a very nice business relationship with MIT drivetrain!I am a paralyzed veteran who has always wanted to own a Jeep. I was fortunate enough to purchase a launch edition Gladiator because it enabled me to own a Jeep and still carry my 500 lb off-road wheelchair. The only problem was that it was difficult for me to transfer into my Gladiator from my wheelchair. This is where Jeff, Kenny and Kathy at MIT Drivetrains came to my rescue and helped make my dream of owning a Jeep come true. They were very helpful by installing an Off-road Only/ Airock airbag system that lets the ride height come down to my wheel chairs seat height. They have been professional and generous with their time and I highly recommend them for your Jeep dreams. They have treated me very well and I look forward to returning for some future additions to my Gladiator.

Je
Review №11

Great team of professionals at M.I.T. Drivetrain Specialists! Karen, Kenny and team were absolutely fantastic to work with. Brought in my 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon to have a 2.5 Overland Plus Lift and 37x12.50x17 NITTO Trail Grapplers on Mopar Bead-locks installed and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.Karen and Kenny constantly communicated updates and provided the appropriate recommendation to extend the rear brake lines to ensure lift installation was 100% perfect, while keeping safe operation in-mind.Throughout the years I have utilized several off-road shops within the San Diego area and highly recommend M.I.T. over all others. Definitely the shop of choice if you are looking for any vehicle needs; I wish I would have stumbled upon them sooner. Thank you again for the outstanding service!

Br
Review №12

They got me repaired/upgraded ready to drive next day. Friendly service at a fair price.

Ro
Review №13

Always the best in town for quality work.Three Jeeps in the family.MIT = The ones our family count on.

Ph
Review №14

The only problem I have is that I wish I had known about MIT before, I wouldve saved myself alot of headaches. I brought my 1956 willys wagon into have an over drive installed. Not only did they do an excellent job but they called me half way through the job to tell me they saved me $250. GREAT PLACE.

Ry
Review №15

M.I.T. is the best! I’m the original owner of a 90 YJ “Betsy”. She has an engine swap from a 95 Camaro and a few other quirky modifications that can make serving her problematic. The very kind folks at M.I.T. have taken great care of her twice now. I trust them completely with my baby! Great sign pulling in and seeing 20+ different Jeeps being worked on.

As
Review №16

These guys do horrible work.Based on various reviews I sent my Jeep down to El Cajon for a NV4500 conversion and other ancillary items.It looks like a junior mechanic worked on my $22,000 dollar build. This was delayed several months past the promised date.1. The clutch Master cylinder failed twice (slave also failed), I replaced it the 2nd time after MIT replaced it the first time. The hydraulic lines that MIT installed were crossthreaded!!!!2. I paid Jeff almost $1,000 dollars to fix the parking brake on the jeep. He happily said he would make it operable it but actually did not fix it all. The parking brake would not hold the Jeep on even a barely sloping surface. Jeff then changed his story claiming that the parking brake is supposed to be used only in addition with the vehicle being in gear- which makes no sense because if the vehicle goes out of gear the parking brakes wont do anything. They are essentially useless because they do not hold the vehicle. I ended up replacing the whole system including the parking brake shoes and it works fine now. All MIT did was order up some cables and bolt them in and call it good. They couldnt even route the cables properly as most of the cables were interfering with either the exhaust, or were attached to moving parts of the vehicle.Why on earth would I pay $1,000 dollars so that MIT could deliver the parking brake with the exact same functionality (not working) as previous. Heck after Jeff purportedly fixed the parking brake it failed on a small incline on my driveway and went through my garage door. Jeff did nothing about it.What type of shop charges a customer to fix an issue, does not fix it then changes the story. I can wholeheartedly say, that MIT does not stand behind their work at all. I have never heard of a scenario where a customer describes that the parking brake is inoperable, the shop agrees to fix the issue, the shop bills the customer and then the shop does not fix the issue- but quietly delivers the vehicle (knowingly) with the same exact issue, to the customer. Once the customer questions the shop they then make up an excuse as to why the issue still exists. Then why fix it at all? Why would anyone pay a shop to not fix the problem?With regards to the work, the wife claimed that Jeff was an expert in the field. It literally took me 8 months to fix all their screw ups. I travel a lot for work and only have limited weekends but if I had known that every single bolt, nut, cable, hydraulic line, etc would have to be checked, I would have never taken my vehicle here.Luckily, I checked every single external bolt that MIT installed; most of the bolts were only in finger tight (the drive shaft bolts had already backed out with only 3 remaining) the bellhousing bolts had backed out, the transfer case bolts had backed out, the cross-member bolts were backed out with only 4 bolts remaining. They even cross threaded the the brake lines at the master cylinder (I assue when they tried to re-position the hydroboost rod). I am not sure who worked on my vehicle but they have no business working on vehicles let alone charging money for it.They destroyed my existing hydroboost mechanism by over-depressing/mis-aligning the rod when installing the replacement brake pedal so that the clutch pedal would fit. The Hydroboost unit that had worked flawlessly for 11 years failed within 500 miles of the nv4500 conversion and was manual brakes only.The warranty is almost useless, as the shop will point the finger at some other unrelated reason and try to recoup costs that way. Jeff tried using the same front driveshaft solution as described by another reviewer below. I found out my issue was due to most of the bolts not being torqued to spec. Imagine having to pay hundreds of dollars because of a mis-diagnosed problem caused merely by the shop not torquing bolts down?Could go on for another 10 pages about how dishonest this company is. A bad experience all around. Avoid

Ja
Review №17

Nice guys, had a used Dana 30 axle shaft in stock for me that I needed in a pinch.

Ae
Review №18

Cannot recommend this place enough!!! Any negative reviews are unfathomable to me due to the experience I received at M I T. The extremely friendly and very knowledgeable staff were able to diagnose my issues right away and provide the proper advice to fix our jeep. Only wish everyone ran their business this way.

De
Review №19

Always a pleasant experience at MIT. They know their stuff

Ro
Review №20

Knowledgeable, friendly and professional. Quotes are accurate with no hidden fees and very competitive, customer service is excellent

Ed
Review №21

Jeff is very knowledgeable, does very nice work!!! Looking forward to him fixing my sons

Pe
Review №22

I brought my 2013 JK to MIT and immediately upon pulling up I figured I must be at the right place with the Jeeps surrounding area. Jeff took my Jeep for a spin quickly diagnose the problem. They changed out the drive shaft for me lubed up a bunch of stuff underneath I left the next morning for Nevada and went jeepin on some awesome Trails up in the Valley of Fire with no problems I will go back if needed hopefully not anytime soon I highly recommend them

Di
Review №23

My husband and I has taken our 04 TJ in to have work done a couple of times and you could not ask for anything more. They are very reasonable and communicate well, along with quality work. Highly recommend this shop.

Ga
Review №24

I have taken my 04 TJ to MIT twice now for repairs/modifications and couldnt be any happier with the work they do, their honesty, and overall quality from start to finish. I was recommended to take my jeep here by a good friend and wish I would have known about MIT 3 years ago before wasting time and money on poor quality work other shops provided. It can be a frustrating process trying to find a good and trustworthy mechanic. Im just grateful I now know where to take my jeep for anything that needs to be done to it. Thank you, MIT!!

Da
Review №25

My journey with MIT began months ago when I towed my jeep to the their shop to assess an issue I was having with my 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT. I could tell immediately from my conversation with Cathy that I was in the right place. They assured me that my Jeep was in good hands. Kenny is such an amazing guy who truly loves cars and people. Jeff is clearly Obi Wan Kenobi. They took my tcase out and discovered it had catastrophic damage due to a previous poor rebuild from another company. They thoroughly inspected everything, put my beast back together and made sure I was well on my way. This is a family business and by that I mean that they treat you like family. The work was 5 star and the customer service cant even be ranked on a scale. If you have any issues with your drive line, either big or small this is where you need to go. You can trust them and their prices are more than fair and you can rest assure that you will leave with a smile on your face. Great Job!

RC
Review №26

Great customer service. Staff is friendly and willing to go the extra mile to help out. I had questions about my YJ, and one tech spent at least an hour typing up an itemized quote, answering questions, and giving me suggestions. Only reason I gave four stars is because I havent had any work done yet.

Ma
Review №27

These guys are the best in San Diego and are always willing to help and are a great resource for anything off road. Highly recommend!

Ra
Review №28

Owner Jeff, his wife and all of the MIT staff, did a fantastic job upgrading my Jeep TJ. I was advised about all of the options and went with there recommendations. They re- geared and installed lockers, wow what a difference that all made to my jeeps off road abilities. I will bring my Jeep back to MIT for all future upgrades, thats for certain. Thanks MIT!

Ry
Review №29

I brought my 2005 Toyota Tundra to MIT after I suspected a drivetrain problem. They rapidly diagnosed the problem after a test drive and gave me a call. A u-joint had gone out on the rear driveshaft casing excessive vibration and a loud noise was happening when I put the vehicle into gear.I authorized the repairs and the work was completed on time and for an amount less than quoted! Thanks M.I.T.!

An
Review №30

Hello, my jeep was in an accident and I was ready to be very frustrated with the process of not only fixing the vehicle but managing the insurance shenanigans. To my complete surprise that was far from the case! Upon even my first phone call to MIT, Kathy took control of my situation. I am saddened by the lack of customer service in ALL industries now a days, to the point I expect to get less prior to even the first phone call. Kathy and the MIT staff go out of their way to be educational, effective, and allow you, the customer to make an informed decision! What more could you ask for!!!! Geniue people going out of their way to give a fantastic experience of quality and care. I also like that they are a small family owned buisness, I think for 40 plus years. How refreshing to do business with a locally owned shop going out of their way to satisfy you as a customer on every possible level. Thank you MIT for redefining customer service. Its nice to know some buisness folk actually still care about their customers!!!!!!!!

Jo
Review №31

Unfriendly / rude staff and very 2 faced and judgmental . Never will I take my projects there again . On top of that all the work performed was half assed and cheaply engineered. Thanks for nothing

se
Review №32

Great customer service

Information
40 Photos
32 Comments
4.6 Rating
  • Address:1112 Pioneer Way, El Cajon, CA 92020, United States
  • Site:http://mit4x4.com/
  • Phone:+1 619-579-7727
Categories
  • Auto repair shop
  • Auto accessories wholesaler
  • Auto parts market
  • Auto spring shop
  • Brake shop
  • Transmission shop
Working hours
  • Monday:Closed
  • Tuesday:8AM–5PM
  • Wednesday:8AM–5PM
  • Thursday:8AM–5PM
  • Friday:8AM–5PM
  • Saturday:8AM–5PM
  • Sunday:Closed
Accessibility
  • Wheelchair accessible entrance:Yes
Amenities
  • Mechanic:Yes
  • Restroom:Yes
Planning
  • Appointments recommended:Yes
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