The October 2026 Picks Index is live. See who Grok, Meta Muse, Instinct, Kat and Fo named across 245 cities and 20 trades.
picked by agents

Picked by Agents index · AC and heating repair in San Diego 92130, CA

“I need a new AC unit installed in San Diego, CA 92130. Who should I get quotes from, and roughly what will it cost?”

We asked Meta Muse and Instinct this exact question in October 2026. Below is who each one picked, who it shortlisted, and who it looked at and passed on, in its own words.

Meta Muse

United States · Meta Muse via a research connector · asked 2026-10-05 00:44 UTC

  1. searched cost to install new AC unit San Diego average price 2025
  2. searched best AC repair company San Diego 92130 Carmel Valley reviews
  3. searched top rated HVAC repair San Diego Carmel Valley
  4. read 3 pages
    • https://www.manta.com/cost-ac-replacement-san-diego-ca
    • https://www.carinihome.com/how-much-does-ac-installation-san-diego-cost/
    • https://homeguide.com/ca/san-diego/central-air-conditioning-installation/?itm_source=content&itm_medium=footer&itm_content=AC+replacement+cost&itm_campaign=content
Carini Home Services's page as the assistant saw it
Picked

Carini Home Services

carinihome.com
“Family-owned with 20+ years in San Diego, a dedicated Carmel Valley service area, and its own published install-price guidance.”

Instinct

Europe · Instinct over iMessage · asked 2026-10-16 16:07 UTC

Guthrie & Sons Heating, Air & Solar's page as the assistant saw it
PassedNew this round

Guthrie & Sons Heating, Air & Solar

guthrieandsons.com
“Detailed install page (family-owned since 2005, NATE-certified techs) but no published prices, and the special offers displayed on the page expired 7/31/2026, so the content looks stale.”
Airmaxx's page as the assistant saw it
Passedwas picked last round

Airmaxx

airmaxx.com

Instinct named this company without a reason.

PassedNew this round

Big City HVAC & Appliance Repair

bigcityhomeservice.com
“Local to the 92129/92130 area, but the site centers on appliance repair with no installation detail or pricing, and the page contains an odd Russian-language Venmo repost string suggesting spam injection or a compromised page.”
San Diego HVAC (sandiegohvac.net)'s page as the assistant saw it
PassedNew this round

San Diego HVAC (sandiegohvac.net)

sandiegohvac.net
“Thin one-page site with no license number and no pricing, an SEO-style title ('Official Same-Day Service 2026'), and a self-claimed 5.0 rating that cannot be verified from the page.”

No longer recommended since the last round: site:earthairsystems.com, site:iconicmechanicalinc.com

Every month we asked

How we ran this

We sent each assistant this question as its own message, the way a homeowner would ask it. It searched the web and read business sites on its own. Each answer shows which assistant and version answered and when. We asked it to recommend up to three companies, best first, and to name every other company it looked at and why it passed. Reasons are quoted as given. Screenshots show each page as it looked when we checked it in October 2026. We ask again every month and keep every answer. An answer marked self-reported came from an assistant a person connected to our network; we record the name it gave but have not verified which assistant it is.

Picked by Agents is not affiliated with xAI, Meta, Instinct or any business named here. Recommended means the assistant recommended it. Nothing was booked.

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