Dr. Auto Tech

Man, there aren't too many mechanics out there as talented and detailed as Dr. Vasken. I picked up a broken down 2002 BMW 540 with an oil leak that had been sitting in a driveway for 3 years and immediately took it to an auto shop and a detailer. Of course there were still problems, and the detailer didn't clean it up as well as I wanted (I'm pretty OCD) so I turned to Dr. Auto Tech and couldn't have made a better decision. Immediately I could tell he was the real deal because of how meticulously he looked at every part of my car. Dr. Vasken identified quite literally EVERY problem that other mechanics identified and even more, and he also made sure to only exchange parts and do work on parts of the car that HAD to be done. He also helped me swap out and sell the ugly after-market rims the car came with and even ordered the BMW hubcaps for the OEMs I bought, AND he did a great job of cleaning out all the gunk and trash that the detailer missed. The cherry-on-top was how openly Dr. Vasken communicated. He made sure to give me regular update calls whenever he discovered new potential issues and was very open to discussing the pricing. I went out of my way to bring the car from DTLA down to his shop in Hermosa Beach, and needless to say it has served me well — I drove back to San Francisco from LA without a hitch. NOTE: Dr. Vasken *actually* looks after the cars he works on so I would recommend only bringing in your vehicle if it's one you truly cared for — he charges $150/hour for labor, which frankly might still be too low considering his wealth of experience.

Ok, let’s balance up some of these so-so reviews with some hard facts.Dr Vasken has more experience and general engineering knowledge on the elderly Mercedes SLK models than several other local main dealers I have tried. He fixed a problem on my 320 SLK which had stumped two main dealers and the various internet chat rooms. And his understanding and interpretation on the car’s computer codes got the car through its smog checks when the testers said it clearly needed new cats ( five times the price of Dr V’s minor parts and filters) . He has looked after that 320 ( and my 230 before it) as if it were his own . I would never go anywhere else for Mercedes servicing.

I started coming to Dr. Auto because of owner's honesty, reasonable pricing and suggested recommendations for future repairs. I have an old Porsche and I bypass this shop because I thought they serviced only Mercedes Benz. I had window, lock issues one day and drove to many top locksmith car shops and other repair shops and none of the many repair shops was able to help me so I thought to stop by and check out this Dr. Auto shop. Well, miracles do happen because Dr. Vas (short for Vasken), the owner and expert mechanic was able to disassemble my car door and got the window, locks working. He also showed me the old parts and the extra shaving of other metals to make it work again. I then started to have my car serviced at Dr. Auto. Dr. Vas is truly an expert, knowledgeable mechanic, owner and I also trust his words and recommendations. I once had an emergency one night as I always travel to San Diego to care for my ill 89-yr. old father. I called the shop even past closing hours and WOW Dr. Vas showed up and helped me and advised me what to do. I then had peace of mind driving to San Diego without any problems with my car. Dr. Vas is thorough, a real EXPERT MECHANIC with gazillion years experience, not to mention nice and honest. I now go to Dr. Vas to service my Black Beauty (old Porsche) for minor and other repairs that it needs over the last 3 years. I now travel with ease as he always tells me whether it is safe to to drive the car or not. Thank you Dr. Vas for being the real deal! JC

Vasken and his crew are terrific! My husband and I have been going to him with various cars for many years. He is honest, trustworthy and an amazing mechanic! He even went up and beyond the call of duty when the water pump went out on my BMW on the 105 Freeway on our way to a Kings game. AAA would only tow the car to his shop if he met them there so he did at 8pm on a Friday night so we could still make it to the Kings game!!! We would never take our cars anywhere else because they treat us like family!

Long overdue post (curse procrastination). But they did a terrible job on my Volkswagen Rabbit for the price I paid. I entrusted them to fix a rear door on my car, and I received it with a new sound coming from the glovebox when I start my car and a loose door handle and loose interior panel (that they couldn’t reassemble).