European Motors

I've been bringing my car to Mark's shop for a few years now. Overall, Mark is probably the most thorough and detail-oriented mechanic that I've ever worked with. If you own a German car, you know they can be a little funky. I've made the mistake of bringing my car to less reputable shops and having work done at places like Jiffy Lube, etc. Mark often uncovers weird little mistakes those other mechanics have made on my car (hex bolts they've stripped on brake pads, using the wrong cables for brake lines, replacing fuel/02 sensors that were actually fine). I think he's really good at diagnostics and digging deeper into problems than other mechanics. He also documents every step of the repairs, sending pics, videos, and updates along the way. If you have a VW, Audi, BMW, etc, he's the dude. Pic below of my shiny new engine bay after service :)

I recently had the valves on my 2018 Macan (100k miles) walnut blasted here. The service was fairly priced and came with a solid warranty. The shop itself is impressively clean and efficient, featuring multiple hoists and easy parking/access. Mark and Susanne were a pleasure to work with—both highly capable and trustworthy. Mark is highly capable, sent many videos / pictures as work progressed, Highly recommended!

This is the second time I took my 2021 Mercedes Metris van to this shop. My first trip to his shop was to fix malfunctioning taillights that couldn’t be fixed at the Mercedes dealership. He ran a through diagnosis and was able to pin point the problem, and fixed it. This time, l went to this shop because of a message on dash board that says “tire pressure monitoring system inoperative “. I took my van to two different tire shops and neither of them could figure out what’s wrong. Then I took my van to this shop and Mark, the owner and chief mechanic, was able to figure out the exact problem, and fixed it. I highly recommend this shop to anyone needing repairs, especially those who drive European imports.

Over the last 3 or so years I've had my BMW serviced here a few times - a mix of simple and fairly involved work, probably spent in the neighborhood of $5k total. My experience today notwithstanding, this is exactly the kind of mechanic I like; straightforward, common-sense assessment of urgency, and good quality work for a fair price. I like it so much that I drive from South LA (not convenient) to come here because I thought they deserved my business. The short version of the one-star review is that I was made to feel responsible for a pretty significant inconvenience today. Both European Motors and I played a role in the miscommunication that led to it, but the way they conducted themselves didn't meet the basic levels of human decency and accountability I expect from the people I interact with. They were so anxious to avoid acknowledging their role in the situation that they made me feel entirely to blame, and in the process ruined my day. I pride myself on being fair and taking responsibility when I mess up, and I seek out businesses and individuals that share those values - I will never come back to this garage, and I will never recommend it again. If integrity, accountability, and mutual respect are important to you, I encourage you not to bring your business here. You can judge for yourself: Earlier this week I called to make an appointment for an oil change, came in this morning and left the car around 8:15am, when I arrived, I also mentioned that the power steering reservoir and the oil filter housing looked like they were leaking and asked Mark to take a look. I walked to get coffee and go around the reservoir and came back around 10:15am. Based on previous experience, I expected I might need to wait another 10-20min until the car was done. The car had not been touched after two hours, when he noticed, Mark was surprised I was waiting and indicated he was not aware that I was planning to wait until completion. At this point it was clear that there was some miscommunication - both parties apologized for the inconvenience. Because I was with my infant son today and because of the distance to my house, the suggested remedies weren't really feasible. I couldn't wait longer, and I couldn't come back later. As I see it, I made two avoidable mistakes. First, I should have volunteered the fact that I was waiting, I am aware this is usually a useful piece of information, but in this case figured they would ask if they needed it, or that they had noted my prior behavior and already knew that I usually wait for oil changes. Second, I didn't mention the PS reservoir or oil leak when I made the appointment, which may have changed their approach. However, I've made this kind of "take a look" request previously without issue or significant delay, Mark usually suggests a remedy, and I schedule a visit to resolve later. The whole thing was amicable if not annoying, but both Mark and the office admin felt the need to go out of their way to pin the responsibility on me - you should have said you were waiting, you didn't tell us, we had no way of knowing, you didn't mention the other stuff when you made the appointment, we need it overnight, blah, blah, blah. If me waiting is a pertinent piece of information for scheduling purposes, ASK DURING THE INTAKE PROCESS, ASK WHEN I ARRIVE, NOTICE THAT I WALKED AWAY WITH MY CHILD IN STROLLER AND DOUBLE CHECK WHAT MY PLANS ARE. And if taking a look at the leaks significantly changes the nature of my appointment, TELL ME THAT AT THE TIME. And above all that, just treat me with basic human decency - even if you think the whole thing is my fault (which it was not), I think it's fair to say it was an honest mistake and I clearly had a positive, understanding disposition about the whole thing. Jumping down my throat to tell me all my mistakes while simultaneously refusing to take any responsibility is in poor taste. You handled yourselves like toddlers.

Mark and the European Motors team are great. I've been bringing my 2013 Volkswagen Jetta to European Motors for about three years now and they've delivered the same quick turnaround, transparent workmanship, and reasonable prices every time my vehicle's been serviced. My Jetta actually runs better now than it did 20,000 miles ago when I first brought it in. It eliminates a lot of uncecessary stress to have a fair, trustworthy mechanic in your corner. If you have a VW or other European motor, you can't go wrong bringing your car to this shop.