German Star Automotive

My original review mysteriously disappeared, wonder why.... No matter I'll keep posting it don't fret. Bad experience that started great, until I got my sprinter back and it was virtually unchanged. I called to talk with the mechanic and verify if the job meet spec.... that's when EVERYTHING fell apart. Front desk started acting bizarre and wouldn't pick up my next call. Next day no word, still won't answer my call, 4 days behind now because the mechanic/ owner won't talk to me because he's a "busy guy". Finally I had to jam their phone line before they'd respond, the response even more bizarre. The owner told me, because when someone says they think they're real sure what the problem is (I said I was sure it's the dampener), they don't verify the complaint. Ever. They sure charged 1 hour for diagnostics, though they looked at other stuff too. This was never mentioned by anyone. Guess there's a know-it-all tax I wasn't informed of?? Also I guess we're not allowed to ask how much they charge for things or they'll just do it??? Bizarre. He also said they don't verify their work is compliant to specifications; 'we don't measure anything' is the wrong answer on German cars. I was told the video looked fine. After much arguing he finally said bring it down. However, At this point, screw it I'll just take the L and hope the dampener stays on without eating the belt. I'll go ahead and finish aligning the door too. Yeah I could have been a little nicer and not jam the phone, sorry guys, but these bizarre business practices are unacceptable to me. Thanks for eating 4 days of my vacation.

Second service with the shop now. Their service estimates are accurate to the penny, no hidden or BS costs. If you have a Sprinter based RV, this is a go-to. Added years of life to my rig by getting the work done right the first time.

German Star Automotive is the real deal. Ken is incredibly knowledgeable and runs his business with honesty, skill, and heart; a true triple threat: expert work, fair pricing, and top-tier customer service. My wife's Mercedes went down the same day I was heading out of town. Ken told me to bring it in, and instead of just scheduling it, he jumped right on it, replaced a couple of failed belts in about 30 minutes and even fixed a blinker light on his own dime. Who does that anymore? Finding a mechanic you can truly trust, especially for foreign cars, is rare. I’m so thankful for Ken and his team, they’ve earned my business for life.

They should change their name to German 5 Star Automotive! Our Itasca RV (Mercedes Sprinter base) lost power and went into "Limp Mode" driving from Vancouver, WA to Mansfield, OH. We made it as far as Boise and began a mad search for a shop that could diagnose and repair the problem ASAP as we were on a tight schedule. I called several shops in the area. They could not take us that morning. More than one of them suggested calling German Star Automotive, so I did. They made room in their schedule, because we were traveling. I drove the RV to them that morning and noticed there was now an additional problem/noise with the front suspension. I asked them to look at that as well. We had a very tight schedule, so out of the abundance of caution we sought out a rental car. While we were picking up the rental, German Star called. They had already found and repaired the engine problem (a turbo leak). The suspension issue was a blown out shock. They could not fix that right away because they needed to wait a day for the part. I shared our schedule issue and they offered to store the RV for the ten days we would be gone for only $50. We gratefully accepted the offer and began moving our clothes and some of our food from the RV to our rental car. When the owner heard that we might run out of propane to keep our refrigerated and frozen items in the RV for the duration, he offered space in the refrigerator in their shop. At every turn this shop looked for solutions to all our concerns, even the ones that had nothing to do with our vehicle. Everyone was friendly, professional, and accommodating. I cannot recommend them highly enough. If we lived in Boise they would become my got to shop. Very, very impressed.

I’ve been bringing my Mercedes vehicles to GSA for many years, starting back when they were located in Meridian. Ken has always been exceptional — knowledgeable, honest, and genuinely great to work with. Whether it was routine maintenance or an urgent issue, he always found a way to take care of it promptly and thoroughly. Over the years, I referred several friends and family members to Ken, and they were all just as happy with his work. I recently switched car brands and am genuinely bummed that Ken won’t be my go-to mechanic anymore. I can’t recommend his shop highly enough — you and your car will be in great hands!