Kotter’s V W Services Inc.

My husband and I can’t say enough about the quality of work at Kotter’s! We have a ’62 bug and a ’69 bus that needed work and Tim did an awesome job on both. We will continue bringing our beloved VW’s in for service. You’ll find honesty and integrity here, no doubt!

Ever make a wish on a star and then have it come true? I did… thanks to Tim! My dream car (a fully restored VW Beetle) would never have been possible without his patience and kindness. Tim was able to work within my budget (and deal with my kabillion phone calls) to exceed my expectations. While there are plenty of mechanics who may advertise vintage car expertise, Tim lives it, builds it, and races it. I could go on and on, or you can just see for yourself!

I’ve been taking my 67 VW bus to Tim’s for several years. He is always professional, kind, and an awesome VW mechanic. I highly recommend him to anyone with a VW. He is very honest and trustworthy, and Tim and Robert get the job done right the first time. Five stars and two thumbs up!!!

I have been taking my Jetta VW to Kotter’s for a couple of years and they go a outstanding service. Tim and his crew do a great job, very honest and very reasonable prices!

I just wanted to give a shout out to Tim and Robert for the great job they did on my 72 Westy! I’ve used them a few of times now and have been so impressed with the professional service they provide. Tim is right up front, honest, and genuine. He doesn’t try to lure you in and then surprise you with charges later. He is willing to go the extra mile to help source parts that are no longer available or hard to find and that goes a long way when dealing with a 40 year old vehicle. Robert is the man with the MIDAS touch. Everything he touches turns to gold. Robert has my Westy purring like a kitten. His knowledge of ACVWs is second to none. He lets me know what he had done and goes through the parts that were replaced on your vehicle to make sure you’re aware of what he did to get you back on the road. I really enjoyed talking to him.
I plan on bringing all of my ACVWs to Tim and Robert at Kotter’s VW from now on so that I can have peace of mind when I’m on the road.
My .02

I took my 1961 front end to be worked on at Kotter’s and they did a great job. They re-​built the king pins and I would highly recommend them for all VW repairs and service.

After 17 years without a bug, I finally got another. A beautiful 1964. After moving down to San Diego had no idea where to take it. Right around the corner from me I found Kotters VW on Unilocal and from the reviews gave it a try. Tim greeted me right away, listened to what I wanted to have done and inspected since I just purchased the car. We set an appointment for the following week. Mid day I got a call with what he found, what he wanted to do immediately and what he thought I could wait on or decide to do at a later date. I trusted him and there was no pressure just guidance from what I could tell was years of experience. I just dropped the car off this morning to get the rest of the work done and am super happy after picking it up. Charges were what I was told, and you can tell he takes pride in his work.

Did a great job of gaining my trust, was always well up front with what was going on. Never felt as though I was being lied to or manipulated. Thank you

I have been coming to Kotters VW for over ten years now
Tim is honest reliable and very pleasant to work with
He maintains my car wonderfully and his prices are very reasonable
My car is 12 years old and I plan to keep it for many more years with his help

Friendly and honest, what more could you ask from a mechanic? If you have any concerns with repairs done they will gladly take a look for (mine was free) and certainly clean up any mess left behind. Tim is always willing to talk about what is going on with your VW and explain it in detail. Clearly dedicated to VW service and repair, I wouldn’t go anywhere else :)

Back a while, I’d taken my ’76 VW Campmobile to Kotter’s to have the heads replaced. At the time I had a cobbled-​together exhaust hose set put together by a very good VW mechanic in Costa Mesa, CA – key to keeping the engine cool. Long story short, when I picked the bus up, my hoses were gone and, and this kills me, they told me I didn’t need them. Of course, fives miles down the freeway my oil temp gauge is spiking due to the absence of the hoses. Needless to say, I never returned. Try VW Paradise in Vista if you need a VW shop. Not Kotter’s.

This place is amazing. My jetta had 260 k on it and is running great. They are the only honest VW repair shop in town. Don’t even think about going any where else.
Awesome!!!

I’m a little overdue on this but all I can say is «Thanks Tim!» I bought my 2009 Jetta TDI and shortly after started having issues with the glow plug light coming on intermittently. Took it back to the stealership I bought it from and they sent it to the local VW Dealer in El Cajon to troubleshoot, at which point (after having it for 3 days) they said my Fuel Pump needed to be replaced and wanted $ 1500.00 for the repair. I decided to live with it as it wasn’t covered under the ¹²⁄₁₂ 000 power train warranty provided by the dealer. It also wasn’t happening all that often and was something I could live with.
It started happening more often so I finally took it to Tim. His initial troubleshooting actually pointed to the fuel rail and possibly the sender at the end. He also noted that the previous owner had not done any of the major maintenance and so the timing belt was overdue for replacement as I was over 108K. As Tim was ordering the parts for the work, he contacted the VW Dealer in Escondido, which happens to be owned by the same company as the one in El Cajon. The VW dealer wouldn’t sell him one and said that if it was the fuel pump they would cover it 100% as there had been issues on the TDI and VW Corporate wanted to handle all repairs. It turns out that when Tim replaced the fuel rail that was actually the problem. Now I have a little insurance policy if the fuel pump does go. This saved me a good chunk of money that I was not ready to spend.
I am thankful that Tim and his crew are honest and have great integrity. They finished the job quickly. I have been more than happy with the outcome and will return there from now on. I’ve already recommended them to a co worker that bought a TDI recently. I Wish they worked on Kia as well, mine would be there every time it needed to be. I am happy to have found a real honest business that I know I can trust with my car here in Escondido not very far from my home.

Always take my 71 VW bus in whenever I have a problem. They get the job done right so I won’t have to go back in again. Since I’ve last been there a few months ago my bus has been running smoothly. They are the only place I’ll take my VW in.

Tim and his team found the electrical problem in a few hours. The previous mechanic I took my car to worked on my car for 2 and a half days but still couldn’t find the problem. I like the fact that Tim keep me informed on every step that would cost money and what my options were. He did not surprise me with a big bill, but surprised me with a consistent honest and professional car repair service. If you need an expert I highly recommend Kotter’s VW. Kotter’s VW is professional and affordable. Tim and his team really fixed my car’s electrical problem. I’m very happy with the service Kotters gave me. Tim is one of the most honest mechanics I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
Best Regards,
Peter Z. Hompot :)

My car is jetta1999 i don’ t known what happen the car. The car didn’t start, so I towed my car to an auto repair. Took 2 days and it still did not get the car run. So again I towed my car to Volkswagen repair by Kotters Mr Tim just took 2 hours and he found the problem and fixed it very quick and fast and good. I ‘m very happy!
I recommend who owns a Volkswagen if you have any problems you should come to this shop. Tim will give you an answer and will take good care of your car.

After being pratically robbed at the VW dealer a few years ago, I decided to give Kotter’s a try. Seeing that they had been in businees for more than 20 years and specialized in Volkswagen, I figured they must be doing something right.
This was my 5^th time taking my wife’s 2003 Jetta for repairs at Kotter’s and, as usual, it was a very pleasant experience. I had a problem with noise in the front suspension after installing struts (on my own) and they were able to figure out the problem quickly and very affordably. If you have a VW and are looking for an excellent alternative to the dealer you need to give these guys a try!

This is the place to go for VW repair in North County. After almost getting scammed in El Cajon at an unnamed shop, (I’ll be writing a review for them as well, if you’re curious), I drove all the way to Escondido to have Tim do my work for me. I remembered him from a few years back when I tore my oil pan open (twice!) and didn’t have the money to have it professionally fixed. Tim got me those oil pans both times so I could have my father do the work. He was not greedy about it either. I know he didn’t make much from those deals because he sold them to me for far less than I could find them anywhere else, but he was gracious and went ahead and did the phone work in ordering the part for me each time.
So, upon discovering that my oil pan was cracked AGAIN, I was going to have it replaced where I was doing my oil change — they told me I absolutely could not drive it away since it would be spraying oil out everywhere (which it DID NOT) — so I agreed to leave my car with them for a certain price. I signed for that price and that’s what I expected to pay. But when the owner called the next day to tell me that it would be substantially more, well, I decided to go to Kotter’s. So, I drove my car, which did not spray oil out everywhere, to Escondido, and Tim had it done before the day was over, even though he had two cars (that I knew of) ahead of me.
In summary, he did it for the same price the guys quoted me at the other place, and he did it quick! He’s a friendly guy who’s not greedy or underhanded, ya know, like you find almost everywhere else, and the dude knows his VW’s. I had a chance to chat with him a bit and I just need you guys to know that he’s the real deal. He loves Volkswagens and it shows.
Trust him with your VW and you can thank me later :)

So lucky to have found Kotters! They do a GREAT job at a fair price!
Thank you!

THANK YOU KOTTERS! As a single female with a vintage 1966 Bug, I have to be careful who I take my car to for repair. Thank goodness for Tim and Kotters VW. They ALWAYS do great work and I never feel I am being taken advantage of as I have by other shops. They are friendly, ethical and do the job right the first time!
I HIGHLY recommend them! I have sent my friends and family to them over the years and all have had the same experience.