Heinz Gietz Autohaus

They moved.
Their new location is below:

Sonja has moved the operation and they are just as fantastic as ever. Use the same number and all will be well. She and her team picked up my car, got it in tip top shape and all very reasonable. And the usual hug and a lovely pen. These people are the finest in all of San Diego but are NOT gone!!! Thanks, Sonja! You’re awesome, as always. So glad you haven’t disappeared. I’ve packed all of their info away, unfortunately, but call the old number and all will be well. YAAAAAAY!!!

I have been using them for years… Today I called to get my CLK320’s oil changed and the voicemail greeting stated that they are no longer a Mercedes authorized dealer :(I am so sad about this, they had AMAZING customer service and their prices were far better than the dealership’s. I don’t know if they’re closed now, but the voicemail greeting is pointing people to the 3 San Diego county Mercedes dealerships now: Carlsbad, Escondido, and San Diego (Balboa). I can cry typing this, I LOVED this place!!! AGH.

I took both my E 350 and CLS 55 here and I am SO SO satisfied. If I get a MB again I will invariably come back without question. Love the staff and the small town, friendly feel you get every time you come. This place is family run by locals who care day-​in and day-​out about their customers, their name in the community and their future as a staple locally. I have a lot of experience with this business and every single part of it has been great!

My experience here forced me to downgrade its competitor. This is a Mercedes Benz authorized dealer. I can’t tell you what I was told the car needed by another service center. You can imagine how shocked I was to get a call and say we did all the diagnostics and changed fluids and your car has none of those problems. Shockingly good service with all the trappings of a high end service center. Try the chai latte while you wait for the paperwork :) Can’t forget to mention Stefan the service rep– an asset to the service center.

Honestly, I haven’t even stepped a foot onto their premises, this review is about the service I have received over the phone from Mike in parts. He spent about 15 minutes on the phone with me explaining every single detail I would need to know about how to revive my old diesel Mercedes after sitting for 8 years. He told me what parts I needed, how much I should expect to pay for these parts, how to check for other potential issues, everything. I have never received as much detailed information from another person/​shop as I have with Mike at Heinz Gietz. Being in my early 20’s, I am trying to learn as much as I can about repairing my own car, as well as saving some money here and there along the way. Mike completely enabled me to do just that. Thanks again, and if there is ever anything that I need done that is beyond my abilities I won’t second guess bringing my car here.

I wish I could give negative stars! I am now a very loyal and very happy Mercedes of San Diego customer.
JUST KNOW THIS: IF YOU TAKE YOU CAR TO HEINZ GIETZ AND THEY MAKE A MISTAKE (AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE MISTAKE) NO ONLY WILL THEY NOT APOLOGIZE BUT THEY WILL TRY TO BLAME THE CUSTOMER! DISGUSTING!
Has your gut ever told you something’s not right? Next time, LISTEN TO IT! The advice I was getting from Daniel and the mechanic at Heinz Gietz just did not seem right. So, I finally took it Mercedes of San Diego. The mechanic immediately showed me what they had done and I was shocked! I took pictures and sent them to the principal, Sonja Gietz. This woman is one of the most horrible business people I have ever come across. Below is her actual response to my discovery as to what they had done to my car. First, she takes my call but asks me to send the information in an email. I did so along with the pictures.
She made me wait OVER TWO WEEKS and did not take the time to call me directly, instead sent the ridiculous response below. Notice how she blames me! I am not a mechanic or car expert and I PAY THEM to give me accurate and dependable information. On each occasion in which I spoke with the service advisor, Dan, he said there was nothing to worry about.
******actual email response from Sonja Gietz dated July 23, 2011 (almost an ENTIRE MONTH LATER and after two emails from me requesting a response)***************
Hello, I have reviewed the two Repair Orders of your visits with your 2006 ML500,
January 24, 2012 and May 8, 2012.
The repair orders state your vehicle left Heinz Gietz Autohaus on May 18^th with the mileage of 90,143.
You mention that a few weeks later the Warning Light Came on. On June 20^th with the mileage of 91,785 and you addressed the Warning Light being on at Mercedes-​Benz of San Diego.
At the time the Warning Light came on, your vehicle should have returned to Heinz Gietz Authaus to have this inspected.
When you spoke with our Service Advisor Dan, and you were unhappy with the way he responded this would have been the time for you to call and speak with our Service Manager or Manger on duty to share your concerns.
Sincerely, Sonja Gietz
***********my original email to Sonja Gietz*********** sent on June 27, 2011
Per your request, attached is the invoice from Mercedes-​Benz of San Diego for my car. I took my car to this dealership after suspecting that I was getting inaccurate or false or misleading information from Heinz-​Gietz. In 2010, the oil sensor for my car was replaced my Mercedes of Alexandria. Since moving to California, I noticed that the warning to add oil was coming on again and I told my service advisor Daniel.
During the last service visit, I was told among other things that the oil sensor was bad and needed to be replaced. Since your dealership wanted to charge more than the warranty would cover, I told Daniel I would have it repaired elsewhere but asked repeatedly if the oil level was definitely OK. I was assured repeatedly by Daniel that the oil level was checked and that the service tech checked the oil.
A few weeks later when a red warning light came on (Engine oil level Stop, engine off) I immediately called Daniel and asked him if I should be concerned. He said, «no, it’s doing that because the sensor is bad». I told him it had never done this before even when the sensor went bad «the first time». I asked him again if he was sure and he reassured me.
When the car started making noise and the light kept coming on, I decided to take it to a different dealership because my instincts were telling me that I was not being given good advice.
The first thing they showed me before I even left the lot, was that there was almost NO OIL in the car! I was and am FURIOUS! There is nothing wrong with the oil sensor! There was no oil in the car. They removed and changed the spark plugs and found did not find a leak. But, there is NOTHING wrong with the sensor. The red light came on because I needed to pull over and add oil. In fact, the advisor and mechanic both said they both would have advised me to pull over and call a tow company because driving it without oil could have destroyed the engine!
The most infuriating part is that when I called Daniel, he did not even seem to be listening. He was so busy defending his honest mechanic and reputation that he was not even discussing accurately my service history as he had not pulled it up yet.

Heinz Gietz Autohaus provides outstanding and professional service. They are very honest and do not try to sell you any unnecessary parts or services.
I would strongly recommend them to any MB owner.

Sadly, they have retired as a Mercedes repair shop so they are no longer providing authorized Mercedes service at this location. If you call now, the recording refers you to area MB dealers. They were truly outstanding and will be missed.
For those near OC, check out OC Benz in Irvine which has a similar clientele and quality reputation.

I have NEVER liked going to get my car serviced until I came here. They make you feel at home. Dieter never makes me feel like a burden, and when it comes to getting things done to my car, the are honest and fast. I can truly say that I «trust» them to do only what is needed at a fair price! I work in La Jolla, and they will even drop my car off for me. They are awesome! I send all my friends here :)

YES! Bring any benz from anywhere in the country and you will be pleased!
These folks are very nice, professional and perform reliable repair and service. You don’t need to live in La Jolla to use our best kept secret!

The Heinz Gietz team provided excellent service on my 2001 SLK and 1999 ML for more than 10 years. They listen carefully and do a thorough job. They are trustworthy, reliable, friendly, and helpful. I recommend them without reservation.

So… I went to Heinz Gietz with my G-​Wagen & they fixed tons of things on it, but missed one smaller issue, so most of the noise it was making was gone, but there was still a little clicking. Let’s face it, I was like «argh!», because this clicking noise was driving me crazy.
They say «no problem, we’re so sorry, bring it back in», and then they find the little part that was defective and fix that FOR FREE. They are a classy operation.
I took my car in for something else last Friday & they squeezed me in without a previous appointment & fixed it ASAP to get me on the road for the weekend. They rock.
Oh, plus they detailed my car for me gratis with the service… this is no small feat as I have 5 big dogs. Totally recommend them!

Great service… they did whatever necessary to make it right.

Just picked up my car from here after getting it detailed. Looks great!

Found this place through Unilocal.I have to say my experience with this place was great. Friendly workers, good work ethic. What else could I ask for more? Did my second «Service A» with them. When I got my car back, it’s looked and felt brand new. I am a happy customer. I’m so glad that I have found them, so that I don’t have to drive to the one in Kearny Mesa.

Great place to bring in your mercedes for watever maintenance work is needed. they stand by their work and offer the best service in town. Its not a large dealership so they will treat you like family and not just any client. Be sure to ask for Dieter and he will take the best care of you and your Mercedes!

This place is bomb. Dieter is the guy to talk to at this service center. I brought my car in to get some work done and they did what I needed. I think I need to bring it back though even though I know that the work will be superb. My only complaint is the rental service since you have to go to avis rather than getting a Mercedes. As with everything else he is straight forward and helped me out a lot. It didn’t take a lot to make an appointment since it isn’t a crazy dealership service center like going to Escondido or San Diego.