Harloff Automotive

Harloff has been my automotive repair shop for 15 years. I would not take my Mercedes, Volvo or BMW to anyone else (of which I have all). The mechanics and service and front office employees are all top notch and they are honest and always willing to explain exactly what issues are going on with the car. Prices are reasonable and results great!

They will do the work that needs to get done first. They are honest. They charge the right price.

My very specific search on Google led me to Harloff Automotive Service in La Mesa. If you have an MG, Robert is the mechanic to see! After having tried every MG and British car mechanic in North San Diego County, I found Robert! My husband and I drove from Oceanside to La Mesa but it was truly worth it to find a knowledgeable, honest man to get our MG in proper condition to pass Smog! He was extremely thorough and found the problems in no time flat! He was was professional from our first encounter on the phone, to his expertise in finding the problems, to the extreme detail on the printed out bill. I cannot recommend this place enough… and like I said… if you have an MG… Robert is your man! And Oh, by the way, our Baby now runs like a charm!

I said I would reevaluate my previous rating under Jayne H. once I had the work done on my car. This place is great! My final cost came in less than the estimated amount and they kept me up to date on where they were with the repairs. They are honest and take pride in their work. I bought a car that does cost more to maintain but I knew that going in. Yet their hourly labor rate is extremely fair and really a bargain for the service I received and the peace of mind I have that my car was repaired properly. Thanks Dennis, Matt and Nick. I hope I included everyone.

I’ve done business with this shop for almost 20 years, Each year they get more expensive and the quality of work gets worse. Now they’ve got a used car salesman working the front counter. He suckered me into what was supposed to a cheap repair then ended up almost triping the cost! It’s all about the money for this shop.

Awesome. Took my 02 Mini Cooper S there when it was out of warrenty and they know their stuff. Now I’ve a 64 AH Sprite and I discovered Robert in the back, working on old MGs Lotuses bugeyes etc. He really rescued me on the Sprite and I just can’t say enough good stuff. Quality people.

I also greatly dislike paying for repair. It is always an unexpected painful expense. The guys at Harloff are honest and do what they say they are going to do and charge what they committed to charge. I have used them on multiple vehicles over three years with no surprises. I think this is an outstanding shop with very good service. Thanks guys!

I needed a pre-​buy car inspection and found Harloff through AAA’s website. Conveniently they were able to help me the same afternoon I called. They took a little over an hour and seemed very thorough. The price was 105 (their hourly rate) minus the 10% AAA discount (of which they reminded me).
Pros: They were exceptionally friendly and helpful. I walked into their old office (now a break room) and they graciously redirected me to their new office (comfortable with water/​soda etc). I didn’t know the exact model or engine of the car either, but they were again nothing but gracious. Even better, though, they were helpful. I ended up talking to three different mechanics about my soon to be car and they all gave me great advice including what they knew of the reputation of the dealer from whom I was buying the car. They were also very thorough. AAA has minimum guidelines for what needs to be checked, but they went above and beyond. They noticed the gas cap looked worn so tested it on their smog machine (?) and it failed. They thought it odd it wasn’t causing the check engine light to come on, so they tested the car“s computers to make sure there were no shenanigans going on. In the end they gave me a very good idea about the car and whether I should buy it.
Cons: They are more expensive than my regular mechanic by about $ 20/​hr. But he has a tiny shop and is always slammed with business (hence I went to Harloff). Nevertheless, Harloff’s rates seem competitive, especially considering they seem to do a lot of work with European cars. And regarding the complaint about charging an hour for 45 minutes work, that is just how flat rate goes. If the mechanic is quick he makes more money. Expect to pay at least an hour for anything.
I was extremely pleased with the service and the price was fair if not cheap.

Can I get an AMEN for an honest mechanic!!! I can’t tell you how many mechanics I have been screwed over by all the way from Dallas, TX to San Diego, CA… from private mechanics to bonafide VW dealerships.
I was referred to Harloff by AAA knowing I was looong overdue for my smog test and had a check engine light that wouldn’t go away nor could any mechanic seem to properly fix.
Bottom line… I will never go to another mechanic now that I have found one that is competent and honest. After a couple of trips to their shop I had my problems resolved, my smog test passed, and they didn’t request payment until my file was resolved.
Car repairs are never cheap and I find prices here to be very fair. And future services were mentioned but not insisted upon.

Way over priced! While a co-​worker suggested I go see Dennis to check about my check engine light, and he told me they were honest, and wouldn’t charge me for more than what is needed; I don’t know that is the case for me, and this situation. Sure I’m a female, who used to have her dad local to help with most car issues… but I knew this time it was something to do with cylinder 3 misfire, and possibly the Cat. gone bad… after ALL day, I finally get a phone call to tell me the exact same, and that my bill would be $ 104 for just the diagnosis. REALLY… on top of that, when I went to pick up my car, as I know I’m not needing to replace the Catalic converter right now, (as other mechanics have said it’s not a big deal until I need to smog my car at least); they tried telling me that I couldn’t get an after market one for less than $ 1,000… WRONG again. There are definitely after market Cat’s available… even here in CA where sure things have changed… but obviously this place is all about manufacture parts… great if I was keeping the car, but not my case.

Still good, im still a customer.

Let me first say this… I HATE paying for maintenence on my vehicle. Im a girl and even though I know its not a waste of money, it still feels like it. Not only that but everytime I go to an automotive place I leave feeling horribly ripped off and like they are laughing behind my back about how much money they just ripped me off for. But I decided to take my car here because my mom always does and she said this place is great.
With that said I took my car into Harloffs on Thursday because it was shaking. Needless to say I was terrified that my car was going to implode or something! I made an appointment to have it looked at which only took about 45 minutes but they had to charge me for the full hour of labor at $ 100. bucks. I was a little annoyed about that but sometimes you just have to pick your battles so I agreed and let it go. They kindly told me two possibilities of things that might be causing the shaking. They gave me an estimate for both as well as a list of other things I should consider doing soon along with the price of how much it would cost. Since it wasnt an emergency I left with those things in mind and didnt feel pressured at all to buy tons of stuff for my car. Since I was there I figured I should replace my wiperblades since they were pretty much ineffectual at that point. They charged me for the blades and replaced they kindly put them on for me right then and there very quickly.
Three days later my check engine light came on. They told me before I left on Thursday that if that happened I needed to stop driving the car and get in right away. I did and called on Monday morning at around 8:30am. They told me I could bring the car in right away which was GREAT news! It only took them a few hours to fix and charged me less than I expected. They also agreed to work with me on the price of labor because they had already basically looked at everything on Thursday which was nice. They called me twice while it was there, once to quote me a price which unlike most places ended up being the exact price I paid in the end, and the second time to tell me my car was done and ready to go!
On top of all that as I was leaving they THANKED ME FOR MY BUSINESS!!! Who does that anymore without being told by their manager standing over them? Plus, I got home and Im not sure if they did it just to be nice or if this was a result of the replaced parts but suddenly my locks on my door started working properly again! Whereas before I took it in when you pushed the remote lock button on my keys only the drivers side door would lock and you had to manually lock the rest. Either way when I left I didnt feel like I got ripped off. A great feeling. Thanks Harloff! Ill be back for my oil change in the next few weeks.

So far I’m very confused but I will have more to confirm once I receive my auto back. I took it in Monday and today is Friday — no car. I received $ 500 from the state due to being on Unemployment and not passing the smog test. Unfortunately I am told the ‘testing’ alone seems to be eating up all $ 500 dollars! I’ll let you know the results and what the states $ 500 paid for and what I had to add… mind you on unemployment $ 50 + is a hardship as you all know.

Addison at Harloff has helped me out with 2 pre-​purchase inspections of used vehicles. Both times the checklist of items was reviewed by their mechanics was extensive. Addison took the time to explain each defect and provided a ballpark estimate to fix each major item. At the end of the inspection they provided a formal document of their findings and recommendation about whether the car should be purchased of not.
Each inspection was $ 88.50 including the 10% off you get for being a AAA member.
The people at Harloff were professional and nice. The work was completed within a couple of hours of each car being dropped off. I’d highly recommend them for anyone looking for a mechanic to help with a used car purchase !

I first got turned on to these guys as a source for parts for my Volkswagen. They usually have what I need in stock, or they get it before closing. As far as the service department, I’ve only had them do a couple of jobs, but they did great work. I try to do as much of my own auto maintenance as I can. However, I don’t have a garage so some jobs have to get outsourced. Harloff recently replaced the lower control arms and ball joints on my ’95 VW Jetta. In and out the same day for around $ 200. Worth every penny. Before that, they did my smog inspection. I’m sure I could have found a place to do it cheaper, but I wasn’t sure if it would pass. I felt better taking it to guys who could fix it and get it to pass. Everything turned out OK, except they left the remote control for their smog testing machine in my car and I had to drive back out there to give it back. I should have held it for a ransom of VW parts.
My transmission is on its last legs. When it goes, I’m taking my car to Harloff.

Great place for those w/​foreign cars and who do not know anyone trustworthy. THis was recommended to me by a friend who owned a car repair business when he was out of country in Italia for a while. He now is the manager– Dennis. You can trust that your car will receive only whats necessary. Of course, hourly labor rates are high, but you KNEW that when you bought a foreign (well made) vehicle, now didn’t you? Ask for Dennis, tell ‘em Carlos sent you. Trust is an issue for me w/​car repair, these guys are trustworthy, thats how I ended up on their doorstep in the first place.
Farvhegnugen!