Baron’s Foreign Car Service

I took my 1988 BMW M3 to get a second opinion, and other mechanics told me my car needed engine overhaul in order to pass smog. After I took it to Baron’s, he checked it out and said my car was an excellent condition and had no problem with pass the smog. And he was right, car has no problems «Smog Passed»
I highly recommend this shop if you want honest services. I will see him soon with my E92 M3.

I think that Customer Service is key to keeping people coming back. Dave is definitely top notch when it comes to service. He’s definitely a man of his words. I had made an appt to drop off my car at 5. When I got to the shop, everything was dark and looked like it was closed. However there was Dave, sitting in the dark. The power had gone out about noon and Dave stayed there because he had made a commitment to meet me. I asked why he didn’t call me and because my phone # was in his computer database, he was unable to do so. Unfortunately I have not seen him in about 2 years since getting a new car, but once my warranty runs out, I will definitely be back to see him.

I contacted David when my Mercedez 2005 CLK convertible would not respond when trying to open the top. I was referred by my girfriend who used him before for her BMW and she told me he would do a great job and is very honest. I was pretty worried. as fixing a Mercedez covertible top can add up very quickly financially.
I dropped the car at 10am. They told me there would be a $ 125 charge (probably hour work) to scan and find the problem. They found the problem by 1 pm, fixed it (a sensor problem and latch that went off) and I was on my way at 2.30pm ending up paying only the original $ 125.
Long story short: Great service, very friendly team and extremely honest. They definitely won my business.

Fast forward two years. The old BMW is gone and the new old BMW is here. I contacted David while shopping; he provided great insight and guidance on what specific things to check when buying our new old Z3. His advice, given freely, was spot-​on. Took the car in for its first service and my first visit in nearly 2 years. The shop has scaled down in size a bit and there are new faces. Jessica, training as a service writer, is a 2^nd generation staffer (Linda’s daughter) who brings great communication skills with a courteous demeanor and the same willingness to do a deep-​dive to find the right parts and the right numbers to put together solid estimates. Hector is the new technician. Professional, to the point, fixing things I didn’t know were broken (and a few things I did but didn’t tell them about.) He gently suggested I save my money by not doing things I thought might need doing, but didn’t.
I came back to Baron’s because of good past experience. I’ll keep coming back because of good present experiences.

Baron’s is our BMW service home. They are such an honest and professional people, and always give the very best service, with no hidden agenda.
We switch to Baron’s after our all inclusive cover with BMW was finished. We never looked back.
There was one time, where Baron’s diagnose that the problem we had was covered in BMW recall, so without any charge they forward us to BMW service, and we got it covered.
If you wish to be in professional hand, get personal service and pay fair prices, we recommend Baron’s!

My rear right tire failed due to uneven wear caused by extremely negative cam. They did alignment to my 2010 535i. Assured the work is done per manufacturer specifications. When I took the car noticed the cam on rear wheel was still little negative. Knowing this is a sports car which means it might be normal but hesitant about accuracy, I called for more info. Dave, Linda and Jessica spoke to me on various moments and provided evidence that alignment indeed is done per BMW specs. Dave suggested a follow-​up in 4,000 miles or 3 months, whichever comes first. The goal is to prevent uneven wear on the new tires. Will use them again.

I have been taking BMWs to Dave Baron for several years now: 1992 318 Cabrio, 1995 318 Cabrio, and currently a 2002 325 Coupe. I have also had him evaluate two or three BMWs I was considering buying. The results have always been at or above expectations. I particularly appreciate that he gives practical advice on how to prioritize repairs and on ways he can save me money on repairs. Last repair was a clutch replacement, and it was done perfectly and at a reasonable price. One repair some time ago was for a mysterious problem in the computer system. It took many hours for them to track down the issue, and the labor they charged indicated they absorbed some of the unexpected time instead of billing me for all of it. All-​in-​all, I think this is an honest and competent business, and I intend to continue patronizing Baron’s as long as I have Bimmers.

I love barons. I use them whenever my mini needs service and I always feel like they’re being straight and honest with me.
I highly highly recommend them!

I was having an issue with my BMW and the regular shop I take it to couldn’t fix it. The guy at that shop recommended Baron’s and took it there for me. Baron’s quote to fix it was so ridiculously low that I had the opportunity to get another major job done that I had been putting off AND some other preventative maintenance work.
The owner, David, came to my home on a Saturday morning (having not met me and the shop is closed on Saturday), picked me up and took me to get my car. I thought the 20 minute ride to the shop would be awkward since we had not met but he immediately made me feel comfortable. We chatted all the way there! He is such a kind man.
I am extremely pleased with the service I received! I’ve already given one of his cards to a friend and have a few more to pass along. I will definitely bring my car to him for all my maintenance needs!

Great place to take your BMW.
Took my E46 to get the A/​C taken care of, offered me a ride to work, took great care of my car and even washed it. Followed up a week later to see how things were working and I could not complain about the work done.
Highly recommend this place and would return if need be.

I just moved here from the east coast, and finding an honest repair shop is always challenging. After getting a quote from a local BMW dealership on a faulty directional light, I decided to get another opinion and Baron’s quoted me a price that was NEARLY HALF of what the dealership had estimated. Not only that, but they promised to complete the work within the same day of service. They came through on their promise and took hours less time than I’m used to at the shop I used back home. Upon my arrival for pickup, I was pleasantly surprised that they had washed my car and asked permission for a bit more time to finish a more complete detail! Beyond all of that, the gentlemen who assisted me were very cordial and made me feel welcome as a customer. I will definitely be back.

I drove down to SD to look at a used BMW at a smaller dealership. After I checked out the car, drove it down the highway and back and made sure all the simple stuff worked (radio, power windows, turn signals, air conditioning, heater), I took it to Baron’s b/​c it was the closest BMW specialist for a standard pre-​purchase inspection (PPI). These are standard and include a test drive as well as visual inspection of the undercarriage, brake system and drive train for around $ 100.
I had made an appointment the day before b/​c I didn’t want to wait around it I could avoid it. When I arrived, Dave greeted me by name, said ‘hello’, we discussed the car and they got to work — I went to lunch. He seemed pretty busy/​focused, which I was fine with because I’m most interested in a mechanic being accurate not charming. I don’t need to be coddled, I just need facts I can’t procure myself.
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Baron’s did a superlative job on this PPI. They went far beyond my expectations for a standard inspection. First, they discovered the electrical system was throwing error codes, and the engine had some misfire codes. After asking the dealer if I could take the car to an independent mechanic he then ‘mentioned’ that they had recently replaced a spark plug (one? who changes one plug?) and the oil pan b/​c of some leaks they had fixed. While Baron’s didn’t zero in on what the source was for these electrical and engine problems, they provided a couple simple (and probably affordable) options. All I wanted to know was whether or not the car was in appropriate mechanical condition and the answer was no. I suppose I could’ve leveraged the revised condition of the car against the price point, but at this time I’m just looking for a used car I don’t have to take the mechanic before I drive it home. For a $ 110 inspection, I was satisfied.
Importantly, Dave didn’t try to sell me anything. I went in for a PPI and his guys did a damn good job. He didn’t offer to fix the mechanical issues or provide an impromptu estimate for the electrical or engine issues. He just told me they weren’t impressed with the condition of the car and left it at that.
To be frank, I’ve read a couple of the reviews for this shop, and I’m skeptical of these single star reviews (e.g. Sudhir, Don M. I’m pointing at you and PPPW) because they are vague. Don somehow knows the pricing strategy for this shop? I call bullshit. I’m sure there are great mechanics that work for $ 65/​hr and crap mechanics that charge $ 90+/hr, but if you want to drive a fancy European sports car and take it to the local Chevron garage, you might get what you pay for with interest. Likewise the dealership should have the most expertise, if you can deal with those bastards.
Overall, if I look at any more cars down south, I’m going to drive the extra distance to have these guys look at.

I have been going to this shop for over 20 years and I can tell you it’s top notch. They are super nice, it’s extremely clean and they have been in the same location for 20 plus years. A business just doesn’t stick around that long if they aren’t doing something right.

It might be recommended by AAA, and yes a 10% discount will apply. But beware that 10% will be factored in on charging higher for parts to make up for what discount the customer thinks hes getting… it’s a number game and it’s wrong. There are other good BMW repair shops… consumer beware!!!

My experience with Barons Foreign Auto has been super terrific. David the owner is knowledgeable, honest, and very professional. I brought my car in for Brakes and lights. They were honest and great price. Thank you. I also witnessed a conversation he has with a customer suggesting them to do something with their car that was going to be more cost effective n save them money. He’s clearly about getting the job done right and making sure the customer is happy n keeps coming back. Barons Foreign Car Service is the best

Ok Unilocal… Seeing these bad reviews about Barons is very frustrating. I run a small business and know the power of receiving a good or bad review. My relationship with Barons began when I bough my Mercedes about 5 years ago. When I was under warranty I just went to the dealership. Once I was out of warranty I called AAA, and asked if they could refer me to any one near to me. AAA referred me to Barons.
This was wonderful news seeing as I live less than 10 miles from them it was really quite convenient. I don’t know much about cars… but what I can tell you is they are the only ones to ever work on my car *after warranty* and I NEVER have problems. My car is in for regular services which are needed only when my dashboard light comes on. I think I was in maybe once or twice in the past 12 – 14 months. To me the proof is in the pudding. They obviously do a quality job, because my car runs smoothly all the time.
Bottom line here is that if you car is a LEMON, which many European cars are… do not take out your frustrations out on Barons. They are simply doing their job and if they put things to you matter-​of-​factly do not get offended! Seriously.
REGARDING PRICES: By the way I called down to MERCEDES of San Diego last week for an estimate on getting a service A done and they quoted me $ 400,(I think I did it just to see what they would say– but I knew I would only take my car to Barons) and I knew Barons price would be better… but hey, why not find out for sure… Well, called over to Barons and they would do a service A for me for $ 170. YEP that is a biggg discrepancy. I happily took my car in today and it took them 3 hours. Not only was it time efficient, but they washed it and did a mini detail. ALL FOR $ 170.
Thank you to the nice guys at Barons *coming from a young lady –the car servicing world can be quite scary*
I hope all read this review and give you a shot because you are great!

David and his staff preformed a repair job on my 2001 BMW X5. A++
Lots of work needed to be done and they covered all my vehicle’s needs. Car still runs great after a year later today and can’t say that I’m not happy with Baron’s. This is my go to destination for all my BMWs because their garage looks so clean and new and they are organized and thorough, bring your car here for white glove service and you will be happy with the results!

Tried to call these guys for a quote to repair my Mercedes. The guy was so not helpful and very rude. Never ask me for my name or number and then got mad at me because I didn’t. Said he wouldn’t take me seriously even thought he never ask for the information. Don’t trust companies that start off relationships this way.

David and his crew were wonderful. I took my Mini here to get it serviced and they did an excellent job. It can be intimidating to be a female car owner. You always feel like you are being taken for a ride. Not at Baron’s.
When I was in the office I overheard David leaving a message for another customer. He offered to speak to the car owner’s previous mechanic to find out exactly what work had been done. This impressed me as I personally would be uncomfortable relaying what type of work had been done. What do I know about cars? That’s why I bring it to a mechanic!
I will be a repeat customer at Baron’s for sure!

Hello David, Thanks for posting a response. I am biting my tongue here.
The only vindication my husband and I have is the fact that people I have worked for took their cars to your shop. I am going to take the high road on this one and those of you 30 + Unilocalers who wrote to me privately about this place, ping me.