German Auto Center

You guys are assholes for using the streets around your shop for overflow parking. It’s seldom that I can park in front of my own house during your business hours due to rows of Mercedes and BMWs. I get that you can’t park every vehicle you’re working on on your lot during business hours, but the least you could do is try to make things a little less inconvenient for your neighbors by spreading your vehicles out in a larger radius from your establishment. Thanks.

This place is by far the best for your German Car!
Originally went to dealer and was told my car needed major Maintainance. ($ 4500+), went here for second opinion, GAR dismissed a lot of the mechanical jargon gave me a CLEAR DETAILED LIST of everything. Separated what was a must (SAFETY FIRST), what was needed, and what was just random.
Car is back in certified condition and total payment was less then $ 1500!!!
Even offered a ride home (if close). Quick and honest!!!
Thank you!

Highly recomend. I’m in the automobile business myself and was very impressed with their knowledge and service for my BMW.

I used German Auto for the first time yesterday. I was impressed and intend to come here any time I need service for my car in the future. Omid was friendly and helpful. He offered to drive me downtown to my office and stop to take care of an errand on the way!!! He took the time to explain to me what was going on with my car. He even called the dealership for me to see if something was covered under warranty to try to save me some money. I did not feel as though I was being ripped off and the cost was reasonable. It sounds very strange to say this about servicing my car — but the experience was actually easy & pleasant!

German Auto Center is the best!
Amid and Bert are AMAZING!!!
This is absolutely the best and most trustworthy place to take your car.
Having moved here from New York I was looking for a good place to take my car. After two experiences elsewhere, I walked in here and talked to Amid… he instantly greeted me and took care of my car where others could not. He also recommended I take my car to the dealer for something covered under warranty rather than fix it and charge me. I cannot say enough wonderful things about German Auto Center other than I am soo glad I found then and again THANK YOU!!!

Not to be bias, but I literally own a business next to them. They are always helpful and try to help you in anyway they can. Their staffs are really nice and always willing to lend a hand to us. From my view and experiences with them, If I ever own a German car, i would definitely bring it to them.

OMID always delivers good service with a smile… and doesn’t try to sell you services you don’t need or want. I’ve never had a complaint in the many times he’s serviced my car over the past 10 years.

I take my car here all the time. It is fondly known as the «Evil Ginger Mercedes.» as my license plates read. Most recently, I brought my car into Bert and Omid to do routine maintenance on the car. I also informed them that the car just got into an accident and after the repair shop finished with it some items seemed to be wrong. Bert and Omid took a look at everything I asked them to {with no charge} and they typed up a list of items which were incorrectly replaced. They gave me the list so I could take it back to the shop that did the repairs. They are awesome! The car always looks good when they finish cleaning it {though they could use a better vacuum} and MOST IMPORTANT I have never had a problem with the car after they have completed the service. It is MUCH cheaper than mercedes and they won’t try to up-​sell you into anything you don’t want or need. Oh and the lady in the office is the best. so little and cute and always very personable and helpful. I love her too!
Really they treat me like their own kid and they do the quality of work that they would do for their own kid.
–KB

I drove 600 miles from the Bay Area to San Diego when I moved here, and after arriving on my very first night, my car wouldn’t start. My friend referred me to German Auto Center and we had my car towed there. I am incredibly picky about where I take my car, and as soon as I met Omid the next morning I immediately relaxed because I knew that my car was in good hands. Burt is very knowledgeable and thorough and explained what was wrong with my car, and I picked it up the next day. So even though towing my car to a mechanic isn’t the ideal way to start my time in San Diego, the good news is that I now have a fabulous mechanic to take my car.

I would give greater than five stars if possible. The service was that good.
When the older 540i that I maintain in California ran into problems during a trip to visit a sick relative the staff at German Auto Center quickly had me back on the road. After performing a thorough diagnosis of the car every problem, repair option, and cost was well explained. The car now runs flawlessly.
I would highly recommend this company to anyone with a German made automobile and will use them again if the need arises.
Thank you and Si’ Juus Ma’ase!
Phil,
Yona, Guam

Long time local customer — so this review is based on years of experience, yet the latest service event encouraged me to write this review for this outstanding business.
German Auto Center, service manager Omid ensures full satisfaction and will always make sensible service approach recommendations to ensure that the customer gets best value for their driving priorities. I mean just that — If you have a lot to fix up, or just want to keep the car well maintained, he finds out whats important to you and works with you to get there, You will not see your car being held hostage for some unforeseen issue, no the communication with German Auto Centers diagnostic progress keeps you informed and in the decision loop before things get beyond the point of return, The service team is competent and very experienced with German brake and engine maintenance and repair. They solved many problematic and complex problems to help restore my ’86 MB 560SL in top safety and mechanical condition. In particular an intermittent, acceleration hesitation problem was solved with persistent and dedicated troubleshooting to pinpoint the obscure electrical problem. This is just one reason I am a committed customer — the other is how I see German Auto treat there OTHER customers, With out going into detail, lets just say I NEVER LEFT THE PLACE UNIMPRESSED IN SOME WAY.

Helpful, prompt and I never feel like I am being nickeled and dimed. Today is a great example– little problem, but it was worrying me. They have me drop it right by to check it out to reassure me that it is nothing– no charge because they do the maintenance on both our vehicles. They literally recognized my voice on the phone, even though my husband usually brings the cars in! Cannot say enough nice things about my experience here.

My mercedes ML320 was giving me battery problems it wouldn’t start. I called the local Mercedes leadership and they said that my SUV has a special oversize battery and it wasn’t cheap either they quoted me for $ 400 (not including hidden fees and taxes)!
Driving home from work one day in my other car, I drove past a very small auto shop but the mercedes emblem caught my attention and I pulled into their business. Omir seemed like a smooth talker so I was worried about getting ripped off as with most auto business ripoffs.
But he promised me he’d send one of his own technician to my house (it’s very close to Rosecrans St) and have my battery swapped out all for just $ 130 out the door! Took his mechanic to my house and he made quick work of it, and tested my car for other issues and made some recommendations. Afterwards we returned back to the shop and I approached Omir to pay. What do you know? No surprise charges! I paid $ 130 and left the auto shop very pleased.
If I get another Mercedes or Audi I’ll definitely swing by this business, save so much rather than an actual dealership!

Great service!

I bring in my 85 BMW there many times. Fortunately, I really trust them and always know Omid is going to take good care of my car and fix it right the first time. I also know that they are fair in their pricing and top notch in their customer service.
If you need any car work done on your German car, you have to check them out first. I highly recommend this company.

I don’t know if I can write a review that can accurately depict to you, the high level of customer service and quality that I have received from the German Auto Center, Omid, and crew. But… here it goes…
I’m a guy, who does most of my own car repairs on my 87′ 325i, but because of were I live now a days I cannot. This is when I met Omid at the German Auto Center. I’ve had many things replaced there such as a transmission, which is the original reason I went there, that is still running strong many years later. Belts, timing belt, radiator, etc. They know so much about all the cars that come through there, and they share that info with every customer that walks through the door. I’ve seen it first hand, sleeping on the couch waiting for my car. They always take such good care of my car as if it were there own and do it for a great deal. They really love cars there. Benjamin diagnosed my car so fast and is definitely a genius, but… Omid hired him so who’s the genius? hmmmm. Omid is a great guy to talk to and he even took me to a concert with his family once. Yup. This is the best garage I have ever been too. Seriously, you should see Benjamin’s tool layout, if your so lucky, it’s immaculate. Always look forward to going to the GAC and will for many more years. I just hope they don’t get to busy that i can’t get an appointment. But Omid always finds a way to fit me in. Seriously love it, best and most honest place ever.
Thanks Omid and German Auto Center
Anton R.

It is unfortunately rare to be able to trust a mechanic. Most people do not know enough to be able to judge the truth about whether a repair is needed or not. This is doubly true when your car is German and thus vastly more expensive to maintain and repair.
Omid is the rare mechanic you can trust absolutely. He and his mechanics are honest, fair, efficient and highly skilled. We have had our Mercedes with him for four years and he has always done excellent work, but not more than was necessary and with a thorough explanation of what was needed and the cost.
You would be foolish to have your German car serviced anywhere else.

I always take my car to Omid. He’s very honest and charges me a very fair price every time. As a young woman with a ’95 BMW, I know a decent amount about my (sometimes ailing) car and Omid is very good about telling me what is going on with my car and not taking advantage of what I don’t know. He tells me what is needed for my car and what is recommended I take care of, and always does a check on what future problems might be that I should look out for. Also, he offers a ride to and from the shop. For a genuinely nice, knowledgeable, fair mechanic, go to Omid!

I love these guys which is really odd to say about a mechanic shop that you almost cringe knowing you are probably going to get wallet raped. Especially being a female, you tend to wonder if you are getting the real deal or if they are tacking on a bunch of stuff due to your lack of car knowledge.
Not these guys though. The first time I went in I will admit I toted my boyfriend along just to make sure all was on the up and up. I have been in a handful of times since by myself because these guys are so awesome and straight forward that I feel totally at ease. Omid has saved me a bunch of money that the dealer or other places would have greedily gobbled up.
I tend to call them every time a light comes on or a noise is made and Omid never seems to mind squeezing me in to check it out or top off my oil and send me on my way without opening my wallet. Superb service with a stellar staff!

I had a laundry list of problems with my BMW (fan blower wasn’t working, oil change and check engine light were on, rattling under my car, etc) and brought it in for an inspection. Omid, the manager, was very reassuring and got back to me the same day about the repairs my car would need vs. the ones that could wait until later (the ones that wouldn’t be a safety issue).
When it came time to decide what to get fixed, Omid took the time to explain what the repairs would entail which made it easier for me to make my decisions. Being able to speak with the manager was helpful and not intimidating at all.
The German Auto Center is located two blocks from the 923 bus line (if you’re coming from OB or Downtown, it’s convenient), but they offered to give me to and from home when it came time to drop off or pick up my car. And they also washed my car, so yeah, that was nice.
It’s definitely better to go to a specialist for German automotives, and I highly recommend this place, because they are reasonably priced (relative to what a dealer would charge) and a friendly business.