La Jolla Independent BMW Service

Didn’t get work done but was quoted over the phone. Person answering the phone wasn’t very professional nor helpful and pretty much hung up the phone after I told him I’d think about it and call him back. Can’t vouch for their work but how they answer the phone matters to me. Just my own personal standards.

Carl is very knowledgeable when it comes to old BMW’s. I learn something new about my car every time I take my old 318i to La Jolla Independent. Carl is also friendly and easy going. The service is great, they’ve saved me a bunch of money on parts. They’ve even done free checkups on my car, because I’m a loyal customer. If you need work done your old BMW, then I highly recommend taking it to La Jolla Independent.

Here’s the thing with Unilocal reviews — people either praise them with 5 stars when it isn’t warranted, or they slam them with 1 star if not everything was done, that they feel should’ve been done… which is hardly fair to a business. ESPECIALLY a car mechanic. I know this because I had two friends years ago that ran garages. One of them told a story about doing a major engine repair that was thousands of dollars. Literally, two days later, something else went wrong. This customer INSISTED he fix that for free. The mechanic tried explaining they weren’t related, but this customer would have none of it. In his mind, they were related, since said problem hadn’t occurred until AFTER his car was at my friends shop. See how that works?
Now, that story being said… here’s a better indication of why this business is run professionally, and is the place to go for your BMW needs.
When I was buying my BMW from the previous owner, he couldn’t stop talking about this shop. I hadn’t even bought the car yet, and he was selling me on the shop that fixes his BMWs. And this is a guy that lives way out in the North County!
So, I drove all the way down from Vista to see if they could help me with a check engine light. Carl helped me right away, despite the fact that he had a bunch of cars being worked on.
The problem was fixed, and I was quickly on my way (he didn’t charge me).
Now, the previous owner talked about a few repairs he did, and how fair the price was. He talked about another time he thought there was going to be a major problem with the engine, and was expecting to pay thousands. Imagine his surprise when Carl fixed the problem rather quickly, and again… no charge.
Obviously, you can’t come in expecting no charge, even for minor things, but I think these stories indicate better, what kind of business this is. We all thing people that sell cars, or mechanics, just want to screw us over at every turn, and make money selling us repairs or parts we don’t need. I think Carl and his crew has proven, time and time again, they aren’t doing that. And for that very reason, it’s worth sending them your business. Even if you live 50 miles away like I do.
I’ll be back! (but hopefully, not any time soon… I want my car running!!!)

Excellent honest and prompt service for BMWs. I had an emergency situation and they accommodated me nicely. Carl called me back the same day the car was looked at and gave me a full breakdown of what the car needed, he only did the work I authorized. Car was finished in 1 day. Amazing customer service and communication is second to none. I really enjoy picking up my car after its been washed as well, providing this for customers is another great service they provide at no cost.

I have been going to this place for quite some time now and have only great things to say about them. They are always very friendly, reasonably priced, and work you in and get the job done quick. Ben the guy who works here is such a stand up honest guy and I really appreciate how much he helps me out since I know very little about cars. I highly recommend this place if you need some work done on your bmw.

I’ve been bringing my 2001 BMW M5 here for years. They’re always helpful and their prices are right. Plus they do great work. I wouldn’t even think of taking my care into a dealership.

I don’t have any experience actually giving this place my business, other than the fact that I had an awful experience trying to. I called them today to try to get a quote on replacing my halo’s on my bmw 335 xi, and the guy on the other end of the phone was utterly rude and short and extremely unhelpful. I was asking if I could replace them, and he said there is no way to know without looking at the car, which is understandable. But he couldn’t have been more rude and short with me — making me feel awful about asking questions and asking for a quote. At the end I said «thank you for your time», and he slammed the phone to exclaim his annoyance and lack of respect for me and didn’t even say «thank you» or «you’re welcome» or «have a good day» — not a word. Awful experience out of the gate. There is not a chance that I go here for my bmw needs. Hope someone at that company reads this and holds him accountable for his terrible tone and lack of customer service.

This shop was recommended to me by a friend’s husband, who runs in the BMW circle. When I arrived, I was completely taken back because I thought it would be an organized shop but it looked more like a junkyard than a BMW shop.
Contrary to other Unilocal reviews, the people at the shop are very friendly and not rude at all. Their prices are extremely reasonable compared to the BMW dealership and they’re comparable to the shop I normally go to in El Segundo. To my surprise, they even took my car to the car wash after they completed the service. The carwash job wasn’t the greatest — makes me believe that it was taken to La Jolla Car Wash (just around the corner form the shop). Regardless, taking my car to the car wash was a very kind and thoughtful gesture! I definitely will continue to be a client for this shop and when other BMW owners ask for a recommendation, I will be recommending this place.

This is truly a great BMW shop. It’s really hard to find someone to work on your car and not pay those ridiculous dealer prices. I find this shop to be incredibly truthful and always helping you out. They aren’t looking to do the most work on your car and paid the most, just trying to give you expert advice. The prices are very reasonable and I will be bringing every BMW I own here.

Thanks to Ben Amen and Carl @ La Jolla Independent for excellent work! These guys are trustworthy, honest, and are there for the best interest of their clients! I have been a regular here for many years and highly recommend them for ANY restoration or Maintenance on new or old BMWs! I live in San Marcos and commute to La Jolla for excellent service and care with my BMW 07 328i. Many THANK YOUs for all you guys do and many referrals are sent your way! HIGHLY recommend!!!

I thought I had damage to my undercarriage, or so said another shop. Being new to the area, my neighbor recommended I bring it here. Turns out there was no undercarriage damage. Honest people here.

Just happened to stumble upon this place and I’m so happy I did!
My car is very new and suddenly low pressure tire lights came on. I know I could have gone to a gas station but this spot was closer and I have runflat tires, so I wanted to make sure everything was okay.
The guy who helped me was extremely nice! I just parked my car by the garages without an appt and he checked and filled all 4 tires and told me a little more about my car/​tires.
It’s currently still under warranty, but I’m definitely bringing my car here for services that aren’t covered. You can tell this place is run by good people that care!

LJ Independent is hands down the BEST BMW shop I have been to.
I moved to San Diego in 2007 and had an E36 at the time. Got my normal service stuff done there and small issues fixed too. Their prices are reasonable and if they ever find anything wrong with your car they’ll let you know. You get the sense that they’re passionate about their job and BMW’s, which is always a plus when you feel the same way about your cars.
Also took my E90 there and again consistent great service.
Just moved to LA, gonna miss that place! If anyone knows a great shop like that here let me know.

I was referred to this place a few years ago by a friend when the BMW tried to take me for a fool telling me that I needed to replace my alternator on my ’07 bmw. These guys told me straight up that that probably was not the issue. They diagnosed the problem and gave me advice. My favorite thing about this place is that I feel that the people there are honest. And that’s very important to me with car issues, especially being that I am a female.
So I took my car in for the first time to get serviced on Thursday. The work done was timely and they were able to let me know what else I needed done for my car and from there I was able to prioritize what to do first.
I just wish the location was a little closer to where I live. But otherwise, no complaints. I’ll make the drive from Chula Vista just for their honesty, service, and competitive pricing.

These guys have been taking care of me since 2009. I purposely held off giving a review, to test their long-​term service quality.
I took my e46 m3 there, and they kept her running like new. Several times, they provided a free diagnosis with a fix! Unfortuntely, she was totaled at around 95k miles. I now take my e60 m5 there, and they have continued to provide the same top-​notch service. Never quoted me for extra stuff, and even talked me out of some bad mods that would have made them some $$.
Bottom line: Professional, trustworthy, and willing to help you not because of $$, but because they care about your car as much as you do.

Awesome! Carl & his colleagues at La Jolla Independent could probably build a BMW from scratch out of scrap metal in about a week.
My wife and I accidentally let our warranty expire for her ’07 3-​series, even though we had been happy with official dealership service. Based on positive Unilocal reviews we chose LJIS to do our service thereafter. We have had great service from LJIS all that time.
I’m writing this because last week we –huge mistake– listened to an AAA driver’s advice and went to another garage when her battery died. The other garage botched it completely (didn’t have the specialized BMW equipment to let the car «recognize» the new battery type, and they –lost– the battery retention clamp). Carl fixed their boo-​boos for parts only ($ 18), the dealership wanted $ 500. We will never go anywhere else.

I have mixed feelings about La Jolla Independent. My first experience with Carl and company was excellent. I explained some of the issues I was having, he went over possible problems/​solutions, and we developed a working trust… even bought parts in an effort to show my appreciation for the tips/​knowledge he shared.
Fast forward a year: when I came back to get additional input, he recommended that I don’t throw my money away on this car and get a newer one with less miles. Now, sure, the car was old and its got its fair share of problems, but I really felt like these guys were supposed to be the go-to’s for repairs and restoration.
Now, he sounds like a stand-​up guy for being blunt/​honest, but I guess I felt like he didn’t exactly give the car a good once over it deserved. The first time he mentioned there was something wrong with the trunk wiring the year prior, I wanted to make sure that I didn’t drop $ 80 for something I didn’t need… I figured out on my own that it was just a burnt licensed plate light bulb that I replaced for under $ 4 at Walmart. So now, when I kept getting thermostat flashes, and I knew my coolant hadn’t been changed in a while, he recommended replacing the entire cooling system… I’m not a professional mechanic, but I feel like we could have tried something minor first before replacing the entire system. I still think he knows better than I, but just make sure to do your homework.

There are very blunt and sometimes that hurts, but they are very good and best around. Prices are good, highly recommended

First off, big KUDO’S to «Rick B’s» review! SPOT ON!
I have two e36 BMW’s (one of which is my son’s) and I am pretty familiar with how to quickly diagnose a problem if one arises. Not to say that I am an expert by any means but most people who are BMW owners (especially e36’s), know that that finding a problem usually isn’t that hard. Much could be added to that comment but I’ll just continue on. To make a VERY long story short, my son was having a number of «issues» with his 94′ 325i. The gas and coolant gauges would not move at all. They would stay on «empty» and «cold» all of the time.
He has been wanting to upgrade to an M3 so I told him to take it to LJI and have them perform a Pre-​Purchase Inspection. This way, he would have a thorough diagnosis done and we could address each individual issue accordingly. He gets it done (supposedly since the printout was one of the vaguest PPI’s I’ve ever seen) and he’s told that the gas gauge issue is a «bad fuel pump» and the coolant gauge issue is a «bad thermostat».
So, he goes to Northside Imports (a great European parts dealer in Clairemont) and purchases both. Keep in mind that my son is a full-​time high school student and makes essentially minimum wage at a part time job… Turns out, neither items is the problem…
It’s a bad fuse! Again, I’m leaving out the long details of the labor work involved just to figure this out…
I go back to Northside to try and return the $ 185.00 part but they will not take back electrical or gas-​related parts. I’m not blaming Northside for any of this. I then personally go to LJI and speak to Carl. Who, like in Rick’s review, is on the phone when we enter what looks like a scene from «Sanford and Son’s.» YOU DON’T SEE THIS FROM THE FRONT OF THE STORE OR FROM LJ BLVD! I would NEVER bring my BMW’s to this place had I known this beforehand…
After about 10 minutes when Carl decides to get off the phone, I tell him of the situation. AGAIN, LONG STORY SHORT, he refunds my son his $ 80.00 for the joke of a PPI but refuses to purchase the Fuel Pump at the price my son paid for it (ultimately I gave my son the money for it so he wouldn’t be stuck).
So much more that I could ad but will leave you with that…

Brought my BMW X5 2001 because it was stalling and another mechanic couldn’t figure it out. Took it to these guys and they fixed it right on the spot along with fixing my rear brake light sensor. I was thrilled that it was done immediately and for only $ 197. It is clear that they are the experts when it comes to BMW repair and would not hesitate to go back there again.
Don’t be put off by their dirty and messy office, I was a bit skeptical at first but then I saw how these guys professionally handled my car repair. I’m so used to going to the pristine and clean dealership and getting ripped off. Go here for your BMW maintenance and repair, they know what they are doing.