German Auto Specialists

It's been 10 years since I lived in Los Angeles, but a post asking for LA-based mechanic referrals on VWVortex reminded me of Stuart and what a fantastic service he provides.

For years, I took my 1993 VW Corrado to Ron Wood and his legendary shop VW Specialties in Huntington Beach, CA. When Ron closed down his business, I was worried about finding a good mechanic who could be trusted to understand my Corrado VR6 (which are notoriously finnicky).

Stuart did an amazing job diagnosing a few issues with my Corrado, and also with my 2004 Jetta GLI. He's probably the most knowledgeable and ethical mechanic I had in LA, and there isn't another place I'd take my VWs if I still lived there.

No idea if he's still in business, but if he is, he should be your go-to guy. He's a one-man shop, so his availability and turnaround times might be an obstacle, but it's worth it to make him your first call.

Stuart is a true gem. He’s honest, up front and extremely fair. I’ve brought my A4 to him a few of times already and will not be bringing my car to another technician. First time was with a list of repairs from the dealer. He took the time to break it all down with me and we came up with a plan of what needed to get done and what could wait. My car runs great. Highly recommend.

One of the best experiences I ever had with a mechanic! Stuart is a very knowledgeable and trustworthy guy who actually cares about the customer satisfaction and staying true to his word, read his Yelp reviews! Very reasonable pricing without unnecessary up charging and he will either meet or even beat the quotes that he gives you and recommend what is best.

I got some suspension work done here on my Audi and it was finished in less than a day. Stuart also went an extra mile and got the parts for cheaper than he initially quoted and passed on the discount to me and even gave me a discount on labor because I had to get some other parts that weren't expected as a part of the repair. He also took my car to another shop to get it aligned for me instead of just leaving it up to me like most places would do. If you own a German car in the Valley, this is the place to go to. I will be back for all future maintenance and repairs.

Stu is a true technician! Yesterday he took a VERY detailed look at pre owned Boxster Porsche that I am considering to purchase. He made me aware of all the flaws and he was detailed to the T!!! Very thorough and professional. He was upfront about EVERYTHING. If you need a good mechanic go see Stuart!! He's the man! Very trust worthy guy. Ok. Last thing....you will know right away that he is NOT a mechanic just out to make a quick buck! Ok. That's all. Thanks!

Anthony

Anyone who's owned a car for a reasonable amount of time will understand that finding a good mechanic is hard, and finding a great mechanic is nearly impossible; but when you find one, you find one.

I was coming up on registration time and needed my car smogged. The only problem was my check engine light had come on. My car (a 2008 VW R32) is not the easiest to work on, and the last thing I needed was a huge bill right before taking a vacation to Europe. Dreading that it could be any number of things, I turned to Yelp in the hopes of finding someone who could help me out. That's where I found Stuart.

I rolled up late Thursday to inquire about what might be the problem. While Stuart wasn't 100% sure from his reader (the fault code that presented was very uncommon, adding to my sense of dread), he was determined to make the car right. He asked me to bring the car back the next day so he could do some research. I give him a call Friday morning and he presents me with a few options. I was almost shocked to discover that none of them would end up costing the arm-and-a-leg that I was fearing.

I end up dropping my car off Friday afternoon with the intention of picking it up in a few hours.The pick-up window ended up being delayed through no fault of Stuart's. He even went the extra mile (literally) to grab the part from a different location just to make sure I got my car by the end of the day. I received an invoice a short while later, still wondering if the price was correct, and went to pick up my car. Sure enough, the issue was resolved and he even topped up my coolant, which he noticed was kind of low (free of charge)!

I literally tried to pay him more, after all from the quick turn around time to the honesty and extra service, he had earned it! But he refused. "Keep the money and fill up the tank," he said. Stuart then had the audacity to tell me to come back in Monday morning, just to make sure my car was in tip top shape to pass smog! Needless to say, I'm beyond impressed. Stuart should rest assured that I will definitely be back again the next time my car requires service, which shouldn't be too long from now.

Thank you!!

Thank you!! My car is running like a champion.

I can't believe this guy is still in business. Years ago, when Stuart couldn't figure out what was wrong with my car (pro-tip: checking service bulletins would've told him) he actually told me that he was closing his shop and moving to Arizona. Mind you, this was after keeping the car for nearly a month...