MBFanBryan

I know this might be a tall order! LoL but can someone PLEASE recommend a Honest AND Good independent MB Garage/Mechanic in the Los Angeles Area? Near LAX Airport/Marina Del Rey/Santa Monica or Manhattan Beach/Hermosa Beach is most ideal areas for me. I just want a place I can "trust" and that will write out the invoice with parts and labor costs BEFORE they start the work and that I can approve! Here is my nightmare recently below:

Ha ha you guys are all too funny! I love the comraderie, humor and help on this Website! Yes I am a 1st time Mercedes owner and I am thoroughly enjoying all the perks, benefits and pleasures and yes would love a 2012/2013 but currently enjoying my 2003 c240 after that has too many miles then a new MB is definitely next!

Ok so NEW Question: everything was going GREAT then my Idle was really messed up & shaking at red lights so I figured it was time for a Tune Up even though the computer said 6,500 more miles. So I tried to find a "Good Independent" repair shop and got seriously screwed over bad! First I scoped it out they had a lot of cars and newer nicer Mercedes they were fixing so I figured busy means happy customers right? Wrong I feel raped! First the owner "David" quoted me oh for a full tune up it's between $1,200 to $1,500. So I figured ok sounds ok so I decided to give him and his shop a try it looked clean and busy good signs right? So I asked him to do it and to please write out the parts and labor first on the invoice so I can sign it. He gave me some weird excuse that the parts have to come in first before he can do that which was a very bad answer I guess I should have left there and then because I gave him a chance to prove himself so he fixes it tunes it up then next day gives me invoice for $1,500. I asked him you said $1,200 to $1,500 he replied well it was turned out to be $1,500! With tax it was like $1,600. Then he tells me oh by the way your ignition wires are very frail needs to be replaced and is $200. I asked him wasn't that part of the complete tune up? He said no MB parts are expensive and only oil change, spark plugs, etc are part of tune up. I was like what the heck? Is he messing with me? So he says look take the car home you will notice most of the shake is gone in idle but there still a little because of wires so bring the car back tomorrow we will replace it $200 and I won't charge you for labor. I thought hmmm ok so I go home and see most wire sets are around $150 on the Internet. Ok fine he charges me $200 no big deal. So I go back and drop the car off and pick it up in 3 hours and he writes up a $327 invoice bill! I was pissed off I said "Hey you told me it was $200 and no labor charges!" He then looks at me and says "oh no it's $300 and I didn't charge you for labor it's $327 with tax, see?" He points to invoice it says $300 for wire set. WTF??? Did I get raped or what? I just give him my credit card and vow never to go back ever such BS! Do mechanics feel they can scam is because we own MB and we are just so loaded we don't mind being ripped off??? I don't know about everyone else but I work too dam hard to be scammed or to waste money or be tricked with lies! I didn't buy a Mercedes so jerky mechanics can just scam me all they want that's not part if the deal!

Please can SOMEONE recommend a Honest Independent MB Garage/Mechanic in Los Angeles area? Near LAX or Santa Monica would be ideal but open to ANY in Los Angeles that writes down parts costs & labor costs and let's you sign and approve BEFORE starting work and over charging!!!

mthorp

PBS Car Talk recommends two, Zuckett Import Motors and Pete's Autohaus, both independent and both in your area. Good luck!

speed7

I've got one of the best ones in California... but he's in San Diego.

http://www.midnightoilmotors.com/

Mechanic is named Seth. I was in San Diego again.. he's the only one who would touch my car besides me. =)

speed7

Oh and he's not a MB mechanic.. he's a super mechanic... who happens to know many many cars.. Mercedes is just one of them.

MBFanBryan

Thank you everyone for your recommendations I will give it a try. All I want is a honest mechanic that I can trust and to get my car back the same way I brought it in not with a bunch of scratches, tiny dings, damage! I actually personally microfiber towel and polish and wax my C240 every morning, afternoon and evening and after I park each time too! Extreme? Maybe but I take pride in my Mercedes being a Show Car and flawless pristine condition just to have some shady jerk mechanic damage my car??? I know each and every chip, scratch and everything inside and outside my car so even the tiniest chip or speck if dirt or speck of dust or tiny chip or scratch I KNOW ABOUT IT because I clean and polish my car myself! So imagine my horror when I got my car back with all sorts if new chips, scratches and some are very odd too almost on purpose! But there is nothing I can do but just be mad and never go back there but it really infuriated me almost to the point of going postal! So next mechanic I am sitting there to watch mechanic the whole time and no one is "test driving" my car either! This is my first Mercedes and I am learning heart breaking truths that other people can be jealous, jerky, shady just because I got the car of my dreams and it brings me joy they have to victimize me and ruin my property? Oh yes karma is real and oh yes there is a special place in Hell waiting for these shady mechanics along with parking meter maids! LoL but not LoL at the same time and I know you all know what I mean! A friend of mine finally recommended a garage in Baldwin that his Dad's best friend owns and they said I can sit and watch the mechanic and no one test drives my car but me!!! Good help is impossible to find which is a sad reflection if society where you have "to know someone" just to get ok service or not get scammed and ruined property! Thanks for your advice and recommendations! I am still super mad because I have to live with the scratched chrome, ding in my fender, weird scratches on each corner of my trunk, weird chips on my front bumper and more which was NOT there before I brought it to the garage because I waxed and cleaned it before do I know how it was before! I think they did it on purpose!

danlnyc

BENZWÖRKS
15821 Graham St.
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
(714) 845-3431

ask for Serge or Nick. They are the best.