TNT Automotive

Nick is honest, and does a good job. Other VW shops in town are a not as good. We found TNT and that has been the end of the search. He knows VW’s, and not just the simple early models;
the fuel injections ones can be a nightmare, but Nick has the knowledge to fix it all! Thanks Nick!

A breathe of fresh air & honest as hell. I give my highest recommendation for Nick and his team at TNT. I’ve been meaning to write this review for a while, as I don’t even own the car Nick used to work on anymore.
I used to bring my BMW 335i to Nick. The first time I brought my car to him was solely based on the fact that he quoted me a lower price for the same service than a mechanic down the street. So thankful he did, because he ended up being the best mechanic I’ve ever worked with. I was still new to Long Beach at the time and was concerned about finding a trustworthy mechanic, as I had a VW lemon prior to my BMW and experienced my fair share of shady mechanics. Once I was out of my BMW warranty, I was on the hunt to find the best mechanic in Long Beach. I tried a guy in Seal Beach, dishonest. I tried a guy in Signal Hill, unreliable. I finally found TNT, and it was a positive experience from day one. Nick was beyond personable. He treated me as if I had already been going to him for years. I had multiple issues with my car and explained that I was planning to sell it within the next 6 months, so I only wanted to fix what was necessary. He advised me on what I absolutely needed to fix to receive a good trade in value and to keep the car running healthy while I still had it, and what I didn’t need to worry about, no bs. Not only is he passionate, knowledgeable and reasonable with his prices every visit, but his team of employees are just as nice to work with. He performed multiple services on my engine, as well as other services, but on top of that, he always made the time for even the smallest of issues, and sometimes wouldn’t even charge me for them; and he always finished each service on time. The. Best. Drive by his shop any day of the week and you’ll notice the lot is packed with cars every single time, which is a reflection of how amazing and trustworthy Nick’s work is.
Also, say hello to the shop’s mascot, Maddie, she’s the sweetest dog on earth.

I finally got past the $hit job and high price Nick charged and found a highly reputable restoration shop in my new location. While redoing the work that TNT did we have found many, many, new problems. Some that made the 75 BUS very unsafe. And more parts have come up missing beyond my early note. Upon digging in the body work that looked good proved to be misaligned and basically a poor job. Nick has his brother in-​law doing the body work in San Diego, in a word it is so «poor».
Here are just a few of the comments on the work needed to get TNT «fix» corrected:
— «We will be connecting the evap system as the line that comes from the tank was just open unplugged, dumping fuel fumes into the engine compartment. To connect it to a aftermarket carb system we have to add a connector» (Safety Issue) remember TNT took the Original Fuel Injection System and did not return it to me as asked.
— «I don’t know what to say, the more we dig the worse it gets. For one, the top 2 bolts are missing on the engine. There are only four! And we haven’t looked yet at the bottom! (lucky the engine didn’t crack) –The clutch cable is to long –there are packs of nuts on it as spacers –He probably ran out of threads and couldn’t adjust it anymore. I have a new one on the shelf we will install it right .»
— On accelerator cable that was spliced together «Don’t know what He did or why but fixed it» /Users/rjj4920/Desktop/IMG_9356.JPG
— On wiring «The concern is you have wires hooked up to the positive cable that go nowhere and in our mind unprotected wires lead to a fire concern?
I am going to have Matt cut the tape off the positive cable and find out what is going on –some is correct some is not. We will remove what is not.» (SAFETY CONCERN)
The list goes on and on but you get the idea. Many pictures on short cuts and poor workmanship.

Met nick through the original owner of the shop and very happy that I did. Nick is a great mechanic and very easy to deal with. Whenever I have an issue with my golf (currently 2004, past: 98 and 96), I call him up and he has me bring her in. Usually prompt communication with what is going on. He helped me also take a look at my current vehicle before I bought it to make sure it was a good purchase.
It’s nice to have a mechanic I can trust instead of always wondering where I should go for this or that.

Fantastic service and at a very fair price ! I took my 2002 Acura RSX for a running problem, front brake work and to replace a broken rear taillamp.
Nick’s quote on repairs was spot-​on, the work was done quickly — and she drives like «new» again ! THANK YOU TNT Automotive… an honest skilled repair facility is NOT easy to come by these days.

Nick at TNT Automotive is a fantastic mechanic. He performed engine service on my 1835cc air cooled, dual carb VW engine that dramatically improved the performance. His experience and knowledge are unbeatable and the price he charged was completely reasonable. I highly recommend Nick and TNT automotive. I will definitely be using him again.

I have no doubt that Nick knows his way around VWs. He is probably a very good mechanic but unfortunately his customer service and his quality control on the work coming out of his place is the worst I have ever experienced at any auto shop … EVER!!!
I went to TnT with a 64 Bus in Feb 2014. I discussed a full restoration with Nick who said he could and was willing to do it. The engine was in good shape and ran strong when I dropped it off. He sent me a video of the engine running within a couple of days after getting the van. Then he began tearing everything down and unfortunately that’s when everything began going south.
He sent my van to San Diego for the body work and paint. There it sat until Feb 2015!!! WTF! A year, REALLY! Whenever I asked Nick about is I would not get an answer as to progress and what was taking so long. I finally got the name and number of the shop he sent it to and took it upon myself to push him to get the work done
So. Year later it’s back in Long Beach … And btw the work is mediocre at best. Overspray all over the place, mediocre body work, and half-​assed repair on hinges, doors etc… He charged me $ 7000 for bodywork and paint — NOT WORTH IT!
Nick told me that once he got it back from the body shop the rest of the work would happen quickly as he wanted it out of the shop ASAP. More bullshit from him… It sat in his garage until I finally fired him on June 5^th. For the 4 months he had it back from the body shop all he did was throw the engine back in, and it was half-​assed and incomplete to boot. Somewhere along the line he took it apart and never bothered to rebuild it before installing it. The tranny also had a broken nose cone which should have been replaced before installing the engine. When I picked up my van the engine did not have the fuel pump or distributor and the carbs were just thrown in place, not actually bolted down. Sheet metal was missing and a variety of other parts were missing.
Somewhere along the line they put masking tape around a window which had been baked on by the sun so my $ 7000 paint job now needs some repair. I also still do not have all my parts. Nick said my bumpers and some other miscellaneous parts in in San Diego … WHY???
I was looking forward to driving my van this summer but that is not going to happen. In total I’ve paid Nick $ 12 000 and all I got was mediocre work, missing parts and total frustration. Nick turned my restoration project into a nightmare.
TNT auto SUCKS!!!

Nick at TNT has handled all of my auto issues for years (thanks to him) there has not been many. This is the place for quick, affordable repairs on your BMW.

Mini Coopers are a lot of fun, but there have been plenty of bugs in the design. Finding a good mechanic who can fix my sweet car has always been a challenge. Then I met Nick. He’s personable, polite, and informative. I’ve always had a great experience with TNT Auto. The customer service has been above and beyond, including lending a car to me when available. Nick finds time to look at my car when something is troubling me, and he never seems to be too busy to give superior customer service. I can’t imagine going anywhere else for my Mini Cooper needs.

Excellent service– these guys are true enthusiasts– brought my porsche here for some work-​all was completed in 1 day + they came and picked me up in a sweet vintage 911

I called on Monday to make an appointment to drop off my car Tuesday and it was no problem. I was able to get the work I needed done same day and pick it up after work. Very affordable too. Everyone was super helpful and friendly. I would definitely trust them again with my car. I’m so glad to have a good mechanic now!

I own a 2007 Nissan Sentra. For about two weeks I was having trouble on and off with my car starting up. Then my driver’s side mirror got completely smashed, so I took my car in to Nick at the recommendation of a friend. I called the shop that morning explaining what was wrong and they told me to come in. I dropped the car off around 11am on a Wednesday and it was ready to be picked up the same day at 3pm. They replaced the battery, installed a new mirror, and painted it to match the rest of my car. After doing some research I’m pretty sure I could’ve gotten the mirror replaced for cheaper elsewhere, but Nick’s was quick and convenient so I don’t mind paying more for good service.

Dishonest, rude, and expensive is the best way I can describe Nick. I came to his shop based on the great reviews he’d received on Unilocal.After all, how bad could it go given I just needed a lightbulb replaced on my headlights?
I gave Nick a call for a quote. $ 20 he says to replace the bulb on my front headlights. I come in and he has to go to his computer and research about how to replace the bulb in my car. He then explains that he’d have to put in more labor to replace the bulb and quotes me $ 100. Ummm, shouldn’t he have known this based on what I told him over the phone? I really should’ve left just seeing him have to research how to replace the bulb, but given his excellent Unilocal ratings and that I didn’t want to deal w/​looking for another shop, I agreed.
Fast forward to two days later and my car starts yelling at me about the same light bulb not working. I call Nick that Wednesday to schedule an appointment to see him on Sat. He says no problem and no appointment necessary since it would be an «easy» fix. I bring back my car that Sat morning and after assessing the problem (not to mention yanking some cables vigorously), Nick concludes that a power surge caused the bulb to burn out and that he needed to bring the car up to one of his machines to assess the problem in more detail. He gives a very detailed description of the problem and makes it sound like a huge electrical issue. Afterward, he says that he couldn’t finish the work that day since he had a lot of other cars lined up. At this point, I was frustrated, so I complained about calling him early in the week and getting the reassurance that the car would be fixed that day. He finally agreed, but on the condition that I give him half the day to fix the car. When I finally got my car back, I noticed that he didn’t even move it! Turns out that he only had to replace the bulb! I’m not completely a ditz when it comes to basic car maintenance, but I’ll bet anyone that he probably screwed in the bulb with his bare fingers, which caused it to burn out. Before leaving, Nick had the nerves to try and charge me $ 20 for the bulb. When I refused, he gave me a huge attitude problem.
Don’t settle for below average service at outrageous rates with this dishonest mechanic. Get peace of mind by doing more research on better shops out there or if you’re too lazy, take your car to the dealer. At least you get peace of mind and the services that you paid for.

Wow! Awesome customer service.
I have been coming to TNT Auto to get my bus serviced for the past year. These guys do a good job and provide good advice on my vehicle. What wowed me was that I lost my keys to my VW bus and needed a whole new ignition switch. Nick came to the rescue and actually came to my house and started up my vehicle bringing the bus to the shop. All this for one awsome price.

NO NO NO… wish I didnt have to even give 1 star! Thought Id go to to get my brakes fixed. Owner is nice, but the QUALITY work is just not there. and who wants to pay big $$ for nice. Not me!
Sadly it would seem hes all about the $$. While I was there they were kinda ignoring people (customers) Felt uncomportable. he doubted everything I told him about my vehicle. Had the «I know what Im talking about» attitude. And he never fixed my vehicle PROPERLY. Thats sad because I REALLY wanted them to be THE go to shop for me. Ive got several other cars and friends looking for a good shop. THIS ISNT IT.
_​_​
UPDATE: Had my front brakes checked by another mechanic today 12/​22, they were sqeeking again. Mechanic replaced them and showed me what he removed. METAL ON METAL. He said that the TNT Did NOT replace them. I repeat USE TNT AT YOUR OWN RISK :(

I’ve never written a Unilocal review. Ever. But my experience with TNT has motivated me…
I’m a big fan of TNT Auto. I want to point out they specialize in foreign vehicles but they’ve done great work with ’51 Chevy and ’40 Olds. Nick and his team have been, by far, my best experience in dealing with mechanics regarding my classic cars. Great customer service and cool guys. Don’t hesitate to give them a call…

Nick is the man.
I have a 71 Super Beetle and it recently had a valve drop.
My previous go-​to mechanic (very reputable and known in Long Beach) painted this as the worst thing to happen besides a blown engine.
I was told that it’d be $ 1,500 just to get in there and try to rebuild one of the heads. And if I wanted to be fully back-​on-​the-​road, it was going to cost me up to $ 3,000!
I quickly pulled my Beetle outta there and searched for a different mechanic as I could smell that I was getting hosed. (Punch to the stomach, since I’d given them so much business previously).
Then I found Nicholas at TNT! Gave him the rundown of my issues and asked for a quote. His was a third of the price of the other place, included 2 BRAND NEW HEADS for my long block, oil and spark plug change and a complete engine and cylinder re-​seal!!!
I was absolutely shocked by how inexpensive this was and Nick asked «Why, what’d the other place quote you?» When I told him he just said «Wow.»
Nick literally took care of EVERYTHING and she now purrs and growls if I want her to! Drives like a champ.
My previous mechanic had given me a bologna laundry list of repairs which were «necessary.»
It’s funny, I picked up the car and I asked Nick what I needed to have serviced next. He responded with «This car doesn’t need anything now. It runs great.»
Thanks Nick for being fair, getting me back on the road quick and for being HONEST AS HELL.
This guy is truly passionate about air-​cooled engines and VW culture.
You got our business from now on, brother!

A breath of fresh air… VW old school mechanic… at a young age! I received a perfect recommendation to take my bus to Nick!
First of all his new shop (moved from Signal Hill) is located at 3940 E. 10^th Street in LB~
Walking into a highly organized, and comfortable kick back styling place to hang… Nick and his staff are fully knowledgeable, helpful and quite pleasing to work with! Nick also let me feel at home… being able to walk around, under and even watch over his shoulder while he worked. I was able to get to know my bus better… that makes me feel great.
For sure our new mechanic…
Thank you~

So I had been looking for a VW bus for about a year until a little gem popped up online at a suuuuper cheap price. Only downside was no motor. Nick the owner of the bus and of TNT Automotive was the seller, and he DID have a totally tricked out motor I could buy but it was out of my price range.
I bought the bus regardless of no motor.
So you’d think a seller would say whatever I got my money I’m done. and the buyer doesn’t wanna buy my motor then whatever hes on his own. WRONG. The very next day he called me with a motor he found online that was practically being given away! Note: he didn’t have to do anything for me, the sale was done.
So I got the motor from some guy in SD, brought it to Nick and he had it installed within 2 days. He even rounded up a few parts i was missing for an extremely reasonable price.
Ive been back to him a few times and hes nothing but a straight shooter. He tells you what you need and sends you on your way, no BS. I highly recommend this guy. Hey I drive from LA to LB (with no AC in the bus) for anything and everything mechanical related. He knows his stuff.

Nicholas specializes in mostly European cars. But he was very welcome to helping me and my Toyota out. I told him about some problems I had been having with my vehicle and mechanic. Nicholas was so cool and chill in telling me he recommends a new mechanic. LOL. It was disheartening to realize that I’ve probably been fished or that this mechanic just doesn’t know his stuff…
Thanks Nicholas for your service! You’re awesome. :)