German Autowerkstatt

Owner is always friendly. Work is top notch I feel very comfortable that nothing is ever done I don’t need. Fast turn around easy call to get in. Thank you!

Last week started to have cold-​start problem relating to battery in 2010 M-​B E350. Easter morning, car was incapable of cranking.
This morning took advantage of FREE jump start from M-​B Roadside Assistance and the technician confirmed battery was indeed bad (would not charge even after car was run in place for a long time)
Ben took my car in right away and he said the battery in there was not the correct sized battery for the car. Last M-​B Roadside Assistance in 2012, they put in a smaller battery. Ben said this battery had to work harder as it was insufficient in capacity. Very good information.
Anyway, I was on the road in a jiffy and satisfied to know the «right» battery was installed.

Ben runs a great auto repair shop. I have a BMW and I always get dealership care with a firsthand local relationship with my mechanic. It’s easier to get get into the shop than my dealer and he never got does more work than is needed. Pricing is very fair and affordable. There is a small waiting room but better to drop off. I have had everything from regular oil changes to brakes replaced to a broken bolt and battery replaced. It’s great to have a mechanic you can trust.

Ben in the most honest and cheapest Mercedes mechanic in San Diego. I wouldn’t take me Mercedes anywhere else!!! If work needs to be done he does it for a fair price! If work doesn’t need to done he’s honest about it and will not do any unnecessary repairs. a very ethical and honest person!!! I highly recommend this mechanic!

I have had the pleasure of knowing Ben for 10+ years, and I would not take my vehicle any where else!
Ben has a strong technical knowledge of German cars, and he provides OUTSTANDING customer service for very reasonable rates. Ben always lays out the problem in details and the possible solutions, describing in great detail the consequences of each option.
Ben exhibits a very high level of technical competency, professionalism and Customer Service. I would recommend him strongly for work on your BMW, Mercedes, Audi, or Mini vehicles.

Ben is by the far the most honest and fair mechanic I’ve ever done business with. I’ve been taking my 2010 Mercedes C300 to him for all my service needs for 4 years. I even drive down from Orange County to get my service done.
Ben does a great job of thoroughly explaining what needs to be done and does it with an exceptional turn around time. He often beats the dealership service cost by over half! I HIGHLY recommend that you see him for all your Mercedes or BMW service needs.

Very happy to have stumbled upon Ben. What a nice and friendly man and a CLEAN shop. Had brought my car to Goodyear where I’d had the battery replaced a few weeks ago. Car has been going dead after 4 days of no driving. No bueno. Goodyear did check it out at no charge since I bought the battery there. They told me that the alternator and starter and battery were good. Brought it over to Ben to get the window washer pump fixed and he knew right away that the electrical issue was probably due to something not shutting off when I turn the car off like the seat or climate control. He referred me to an auto electric shop down the street. He replaced the windshield washer pump for exactly (within $ 1) the price he quoted and it was done on time. He is my new GO TO BMW guy! Thank you Ben!

Truly a fantastic experience. Bernd («Ben») is so professional, quick, and fair in his pricing! What a rare mix of traits! We saw him for two years while we were stationed in San Diego (military family), and thoroughly enjoyed every visit and opportunity for a small chat. He kept our 2004 325i in tip-​top shape and went well above and beyond to help prepare us for a long road trip to our next duty station. We really appreciated his approach and we will miss German Autowerkstatt tremendously. HIGHLY recommend this great neighborhood service station!

I have a 535i, my son has a 528i and my husband has a 745i. Bernd has been the only mechanic to service our 3 BMW’s once they were off their manufacturers warranty. He is extremely thorough, very pleasant, honest and affordable. If a light goes on in my BMW I immediately take it to Bernd and he reads the warning and will tell me if I need to get it serviced right away or if I can wait a few weeks. He also gives me advise about warranty information that the local BMW dealer fails to give me. Last week he told me that one of my fuel pumps was not working properly but instead of doing the work himself he investigated the issue and found that BMW will replace the part if the car is less than 10 years old or has less than 120K miles. So I went to the dealer and they would have charged me for the repair but I told them it’s supposed to be covered by BMW according to my honest mechanic. So, the repair didn’t cost me a thing. I have been a loyal customer for about 15 years and have referred several BMW or Mercedes owners to Bernd. They are all extremely happy with him as well. One day he even let me drive his own car to an appointment so I didn’t need to get a rental car. You can completely trust that Bernd will do a great job, in a short amount of time for a very fair price!

Bernd has been so helpful every time I’ve gone into his shop. So refreshing to have an honest, reliable mechanic compared to past experiences I’ve had. Genuinely nice person and definitely knows his stuff when it comes to German-​made cars.

New to San Diego and needed an oil change for my 335. Glad I found this place, it was the fastest oil change I ever had.
Highly recommended.

Bernt is awesome. He really knows his BMW’s. I’ve had 3 Beemers over 20 years and faithfully took them to Bernt after the maintenance agreements expired. He was always honest and very fair in in his pricing. He comes high recommended.
Unfortunately I now own a VW and he doesn’t work on these. My loss.
Bspice

I have taken my 97 528i to Ben for 8 years now and I couldn’t find a more honest, fair and capable mechanic. He has diagnosed problems without charge several times and always openly shares options for repair even if he can’t do the work. He easily backs up everything he does because I’ve never had to return for a redo because the first repair was faulty. He’s the best mechanic I’ve ever had!!!

WOW, best auto mechanic I have ever used. As the CEO for San Diego Sedan, LLC, we have used Bernd for over 7 years. His skill with BMW’s (as is our case) is tremendous. Professional, Courtenous, Reasonable and Honest. I honestly cant say that about any other mechanic I know. If there were 6 stars I would give them to this guy. THANKS YOU BERND

Finally an honest auto shop! Reasonable and doesn’t recommend unnecessary work. Serviced both my BMW and Mercedes.

Highly unethical! Ben, the owner, bought a mercedes off one of his customers and put it up for sale on craigslist. I responded. In fact, I came all the way from LA to meet him in Oceanside to see it b/​c I really wanted a red C230 with low mileage.
When I found out he owns German Autowerk I laughed b/​c I had already scheduled a pre-​sale inspection from the German Autowerk in Oceanside. Ben didn’t find it so funny. In fact, w/​in 5 minutes of the test drive, after I told Ben I wanted to have the mercedes inspected at the other German Autowerk, he told me he didn’t «feel like» selling me the car after I was cool with the whole «I vill not budge on za price at all.»
He used the sale price to be listed on the title as his excuse why he didn’t want to sell (this affects taxes at the DMV), but I know the real reason. We hadn’t even agreed on a listed sale price on the title before he conveniently wanted to end the test drive. I was literally in the process of mulling over yet another one of his my-​way-​or-​zee-​highway demands when he told me he had another buyer in San Diego and he was going to sell to him instead. Somehow I drove back to the train station for yet another 2 hour train ride and resisted the urge to punch him in his smug, arrogant face.
I called the Oceanside mechanic and apologized for not showing up to have the car inspected. The oceanside mechanice told me he, himself, doesn’t sell cars b/​c it’s crossing the line b/​c there are a lot of things that can be altered with professional equipment, COUGH, COUGH, the mileage.
Bottom line, if he treats a potential customer looking to give him the full asking price this way, guess what’s happening to you? Oh, and his reason for selling the car, and I’m quoting Ben, «I want to make money off of this.» Sorry, «I want to make money off of zis.»

The other reviews are true. Ben is awesome. Always very thorough and precise in explaining what is wrong with your Mercedes as well as your options and prognosis going forward. He has often actually shown me what is wrong under the hood or under the lift. His prices are very fair. Quality and turnaround time on work is outstanding.
Best Mercedes mechanic in San Diego.

Ben was awesome. He gave me a fair/​honest assessment of my car in a short amount of time. Just make sure to make an appointment ahead of time. I will be back… I’m not going back to the BMW dealer.

My father has been servicing his Mercedes w/​Ben for years and years, and now I’m a patron. Ben is fantastic! He’ll get you in the shop w/​in a few days of calling, his prices are VERY reasonable (his oil changes are $ 50 less than a chain oil change place; his 40k tune-​up was several hundred less than the dealership quoted), and he’s straight-​forward and honest.
Recently my headlight went out, and with an owners’ manual instructing me to take it to the dealership for bulb replacement, I called Ben first. He offered to change the bulb for no charge! I went with an oil change since I was going in for the bulb, and I was out the door in less than an hour.
Super service and prices, I cannot recommend German Autowerkstatt enough!

Awesome!
Brought my Jetta in to have some work done. Ben was awesome, super afforable and i am a fan!