Absolute Rover at no surprise given the admittedly stunning workshop comes in highly recommended here on Yelp as the often referred to go-to Rover shop of LA.
How this is possible is beyond me...
To get to the less mechanically relevant details: let's just acknowledge that Alan does NOT wear a mask in his shop. Let that sink in.
Beyond a health and safety point of view, from a customer service perspective, I think that's worth noting as you're rarely discussing anything to do with the service with anyone other than him directly (his employees do wear masks).
So, setting the scene for that kind of cavalier attitude: His demeanor is less than welcoming or informative once you get into the service details or breakdowns, or any topic he would love to let you know he is an expert on by discounting and disregarding your position or even general questions. There is no way really to understand why this is, it just is. Nothing is positively framed, he leaves you with the maybes, no certainty - even after dropping thousands, expect him to literally shrug.
As far as the work...yes it may seem as though Alan has extensive knowledge, but do his employees? When I took my car into another shop with old school Land Rover-trained mechanics they called the Absolute Rover work "good on paper" and "half-completed." These guys were top notch and good people, what they really meant is that the work was subpar at best. In truth, it was unsafe.
For example, several of the parts from a recent service were installed correctly in the air but not considered while on the ground, and...in use. While I don't think this was nefarious or on purpose as to come back into Absolute, it should suggest that you're really not getting what you think you're paying for. Again, Alan may have the know-how or cred (how this is, is again, is beyond me) but he's definitely not the one under your car.
All and all, I would highly suggest avoiding this place - not because of the fact that it's completely unsafe COVID-wise, not because of the exorbitantly high labor costs for in truth, standard, slightly better than dealership service - but because you're guaranteed to find a small shop focused on English and German motors with someone who is safely willing to discuss the process with you, not dismissing your commentary with an apathetic run-down of BS services that are barely done correctly, if at all.
A dozen Rovers in the shop means that a dozen people should be going somewhere else. Don't be fooled for the aesthetic or the baseless reviews - avoid this place at all costs and if anyone works for the city regarding COVID safety...yikes read more