Back in 2023, Kenny repaired an issue on my 2017 BMW X1 related to the shifter/selector mechanism. At the time, he mentioned it was something he'd been seeing more often and thought BMW might eventually acknowledge and cover. Nearly three years later, I received a letter from BMW extending the warranty for that exact issue. What followed was a long and pretty frustrating reimbursement process with BMW corporate. They kept asking for additional documentation and clarification from both me and the place that performed the repair. Even though I hadn't been back to Auto Werkstatt since the repair was done years ago, Kenny was kind enough to help me work through it. He pulled invoice copies, provided additional details, and sent information directly to BMW whenever they requested it. After many months of waiting, I finally received the reimbursement check, IN FULL. So while this review isn't specifically about the repair/work itself, I hope it says a lot about a shop that stands behind its work and its customers years later. Thanks again, Kenny and team. read more

I own a Porsche Macan S and needed to find a reputable shop once my extended warranty ended. The first big-ticket items I had to tackle were a brake change and then new tires, and I couldn't be happier with the service, expertise, and honesty I've experienced with August. He's a genuinely kind person, and you can immediately tell he's passionate about his work and his business. Most importantly, he will not steer you wrong. 10/10 -- highly recommend. read more

I've been brining my Audi Q5 here for the past 4 years and Kenny has been great. He is very honest and upfront about what needs to be done and what does not and there is no pressure with any service. His team is efficient and follows through with the timelines they give you and they are very busy, but that's because of everything I mentioned above. read more

The absolute best! Helped get our daughter's VW tuned up before heading back to college and even consulted with us over the phone on an issue we resolved on our own without needing to drive it over. read more

August was exceptional. thank you for the great care of my Porsche. The price was a great value add and you went above and beyond to look at my visor and fixed for free. I highly recommend Auto Werkstatt for any car needs. read more

August is a friendly, knowledgeable mechanic who's definitely shared information regarding options as well as suggestions. Will Keep coming back. read more

This is the go-to place for Porsche service in the South Bay. Honest & reliable. Thank you August.

So glad I found these guys after having a lackluster experience at the dealership (South Bay) where they were trying to charge me twice as much as Auto Werkstatt. I brought my Macan S here for its 4 year/40k service and couldn't be happier. August and his team are consummate professionals: honest, communicative, efficient and offer great value. August even reached out to a 3rd party warranty provider, who I had a prepaid maintenance package with, which covered some of the costs of the operation. Glad to have established a relationship here-- I encourage anyone who drives a German make to allow them to earn your business, as well. You won't regret it. read more

Great owner and staff. Very friendly and helpful. Spoke with the owner over the phone and he was very generous with his time. We opted not to get a full inspection but I would trust them for one in the future. read more

Legit, been using them for the last eight years. Excellent service. pricing is fair. They do exactly what they say They will do. I trust these guys and I'm happy I found them. read more

This turned out to be a great place to take my overheating Audi. Ken, the main mechanic here, explained the problem clearly, and even found and fixed an unrelated issue which was easy to address once he had the car apart but would have been a pain had it failed on the road. You will have to a few days to get work done here because they are busy, but it will be worth it. Mechanics like this are worth their weight in gold. read more

Auto Werkstatt is the perfect place to take your prized German vehicle if you're looking for a premium, very competent, and reliable team of mechanics who exceed all expectations! I have brought my 2012 BMW M3 here for its pre-purchase inspection, routine maintenance, and occasional minor repairs, and I have always received top-quality and competitive pricing. I am incredibly grateful, especially to Ken, who has taken time out of his busy schedule to provide me with thoughtful, genuine, and in-depth advice on anything related to my car and seeking any potential options to keep it at its best. He is a true car enthusiast and straight shooter, and owners as passionate as he is are hard to come by! read more

We have two BMWs ('04 and '08) and an Audi ('13) and only take them to Ken and the crew at Auto Werkstatt for all of the repairs and maintenance that they need. We've done everything from routine services to valve covers, to coolant expansion tanks, to starters. Each experience has been excellent. Their prices are competitive on labor and parts and the work is always high quality. Ken and his team have always been able to quickly and accurately tell us what the issue/problem is, and he is always transparent about what needs to be done vs what can/should be done. It is so nice to have go-to person I can call for any help with our cars and know I'm getting an honest and fair opinion. 5/5 stars every time. read more

Went in for a minor service (oil, filter, inspection) which was fine, but was told I had a power steering leak. Ken didn't say it was immediately needed but he also made it very clear he doesn't really think highly of cheaping out on or deferring needed maintenance. Definitely felt some pressure. However, I went to another spot for a second opinion and also did my own research, and my car doesn't even have hydraulic power steering. So there's nothing to even check. Probably won't be back, prices are definitely very high and for someone with as much experience as Ken, didn't feel great about the experience. read more

My trusted mechanic on the west side for my BMW, always tells you exactly what you need and always highly trust him.

What can I say? This group did a fantastic job on my 2005 Porsche Boxster. Had the most random issue apparently caused by the numbskull who owned the car before me that ended up resulting in new brakes, rotors, emergency brake and another issue that popped up during service. August is a GOD. Period. Super cool. Very forthright (looking for a Boxster S as we speak). And the type of person who keeps it 100 because he clearly LOVES what he does...and Porsches! I'm never excited to spend $3K on repairs. But I'd never take my car to anyone else because I KNOW it will be done right...no corners cut. You buy a foreign car, you officially relinquish your right to whine about costly repairs. Thanks, August and crew. YOU ROCK! Oh, my service light just came on so, see you soon! read more

Auto Werkstatt - Auto Repair Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

Audi quoted me some absurd price to fix some damage from a rodent getting under the hood. Spoke to Kenny and he suggested I bring the car in. I'm glad I did. For one Kenny is the man, I ended up shooting the shit with him for a while and he's a good dude. They ended up fixing my car for a small fraction of what Audi quoted me. They even know what Audi quoted me and could have come in anywhere lower than that but they kept it real and charged me the honest amount. Finding an honest mechanic is hard these days and I'm thrilled that I did. I can't imagine going anywhere else now. read more

I've been coming to Kenny and crew for years now for my BMW and I can't be more grateful having them around to service my Bimmer. You can always count on them being honest, upfront and the work getting done with attention to detail. Thank you for taking care of all the high-maintenance issues with my 335i as well as other repairs and this new steering wheel which I'm in love with! Although I've moved recently, I still come to LA for them to handle anything I need. I can't recommend these guys enough, thanks again for everything! read more

Auto Werkstatt - Auto Repair Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

My low mileage 2002 BMW 330ci had developed an oil leak and the mechanic from my previous repair shop (Pacific Sportscars) retired. After checking reviews on Yelp and Nextdoor, I decided to call Auto Werkstatt for an appointment. Ken was very helpful and extremely honest. It turned out that my car had multiple oil leaks due to its older age and not being driven enough. Ken and his team discovered many other items in need of replacement but was never pushy or try to up sell me. Ken and his staff really know their cars. My BMW runs better then it has in years. I am very pleased to find Auto Werkstatt and will be taking my care here for all future service and repairs. read more

Ken and team are great at what they do: solve car problems, at a fair price, and are very thorough. This is my new go-to spot for my lil whip! read more

The owner is a joy to talk to: he told me up front that he treats the cars he services as if he was serving his family. And for the with he did on my car, he was diligent and pragmatic. He's someone whom I can trust with my car with. That is key with any mechanic. I have lots of options for my car within half an hour from home. But his pragmatism and directness means I'd drive across town for that trust. read more

Had a sick BMW x3 but am just in town for a few days and needed a quick diagnosis and repair. Ken called to get my info but the timing to get my car in before driving back to San Jose the next day didn't work. Still, he took time to talk to me over the phone and gave me a ton of advice on what to do about my car. This was really above and beyond what I expected, and if I come back to LA I would not hesitate to reach out to him to get a repair or pro-active maintenance. Seriously - this is how to run a business. Treat customers like they're not just a quick transaction. Thanks, Ken! read more

Not recommended. August promised me service beyond what I get at a dealer, but significantly under-delivered. Went in last summer for an engine oil change, brake fluid change, transmission fluid change, and a rattle. Engine oil: the change itself was fine, but August missed a significant oil leak that was obvious to me, a layman, and I missed the opportunity to press Porsche to cover the whole $10k repair bill. Luckily, Porsche stepped up for most of it. Brake fluid: wanted to charge more than Porsche South Bay, but eventually agreed to charge the same rate. Seems great. Transmission fluid: there is now oil residue all over the underside covers, but otherwise great. Rattle: initially, August was great in his willingness to ride along with me for free, but I specifically asked him to check the exhaust hanger areas. After I pressed him to charge me the diagnostic fee of $140 to find the exact source, he told me that my exhaust was likely bad and needed replacing. Well, I (layman) crawled under the car that same night, and in the dark with a headlamp, I found that a nut was not torqued down by the exhaust shop I used for my aftermarket Remus exhaust. As someone who claims to take more care than a Porsche dealer tech, how do you miss that? Also, the rate difference with the dealer is made up for by the fact that the dealer gives you a nice Porsche loaner. Going to stick with Porsche South Bay for my service needs. read more

Auto Werkstatt - The loose nut that drove me crazy. Really obvious. - Auto Repair Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

Ken and his team at Auto Werkstatt are simply the best. I have a 2017 Audi Q5 (less than 40k miles) that needed a full brake job & oil change among other things and Ken knocked it all out for me in a day. There was no hassle, pressure or cheesy up-selling...Ken kept it real and just told me what my options were. I appreciate Ken being a straight shooter but also ensuring he gives 100 percent to each customer's vehicle. My car came out the shop feeling brand new. Even if I didn't live in this area, I would go out of my way to this shop...The service and results are top notch...Thanks again! read more

Auto Werkstatt - Auto Repair Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

I took my car in for brakes .I had the best experience here! The owner was very informative, professional and nice. I will definitely be taking my car there for any future repairs or maintenance. 5 stars across the board!!! read more

Ken is amazing. I asked him to do a pre purchase inspection of a BMW X5. Although I am not a regular customer, I would not hesitate to call him in the future. He was honest, straight forward, and clearly communicated the quality and condition of the vehicle he inspected for me. He answered all my questions and offered great advice on the future maintenance of my new car. read more

I trust August thoroughly with my car. Extremely communicative and a really good guy.

August was extremely helpful from the moment I called him to ask questions about my 2016 Macan. I needed front brakes and the place before gave me an outrageous price and said I needed so so much more than brakes. When I shared the story with August he reassured me that he will review and let me know what I needed. And yup, he said you only need brakes only. 1/4 of the price of the original place. He was honest and shared additional information that I should be aware of. I will definitely be back for all my maintenance!! I found a good one. Thank you August for treating a girl with respect and not ask for my husband to have a car conversation!! Btw, i went on and on that my husband is now going to take his 1990 911 read more

Hi this was my first time bringing my 2016 Audi SQ5 here and I am very satisfied with my experience and the work done. Up until this time I always just took my car to the Audi dealership for service, mainly out of convenience and because it was authorized service. But I always felt the cost was very overpriced but trusted the dealership service. But after my last service at the dealership I was very disappointed by the outrageous estimates and lack of clarity on what work needed to be done to fix my car that I finally searched and found great reviews on Auto Werkstatt on Yelp and gave them a call. Ken the owner is very straightforward and honest about what needed to be done. While the cost of the work was significant, everything recommended seemed to make sense and so overall was reasonable. A lot of what the dealer said needed to be done was extremely expensive and also unnecessary to do to fix my problems. I won't be bringing my car to the dealer anymore and will return to Auto Werkstatt for future repairs. So glad I found a great place for my Audi. read more

Another positive review for Ken and his team! I took my vehicle to Ken for an intermittent issue with the back air suspension. Unfortunately, when I drove the car to Auto Werkstatt, it was working at the time and the diagnostic didn't show any error. Ken spent the time to explain to me all the possible causes for such a failure and the likelihood that each cause is what my car experienced. He talked through the plan for repair going for the most likely culprit. In the end, Ken and his team fixed my car and I have had no issue. On a personal note, Ken is also very friendly. Upon hearing that I am new to the area and is looking to purchase a home, he recommended that I check out the Hollywood Riviera. Now I am in escrow there for a home. Thanks Ken - you have earned yourself a customer for life. I will come back if I ever need any work on my car! read more

Auto Werkstatt - Auto Repair Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

I had a couple good experiences here this year. The staff and management are all very nice. They turned the repairs around quickly, explained everything ahead of time, and the price was much better than I expected. Having an older daily driver BMW isn't an issue with Auto Werkstatt close by. They also helped to explain some of the upcoming service intervals on my Porsche and i will be taking the car to them for sure. Zero complaints and top notch service. These guys are a South Bay gem!! Happy Motoring Peoples!!!! read more

I'm very thankful to have found this place! Each time I have gone to Auto Werkstatt for my BMW 3, Ken has helped me troubleshoot the issue. If something should be covered under warranty he will advise me to go the dealer to get it taken care of. I appreciate his straightforward response and advice as well as his roots in the community. Highly recommend! read more

I wish there was a 6th star I could give Auto Werkstatt. There is so much value in being able to trust a mechanic knowing you will not be taken advantage of. Owned a 2012 Volkswagen GLI that started having issues after 6 years / 60,000 miles. Found this place on Yelp because of all the great reviews after complimentary dealership service ended. I've had to take my GLI here at least 10x and would never buy a German car again if I'm looking for longevity in a vehicle. Kenny is so knowledgeable about German cars and their history of issues, he can typically diagnose the issue without even looking under the hood. Had multiple coolant leaks with solutions being replacement of water pump, thermostat and hoses. After 1 year, water pump broke again because of Volkswagen defective parts but being slightly over warranty, Volkswagen would not honor a replacement. For the 3rd replacement, changed to Pierburg. Had multiple oil leaks with solution replacing timing cover gasket. Also had spark plug, coil and fuel pressure sensors replaced. I'll give an example of the trust in not scamming for unnecessary work. The oil leak was hard to diagnose because it was a small leak but it had gone unnoticed for so long, there was oil everywhere on the undercarriage. Kenny advised I take it to another shop that does undercarriage washing for much cheaper than what he charges. Then bring it back to diagnose with a clean undercarriage. They only use approved, factory installed Volkswagen parts and will call dealerships to make sure he doesn't replace something under warranty or something that has been recalled. I would note this is not the cheapest option, but nothing related to car issues are. I appreciate the time Kenny would dedicate to explaining the issue until I fully understood. I'm not savvy with mechanics but I wanted to fully understand what the issue was. He would even save the faulty part and point out the crack or hole, etc. Lastly, this shop is always busy (because German cars have so many issues!) so don't expect to get your car the next day but as I said before, a trusted mechanics is worth everything! read more

The shop is great and Ken is an amazing human being. Took my Volkswagen to the dealership with what I thought to be a simple need for more coolant and was unpleasantly surprised with a quote of over 5,000 dollars in repairs for various leaks and hose replacements. I had dealt with Ken in the past and always appreciated his honesty and good work so took the vehicle to him to get the repairs done. Ken informed me a big portion of the repairs were supposed to be covered by Volkswagen under an extended warranty via a class action lawsuit! After calling the dealership back they apologized for "somehow missing it" and agreed to fix it. Ken went out of his way to help me and saved me thousands of dollars. He could have just taken on the job and done the repairs, but he is a man of integrity and did the right thing. I can't recommend this shop enough, but make sure you make an appointment because they are always very busy for obvious reasons...they are the best! read more

I own an Audi A7 with APR stage 1, and I had quite a few faulty codes that came up on my vcds and decided that's more than I could do on my own. So I went to 4 or 5 places regarding the issue. I've paid diagnostic fees up until I've meet Ken. Ken assured me that the work is quite simple and most likely will be covered by my extended warranty. He sent me to this shop that he also own and here I've meet Paul. Oh man Paul is by far the best auto mechanic I came across and a wonderful person as well. He did manage to find more issues that weren't covered by my warranty . Paul explain the issues and tried his best to make my warranty to cover the issues , I was completely amazed by that kind of attitude since I never saw it from a mechanic ever. I was more then happy to pay the extra fees. From that moment on I knew if anything happens to my car I can call Paul and bring the car over. Well 2 weeks later I was in the shop again and again Paul went above and beyond to fix my car and did a full diagnostic and replaced everything on time and was just a pleasure to deal with . Highly recommend Paul and this place to any Audi owners especially the 3.0 supercharged engine read more

August is very, very knowledgeable about Porsches and other high-performance vehicles. He's super patient and is a straight-shooter. I hired him to do a PPI and he produced a very extensive report that enabled me to be very confident with my eventual purchase. Recommend him very highly! read more

Ken is a breath of fresh air. I've taken by BMW to a few different places and only at Auto Werkstatt have i encountered someone i trust. i'll explain why - first time i brought my bmw 3-series to ken, i had the dreaded drivetrain malfunction error. after hooking it up to his computer, he let. me know what he thought it was and how much he thought it was going to be (timing chain, $5k+ depending on the level of work it needed). but he also game me another option: he spent some time looking at if my model was under any extended manufacturer's warranty particularly for this issue. he didn't have to do this - he could've just told me what he would've charged me and tried to keep the work in house... but after taking it to the dealership, the repair was actually partially (significantly) covered and i had to pay just under $2k for the chain replacement. ken saved me a few grand at his own expense. every other interaction i've had with ken or his guys has been super helpful, informative and straight forward. if ken lacks full certainty of what an issue is, he lets you know. for as long as i have a bmw, i'll be taking it to ken. read more

I didn't have a chance to have Auto Werkstatt work on car due to scheduling conflicts, but I did have a brief interaction with Ken, and I can definitely say the reviews about him are true. The guy is incredibly nice and definitely bends over backwards to help. read more

Ken is awesome! I took my BMW in to have the motor mounts replaced and not only was he a $1000 dollars cheaper but he was terrific to deal with and his shop did a fantastic job! He's honest and kind and definitely cares his customers leave happy. Great place and I'll definitively good back again! read more

3 shops in 2 years, and I've finally found the shop I'll be sticking with for my Audi. Solved an unsolvable problem quickly and with very fair pricing. read more