No one other than Mercedes Benz of Oakland had ever touched my SL550. There was a grinding feel & noise they could not diagnose, even after I paid for a diagnostic inspection. I took the car to German Auto Sports and they determined right away what the needed repairs were and a fair price for the work. They ordered the parts and had me come in when they had exactly what they needed. The repair was absolutely perfect, completed on time for the agreed upon price. I'll never go back to MB of Oakland - ever. read more

Chris is a honest old school expert. Doesn't beat around the bush with what is needed while still being honest. Honestly a rare thing when getting your vehicle repaired at most shops but an alternative to the dealer gouge. read more

Just responding to what the owner, Chris Lingle, said in response to my first review. Chris, where in my review did I "insinuate any of your technicians" took something from my car? Read it again. (I guess you have a reading comprehension problem) I said something of irreplaceable value disappeared from my car after I was certain it was left in my car when the car was in your care. Should I have not mentioned that? Why would I not mention it in my review? The item was left in the car. You guys had my car for 3 weeks. When I picked up the car, the item was gone. I also suggested that perhaps it might have been one of the car wash guys who took my item, since I was told you don't wash the cars on site, but instead take it down the street to the car wash place. As soon as I saw it was missing, I called your shop, and asked one of the desk guys about it. He did not apologize or take any accountability for it, and gave a bland reply to my lost item while my car was in the care of your shop with: "I'll ask if anyone's seen it," but then he never got back to me to say "I asked around, no one here saw it. We're sorry this happened," as a goodwill gesture. Why not? Clearly no one there gives a damn about such things. I dropped over $5K grand there, after an exhausting ordeal of over 3 weeks of my car in your shop, knowing full well I was overcharged, and I couldn't get a simple call back? Because you guys are then onto a pricier vehicle. "Old" cars like mine are low priority, I get it. Your weak response to your desk guys not responding to my 10-15 calls in a timely manner, by saying your shops gets "over 300 calls a day" is laughable. You're only open 8 hours. The phone would be ringing literally nonstop if you had "hundreds" of calls a day. Truth is more likely "dozens," and it is a weak, girly-man excuse that you have "too many calls" to respond to people in a timely manner. How do other shops manage it, those that get the same or greater number of calls? You make it sound like there is one or two guys running the whole shop and the machanic has to field calls in addition to his repair work - lol. Every time I have been in there, the two desk guys are relaxed behind the front desk, taking the occasional call. If it is actually "impossible" or "too hard" to return calls in a timely manner WTF do you have your boys tell people "I'll get right back to you," "will call you within the hour" and "will get back to you by end of the day?" It is disingenuous, and at the end of the day, disrespectful to your customers. read more

I took my newly purchased 2019 VW Golf R to GAS for a post purchase inspection and to catch up on some lightly deferred maintenance from the last owner. I'd driven past GAS a few times and was always impressed with the variety of machinery they were working on, Porsches, BMWs, Audis, VWs etc. of varying age and value including a lovely looking 80s Porsche 911 Turbo that was clearly someone's pride and joy. Kevin and the team took amazing care of me, we discussed the history of the car, agreed on some service items that might have been overlooked and they presented me with a clear estimate. Kevin kept me fully updated on the progress, managed my expectations on timing wonderfully and was far more accessible than any service advisor at a franchised dealer I've experienced. They then sent me a thorough report on the condition of the vehicle and broke it down into colour coded categories allowing me to focus on the urgent and important. Two days later I picked up the car, freshly serviced with no advisories, my wallet a little lighter but mostly due to my spicy Golf's tastes for expensive Germany lubricants, their actual labour rate was very good indeed and they charged me around 20% less than the VW dealer in Oakland had quoted me for the same services. Their mechanics are also trained to the same level of competence as the dealer and probably are way more experienced in fixing real problems. I'm delighted to have such a great independent mechanic on my doorstep that can take care me and my Golf for the next few years. Oh small update. I just realised that they didn't charge me a cent for the thorough inspection. When I first booked the car in they quoted me a price for the inspection but it seems they did it at zero cost because I had booked other service items. That is amazing service! Thank you GAS! read more

As a long time client I depend on the high professional skills of GAS to keep my 20 year old X3 in continued fine driving condition.. and also appreciate the excellent communication/customer service, quality repairs and fair pricing. Thank you to Chris and this truly outstanding team. read more

Chris, Kevin and the current crew did an excellent job. They were professional and efficient, additionally they completed the required work in a timely manner. I've taken both my Beamer's to them and only to them for 13 years. read more

German Auto Sport - Chris, Yar and the crew are the only crew we allow to take care of this 528e and our 535i - Auto Repair Near Me - Berkeley, California

When I started using GAS back in 2022, I was super impressed. I came back four weeks ago for some major repair work - routine maintenance and one big job (estimate only; I expected to come back in the future for that). The best I can say is that my impression is UNEVEN service heading towards dishonest, i.e. breaking things in order to 'fix' them and charge more. After what was about to be FOUR weeks at GAS, I picked up my car to have the work finished elsewhere. The other shop is able to get the parts GAS couldn't get in now 4 days in only 1 day for 2/3rds the cost including labor. This is the 2nd time in 4 weeks that my repairs were delayed because GAS could not get parts. It seems GAS has cash flow issues that are negatively impacting customer service and judgment. The bad experience is likely related to owner, Chris Lingle's condition today at 2:30 pm: he was very drunk. He smelled like alcohol from 3 feet away and his red skin looked like that of a long term alcoholic. Chris' communication and follow up with me were terrible; some of the worst I have experienced. See Chris Lingle's responses to posters on Yelp and Google who complain. He is rude and defensive; it's unprofessional and immature. More examples of Chris Lingle's personality are in his Yelp profile: https://www.yelp.com/user_details_reviews_self?userid=55Y640Cikcecy5zAXXe9vg There are some nice, skilled people working at GAS. I feel sorry for them. read more

All I have to say is "you are in great hands if you take your car to German Auto Sport". They will walk you thru what needs to done. They always call with a "follow-up" text as well. I've been looking for a GREAT mechanic that I can trust with my car! EUREKA... Cheers! read more

I don't normally spend my time and energy for reviews but I consider this PSA. Behind their nonchalant cool exterior, they are (1) completely disorganized and (2) gaslighting. - Appointment made, not appearing in the system. - Promised to be called in few minutes 3 times for updates, that never happened, just for one appointment. When I told these to Josh, he just snapped loudly "I called you back this morning you are lying". Yes you did call once but if you listened to what I said instead of snapping immediately you would know that was not one of the 3 instances I listed. Anyway, people with short temper should not be in the service business. Needless to say, I paid my balance (without even presenting the discount coupons because I don't want to deal with any of these folks one more minute) and got presented somebody else's house keys attached to my car keys! What a fitting summary of the situation :) Also, $250 for changing cabin air filter? How is it $185 labor. It takes 90 seconds. And... when a customer is pointing out an issue, "no problem" is not the right response. What I am telling you is a problem for me hence I am telling you. What do you mean "no problem"? Looking forward to owner Chris gaslighting me like he did to other negative reviews (have fun reading them, they are entertaining). read more

Amazing, they are professional, knowledgeable, great communication, fast, and excellent prices.

I went to the shop for years to take care of my 1998 Porsche Boxster. Last time I went there, it seemed it was an all new staff, consisting of people who didn't know what they were doing and people who were working to rip me off. Really sad to lose this excellent resource , but definitely recommend avoid them. read more

These guys are money. I stopped into the shop for something unrelated to repair. You can tell they more their stuff for German vehicles. Don't waste your time and money going to the dealer. Check these guys out! read more

Beat dealer prices on recommended repairs in a timely and transparent fashion - highly recommend!

They Do Not Honor 3-Year Warranty I am extremely disappointed with the service I received. I scheduled an appointment and was never informed that the service I needed had been "discontinued." Instead, I was told the evening before my appointment that it was suddenly cancelled. That level of communication is unacceptable and highly unprofessional. What makes this worse is that I have a confirmed 3-year warranty. When I asked about honoring that warranty, instead of receiving a clear and respectful explanation, I was met with dismissiveness and ultimately felt threatened during the conversation. No customer should ever feel intimidated simply for asking about coverage they were told they have. If a business offers warranties, they should stand behind them. Canceling appointments last minute, failing to disclose discontinued services upfront, and responding to legitimate warranty questions with hostility reflects very poorly on how this company operates. I would strongly caution others to get everything in writing and think carefully before relying on their warranty promises. My experience was stressful, unprofessional, and completely avoidable. read more

I have never used these guys but I noticed that they leave customer vehicles out overnight in the neighborhood and honestly I wouldn't want my car parked overnight on the street. I don't understand this... they have a large parking lot yet they still seem to have like 10-15 cars parked in the neighborhood. I heard other neighbor's complain to the owner but they just don't seem to care. read more

I'm back with another review. Yerp. This time needed to have major work done on my car. She was acting a bit funny, then she had the equivalent of a Fred Sanford, but for REAL. I find the folks at GAS to be honest, respectful, and direct. My experience is that they are down to answer any questions I have and are good about communication. The repair was handed quickly and I'm grateful. read more

Solid and passionate are the operatives that comes to mind when I think of German Auto Sport. This establishment genuinely cares about ensuring their customers receive competent, timely service. Kevin is personable, exemplary at customer service and goes above and beyond the call of duty on this front. It helps them a great deal if an auto owner is COMPLETELY transparent with feedback and details, enabling timely repair solutions, even if one 'screws up' like I did with my 2005 Audi. Stuff eventually fails--this is just the nature of mechanical devices. This shop is my mos-def go-to shop for peace of mind. read more

2013 Porsche Boxster S This is my second negative review of German Auto Sport. They did some of the 40K mile service on the car for $1,500 (didn't replace spark plugs nor flush the brakes - don't know why they didn't do the flush). The oil change interval is 10,000 miles or 1 year, whichever comes first, but they put a little sticker on my windshield stating that I needed to come back in after *5,000* miles or 1 year. I do not trust these guys and they are expensive. They, along with the dealerships, charge $1,000 to replace the 6 spark plugs. For that $$ I bought some QuickJacks, a few tools, and for $28.44 worth of OEM Bosch spark plugs (Bosch FGR-5-NQE-04 at $4.74 each) (Or, you can buy the exact same spark plug in a "Porsche Genuine Parts" box for $26.50 each !!) (Or, you can buy Denso Iridium-Platinum spark plug for $10.50 each or purchase them in a Porsche box for $90.00 each !!). There are lots of videos about how to work on your Porsche on-line so if you're at all mechanically inclined, do the work yourself. BTW, because of the car's age there are some additional services necessary - drive belt, manual transmission fluid, etc - that the Porsche dealership will charge me $5,000 to do, so for a couple of hundred $$ I'm doing them myself. I don't want to pay the "Porsche Tax" !! read more

I have been taking my 2013 VW GTI there for the last couple of years. At first I was skeptical, but with each new visit my trust in them grows. For me they have always been fair, reasonable and competent. I recommend them. read more

I was a loyal customer for a while and initially satisfied with the service. But that changed after my friend's car was taken for an unauthorized joyride -- it came back with a ton of extra miles and fuel used. When she rightfully complained, she was met with disrespect instead of accountability. After looking at other recent reviews, it's clear this isn't an isolated incident. Unprofessional behavior and a serious lack of integrity have caused this business to go downhill fast. I can no longer recommend them. read more

These guys are competent and their prices are lower than the ones you typically see in dealerships. But they are also FRIENDLY. They display one of the nicest, most helping spirits I've seen in an auto repair shop. Highly recommended. David read more

Chris and his team did an excellent job with my Mercedes GL. Great place, highest quality work. Would recommend to anyone! read more

Like other customers, I also wish I could give zero stars. I wish I had read the negative reviews more closely before I decided to go to this shop. If you have a good experience, good for you. I had to get my insurance involved and tow my car to my dealer after they damaged my vehicle after attempting a very simple wire repair. I was lied to and treated with disrespect by multiple staff and the owner, and the shop drove my car without my permission -- and then taunted me after I called them on it. They threatened to call the police on me on multiple occasions. I told them I lost trust, and no longer wanted them touching my car to finish the repair. FYI, they do not have the legal right to insist on finishing a repair. I suggest following up with the California Bureau of Automotive Repair if you have a bad experience, and pursue mediation and remediation. read more

Good people knowledgeable staff and very patient Im an Ups driver and the treated me very well Kevin is a top flight staff member and I highly recommend their service! read more

Took my m4 in for an oil change and talked with the guys at length. Very friendly and knowledgeable. Oil change took a little longer than I anticipated but the price was fair and I'd go back. read more

Chris and his team know their stuff. Handled everything with extreme care and detail and were very knowledgeable of German cars. I brought my e36 m3 and boy was she in great hands. Chris gave me lots of recommendations and it did not feel like anything was forced but it was great info to know for the future!!! Can't wait to be back, great shop in general read more

IF I COULD GIVE THIS PLACE ZERO STARS I WOULD. BMW 335i 2015 (109,xxx) I had two repairs done here in December 2024 and January 2025. I was in communication by phone and text messages with Kevin Azmoudeh (service manager). I went into the shop on Tuesday, 1/21 to speak with Kevin regarding the miscommunication on his end and where the ball dropped on the services on my car. I spent over $5,000 in the last two months and for some reason they decided not to tell me that the entire work they did on my engine ($3400+) did not include adding engine oil when there was a oil leak, and the entire work on my front breaks did not include brake fluid ($1700+) - so they left the light on and didn't even tell me that either. He replied with every question I had with " I don't know, I don't know" "I don't know I'm just the service manager, I don't know". I requested to speak to the owner (Chris), he said he was on vacation. I requested to speak with a technician and he said NO. I continued to ask why he (Kevin) is being so rude and will not assist me with the questions I have, he told me that "it's not a big deal GET OVER IT, your car needs service big deal." I let him know i was going to contact my bank regarding this mess and how rude he was - and I left. He followed me outside yelling at me saying " if you think you're going to reverse the charges you are wrong". I told him i never said that. He started yelling at me through the business gate, I told him to stop talking to me and to leave me alone as I was calling for help because he wouldn't stop yelling at me. He continued to yell at me and harass and taunt me through the gate waiving his arms and hands in the air screaming at me saying "what are you gonna do, what are you gonna do?!? ohhh I'm scared of you what are you going to do?!" I said leave me alone!! and got in my car to drive away. I was completely shaken up and could not understand how a "Service Manager" could treat a customer like this as I left in tears. I was told I would get a call from the owner and still have not received a call. If you are a woman you will most likely get harrassed and taunted by a man named Kevin Azmodeh - good luck. read more

It's interesting that it has only taken 3 months for GAS and Chris to offer a comment, never had the curtesy to respond or contact me once directly. Delay, denial, be aggressive and never apologize! Another Roy Cohn mentee? Misinformation and distraction are the play here. All the blames on Frank are total fabrication. (We all need to teach our children to be honest and we will sleep well at night.) The truth is Frank never worked on my car. Frank's only mistake was recommending me to go and seek help from GAS. For those who have read this far, I received a refund of the entire Credit Card transaction with GAS. I guess I can also say that if my claim was not valid, that would have not been the case. But if anyone is still interested, we can all await the review/investigation of the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR). At the end of the day, I view this as a business transaction. Since the transaction has been fully reversed, in a sense, voided, I really have nothing to complain about. Perhaps what's left are: Honesty and integrity are virtues we can choose to uphold. What goes around comes around. Good day! read more

Very odd experience. Pros: super easy to book online; and I like that they provide free lyfts/ubers Cons: had a family friend (who is also a master technician) review the diagnosis and ask followup questions. When our friend called, Chris wouldn't have a discussion and then refused to continue working on our car. This family friend is from out of town and was our way of trying to assess what was mandatory since we really didn't want to drop $4k. So not sure what happened here, but figured I'd flag the facts for others for them to make their own decision. No hard feelings; left more confused than anything else... read more

Friendly, thorough service you can trust. These guys won't diagnose unnecessary repairs like some shops. Their work is guaranteed. I feel confident entrusting my aging VW to them and I've used them for years. read more

Stopped in here last week with the intention of scheduling a diagnosis on high CO and to fix an oil leak on my car. I spoke with a nice tech/service writer at the desk and asked to schedule my 89 3 Series. The tech was very friendly and helpful, but stated that they are no longer taking customers with vehicles older than 2004, despite having several older vehicles out front. I was referred to another shop locally, who was also very helpful, but willing to take on the work. read more

I was referred to German Auto Sport by Zentrum Motors because they couldn't service my car in a reasonable time period. When I called German Auto Sport, I spoke to Josh, who very professional, informed me they had 5 techs and were a small shop, yet scheduled my appointment for an oil change on my Audi the next day. When I dropped my car off at 10am , I spoke to the Manager, Kevin and he scheduled an Uber to drop me at work, which I thought was very nice, considering they are a small shop. I was informed my car would be ready by 5pm. I received a text my car was ready at 1pm. While en route, Kevin texted me to see if I needed an Uber. I responded I was on the way so no worries. Customer service was excellent and professional. I would definitely return. read more

Went in yesterday as Chris had asked me to come around 3 O'clock. Jonathan was sitting on the left side of the table. I asked him I've come for an quick inspection as the guy on the right who sits there has asked me to bring my car (at the time I could not recollect Chris's name) so I also asked him who sat there. Jonathan was the rudest customer facing person I might have come across in Berkeley. Not only did he keep dismissing me, said he does not know whom I am talking about, refused to check my car, said we need appointment and was just unprofessionally rude and dismissive of any word that came out of my mouth. Not sure why owner Chris has him still around. read more

I called German auto sport and Kevin was fantastic on the phone. Super eager to please and helpful. I then popes by to check on an issue as well and he was even more fantastic. They care about service and definitely want to help. It's nice to see such pride amongst their work and service. You don't get that support very often anymore. Thanks Kevin! read more

Really appreciated the care and attention given in diagnosing and servicing my MINI. After my previous mechanic shop went out of business, I found myself in need of a new place to go quickly and thankfully I remembered seeing German Auto Sports. So grateful to find someone to trust! read more

Absolutely impressed and thankful I took my ActiveX 5 hybrid here to get serviced. I ended up getting a lot of things done, but they were very honest and showed photos and proof of what was happening. They had an Uber to drop me off at home, since it was going to take a few days to fix. My car has never run better. The rates were as reasonable as you are going to get for BMW repair. The service was slightly below dealership, but the work and service was infinitely better than the nightmare that is the local Berkeley BMW factory dealership. Happy to have found German Auto Sport, and it's where my car will go from now on . read more

This shop was busy. Maybe it is okay for very simple repairs to relatively new BMWs but I had the absolute worst car repair experience of my life with this shop. I have a VW Jetta TDI. I brought it in and they seemed extremely confident that they would be able to fix it. They'd get back to me with an estimate they said. Two days went by and nothing. I checked in and they said they needed more time and additional labor hours to get a full diagnosis. Um, what? From there they held my car hostage for a full week and I had to pay $250 just to free it from their clutches, in pieces. After taking the interior paneling etc apart they did not want to put it back together and would have charged me more to do that. I later learned the reason why (note foreshadowing). So I brought it and all its pieces (hoping I still had them all), bird poop now all over the hood, to a shop down the street. That shop did their best to fix it but German Auto Sport did some significant damage. The problem appeared to be with the air blend box or air blend box actuator, which AI could tell me by my plugging in my description of the problem into my web browser. So I already had some idea of what the problem might be. The shop down the street quickly concurred independently on the diagnosis, and replaced the blend box door and bracket but unfortunately the cable leading to the internal panel controller had been badly bent such that my dial control can no longer be turned all the way to cold or I run the risk of a full cable break. A two-week lead time to get a new part for the cable and replacing is a significant repair in terms of labor because it requires dismantling the dash. I don't have this time, especially after my car was trapped for a full week at German Auto Sport. The diagnosis I was forced to pay $250 for to get my car out of there and prevent further damage to it is 100% wrong. No the vacuum pump does not need replacement. No the air conditioning compressor and dryer are fine. The timing belt and water pump do not need to be replaced. Nothing about the actual problem (the air blend box) in the diagnosis. It's like they just put the most expensive and extreme things they could think of on the list. If I had had the work done for these items the bill would have been well over $6000. It is simply ridiculous. So to wrap this all up, the reason they returned it to me with all the panelling off and the interior in pieces on the front passenger floor is because they roughly ripped it off such that they broke the plastic fittings. It could no longer be put back in place securely anymore. The shop down the street had to drill additional holes and use screws to re-attach it. Ugly. And since retrieving it from German Auto Sport, there is now a traction problem which I'll have to have looked at when I reach my final destination. After witnessing all the damage done, the shop that saved me (repaired in a total of two days) suggested that this case was extreme enough I should consider reporting to the BBB. I am mulling that over because I fear for future customers like me. I don't ordinarily write uncomplimentary reviews. I would prefer to stay quiet and say nothing rather than potentially hurt someone else's business, but I feel like I need to say something on this one. VW owners should beware and take heed. Do not take your car here to be repaired. It may be returned to you more permanently damaged than you could have ever imagined. read more

Been coming here for a few years now and always know my cars are being well taken care of. Their thorough inspections also gave me great peace of mind before I purchase my two current vehicles. Chris and Alex are very friendly and transparent. Highly recommend taking your German vehicles here! read more

It has always been a pleasant experience taking my BMW to German Auto Sports for service. I know I can always trust the store. The store manager Alex is the best. The dealer told me that my car's breaks need to be replaced when the service light came on. I took my car into German Auto Sports today. Alex inspected my car then told me there were still thousands miles left on the breaks which will last for a couple of months. He also patiently showed me how to find out all that maintenance information from my car's computer. I saved $800 on the breaks today. I've used their service for years. It's great to not have to pay a fortune for dealer service. Instead, I can trust this local store. read more

This is a classic nice guy vibe kinda place that has no problem charging you $1000 dollars more than any other shop. They quoted me on two different repairs that were $1000 cheaper at three different reputable places in the area. When I questioned them, they admitted they overcharged me $1000 but will only give me $500 back if I take down my bad review. If you have a plethora of money and don't mind spending about an extra 1k for repairs this is a great convenient place to go. I am a nurse with integrity, something they are lacking. So here is my mediocre review. Accountability is important. read more