I wanted to love this shop, but since John just hung up for me after I called him about a glitch happening with Mini Cooper's window (again) since my fuel pump was replaced (again ... same thing happened the first time related to resetting codes or something). The good news is they replaced my fuel pump for free when my gas gauge wasn't showing how much gas I actually had (and left me stranded on a road trip). But communicating with John was always a challenge. I concur with the previous reviewer about phone etiqutte, demeanor and willingness to share information. For me a simple question usually got a defensive reply as if every question was an attack. I learned to walk on eggshells while trying to hold my ground and get the service I felt I deserved. (I paid them a LOT of money.) I had decided after this latest issue was resolved, I was going to move on to another shop. I probably wouldn't be writing this review if John hadn't literally hung up on me when I told him my window was opening an inch every time I unlocked the car and opened the door since picking up my car again. He cut me off and said I should find another shop because I have too many complaints (my questions?? wanting my car to not die on the side of the road when the fuel pump they replaced failed or wasn't installed properly?) And before I could say a word he hung up. read more

Expensive Battery Replacement: overpriced labor and material. I brought my 2020 Tiguan in for a battery replacement. I was required to do a $95 inspection first, which I agreed to so they could diagnose any underlying issues. They determined it was just the battery. However, the final bill came to over $530! While I appreciate that they tested the alternator to ensure the charging system was working properly, and I understand labor costs vary, this pricing seemed excessive ($300 for battery). The same Interstate battery retails for $179 at Costco. Even accounting for overhead and profit, a $120+ markup on the battery plus $200 in labor for what should be 30-45 minutes of work felt steep. The work was completed and the battery is working fine, but I wish I had shopped around more and took the warning signs of the defensiveness of the shop owner when trying to get a cost estimate prior to agreeing to pay for the inspection. Also, it was surprising that a veteran owned business did not offer any military discount. read more

I called to get a quote on a transfer case service (fluid and filter change). I explained that I was calling several shops to compare prices as well as familiarity with the specific job on my model. I wanted to know some basics: 1) what type of fluid does your shop use to fill the transfer case, 2) are you familiar with the challenges of this specific service on this specific model, 3) can you give me an estimate of the cost. The individual I spoke with asked, "why are you trying to find the cheapest price"? The answer to that question is obvious, so I'm not sure why that would even be asked, but I explained anyway that I wasn't necessarily looking for the cheapest price but comparing prices and knowledge of the job. Rather than give me the information I asked about, he took my number and said he'd call me back but never did. It's been about a week. What I found strange was the sense that the person on the phone sounded offended that someone would ask for information about basic items like cost and procedural details. Phone etiquette and demeanor were bad, so was transparency and willingness to share information. There was also no follow through. I can't accurately judge the quality of work done at this shop, because given the experience I wouldn't trust this shop to touch my car. I spoke with 4 other shops, including the Mercedes-Benz dealership. Everyone else was willing to give me a cost estimate, share details about the specific fluid they use for the service, and offer insights into their familiarity (or lack there of) with this procedure. In the end, I did not go with "the cheapest price" but was willing to spend a little bit more at a shop that was able to communicate, showed knowledge of the procedure, and used the proper type of fluid for the fill. read more

1/5 - Save Your Money and Avoid This Shop at All Costs! I had the absolute worst experience at German Motorwerks , and I'm writing this review to warn others so they don't fall into the same trap I did. This place is a complete rip-off, with incompetent service and zero accountability. Here's the nightmare I went through: I brought my car in for a brake issue, hoping for a straightforward fix. First, they slapped me with a $200 diagnostic fee, which already felt excessive for what I assumed would be a quick check. After the "diagnosis," they claimed they knew the issue and charged me $300 to fix it. I trusted them and paid, only to find out the brakes were still acting up. The problem wasn't fixed at all! When I brought it back, the mechanic had the audacity to say, "Oh, we know the real problem now," as if the first repair was just a guess. This time, they charged me $600 for another supposed fix. Spoiler alert: that didn't work either. At this point, I'd sunk $1,000 into this shop for absolutely nothing but a still-broken car and a whole lot of frustration. To make matters worse, their negligence led to a dangerous situation. While driving, my wheel caught on fire because of the unresolved brake issue! I was terrified, and it's a miracle I wasn't hurt. When I confronted them about this disaster, they showed no remorse whatsoever. No apology, no offer of a refund, nothing. Their only response? "Just take it to BMW." Unbelievable. I followed their advice and took my car to a BMW dealership, where they diagnosed the issue in no time: a sticky brake caliper. They fixed everything for $400--less than half of what I paid this shop for zero results. The BMW team was professional, efficient, and actually knew what they were doing. This shop is a textbook example of incompetence and greed. They overcharge for diagnostics, misdiagnose problems, and string you along with fake "fixes" while taking no responsibility for their mistakes. My car could've been fixed for $400 from the start, but instead, I was out $1,000 and nearly had a catastrophic accident because of their negligence. Save your time, money, and sanity--do not go to this shop. Take your car to a reputable mechanic or dealership instead. I wish I had. read more

I love this place. I've taken my Volvo to them many times. I had been trying to get maintenance done at Jiffy Lube prior to finding this place, and it was like night and day in terms of the service level and the attention/care I got here. John and his son truly care about making sure I'm taken care of. I'm a customer for life. read more

I owe the folks at German Motorwerks a big thank you. My son drove his BMW X4 up from LA to Monterey and it started to break down as he arrived late on a Friday. A friend went on Yelp and found German Motorwerks and so my son took it there right before closing. The criticism one reviewer left about "etiquette" and "demeanor" in my book is called "straight talk." And that's how John spoke to me, a concerned dad, and my son. He explained how he couldn't get to the car till Monday, and when he did, he made sure everything was checked and addressed thoroughly. John and his mechanic left no stone unturned and knowing my son's situation, he genuinely did all he could to get the car fixed as quickly as possible. I really appreciate the work, the fair pricing, and the straight talk. read more

Greg and his team are amazing. Reliable, thorough, and professional. Definitively I'll bring my car here again. read more

This guy is off his nut wanted 375+ to change a window regulator in the rear passenger. Way over priced for a 30 minute job. That's without part. Nuts do it yourself for way less! read more

John and his son, Paul, are the best mechanics I have dealt with in 5 states I have lived. They are passionate and knowledgable about german motor brands and are incredibly honest. I have a 2016 M235i and have gone back to them for various tasks like brake replacement, a broken coolant hose issue and other preventative maintenance. I tend to err on the side of caution and try to get all kinds of preventative maintenance planned based on what I read on forums but they are very practical and knowledgable about these engines and what should be delayed and what should be prioritized. They are always honest about their pricing and quite quick on their turn around time. I highly suggest them as your german motor mechanics in the area! read more

Want to give a big shout out to John and team at German MotorWerks in Pacific Grove. We woke up Friday morning to head to The Quail and the battery in our Audi R8 was completely dead and wouldn't hold a charge. After calling several other places that were giving us the "Car Week" up charge to repair, John took us in and replaced our battery. He even offered to keep the car secured and safe overnight as he knew we were gonna be at Quail all day. He came in on Saturday (while he's normally closed) for us to pickup the car. Super nice, fair priced, and great service. read more

German Motorwerks - Auto Repair Near Me - Pacific Grove, California

While driving to Monterey Bay from Los Angeles, my '94 Golf started making a "leaking noise" whenever l accelerated. It's an old vehicle I'm restoring and I thought it would take me up north without a problem. When I arrived around 4pm, I went to a couple of shops that were either appointment only or fully booked until next week. German Autowerks was my last hope and even though they were closing up, John told me to come the following day when they opened. I arrived, John immediately diagnosed my car, and charged me less than a normal diagnosis fee. If you are visiting and need a wise mechanic and honest business, this is your place. Thanks John for your help! read more

I wish I could give more than 5 stars. I am from out of town and am extremely wary of trying a new mechanic given the way the auto repair business can be. I needed to because a problem was preventing me from driving home. I called my shop and described the problem - they did a speculative diagnosis and said to get a local shop to hook it up and tell me the error code. German Motorworks were in no way offended by this request and appreciated that I had a shop where I wanted to verify. My shop told me that everything German Motorworks had done and said was 100% correct and fairly priced. I gave them the green light and they turned it around in a day and I was back on the road. It is hard to go wrong with a father and son team in the neighborhood who have been around a long time - these guys are highly recommended. read more

John and Paul come to the rescue!!! After going to 2 other shops I finally found very helpful professionals! They definitely made me feel like part of the family and would check up on me and the performance of my car. In my over 20 years of active military service I can honestly say this was the best auto service I've had and wished that this shop was everywhere I was stationed. Bottom line up front: they are genuine and will help you get you issues resolved. They will offer solid advice and will steer you in the right direction. read more

We brought in my wife's Volkswagen Eos after it was having some engine service warnings. They were honest and attentive. They got back to us later that same day with the diagnosis and did not try to sell us any extra services. It's sometimes hard to find good service for imports in this part of town and certainly can be a bit sketchy to drive too far for service when a warning kicks on. Good spot. read more

Always excellent service. Quick and inexpensive repair on my 2011 Mini's clutch. Provided superior service to my father VW camper van. And most recently, great over the phone advice regarding the same Mini (not related to the clutch). My go to for German car issues read more

Great business. John and Paul are knowledgeable, no nonsense Mechanics that I feel comfortable taking my car to.

John is very honest. I've had my VW Vanagon with him several times and he's always helped me keep costs down. He's let me purchase my own parts and has never pressured me about anything. He's practical and he's a fixer. read more

Looking for trustworthy mechanics to fix your German auto? Go here! John and Paul are kind, knowledgeable, and attentive. Steering on my car went awry as we drove into a parking lot and we looked up and saw German Motorwerks' sign. Timing couldn't have been better. They took our car on the spot, quickly assessed the problem (a bent tire rod), and turned around the repair in a day. Highly recommend! read more

Brought in my 1991 Vanagon as it was starting hard when it rains. Was quoted $220.00 (!) for a diagnostic. Told him I had a new engine, and that the problem was probably in the fuel injection adjustments. He returned the car 2 days later, and it wouldn't even run! Had to have it towed to our place in Pebble Beach. When I called John, he told me it was better than when I dropped it off, which was a lie. In addition, he wasted my money and his time by doing a compression check (on a new engine), finding every little thing wrong with the car that had NOTHING to do with the problem I had, such as a leaky muffler, a new fuel and air filter, oversize tires, etc. THEN he says the spark plug gaps were too big, but replaced them without correcting the gap! Last, he said the ignition timing was off and set it to such a retarded position that the van wouldn't run! This was all confirmed by the competent shop I had the car towed to, D&K VW in Soquel. The mechanic there couldn't believe his eyes at the poor quality of service I had received! To make matters worse, John lied to the credit card company that he had offered to give me my money back, and said I refused! Yeah, that's right, you get screwed by a dishonest mechanic and then refuse to take your money back! This man doesn't have both oars in the water. At the end of the day I lost my transportation for a week, paid for 2 towing charges, and after all that it turned out to be a defective coil, something my competenet mechanic figured out in 20 minutes. This is the kind of experience that gives all auto repair shops a bad name. Use them at your own risk! read more

We have been loyal clients of German Motorwerks for many years. We take both of our VW Jettas to John and Paul for all maintenance and repair. They always alert us to any upcoming work so we can plan ahead and budget for big repairs. We love these guys and will probably buy our next car based on their recommendation. Thanks for the great work - we'll see you soon read more

This place was great! John helped me get my daughter's VW fixed FOR HALF THE ESTIMATE!! Truly amazing and I am truly grateful. Highly recommended and I will take my business to German Motorwerks again. read more

Working on old cars is risky business. There is always the possibility of more than one thing wrong with the car, and the noise you heard isn't coming from what the mechanic fixes, but does help the car live longer. They replaced a part which was worn, but the noise persisted. My long time mechanic back in Sonoma also diagnosed the issue as the same that German Motorwerks did. Four stars for customer service and knowledge! Go here if you don't know much about the car, and want an honest mechanic who will explain exactly where and why. (I do know a lot about my make and model, been driving a 325 '87 since 2006, but being a woman whereas many women are unsure of car terms, I appreciated them assuming I would need further explanation) One less star because of the replaced part was not what was making the noise. I recently moved away from Monterey and would have gone back for another inspection if still living there because of the service. I would recommend them to others because they were recommended to me, and they are knowledgeable and got my car repaired quickly. Though it did not fix the actual noise, they did replace another part that was going soon enough. read more

GMW has serviced my Mini for two years now. I'm very happy with their work, and they in turn put up with my aftermarket performance parts quest to make it faster and corner better. Thanks Guys read more

Made an appointment after talking to John about my car troubles. Easy drop off, lots of communication as far as my car facts and options. Car fixed, running great and turnover was great as far as getting my car back. Highly recommend! read more

I have taken my volvo to John since DAY 1. I trust him 110%. The car is a year 2000 - running perfect.

Mike K. John & Paul have been maintaining my BMW and VW for the last 10+ years. My 2000 528i with 128K miles was recently serviced and now has a clean bill of health for at least another 50,000 miles of worry free driving. If you have a VW or BMW and want a long term relationship with a maintenance garage that will be honest with you about any repairs that require immediate attention or can be postponed these two guys are the right people to talk to about your car. read more

Not happy with the results of the work done on my car and especially unhappy with the arrogant and condescending manner John answered my inquiry. I spent $480 to have the coolant pump replaced and coolant refilled on my VW. On the ride HOME the coolant light kept flashing and the coolant alarm kept going on and off. Same problem as before. The next day the warning alarm stayed on and I couldn't drive the car. I called John immediately to tell him the alarm was still sounding. He had told me I might need a new water pump and this is what he kept saying over and over again, along with, "I told you you needed more diagnoses, but you wouldn't listen to me. I can't force people to do what I say!" The car is in worse shape than it was when I brought it in! He also kept repeating how I clearly wasn't understanding what he was talking about and maybe I had a problem understanding!!!! All I know is I brought the car in to have something specific repaired and it came back in worse shape than when I brought it in. John took no responsibility, instead kept talking over me, telling me how it was my fault for not listening. Arrogant, condescending, overpriced rip off! I will never go to this place again. I recommend none of you do either. Unless, of course, you enjoy being ripped off and insulted. read more

Really glad to have met these guys. They've been really helpful restoring my 87 Vanagon Syncro -- new cooling system, suspension, hoses, brakes, headlights, and more. Both John and Paul know these vehicles really well and take the time to explain their work. Their work was finished on-time (as long as the parts were available). read more

I highly recommend German Motorwerks. They gave us reasonable estimates to revive our 2003 convertible beetle. They did the work in a professional, very timely manner and the car is alive again! It is now running great and they did not exceed their estimates. John and son are very informative, honest and great mechanics! thanks guys! read more

I recently bought a VW Vanagon and in true form for a 27 year old vehicle, it needed some work done. The word of mouth reputation for this shop is what influenced me to try them out. When my power steering system began to seep moisture I took it in. They let me know that the entire system should be replaced. The pump was old and the hoses were bad too. The cost for parts was expensive and they let me know ahead of time and i did the research to confirm the right parts were being ordered and the best available. I got the van back quickly. These guys know their stuff and use only the highest quality parts. Whenever I have concerns about a do it yourself project I'm doing they are always helpful with advice. If you're looking for good work done quick and with best available parts, this is your shop. read more

I rolled into town for a work conference and upon my arrival my BMW sprung a leak. I did a quick Yelp search and found German Motorwerks just around the corner. I called up to see if they had time to fix my car and he said to bring it over. I dropped it off and John at the counter took care of everything else. I went back to work and my car was fixed by the end of the day. I felt that John was very honest with his diagnosis and cost to repair my car and made what could have been a car repair nightmare and completely frictionless experience. If I lived in Monterrey I'd keep taking my car back for regular service. Thanks John! read more

Just wanted to post again. I moved out of the Monterey area and one of the hardest things is losing German Motorwerks. I took my Beetle here for over 10 years. Great service, best mechanic I've had! Highly recommend to any German car owner. read more

We were recently in Carmel on vacation, and our BMW threw a "Check Engine" light and started idling pretty rough. This happened on a Friday afternoon, we called both the local BMW dealership and this shop, and John offered to get the car in for diagnostics that afternoon so we'd atleast have an idea of what the problem was. Turns out we had a bad ignition coil, and also needed new spark plugs. John had the parts ordered right away, and had the car repaired first thing Monday morning (shop's closed on the weekend). Our cost was within $2 of their estimate, and the car ran perfectly after we picked it up. There were some other items that needed repair on the car, and instead of pushing us to repair everything he found (like the dealership tends to do), John only went after the "must-fix" items, so we could get home and have our local car guy work through the rest. Seems like a small, honest shop, very down-to-earth, and a much better customer service experience than we tend to get at the dealerships. These guys turned a potential headache into a non-issue for us, which made the rest of our weekend a bit more stress-free. Would highly recommend. read more

I have taken my VW in here two times now (for different issues,) John and his staff were great. I never felt like they were talking down to, or taking advantage of me in any way. In the first instance, they seemed legitimately happy to have found a very minor issue with a clip coming off the linkage to the transmission - and were even happier when they found the clip and snapped it back in place. Cannot recommend this shop or this staff highly enough! read more

My '87 Westfalia needed a tow out of Big Sur because of an oil pressure alarm, and I took it to here because of good Yelp reviews. John O. was friendly and knowledgeable, knew the problem and best solution. Although I had to leave it (expected), they did a good job and had it ready a day after they got the part. I would definitely use them again for any Westy problem. read more

I have been a customer for more than five years, and John and his team have been consistently reliable, helpful, and kind. Repairs are done promptly, and he has even managed to arrange a ride when I needed one. My 2003 VW Bug is still running well, and I credit German Motorwerks for that because I am not a particularly good driver, nor do I pay much attention to auto maintenance. Thank goodness I get reminders! read more