In October 2025, I brought my Mercedes to IAS for an exhaust manifold replacement. When I picked it up, I found one of their tools still in mu engine compartment which should have been a sign. Everything was fine until I went to get my tires changed in March 2026. Three of my wheels came off with no issue but the one wheel that IAS had to take off to replace the exhaust manifold was severely over torqued. When I called to ask about this, they told me they didn't even have record of having my exhaust manifold replaced- they told me the only had a record of having my turbo replaced (which was never done). They also told me that the wheel was torqued to manufacture specification, however, no other shop or person worked on my car after IAS. I'm conflicted because it seems like they are capable of quality work but forget or slip up on the basics. read more

Exceptionally fast and friendly service for my Mercedes SUV. Will see you next time. Thank you very much! read more

It is hard enough going to a mechanic as a woman, without feeling taken advantage of, and I've continued to be disappointed with Import Auto Specialists the last few visits. This place has been beyond frustrating to deal with. They started really good, but I don't know if the staff changed or what but last 3-4 visits have not been good. 1) I brought my car in for a dash light notification of a faulty taillight, and they told me I needed an oil change even though I wasn't due for like 2,500 more miles. They always have something to upsell me on. At one point they even recommended a service to me that had just been done at my last visit WITH THEM. 2) the faulty taillight turned into 3 or 4 visits before they actually got it right (fingers crossed). Visit 1 they replaced the burnt-out bulb and upsold me to replace all the bulbs. Made sense. Dash light came on again. Visit 2, they tell me they put in the wrong type of bulb last time. They install "correct" bulb type. Dash comes on. Visit 3 they tell me it isn't a bulb issue and the whole taillight needs to be replaced. So, I do it. Dash comes on AGAIN! Since I needed an oil change anyways this time, I asked them to look at the taillight again. This was the most recent visit that turned me completely off them. 3) what started as an oil change and taillight inspection turned into $1,000 worth of work. When I picked my car up, I started to hear a noise coming from under my car. I was already almost home so I pulled over and discovered a piece of the car was dragging on the ground because they didn't bother to reattach it properly. I immediately reached out and told them i didnt feel safe or comfortable driving it back to the shop. They ended up towing it back to the shop the next day (now 2 days without my car) becuase they guy that was supposed to come to me to fix it called out sick. When they returned it, they expressed they were sorry and admitted the guy that worked on my car shouldnt return to their shop. They said they definitely owe me for the error and inconvenience which i appreciated. They offered to pay for my next oil change. When i requested they instead refund the cost of the oil change i just had, (same amount of money for them whether today or next visit) they had the audacity to say the issue was resolved because they paid for the tow truck, fixed their mistake and returned it back to me. What a joke. You mean the tow truck that only needed to be paid for because you made a lazy error?? I've given this place more than enough money and time and they still can't get such simple tasks right. They are obviously careless and supposed to be experts with luxury German cars. I wouldn't trust them to change a light bulb...oh wait. That also took 4 visits. Best part, they told me the "brand new" taillight had a burnt-out bulb again. Overall bad business, bad customer service, no loyalty. don't follow through with making it right. TL; DR: It is hard to find a trustworthy mechanic as a woman. I've had multiple frustrating experiences with Import Auto Specialists. They have made multiple mistakes including 4 visits for fixing a simple taillight issue and, leaving a part hanging and dragging under my car. Despite admitting fault to not properly attaching the piece under my car, they showed carelessness and lack of customer service to make it right. Overall, poor customer service and no loyalty when they are at fault--definitely wouldn't recommend them anymore. read more

Bill is a very honest and friendly manager. The service is great, quick, and reasonable. The team did a great job on servicing my car. I plan on returning to them as needed. read more

Convenient location and friendly staff without the upselling pressure at many other places, but there seem to have been some bad days for the mechanic(s). When asked to specifically evaluate the brakes (visit #1), the shop said that a fluid change was all that was needed. After about a day with the car for that and other work (visit #2), they said that more extensive brake pad(or something similar) work was needed (potential visit #3), suggesting an initial misdiagnosis and a good bit of time wasted. Also, a few hours after visit #2, the 'check engine' light came on. For the first time, a hose under the hood somehow became disconnected or was not connected back. read more

Bill is like family to us He protected me from an overcharge of around $800 from my previous repair people We have a disabled son and Bill makes sure that his van is always in tip top shape Plus my Kia Soul eats oil like I eat watermelon in the summer Bill makes sure my oil is refilled every 500 miles, other wise the car will expire and it is only eight years old Needless to say, I refer every friend and relative in San Diego to Bill Thank you Bill!!!! read more

there are wonderful folks to deal with. honest and on time and no bs I am now using them on all my cars. and could not be happier. ken h

Bill and his staff are very courteous, professional, and services are always done in a timely manner. Highly recommended!

Top notch service at fair prices ! always a pleasure dealing with Brian , Bill and the entire team , highly recommended !

Second time here with my Toyota and just as pleased as the first time. Just got an oil change and tire rotation, but they do a full inspection and come back with the things you might be needing in the next 1-2 visits. It's a really good experience and they do not come across as upselling at all. Nice people. I'll go back. read more

IF YOU WALK IN THE DOOR HERE YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN SCAMMED!! Spent 2.5k to get a cat converter replaced. 2 days later I got error codes (shown in photos) telling me my new cat converter was having issues. Take it back to the shop and because they "could only duplicate the misfires once" it was beyond their knowledge and abilities. WAIT? You just replaced it, why is there ANY issue?! Also strange because I am not a mechanic but am able to duplicate the issue every time. Maybe they are bad at their jobs? Seems likely. If the mechanic wasn't so nice by telling me on camera Bill lied to me, I would have given 0 stars. Then, Bill tried to get me to pay for his friend to come to the shop to charge me 250$ an hour to try to diagnose the issue (but refused to tell me the persons name or what special tool this man had that the shop was lacking). Why am I even bringing my to you in the first place? I should just cut out the middle man and take it a place that can fix it right THE FIRST TIME. Then as I go to pick up my car, we had to look for my key!! They keep your keys on the dashboard with the window rolled down, ripe for the picking for any of the 12 homeless people that live on the same block to take. I have videos of Bill saying "someone must have stolen you keys" but that it was "not his problem." Classy guy! This place is terrible. Do not trust the fake Yelp reviews from the worker's friends and family. Bill is dishonest and will try to swindle you (look through every other negative Yelp review, he always has an excuse for how it's not his fault). Maybe when you reply to this one you can try to take responsibility like a man Anyways save your time and money and take it to another shop! read more

Import Auto Specialists - Photos of errors codes AFTER new cat converter was put in - Auto Repair Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

These guys are very amazing at what they do. Very honest and quality work. Bill and his team over there are awesome. I would not even consider going anywhere else! read more

I come here to pick up their BG products. Most auto shops use their products but do not sell them to the public. I like to use BG cleaner treatment the EPR, the MOA oil additive and the 44k fuel treatment. The guy at the front is super friendly and hospitable. read more

The service on my Toyota truck included a oil change and a general inspection. The quality and the value I received for the work was top-notch same they did for my Honda Accord. I highly recommend import auto specialist for your auto maintenance and repair needs. read more

BOTTOM LINE - LIARS AND POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. I found this business through Yelp Cash Back offer. The advertised Yelp business was actually closed so I reported that to Yelp. They are operating under this name (now I see why). I drove out of my way to go to this shop. I needed a high pressure fuel pump. The guy that answered Brian was nice (up until there was an issue later). I asked him if it was an original Audi part, he said yes they use OEM parts. My car was still having an issue that the pump didn't fix. The Audi dealer informed me it was not an Audi part. They contacted their tech support who advised them to replace the part before further diagnosing. Brian has been telling me for 2 months that he'd replace the part. I called to make an appt for upcoming Monday and now it's an issue. Asked to speak to manager, Brian King. He wasn't apologetic or willing to stand by what his employee told me. They don't want to bite the cost so I get screwed. Maybe everything happens for a reason because I wouldn't want them to touch my car again. You get what you pay for. I think the manager is a rude jerk. I asked him to go half with me on a diagnosis. What's $40 to make a situation right and a happy customer and the opportunity to make money on repairs. And he said no. He said the part works and if it fails I'll replace it, 36k miles or 3 years, like he was reading from a text book. read more

Everything is always amazing with their team. They are responsive and very communicative. I will always take my car here and recommend others do this as well. read more

Took my LRD2 in for repairs. I was pleased with the thorough inspection and recommendations provided. Also their customer service and PR's are very nice. I definitely recommend you to take your vehicles to this shop. You will not be disappointed. Miguel read more

Came here following a neighbor's recommendation. Brought my Mercedes in for service and was amazed by the reasonable price and the incredible customer service. Bill was so nice and very transparent - miles away from that shady feeling some service centers give you, spooking you into thinking you may need a lot of extra work. Work was done the same day and on time as promised. The kicker - they even threw in a quick car wash for me! Wish all car shops were like this. Will definitely be recommending to all of my friends and family in San Diego. read more

Excellent communication and service from Bill and his team. He only fitted the parts needed and didn't just include others unnecessarily. Highly recommend and will use again. read more

Wow! Bill and his team gave my 1999 Volvo V70 wagon a thorough inspection and issued a report regarding its current condition. The report included photos of problem areas, recommended fixes on a 'as needed basis' and lots of other needed information. Transparency and TRUTHFUL are their motto. I agree wholeheartedly. Let the needed repairs begin. Rick read more

I asked for a diagnostic and import auto specialists took care of my needs and found the problem right away and at a great cost thank you IAS. read more

Thank you to Service Manager Bill and the Staff. Excellent Customer Service. Top Mechanics! I highly recommend bringing your vehicle here for service. We are very satisfied with the work to our vehicles. read more

I see some other negative reviews, and some of the negative reviews are overly negative with "customer fault, but blame the business"....In seeing that, and being a passionate business owner myself, I am happily writing this review. Came in for an Oil Change for 2014 Mercedes E250 Bluetec. I was able to call, and schedule an appointment. They were able to fit me in the next day, even though I was not expecting that. Bill at front desk was friendly, and helpful. Plus I know his cousin, (small world). I actually was running late per my appt time of 8am, and they checked in to see if I was still coming, and still accommodated me being late for an appointment. In at 10am, out at 3pm. Perfectly in line with expectations. Total Cost including taxes and fees: $207.99 I really like: 1) They report to Carfax 2) They use LiquiMoly oil here 3) Provide a thorough review of your car, sent via text message 4) can email a receipt/invoice 5) Have a system where you can track your car service history All of these things combined justify a 5 star review. GENERAL OPINION: With automobile service and repair you have to acknowledge a few things: 1) Costs on materials have risen recently 2) Licensed and Trained Automibile Mechanics know more than you do 3) Get quotes before agreeing to service 4) Get secondary opinions/quotes 5) Manufacturer has recommendation on service intervals....but there is real world experience that may say that you should change your oil and fluids more often depending on driving conditions. If a shop makes a recommendation for service sooner than the manufacturer calls for, that isn't a shop trying to "steal" from you. One of our cars is a 2016 BMW X5 40e, a PHEV. These cars have a lot of engine starts and stops, plus, we use that car for short trips, lots of them. All of those starts and stops tax the oil. Waiting for the Manufacturer 10,000 miles would put us 2 years out based on us driving less than 5000 miles a year in that car... so the smart thing is to change the oil more frequently....so we do AT LEAST every year, more like 6-9 month intervals. Thanks for doing a great job on a simple service. I will come back again. read more

Bill was great in getting me a quote, and took the car in and received a very detailed report. Very responsive to my questions and kept me well informed. I Highly recommend them over a dealer. read more

Drive shaft seperated because mechanic reused stretch bolts and didn't follow mfr torque specifications. Clutch repair was solid but reassembly of drive train was done with old bolts and an impact driver instead of with new fasteners and a torque wrench. One drive shaft separated outside NAPA warranty period while every drive shaft to transmission bolt on both shafts were loose. Hub/axle bolts were also well below mfr spec. Inspection missed that the inner cv casing was punctured in separation incident. Fwiw NAPA warranty DOES NOT COVER negligent reassembly of components not replaced in repair. Out cost of towing, replacement of drive shaft and hassle of having a disabled vehicle and repairing their mistakes myself. The clutch repair itself was inexpensive but after factoring in additional expenses and lost work it would have been cheaper to repair at the dealership. ****response to response***** Their assessment and rebuttal to my review was very misleading and inaccurate but is consistent with why I posted the review. They are dismissive of the situation that was quite obviously dismissive of a problem that was caused by a mistake made by their mechanic. I appreciate mistakes happen and would have given them a glowing review if they had stepped up and made it right. Per Brian, their previous shop manager/ service writer the shop did not follow the factory mandated replacement of the bolts. He afirmed that the assembly conjecture was the likely cause. The car sat idle 6 months after the initial repair then the drive shafts separated almost immediately outside of mileage warranty 6 months later.   At the time I was more dismayed at the limits of the NAPA warranty and how they completely dismissed me and the shop for such an obvious at fault failure. I have been driving forover 20 years and have hundreds of thousands of miles and have both replaced and had shops replace cv/drive shafts and I have never had one separate let alone have all the bolts on both axles come loose 6 months after servicing them. As for the current status,  yes,  it is 3 years later and after having a torn outerboot  that I replaced,  I found small amounts of grease splattered around the inner mount while reassembling which exposed the hole in the inner cover and required a complete shaft replacement. Brian, the owner, was kind enough to dismiss the damaged axle as my problem. read more

Bill and the team have been fantastic.. Oil, brakes and a bunch of tlc. I appreciate that the document everything that they find, they communicate clearly before work is done and they were helpful in finding solutions that saved me money. I feel like I've been treated fairly and will happily return and recommend to friends and family. read more

Perfect care. I am 20 and have an old car and they did not speak to me like I was a child, helped explain to me how to check my oil, and all were so helpful and kind! I cannot recommend this place enough. We spoke with 4 different men and all of them were nothing short of amazing! read more

I was very impressed with the open transparrent way that I AS conducts business. I was given an undercarage tour of my car and was emailed digital photos with recommendation notes that made it easy for me to see the issues. Much better than waiting in a dealer waiting room to hear a third person account of the issues. Because I was getting a second opinion on work I had already paid Carmax to perform, I only got a courtesy inspection at no charge today, There was no sales pressure at all, just transparency. I will most certainly be doing busness with IAS from now on. Thank you. Also, a short walk to Starbucks, Chipotle grill, Mackey D, and more. Car was ready in less than the two hour estimate. read more

Bill was great provided my truck inspection and let me know about a nail stuck in my tire. Always good service.i will remain a loyal customer . read more

I have used IAS for years. They have kept my Mercedes running like new and have never applied pressure to add additional services that were unnecessary. I would refer them to anyone who wants great service at a fair price (unlike the dealerships). read more

I have been coming to this shop since Automotive Remedies closed. I had been a long time customer there and was concerned about losing the wonderful service & solid relationship I had built there with Gary & Sean. However, I now feel just as comfortable with the men who run this shop as well. They always seem to be honest with me and help me figure out what's most important, best options, etc are with my car. It's not easy to find a reliable repair shop & I'm so glad Gary pointed me to you. read more

I've been bringing my 98 Volvo to these guys over the last year and they've been great. I highly recommend them!

I've been taking all my cars to this place for years. They are honest and friendly and reasonably priced. It's easy to book an appointment online. The only time I go to a dealer is for warranty free work. Give them a try. read more

I would give them 10plus/10. I was stranded in the pouring rain, twenty minutes from home home during a pandemic, with four hungry young kids in the car, and a dead battery. Every passerby shunned me as if I had the plague! And wouldn't help until "Steve" gladly gave me a jump start! Only after the fact did he tell me he was on his day off from work at "Import Auto Specialists" I asked if they sold batteries and he said yes. Steve went on his way. I called and "Bill" on the phone was courteous, and kind when I was very frazzled. He guided me there, and with his coworker, bent over backwards for me. I had a hot cup of coffee and since the rain had slowed my kids got to run in the grass. They tested the battery before replacing it only to find out my battery was fine. They let me go free of charge. Thank you so much Steve, Bill, and their third coworker for not taking advantage of us for a sale. This place is full of professionalism, positivity, and grace with a waiting room and shop that is absolutely spotless and clean. I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone ! read more

Import Auto Specialist is amazing. Professional, friendly and price is right. Highly recommend.

I've been taking my car to Import Auto Specialists for years. They are very honest consult with me before doing anything other than what I have requested. They have always been very friendly and helpful throughout the years, I highly recommend them! read more

Took my Jaguar here for the required 40k maintenance service. I was able to book an appointment right away. I dropped it off at 8am and it was done right before lunch. Price was fairly reasonable and the customer service was friendly and efficient. I highly recommend IAS. read more

I have been bringing my Porsche to IAS since 2015 because they are experts at working on imported cars. The staff is professional and courteous. Quality of work is excellent and pricing is reasonable.My Porsche is now running like new and thats a good feeling! Thanks IAS Happy Customer read more

The service was great! My car was towed to the shop and they took great care with the car and provided me with pictures of areas of concern. The videos were very informative. We will be a repeat customer! read more

Finding a great mechanic is not an easy task. Look no further. Import Auto Specialists are very honest and hard working. I know I'm getting the best advice when I consult with Bill and Brian about my car needs. I highly recommend them. Honest Mechanics you can trust every time. read more