I've had my 2013 Boxster S serviced here for the last 2 years. Never been disappointed and they have consistently exhibited the utmost honesty and integrity completing requested work. read more

Unacceptable communication and quality control issues I brought my car to Black Forrest Automotive for suspension work after previously spending around $9,000 there for engine mounts and other repairs. This second visit was where everything went downhill. They first quoted me about $4,500 for the suspension job, and I told them to call if they found anything else. They called the same day to update the estimate to $6,000, which I approved. When I arrived to pick up my car that Friday, the total had somehow jumped to $8,200--an additional $2,200 of work that was never communicated or approved in advance. I was frustrated but paid the bill, assuming the work was at least done correctly. Less than five miles down the road, my check engine light came on. I took it back immediately, and they told me it was a "non-important system" and safe to drive for the weekend. When I got home, I checked under the hood myself and discovered that some components were left unplugged. After reconnecting them and clearing the code myself, the car ran fine again--something they should have caught before returning the vehicle. Later, while washing the car, I found that a head bolt on my driver-side front tire was missing, which is a serious safety concern. At that point, I completely lost confidence in their workmanship. To make things worse, I noticed they tried to include a replacement engine mount on the second bill--even though they had already replaced them during my first visit. They removed that charge only after I questioned it. Between the unauthorized charges, missed safety-critical reassembly, and attempt to double-charge for parts, I can no longer trust this shop. I strongly suggest anyone considering Black Forrest Automotive get everything in writing upfront and thoroughly inspect your vehicle afterward. read more

Called and emailed this establishment to request service and its been over a week, and they have not returned my call. Read lots of great things about them, but I guess that was before and my situation is now! I guess they don't want my business. read more

The lineup of classic and not so classic 911's always lined up for service should tell you something about black forest! Great service for our lowly Macan at below dealer rates. They are really terrible about returning calls however. I wish they had a better system for communicating with customers. read more

John Rickard is an outstanding person, with a wealth of experience and knowledge in high-performance cars.

My 981 Boxster S was having some transmission issues and I was referred here from another mechanic shop because they specialized in Porsches. Great group of guys, super responsive and able to get an appointment quickly. They were able to definitively diagnose the issue, and I'll be following up with them in the future to have the problem fixed when needed. Thanks a lot guys! read more

Black Forest Automotive - Variety of Porsches in front of the shop - pretty cool just to see all of them in one place - Auto Repair Near Me - San Diego, California

This is such a great shop. I've brought my 996 to them a couple times now and I'm very impressed. The quality of service is excellent and everyone is very friendly and helpful. They really go above and beyond to make sure you're taken care of. read more

Had a post purchase inspection and a muffler install. These guys know what they're talking about and service every level of Porsche from Cayennes to race cars so I can trust to return when I need further work. They were also super easy to talk to and didn't try to sell me anything I didn't need or want at the time of service. read more

Black Forest Automotive - Here at opening for a post purchase inspection - Auto Repair Near Me - San Diego, California

They broke the inside latch on my car, then said it was a common problem with the cayman and as a result they were not responsible. If it's a common problem maybe your techs should not break it. But they did say couod fix it for 335 dollars. Greg long read more

These guys are top notch. I've taken both my Porsche's here and I wish I knew about them years ago prior to going to the dealership. I'll recall two stories that speak to their service. Number 1 was when my 997 completely failed. In the end I had to end up selling it. They let me leave my car there for weeks while I was searching for a buyer. On the day of the sale, the battery was completely dead and the truck the buyers bought was not automated. Without hesitation the guys came out to put power back into the car and then helped push the car up onto the truck. Number 2 story was when I got my new car. After window tinting, the airbag sensor alarmed for no reason. The day after I called they said just come in the next morning. They cleared out the fault in five minutes and sent me on my way. Great job and customer service as always guys. True enthusiast. read more

I had a pre-purchase inspection done on a Porsche 911, and feel that Stephen did a very thorough job. Even if the news was not what I wanted to hear, I believe his advice to be spot on (and I've done too much research on 997 911's). This shop knows their Porsches and the PPI was worth every penny! read more

Very professional and knowledgeable service and excellent quality of work. Tom thoroughly discussed and explained work needed and then done. Pricing was well within the expected range for a Porsche. Definitely coming back for service or repairs. read more

I had a PPI done here for a 997.1, they were extremely friendly and were able to pencil me in next day. Keith called me right after the PPI was done and explained all the nuances and tests they completed. Keep in mind that a bore scope is not included in the standard PPI, luckily the car I had did not have any issues with bore scoring or IMS. What I liked about Black Forest Automotive is their responsiveness and open communication, and how they treated me even though they knew I wasn't local and wasn't going to go there for service. It speaks a lot when a shop doesn't treat you by the size of your wallet and overall respects your business. read more

Black Forest was recommended to me by Doug at Auto Werkes in Temecula when he diagnosed zero compression in #6 cylinder of my 2012 Porsche 911 S At Black Forest they took it apart and a piece of a valve and a spark plug porcelain broke off and damaged the cylinder When I purchased the car I bought an after market drivetrain insurance policy. " Easy Care" As hard as they tried, Jeff at Black Forest countered, it was a fight as the insurance company was trying to find a way out of paying for Porsche factory rebuilt engine. In the end they wrote the check $25,000.00 I have put 2,000 mikes on it and some fast winding track like runs Car is running like a top. Black Forest and Jeff in Particular saved me $25,000.00 read more

Black Forest Automotive - Auto Repair Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

I recently scheduled and paid for a pre-purchase inspection (PPI) for a used Boxster S. John and Jeff were very professional throughout the entire process, and they made it pretty easy on me and the seller. Because I am not a local, I was heavily relying on their expertise to guide me through a potential purchase of a potentially very expensive to maintain vehicle. Is Black Forest the cheapest place to go? No; however, you get what you pay for - they really did go above and beyond to help me. They can evaluate pretty much everything including PPE and cylinder compression rates. They took the car in for a whole day, which is much longer than a typical annual inspection. Afterwards, I scheduled a call from John to walk me through the entire 6 page PPI. That conversation was about 30-45 minutes, which included a pretty thorough explanation as well as a ton of questions from me. Everyone was very professional & courteous. If I lived in the San Diego area, I would not hesitate to use Black Forest for future Porsche services. read more

Jeff and the mechanics at Black Forest have done great work on my 911 and replaced the clutch and oil coolers lines. You can trust these guys know air cooled machines. read more

I went to Black Forest to have my BMWs serviced for several years, however, my last several experiences there have prompted me to not only stop using them, but to warn others to avoid them as well. I'll start with the positives: the people there are friendly, always remembered me, and on most repairs managed to come in at or under the quoted price. Then things started getting bad. I had some repair work done that required my steering system to be partially disassembled (the repair was unrelated to steering). When I picked up my car, my steering wheel was out of alignment and my traction control system failed. I brought the car back a three or four times to have this dealt with - always unsuccessfully, and they could never get my stupid steering wheel back on straight. On their last attempt it was still off by 10 or 15 degrees - this is just stupid and sloppy work that's very easy to test (try driving down the road in a straight line, duh). In the mean time, I had a fuel line break. They changed it out just fine, but it involved removing the gas tank, and after I picked up my car (drumroll)... my fuel gauge had failed - (it went down and then never came back up) - I actually found this out the hard way after my car ran out of gas on the way home from the shop. I brought it back twice to have this fixed and on both occasions it exhibited the same behavior - the needle went down and never came back up, usually within 20-30 miles. Again, you'd think they would actually test this (at least on the third attempt!!!) before returning the car to the customer, but I guess not. I understand that sometimes parts that are marginal or on the edge of failure can get their last 3% of life suddenly knocked out when a mechanic is poking around, but two significant failures in a row during repairs - and their amazing inability to resolve the problems despite given repeated attempts - makes me strongly question their competence, attention to detail, and simple ability to test to see if a problem is resolved. Absolutely inexcusable. I'd recommend avoiding them at all costs. UPDATE - I wound up taking my car to another servicing facility to have these items addressed. According to their techs, the fuel gauge issue turned to to be caused by a wire that somebody had cut in one of the cable bundles under the seat and then wrapped up in electrical tape. I certainly didn't do this, nobody else had worked on the car other than Black Forest, and it's pretty hard to imagine somebody breaking into my car, digging to that cable bundle and cutting one wire, trying to hide it with electrical tape, and then leaving no other trace. I don't know exactly what happened here, but the obvious conclusion is certainly ugly. The steering wheel and traction control issue was also resolved; the solution was quite different (and far less expensive) than what Black Forest had suggested. I'd actually take them to court over this if it was worth the hassle. What a mess. read more

I had hoped this was a good shop, but they are crooks. I had seen ads for Black Forest and since it was close to my work, I thought I'd give it a try - I brought my 911 in for service - they damaged my bumper and when I pointed it out to them and said they needed to repair it, the service manager - Jeff, got in my face and started cussing at me accusing me of being a liar. I even pointed out where in their service bay it appears to have been scraped. After I calmed him down, he said I would need to talk to the owner, John, if i wanted them to repair it. I tried calling him several times and left messages, and I wrote him several email messages too. My calls or emails were never returned. I checked out these guys on the BBB, better buisness bureau, and they have several complaints against them, i wish i had checked BEFORE going. I do not recommend this place at all to anyone. I had been using Dieters for all my Porsche service needs, it is a much better place but its just kind of far from me. They have quality guys and are honest. It's worth going a little further. read more

When I moved here in 1998, I took my 944 to Black Forest. Jeff behind the counter is great. Then one time, they dropped my car. Literally. It fell off a jack or lift and sustained damage. Yes they paid for the repair but gave me grief about paying for a rental for a couple days. Geez, I only had one car and needed a way to get to work. When I bought a 928 several years later, I had them do the post-purchase inspection and check and retension the timing belt the prior owner had recently had installed. The very next day a cam gear sheared, causing several thousand dollars in damage. Wouldn't accept any responsiblilty for overtensioning the belt or failing to notice the spider gear behind the cam gear was cracked. I won the first round in small claims court but then was sandbagged at the appeal. More questionable behavior. I now take all my Porsches to Greg Brown at Precision Motorwerks in Anaheim. Yes, it's a hike. But when Greg fixes something, it stays fixed. And when there's a problem, he stands behind his work. I couldn't even get John at Black Forest to return my calls or speak to me at the counter. Needless to say, I won't go back. read more

Black Forest has been servicing my car for ten years without an incident or complaint from me. Car runs great and even though I have been out of warranty for many years. Just picked my car up this morning, (minor service). Jeff (Service Advisor) continues to impress--competent, ethical and knowledgeable--what more could you ask for? 10 years down, 10 years to go! :) read more

I just sold my '71 911T which I have had since 1985. I started having work done by Black Forest around 1987 till now. In my impression they are honest and straight forward in what needs to be done and what it will cost. John and Jeff have been a pleasure to work with and I highly recommend this business for honest good work. Paul Sorenson San Diego read more

This is a great shop.It really is. Quality work and more affordable than a dealership. If you're balling in a late model Porsche or are cruising in a classic 911 then this should be your shop.They also work on BMWs and other German cars. Ive seen VW's there. Yes, Ive had my car worked on here before. read more

Got a PPI on a 991 and Jeff and John were really helpful. They had a lot of knowledge and details to share, they had tons and tons of air-cooled 911 eye candy there as well. I'm pretty familiar with Porsches and if I was in the SD area, I would not hesitate to take my car to them. Honest people which you don't find much of nowadays. read more

Just had a complete tune up done on my Porsche. They were very helpful explaining the work accomplished and future maintenance that I required. I will be back, excellent service and great work on Porsche. I could feel the engine with more power during acceleration. Thanks, JC Quintal read more

Black Forest is absolutely the best! I have been going there for about 20 years during ownership of my 944 & 968 Porsches. The whole staff is very professional and knowledgeable!!!!. I absolutely trust Jeff who takes the time to educate, explain and determine what the best plan of action is based on his knowledge of the car as well as what's best for the customer. He really cares! I am always in awe when I go to the shop and see the beautiful classic, race and top of the line cars there.....They are all so beautiful! It' is clearly a family atmosphere there since they know and care about their customers and employees. The best shop in San Diego for sure! read more

I've taken my 2008 BMW here several times for repair. The staff is friendly, honest and direct. The work's been of good quality and they provide options for OEM and quality aftermarket parts, as well as different repair options when it makes sense (I have over 150k miles on the car; sometimes there are things one should live with vs repairing, and they get that). I like Black Forest and I can happily recommend them. read more

Jeff & John have been responsible for the maintenance on my Porsches since the mid 90's. I currently have a Cayenne & a 996 Twin Turbo. They are drastically different vehicles but are both expertly maintained by Black Forest. They weren't the first shop I went to but they are the last. Nobody else gets to get their hands dirty on my cars. read more

The Black Forest team are the best. I have worked with Jeff, John and Steve for many years, and have always been treated fairly. Steve just completed a full engine restoration on my 64 356C, and did a great job. I highly recommend them! Russ McKee read more

Very friendly and reliable shop if you have Porsche issues. Lots of nice racing cars in the shop being worked on also. Fuel leak on my 911 this time .. car needed new sensor and fuel line. Still not able to easily rectify rattles in the front end .. I'll have to investigate myself. read more

The team at BFA has worked on my '56 Speedster, my '98 993 C2s and my wife's '14 Cayenne with great results. Gone back to them for repeat business and always been satisfied. read more

The crew at Black Forest is great! 10 stars if there were that many to select! They've helped me on every smog check (we have 4 p-cars), and I especially appreciate the help and advice they provide when I do the many DIY project on the cars. Kudos to Jeff and the gang! read more

Super knowledgeable. Super patient with a newbie. Great scheduling! Thanks, I'll be back!

I expected to like these guys a lot, plus they're convenient to my house. Shop is appealing ... feels like a good place, plus there were lots of cool cars sitting around. However -- AC went out on my 97 BMW. Black Forest told me my compressor was dead and they wanted $2500 to make the repairs. Import Auto in Santee spent ten minutes with a sniffer (I was standing there, watching), and found a small valve in one of the refrigerant lines that had a leak. Half hour and $75, out the door. That was four years ago, and the AC is still cold. 2012 update, five years after the $75 repair, the AC is still cold, and the compressor still isn't dead. 2015 update -- the AC is still cold, and the compressor still isn't dead, and I still have my $2500. For the right repair, Black Forest might be great. I wouldn't know -- I haven't been back. read more

i normally pick my foodie places from yelp but i go to the pca for garage recommendations. on the talk forums, black forest was at the top of several lists. sure, i could go to cheaper places but i've had extremely bad experiences from 2 other "reputable" garages - ones who charged me for things they didn't fix, to using used parts, to repairing my leather seats with fake leather without telling me. the guys at black forest were top notch, precise and thorough. they even photographed the issues so that we could go over the repairs over the phone. for the air cooled 911 enthusiasts, there is no other place. read more

I was really excited the first time I went there. It was clean, reasonable oil change package, etc. But then I had real things to be done on my Boxster: 1. Key command broke... Black Forest: need to replace the entire command box placed underneath the driver's seat + the key = $700 repair Porsche Miramar: come back in 30 mins we are changing your key command = $250 MUCH BETTER!! 2. Check engine light on... not good Black Forest: it's an air injection valve = $712 Porsche Miramar: nope, it's the vacuum that is cracked, valve is fine = $600 repair. I mean seriously... the repairs are the same price if not lower at the Porsche dealer ship, they lend you a car for free, AND they seem to get the diagnoses right. read more

Always pleased with their service. I have an older 911 and they treat you like a new car owner. Not my first service with them and will not be my last. read more

BF is GREAT! John and Jeff and the guys have maintained my Porsches for years. I have never been let down or unhappy. read more

Jeff speaks with authority and experience. Miramar Porsche never once answered my emails or returned phone calls. Then I remembered BF prepped track cars for Willow Springs. They performed LOF and brake flush on my 2016 C4S. Do you want a small shop with personal service? I will automatically return to BF for all future maintenance. read more

The reviews on Yelp seem to be mixed, so I'm happy to provide perspective. It is true the counter team are honest, professional and do generally come in under the estimate. There is no doubt in my mind I wasn't being ripped off. It's also quite true that at least some of the garage staff are sloppy, not properly supervised, or downright incompetent. It took three trips back to get a drivers seat trim back together properly after they replaced a battery (the battery is under the seat--go figure). Some trim parts were broken in the process and they gave me the "you can't prove that was done here." And when do I normally remove the drivers seat? Another repair of a wiring harness took two trips back before it was done correctly. In their defense, it seems from the majority of the vehicles in the shop they specialize in earlier model 911-type cars and I have a later model Cayenne. A completely different beast. I'd have rather they just said they don't know how to work on those than try to and create all the trouble. read more

Expert service at a reasonable price. I've been taking my 993 there for the past 10 years.