Dropped my Mercedes ML350 SUV off to have the minor problem of the rear hatch door failing to lock when the door closed. I returned to my office and googled a fix for the issue and decided that I could do the repair myself. I returned to European Car Authority to pickup my car and to my surprise, my car wasn't there. The mechanic told me that Ken had probably taken the car to pick up parts. I waited for Ken to return and took my keys, car and was happy to have dodged an unethical business. There was no excuse for using my vehicle and gas to run errands and Ken tried to play it off as a test drive... to fix a rear door latch. read more

My family has been bringing our cars to Ken since about 2000. Starting with our 1999 Saab, we have also brought our 2003 Volvo xc70 and 2008 Volvo xc90. Once the factory warranty expires, we get all of our service done here. Ken has always been super helpful, transparent, and much less expensive than getting the work done at the dealer. read more

I was taking my range rover to another shop for nearly 20 years, thinking I was getting a good deal, and got a second quote from ECA and was provided a quote of almost 1/4 the price! They fixed my issue, and ever since I brought my car here 2 years ago, I haven't had any problems. read more

Ken came personally recommended from a friend. Brought in my unique Mercedes for a basic oil change. This was the fourth mechanic I brought the car to after others turned me away. Ken looked at the car and brought the car into the garage for a initial inspection. He found only one problem, the brake fluid was OLD and offered to flush the system for a very reasonable amount. Left the car and picked it up a few hours later. It was running better than it had in years. Ken was friendly, easy to deal with, and reasonably priced. Highly recommend. read more

Note, there are quite a few reviews that are not showing in the rating that are marked as not recommended. I took our car here for the first time to have 3 things done for it. I got quotes I thought for all of them and was pretty sure that I knew the price. I did not realize that you can't wait for your car on Friday's because the tech, Ken, works on his own and has no office support that day so he has to do the admin work and work on cars, etc. so it takes awhile to work on your car. I just think they should be really really clear about that. You need to leave your car for the entire day even for an oil change. Ken did more than what I asked for and the price was more than quoted. I had gone over it twice with him and so I was not clear why...??? I called back the main office a few days later and asked them and the one guy in the office said that I got what I asked for and when I said no, it seemed like more and I was trying to understand and ask questions he got really mad at me and put down Jiffy Lube (not sure why...I never mentioned them) and said that if it's an oil change they do everything because they are responsible for everything on your car and you will be mad if you get an oil change and something else happens to your car later (tire pressure issue, motor freezes up). Now I was just confused, after years of owning cars, I'm pretty sure that the auto shop rights on the invoice the work done and you can only hold them responsible for the work that they did. Ken might do great work, I hope so but I was turned off by the fact that I am a new customer and I wanted to understand my bill and I just got attitude (from the guy in the office) and Ken was too busy so he did the work without calling me. Ken said there was another issue with my car maintenance that another shop had just done and he wanted to do it again and I said "no" I would take it back to the other shop and ask them. Not sure what is up with that. I won't be back because it's hard to only have 1 person who doesn't have time to deal with customers and another person who doesn't want to. I want to know what I'm paying to make sure that I can afford the services and that it's what makes sense and is agreed to. I will give them the benefit of the doubt that the work was good but not the customer service so I averaged out the rating. They are a really small shop located in a business park. Ken seems like a nice guy and cares about cars. read more

Made an appointment Got me in the door inspected. Told me what's wrong. Highly recommend 5/5 overall ! read more

I had an excellent experience with European Car Authority. I had my ML 350 towed here after the wheel partly fell off and the car was stranded. I didn't know if there was an axel problem or what was going on. It ended up one wheel was missing all the lug nuts and another one missing one. They were very professional and honest. The prices seem fair. Work was time in a timely manner. I will defiantly return for future work! read more

Writing a review can be a pain and takes time I never have. I am writing this review for you who are reading the reviews as I was before coming to ECA. I had a few issues with my Audi Q5 and I decided to go to a franchise shop to get it moving. The price and quality were subpar and was a bare minimum job. For all the rest I went to ECA. Ken (the owner) was thorough and had lots of insights. I was so uncomfortable in anticipation of the coming quote, and to my surprise, it was more than reasonable. The biggest takeaway I found is that I got lower prices than franchise garages (they now are scamming customers) and I got a holistic approach to fixing my car. Ken creates lifetime customers, not come-and-go customers. You may have to wait but it's worth it. Lastly, a good friend of mine who recommended his shop (sadly I ignored him for some time), said "The guy is working on German collector cars; anyone who trusts him to work on such a car must be a qualified mechanic. I strongly recommend ECA and Ken's signature quality work! read more

What customer service! Dealer told me my breaks were needing to be replaced sooner rather than later. I took our car in to dealer and quote was over 3700 to replace. So I called and scheduled with European car authority for an estimate. Ken came out and asked me if my brake light came on or was the car vibrating. The brakes were fine. Some rust from not driving it. Saved me thousands of dollars on an unnecessary job. read more

Love this place, Ken is great. Honest and considerate, oh and he knows his stuff. I do most of my own Mercedes/Porsche/Land Rover Maint, but Ken is who I trust to finish what I cannot. So appreciate and trust this place, and cannot recommend it more highly. read more

Had Ken do a pre-buyers inspection on a 2002 BMW. He only got half way through the inspection before he found $4k worth of repairs on a $4,400 car. Instead of finishing the inspection, he stopped half way to let me know it wasn't worth buying, and only charged me for the half inspection he did. Had no problem getting ahold of him/communicating, and I really appreciate him only charging me the necessary amount, when he could have easily just done the full inspection. Thank you, Ken! read more

I so appreciate this place! Great expertise at a reasonable (for a German Car) cost. My car is older and needs quite a bit of attention - I trust European Car Authority with my prized possession. read more

I took my Audi SUV in over a year ago with exhaust fumes in the cabin. I paid $1000 to have it fixed and told it would take a few weeks for the oil to burn off the exhaust manifold. Several months the smell was still there so I took it back in. A few days later I got my car back. Several months later the car is still leaking carbon monoxide into the car. I have called several times and left messages I get no response. Very disappointing!! read more

I took my '60 Mercedes to Ken after others had turned me away and he patiently waited for months as I looked for very hard to find parts and assembled them when they became available to him. The car now runs like a sewing machine. Thanks Ken read more

We are SO HAPPY we found Ken! The Porsche dealership in Bellevue was almost a month out just for an oil change on our 2014 Cayenne. I knew there were plenty of independent car repair shops out there that were perfectly capable of doing an oil change. I started researching and Ken's shop kept going to the top of my list. I finally called and he was kind enough to work me in within a week of my call (even though he was booked solid everyday) We dropped our car off at 11:30 am and it was complete at 2:00 pm. (We were expecting for it not to be done until around 5 pm since he had worked us in!) He ran diagnostic tests on it to ensure everything was working properly and gave us the report upon our return to his shop. He went far above an beyond our expectations and the oil change was a fraction of the price of any other place around. If your looking for an honest, kind, knowledgeable place to bring your Porsche, we couldn't recommend anyone more! read more

Recently went to ECA for a funny sound my VW Passat had been making. As it turned out the water pump and timing belt I'd had replaced at another place on Kamber road both failed after only 20k miles. The ECA team had me up and running very quickly and at a much lower price than I had previously paid. I trust and recommend these guys and will continue to be a customer for both my VW and Porsche. read more

I was sent here on a referral from Doug's Auto Tune. I'd been having some issues with my lights, and the dash telling my all my lights were out. I'd taken it to a shop back in Kansas City where they told me they would have to run all these tests and maybe replace some things, or it could be electrical, etc. I looked online and read some horror stories about this model. I am so glad I got this referral. These guys definitely know their stuff. Apparently Audi's have this thing where the sensors repurpose other bulbs, if say, my blinker light goes out. So we kept checking out the light, it seemed like it was working, but kept getting the message on my dash. These guys kept looking at it, and figured that out. So all I had to do was get the bulbs replaced! I also got an oil change, and all of this was done while I waited. Two days later, the message popped back up on my dash and I brought it back in. Apparently they missed a bulb, they replaced it immediately, no charge. I will definitely be back. He told me the best way to maintain my vehicle, and obviously has some solid knowledge. read more

Took my Land Rover LR3 in for an oil change. They went above and beyond to fit this job into a busy spring schedule on short notice. Took a little bit longer than it could have, but probably better to take a bit extra time to get it done properly. Good alternative to going to the dealer in Bellevue. read more

I have been taking my Audi A6 to ECA for years. Ken Seaton is second to none, and always amazes me with the level of service, and price. Ken's one of those no nonsense guys that tells you what will work best, and the most cost effective way to fix your vehicle. Always gets me in on a moment's notice, I appreciate that. SM read more

5 stars for a mechanic is a pretty hard sell, I know. I've been on the eastside for about 10 years now. For the last 5 we visited Ken & folks over at European Car Authority and they are absolutely the best. In the 5 years I've been going there never once have I had the dramatic "you better fix this now, your car is unsafe" kind of crap I get elsewhere. And let me tell you, I had a 2002 Land Rover Discovery, so believe me when I say that I have seen a lot of mechanics. A quick example story, my 2002 Discovery II had an extended warranty on it, bought at the dealership. _EVERY_ time I took it in there for work, something else was found wrong. They would be happy to give me a rental but they would keep the car for a week at a time and the warranty would cover it. I digress, anyway, my truck breaks down on 520. Before taking it to the dealership to get fleeced by those flakes, I have it towed to Euro Car Authority. He tells me that a sleeve has dropped in the engine and the engine needs replaced. Now, I love Ken but I'm not eating the $5k or whatever it was to do this, so I tow it to the dealership. I kid you not when I say that the first thing the dealership said was wrong is that the battery was low on fluid... i am 100% serious. So they do that, car doesn't start, they dig deeper and call me the next day. Some other minor issue, be done at the end of the day. I call them the next day, that repair didn't do it. They call me a day later (4 days now on diagnosis) and the sleeve in the engine has dropped I need a new engine. A funny thing is that the dealership replaced the head gasket not 3 months before that. That's just one experience of many I've had with Euro Car Authority. They are quick and accurate to find the problem, and they won't fleece you. If the problem is minor, he'll tell you just that and not to worry about replacing the part for a while (i.e. seepage with your head gasket or breaks getting closed to worn, etc). I gave up on the Land Rovers now but my wife still takes her X5 there (rarely a problem with that) and thankfully, Ken just said he'll start working on my Cadillac as he owns a Yukon :). I just want to a mechanic I can trust. read more

Ken is very thorough and has done honest and reliable work on multiple occasions on my BMW 550i. Would recommend to others seeking work on their euro car. read more

Aside from the occassional "dealer required" work, no one has worked on any of our family's 5 cars except Ken Seaton at European Car Authority in nearly 20 years. Simply put, he's the best! Ken and his wife Cheryl always go out of their way to explain repairs and attendant costs in every detail so there are never any unforeseen charges. The work is always first rate, and done on time. For those of you that are fearful of auto mechanics, give yourself a break and go see Ken. If you're on a tight budget, let him know and he'll painstakingly quantify what must be done now to protect your investment and what you might delay a bit until your budget allows for it. read more

I have had these guys work on Saab, Porsche and VW cars. In every case they were quick to diagnose the problem and provide a solution. Ken and his crew are top notch. I have referred several friends to ECA and they have been pleased with the services provided. read more

All, I brought both my Land Rover's to European Car Authority with an estimate that started out at around $680.00 for one and the other $950. Didn't get out for both @ $2,700 and the other $3,400. Turns out that this is their standard fee for repairing Land Rovers. How do I know you ask? Well after spending over $3,000 for one of my Land Rover's I listed it for sale and the potential buyers asked for a place to take it for pre-sale inspection and since there wasn't 50 miles on the vehicle since my last $3,400 (and approximately 3 weeks) I recommended European Car Authority. Guess What they provided my potential buyers with as an estimate? $2,750 (mines well have been $3,000)!! You can guess what happened from there...... no buyer and never take your vehicle to European Car Authority. Unless of course you have an extra $3,000. One Star only because it doesn't allow no stars or negative stars! Mark read more

After having some issues with my 2004 Volvo S60 smoking quite a bit, I took her in to have her looked at and worked on after finding this place as an official Volvo mechanic shop on the Volvo Mechanics website. Unfortunately he misdiagnosed the problem and severely overcharged us to "fix" the issue, he claimed that the Turbo needed to be cleaned. He charged us over $1000 to do that, and when he returned it to us the smoking was even worse. So he was extremely wrong in what he thought was the problem, and after looking online extensively for others with the same issue, it turned out it was most likely a valve issue and I could have fixed it myself for less than $100. Problem is that it's running even more rough than it was before we dropped it off, the responsiveness wasn't an issue before leaving it in his incapable hands. It's unfortunate as he's the nearest "Volvo" mechanic listed in their online forums, so I'm going to have to try the next nearest, which appears to be in Everett. I won't ever be coming back to this place, nor would I recommend anyone else. There seem to be some positive reviews here, but if you look at YP.com and Google there are other negative reviews that list similar issues of overcharging and not really fixing the problem. read more

Ken and his crew have always done a great job for me. I've been going to them for several years, I've always found the advice very good and cost to be fair. My most recent experience has prompted me to finally write a review. I had a recurring issue with my vehicle that was very hard to diagnose. They trouble-shot it over a couple of visits fixing items that needed fixing but it didn't cure the issue. This was frustrating to me spending money but not getting to the root issue, but I could honestly say it was just as frustrating to Ken. He asked to have the car from me for a couple days and, having already eliminated a few trouble spots, he went though all of the possibilities. Sure enough they found and solved the issue. I had been there so much and already invested quite a bit of money in the process, but without me needing to ask, Ken took care of the final work for me without charge. There are not many mechanics, or people in any profession, who will personally take your car into their care and make sure you are fully satisfied with the work. I will always take my euros here, the best! read more