RIPPPP OFFFFF! I towed my car to this shop as the engine would shut off. This happened all of a sudden. Eight months ago, I had a fuel problem and my little brother who is a mechanic for Toyota installed a fuel pump and a mass air flow sensor (problem solved). Well, I thought it would be something simple and paid them to do a diagnostic test as it may have been a fuel relay ($12), or a regulator ($60). They were informed of the repairs my brother did with Bosch oem parts. Needless to say, they told me it was a fuel pump problem at $1000 to fix. I towed it out of there and paid my $90 for the diagnostic test. My brother INSTALLED A FUEL FILTER $36 PROBLEM SOLVED!!! They are supposed to be triple AAA rated, BIG FAT LIARS! It is sad when a GI can not even trust an american mechanic... What happened to the honor system? My advice, take your German machine to German Autowerkstatt. He is a one man operation, and you may have to wait, but paying a rental car is nothing compared to being ripped off by this shop. If I could give them 1/4 of a star, I wouldn't even give them that! I seriously doubt their reviews are legit after my experience. I was a repeat customer, nice way to treat your clients eh? read more

Another great service experience with Brian at IAS! He's always honest, straight forward, and keeps me informed. Thank you for always taking care of me and my Volvo! read more

I've been here twice now after my previous shop closed, and I'm very happy with their service. Are they a little expensive? Sure. However, in my mind, this was completely mitigated by the following things: 1. The work seems good quality. 2. When it came to a non-complex service offered by many places (e.g. installing and aligning new tires), they absolutely could have told me they'd do the work. However, they were up front about the fact that they wouldn't be able to offer as competitive a price as a tire shop (like Discount Tires or Evans) and suggested I get a quote from one of those shops instead. They had the chance to over-charge me if they wanted to and passed it up. Really great sign of honesty. 3. I knew I had a slow oil leak and have had it for at least a year. When I asked what the appropriate way to deal with it was, they gave me a choice: either they could tear the car apart looking for the source of the leak and end up charging an arm and a leg to do so, or I could continue adding small amounts of oil between changes and they would monitor it during oil changes to see when it finally got big enough to be spotted without said intensive labor. They strongly recommended the latter, along with an oil consumption test if I was still concerned about the rate of leakage being a problem between changes. So that's what I did. A few months later, the leak finally got big enough that it was traceable to a particular component, so they were able to fix it without having to tear apart the engine. Again, another great sign of honesty: they could have agreed to go looking for the leak and make a lot of money off me, but they chose a route that was less profit for them but better in the long run for me and the vehicle. 4. They're really easy to reach, both by phone or by text. Since I work in a place with terrible reception, being able to reach them or receiving information by text is really convenient. Overall, I'm really happy with this shop. read more

I have been taking my Boxster to Charles at import Auto Specialists for many years - just recently took it in for some brake light repairs and was amazed at the price difference between taking it here as opposed to the dealership. The quality of workmanship is always fantastic - so is the customer service. I highly recommend these guys for any type of auto repair job. read more

So I've been bringing my Mercedes in for years and wouldn't bring it anywhere else. They always treat me like I'm family and never try to upsell me with services I don't need.they are friendly and professional at the same time.I would recommend them to anyone looking for quality service from a trust worthy team. read more

I took my Lexus in on 4/25 after having it serviced at the dealership. They had recommended I get a several different services done to my car and would charge me several thousands of dollars for it. Unsure about their recommendations I wanted to get a second opinion. I found this place online and spoke with Brian. He was very professional and helpful from start to finish. They did their diagnostics and a thorough inspection on my car and sent me a link to their recommendations with pictures! It gave me peace of mind and helped me feel confident in making the decisions on what needed to be done to my car. They were able to take care of everything within 24hrs and it didn't break the bank! I highly recommend this place! read more

Alternator went out on my 2004 Audi A6, Charles at IAS was professional, polite and very knowledgeable. Gave a spot on quote over the phone and was able to get my car in and out quicker than expected, the price was very competitive for the amount of labor it takes to work on the front end of the 2.7T. Even had him check out a small coolant leak and was able to take care of it relatively cheap. Very glad I put my car in these guys hands. Great shop, great workers, great price, and overall this is by far my best experience with any mechanic shop I've ever dealt with. Highly recommended. read more

Fair pricing, great mechanics, and excellent customer service! I've taken my car to quite a few shops around San Diego and finally settled on IAS for a complicated HID/Xeon headlight conversion for my 2001 Infiniti QX4. I had taken my car to 4 other shops to identify a solution for my factory Xeon/HID headlights that had bad ballasts and bulbs and instead of paying Infiniti $600 for each ballast and $190 for each light bulb (crazy they can charge this much), Brian and the team at IAS were able to re-wire the headlight wires and replace my headlights with aftermarket parts. After dropping off my car, the customer service representative gave me a call as soon as the car was close to completion so I could start heading over to pickup my car - something that is rarely done in auto shops now. 5 out of 5 stars! Greg read more

Buying a car from across the country. IAS performed a PPI for me. They went above and beyond. They fit me in within 24 hrs (wow) and took time to go thru the vehicle top to bottom. Brian walked me through the report on the vehicle and explained what they did, why, and what the results meant. They were extremely thorough in their inspection. Could not ask for a better person or company to work with. read more

I have been using this repair facility since 2009 for my Mercedes E320. They are very friendly, the prices are very reasonable compared to the dealer and the work is done as promised with no hidden agendas. On a recent visit they took my car in with no appoitment and they fixed it the same day eventhough they were booked solid. I am very pleased, will continue using them. read more

Bill has always been very honest and thorough when it came to the service and repair of all of our family vehicles. I always recommend IAS to anybody looking for dealer quality parts and service at a fraction of the price. read more

Brought my high mileage Yukon in for several items that were way overdo to be serviced. Everyone in the shop was polite and friendly. They gave me detailed information on what was recommended and the costs associated with it. Once they started repairing the vehicle they found a couple more issues for me to consider. They called me and explained my options, cost, time frame etc. Since I was already in for multiple service items I agreed to the additional. Happy to say my SUV drives like it is BRAND NEW!!!! Thank you read more

Car skid plate broke and came loose, we live an hour north. AAA recommended them and I could not be more happy with the recommendation. Brian was awesome, they fixed it right away and for a great price! Thank you! read more

I've been coming to IAS for years. They give you the facts and don't try to sell you stuff you don't need. As someone who doesn't know much about cars, I have always felt I've been treated fairly with IAS. I recommend them to everyone I know! read more

Hi, I brought my porsche in for a clutch replacement which they did great. After the repair they do a 32 point checklist and I was told that I had an oil leak and would require a valve gasket replacement. I have never noticed any leak, so deferred to do the job later. Next morning I accelerated down the street and noticed blue smoke coming from the back of the car. I pulled over and checked the oil, which I found was overfilled by 2+ quarts. They did not need to touch the oil, it was fine, I checked the oil level prior to dropping the car off, it was perfect. I removed the extra oil. Their 32 point check list listed the the oil level was fine also. I called them and asked why smoke was coming from the rear of my car, they told me it must be the valve gasket leaking. I told them it was actually coming from the fact they overfilled my oil. They agreed that overfilling would induce the smoke. I do not know what other damage may have occurred because of the overfilling. So far since removing the extra oil the car is running fine. I feel strongly they were trying to scam me for a $900 valve gasket job. read more

This is a fantastic place to get your auto needs serviced!! The staff is very friendly and very professional. My A/C had been broken for over two years and I had received quotes from other mechanics that were astronomically high. I spoke with Brian and I took it in. After the appointment, my A/C was working like a charm and my car looked cleaner than ever! I definitely will be returning for all our auto needs. Thank you Brian and staff!! read more

Had an annoying oil leak on the garage floor. It was diagnosed as an oil filter housing gasket leak and a vanos oil line leak. Paid $500 to fix those problems. Brought it home and it was still leaking almost just as much on the floor. Took it back and they told me it was also an oil pan gasket leak and that would be another $700. I wouldn't have fixed the leak if I knew it was going to cost me $1200. Asked them if they could meet me half way because of the incomplete diagnosis and serious underestimate of the job, but they refused. I have spent over $4800 at this place over the last 4 years, but never again. This place does not provide quality or value. You are better off at the dealer. read more

Have a 2001 Volvo S60 and crunched the radiator on a parking lot curb. Was calling around to get it towed somewhere to be fixed and found this place on Yelp with decent reviews. Talked to Brian F. on the phone and said bring it in no problem they would check it out for a $50 inspection fee. Thought that was strange and excessive but said ok. Have it towed there and show up and he sees oh, they probably can't even look at it today. What? This was early afternoon right after lunch time. Dumb me expected to have it fixed the same day and now he can't even look at it? That is not good customer service practice but it gets worse. Next day he calls and quotes $800. Says he only buys top quality parts and even though I say I don't need the warranty or a top quality radiator he won't change the quote. He also forgets to apply the $100 coupon I gave him. By now I'm calling around and find a place for under $500 but of course now I'm going to have to pay a second tow charge but will still be a whole lot cheaper than this place. The tow truck shows up to pick it up the car and Brian F. says he won't release it until the $51 is paid. I call him to put it on a credit card but he says he still won't release it unless I actually go there and sign the receipt so I have to run over there and sign. I ask why it was $51 instead of $50 less the $10 new customer coupon I gave him and he says oh the inspection was $65 and that he only said $50 on the phone because he was ROUNDING! I was just glad to get away from this place and hope nobody else goes there. read more

2005 Sprinter Van. I was really really impressed with the technical ability and service of this shop. For starters they service Sprinter vans and most shops, even ones that claim German car repair do not. (Sprinters are quirky Mercedes vans wrapped in a Dodge emblem - from Daimler Chrysler merger that has since parted ways). I dealt with Brian Forster over the phone and he was always courteous, even put up with me rescheduling my original appointment without any pushback. I was pretty sure the turbo on my van was shot which would be a $1,500 or more repair. They diagnosed the problem as simply an intercooler hose and it cost me a couple hundred dollars to diagnose and repair. Phew - they are HONEST. They could have easily told me it was the turbo and I'd have no choice but they just sold me on what I needed. There are still unscrupulous shops out there that would have sold me the new turbocharger but once again these guys are honest. Brian gave me a tour of the shop and it seemed really clean and well organized, which made me feel confident. The waiting area is clean, too - with drinking water, air conditioning, and cable TV. Brian told me everything they worked on comes with a 3 tear, 36,000 mile warranty which totally took me by surprise :) It never feels good spending money on unexpected car repairs but this came as close to feeling good as it gets. I would recommend this shop read more

I bought a 1994 Toyota Camry that needed a lot of work and was prone to breaking down randomly. After repeated visits to shady mechanics who promised that the dangerous issue had been fixed, I was finally towed to import auto specialists. Diagnosing my car was a very difficult task in itself and there was a lot of trial and error but the guys at import auto were always friendly, patient and treated me like family. They were understanding of my financial state and did not charge me for many of the countless hours they put into the car or try to install unnecessary parts. After a lengthy and very frustrating process (for all of us) my baby was running like new. The guys even fixed my break light switch free of charge. I am so relieved to have found an honest and reliable shop read more

I have a 2002 Audi TT that unfortunately has been to this shop about 5 times. I say that because repairing these cars isn't cheap, but these guys are reasonable. I'm pretty "street smart" having lived on my own since 16 and I'm in my let's say late 30's. and I hate getting ripped off. I've changed alternators, radiators, lifters, rotors and brakes, but on way less complex cars that had room to work. The Manager Brian is very good at thoroughly explaining the situation and giving an accurate quote. AND HE ANSWERS THE PHONE when you call. I usually call the dealer to get a price for the same repair and it's usually shocking. Sure I could go to a beat up shop in my neighborhood but I've had bad experiences with people who don't specifically have tons of Audi experience. I'm picky. Super picky and it even annoys me when my seat isn't in the exact position (these guys aren't perfect on that) but the shop and waiting areas are extremely clean. The techs are very nice and most recently took me to work and picked me up. I don't write reviews often, maybe 3 in my life as I don't go on Facebook or Twitter but these guys deserve a good one. My car drives like a dream and this last time it broke down I was also sick. They fixed it the next day and I was able to move forward with my life without getting a rental car. All cars are freakin complicated these days and so it's not always going to be easy to diagnose, but I trust these guys to fix it as well as the dealer would and for waaaay less. I have tow on my insurance and if it needs towing, I tow it to them. If you want a consistently good shop with people who are clean and articulate and don't want to go to the dealership and wait a week and pay a fortune, then go here. -Kain read more

Took my Subaru in. They did a great job and had great customer service.

Nice guys, but below average service (At least on Range Rovers). I made an appointment over my lunch break to have my Range Rover's oil changed, my EAS reset, and to replace one of my brake lights. My frustrations: - It took them 1 hour and 45 minutes to do a basic oil change and replace a bulb and wiper - When I got it back they had moved the gear shifter into the low gear setting (the setting you would use if you were off roading, not suitable for the freeway) - They pushed a setting that made the car beep every time i went over 20mph. I took it back right away and had to wait another 10 minutes for them to drive it around and try and figure out how to turn it off, they were unsucessfull. They said they would research it and call me back, but they never did. It turned out to be just a button, but they should have followed up. - The main reason I took my car in for service was to reset my Electronic Air Suspension, and they were unable to do so after using 3 different reset tools. (Maybe this wasn't their fault and my EAS has bigger issues that they couldn't detect, I will find out when I take it to a Range Rover specialist) It is possible they just aren't familiar with Range Rovers, and do great service on other cars, but I will not be going back as I was very frustrated with my experience. read more

I received such great service yesterday when I had a problem with my BMW ; a part related to the radiator failed and I was unable to drive my car. I had it towed to Import Auto Specialists and they diagnosed it within minutes and had the part and the car up and running within an hour and a half. They were extremely professional, knowledgeable and made what could have been a terrible day a good one! Oh and they didn't gouge me on the price...Thank you! read more

Charles and Brian were helpful and knowledgeable and overall I found IAS good with older Mercedes E320 series, price was fair and would recommend. read more

I went to these guys for work on my used Mazda 626. Brian, my service tech, was honest and helpful in figuring out what was wrong with my car. They completed the work in the time they said and the price was very fair considering the amount of work that I needed done. I highly recommend them. read more

Communication was horrible and service people are untrustworthy. I took my SUV here to have it inspected and get quotes for any repairs necessary. I paid $120 for the inspection and was told they would type up the estimate and email it to me by the end of the day. I had to call several times for over a week to finally get my quote, being promised each time that it would be emailed that day. Then had to call back twice to ask for the rest of the quote, they left several things off. One of $5,000 worth of quotes of things I needed to repair was a quote for front shocks and struts (very expensive), and the written quote stated "shocks and struts are worn and need to be replaced. Worn shocks and struts are dangerous and can lead to......." which didn't seem to be right, considering it had only been two years since I had had them replaced. After confirming that I had indeed replaced them with lifetime warranty parts I took my car elsewhere, where I was reassured that not only did they not need to be replaced but they still looked unworn and new. I contacted Brian at Import Auto Specialists and asked how that could have happened, that I would get a quote for something that, very obviously from looking at it, did not need to be done. He said that they probably didn't inspect that part, that they just included the quote for work that was recommended based upon the mileage. What "inspection" did I pay for? Did they actually look at anything or just looked up on the computer what needed to be done based upon mileage? What other work did they recommend that didn't actually need to be done. Needless to say, I took my vehicle elsewhere, where I was reassured and informed of the few items that needed to be done, what of those needed to be done right away (not many) and what could wait because they were still in great shape in spite of the recommended replacement mileage. Many of the items Import Auto Specialists recommended were also not in need of repair or replacement, and were visually obvious. Other items that very much needed to be replaced, like a leaking radiator hose and connector, were not listed on the quotes. I was given the opportunity to look at these items on my car, and even I could tell there was a leak and visual cracks in the hose. Apparently Import Auto Specialists did not "inspect" my car at all. I will never take a vehicle to Import Auto Specialists again. I felt duped, taken advantage of, and treated like my business was not important. read more

My car is a Volvo S80. I've only be here only once in 2012, because I brought my car to another shop and that shop don't do timing belt. So these "specialists" reset the timing and put in a throttle body as I requested, and I paid 700-ish for it. Later on the CEL came back throwing "timing over retarded" code. I went back to this place, and they refuse to fix it. They said probably it's because I ran more boost than stock cause the timing "jumped". Later on I found another shop to fix it and the exhaust side timing was off by 3 tooth, they adjusted it, and I never had any timing issues since then. Speaking of throttle body story makes me upset. like 2 month later, the throttle body was acting up on me again, so I went to a shop to check it out. Guess what? when these guys put in my throttle body, they put it backward. There's a teeth on my intake manifold that indicates which side of throttle body show face it. I guess they just used a impact wrench to bolted it on anyways, so that teeth actually cracked my new throttle body. Then I have to buy another one and have someone else put it in. I don't know if they just don't like me or this is way they work. Maybe they actually know to work on other cars, But Volvo owners beware. read more

FYI, this review is for work that was done in 2013. I wanted to post something to share this particular experience. We had been customers of Import Auto Specialist (IAS) since 2008, and brought multiple cars to these guys over that time. Hadn't really had any problems up to this point. On this occasion though, I brought in my truck to have the fuel pump replaced. Within a week, I had to take my truck back because it was stalling. Found that they installed the incorrect part (the mechanic tried to act like it was my fault because I didn't tell him that my truck had air suspension, even though it says it right on the gas tank). Within a week or so, I noticed that the gas gauge was not reading accurately once it got around a quarter tank. It appeared that the sending unit for the new fuel pump was not working correctly. Called IAS, and they told me that the sending unit was a different part and would be an additional cost to repair it. I was originally charged for a fuel pump (part #HP10087) which should have included a new sending unit. This didn't make sense to me. I decided to hold off for now, and just deal with it. Eventually the sending unit failed completely (within the 1 year warranty I was given by IAS). Contacted IAS, to see if they can fix under warranty. Denied, and again told that this was a different part. I am aware that these are two different parts on paper, but when purchasing the fuel pump (again, part #HP10087), the sending unit is included. Eventually I spoke with three different people (Brian, Charles and Ben) and given the same story by all three. I wanted to confirm with IAS that it is indeed the sending unit that failed, so had to pay them another fee to get it in writing. Still not making sense, I again verified the original part number online and even went to three different auto part stores (as I thought, the fuel pump that I was charged for included the sending unit). With this information, I had to file a claim with the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR). In the meantime, I had to get my truck repaired elsewhere because my gas gauge wasn't working due to the faulty sending unit. Following the claim to the BAR, NOW all of a sudden... IAS decides that they want to try to help me out. REALLY??? I eventually received a full refund, and the owner stated that this should have been fixed under warranty. That would have been the right thing to do. Not only was I upset about all of the B.S. I had to go through to get my truck fixed CORRECTLY, but about how I was treated. They didn't want to hear anything I had to say, kept blowing me off and wanting to charge me more without even looking into it. If this is how they treat a loyal customer (5 years), I'd hate to think what might happen to someone that they didn't know. I don't want to see anyone else have to go through this. Did they charge me for one part and replace a different part? Were they trying to double charge me for a part that I already paid for? Did they just not want to cover the repair under warranty? Who knows? Anyway, I won't be going back there. I guess our relationship and loyalty with them wasn't important enough, just our money. All I wanted was to get what I had paid for, I wasn't asking for anything more. I lost trust and respect for them, and very DISAPPOINTED. Just one person's opinion. Anyone reading this, make up your own mind. Hope IAS learns something from this. Good luck. Haven't been back since. read more