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    Kotter's VW Service

    4.5 (88 reviews)
    Open • 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Services - Kotter's VW Service

    Auto battery or electrical system repair

    Auto brake repair

    Auto engine repair

    Kotter's VW Service Photos

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    Recommended Reviews - Kotter's VW Service

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    Reviews With Photos

    Larry H.

    Tim is my go to guy on my 64 bug. He has installed a new engine and brakes years ago. Went in recently since the bug was sitting. He explained all the issues got the bug running great again. This was my fault. Gave me a fair price and a decent turn around time. Hard to find good classic mechanics anymore.

    Scott U.

    I brought my '75 Superbeetle in for what I thought would be a tune up and brake adjustment. The engine ran well but lacked power and speed. After Robert looked it over, it turns out I needed a new clutch and a new brake job, including master cylinder and brake lines. Though way more than I expected, I gave Tim the OK to do what needed to be done. When I picked my car up, I couldn't believe the difference. It now has power through all gears, the fuel injected engine is running better than I can remember and the brakes are strong. Even though the car is nearly 50 years old, it's running like I imagine it did when new. For anyone looking for a mechanic for their classic VW, Tim and his crew are the real deal. My car has seen many mechanics in the North County over the 27 years that I've owned it and I can say that Kotter's is the best. Good VW mechanics are a dying breed, so I'm thankful to have found Kotter's VW.

    They'll work on the weird cars, too! Happy Halloween!
    John B.

    Brought my 68 project car to Kotter's at the recommendation of someone on a social media forum. I had been to another shop in another part of town and wasn't overly impressed. Kotter's, and Robert especially, were great and have a new customer in me! I'd blown a spark plug, and tried to fix it myself (major novice with engines, especially air cooled). Things weren't quite right and I suspected I needed a new head. They were a little busy and took my number and said they'd be in touch the following week. Sure enough, the following Monday he called up and I brought the car in. I expected them to need it a few days, if not a week. By that afternoon Rob had called me and told me it was good to go. He replaced adjustment screws on my valves, adjusted said valves, and checked my points and timing. The car is running great now, and in fact better than it ever has! It may need a new head or engine rebuild down the line, but we agreed it's good to drive for now as it's just a weekend cruiser for me. Come to find out, he adjusted my brakes and topped off my tire pressure too. An all around tune up, and all for a great price! I highly recommend the shop. They're obviously very knowledgeable and very accommodating. They do a lot of work in-house, such as engine rebuilds, vs other places who ship stuff out or buy rebuilt parts.

    Brad M.

    I am a loyal customer of Kotter's VW Service. Tim and Robert have taken excellent care of my 77' Surf Bus and I cannot recommend them enough. If you own a late model VW you need not look further for quality work.

    Ryan S.

    Holy moly. What can I say about Tim and the boys ! I literally followed a nice sounding 77 bus to ask the owner who did her work and she pulled into Kotter's. I ask the women in he parking lot if her bus ran good and did these guys do the work.. she said "I love this place and yes it runs great!" So that's how I found Tim. Now for the first time my 78 westy is cruising at 70mph and going to Carlsbad from temecula every weekend!! I love all the patina bugs the mechanics drive too by the way!! Thanks Tim !!! It's amazing with that extra 30° will do for timing

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    1 month ago

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    4 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Very responsive. Got me in right away. Very knowledgeable regarding my 72 Super Beetle. Will return. Thanks

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Great work! These guys went above and beyond for me. I will happily bring my TDI back for future repairs and maintenance.

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    14 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Awesome shop if you ask me. Tim is awesome ,,, and his crew is great. I recommend for all your vw work...

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    Ask the Community - Kotter's VW Service

    Review Highlights - Kotter's VW Service

    “. Tim clearly has a passion for VWs and it shows in his work and his cool office with lots of VW memorabilia”

    Mentioned in 46 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    West Escondido Automotive & Transmission

    West Escondido Automotive & Transmission

    (181 reviews)

    For approximately 18 months I had clicking, grinding sounds coming from my vehicle dashboard. The…read moresounds would come and go. The air conditioner worked, the heater didn't. I took the vehicle to the dealer twice for a service review. I was told they were unable to determine what the problem was because the vehicle was not making the noise while they had it. I was told the vehicle has 4 actuators in the dashboard. One or more of them could be bad. To trouble shoot/repair the problem would entail removing the dashboard. According to their service manual that would be a 9 hour job. The cost would be between $2500 and $3400. There appeared to a reluctance to do the job. Several months later I had some routine maintence done on the vehicle at a name brand auto service repair shop. In addition to this service, I asked about them checking the noise in the dashboard. As I described the problem the service representative brought up a YouTube video that described the problem. The video described in detail potential resolutions to the problem. It looked like a really big job. The service representative looked in a repair manual. He advised me the job was listed as a 9 hour job. He gave me a cost of repair estimate between $1500 and $2500. However, he said his shop did not have the staff to dedicate the time to complete a job like that. The original service I sought here was completed. I left. A couple months later, during the day, I saw several commercials about West Automotive Service/Repair. The impression I got from the commercials was, no job was too big or too small. I decided to try them. I went to West Automotive in Escondido. Entering the business I was greeted with a very plesant greeting. I explained the problem to the service respresentative. He seemed to quickly grasp what I was talking about. He said they had completed similar repairs on vehicles in the past. Without hesitation he said, "Sure, we will look at it." I was given an estimated time table for repair of 6 to 9 hours. An estimated cost between $600 and $2500. I left my vehicle their on a late Monday afternoon. They provided me a ride home. Late Tuesday afternoon I received a phone call updating the status. Still trouble shooting. Late Wednesday afternoon I received another phone call update. I was told they believed they found the problem, one actuator. They did not have to remove the entire dashboard. Estimated cost of repair $658. Early Thursday morning I was called and advised the vehicle repair was completed. The cost was still $658. One of their employees was sent to pick me up at home. I have had the vehicle for about 10 days, No clicking. The air conditioner and heater work fine. I am so relieved. The vehicle is a 2010, with 195,000 miles. Owning it for 16 years, I love the vehicle. I have really had no major problems with the vehicle. My dilemma was, I dreaded to think I might not want to keep and repair the vehile with a $2500 to $3400 price tag. Thank goodness in the end, I didn't have to make that decision. Thank you West Automotive!

    I had to have my car smogged. I had never been here before and was pleasantly surprised at the…read morefast and friendly service.

    Escondido Auto Tech - Escondido Auto Tech

    Escondido Auto Tech

    (182 reviews)

    Call me a fan! After…read moreover 30 years, my trusted, go-to mechanic closed his shop. I was at a loss for where to find another honest, reliable, knowledgeable auto mechanic shop. After a lot of Yelp research, I found Escondido Auto Tech. I brought my vehicles for a smog and got great service each time. Found them easy to work with too. Next, I brought in my car for maintenance and a list of repairs and items to check on. Let me not bore with the mundane details, just know: -they took good care of the car, addressing every item on my list. -Frank, the service manager, took the time to discuss the list of repairs with me and explained what they would do-to make sure we were on the same page with everything. He listens! In fact, when he received the list (which I'd emailed ahead of time) he immediately spotted a safety issue and reached out to me to get it addressed promptly. -they finished the work AHEAD of the promised completion time -took the trouble to score parts at a lower price than quoted (and passed on the savings!) -provided a detailed completed work order with information I about my vehicle that I found valuable. Like I said, call me a fan!

    Dropped it off to have them check eveything for our trailer hauling road trip coming up, 100k mile…read moretune-up & breaks checked. This was our 1st time here and they are now our only go-to. They didn't oversell me (like our last mechanic place did constantly telling me I needed something fixed and it wasn't needed), very professional and did our whole list of service in a day.

    Kotter's VW Service - autorepair - Updated September 2026

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