Stephan's repowered my Vanagon for me, and I couldn't be happier. The 1.8T conversion is seamless and freakin' rips. The crew at the Autohaus are aficionados and I can feel it in every shift. It's a big step, but when you're ready, go with the best. Ride on! read more

Quality work that has passed the test of time, and the only shop I know of in the Bay Area does this particular engine upgrade.

I can't say enough good things about Stephan. I was traveling from Redding to San Diego in my Eurovan camper. The back seat was jammed so I could not pull it out to lower the bed . The shop was full up and they still got me in and fixed my issues If you want to change out the refrig in your Westfalia, you have got to see how he does it. Much better than the kit you can buy. read more

Stephan did some modifications on my Westfalia and the results are amazing. I now have a lithium auxiliary battery that lasts for days, a solar panel and charging system, and a fully functioning refrigerator. Stephan's work is impeccable. read more

Stephan's Auto Haus - Camper Van Morrison - Auto Repair Near Me - Sacramento, California

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I have owned my '87 Westy Syncro for about 7 years and I tried a few closer (SF East Bay) VW specialists but it didn't take me long to start shopping around for a conversion to a more powerful more modern engine. Stephan is famous in the Vanagon community for pioneering the VW 1.8T engine conversion that is powerful, modern and clean enough to be smog-legal with CARB (California Air Resources Board) ! We paid Stephan to do the conversion for us and also add Vintage Air since Westy did not come with AC. We also added a Proper heater and had the transaxle rebuilt. We are very happy with the work Stephan did and the way he has supported the job. He offered a robust warranty on the 1.8T Conversion that is long enough to work out any bugs. read more

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Stephan has been our go to guy for everything on our 1986 VW Westfalia. He put in engine, Fiama , air conditioning , new canvas pop top, transmission, LED lighting and more. His experience and attention to detail is outstanding. His knowledge and honesty is something you don't come by very often. He runs a clean shop and has excellent mechanics. We couldn't be happier with everything Stephan has done for us. We come from Humboldt Co. Ca to have him work on our van ( 4.5 hr drive) Yes, he's THAT good. read more

We were having problems with our engine temperature driving up highway 5. We called ahead and they made room on their busy schedule to get us in. They had a air conditioned waiting room with WiFi and we were able to spend the afternoon working. Our van had to spend the night so they gave us a Passat to drive around in at no charge. The shop was very professional and did a wonderful job getting our van back on the road. I would highly recommend this shop. Ed and Bonnie read more

Update: After about 2000 miles on our 1.8L turbo conversion, a plastic coolant fitting broke and left me with an overheating Vanagon. I emailed a picture of the broken part at 7:05am and at 7:15am, Stephan called me to help sort things out. Two days later, Stephan drove an hour and a half to my house in Oakland to help me fix the issue. He brought the necessary parts, tools and coolant, arrived on time and spent 3 hours fine tuning our van. Total charge: $0.00 Seriously. It doesn't get any better than this - he seriously stands behind his work. read more

We searched CA for an ethical car repair shop for our rare vanagon and the name that kept popping up as the most trustworthy was Stephan's Auto Haus. We called him and he spent over 30 minutes talking to us about what we needed done. To say the least, his work speaks for itself. We loved the new interiors and engine redo. It was worth every penny having our sweet vanagon shipped from Laguna Beach to Sacramento. Thank you! read more

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Exceptional service, exceptional people Since we arrived in Sacramento in 2003, Stephan White and his technicians have been maintaining our cars with exceptional skill and great personability. At the time of this writing, we have had a 1998 VW Passat Wagon, a '87 MBz 300E and a 1971 Squareback Sedan, a 2009 Jetta and a 2005 Passat GLS. Yeah, we're like that. For each of these vehicles, Stephan and his staff have done simply great work, at prices which are fair. When he or his staff makes an estimate, they stick to it or call you in advance and tell you the reason why. They're not perfect of course (who is?), and on the very rare occasion I'm not happy with the work, they make it right. Lately Jeremiah has been the office go-to guy. He'll answer the phone and call you back and give you the low-down on your vehicle's situation. All in all...if you have a European car that needs servicing, and you're within range of SAH, this is your top choice, bar none. read more

Many years ago before Stephan had the Auto Haus he took care of mine and my large families cars mechanical needs. It was no small job as we didn't drive newer cars, vans or trucks. He was always kind, compassionate and loyal to our needs. I wanted him and everyone to know that his deeds and hard work (after work) did not go unoticed and to this day are still remembered. He is truly awesome and knowledgable and we appreciate him. By the way, he didn't ever get paid what he was worth. And he personally fixed several of my cars when i didn't have any money at all. Now he has what he deserves...a beautiful shop. A man like that you can really trust. Thank you Stepan. Angellyne Novak read more

Brought my car in for an oil change and engine check light. Mistake #1 putting 5W-30 Oil in my 2008 turbo engine Audi. BAD! BAD! BAD! Mistake #2 Finding loose screws in corners of my engine bay. Which I had to put back myself into what holds the wires to my coils. Unlike some reviewers thats visited ONCE and put a good review. I have been here MULTIPLE TIMES. Customer Service. Decent. Care for my expensive Audi. Bad. I wouldnt reccomend you bringing your newer European Vehicles here. read more

Stephan runs an extremely honest and thorough shop. I've had a VW GTI worked on here many times in prep for selling it and both Stephan and Rob were upfront about the repair costs versus value for selling the GTI. I have been nothing but impressed with each interaction we've had. Most recently, my girlfriend's Toyota 4Runner needed a new catalytic converter, a repair that five muffler shops turned down. Once I called Rob, he took a few hours to do amazing research on the needed repair, found factory recalls (that we didn't qualify for, sadly because the mileage was too high) and took care of the entire process of the repair, dealing with the Toyota dealership for an ECU re-flash and was very helpful and courteous to my girlfriend when she was there. This shop wins SN&R's best-of award almost yearly, and for good reason! read more

Stephan himself is a great guy. Have had my Vanagon regularly worked on here since I got it in 2012. The problem has become the business has outgrown itself. When I started coming here, Stephan worked the front desk. He was super cool, super knowledgable, and very informative. You felt like you and your Vanagon were being treated with care, consideration and respect. But in the last few years Stephan left the front desk, works behind the scenes, concentrating largely on his lucrative 1.8T engine conversion business, leaving the day to day business or repairing and servicing Vanagon's to a succession of arrogant and disrespectful staffers who treat you like their s**t don't stink. It's a totally different vibe now. No personal service, no remembering who you are or the history with your Vanagon. They don't seem to care anymore about you and your Westy. Just treat you like your another peon - get in line and don't ask too many questions. No people skills. No charm. Just arrogance which is so not the Vanagon demographic. Too bad. I'd love for Stephan to be the front line again. He cared about you and your van. He was a good dude. I understand his engine conversion business in the cash cow now, so he needs to concentrate on that. But sadly it means the Auto Haus ain't what it used to be. read more

In today's world we lack good old fashion customer service. Computers, automation.... I called for some expert advice today from Southern California, spoke to Rob knowing that he would not be servicing car because of the distant. Rob was A1, taking the time to answer my question and even doing some research to call me back. I really appreciate that! Too bad he was not in So. Cal or I was in No. Cal or I would not hesitate to take my VW there. Thanks Rob!! read more

We had Stephan perform a 1.8T conversion on our 1990 Westfalia in September of 2016. Since that time we have had to bring the Westy back numerous times to deal with engine and electrical issues. The most recent occurred a month ago and we brought the Westfalia back advising Stephan that he needs to get it right this time, and we can't keep bringing it back. Well... after working on it for 3 or 4 weeks, they told us it was good to go, tested and working great. We drove two hours to Sacramento to pick it up and drove it for one hour before it broke down again. Exact same problem as before. It's currently sitting in a random CVS parking lot in the middle of nowhere waiting on a tow back to Stephan's. In the year since I've had the engine replaced, I've barely been able to use it. Unfortunately, I would not recommend a 1.8T conversion or Stephan's Auto Haus. For their part, they did their best to fix the problems. They came and took care of the warranty parts problem, made sure the issue was taken care of and checked in periodically, picked up and delivered our Vanagon back to our home at no charge after we had picked it up and drove it home and there were still issues with it. I understand how a bad review can hurt a business and I don't take writing this lightly. I've updated this review from a 1-star to a 2-star to reflect that Stephan has worked with us to make things right. That said, a lot went wrong and this is an honest write up about how we had to take our van back to Stephans on roughly 6 or more different occasions to get the car to reliably run and not break down. I believe contributors included a mechanic that didn't take his job very seriously and did shoddy work, and I understand that person was let go. Another contributor could be based on the unreliability of a 1990 Westfalia in general, and the complexity of a 1.8T conversion. However when you pay $25,000 to get your car upgraded, you do expect it to run properly. 1.5 years and many visits later, it now runs fine. We do appreciate Stephan seeing things through. Update: Stephan, my partner Paul and I co-own the Westfalia. You've mainly dealt with him because he's the car guy in our family. read more

Steph and his team installed a 1.8Turbo into my 1991 Vanagon in 2016. While there were a few bugs after the install, what I want to write about is their excellent customer service. Steph gave me his cell phone number, and actually responds to every inquiry I make. Once I blew a power steering line during an important job, and he drove to my location to fix it - I'm not kidding, this guy knows his name is on the wall and acts like it. AND, the 1.8T turns my museum-piece camper into something that is so much easier to drive - 65MPH all the way up the Donner Pass to Tahoe, He has also assisted me on Vanagon related issues through other shops when there was no $ to be made for himself. Honest, ethical, experienced - what more do you want from your mechanic! read more

The location isn't fancy or even easy to find at first, but the great service more than makes up for that. At dealerships, the customer service rep often isn't knowledgeable about the problem at hand... not the case at Stephan's. Not only is Sarah knowledgeable and helpful, but also she will explain your problem and ALL options clearly in an easy to understand language. I strongly recommend Stephan's for auto repairs. They have serviced my older BMW and Jeep with knowledge, appropriate recommendations, great customer service, and good rates. When I had my last repair completed, I called my local dealership to get an estimate on the same work quoted by Stephan's. Dealership pricing was double the cost at Stephan's! With their great warranty on parts and service, Stephan's is worth visiting. read more

I hate to give one star to any business, but I'm sorry to say my experience at Stephan's was bad enough that I will never go back. Main problem I had is the distinct lack of communication between the counter person and the mechanics. Then, the indignant, unapologetic reaction to me sharing my concerns with said counter person. Finally, there was the total lack of follow up after several calls. If you're curious, here's my story: Based on Yelp reviews, I took my '91 BMW here to replace a broken motor mount. I asked them to check out a loud clunking noise in the middle of the chassis and a shimmy when braking. I got a cheery "No problem!" and thought how lucky was I to have found this shop on Yelp. Yay me. When I returned to pick it up, the counter person had said they did a full inspection and proceeded to tell me all the maintenance I needed, including a leak in my power steering (which, curiously had not made it to my garage floor). He clarified it was small. I asked about the other problems and he said they didn't check but they could "put some more miles on it to check it out." I was late for an appointment so I said I would come back. As I drove away, the clunking sound was still there and as loud as ever. I couldn't believe they didn't drive it during their self-proclaimed "full inspection," especially since he offered to put MORE miles on it. I told myself, "Maybe the counter guy didn't know the mechanic didn't test drive it." So, I called him right away and told him. Instead of a simple apology and new appointment, he was very defensive telling me they couldn't check it because I had to leave. (WTF?! What about during the entire morning when you were supposed to.... Fine, fine...) I told him I was concerned about the drive line and could he let me know how much to replace it before I bring it back. Several days later, I still hadn't heard anything so I called back. Same counter guy says their internet was down so he hadn't/couldn't find out anything but he'd check and call back. Another few days later, still nothing... I decided to forget about doing any more with this shop. Flash forward... that "small leak" started to appear on my floor after a week. Within a couple more weeks, it was a gusher. I took it to another mechanic who showed me a curious hole in the power steering pressure hose that had eventually split the hose. Now, I can't prove anything. All I know is the car wasn't leaking anything before I took it to this shop... read more

Extremely disappointed! I was charged $47.50 for brake inspection and then they wanted to charge me $1,499.00 to replace all four brake pads, rotors and sensors on my 2003 BMW 530i. I took the car to another repair shop for a FREE inspection and a quote to do same work for $1,049.20. In fact, I called two other places and the quote was very close to $1,000.00. That is a big difference in price! I don't think I'll be going back there. This is the first time I entered a review for any business. I though it was worth the time to do so, so that I can save someone else the time and headache that I suffered today. read more

I wish i could give zero. They r unprofessional, bad costumer service, i waited 20 mins no one even care about me. Hello i am here i came to pick up my car!!! they charge more than other places, i didnt pick up my car as i dropped. Now i have a problem with engine it was ok before i dropped. I have no idea about what they did. Dont waste of ur time and money. Go other place read more

got reamed last time I went in, charged $700 for what VW dealer would have charged $90 for. They were making up for the last job they did where the under bid the job, so they WAY over charged me this time. Kind of a crappy way to deal with thier mistake. Would have preferred a more up front and honest approach, like "hey, this turned out to be a lot more work, we need to recover some extra costs" I would understand. Charging me hundreds of dollars for a 90,000 mile service that is a basic oil change and a few check points is BS!!! read more

Friendly and quick. Price for repair seemed fair maybe a little high. They charge for diagnosis and do not apply to the repairs. I paid $55 diagnosis fee after questioning the $110 estimate for simple overheating that turned out to be the fan. (which is what we both guessed it might be). Would definitely return if they change the diagnosis fee practice. read more

I have been coming to Stepan's Auto Haus for over five years to keep my 2001 VW Passat Wagon on the road. They have always exceeded my expectations and Always stand behind their work (no questions). The prices are less than the dealer but not cheap because they are professionals. Trustworthy to a tee! read more

I can't say enough about how great Stephen and his team are. They did my 1.8t conversion on my 82' and he's been my CA mechanic ever since. There's no-one I'd take it to on the West Coast other than Stephan. read more

I've had several great experiences at Stephan's Auto Haus! I had a knocking noise with vibration coming from the front of my car and didn't know where to start with my Mazda 6. The problem was diagnosed and fixed without any hassle or complications. Everyone is very friendly and great with answering questions from diagnostic solutions to billing. They even helped getting me to and from work while my car was being worked on. Big Thanks to everyone! read more

These guys are great. My '99 Audi threw a belt on the way from Oakland to Bishop and they went out of their way to help us out. We hung out in their comfortable waiting room, and a few hours later we were back on the road. Very knowledgeable, expert service. They really care about their work, and it shows. If I lived anywhere near Sacramento, this is where I would take my Audi. Highly recommended!! read more

Stephan's was right near where I work in South Sac, so it has a convenient location. it's right near hwy 99 and fruitridge. Stephan White, the owner, is a cool, nice, chill, down-to-earth guy who will give you the skinny on what's wrong with your car. he won't give you a lot of BS and try to sell you on gimmicky stuff, just fixing the major stuff with your car and he'll stick to the quote as much as he can. he even called Enterprise rental car for me and got them to pick me up so i could get a car for while my car was being repaired which was only a day and it was a pretty major repair (replacing my wheel baring). now my car purrs like a kitten instead of roaring like a lion. they specialize in German and Japanese cars, which was perfect for me since i have a Toyota tercel. in addition to Stephan, the whole staff is very friendly and professional. read more

I went to Stephan's to repair my 1984 Volkswagen Vanagon. They gave me a quote over the phone for what I thought was wrong. Then when I took it in they did their own work to find the actual problem. They stuck to the price they quoted me for the work even though they spent a lot of time diagnosing the problem. They kept me up to date all through the process and were sensative to my concerns. I needed two rear wheel bearings replaced. They may not be the cheepest shop but they definately serve customers well and quote accurately. They are located withing 2 blocks of light rail. I'm very happy with their work and will go back to get my quirkly van fixed there. Nice waiting room also. read more

Got Vanagon? This is the place. Been a loyal customer since waaay back. Excellent service. Honest estimates. Syncro Specialist. Easy access to LightRail. Wonderful people. Always a pleasure to deal with. Stand behind their work. Best possible recommendation. read more

I have work done here on a regular basis. They are nice and always do solid work. I have recommended this place to many people in the past and will do in the future. You guys rock! Thanks read more

We called six other places around town to fix our Audi, and Stephan's was the cheapest and could fit us in the soonest. They seem honest and helpful, which is hard to come by when you need to fix your car in a hurry. Plus they specialize in European cars, so they were very knowledgeable about problems particular to our Audi. We will definitely use Stephan's as our regular mechanic. read more

Very professional and consistent team. My beetle gave me a series of check engine issues but these guys have been working on it for close to 2 weeks now to assure it gets done sufficiently. I work down the street and they have offered me a few rides just to make the morning even that much smoother as well. On top of them specializing in German cars they go above and beyond to offer great service. These guys are definitely recommended! read more

I have had extensive work done at Stephans on my Vanagon. Stephan is as honest as they come. Even if you pay slightly more than a cut rate shop, the quality and backing is well worst it. Over the years I have been going to Stephans I have had a couple parts which prematurely failed and he was all over it with making sure I was not inconvenienced by the extra repair, and of course no charge as it was just a bad part. That happens from time to time. And far less when you use Stephan as he uses the best available. So your odds are far better. I have tried the rest and actually I had to bring my Van to Stephan to repair what another shop had done. They installed Chinese manufactured parts and they failed almost right away. It is rare these day for someone with any knowledge in repairs to greet you at the counter and even answer a few questions. But they still do at Stephans, most often with the owner Stephan. Most other shops these days have a cashier who just graduated from McDonald's U, take your money with no knowledge of what was wrong and what was done. Bottom line is you can trust Stephan. And the service is excellent. read more

I just took a Westfalia to Stephan's to have a pre-purchase inspection. Unfortunately they did a very thorough inspection, so thorough that I didn't end up buying the van. They were very honest and fair when presenting me with the pros and cons of the Westy without trying to tell me whether I should or should not buy it. I will use all of the knowledge that I learned from Stephan and the staff at Auto Haus as I continue the search for my dream van, and I hope to soon have one to take to their shop to maintain and upgrade... and I live in Los Angeles, but I think they'll be worth the trip!! read more

Stephan has been working on my 1983 BMW 6 series since the late '90's. He is unbelievably honest, hard working and fair. It goes w/out saying that this car is an electrical nightmare and they had the expertise to identify problems quickly(hourly rates are sometimes abused with other shops). read more

Just visited Stephans Auto Haus this morning for a Free oil change and vehicle inspections that I won at Sacramento Pride 2012! I have to say that the staff is great. I waited while the guys took good care of my car and gave me a full report on what items need attention. They are honest and truthful about repairs and do what they can for their customers and potential customers as I witnessed while waiting. I will go back again definately.... Thank you Stephan & Rob!! read more

Someone tried to break into our M Class and they had the back light replaced in a half a hour. Sunroof on the little kompressor was stuck in the open position as a big rain storm started to move in. Fixed. I was just introduced to them by a friend who loves to go there and I have to agree. They are really nice and reasonably priced. It isn't always easy to find someone who can really work on German cars and do not get me started on how bad our mercedes dealership repair shops are in the sacramento area! read more

If you just drive up to Stephan's you'll realize that they are the "go to" for vanagons and westfalias. I know they work on other's too, but I can't speak to that. I can say, that they are very knowledgeable and you can tell they care. They want you up and running right.....and when calling or speaking to anyone there, they are kind and provide great service. I'll be a customer for the life of my Westy, and from there, who knows :-) ! read more

Stephan (the owner) is actually on the property, takes an active role in your car and you as a person, and is fair and honest w his recommendations. Ijust had my RAV4 serviced and me and my family are now loyal patrons. Also the staff is amazingly personable, friendly, funny, real, and helpful--imagine that in this day and age! Love Stephan's. read more