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C.User Reviews
for Westwerk German Auto
9/23/2010
Mark R.
Montebello, Ca
I
own a 2003 Porsche Boxster S. At 46, I have had the good fortune to own and
drive many high-performance automobiles. I share this with you as I think it
helpful for all of you who will be reading this review to have an accurate
perspective on who is writing the following.
My very first visit to Westwerks was the result of my reading the excellent and
accurate reviews of this terrific shop on Yelp. My car had suddenly begun to
register a very high engine temperature. Fortunately, but frustratingly, there
was no sign of leaking anywhere. I researched the symptoms on the Internet and
by sheer serendipity I read the review of David C.'s, which made me more at ease
as, prima facie, it appeared he had the very same ailment (cracked overflow
coolant tank) successfully rectified by Westwerks.
Even so, I was facing a potentially very expensive repair and I was nervous. My
then current Porsche specialist had gone on sudden hiatus and I found myself in
need of an excellent and reputable mechanic to take care of my pampered car. I
telephoned Westwerks and explained the situation to Renee who put me at ease
almost immediately with her relaxed and polite manner. I was also rather
pleasantly surprised by her clear insight in to my situation; especially since
she is the office manager and, with all due respect, not one of the mechanics.
I made an appointment and brought my car to their immaculate shop, which is
clean and organized, but no nonsense. This place is all about the customer and
their car. Turns out, Renee is not only the office manager, but the parts
procurement specialist, job estimator, and point person for all communication
between Chris (head mechanic), Bill (owner) and clients and she does all of
these things very well. The three of them operate as a truly professional team.
Renee took all my contact information and kept me up-to-date on my car's status
via email and telephone. The estimates provided me were very accurate, too. I
was informed that the car's malady was actually a failed water pump, thermostat,
and two main hoses. While dismantling the defective part, they noticed that the
serpentine belt, tensioner, and rollers were in need of imminent replacement.
In the process, they cleaned out the a/c condenser, cleared all codes on the
scanner, and test drove the car to make certain it was truly ready to be
enjoyed. I so appreciate their foresight and thoughtfulness. Although I may
have spent a pretty penny, their care and thoroughness has saved me a lot of
money. It would have cost me twice as much to replace the aforementioned items
if done on a later date due to the amount of time to remove the tightly fitted
engine and related parts.
As an aside, Renee also set me up with Hertz (located only a few blocks away). Westwerks
and Hertz have a long-standing positive relationship. As a result, they take
very good care of their shared clients and even arrange pick-up service from
Westwerks to Hertz for one's rental.
On my most recent visit to Westwerks (as a confident, repeat customer), I had
intended on having my brakes (all pads and rotors) replaced as the "Brake Wear"
light had illuminated on the dash. I had telephoned Renee and made an
appointment to have the work done. Upon arrival, Chris and Bill performed a
visual inspection of my brakes. They told me that although the work could be
done at this time, it would be relatively premature. In fact, with their
previous knowledge of both my driving style and the extreme care with which I
treat my car, they informed me that I would be best advised to keep driving
until the pads wore down a bit more. They were extremely specific and helpful
in how to do so. Keep in mind; this is an approximately $2,000 job and they are
so HONEST and PROFESSIONAL that they are willing to postpone the work for all
the right reasons. I have found more than mechanics for life. I have found a
renewed faith in humanity.
The people (Bill, Chris, and Renee) at Westwerks are amazing in so many ways.
They are HONEST, KNOWLEDGEABLE, EXPERIENCED, INFORMATIVE, COMMUNICATIVE,
THOUGHTFUL, and PROFESSIONAL. They find the best parts for the best prices -
not just one or the other, but BOTH! They have earned my CONFIDENCE, TRUST, and
BUSINESS.
An owner of a high-performance car knows well enough that such ownership
requires regular maintenance and, at times, this work can be expensive.
However, Bill, Chris, and Renee make said ownership painless in that one knows
that the price they are paying is for excellent service and at a very
competitive price - always less than the dealer and often times less than their
private competitors. Moreover, it is done honestly. They have a lifetime
client in me.
Sarah D ...Los Angeles, Ca
3/5/2010
11/17/2009
05/18/2008 Posted by
asp811
Is an honest mechanic an oxymoron? Maybe in most parts of this
town, but at Westwerk they believe in earning an honest buck. I've
always had my repairs explained to me, and I never feel like the
wool is being pulled over my eyes. I was first introduced to
Westwerk because I was working in OC and wanted to find a mechanic
close to work, just in case. I took my time and checked out several
garages. What struck me different about this shop was that
everything was neat and clean. Then I looked around and scoped
several classic Porches being worked on. I know the people that own
classic Porches are very particular about who works on their
vehicles, and with about 4 of them in the shop...well, I felt I had
found the right place. I live in the Westside and I have all three
of my German vehicles serviced there. They're an hour away from me
(one way) but I think its worth it to have peace of mind. Finding a
qualified mechanic in this town is tough, finding one that is both
skilled and honest is a rare find.
Pros: Peace of mind, good
value, friendly staff.
hop
had quite a few Porsches; some undergoing repair, and some waiting
for service. In my opinion, the true measure of any repair facility
is the amount of vehicles present. Each vehicle represents an owner
who has the utmost confidence in the facility to repair/maintain
their finely engineered machines. I felt no hesitation in leaving my
996 in their capable hands.
Well, fast forward about three days later. Renee called and stated
they were unable to find anything related to my CEL incidence. After
retaining my vehicle for three days and performing extensive
testing and observations, they did not observe another CEL
presenting itself. All four of my O2 sensors were fully functional.
There was no need to replace any of them. My Mass Air Flow sensor,
MAF, was also tested, and was found to be in excellent working
condition. Westwerk technicians concluded it may have been an
isolated incidence. The code P1640 I had scanned previously, related
to an Engine Control Module, ECM, malfunction. Westwerk could not
duplicate the CEL error code and so did not advise changing out the
ECM for the time being.
12223 Woodruff Ave Downey, CA 90241
Reviewed by David C.
As anyone knows, finding a good service center for your car can be
an agonizing experience. The dealer is sure to price gouge you, and
going outside to an independent mechanic is always a risky
proposition. Swindlers lurk out there, and if you're not careful
you might drive off with more problems than you walked in with.
Well Porsche owners (and BMW & Audi owners for that matter) take
heart. I took the leap of faith last week and found a terrific
independent service center in Westwerk German Auto.
In the past few months I noticed that my vehicle had been slow
dripping coolant over the left exhaust tip, and with a quick search
on the Porsche owner's forum I found out that this was probably a
cracked coolant/expansion tank leak that is common for the 996's.
Forum members estimated that the cost to fix this problem would be
around $650.
I searched google for an independent mechanic because because I
generally stay away from the dealerships (especially Mckenna - shady
stories from insiders who have worked there!). Several came up
including Westwerk, but Westwerk was the only Porsche specialist
that had one positive review on Citysearch. They also had their
own website that just gave you a good feeling about the place - I
think I was sold on the fact that they have been in the same
location for over 26 years. Not a lot of independent businesses
can boast that type of longevity.
Anyways, I called several places including my former mechanic to
compare prices, and Westwerk gave me a quote that was $200 less than
the average quote of $800.
But more importantly, the customer service manager Renee (sp?) just
sounded like a genuine person who WANTED to help you. Its true what
Malcolm Gladwell argues in his book Blink - in a split second your
intuition will tell you all that you need to know about a person.
And after speaking with Renee on the phone and seeing their
presence online, I felt very comfortable about bringing my car into
Westwerk for the job.
To make a long story short, the job turned out great and came in
around $533 with taxes- about $150 less than what other Porsche
owners were reporting in the forum. Renee had also subtracted an
hour of labor costs off the original quote because she realized that
she had mistakenly quoted me labor for a Turbo model (takes longer
to complete). And in truth I would have never known the difference.
She could have billed me an extra hour and Westwerk could have
pocketed an additional $90 without me ever knowing. To me, that
spoke volumes about their character.
The shop itself is very relaxed and retro. They were restoring a
couple of classic Porsches when I was there, and the place has a
mellow family feel to it. I met the mechanic who worked on my car,
Chris, and he's a very friendly guy who takes the time to answer
your questions. Great people, great service.
So in conclusion, I am happy to submit this glowing review for
Westwerk German Auto. They just found a new customer and they
deserve all the business that they can get.
link to the review I saw on CItysearch:
12223 Woodruff Ave, Downey, CA 90241
Reviewed by DinnerForTwo l.
I
brought my Audi in because of a vibration I was feeling at low speeds.
I have to agree w/ the previous two yelpers: This place is GREAT.
Renee answers the phone and she is very sweet and professional (won't
find that at many shops). I appreciate that kind of thing. When I
got there I saw another Ultrasport on a lift so that made me feel even
more at ease.
Basically it was supposed to be a $95 charge or so to diagnose a
problem and they were very honest about the vibration being a bent
wheel (two actually). They ended up charging me NOTHING because she
said all they did was test drive it and put it up on the lift.
Since wheel repair is not their specialty, they referred me to another
place (All Star Tires, which happens to have good reviews on yelp as
well) to get new wheels, tires, etc.
Bottom line: Honest diagnosis and they didn't charge me ANYTHING. As
long as I live in So Cal I will be taking my car to Westwerk. You can
trust this place. 5 Stars.
From a Postcard dated: August, 20, 2010 sent to Westwerk
Porsche/Audi/BMW Repair:
To Bill, Chris and Renee,
I want to thank each one of you for your kindness your the best !
What a wonderful experience to find good, honest mechanics.
And what can I say about Renee other than 3 shout
outs continue
to be who you are sweet and kind.
See Ya Soon and talk about first Impressions.
Sincere Thanks: Alexis & Gloria
The Law Office Of
JAMES M. SILVA
370 Grand Avenue, Suite 3
Oakland, Ca 94610
Phone: (510) 350-7724 / Fax: (510) 834-0418
September 13, 2010 Renee Fowler, Service RepresentativeWestwerk German Auto Repair12223 Woodruff Avenue
Downey, CA 90241 Dear Renee, Thank you for your recent correspondence, including a copy of the billing
statement forthe repairs that your service department recently completed on Gia
Revelli's Audi A4Sedan. Gia and I are very happy with repairs that were made, as well as
with theexcellent level of service that you have provided us. I especially
appreciate your
reference for an establishment that does body work for the evaluation of
the bumper
repair and we will be contacting them soon for an estimate. Warmest Regards, James M. Silva, Esq. Cc: Gia Revelli
 ""
5/11/2010
Ben D
Los Angeles, Ca
Westwerk is the place to go in Los Angeles for
German car repair.
They are an extremely friendly and helpful crew that gives you the feel of a
family that really cares.
Westwerk does excellent quality work at a fair price and they really go the
extra mile to help their clients.
I went there for repairs on my VW GTI and will continue to usethem for my
BMW 325
If you would like to post a review.. .Send it to
XenaWebPrincess@aol.com
(562) 803-4319
Serving
your Porsche/Audi/BMW and Mercedes repair needs for over 30 years in the greater Downey
area:
Lakewood, Santa Fe Springs, Norwalk, Cerritos, Carson, South Bay,
Paramount and Whittier, Rosemead and Long Beach and Los Angeles
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