Automeister II

I have taken my Volvo XC90 in three or four times for both regular service and unexpected issues. I have always been very impressed with the kind, considerate service provided by each and every employee I have encountered. Jocko, the owner, is a «rock start» and has always taken great care of me and the car and goes out of his way to make sure the work is completed as quickly and economically as possible.

We really miss Ernie. Brought our elderly Diesel Mercedes in Friday a week ago and have called 3 times but no estimate of either cost to fix or estimated fix date. Please call me!!! Our daughter is commuting from SODO to N Lake Union at night by foot and bus as her car is with you. Can someone please help???

My 1992 190e had a battery drain problem. They diagnosed it was the alternator. Paid 700 to replace it. Turned out it wasn’t the alternator because the battery drain problem was still there.

This place came through for me in a big way. I drive a ’93 Honda and My AC compressor froze up and threw my alternator belt just as I got on WA-​18. I managed to make it to a gas station in Hobart. Over 1.5 hours from home with no AAA on a Sunday when all the shops are closed, I was screwed. The owner of the shop happened to pull up next to me and saw my look of panic. He looked at my car and told me what was wrong and how to fix it. (At this point we thought it was just the belt). He offered to follow me to the auto parts store and fix it in their parking lot. Well, my car broke down on the way. He gave me a ride and called a tow truck to take my car to the store. When he found out it was the compressor, he had the truck take my car to the shop, and gave me a loaner car to finally get home. Two days later my car was fixed (he even found a good deal on a used compressor which cut down the initial cost estimate by more than $ 200). The owner spent over two hours of his own time on a Sunday to help out a stranded stranger, and quite literally saved the day.

I had set my appointment at 8 to get my breaks changed and told them I needed it by 1 because I had school about an hour away, I arrived around 1:15 because they told me it would be 20 minutes late and they ended up giving me my car at 2 making me an hour late. On my way to school one of the breaks came loose and ended up screwing up my car even more than it was originally. Terrible.
After taking it back, the owner was very apologetic and kind and showed me that he cared, he gave me a car to borrow and is fixing everything for me

I really like these guys. I have a 1992 VW eurovan cv. I have a basic understanding of vehicles after 40 years of tinkering and they have been very fair and thorough and fast and helpful. Really like my car is their car. They work with my on quirky things. Thanks guys.

These guys are THE BEST. I drive a Land Rover LR3 and a Mercedes, both are off warranty and serviced exclusively at Automeister. Their repairs generally come in about 30% less then the dealer, they use OEM parts (or better), and they stand behind their work. We were having some front end issues on our LR3 and when the new brakes they installed were found to be the culprit they replaced what they had originally installed, with better parts, at no cost to me. Just today, I had an engine warning light come on. I dropped in and they checked it in the parking lot, cleared the error, and sent me on my way. That’s the kind of service you don’t see much these days. I strongly recommend using them over the dealer.

I took my 2006 saab 9 – 3 here for some work. I got a fair estimate, the work was done quickly, they were courteous, and communication was clear/​concise. 10 out of 10 will come back and will recommend!

Not easy finding a mechanic on the Eastside willing to tackle a restored 1979 VW camper bus. I just purchased my fourth, though I haven’t driven one since the seventies. Although I received no price quote upon drop off, I made it clear that this would be a diagnostic with Carte Blanche to fix anything wrong. Although the replacement parts needed took a while to track down, Rene, the tech, was always courteous despite my nagging. They gave me an ad-​wrapped free Scion to drive in the 2 weeks while I waited. When the car was finished, the invoice was EXACTLY what I expected it to be. Rene walked me through the fixes and he appeared to know my bus inside and out.
They did hoses, rewires and installations as if the bus were their own. This shop fixes Mercedes, Volvos, Beemers and Audis as well. Nice to know THAT SOMEBODY on this side of town knows how to deal with with Pre-​computer engines.
New location near Costco.
I’ll take my Lexus there too.
Highly recommended

You’ll note two previous reviews. The first I gave them kudos for doing a quick tie job on my car. The second however was a bad review because I called them, broken down on the side of the road and they wouldn’t give me two minutes on the phone with someone who might tell me what was going on with the car. Because my business wasn’t worth two minutes on the phone I had the car towed to Bellevue Jaguar after they spent some time on the phone with me. My repairs were $ 2080. I gladly paid it because if people treat you right they are worth the money. Automeister lost $ 2080 because they wouldn’t spend two minutes on the phone with a customer. BUT, notice they will take two minutes to log into Unilocal to try and deflect the poor customer service. Bottom line: People have choices on who they are going to give their money to for service. Treat them poorly and they go somewhere else.

Note: This review & rating is about Automeister’s customer service (the front desk) and is not in reference to the mechanics & service they provide.
I was referred to Automeister by a trusted friend and decided to take my Mercedes E500 there to be looked at (my check engine light had come on). After checking the error code, we scheduled an appointment for two weeks later (that was the soonest they could get me in). My appointment was for 8am but they said if I could bring it in earlier (they open at 7:30am) that would help them get to it sooner. I called the night before and asked if they had a loaner for me to use, which they did not. The next morning, I dropped off my car just before 8am and asked once more about a loaner and they confirmed that they did not have one. I explained that I needed to make arrangements for work and that if they could let me know as soon as possible how long they would need my car I would greatly appreciate it. The employee at the front desk (Ashley?) kind of just nodded her head and said uh-​huh. She didn’t seem to be very interested in helping… my perception was that she was just going through the motions and just wanted to complete this task as soon as she could (fwiw, there were no other customers in the lobby).
After waiting almost three hours, I walked back to the shop and noticed that my car had not been touched (at least it appeared it had not been touched). I walked in and was «greeted» with her saying «we haven’t been able to get to your car yet». I replied with «its been three hours, I would’ve appreciated a call to let me know this» to which she replied (in a snotty tone) «well, that’s why we ask you to leave it with us all day… that’s how we schedule things». Seeing that she had no interest in providing a great customer experience, I just asked for my keys and left. No effort to apologize, no effort to try and keep me there. It boggles my mind that a new customer, who was referred, would be treated like they could not care less if I was happy or not.
Being in the customer experience business for well over a decade, I can confidently say that this employee should not be in the customer service business. I’m sad that this did not work out. Automeister is close to my house and with all of these great reviews, I’m sure they do quality work.
Bottom line: if you don’t care about customer service… I’m sure that this business would work out well for you.

I was referred to Jocko, the owner of Automeister II from a friend of mine. He is honest, professional, helpful and a pleasure to work with. I have NEVER felt that he has been dishonest with me which is why I take my car to him for everything. When something happens I can call him and he will give me his honest opinion on what I should do. Honesty goes a very long way and is a great way of keeping a customer forever. His staff is very friendly as well. More importantly, if you are reading this and wondering if you should take your car there, please take it from someone who is VERY picky on where I take my car to get worked on. Jocko gets straight to the point, gets your car done and explains everything he did. He is also brilliant when it comes to fixing things and finding what is wrong with cars. Can’t say enough positive things about Jocko and his company. I’ve been taking my cars there for several years now and will continue to do so. He has a lot of 5 star ratings because he’s phenomenal!!!

I recently purchased an used A4 Avant and new that it needed an oil change and possibly brake work. A non-​German shop referred me to AM2, so I stopped by and made an appointment with Alan. He suggested the oil change and an inspection to make sure any potential issues were identified. Sure enough, I needed brakes, rotors. While no one likes to write checks, you feel better about it when you’re treated fairly and with honesty. The new, old car has found a new shop to call home. Thanks for everything.

I’m a big fan of people who stand behind their work. I had the joy of a newly purchased car develop engine problems within the first 3 days of ownership, and Jocko made the experience a lot less stressful with the way that he does business– no nonsense, and with an eye to the regular customer rather than a quick buck. I got to peek in the shop, everything was kept neat and orderly, my newly detailed car came back to me just as clean as it was when I dropped it off. And since they specialize in European cars, I don’t have to worry about whether or not they put in the right oil for my baby! It’s the little things…
The lobby is definitely one of the nicer shop waiting areas I’ve been in. They have loaner cars for longer services and they’ve graciously dropped me off when borrowing a car didn’t make sense. Jocko clearly cares about his business and has definitely earned all five stars, as well as my patronage.

I’m handing out 5 stars reviews today like they’re candy! I guess I’ve had a slew of really positive experiences, and its the holidays so I should share, right?
Came here on the recommendation of the BF’s brother, who uses this shop for his car, wife’s car, other brother’s car etc etc. They fit me in for an oil change on a short time frame (we were leaving on a road trip that weekend) AND got it done for me while I was waiting, even though I didn’t let them know ahead of time I would be waiting not dropping off, and they already had 1 waiter (usually just 1 a day), AND they were really, really nice about it.

When it comes to looking for an honest mechanic, I go to automeister everytime. It’s like dealing with a best friend everytime you visit. Such honesty and pride in the work they do. I don’t dread bringing my car in to these guys because I know they won’t try and sell me sonething my car doesn’t need. Keep up the great work automeister!

Automeister II went above and beyond the call for me. I was nearby at a conference at the local Hilton and needed to get a replacement coilpack (not expensive, like $ 35 for one) since I experienced a bothersome misfire on the way from Redmond. These guys went the extra mile to take care of me, even to drop me off at the hotel and pick me back up when the part was installed. All that for barely any margin on their end.
They are a busy company with lots of clients, and hope they will continue to grow with this type of service.

I had to get new tires for my car. The trouble was, I didn’t want to order online because shipping prices were insane. I also didn’t want to put them on myself. Automeister has been a great help in putting on my tires, even showing me how to do it myself, and buying high quality tires that were right for my car. I have not used them as a mechanic, but I believe them to be honest and trustworthy.
You might, if you search hard enough, find better than Automeister, but trust me you could do a whole lot worse. This is one of the good ones.

I have had nothing but HORRIBLE luck with mechanics. My vehicle is getting up there in mileage, and is older, and with it comes constant repairs.
I have taken it to 5 shops in Issaquah/​Eastside in my 4 years of living in WA and had awful experiences with each. Each one blatantly took advantage of the fact that I was a woman and overcharged me for labor, and repairs that were not necessary (which shops are NOTORIOUS for doing). I know the basics of car repair (both of my uncle’s were mechanics) but not enough to actually make the repairs myself (nor do I have the time, being a mother and working full-​time).
When I came out to start my car for work in the morning, it would not start. Eventually it started with some hesitation, but I did not want to risk driving it into Seattle for work. I took to Unilocal for my next auto repair adventure (i.e. horror). The first place I called, the man was rude, short, and quoted me an absurd price for an alternator replacement. Not to mention I needed my car tended to that morning so I could get to work, and he told me he had nothing until Monday.
My second call was to Automeister II. I was hesitant to call as the website said it specialized in German and high performance cars. However, I managed to get Jocko (the owner) on the phone, explained to him my situation and my car make and model and he said he could fix it no problem. I only live a few blocks from the shop, so he offered to come to my place and follow me to the shop to make sure I got there okay.
He arrived, and my car would not start at all. After looking under the hood, he offered to go and get the part (alternator) and replace it right there in my parking spot at my home. I was blown away at this offer, and my gut instinct was «Why would you do something so nice?»
Needless to say, Jocko did just as he said he would. He got the part, put it in, knocked on my door when it was complete – all while I sat in the comfort of my home on a cold winter’s day.
THIS is customer service my friends. He renewed my faith in the service industry. I know who I will be contacting whenever I have any auto needs.

It’s sad every service-​based business isn’t run like Jocko runs Automeister. They always answer the phone. They always give straight answers. They always complete the work as promised. They always charge fair prices. It’s nice wondering if you’re at Nordstroms or the mechanics!
On our last visit, they were booked solid for 10 days, but Jocko squeezed our TDI in that day, replaced the EGR cooling assembly, and saved us hundreds off the dealer’s estimate.
All is right in the world with Automeister.