Konig Motorsport

Let me start this review by saying that we sold our vehicle right after Konig Motorsport completed the service. Also, don’t blame people in the business of maintaining your high maintenance vehicle for having to spend good money to fix it correctly… European vehicles just need more attention which = dollars.
We took our Mini in after it began idling poorly and emitting an oil burning smell at approximately 62,000 miles.
The Good: Denny and Mike (the shop mechanic) did a thorough inspection of our 2009 John Cooper Works Mini Clubman. The diagnosis was oil leaking from the oil pan, oil filter housing, and coolant leaking from the water pump and themostat housing, and the valve cover breather valve was defective (oil by-​pass). Mike took me in to the garage and showed me the issues with the Mini up on the lift. Denny joined us and confirmed all that needed to be worked on. I asked for a written estimate, and a best case/​worst case scenario. Best case was an estimate of $ 1,561, worst case was an estimate of $ 2,100 which included new spark plugs as well as some other small maintenance. Since we were selling the Cooper after this service, we opted for the shorter work list. The list of repairs included an oil filter and service, reseal of the oil filter housing and cooler, and replacement of the water pump, thermostat, oil pan gasket, and turbo oil feed line. Parts total, $ 525.00 and a labor total of $ 1,155. Remember the above admonition of not crying about spending money to maintain your European car… well almost $ 1,200 in labor alone is why we sold our Mini. Denny and his team completed the repairs and we were able to sell the Mini quickly and without any further mechanical issues. We had just spend $ 700 with our regular mechanic and he missed much of what Denny and Mike caught on our Mini. Not sure if that was because the car aged significantly from September to November, but a lot of the issues we were glad Denny caught and addressed.
The Not So Good: Communicating with Denny and his staff was a challenge. Let’s just say customer service is not their high point… we never heard from them in the 9 days they had our vehicle. All follow up was from our side. We had to call to get any updates, and the assertion was made by Denny that the car would be ready soon. A vague soon… but soon. What started as a 1.5 day job ended up being a very extended stay. Prepare for this when you take your vehicle here and you will do fine. Expect that there will be delays, as Denny’s shop is very busy servicing a high expectation clientele, and as we witnessed, sometimes they have a hard time saying no to business or quoting realistic vehicle return times. I empathize with Denny and his team, because the clientele (we saw several Porsche, BMW, and VW owners while at the shop) has a tendency to set unrealistic expectations for service… these are high performance autos folks, not shoes you just bought at Nordstrom’s…and Konig wants to please everyone. We were patient, but a little concerned that the estimate would reflect a higher labor charge because of the delay. It did not, but based upon a few other reviews here on Unilocal,a little anxiety was ours until we picked up the car.
We would strongly recommend Konig with the specific understanding that you get a written estimate first, follow up often, and lower your customer service expectations from your usual Nordstrom’s experience.

I went to Konig based upon the positive Unilocal reviews. Unfortunately, I had a very different and negative experience. I have a Carrera 4 that ran great until I took it to Konig for an oil change and to check an oil pressure warning light on my dash. After the initial work was performed, I had to return the car four more times over a two month period, and have spent nearly $ 10,000 for work that was either unnecessary or to repair new problems I believe they created. For example, Denny convinced me to replace the factory installed dual-​mass flywheel and clutch with a single flywheel and clutch, without informing me that Porsche distributed an advisory in 2008 saying this modification is not approved by Porsche due to a published list of problems and consequences. He also didn’t tell me that the engine would be considerably noisier afterward. Had I known, I wouldn’t have agreed to this modification and now I am facing a cost of $ 3600 to reverse it.
When they first returned the car, it began to misfire. He replaced coils a couple of times before determining that I needed a new harness. Although they offered a few theories (rats, previous poor workmanship, etc.) I believe they disturbed the harness while pulling and replacing the engine which led to coil failures. When another shop inspected the old harness, they said it could have easily been repaired, saving me a lot of expense. The last time my car was released to me, the shift linkage was disconnected and I had to have my car towed. My wife and I were stranded.
Konig never presented me with written estimates. All quotes were verbal and the final cost ended up being higher than the estimates. They charged me for labor for the second harness install after I was told it would be complimentary since I had experienced so many problems with them. I kept returning my car to Konig based on their warranty policy, but finally had to cut my losses and go somewhere else. I highly recommend that you avoid this shop.

I had a 2005 Audi S4 that denny fixed up last year. Once I got It back from the shop it ran better then when I bought it. Best german car mechanics around oceanside hands down.
+ Their shop is beautiful and always clean.

I am very happy with the knowledge and professionalism from Konig Motorsports. I was having problems with my 01 V.W. Beetle; the battery was draining overnight. I had recently installed a new radio and amplifier which were not compatible with my car. They had my car for a few hours and within those hours they had diagnosed the problem.
I have found my new mechanic and I will continue to pass on the praises of Konig Motorsports staff.
Debi I

(Management /​Owner Review) I will write a separate review for the actual work that was done (which was VERY good) but this is for Owner/​Manager.
I’m a little late as the work was down on my car about a year ago but this needs to be said. After looking around Oceanside for a viable German auto mechanic I settled on Konig as I needed some pretty heavy work to be done on my car and wanted it to be done properly.
Took my car in for diagnostics to find out exactly what was going on, got a call back from Denny/​Danny (can’t remember) who told me what it was and so I agreed to some work to be done. Key word, SOME. A few days later he calls again and goes down this massive laundry list of work that they ALREADY DID that I ABSOLUTELY did NOT approve. Hits me with a $ 5,000 + bill and expects me to pay it, no questions asked. Long story short, I confronted him about what he’s trying to pull, was able to SLIGHY lower the price. Paid the con artist and said good riddance.
Moral: get something in writing, signed by you and him stating EXACTLY what’s going to be done ahead of time.

My permanent mechanics!!! These guys are so awesome. They take the time to explain & show you everything going on with your car. No one else will ever touch my German cars.

Honest, detailed, and A+++ Service. If you care at all about your car, take it to Konig. I have a 2008 Mini Cooper JCW and am VERY picky about who works on my car. If you have an Audi, BMW, Mini, etc. then you know that these cars require more maintenance than a Ford, Chevy, or Toyota. These are high tech machines and need a mechanic and shop that know what they are doing. I was not happy with the Mini Dealer or other specialized Mini shops. I am GLAD that I found Denny and Konig. He explained everything to me and I feel that my car is in good hands. Thanks Denny and everyone at Konig!

10 days ago, I bought a Porsche part from Denny. I tried to test fit it and it didn’t fit. I immediately called Denny and told him the situation and he said to bring it back, no questions asked. On the way there, I ran into traffic and notified him of my delay. Even though he had prior family obligations he made the extra effort to accommodate my after closing hours arrival! A great example of going above and beyond the call of duty to make his customer happy! You found another client for life, Denny!

We take our 04 and 07 BMWs here and get great service every time. Denny only uses the highest quality parts and is genuinely concerned about us driving well maintained cars.

I’ve been bringing my 07 Mini Cooper to Konig ever since the warranty was up, and I have to say, I wish I’d been bringing it to Konig from the very beginning. Denny and his crew know these cars better than the dealership mechanics! Every repair they have done on the car has been top-​notch. I’ve had brakes done, head gasket & valve cover replaced, water pump replaced, timing chain, tensioner, cam sprockets replaced, and of course, oil & filter changes, and the work has been excellent. Diagnoses and estimates have been right on and have fixed the issues every time. I HIGHLY recommend these guys for your Mini repair and maintenance.

I just picked up my Porsche 356 with a new Sebring exhaust. Looks great. Denny and his team did a great job of figuring this out and getting it dialed in. I will take several of my other vehicles to them as well.

Hats off to Denny at Konig. When multiple oil and check engine lights went off, i took it in, Turns out rats ate my wiring harness. Expensive repair, but as i was paying, Denny suggested I call my insurance company – sure enough it was covered (minus deductible of course)
thanks

Does not back up claim that they guarantee their work.

I took my car in and like many others got no estimate Denny did all kinds of things not what I asked and nine months later ihave a oil leak so I take my car back to my mechanic and he shows me evidence that Danny didn’t even do some the things he said

I decided that I wanted my 1983 Mercedes 300 turbodiesel to feel like new.
I am a mechanical engineer, product designer and I am picky. I also have serious car trust issues when it comes to mechanics. Letting anyone work on my cars is tough.
The team at Konig knew far more about my car than I did. They took the time to explain the benefit of each repair and how it would relate to the driving experinece that I described wanting to have.
There is a tightness and a precision that a band new car has. I have that back. The car looks and feels like I spent a fortune. The work I had done priced out at ¹⁄₃ labor and ²⁄₃ parts. To really rehab a car you should be ready for that. There is no way I could have gotten all that work done in 2 years of Saturdays.
I am driving and enjoying a car that makes people stop and look. It is rock stable at 80 blasting up and down the freeway and I trust it completely because I trust the work that was done.

The people here are helpful and knowledgeable about the services they provide. Denny the owner and Mike the professional servicing the vehicle took the time to explain things to us. We went in for an oil change and by no means was it expensive! We also told them we thought the drive train drove a little rough but after looking things over they assured us all was well. Instead of going to Bob Baker VW we’ll be back to Konig for our 40k service. I will recommend this shop to friends and family.

As a current customer I can say that the personnel at Konig Motorsports are professionals who know what they are talking about. Denny and Mike helped us alot when we originially brought them our VW and have been with them since.

We take all of our families german cars to Konig now. We have been to several other german auto repair shops and these guys are by far the best. They are highly skilled at diagnosing problems on German cars. That is not always the case with other repair shops. A lot of extra labor costs could be incurred when they are not experienced in determining the problem. Koing takes all the guess work out for you. I highly recommend them for all your German Auto needs.

I had such a bad experience with the dealer, so I was talking to a friend and they said find a independent BMW mechanic… So I got on my iPhone and started to google and pretty much everyone was way too busy. Until I came across Konig Motorsport… I spoke to a lady very pleasant on the phone I asked her how much for oil change and quoted me $ 90… I was thinking to myself, wow I’m so stupid I have been paying anywhere from $ 150-​$ 190…
When I arrived there employees very nice place is very clean… Even where they work on your car is very not a clutter box!
So I was thinking I was just going to do oil change. But I knew before bringing my car I needed to get somethings addressed. I really didn’t have the time to leave my car. But when Denny showed me how my wheel was in bad condition and told me I don’t even feel comfortable u driving to Escondido… I was actually going to go LA and he not the car needs to be worked on or your going to have some big problems. He quoted me excellent price and now I have me a new mechanic. F the dealer go to Konig Motorsport if you want honest work and not to get over charged

I knew about Denny from a friend who is a racing car fanatic. You can tell his only motive is that people drive well maintained cars. He’s straight up and his passion and expertise for German engineering is obvious. The first time I havent felt neglected or taken to the cleaners by a mechanic. Holla!