Koester Automotive

15315 Dickens St, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403, USA

Address:	15315 Dickens St, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403, USA
Phone:	+1 818-986-7376
Site:	koesterautorepair.com
Rating:	4.9
Working:	8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–12PM Closed

Location

Photos 59

Reviews 4

Suzie Weis

Koester Automotive is the best auto care that I have found in LA. I had a 2005 Chevy Malibu that failed smog inspection due to the check engine light not lighting up on the dashboard, and at first I thought it might be a simple fix, such as replacing a fuse. After my usual mechanic checked it out, he said it was not a fuse and was probably an electrical-related problem in the dashboard. My mechanic does not do auto electrician work, so I was basically on my own to find someone else who did. I was so nervous because I have been ripped off with auto services before and I have very little knowledge or understanding about car repairs in general. I resorted to Yelp to find an auto electrician and stumbled upon Koester Automotive, and thank god I did. Ben and his team are simply the best. He made sure that I completely understood every step of the process - what was being checked out, what was damaged, what kind of repairs he recommended, and price. I always feel some level of unease when it comes to auto repairs, but Ben made sure I never felt this way. The car had to have an extensive check-up into the dashboard and all the electrical wiring to figure out what the problem was, and every other place that I had called quoted me at least $400 to $500 just to diagnose the problem. Ben was able to do the job at half these prices! I also had to leave the car over the weekend for them to work on, and Ben always made sure I was updated on the cars progress and when everything would be completed. All in all, I dropped the car off on a Friday, picked it up on Monday, and got my second smog check passed that same Monday afternoon. Because of my great experience here, Ben and his team at Koester Automotive are now my new mechanics for any and all future repairs and check-ups. I definitely plan on going back to them and I would absolutely recommend them to anyone.

Ariel Fisher

Taking my car to Ben is like taking it to dad. He’s kind, and completely trustworthy. You won’t find a more HONEST mechanic anywhere. Finding a good and honest mechanic is hard, add being a young female, and it’s even harder. After my first experience here, I have entrusted my car ONLY to Ben. Last spring, I took my car to some random corporate garage for an alignment (my best guess at what was wrong with my car). Long story short, they called me back and told me they couldn’t do the alignment I needed because I had all sorts of other issues that needed to be taken care of before it would work. They told me I had 4 or 5 different repairs that needed to be made, and gave me a quote for about $1800. Yikes. Not being a total moron (only slightly naive) when it comes to cars and mechanics, I called around getting quotes for all of the repairs I was told I needed. By the time I called Koester Automotive, I was pretty disheartened. My call was answered by a very kind woman, and I told her what was going on. She sounded a bit skeptical, and told me she’d give me a call back. Not even 5 minutes later, the owner, Ben, called me back. He asked me if I’d been in a horrible accident. I hadn’t. He asked if my car was drivable. It was. He chuckled a bit, and told me that it was highly unlikely that so many things were wrong with my car. I took my little Honda right over, and Ben checked it out. He gave me the short list of what was ACTUALLY wrong with my car. He fixed it up for less than half of what others had quoted me, and when I picked it up (EARLY, because he knew I needed it to get to work), and any time I have had a repair done on my car, he showed me the removed parts and explained what was wrong and why it needed to be repaired. For the life of this car, and for any car I own in the future, I’ll be using Koester Automotive.

Nicholas Guerra

My car took a dive on the way down south in Sherman Oaks. I live up north so I one shot with a tow truck to get to a good place. I figured in the morning I could get in early and get things fixed by the end of the day. Looked online, found this Koester Automotive, multiple good review, what luck right? Get the the shop, a guy hence forth referenced as Gutter Slag, he was nice, a quick inspection around 1100am reveals two torn radiator hoses, not too big a deal. Gutter Slag says he will order the parts now and have them in later today and in the mean time will check out if anything else could be wrong with the vehicle. Well three hours later and with a service bill for two radiator hoses, one thermostat, radiator flush/service and a bad battery (apparently) things were not as good. It happens right? Well with some cursory Googling and phone calls, I come to conclude Gutter Slag is over pricing his service and parts by I say a goof five to six hundred dollars. Also, when the new work order came in around 0200pm, only now did gutter Slag feel good enough about things to order some parts finally ... Joy! People regularly wait an extra six hours for a completed job right? So an extra five hundred out my pocket, a fat lie to my face and being left feeling like Gutter Slag will totally take over any situation to make people pay out. Screw this guy, I hope for nothing but daily mosquito bites and a new kid every other year on Gutter Slag. Have fun when robots totally take over your profession in ten years, you zilch.

Marie Z

3/23/2013 Talk about outstanding customer service, something I never expected to find at an automotive shop. I had a crazy lady hit my car about a month ago( with all my kids in the car!!!). So as you can imagine I was already completely stressed out over the whole ordeal. I didnt have a clue where to go, then on of my dear friends referred me to Koesters. Right from the start they made me feel comfortable, they helped me set up my rental, explained the process to me( who was oblivious), and my car came back to me looking nicer that it ever had. I work close by, so this place very convenient for me,I will be bring my car back here for my mechanical needs also.I hope this review expresses my great deal of gratitude. Update - 5/5/2013 I am so glad that this place is open on Saturday, I have been putting off getting my oil changed, which was really needed. So I came in on Saturday 5/4/13 to get my oil changed. Ben put a technician on my car as soon as I got there. He told him to do a complete safety inspection too (at no charge)! I forgot to mention the Yelp special, but he gave me the discount anyways. I left Koesters very happy, and with more knowledge about what my car needed. Also I wasnt pushed into any repairs, they categorized them by most important, to things that can wait, and as a woman I felt like I was treated kindly and not taken advantage of. This last visit has reinforced my confidence with Koester Automotive, they will be my mechanic for life, and I will be referring everyone I know to them.