Larsen Automotive, Inc

Fast, friendly and clean! Top notch service and appreciate the Unilocal deal!

Incredible service and friendly staff. The fact that the owner, Nick Larsen, is there everyday answering the phone says it all — he truly wants to take care of his customers. I live up in Ventura County, but the drive is worth it everytime.

A few more things: (Reached maximum character limit in original review, LOL) I wish they would either get rid of the TV in the waiting room or fix it. It doesn’t work. Sometimes I want to watch TV. Not everybody has a smartphone, and even if I did, I don’t want to watch on a tiny screen.
I wouldn’t know about their smog check service, as the last time I got one, I had to go to a test-​only station. Also, they never had donuts when I went, so I don’t know if it’s «just a smog station that serves donuts», LOL.
Best to call or stop by; they get too many e-​mails to respond to all the time. Double check your estimate and final total, for additional costs. Richard told me the opposite of what Nick said about something I needed, so stick to the person who wrote the ticket.
I was skeptical about all the glowing reviews initially, as no business is that perfect in my opinion. Somebody is not going to be happy, or mistakes can happen.

I just learned from them that there has been a change in ownership, in 2013 or 2014.
It was originally founded as a family business; around 2001 it was sold, and «run to the ground.» The same family bought it back just recently.
Well, I can say the family is doing a great job reviving the business. They’re very nice, and do good work, for a fair price.

The shop is clean, everyone there is always friendly and helpful, the estimates are clear and fair and the repairs are solid. Yes, the prices are a little more than others — but it’s totally worth it.
Highly recommended.

I will never go anywhere else in LA. That’s all one really needs to know about Larsen.
I had to get my car smogged but didn’t notice it was time again. I paid the registration from New York but couldn’t of course take it in from 3000 miles away. The price for smog test in LA is far below the average Santa Barbara (one of the most obnoxiously and unjustifiably overpriced places in America). But with the Unilocal deal, it was just 20!
The garage is like a showroom! You could eat off the floor. If my Jewish OCD clean freak grandmother were alive, she would plotz. This is a family-​run operation and they have a Keurig plus donuts or Christmas cookies (I went twice in a week, once to replace a bulb on my mother’s Acura).
I left Santa Barbara, where I had a great mechanic (Lang off Milpas near Trader Joe’s). So I was in the market for a new person since my mother takes her car to the Acura dealer and I’m obviously not going to take my Saab to an Acura dealer.
Bonus: I finally found a way to get to Culver City without getting lost. Forget Robertson. That is an evil, good-​for-​nothing freeway exit and designed to ruin your day whenever you use it. Get off on Overland and just shoot down past Sony to Jefferson. What a sweet little neighborhood too. From now on, I will use car repair as a reason to see a movie at the Landmark (Overland/​Pico, roughly).

Friendly and Efficient Service

My car didn’t start today and it was a very ambiguous situation. It had leaked out all the oil but even after we refilled it, the car wouldn’t start. Larsen is close by, so it was the natural choice to try them first. (We only moved to the area recently, so haven’t had them work on our cars before.) Nick was very-​very helpful on the phone, even though we called him back multiple times, after our various attempts to start the car failed in succession. Finally we managed to get it jumped and drive it to the garage (they don’t tow). Without any previous appointment, they got it in, diagnosed it, and had it fixed within a few hours. We were lucky b/​c it was only a loose oil filter and a battery replacement but also because the place was so professional and quick. I would highly recommend them.

If you would like a completely professional, prompt and curtious experience with auto repair, visit Nick. 5 stars!

Seemed nice and fair

I went in for an oil change, it was fast, easy, and I got a deal through Unilocal.Everything was great. Nick was really helpful and nice!

Thanks to the lovely city of LA, I received a ticket within 12 hours of receiving my new car for not having a front license plate on my bumper (mind you it was sitting on my dashboard). Having to work, I knew I needed to get it done on my lunch break. I work down the street from here so I figured I could stop in there quickly. I drove in there and they helped me right away. 2 men were on their hands and knees trying to secure and place the plate on. They didn’t even charge me. Great service! I will definitely be back here to have an oil change (I don’t want to jinx myself with bad car luck re other pieces falling apart!). Thank you so much, Larsen Automotive!

As a warning – this is just about trying to schedule an appointment. I got my first smog check notice in the mail and did a ton of Unilocal searching trying to find a place with good reviews that wouldn’t rip me off. Larsen looked really promising so I woke up early this morning to give them a call right when they opened to see if they had any openings and I could come in. I very nicely greeted the gentleman who abruptly answered the phone and explained I needed to get a smog check and asked if they had any openings this morning. He then asked if I already had an appointment. When I said no, he became very gruff and rude. He said there was no way I could come in, they were completely booked and at best I could come in «some time next week» but I better make an appointment if I wanted to come in.
It’s fine that they were booked and couldn’t fit me in today – great! But there was no need to be so rude about it and make me feel like a horrible person for simply ASKING to schedule a same day appointment. I ended up going elsewhere and having a MUCH better customer service experience and would definitely not attempt to come in here again if that’s how they treat prospective customers.

Greeted, attentive and quick.
Be sure to make an appointment. I am guessing work is done quicker if the customer is responsible as well :)
Thanks Nick for making my smog check seemless and timed at an amazing 30 minutes in and out.

Really excellent service and delightful staff! Called a few places ahead of time, and with their awesome Unilocal deal, Larsen had the best price. I was able to make an appointment the day of, and even though I was about 10 minutes late, it wasn’t a problem. It was a pretty quick process and they filled out all of the necessary paperwork to give to the DMV. Couldn’t have been an easier experience!

I don’t typically feel compelled to write reviews, but after coming to Larsen’s for a simple smog test, I just had to.
Nick was very friendly and professional, and although I didn’t have an appointment, was in and out of there, in less than an hour. The shop was clean, and all their mechanics were very personable. They had coffee and a comfortable waiting room.
Need to get my car serviced, and will definitely be coming back, expecting the same service. Stay tuned.

Nick is like you and me. Except his grandfather owned a sizable mechanic’s shop. If you are a grease monkey, this is probably not the place for you. But if you either a) don’t know that much about cars, or b) do know a thing or two but just enjoy professional service, then this is the place for you.
It’s not the absolute cheapest around, but its fair. You’re definitely notpaying a price that builds in much overhead for advertising or loaner cars like a dealership would. The place can appear just a bit understaffed at times because there’s only one Nick. But I’m very comfortable because the whole place is operated in a manner where they want to do the customer right and leave each customer informed and feeling like they had a fair exchange with their mechanic.
If you’re shopping for a new mechanic, this is a good place to check out. The new ownership is doing things right.

WOW!!!
One of the best experiences I’ve had at an auto repair place. Nick, the owner, is a gentleman and a scholar. When I first called to make an appointment, Nick was super friendly over the phone and I almost knew right then and there, this was going to be a really smooth and painless experience, but I had my doubts as I do with auto repair places in general.
I booked the appointment for Saturday at 8am, When I arrived, I was happily greeted and offered coffee and donuts. Nick is one of the most friendly and down to earth guys I think I’ve ever encountered at an auto repair place, which is a good thing! I, like many other reviewers got the Unilocal deal and he was cool with that. They offer a drop off/​pick up service if you live within the city, so I was driven home. I was told it would take about 3 hours and they would call me when my car was ready.
Took a bit longer than usual but hey, I can’t complain, I was just watching tv at home. When it was all said and done, Nick called and told me «the car was ready» but they found some stuff that needed to be taken care of in the future. He gave me a brief overview over the phone and went in-​depth when I arrived. Oh, they picked me up. Pick-​up/​Drop-​off service, I love it!
Long story short, my car is old and things are slowly wearing out and he was really cool and upfront about it. If it was life or death, he would’ve tried convincing me to get it taken care of immediately but he recommended I consider repairing a few things in the next few months, and he gave me a list with quotes.
I’ve been to some really good auto repairs places as well as some really bad ones in the past, but I gotta say, this place has the best customer service of any place, ever.
If you really want to feel appreciate as a customer, if you want honest, friendly, courteous, professional yet very down to earth service, this is definitely your spot!
They also washed my car! Oh, I will be back!

I can here because I was in the area and truthfully, I plain and simple saw the Unilocal deal. Who’s going to resist a discount right? I needed to get a smog check and came on a Saturday morning. It’s a great idea that you make an appointment beforehand since they do get pretty busy. Luckily, Nick really liked my name and squeezed me in. SCORE! To top it off, he offered me coffee which I politely declined because I don’t need caffeine, but then he mentioned something about a donut and I was all ears!
I ended up sitting in their little waiting room, eating a donut and chatting with my mom over text. By the time I was getting bored, they finished my smog check and my baby passed! I forked over $ 45 less the Unilocal deal and went on my merry way to get the rest of my errands done.
Quick, efficient, and super nice! I would definitely come back.

Needed a smog check and the Unilocal app directed me to Larsen:
5 stars and greats reviews — Check!
Unilocal deal — Check!
Proximate Location — Check!
Same day appointment — Check!
Arrived at Larsen and Nick Larsen greeted my dog and I personally. Service was great, shop was clean and my car passed!