Barrington Motors

These guys are honest, forthright, and very fair. They were always patient with me (I know next to nothing about the mechanics of a car) and explained in layman terms what was going on with my car. They would even give me oil top-​offs or replace my dead tail lights for free. Excellent customer service and really, just decent, kind, honest folk. Alas, I’ve since replaced my car with another brand but I really almost considered buying another Volkswagen just to keep them as my mechanics! Try them out, you won’t regret it.

I would say it truly doesn’t get better. It’s easy to find a mechanic. It’s hard to find a mechanic who fixes and diagnosis whats wrong with your car every time. It’s even harder to find an honest mechanic. I’ve been lucky for the last 2 years to bring my car to Barrington Motors to have the the best of both worlds: an honest mechanic that doesn’t over charge you, and a great service. The owner is even there to greet you and work on your car!

Never a problem, always a lifesaver! Always had fantastic service, I have been coming here since I got my first car and they are definitely one of the bests at their jobs!

The guys at Barrington Motors are solid. They were able to get my car in and do the repair the same day, which VW Santa Monica had quoted me twice as much for the same repair. I’ll be bringing my Rabbit here from now on.

I’ve been coming here for a few years. Before that, I was taking my car to the Audi dealership. Here’s a short example of the Audi dealership: «You need new tires.» «Really? I think I’ll wait.» Next time I went in: «How are my tires?» «They’re fine.» I drove another 2 years on the tires and finally replaced them last year when they actually did need it.
Here’s my experience with Barrington Motors: «You need new brake pads.» «Hmm, that’s expensive. I think I’ll get a 2^nd quote.» 2^nd quote: «You need new brake pads and we’re going to charge you twice as much.» «Thanks, I’ll go back to Barrington!»
Most recently, I dropped my car off for a check engine light that came on. He told me it could be something, but they’re going to wait and check it next time it comes in to see if it really needs repair. He didn’t even charge me for opening the hood! Some other place could’ve made something up and charged me $ 500.
These guys are honest and knowledgeable. Whenever they suggest a repair, they take the time to explain why it needs to be fixed, or why it might be able to wait, and some symptoms of failure (which I had experienced!). I appreciate knowing that I can trust them, and will continue to take my car here/​recommend them.

These guys messed up my car. So much to say I can’t write it all now. But save your car and don’t go.
My last review about the breaks was just the start of the problem. (Read that, as far as I am concerned they put my life in danger not knowing my car had inner and outer breaks.)
A couple months after spending $ 1250 to make sure my car was all serviced, it started leaking oil. As barrington had just replaced my oil pan that they said another mechanic stripped and messed up, I became concerned. It was not just a little leak.
I went to Right Solution to check all that had been done. There were 4 things Barrington said that they fixed that were still bad. Right Solution said I should 100% go back because everything should be under warranty. As I was already upset about the breaks, I was sad to have to do this… But I went back.
I showed them the list of things that were on my paid bill vs the list that was still wrong with my car after an inspection by Right Solution. He argued why after $ 1250 in repairs the stuff on the list was not the same as the work that they did 4 months after the work being done there were a ton of problems with my car.
Then I mentioned the brake thing and how I felt unsafe even having him look at my car but the work they did should be under warranty. Then he said he wouldn’t stand behind his work. He wouldn’t touch my car or give me my money back and I would have to take him to court for my money back. So clearly they don’t honor their work after doing a shitty job.
Right Solution replaced the oil pan and they figured out why barrington wouldn’t do the work again, aside from being unethical people. The oil pan wasn’t fitting on right and the screws were not straight. So the job had to be done 2 times to make it right. RS said most likely they knew that it was a more difficult job and didn’t want the hassle of fixing it.
Being a woman it is hard to know who to trust as a mechanic. Clearly these people are not the ones to put your trust in.

Aldi is the best mechanic in Los Angeles! He is warm, kind and cares about you and your car. His prices are below anyone else’s and as you can see by his other reviews, he is honest, and fixes your car right! I have been to several other car places that sold me services I didn’t need completely unrelated to what was wrong with my car. I finally found Aldi by looking up car places that fixed Volkswagens and read his reviews. He is the salt of the earth and I can’t buy anything else but a Volkswagen or a Beamer because I don’t trust anyone but him to work on my car! Jacqueline

I’ve been coming here for over 5 years now. I won’t let anyone else touch my GTI. These guys are honest and down-​to-​earth. You never feel like they’re trying to get more out of you like other unsavory places. I found them because of their Unilocal reviews and couldn’t recommend them more highly.
When I need something done, I call to ask when would be the best day to drop it off. I used to start work really early, so I would just go at 6:30 am drop my key off through their mail slot in an envelope with my name and number and car make/​model and then have an Über driver pick me up and take me to work. By the time I was out for the day, my car was finished. I’d take Über or the bus there and pick it up. If you want to wait while having it worked on, it’s just a 10 – 15 minute walk to Little Osaka (aka Sawtelle). Great coffee shops in that area.
These guys are amazing. If you just moved to the city or are looking for a new auto shop, try them out. A+++!!!

I found Barrington Motors via this site a few years back when I was looking for a trustworthy, westside mechanic familiar with a MKV VW GTi. These guys have been fantastic; transparent, fairly priced, quality work, and on time.
The last time I went in, my car needed major surgery due to an oil leak affecting the master brake cylinder. (This was something they’d alerted me would be coming down the line during a previous visit.) Because it was estimated to be a pricey ordeal, there were a couple of other things wrong with the car that I told them not to worry about. When I picked my car up, not only did they successfully correct the leak, the service came in under the estimate, and they fixed the problems I told them they could ignore FOR FREE.
I never worry when dropping my car off to them. And I’ve never had to bring my car back for the same problem. Highly recommend.

I have been coming to this place for the last couple years and I am always so happy with the service I get. They are always willing to go the extra mile to make sure their customers are happy. I have always felt 100% comfortable leaving my car in their hands. They stand behind their prices and never overcharge. I highly recommend Barrington motors.

This was my first time to Barrington Motors and the bill was significant, not because I thought their prices were bad but because it was very apparent that past service companies had not done their job. Barrington was spot on in its estimate and were happy to document their work. They made me feel secure that I am getting what I have paid for… not to mention the one year parts and labor warranty. Definitely check them out.

Owners of german vehicles typically find it so hard to find a reliable, reasonably priced mechanic. This guy is your solution. Adis is an incredibly trustworthy mechanic. We had a bad experience at some local dealerships, being overcharged, and work not being done properly — and Adis is the opposite. He charges the minimum he can, because he would rather do the right thing, and he prefers customer loyalty over large paydays. I don’t think they offer rides, but you would still be saving a ton of money by going here and getting an Über or Lyft to take you home. Couldn’t recommend this place more.

I’ve been coming here for several years now for my crappy old VW Passat. Every year or so a new problem pops up and Barrington Motors fixes it (for good). I have had three big repairs done on my car here and each time it has been properly diagnosed and repaired by the guys here.
I’m not very knowledgeable on car repair pricing, but after asking for quotes from different places I believe they offer some of the lowest rates around town, or at least the lowest on the west side.
I love this place but given the horrible track record of my VW, I think my next car will probably be a Honda, which is bittersweet because it means I’ll need to find a new car repair guy. Anyway, if you own a German car that’s suffering from a mysterious problem, take it here. You’ll be glad you did.

Utterly fantastic. Charged me nothing to put my undercarriage cover back on. They were fast and polite. I’m going back to them with my business.

I’ll be honest and say I’ve selfishly put off reviewing Barrington Motors cuz I didn’t want it to become too popular. I wanted it all to myself! Now that I’ve moved, I feel like I can finally put another notch in Barrington Motors’s 5-​star belt. sadness :(
In LA I had 3 favorite mechanic shops for my Audi A4 — Barrington Motors in West LA, Independent VW in Pasadena, and Crown Auto in West LA. You’re likely to get great service at any of these 3 locations, but if I had to pick my favorite, Barrington is the easy choice.
Adis is like a regular friend or guy you’d meet who just so happens to run a shop. He isn’t about bullshitting you or trying to up-​sell you this or that. He’ll give you an honest opinion on any issues with your car. On one occasion, I even brought him into a phone call with Santa Monica Audi to help me argue about some warranty work. Really stand-​up guy.
In the 3 years I lived in LA, I had oil changes but one on my A4 and my girlfriend’s Jetta done there — and most maintenance work, too (twice I got slightly lower quotes and took it to another one of my top spots). Other work they did for me included replacing an O2 sensor, doing some light rear-​end body work on the Jetta, and probably a dozen «hey, can you check this out for me???» type of requests from me.
Wish Adis all the best and hope it continues to do well.

I took my car to Adis because I saw the great reviews and I am a happy camper!
Adis is great! my beetle needed timing belt and some other things to get fixed due to years of driving. He sat down and explained all the issues and educated and showed me what he changed etc. I am very happy I found him thank you Unilocal!
I will be going to him from now on =)

Great service and quality of work.
Adis does not beat around the bush and tells you exactly what you need to fit your cars situation.
He was clear and concise with their policies and as busy as this shop is, he was very courteous and respectful.
I also recommend this shop to any military and veterans with European cars.

If I wrote an update for every visit I made to Barrington Motors and drove away happy, my collective reviews of Barrington Motors would be several pages long. So, this update is LOOOOOONG overdue.
While it’s true that I’ve had to spend up toward $ 1,000 for various major repairs (like timing belt — it was way past time… I needed it done) It’s also true that I saved big on those repairs, compared to what the local VW dealers charge. I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I always check those things. The gentlemen at Barrington Motors never price gouge and because I’ve dropped some hefty amounts down for necessary major repairs over the years, they make it up to me like fixing my turn signal bulbs for free. It’s called tit for tat.
One time I asked them if I needed to replace my tires (because the guys at Just Tires said I did). Barrington Motors said «no, not yet, give them another 6 months.» Who else in L.A. does this? I’ve not found anyone yet but these guys…
Top it off with friendly, calm and warm personalities… it’s the whole package.

My girlfriend and I went to Volvo of Santa Monica for an electrical issue on the her S40. Volvo of SM diagnosed that the problem was due to the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and the cost to fix would be about $ 2,000.
I did not like to the idea of shelling out $ 2000 for a 10 year old car with over 100K miles.
So I took the Volvo S40 to Barrington Motors for a second opinion. Barrington diagnosed the Volvo and found a short on the connections. The cost about $ 160. I asked them to double check the CPU and the found no issue with the CPU. I asked are you sure and assured me there is no problem with the CPU.
Barrington Motors is highly recommended.
Thanks guys! Wishing you success.

The guys at Barrington Motors are the real deal: honest, friendly, direct, helpful, and completely professional. I discovered them through the «Mechanics Files» on the Car Talk website (
) almost six years ago, and they have been taking impeccable care of my 2001 VW ever since.
From oil changes to routine, scheduled maintenance to urgent repairs I have been consistently thrilled with their excellent service and attentiveness. I always feel comfortable asking questions, and they communicate clearly what is going on with my car and what work they plan to do in response. They always charge me a fair and reasonable price, which is exactly the price they quote up front. My car never runs better than it does after a tune up at Barrington Motors!