BVA INDEPENDENT SERVICE SPECIALISTS

It went perfectly. Lee at BVA performed a thorough inspection and did all the routine service and additional items found during inspection on rather short notice to prepare our truck camper for a month long trip. We put on 2,400 miles on and off road through CA and Utah without a single problem. They are a really professional shop, as good as any independent or dealership I have been to, and are highly recommended.

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They are very good. They are honest, reliable, efficient and competent. They have been there for a long time and they are owned by good people, and they are very good. They also service Honda, Acura and three other kinds. The price is fair.

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They are honest, they do a good job of talking through the problem with the customer, and their prices are competitive, if not better, and they stand by their work. I've been going to them on and off for 10 years. I like their great communication.

BAIT AND SWITCH --
Based on reviews from AL, went in and discussed the SPECIFIC services I wanted -- oil change and fluid replacements on a Lexus RX 300; basically what you would get from Jiffy Lube for $25. I'm looking for a reliable HONEST mechanic so my reasoning was to start out small and go from there. Was given a quote of $90 and they would check the car over for any additional problems; OR I could just do the 60K service for $400. The time frame would be 2 hours. I booked the appointment for the following week for a $90 oil and fluid change.
I showed up at the designated time only to find out that the $90 DID NOT included the fluids, ONLY the oil change and examination; the fluids would cost more and take longer than 2 hours. After a few back and forths of you said, no I said, I walked out and drove over to JiffyLube where I got the service I wanted for $25 and it only took an hour.
Really don't appreciate being told and quot;I misunderstood,and quot; when I was very specific about what I wanted done in the first place. My advice is to be very wary of taking your car there unless time and money are of no concern to you. ALSO, unless YOU have someone to pick you up and bring you back -- you're stuck there.
It's just sad that there is no integrity in businesses today.

My Toyota dealer quoted over $700 for new struts. I joined Angies list and got four quotes. BVA impressed me the most... first of all with their price, but also courtesy, knowledge and explanation of what the heck struts are, and basically my overall impression was very good. Manuel was really a pleasure to work with. And oh my gosh, I saved over $300!
Thanks Angie's list - my membership was a great investment!
Diana K.

Got an oil change, did it pretty fast. Didn't have to wait forever like I usually do at the dealership. Awesome service, will come back again.

Very pleased with their work. Friends recommended them when we were looking for a mechanic for our out-or-warranty older model Acura instead of the dealer. Honest, easy to talk to, and fairly priced for the work done. Close to the SM Coop, too.

Their mechanics are fair and thorough. They are clear about communicating your options. and quot;It's like have a brother as your mechanicand quot;. They specialize in Volvos. They really take care of my car. I recommend them to anyone.

BVA was very persistant and thorough with their diagnosis. They were very honest with the price and I will use them from now on.

Overall BVA is a great place for keeping your older Volvos in grat shape. I have a 1996 Volvo that BVA has kept going for the past 10 years. My wife feels comfortable going there as she doesn't feel that Lee will try to snow her with dire stories of uneeded repairs. Lee let's us know what isnecessary and what can wait. We have 160,000 mile on our car and want to keep it goin at least until 200,000 miles. We feel confident that BVA will help us to do that but also let us know when it is time to cut bait.

I have a Toyota and I have always taken it to the dealership for service, because I purchased a service plan when I purchased the car. I don't drive very much, and my service coupons actually expired, so I didn't want to take the car back to Toyota because I didn't want to pay them again. I'm so glad I didn't. Not only did the cost come in below what was estimated, it was lower than what I used to pay at Toyota for the "extras" that the service plan didn't cover. Like others have said, the shop was calm, the employees friendly and polite, and the service was fast and excellent.

I am really good about maintaining my car and have always gone to a Toyota dealership for service. It seemed that every year the cost of basic maintenance was costing more and more. I decided to check out mechanics on Angie's list and found all of the reviews for BVA to be good. I made an appointment with a very friendly receptionist. The shop is clean, quiet and calm. Lee asked me to call him in a couple hours to see if there was anything needed besides the minor service. I did so and he told me that I only had about 18% left on my break pads. Because I drive the hills and I had never had them replaced before, I knew that this was a need that should be addressed. In addition, he said that the computer showed that there was a problem with the airbags. Lee said that they may still under warranty so I should call the Toyota dealer and explain the situation and see what they say. I hadn't reserved a rental car but even though the rental agency was really booked up during the tourist season, BVA's good relationship with them got me a car; and at a good rate. When I picked my car up and was very pleased to see the number on the bottom of the invoice was a lot less than I would have paid at the Toyota dealer. And the calm, personal attention I got was a bonus. The next day I called the Toyota dealership about the airbag situation. They said that my warranty on them was over and wanted to charge $120 to do a computer check of the airbags and then if there was a problem, it would cost several hundred to repair it. I called Lee to tell him what the dealership said and he told me to bring the car back to him and he would run the check at no charge and if there was a problem we would go from there. Fortunately, it was just a computer glitch and nothing was needed. Lee's honesty and generosity has gotten himself two new customers. My husband is taking his Lexus in next week for minor service.

I have used them before and it went fine, but the last time I took the car to them, they asked me to go get a new car. It was like they did not want to work on my car and turned away my business. I had the problem fixed by another mechanic with no problem at all. They were professional and were referred to me by a friend. They have a clean, busy and great facility. They also have a waiting room.

After having had her 1997 Camry serviced at a Toyota dealership in Santa Monica my daughter encountered all sorts of new problems with her car. I live in Columbus, Ohio and my daughter is a graduate student with VERY limited resources at UCLA. After her "service" at Toyota her rear lights would not work and she now was using an inordinate amount of gasoline. Toyota gave her an estimate of over $3000. to get everything repaired. My daughter called home very distraught about the situation. She relies on her car not just to get to UCLA from Santa Monica, but also to make home visits to provide therapy to children with autism. Although an Ohio resident, I joined Angie's List in L.A. to find a reputable and reliable auto service station. My daughter took the car to Lee and he looked it over. I also spoke with him from Columbus. He assured me he would fix the car so it would be safe and reliable. I am so glad we found this auto service center. They even permitted me to pay her bill by credit card over the phone. The receptionist on the phone was also very helpful, kind, and reassuring. I highly recommend this center for any auto problems you might encounter.

They were very honest. I brought my vehicle in for a second opinion. They looked it over and gave me another diagnosis and saved me a lot of money. They will only do the work that you really need to have done. They have a very reasonable price. They were very professional and friendly.

They are the most honest people that I have met in my life. They never charge me when they don't need to fix anything. It is great to have a car mechanic that I can trust these days.

My Mom's low-mileage older Camry needed inspection and potential service. I was going to take it on a long trip. These folks were very informative during our initial email contact. They quoted full service at more than 20% under dealer. The car is old enough to maybe require a timing belt. This would have cost between $8 and $900 ($1110 at dealer). When we took it in, they told us everything was fine, no belt required, did some minor stuff, charged $40 and sent us on our way confident that the car would run great. We're new customers and big fans! Nothing like good, honest service to build a client base!

I didnt know what the car needed or what was wrong and simply took it in to be looked at. They looked over the car and gave me a list and helped me prioritize what to fix first according the budget I had to work with. They were very friendly and I felt they were trustworthy. They called several times to tell me about the progress and get approval for any additional work needed.

They service Volvo, Toyota, and Honda vehicles, and they are an extremely competent and honest independent car repair shop. I trust their work, and I would definitely recommend them to anyone.

I have used the business for more than 20 years. Manuel and his business are A+ all the way. They only work on Volvos and Hondas. My mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and friends use their services as they are quite satisfied. Through my years of experience, they are trustworthy, deal with warranties well, and very knowledgeable. The cost was well worth the quality work performed.

It's definitely the best mechanic I have ever had. They work with Honda, Volvo and Toyota and they do a great job for a fair price. But what I like the most about them is their honesty, and of course the fact that my car works properly!