Fat City German Car Repair

01/16/2008 Posted by girlfloyd

I've had both good and bad experiences with Fat City but today I realized what a good auto shop they can be. They are great at making time for you and it's easy to drop by (as long as there's available parking). The guy working the counter was really nice and explained everything to me along with quotes and friendly conversation. It's hard to find personable people these days and I will continue bringing my Mercedes to Fat City for that reason alone.

Pros: Customer Service, Prompt Service, Helpful both over the phone & in person

Cons: Price, Parking

07/31/2007 Posted by spunky2830

I had the misfortune of buying a first model year VW New Beetle. Everyone warned me not to buy a first model year, regrettably after I had already purchased one. I love the car, but poor Volksy had issues from the start. Most noticeably an unquenchable thirst for 10W40 and a propensity for electrical misconduct. Being an Eastsider I tried a several local shops, and of course the requisite rounds of frustration at the dealer, but no one could help with Volksy’s incorrigible behavior. Then I found Fat City. From the first experience I felt completely assured that I was in good hands. Lance and his team of professionals have been extremely thorough and polite. They have spent as much time as needed to make the situation and all the options clear to me. I really trust all of the guys at Fat City and am especially thankful for Lance’s wonderful sense of humor. He always puts me at ease, especially when Volksy has been particularly naughty! I have been going to Fat City for many years now and they have never failed to resolve Volksy’s various issues. And once they are fixed they stay fixed! The car I love is happy and so am I. Fat City is the kind of shop that takes it’s work, it’s reputation, and it’s responsibility to their customers seriously. I highly recommend them.

Pros: Lance's automotive knowledge and customer service expertise.

Cons: None.

07/21/2007 Posted by ryvanovick

I brought my car into Fat City and had a good first impression however by the time I left I paid $300 more then they had quoted and the car was in worse working condition then when I brought it in. They took no "ownership" of the fact that they had done something to the vehical and when I called back to have the follow up done, they claimed that they "did not" remember the car. While "Lance" the owner seems like a nice person and shop is the cleanest I've ever seen, his arrogance and lack of willingness to take ownership of their work is reason not to return. If you do go, my only advise is "beware".....

Pros: Cleanest garage I've ever seen

Cons: Lack of pride in what they do. Very arrongant owner

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

02/12/2007 Posted by tafmot

I've had my bmw into Fat City for service twice now...if you care about details, and not worrying that you're being taken for a ride by some heavy handed wrench flunky, this is the place. The mechanics will physically walk you out into the "lab like clean" work area and show you everything wrong with your car if it's at all reasonably possible. No corporate BS about not allowing customers in the work area. They don't miss anything - and their fixes stay fixed. Most recently, I had my car at another shop, received an illogical sounding diagnosis. I decided to have it towed back to Fat City because I was so happy after my initial visit there. Not only did they catch everything the previous shop found, they actually found the more legitimate underlying issue that was actually the source of the problem! Slightly persnickety, and a little pricey - but hey, I wouldn't want to pay the property tax bill on their 5th & Denny facility in Seattle, and your not paying for wasted hours of time while a mechanic fixes things that aren’t broken. For reference, an oil change on my bmw costs 58.66 for the 7 quarts of Mobil 1 synthetic, 7.89 for the bmw oil filter and 15.53 for labor. They do so much for that 15.53 of labor…and they actually do, it not just say it…they change the oil, and filter, re-installing the drain plug using a new sealing right, reset the service indicator, inspect your brake and power steering fluid levels and add if necessary, check your drive belts for signs of deterioration, look all over the underside of your vehicle for any fluid leaks, or obviously needed repairs, top off your window washer solvent level and operate the system, check coolant level and quality, check vehicle exterior lights, set your tire air pressure appropriately, and finally they wash and vacuum your vehicle. It’s about $90 dollars with tax – expensive for an oil change, but a better value I think. Go to Fat City – it isn’t even worth it to not go.

Pros: Freaking Clean and their Fixes stay Fixed. Able to idientify the source of a problem.

Cons: pricy

03/21/2006 Posted by clintmct

I'm very picky and brought my 528 to Fat City when I moved here from California. This is a great, reliable, honest place to bring your BMW. Great customer service and spot on maintainence.

Pros: Friendly, Value, Pros

07/29/2005 Posted by crswa

I stopped going to my car dealer for service after they forgot to tighten the bolts that hold my brakes on. Since then, I've been looking for an automotive service shop that does good work and won't clean me out. Fat City costs a little more, but I'd count it as a better value than going to the dealer. Some things I liked: I got a call directly from the mechanic explaining exactly what was wrong and what he did to fix it. No hard sell for additional work. The place was very clean and neat They're in a central location that's actually easy to get to They washed my car -- even after a relatively minor service. The dealer never did that.

03/24/2005 Posted by wmgriffith78

I took my Audi to Fat City, it was done the next day, the estimate was very close, the staff, especially Lance, with whom I dealt with mostly, is very friendly. I would reccomend Fat City to anyone with a German car.

Pros: Fast, Great Customer Srvce, Honest