Mesa West German Auto Center

they were a great help on a vehicle inspection for prepurchase, helped me every step and were very honest

I took in my freshly restored ’64 VW Beetle to Mesa West so they could professionally «dial in» the car (alignment, tune motor, adjust brakes, etc.). Owner Norm and head mechanic Dave know their stuff and had the car running, braking and steering like new by the end of the week. Dave noticed my generator dashboard light bulb was burned out and took care of it without me even asking.
I also informed them that my aftermarket BugPack exhaust was banging against the rear apron after I returned from a quick test drive around the block. No adjustments could be made to the exhaust so they recommended that I see Ken at Angels Service around the corner. Sure enough, Ken jumped right on it and did did some cutting and MIG welding to the exhaust tubing to lower the muffler and had the problem solved for a VERY reasonable amount. Thumbs up to both!!!

I have a 75 westy that sucked up a valve. I took it to norm and he gave me three options fix the valve rebuild half the motor or rebuild the whole thing. I went the expensive route and got the whole motor redone. Took about 3 weeks to get it back. Next day was driving and it stalled on the freeway. Called norm and they sent a mechanic to me. It was a loose wire and it started right up. It was like driving a new car. Took it up the hills to jtree and it cruised 60 pretty much the whole way. Last time I drove it on these hills I was in 2^nd at the top barely doing 20mph. Today I had a problem called norm and he easily explained it was probably a vacuum hose and where to look. With his instruction I had it back in place and back to purring. Great shop they know what they are doing with these old VWs

I was referred to Mesa West by a close personal friend that regularly does business here, even though I don’t have a Volkswagen. The staff graciously diagnosed and solved my problem, without question. Some day when I have another VW, I will definitely be taking it to Mesa West! Check out some of their 50s VW collection if you happen to stop by!

HORRIBLE customer service! I called Norm to ask if he would be able to repair my VW bus, I described the problem and he said he would order the part and he couldn’t work on it until the next Thursday. I had it towed over on that Thursday and called him. He rudely said that he was too busy and didn’t know when he could get to it. A week later I STILL hadn’t heard from him so I called again to check in. This time he said that he had 10 other cars ahead of me and STILL hadn’t even looked at it! No apology, NOTHING! I was treated so poorly by Norm that my husband called 5 days later just to get a time frame on when they might be able to look at the bus (it had been 2 weeks since my first contact with Norm). Norm told my husband he now had 20 to 30 other cars ahead of ours and if we couldn’t handle that, we could just pick it up! No apologies, no regard for the customer at all!
AWEFUL! Bottom line… stay away!

Great shop. Took the time to discuss the repair I had going. He even gave me a small spring/​washer to help me finish my repair…

For some reason Unilocal didn’t post my positive review about Mesa West German auto, so I am going to try again. Norm has worked on over 7 older vw’s over the years, and just recently he fixed the coolant leak in my Doka Doublecab truck. Norm is a mom and pop repair shop out of yesteryear! He really knows vw’s and I have taken my cars into his shop countless times and he always fixes the problem. His shop manager a lovely sparkling woman named Sam is as concerned and patient for my car problems, as if it were her own car. Anyway Norm always fixes what needs to be fixed, and is the most patient mechanic you will ever meet. All you have to do is drive by his shop and look at all the Volkswagens that are parked all over the place awaiting Norm’s attention! Thanks I hope this gets posted. Randy

Old School Get the Job Done Right or Make it Right Shop! Vintage VW’s do not allow themselves to be manipulated by a high tech computers and 6 weeks of schooling. They require the old school tools of touch, feel, smell and experience. These guys have it. I brought our type 3 in following an engine rebuild. It needed more than I was able to give it. Mesa West went above and beyond. After getting it back the first time — it ran well for a while and then not so well after that. I took it back and they worked on it for almost a week to get it right — and you know what they charged me — NOTHING! They could have blown me off or tried to charge me for «new» problems — but the didn’t. They simply worked on the car until it was right — Glad I found them.

Haters gonna hate. These guys are good. The most important thing here is they know VW’s. If you want in and out service, take your jetta to the dealer. If you want deep german engineering smarts. you found the right place. Mike has been working on my 85 Vanagon for a few years. mostly when I ask. I have taken his suggestions, which have saved me a lot of money and I have been impressed with the long lasting solutions. Sam (receptionist) is always pleasant and helpful to get work done quick and efficiently.

Norm and crew are good folks. Yeah, they’re laid back; but if you’re driving an old bug or bus and you’re not pretty mellow yourself, you’re driving the wrong vehicle. I’ve taken my ’67 to them several times and been treated well. The work was good. The rice was fair. I’ll be back.

I was so happy with the service I last received that I want to give Mesa West a 5 star review. I needed my 1978 bug smogged. Not an EASY task! It is a second car so I told them they could take their time, but the problem is… they are so popular that they do not have the space to keep your car. So they worked very hard to get it smogged quickly — ordering the right parts and retesting (I have tried smogging on my own and know what to expected after all these years). Well it finally passed, but that isn’t the main story.
I had trouble with the DMV losing my records and 4 months later I had to go back in to the DMV to take care of it. They needed to get the smog certificate that was issued. Conveniently Norm is a couple blocks away. All I had to do was call… I was met curbside by Norm with the certificate in hand. I was very thankful to have this go the extra mile service.
Word to the wise… it is a mom and pop place with lots of loyal customers, who know Norm and his crew by name. Being nice and acting like you are part of the CHILL Hawaiian family will go VERY FAR!

My husband takes his VW bay window buses and Vanagons, and Eurovans, each and every one of them to visit Norm, Sam and the boys at Mesa West. They flight check the vans and keep them on the road year round. Since the VW’s see a ton of use and inconsistent driving styles (they belong to a fleet of rental buses) it is imperative that they are kept in tip top mechanical shape. Needless to say, Norm and his crew keep the buses powering on down the road, and for this we give kudos to the nth degree. These folks genuinely care about you and your vehicle, they treat everyone like family and their prices aren’t astro like other shops catering to the VW enthusiast.

Took my ’84 Vanagon Camper to Mesa West recently for service (oil and filter) and advice about a blinking hot engine/​low coolant lite on my dash. Norm patiently took the time to explain in layman’s language the problem and probable causes.
They’re currently looking around for the part (it IS a 25 year old vehicle!), but assured me that as long as the temperature gauge is still working, I don’t have to totally panic when I see the lite.
These guys are straight-​forward and knowledgeable about their work. I think Mike really knows these old VWs, and Sam is absolutely dependable about following up and getting back to me.
Don’t understand the two negative posts… but I don’t think their experiences are the norm here… Mesa West has a lot of loyal longtime customers.

Alright, so it’s about time we get a positive review for Mesa West German Auto Center on Unilocal!I am a big fan of this place and want to share why. The owner Norm is super chill, when he’s around of course. When he is off to Hawaii he is probably even more chill hitting the waves and living out of a camper (most likely!).
Not sure what Muneera and Slycat are complaining about, unless this place has turned around in the past few years. If you own a Vanagon, changing the Oil and CV boot should be a home project, not the local shops. I can only take that review at face value because I wasn’t there, but this is not what I would expect from them unless I was rude to the mechanics in the shop. And yes, Vanagon’s do tend to run hot!
Ok, now to my experience here at Mesa West! I brought in my 1980 Vanagon. I needed this thing smogged for the past few months, but I was having an issue that when it heated up, the van started to «Buck». It was a horrible feeling when it drove like this, as I knew it was not good for the engine. This bucking issue had to be solved to pass smog, then it could be brought in to pass smog. I had heard from another Westphalia owner that I could trust Mike at Mesa West to do the job! I went for it. I brought my van in, talked with Norm, 3 working days later, I had my van back, bucking issues solved, passed smog, and the van felt like it was ready for a road trip! It was!!! Mike is a true expert to get these van’s to pass smog legally.
It’s great to have such a knowledgeable shop so close by! I would recommend them for all your vanagon/​bus issues. They always have a bunch of van’s and buses out side their shop, which just shows how diverse they are when it comes to these wonderful vehicles! Take your vanagon/​bus issues to Mesa west and talk with Norm to see if your comfortable for having them do the work!
Disclaimer: This may sound like a paid advertisement, it’s not. I just really like this shop and think they deserve some more Unilocal-​credit, because they already got the street credit, just ask around!

Fool me once shame on you… I’ve taken my vanagon to Mesa Worst several times based on feedback from a friend. I’ve had spotty service at best. The latest issue was when I took it in for an oil change, and mentioned the engine was running a bit hot. They said the engine is suppose to run a bit hot and that it improved fuel efficiency and they’d look at it any way. I said not to bother if that’s how its suppose to be but they did any way. Half way home, my engine light came on. I immediately pulled over and called the owner from the side of the road. I was told that Westies are sensitive and its probably just a sensor malfunction or maybe they overfilled the coolant… Really??? You screw something up on my van, that was working when I brought it in, and this is the answer I get? What could I do? I drove home (15 miles) and totally jacked my engine! So a $ 35 oil change cost me about a thousand in repairs — new points, plugs, etc. etc. I’d think twice about working with these guys if you like your car/​bus.
Oh, and now I need a new catalytic converter because the over heating engine ruined mine. Great… Thanks Mesa Worst! The gift that keeps giving.
I won’t even post the issue where they charged me to fix something only for me to figure out they didn’t do the repair. These guys are not good.
Holy Cow!!! I had these guys do my CV Boot a few years ago and just checked them. The boot they put on were $hit!!! I’m going to have to have them completely repacked and I hope there is no other damage. The boots are so shreaded, its unbelieveable and I pamper that bus!!! Less than 5,000 miles on it since they did the work…

This place SUCKS!
At first the mechanic was super nice. Asked me if I needed a ride home since I was leaving my car at the shop. Small talk and smiles.
I didn’t receive a call from them for 2 days. When I went to go pick up my car he said the problem was fixed and once I started my car, it obviously wasn’t since it didn’t make it home. When I took it back I received a huge attitude from the guys. Left my car there again, and a day later the same problem had occured. They charged me and didn’t fix the problem and on top of it i found out that they just turned of my check engine light off and erased the memory!!! ugh!!!