Lomita 911 Service

Lomita 911 is an honest shop. Their mechanics are well trained with excellent diagnostic skills. Rates are very reasonable and they won’t upsell you on useless repairs.
I always hated the shake-​down at another weil known Porsche shop on Hawthorne in Torrance.
Lomita 911 is another story all together.
The owner and staff have been working on German cars for ever. They worked for a Porsche race team in the US and Europe. They are real mechanics with real technical training. Not sales guys behind a desk with clean shirts doing a sales job on you — selling you a new flux capacitor (Back to the Future reference).

Dieter and Wolfgang have done great work. Knowledgeable and fast, they analyze any problems quickly and get to work fixing the problems. Recently (June 26 2014) they replaced a failed water pump and belt on my 2008 Cayman S. They worked directly with my my Carmax extended warranty, ordered the parts and had my car back to me in just under two days. I will not hesitate to take my car to them for future repairs.

I love Deiter and his crew. I have BMW 525I and since a referral from my mom, I now always take my car to Lomita 911 for servicing. So much cheaper than the dealership and I have no complaints/​issues with the workmanship! It’s not a fancy salon like the dealership, but they do have a small office you can use to wait for your car which I take advantage of. I get there when they open, and try to be first in line. They’re always busy, which I think is a good sign. I highly recommend this shop!

They did a great job on my Porsche 993 (911). The alarm was driving me crazy, going off for no reason. They enlisted some outside help with this tricky electronics issue, but I was happy with the result.
Very reasonable prices and honest as the day is long. Even got a ride home from Dieter… nice! Your old German car will be in good hands here.
His son Derek had left by then, off to work for Porsche Cars North America.

They know Porsche. Dieter and Hans are great to deal with and know what they are doing. It’s a really honest no BS shop that gets the job done. Glad I found them via Unilocal.Highly recommended!

Just needed an oil change and checkup for my low mileage Boxster which I bought new in 1999. Tip from a friend led me to Lomita 911. Dieter and Hans were the best and they know their craft well. They suggested coming in early which I did. An hour later I was on my way… the car enjoying new oil and filter and a clean bill of health.
The tab was most reasonable and in the future they will be my go-​to shop for my Boxster.

They can fix anything, even if it’s not what they specialize in. At least that’s my experience.
Just go over and ask, they WILL be able to fix it, properly and quickly, AND give you a good price. These guys are well known for quality work. They’ve been doing this for so long they have the procedures in their heads and know all the ins and outs of different years and models. They have lots of parts in stock but can order special items as well.
I have recommended them to many people and have never heard back anything but that they were HONEST and VERY SKILLED. That’s what you want when you need to trust your car to strangers. They will NOT rip you off. They are the most TRUSTWORTHY guys I know in the auto repair world.
I trust them so much that, if for some reason they could not handle my vehicle, I would still make sure to go over and chat with them to make sure I’m not getting ripped off. They are real stand up guys.

I’ve been using Lomita 911 for some time now, first with my air cooled 993 Carrera and now with my 996 Turbo Carrera. They have a staff of excellent mechanics. Derek is my main guy, and has always done me and my car right. Dieter is the owner and is a pleasure to speak to. Both will treat you right and be honest and straight forward with what your car needs, and more important, what it doesn’t.
A class act!
Martin

Back in early 2008 when I bought my car (who knew that was the absolute worst time to be buying anything???) and quickly realized that I had to pinch every penny as the global financial meltdown ensued, I took my car into Lee’s Tires for a new set of rubber. When I asked Steve, the owner of Lee’s Tires, where he took his Cayenne for servicing, he didn’t hesitate to recommend Lomita 911. This was a good thing because even though I felt compelled to purchase an extended warranty through the local dealer, there was absolutely no way I was going to take my car there for regular servicing or repairs even if they gave me a Carrera GT as a loaner. Okay, maybe then… I once priced out a satellite radio upgrade and a carseat for the baby and they were about $ 2k/​each. No thanks.
I took my car into Derek for the first service and the rest is history. Lomita 911 ain’t anything fancy. If you want fancy, go to Pacific Porsche and pay a premium for it but I’ve always been pleased with the service and customer service Derek, Dieter and the rest of the folks give at a fraction of the cost of the dealer. On the first visit, Derek proved himself to be a frank, honest, conscientious and intelligent mechanic. He didn’t overcharge or suggest unnecessary services and serviced my car quickly and got someone to shuttle me to and from home. Once I got my car back, he even drove around the block with me and gave a crash course in Porsche driving skills since the last time I had driven one was back in 1991 when I took my Dad’s 911 Cab out while he was traveling and it was stolen. Derek’s ‘lesson’ (nor the lesson in 1991… sigh) wasn’t necessary but it just goes to show you the attention Derek gives his clients and it was appreciated.
To this day, I appreciate Derek’s no-​nonsense attitude, advice and work ethic. When I call to check in on the car as it’s being serviced, Derek’s usual reply goes something like this: «Unfortunately…(pause)…there’s nothing wrong with your car… I wish I could charge you more, but there’s nothing wrong with it.» And I kick myself every time for buying that damn extended warranty. The 1987 Cab my Dad owned was nowhere near the reliability of my ’04.
I admit when it comes to cars (and women… ha!) I’m an idiot. Derek, I’m sure, can see right through my feigning knowledge of what lies under the hood of my car… wait, the engine is in the rear… oops. A lot of mechanics would take the opportunity to gouge me and charge an arm and a leg for this and that (just talk to my mother who has also been a victim of this). From the sound of at least one of the other reviews here, the dealer does and gets away with this. But not Lomita 911. On a recent visit which actually wasn’t a «nothing wrong with it» visit, Derek informed me that my carburetor needed to be replaced. Great… my mind immediately runs through a bunch of nonsensical calculations (because I have absolutely no idea what this costs and even less of an idea what a carburetor actually does exactly… true story, I had to google its actual purpose for fear of sounding stupid… oops…too late I guess… secret’s out). Derek tells me he’d love to charge me for a new carburetor (which I’m sure would be a lot less than the dealer) but that this item should be covered under my manufacturer’s warranty and that Pacific Porsche should take care of it for free.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
So I took it in and it was replaced free of charge and I got a loaner (not a GT) to boot.
So not only does Derek do a great job but he knows your warranties and knows exactly what your car needs or doesn’t need. I just took my car in this week for a much belated check-​up (trying to drag them out in light of the pi$$ poor economy) and again, everything was fine. Derek mentioned that I’d probably need brakes and tires in another 5,000 miles. Not now, but next time. As I demonstrated above, I wouldn’t know the difference if he wanted to gouge me and get me to pay for the brakes now.
And this is yet another reason I continue to go to Lomita 911 and why I would recommend the Lomita 911 team to anyone looking for a good, honest mechanic. And they don’t just service Porsches, fyi. Since we’ve all been hit hard, I asked Derek how biz has been and he admitted it’s been light, understandably given the economy, but that’s why I wanted to write this review. These guys deserve the biz, do a great job and should stick around for a long time.
If their prices aren’t already good, here’s a coupon I just found on the Yellow Pages for 10% off:

I highly recommend Lomita 911 service. They put my car up on the rack this morning to check the list of things the dealership said I needed done, and found the one thing on the entire list that actually needed done. They recommended a reputable tire place and sent me on my way free of charge. I am going to do all my auto repair and services at Lomita 911 for now on. It’s a truly respectable repair shop.

I recommend Dieter and the rest of the Lomita 911 team wholeheartedly. If you are tired of getting ripped off by unscrupulous auto repair places, then Lomita 911 is for you (actually your car). They don’t «find» things that need unnecessary repairs, but treat you with respect and honesty about what needs to be done and their recommendations. I won’t take my car anywhere else… Thanks!