Import Motors

Oakland, United States

3.5

Open now

15 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 510-823-0433
Website:
www.importmtrs.com
Address:
4000 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA, 94609
b/t 40th St & 41st St
Temescal, North Oakland
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
870 ftMacArthur
1.1 mi59th Street
1.2 miCollege Av & Rock Ridge BART Station
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Today

Today 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Open now
Local time (Oakland) 11:23 Monday, 23 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Tuesday 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Wednesday 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Thursday 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Friday 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Your Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi, and MINI Cooper vehicles were built to precise German standards. No matter what make, your car deserves to be serviced and cared for in the same European tradition for excellence and attention to detail. Since 1966, Import Motors has been a leader in the Bay Area, for all service and major repairs.

Courteous, personalized customer service is the standard at Import Motors. Your Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi and MINI Cooper is as valued to us as it is to you. We have the experience and technical knowledge to keep your car in perfect condition. Our master mechanics diagnose the problems quickly with sophisticated testing equipment. Whether the problem concerns the modern computerized vehicle, or the intricacies of an older model, our technicians have the knowledge and the resources to solve them.

History

Established in 1966.

Import Motors was founded and built by Fritz Mast, a journeyman technican that immigrated from Switzerland in 1959. Fritz worked for Mecedes Benz for many years before opening up Import Motors in Oakland in 1966. He designed and built a larger facility in Oakland in 1987 to assist his growing customer base. The modern facility is designed for both quality control and speed in order to have the vehicle returned to the customer in top shape and in a timely manner. The business is still family owned and operated to assure quality work and a positive customer experience. We still see some of the original cars worked on from 1966, but now they are being brought in by children and grand children of the original owners.

Meet the Manager

Marc M.

Manager

I have been in this family owned and operated business since graduating college in 1987. Being an Independent business, not affiliated with any new car dealership, offers unique challenges in keeping our technicians educated and up to date. Cars have changed since I worked on them 30+ years ago — not as many simple mechanical issues as before — more electronics and diagnostics than ever. Mercedes, BMW and Audis are vehicles at the forefront of technology, which makes this very unique and exciting

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15 reviews of Import Motors

No registration required
Place rating: 3
Dublin, CA
I dropped my car off at 11:00 a.m. for a 20K-​mile oil change and asked if the car would be washed and vacuumed.
I was assured that it would be although it really is just a «courtesy» thing.
I didn’t get picked up until almost 5:00 p.m.
That’s 6 hours — plenty of time to do everything — so I assumed…
The 3 stars are for the convenience of having a courtesy shuttle van and a nice driver. But if I were to rate them on performance — it would be less stars.
I am a FIRM believer that if you can’t trust someone with the small stuff then you probably can’t trust them with the big stuff.
I am left to wonder if the work on my car was as sloppy as their vacuum and wash job.
I can only judge from what I can see.
If you can’t do a dang GOOD job on something then simply don’t do it.
The result would be nothing less than a half-​ass job!
Place rating: 5
Richmond, CA
A 30 year plus family business. They took care of our 1976 450 SLMBZ as if it was their own.
Completed our current required repairs and developed a future list of needs to be corrected at our discretion. Kept us updated as repairs were made. When picking up the car there was no need for follow-​up on the repairs. Pricing was competitive with the market. The owner and his technicians were certified and completely knowledgeable of our automobile’s needs. The customer service and follow through we rate exceptional. Import Motors came highly recommended by two other MBZ owners and we are recommending their service.
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
My experience was impeccable with this company.
2008 Mini Cooper that the clutch went out so I panicked called mini which I have a great relationship with and decided after investigating and talking to a friend who brought her BMW to Marc’s co.
After dropping off my car I walked in met Marc first thing I noticed how amazingly clean and void of garage smell it had a very organized feel. I’m honestly wary of mechanics but contrary to some of the reviews I’d seen I’d no problem with communication or rudeness NONE, complete professional. I left got a call from the mechanic who’d be working on my car explained everything would call of anything popped up. nothing did it was a straight forward job, they even had a slight mishap with a starter I believe that was the piece, they owned up to there end replaced that no charge. they could of told me anything and billed me, they were honest.
The cost was the cost I knew it wasn’t going to be a low end job, I believe it was a quality job done by mechanics who know cars and take pride in not over saturation of themselves just for the money.(quality)
No let’s work on 5 cars to one mechanic. My car was addressed with care. Eta was ½ a day over I was happy and as it were my car was delivered, clutch replaced test driven for safety by them, and wow washed and cleaned!
I love my car it’s my baby.
Thank you guys its wholly appreciated.
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
VERY professional, great work and great prices. They are very knowledgeable team and really makes customers 100% satisfied. The best Mercedes Auto Repair in the East Bay. I feel confident that the job was completed as discussed. By the way Mark Mast is the best Service adviser, he is honest and explained well the work performed on my 1999 Mercedes Station Wagon.
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
If you have a BMW that needs repair this is the place to go. I’ve been getting my 2004 325I serviced here for 2 years and have gotten accustomed to their standard of excellence. Whether its a major issue or an intermittent problem Import Motors offers expert diagnostics and the best repair service in the bay area. I trust these guys more than the dealership!
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
I just had work performed on my 1998 600SL, and they did a great job. The cost was justifiable, and Mark called to explain what needed to be done at each step of the process. I will only use this garage for work on my MB from this point forward. I love my car, and wont just let anyone put their filthy hands on it. You gotta know your s@#t if you want to touch my baby. BTW, the mechanic I spoke to when I picked up my car was a real life German dude. (Thick accent and all).
Place rating: 1
Seattle, WA
To all potential customers: pay close attention to the reviews. This place is absolutely terrible. Horrible service, rushed and ethically suspect work… I just concluded that they must not need customers and so treat them as annoyances. Then you are stuck with a bill with very little explanation as to why and what. There are better places to take your benz.
Place rating: 1
Berkeley, CA
One of the worst customer service ever. They promised to call the next day when our car was done with the estimates but never did. My husband called three times and finally gave up. We demanded our car back and paid for whatever service they claimed they did. I do not recommend taking your car here. They’ll waste your time and your money.
Place rating: 4
Oakland, CA
I had my ’99 Mercedes ML320 (SUV) serviced here yesterday. Mark Mast was my service advisor and he was courteous, very knowledgeable about my vehicle and totally professional. In addition to the scheduled A-​service, I needed to have major work done, including brakes, and a motor mount replacement among other things. During this work, the need for a new catalytic converter and power steering pump was identified, however the prices for both parts was considerably less than what was quoted to me one year ago by a local Mercedes dealership which had found similar issues. Mark also gave me the option of going with refurbished vs. new part for the power steering pump, and gave me recommendations on which repairs could be delayed (torsion pad replacement and a minor leak on the transmission). In the end, I was given a price break on the pump, and I received a $ 250 credit for recycling the core of the converter for an overall savings of over $ 500. Import Motor’s quoted labor rates are 10−15% less than at the dealership and parts costs seem to be a little less also. Overall, it was a great service experience, car was ready when promised. I would definetely recommend older-​model Mercedes owners check out Import Motors’ prices before automatically taking their car to the dealership for its next service. I will be taking my other German import vehicle there when it comes up for service next year. Give these guys a try!
–Phil L.
Place rating: 5
Orinda, CA
I have been taking my Mercedes to Import Motors for repair and service for the past 5 years. The service is exceptional. The Mast family offers great service and I will continue to take my cars there for needed service and repairs. They are terrific people to do business with.
Place rating: 2
Oakland, CA
i don’t find them rude. they’re busy and mechanic’s aren’t suppose to kiss ass. it’s a macho biz. what i didn’t like about this place is that they seem more concerned with rounding off hours (therefore higher fees) in their favor. they seem quite slow too. there is no bargain here. i assume they fixed my car though. but for what i expected to be much less was twice the amount. my sphincter tightened unusually tight. could have snapped a no. 2 pencil in two!
Place rating: 1
Redmond, WA
Can’t comment on the parts and mechanics side but the sales people are kind of clueless, not around, pretty rude and don’t get the whole negotiating/​bargaining thing. It’s like they don’t event want to sell their cars. We took a car to get it checked out by a mechanic before purchase and got a rude phone call asking where we were, like we were cruising around in the car or something. Set the deal all up, then they sold the car to someone else after confirming an amount, day and time to pick it up with us.
Business is business, I don’t take it personally but really, don’t buy from here unless you’re prepared to put up with this BS. We won’t be going back.
Place rating: 1
Emeryville, CA
Not only do they only address issues you bring to their attention, they won’t even do what you ask them to sometimes. After having left their services, I called back to find out what services they had done to cross check my records. Whenever an inspection was supposed to be done, they only did an oil change and nothing more. I’m on the verge of reporting them to the Better Business Bureau.
I would recommend taking your car elsewhere… I’ve switched to Adolph’s Autohaus for now.
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
I’ve been coming here for years and also get miscellaneous services at other Mercedes repair shops in Palo Alto, Redwood City, and Oakland. I would rate Import Motors my favorite. They’re straightforward, friendly and businesslike. They are also helpful in advising me on how to make service decisions on my aging 98 E320, especially since I’m sparse in the budget area! I usually wait for my car to be serviced so it’s great to sit in their quiet waiting room that has a table and free WiFi for me to work. Marc Mast is the General Manager and is the son of the owner, Fritz Mast. The office manager Albert has been there since ’68 and Mark Manuel, the Service Manager, started there years ago as a teenager. It feels good to be dealing with long time, stable folks who seem to care about their business.
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
The service cost was reasonable and customer service was pretty good. I would recommend taking your car here.