Toymasters Auto Clinic

My last straw with my local Nissan dealer was when they wanted to charge me $ 90 to tell me why my check engine light was coming on… So I called Toymasters and they said they’d let me know for free! Turns out there was nothing wrong with my car — the light merely needed to be reset. (Would Nissan have made something up for them to «repair»?)
So I’ve come back to Toymasters multiple times and each time it felt like I received fair pricing and was well cared for. Carlos is nice and knowledgeable and I feel this shop is trustworthy, which is not a feeling I’ve had at most mechanics over the years. These guys get everything done quickly, and I much prefer supporting a local small business than the monolithic car dealership.

I’ve been taking my 2003 BMW X5 to Virgil and Carlos for the past couple of years having them fix various issues (engine, AC, electrical, etc). They do great work done and I’m paying a very fair price. I’ve tried various shops around Studio City for used BMWs (318s & 325s) and these guys are by far the best I’ve found over the past 15 years in this area.

Late Thursday afternoon when my wife’s car broke. Even they’re almost to close, Virgil waited for the towed car and he even accommodated my wife to charge her cell phone which she will need to get an Über ride going home.
Also, the next day Virgil said the car will be ready by 2 PM. I asked him if would be possible to pick up the car next day. He said that’s ok. Carlos, a nice guy helped us checking out. He took time checking my Sienna brakes too.
On top of that, price is reasonable to consider he uses only original parts. Finally I found an honest mechanic in town. I don’t have to drive to Vegas for major repairs.
Oh, Virgil’s office though small, it is neat. He has a nice lounge with large screen TV with surround sound, comfy couch and an aquarium.
I recommended him already to a co worker, and will keep recommending.
An A+ establishment.
Once again, Virgil proves to be the best in service. My Sienna broke. Instead of changing the parts with the same piece, he upgraded it to the latest innovation that Toyota had produce (Oil pipe cooler) Also, he cleaned the throttle and changed the coolant. Now, my car runs smoother and has a better pick up. Thanks Virgil !!

The best mechanic around for Toyota!
G in right away, Virgil is the best. I have been with him for years. un parallel service!

Great service, honest working people there, clear, concise, straight to the point without trying to up-​sell you other things. I like Carlos, he seems like a very knowledgeable person who definitely isn’t new to his craft.
I will come back for certain. :)

After the warranty on your new car expires, it’s insane to keep going back to the dealer. Yes, the Lexus dealer treats you real nice: massage chair, popcorn, a new car loaner or shuttle service, and they wash your car. But you’re paying close to double for those things!
I was tired of paying full dealer price for servicing, brakes, etc. Then my catalytic converter went out.
I was fortunate to find Toymasters Auto Clinic in Studio City.
They do it all!
They replaced the catalytic converter, original part, for a little over 50% of what Glendale Lexus wanted!
The actuator (motor) in my passenger door went out. Again, the part was replaced at considerably less than what Glendale Lexus wanted.
Last year, I had a dead battery caused by a loose cable from the alternator. I was towed to Toymasters… and they quickly took care of me.
These people are the real deal. Straight forward. The prices are more than fair.
Virgil owns the shop; Carlos is his main man. They’re both great people. They’re pros.
They specialize in Toyota and Lexus, and really know these cars; and they have a solid work ethic, and are absolutely honest. They tell you what needs to be done, and what can wait.
They do not have car loaners, but there’s an Enterprise rent-​a-​car within walking distance.
And it you decide to wait while your car is being repaired, there’s a comfy couch and a large flat screen TV in the office.
One extremely minor criticism: Sometimes — only sometimes — completing the job may take a bit longer than promised. But, to be fair, they just installed four tires… and it was done in less than half the time!
I’ve got almost 170,000 miles on my Lexus; Toymasters will keep it running.
So… no massage chair, no popcorn, no new car loaner or shuttle, and no washed car. Assuming you don’t need these «frilly» extras, you’d be smart to go here.
The shop is a bit difficult to find. It’s on Ventura Blvd in Studio City… but it’s recessed and somewhat easy to miss. Find them… you’ll be extremely satisfied.

I never do this but I want to post based on my phone call with these guys… yesterday, I had my Lexus RX fully detailed, including a thorough shampoo of the carpets and seats. A few hours after I got home, my car started acting possessed– it would turn on the lights and fan by itself, the alarm would go on and off for no reason etc. I had AAA come out but they could find nothing wrong. Since it was late at night, I decided to wait until morning to deal with the situation. I called the dealer service center first thing and they had no idea what was going on but told me I should drive (or tow) it in, whichever I felt better about and they would need it for a few days since they were so busy, and didn’t even have a loaner car. Yikes! I got off and found Toymasters on Unilocal.They are near my house, so I figured I could drive it OK with the possessed car. I called and got a very friendly and professional Carlos on the phone. He immediately asked if the was included carpets, and then told me that he has seen this happen plenty when they soak the carpets so much it messes with the electric system. He recommended I just let the car dry out and see if the problem continues. If so, I could bring it in Mon for a same-​day eval, if not, I should be good to go. I followed his instructions and so far so good. I may take it in anyway for peace of mind, but he hit the nail on the head and knew more than the dealer! Next time I will save myself the trouble and come straight here.

Great place to take your car! Nice guys won’t take advantage of you! make sure you drive to the back for them there is another car place in the front not the same place. Carlos is my favorite. So nice and helpful!

Really great, reliable shop! I’ve taken my older Accord to them several times now, and I always felt they gave me the best price, advice, and the fastest service possible.

Its walkable for me, and i have a lexus so i tried this out. I’ve had about 2K worth of work done to my ’94 lexus and have found the service to be prompt, and friendly. My only complaint would be i’ve had to bring the car back in because other issues were worked on when i thought a leak would also be repaired.

Simply put, Toymasters is the best, period! I have been a customer for more than 10 years and have decades of experience in these matters (a great mechanic once found, is like finding a needle in a hay stack), all of the above reviews by other customers are accurate when describing the services rendered from Mr. Virgil at Toymasters (Certified Master mechanic). For me it’s well worth the drive from LA, California and leaving my car and/​or truck for several days on end, because I know when the job is done, it is going to be repaired at the highest level with original parts…
Thanks Virgil!

I take my Lexus here for everything (unless Virgil sends me somewhere to save money, like in the case of when I just bought a used run-​flat tire). He’s really honest and knowledgable and his guys are great too (Carlos and Tomas)! The last time I was there, Virgil even asked Carlos to give me a ride home because I had to leave my car. Very accommodating and professional. If you have a Toyota or Lexus these are the EXPERTS!

I highly recommend Toymaster’s Auto Clinic! After years of trying out different shops in the Valley, I am so thankful to have found this place. Virgil, the owner, is an expert mechanic, and his crew is really great, too. We have a Lexus and a Toyota, with high miles, and he keeps them running. He is honest and reasonable, and does the repairs properly. A real gem in the Valley.

After some horrible experiences with other mechanics, I found Toymasters on Unilocal and decided to give them a try — being only a few blocks away from my apartment. I know very little about cars and look like I’m 13, so that combination usually leads to some shady dealings with mechanics.
As everyone keeps saying, make sure that you drive all the way to the back! The front mechanic won’t say that they’re Toymasters or not but try to help you anyway.
I had to have the belts replaced in my car and, after hearing from another mechanic that I needed to have my water pump replaced because of a leak, Toymasters told me that it was (essentially) bogus. I’m so glad that I went to them! Thanks for saving me over $ 600 in repairs. Will definitely be returning and you should as well. :-D

The owner Virgil is very honest and interested his customers. He is very reasonable with his rates. I have had several items fixed at a fraction of what had been quoted by other shops around the area. He has two other very qualified mechanics that do most of the work, but I have noticed that he doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty as well. All in all I really appreciate these guys and the good job they have done for me.

Hi Everyone,
Toymasters, 2^nd shop in the alley at 11 467 Ventura Blvd, located in rear of driveway — remember NOT the first shop (express smog and auto repair)
Whoever reads this I want you to know TOYMASTERS are the greatest shop in town, hands down! For real, I have a 2002 BMW M3, they took my car in when no one would and fixed my conv. top for me in a matter of hours they knew what the problem was, they are amazing, honest, true to their word and most important, EXPERTS! They are pros, they know exactly what they are doing. YOU CAN TRUST THESE GUYS, 100%, they have fair prices and do amazing quality work.
Virgil owns the shop and has his 2 guys working there, they are all professional and know exactly what they are doing. They are pros on Japanese cars, Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura, scion, infinity but they will not turn you down if you have a German or exotic car — there is nothing they cannot do for your vehicle!
If you are looking for a good, honest, trustworthy shop, go here! 818−753−8808 don’t forget they are located in the back not the front, when you pull in make sure you don’t mess up and go the first shop which is called express smog and auto repair, THATS NOT THEM and honestly I went there once and they are horrible, continue driving down 1 shop and you’ll see their hanger — TOYMASTERS ask for virgil!
THANK GUYS!!! YOU’RE THE BEST!!!
:)

We came across Toymaster through Unilocal,and took our 1993 Corolla in for extensive work, and Virgil and his team did a superb job. Then we promptly had a bad accident; the insurance company wanted to total the car (of course!), but his guys brought it back to life, and it runs better than ever. He’s an honest and trustworthy guy, and you won’t find better work anywhere — and this car has seen its share of work.
One caveat: MAKE SURE YOU GO TO THE BACK OF THE LOT off Ventura. That’s were Toymaster’s offices are — there’s a separate auto repair business in the front, and while we don’t know them, we can’t imagine you’d get anything equal to – certainly not better — than you do with Virgil.

Although I live in Orange County, I bring ALL my Toyota/​Lexus autos here for service work. Why?
1) Virgil (owner) is 100% honest businessman — I trust him.
2) Work is done correctly (I know, my father was a master mechanic in the Navy, so I learned a few things)
3) Prices are good.
Thanks always to the crew at Toymaster Auto Clinic!!!

Virgil and the gang did a great job with my car! My ’97 Corolla is getting on in years (and mileage: 180K!), and I knew there were some things wrong with it when I brought it in.
I asked him to flush the steering and transmission fluids, since it hadn’t been done in ages (I really notice the difference with the transmission especially: the gears shift much more smoothly!). I also asked him to check the car out and tell me if anything else needed to be done immediately.
Well, the rear brakes were almost gone, so I had to say yes. As much as it hurts to admit you have to throw down some good money, it has to be done and that’s that. One cool thing about Toymasters is that the price is fair, especially considering they use Toyota parts: you definitely won’t get such a good deal at the dealership. I even called my old mechanic up in SF and he corroborated the quote.
Before I went in, Virgil had quoted me a price over the phone for both the tranny flush and the steering flush, but when I got there, he’d misremembered how much he quoted me over the phone, so make sure you write it down if you call and ask.
After the repairs were done, he told me about some of the other things on the car, like my cracked belts and the small oil leak. He was honest enough to only tell me I had to fix the thing that was most urgent (the brakes, which had started to squeak a bit anyway), rather than trying to make me pay for a bunch of stuff I don’t need yet. What’s more, he took the time to open the hood and show me exactly what he was talking about.
My only gripe is that the oil change is a little pricey ($ 28 – probably because of those genuine Toyota supplies), so I might go elsewhere for that next time.
Regardless, my experience was very good and I will definitely be returning to Toymasters. They KNOW Toyotas.

When I first moved to LA, I asked around my new job for recommendations to a mechanic. Finding one in a new city can be daunting! A co-​worker immediately offered up Toymaster. He had recently brought a used Toyota truck he was having trouble with and was told the work required on this vehicle wasn’t worth doing. It was this level of honesty that made him believe in this mechanic. They basically said «no thanks» to five grand worth of work on his behalf.
Luckily I had a Toyota. I brought my car here for seven years and never took it to another mechanic. Virgil and his crew work on Toyota and Lexus. That’s what they specialize in. The prices are good, they work fast and they always explained to me what they were doing and why. Many times they told me I didn’t need work that I thought I did. I NEVER felt that I was being sold work that my car didn’t need. The guys are nice and remembered details about my car between visits. I relied on Virgil to tell me when I needed new tires and other things that his shop didn’t do. Overall, I felt that I was in very capable hands and feel confident referring other people here.
Some things to know.
1) It’s on a curve on a busy part of Ventura Blvd so it can take some practice finding and getting into their driveway.
2) It’s a dirty city mechanic and not really a nice place to sit and wait and the location is not ideal for walking around. It’s best to have someone pick you up and come back when the car is done.
3) When Virgil was onsite and supervised the work, it was always great. There were one or two times I drove the car away and came right back, called Virgil and had him check or redo the work. And he was not always there when he said he would be, especially in the mornings. Afternoons are better.