5 Reviews

• 
  Dylan S.5 years ago

  To make this review short, Marco and his staff are simply awesome!!

  I'm a college student and a part time salesman in the automotive industry. I had an intermittent misfire issue that had been missed diagnosed for over a year. I went to a handful of the other "reputable" shops in San Diego and spent way too much with no results and the car actually was getting worse and worse. The car to the point where it wasn't safe to drive.

  I was recommended to Marco by a customer of mine that collected BMWs. I towed my car to Marco's and I really do love how they approached the job. They were the first shop that wasn't so quick to jump to conclusions about the misfire and try to make money on me. Their technician, Sebastian, who is some type of genius, went through every single thing in the engine bay. They soon found out that there was a short in the engine harness that was causing the misfire. They fixed that for me and the car ran like new!! The spot were it was shorted out was so hard to get to as well. That's how you know they really took their time and cared about checking all the boxes. I wish I went to them first. Mind you that I had spent so much at other shops just for the problem to remain unchanged. The Marco Polo team approached the problem the right way. They were not so quick to just throw parts at it like some other shops in SD did and that was super relieving. Now I don't have to borrow a coworkers car and have my peace of mind back. Prices are good as well. Keep in mind we drive BMWs not Honda or Nissans. I wish I heard of them sooner, they really gave me a breath of fresh air and will be sending my customers here and returning for future services.

  Thank you Marco Polo and Team.

  2002 BMW 325xi

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• 
  Sal6 years ago

  I heard about Marco's shop from another mechanic, Kevin, who specializes in E46 M3s.

  I needed some AC work done (vacuum, recharge, check for leaks, etc...) on my 04' M3 before I would be taking a couple of road trips into the desert this summer.

  I asked my guy Kevin who's good for this sort of thing and without hesitation he mentioned Marco at Marco Polo Independent, he said he always takes his E46s here after an engine swap to get AC work done.

  Marco and his apprentice Shawn were both very professional, cordial, and most importantly, honest. They let me know that my car was fine on Freon, so they didn't charge me for that. They could have easily pocketed the money, but they chose to be honest and lose some themselves.

  They also worked very quickly, I dropped off the car at 12pm, and by the time I had finished lunch my car was ready.

  I'm happy to report that my M3's AC has been blowing ICE cold this whole summer.

  I will definitely be coming back next time I need some work done.

  2004 BMW M3

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• 
  Phil Naval6 years ago

  Heard about this shop through a mutual friend/ mechanic who knows Marco (the man, the legend himself). Real humble and honest mechanic and definitely knows his the inner workings of the ultimate driving machine. Came in for a front brake job after hearing some grinding in my rotors and my braking power was diminished. Called Marco out of emergency and he was able to provide a quote and get me in same day on top of his busy schedule. The job was done same day within a few hours and braking power is as smooth as ever especially with my new recommended ceramic brakes and rotors. Marco Polo is your autoshop with out the dealer price and hassle. Thanks again!

  2012 BMW 328i

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• 
  Keyan Roshan 6 years ago

  Got great service here! Marco was very helpful with everything, and very reasonable when it came down to price. I came in with a broken door lock actuator in my passenger door, and while I had tried to fix it myself, I just didnt have the time. They got it fixed within two hours, and they did a great job. I will definitely be a repeat customer.

  2007 BMW 328i

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• 
  Colby 8 years ago

  Really wanted to like this shop. Have been a BMW collector and enthusiast for many years and tried hard to make this work for the long-run. Completely dissatisfied and feel taken advantage of and massively disrespected.

  Went out of my way to be upfront and communicate openly from the very beginning. I brought my car in and gave them a list of three things I wanted them to look at and give me prices on. They get one star for fixing the two other items but failed miserably on one:

  Told them to diagnose the loud noises from the power steering pump. Went over 30 years of experience they should know how to do tests and figure out what is causing the noise. They tightened a hose clamp and told me it was better. Then the next day (my car was in the shop about one week for maybe 5 hours worth of work) they tell me it's still making the noise. Then they suggest changing the filter for $160. I specifically asked them are you sure this is a good idea and do you think it will solve the problem. They tell me that they are "almost positive" it is the filter and if not "we will apply the charge towards the new pump" Didn't fix it and did NOT apply the charge to more labor. Then they say we need to rebuild the pump. Over $600 later the car is exactly the same. They make some lame excuse that I need to drive the car and it will sort itself out. They obviously say this so they get paid and you drive away. When I obviously ask why I still have a problem they suddenly say I need to replace the remaining two hoses because they are incorrect!! Why in the world did they not test the hoses before I spent $600 for absolutely nothing?? They also charged me $100 to look at the exact three issues I asked them to. This was NEVER discussed nor agreed to but they refused to waive the fee. This simply can't happen in business.

  I respectfully asked why this happened and was rudely and abruptly disrespected telling me that I don't understand cars and that they won't fix my problem and to "go find another shop" absolutely unacceptable business practices.

  To top it off, I get the car back and there's scratches that weren't there, a huge bulge and crease in my door panel. Maybe existing customers are treated better I don't know, but for someone who was going to give them many years of business I have never been more disrespected nor mistreated by any other shop. Their warranty on work is clearly a scam as they refuse to stand behind their work. Unless, "go somewhere else and stop bothering us" is in the fine print?

  I can't wait to see what lame, dishonest excuse the owner has for ripping me off and refusing to stand behind their work. I guess when you have a lot of money you don't care about people who don't have money to be throwing away on faulty car repairs!

  1988 BMW 635csi

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  MARCO GENTILE6 years ago

  We missed this post from this customer who pasted the same letter to a myriad social media sites. Here is what we posted in response on Yelp and Google over 2 years ago however we left out that Visa/Master Card did return funds to us after their investigation was complete. : "There are times in the life of a small business owner that you have to refuse service to a customer and it has been at least 15 years in my 32 years in the specialty BMW service business since I have done this but I exercised my rights this past Friday regarding this customer who owns a 30-year-old BMW with 30-year-old issues. We eliminated the least expensive most likely causes of steering noises first. The dollar amounts are less than quoted in the complaint. I warned him about the previously broken drivers' door armrest and other sub-par repairs to that door let alone the additional sub-par repairs to his hydraulic steering system that still need addressing. We had also discussed a Pre-Purchase inspection cost of $100 discounted from the normal $200 during the appointment telephone conversation. We know nothing about any paint damage. Enough said. PS: Apparently he has made a similar Yelp complaint regarding another Auto Service recently"