I brought in my late granddad's 1985 Mercedes-Benz roadster — a car he owned and cared for until he passed at 98, and a car that had never once spent a night outdoors since it left the factory. I chose this shop specifically because their website brands them as "European Auto Repair Specialists" serving customers since 2013, complete with a dedicated Mercedes-Benz page and a "state-of-the-art facility", and because their online rating is nearly spotless. Nearly two weeks later, I left with the car in the same condition it arrived, no work performed, incredibly filthy, and a level of indifference I still find hard to believe.
Here is the timeline. I dropped the car off with a clear, specific request. Then: silence. No call with a diagnosis, no estimate, no scope of work, no status update — nothing, for a week and a half. Every bit of communication in this transaction was initiated by me. When I finally called them, the answer wasn't a quote or an explanation for the delay; it was that they "knew someone else" who could work on my vehicle. That is information a specialist shop should be able to determine in the first 24 hours, not after ten days of sitting on a customer's irreplaceable classic.
Uneasy but trying to be reasonable, I agreed to take the car to the shop they recommended. They never sent the referral information. Not a call, not a text, not an email. I eventually had to drive to the shop in person just to ask for my own car back. There was no apology, no explanation for the total communication blackout, and no acknowledgment that anything had gone wrong at all.
The part that bothers me most: my granddad's roadster sat outside, exposed to the Texas sun, heat, and weather, for days at a time. Forty-one years of garage-kept, indoor-only preservation — undone during a service visit that produced zero work and zero communication. If a shop advertises itself as a specialist in European and classic-era vehicles, the bare minimum is understanding that a 1985 W107-era car is not a daily driver you can park on the fence line and forget about.
What I'd want another owner to know:
- No proactive communication of any kind — no estimate, no approval call, no updates over 13 days.
- They accepted a vehicle they apparently were not prepared or willing to work on, then held it for a week and a half before saying so.
- A promised referral was never delivered, forcing me to show up in person to reclaim my car.
- The vehicle was stored outdoors for multiple days despite being a preserved, garage-kept classic.
- Zero accountability — no apology, no explanation, no attempt to make it right.
- Their glowing rating profile did not reflect my experience, and other customers have flagged scheduling and poor communication issues as well.
If you own a European car — and especially if it carries any sentimental value — take it somewhere that will call you, quote you, and keep it inside. I'll be passing this along to every friend I have with a Mercedes, BMW, Audi, or Porsche looking for a shop, and the message is simple: your time, your money, and your car are all better spent elsewhere.
Dear Phillip, thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We are truly sorry for the experience you had at our shop. We understand the significance of your granddad's Mercedes and we should have treated it with the utmost care. We apologize for the lack of communication and for not meeting your expectations. Your feedback will be taken seriously and used to improve our services. Your trust and recommendations mean a lot to us, and we hope for an opportunity to make it right. Please reach out to us directly if there is anything we can do to assist you.
- EuroTech Autohaus - Frisco TX
