I can't say enough good about Mark and crew at European Motors. I have been taking my VW Eurovan to them for about three years now and they go above and beyond to make sure the old girl is running smoothly. I have never once felt like they are trying to pull that typical garage fast one on me. They are honest and do great work. Always going over every detail of what is needed to be done.
Jon B, Hollywood, VW Eurovan owner
Need a certified Eurovan mechanic in Los Angeles?
- Car diagnostics
- Scheduled maintenance
- Air conditioning and heating repairs
- Brake system repair
- Electrical system inspection
- Engine tune-ups
- Timing chain replacement
- Transmission service
- Exhaust service
- Oil change service
- Wheels and tires
- Safety check
Let's Look Under The Hood with European Motors...
Own a Westfalia or thinking about being a VanDweller?
You've seen the pictures or maybe you can't stop thinking about those long Indian Summers from your childhood and Dad's Winnebago. There is a huge community and bohemian social media movement of people living the vagabond lifestyle. Beautiful couples that ditch the mortgage and high expenses of city life. Living a life off the grid, spending time on the road traveling, maybe this is the new American dream. You'll have more time to read, write, explore, or just spend time with your travel companion. It's cheap to live in a van but one thing you must maintain is your vehicle and we can help with that!
How about a road trip to Ojai? Check out the European Motors blog for the top things to do in Ojai, CA.
Family Owned Since 1975
European Motors is a European Auto Repair shop with a long history of servicing Volkswagen cars. We don't do Vanagon restorations but are a full-service Volkswagen auto repair shop for all mechanical, service and maintenance on Eurovan Westfalia and Rialta from years 1997 to current models. Proudly servicing VW enthusiasts in Burbank, Glendale, Silver Lake, Echo Park, Los Feliz, DTLA, Hollywood and the greater Los Angeles area. Our technicians can also perform pre-purchase used VW car inspections if you are looking to buy.
FAQ
This is a common issue with VW Eurovans. Components of the door lock system include:
- door lock actuators
- door lock handles
- door lock cylinders
- electrical wiring harness
- door lock control module
Any of these components may need to be replaced but a very common issue is door lock actuator failure. Another common issue is the electrical wiring in the wiring harness may get frayed. The wiring harness is found in between (and connects) the chassis of the car and the doors. As you can imagine, constant opening and closing of the doors will cause friction to the wires inside the wiring harness. Cars are built to withstand this friction but apparently, the VW engineering is flawed with Eurovans. We see this problem a lot. This is a time-consuming job as it requires opening the wiring harness from the inside of the door, and finding the damaged wire(s).
We usually replace timing chains on Eurovans starting at 100,000 miles. The early stages of timing chain issues can be subtle and hard to tell to the untrained ear. They start making a very subtle scraping or light crunching noise that can be heard towards the back of the engine. As they wear, they begin to make more noise and become more apparent. You want to be diligent by keeping a close eye on the check engine light, and bringing it in immediately to your VW specialist to have it scanned for timing related codes.
To state the obvious, having a Eurovan is awesome! You'll have an amazing lifestyle with endless memories. The cons are they can be expensive to repair. Having the Eurovan serviced and oil changed every 5,000 miles by a trust worthy VW specialist will go a long way.
