Topline Automobile

Found this place on Yelp ... and was happy to see 5 stars from fellow MB enthusiast Euge L. It was a standard service B ... (though my car is only a year and a half) and from all the places I called, Topline's rate was middle of the pack. The final bill of $333 was still $125 cheaper than what was quoted by the dealership (Fletcher Jones down in Fremont.)

The work on my baby benz was pretty standard and they didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Service was really great - Sammy worked with me and was professional, courteous and very timely. He sent me everything via email - including the estimate as well as inquiries I had into new tires.

Topline is located about a mile off the 101 freeway in Burlingame so it's a pretty convenient location. I also really appreciated that they washed my car and vacuumed the inside. I wear heels which don't have a lot of surface area ... so I can never understand how I manage to drag so much debris into my car ... In any case, I am a firm believer that if you take good care of your stuff, it will take care of you ... and I think Topline took care of my car.

I have a modified 1991 Mercedes 560SEC that I drive down from Grass Valley, CA (between Reno and Sacramento) for Topline Automobile for ALL its service, repair and maintenance needs.

The reason I make all these 400 mile trips is that Zim Gwee, the owner, Tony, (tech) and Jason and Sammy are all consummate professionals that work hard to provide truly TOP LINE care and service to discerning owners of fine automobiles.

They are fastidiously honest, totally capable and competent, and provide customer service on a level far higher than any shop I have ever used in over 40 years of owning cars. This extends to clearing their calendar for long distance customers like me, washing and detailing cars (BEST detailing jobs I ever saw in my life), arranging courtesy cars to use, and taking the best care possible of customers and explaining in great detail what is being done, and why it is being done the way it was.

The ONLY people I have ever met where I would be comfortable writing them a blank check and saying "MAKE NICE"

They give back to their community also, as sponsors of events such as the yearly Hillsborough Concours....

It was explained that they do NOT need to advertise, because drawing off a demanding clientele of Internet and Biotech Silicon Valley millionaires, that demand the highest level of care and modification for their exotic cars, and will accept nothing but the VERY best.


Without question, the best auto repair, care, and detail facility I ever have seen or been privileged to deal with.


White glove service at its finest can be found here.

I have no choice but to give them an absolutely, unqualified FIVE STAR rating, as they are examples of the best of the very best.


I would not make those 400 mile round trips to go there if it were not so

whens the last time you went to a mechanic and you asked them to do something and they told you you dont need to do it yet?

i brought my c55 in thinking i need to change the oil, get new brake pads and im WAY over due for a detail.

i get a call a little later, your pads are at 4mm, we suggest you get them replaced at 2mm. you have at least until your next oil change before you need to replace them.

that sort of honesty is very much appreciated by customers.

oil change, $140 bucks. steep? a bit. i couldve done it myself for about $80 in parts (8.5 of mobil one and fleece filter and o rings), but this saved me the trouble of getting under my car and removing the oil from TWO drain plugs.... i did topside the oil before through where the canister filter is, but that never really gets ALL the used oil out.... the cheapest ive paid for an oil change for this car at a reputable place is 120 so its not that bad...

...especially considering the extra tidbits they do for you.

their courtesy inspection is actually a REAL inspection. sammy told me about the oil leaks i had at two places i was aware of one. the other one? i wasnt. he also told me about a leak in the transmission housing which i was aware of too. though finding out about one more leak was good thing, finding out that topline actually DOES inspect the car during these courtesy inspection was more important. most places, they just check things off on a list. they dont really pay any real attention to their courtesy inspections.

and to the detail...

have you ever ran your finger against your car and you popped a semi? they did an outstanding job.

wouldnt hesitate to recommend them to friends and family.

My rating is actually more like 3.5 stars. I'm not crazy about Topline, but I don't know any better ones in the area for high-end used cars. It's an expensive keeper but if someone show me a cheaper with the same trustworthiness mechanic I will switch in a heartbeat.

They do great work and analysis, the manager cares a lot of your car's condition and works with you to prioritize the repairs based on your budget. People who works under him, they are not as passionate and sincere as the manager. They sometimes seem make more from you than necessary.

Their analytical skills about the car's condition is top-notch. I get more info from them than I would've in any dealers, internets, or forums. The long talk and deails to each customer though, often to tend to form a little cue in that little counter office in the late afternoon. Don't make other plans afterwards other than just simply picking up the car.

The thing I'm not crazy about; High repair bill. Usually over 2000 dollars for my car.
I look at the bill carefully, and they charge FULL RETAIL on genuine OEM parts, which I'm assuming they are getting at lower cost (so they are biting twice). Often times I can find those parts online much cheaper and sometimes genuine OEM is not necessary. Of course Topline does not discuss these alternative options at all.

So, after the multiple $125-an hour labor and factory parts price, it's like going to a dealer service department for your high-end used car, without free coffee, lounge and loaners.

After a few visit to Topline, it'll make you think you want DIY as much as possible.

I'v been here since they opened, Current staff is great, but I have been through all their growing pains of the past decade. I think Sammy is the best out of all of them, Grace is like my sister, and Zim... is the black sheep of the family. Sure, he has the experience where people would drive hundreds of miles to consult his expertise, but when was the last time any of you saw him use any of his tools from the enormous Mac tool box? I have had 2 project race cars pretty much die there that ending up a waiting game for Zim's 6 mont warranty versus actual repairs to their work. RIP.

Great for regular fluff - detailing, wheel repair, maintenance just not for custom race engines.

Zim Gwee, owner of Topline Automobile in Burlingame, is one of the very few German trained Mercedes Master Techs in the Bay Area. He has over 20 yrs experience working on German cars. His specialization other than Mercedes, is BMW, Porsche, and Audi. He is also one of the best troubleshooters in the industry. Most of the European car dealerships in the Bay Area call him when their mechanics can't figure out whats wrong with a car. I've seen numerous cars get towed into Topline from dealerships as far as Roseville because Zim is known to be able to fix what others cannot.

As of the middle of last year, Topline became a pre-owned vehicle dealer of high-end luxury and exotics. On a day to day basis, they have a wide range of vehicles on display. You can always find a Diablo or Ferrari on the lot, as well as various supercharged and highly modified Mercedes and BMW vehicles.

I've used Topline as my automotive repair headquarters for almost 10 yrs now. Although their pricing is usually a bit higher than other shops, I use them because of their reputation, exceptional service, and how they get things right the first time. Many shops try to up-sell you for things you don't need and sometimes would require multiple visits to get something done right. I'd much rather go once and have it done right the first time.They also have a state of the art facility complete with alignment machine, over 10 lifts, European vehicle troubleshooting computer, and the top of the line mount and balancing machines; also every service appointment gets a free hand wash.

TONY VAN ARKEL...
Enough said. I'd take a bullet for that guy.

I was having car troubles with my fan not turning on correctly which caused my car to overheat during hot weather. Especially with the last few weeks, we had random heat waves sweeping through the bay area. I had lots of trouble trying to find out what the problem was. I took my car to 3 different shops, two being Nissan specialist, and was still unable to find out what was wrong. I was recommended by a friend to have my car diagnosed by Zim and Sammy, who were very professional and gave great customer service.

The moment I walked into their showroom, I knew I had taken my car to the right place. Nothing but exotics and heavily modified benz,bmws,and lots of other high end cars.

I dealt directly with Sammy who gave me the run down and was honest with me from the get go. He told me there were a lot of cars in their garage that was ahead of mines, but they will try to do their best to get it back to me in a timely manner. I received my car faster than I expected and running in top condition. They even detailed the inside and outside of my car for free! Talk about customer service, these guys are great.

Highly recommended!

Recently I spent a near fortune at the dealership to replace a single hydraulic line on my Mercedes S600 Twin Turbo. Shortly after the repair, my engine was running rough and the check engine light came on. I took it back to the dealership and they did a complete diagnostic and "claimed" they found nothing wrong and returned the car to me. They had to lift the engine to do the hydraulic line repair so I suspect they wanted to avoid the liability of possible damage done during the previous work. Keep in mind the S600 is a Twin Turbo V12, any engine work on this car can run upwards of $10K.

Since I no longer trusted the dealership, I decided to take it to Topline after reading all the positive reviews on Yelp. I dropped the car off to Zim (the owner) and decided to have the front bumper and the AMG rims repaired for nicks while they had the car. Sammy called a day later. I was waiting for Sammy to say, "Are you sitting down," as I was bracing myself for the worse case scenario. To my relief, he told me after thorough testing, they found that the fuel pressure measured low due to a plugged up filter (caused by carbon deposits of bad gas). The cost for the diagnostic and repair came out to around $500 (10% of what the dealership could and would have charged).

Got my car back and the engine is running strong and smooth as it should and the front bumper and wheels are a perfect match to the original factory paint. I have a special order "Designo" color that is almost impossible to match, but somehow they were able to nail it dead on.

Very few mechanics are brave and skilled enough to work on a Mercedes S600 Twin Turbo V12. In this case, Topline surpassed the expertise of the dealership. It's no wonder that their lot is filled with exotics like: Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley, Aston Martin, etc..

Topline will now be the only place I'll take my Mercedes S600 to for repairs, bodywork and upgrades. I've been told that dealerships even call on Topline when they can't figure out certain complex mechanical issues. Excellent service work and customer service!

I would give them 6 stars if it was possible!

I love this place. Over the years I have had them help me with my cars, my friends' cars and cars that I have sold to my own clients. Overall we are talking about a 15 year relationship. They tell me what to buy, how much to spend and what work to do and not do. They have certainly earned every dollar and given me so much value.

Whether you need your car detailed, serviced, repaired or modified, this is the place. They even sell new and used cars at amazing prices.

Their best qualities are honesty, fair dealing and extensive car knowledge.

I wish more businesses were like Topline.