German Auto Services Idaho

06/17/2026

What's on the rack today? Nothing crazy today so I thought I would post up something different. This a our gorgeous Aru Green Tree Python Fae, our little baby tree dragon.

06/13/2026

What's on the rack today?

Nothing too exciting on the rack today, but something happened this morning that reminded me why we do what we do.

When I opened the shop, I found a note and some cash just inside the front door. The note read:

"Three weeks ago you repaired a spark plug on my truck. I only paid you $60. Here is the rest of the money I owe. Thanks!"

A few weeks back, we had a traveler stop in with a newer Chevy Silverado that had blown a spark plug out of the cylinder head. We performed a thread repair, checked the remaining plugs to make sure they were properly torqued, and got him back on the road.

We only charged him $60. The repair took more time than that covered, but sometimes helping someone out is more important than the clock. If I remember correctly, he was on his way to Montana for work and found himself dealing with a truck problem far from home.

When situations like that come through the door, I always try to put myself in their shoes. What if it was my wife, my kids, or another member of my family stranded on a trip? The last thing someone needs when they're already stressed is another problem piled on top of them.

This morning's note was a reminder that kindness and honesty still exist.

I don't know if this gentleman follows our page, and unfortunately I don't even remember his name, but if you happen to see this:

Thank you. I truly appreciate it.

– German Auto Services

05/23/2026

What's on the rack today? One of the single biggest issue with a small shop is storage space. We finally bit the bullet and bought a shipping container. With this 40' monster we can more than empty out everything we have inside the shop that's taking up precious real estate. If you're in East Idaho get ahold of James at Diversified Containers in Idaho Falls, good people and awesome prices on containers.

05/17/2026

What's on the rack today? Well we finally got our new sign up. Don't mind the post winter w**d clearing we need to do, seems like the grass just sprung up overnight......🤔

05/17/2026

What's on the rack today? 2015 Honda Pilot 3.5l V6 with a nasty oil leak and some maintenance needs. It's hard to see in the pictures but the front valve cover has a horrible oil leak that caused a steady stream of oil to leak right into the alternator. Previous shop just kept swapping out alternators as they failed (4 alternators in total) instead of addressing the root cause of the failure. The customer was aware of the issue but apparently the last shop was not willing to do the repairs. We will get it straightened out and back on the road as a reliable daily driver.

05/03/2026

What's on the rack today? Check this one out, lifted 2004 Porsche Cayenne, pretty cool looking. In for some maintenance and a nasty coolant leak.

05/02/2026

What's on the rack today? 2014 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid? First for us, luckily no issues with the Hybrid system. Car had an off-road adventure in the snow a while back and it's been sitting (pictures will show why it fell off the road) just some maintenance issues (Amsoil oil change), bad 12v battery, and some stitching the under engine splash shield back together. It will need brakes soon but owner is doing a budget repair and just wants it's on the road safe for now.

04/20/2026

03/27/2026

What's on the rack today? Still working on the 2011 X5 engine job, but an interesting proposition came our way. We've been trying to break into the powersports realm up here for a bit. I just picked up a set of sand tires from Skat Trak out of California. If you don't know who they are, Skat Trak has been around for a long time and are legendary tire builders in the dune community. They want to talk to us about a possible dealer opportunity. Could be interesting... stay tuned.

03/20/2026

What's on the rack today? **Continuation of the previous post** 2011 BMW 3.5i X5. Connecting rod pulled an exit stage left right above the front differential. Peeled the block and oil pan open like a tin can. We bought this car last year from a family that was heading to West Yellowstone when the engine let go. Putting it together for the wife unit to save some mileage on the Jeep (and a better grocery getter than the Jeep). Picked up a low mileage N55 from an online seller out of a 2014 435i Xdrive. The 435i was involved in a wreck, the seller showed the damage to the valve cover which ended up being cosmetic only, but the harmonic balancer took a hit and caused the snout to bend a bit. The seller did make it right, he covered the cost of the replacement crank. The block looked good so we swapped out the crank and installed new main and rod bearing (King Bearings), all new timing components and a reseal. There are few minor differences in the two engines but the base long block is pretty much the same. Biggest difference in the engine is the turbo and oil pump drive , the X5 uses a spring type chain tensioner for oil pump and the 435i uses a hydraulic style tensioner. The turbo on the 435i has an elecywaste gate and the X5 is vacuum. Well swap over what we need off the X5 on to the 435i long block. Should be a good little rig when it's done.