About Luis Lopez Automotive – Trusted Auto Repair in Northeast Los Angeles

Founded in 1968 by Luis Lopez Sr., Luis Lopez Automotive has been serving Atwater Village (90039), Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Glassell Park, Elysian Valley, Eagle Rock, and Echo Park with honest, reliable, and affordable auto repair for over 50 years.

Our ASE-certified mechanics specialize in brake repairs, oil changes, suspension work, wheel alignments, engine diagnostics, A/C service, and more—ensuring your vehicle stays safe and road-ready.

With a long-standing reputation for quality craftsmanship and zero mansplaining, our family-owned auto repair shop remains committed to excellence in service, fair pricing, and customer satisfaction.

Meet our dedicated team below and see why Northeast Los Angeles drivers trust us with their vehicles. 🚗🔧

Luis Lopez Jr., featured in the image above, has a rich background in the automotive industry. His journey began with a childhood immersed in car repair, and he transitioned to full-time work alongside his father in 1995, shortly after college. With an impressive career spanning over 28 years, Luis Jr. is a seasoned ASE Certified mechanic. In 2012, he assumed the role of CEO and Lead Technician. His dedication extends beyond the workshop; Luis Jr. is an active member of automotive trade organizations, including the Automotive Service Councils of California and the Automotive Service Association.

Beyond his automotive expertise, Luis Jr. is deeply committed to community engagement. As a longstanding community volunteer, he has strong ties within Atwater's small business community and actively participates in local civic affairs. Since 2003, he has served as a Board Member for the Atwater Village Chamber of Commerce, currently holding the position of Executive Director. Furthermore, Luis Jr. contributes to the community as a board member of a local 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Friends of Atwater Village. He has also co-authored a history book on Atwater Village, showcasing his dedication to preserving and celebrating the community's heritage.

Luis Lopez Sr., as depicted in the image above, made a remarkable contribution to his country during the Cold War, serving in the US Army in Wildflecken, Germany, where he specialized in servicing and repairing Army vehicles. This invaluable experience provided him with the skills and a sense of fulfillment that later inspired him to continue working on vehicles after his honorable discharge. In 1968, Luis Sr. founded his automotive repair shop with a vision of providing motorists with dependable and competitively priced repairs and parts. Initially located on Western Ave in Hollywood, he later moved the shop to its current location in Atwater Village.

From its inception, Luis Sr. took pride in his role as a small business owner and lead technician, serving his customers and the local community with dedication. His journey in the automotive industry continued until his formal retirement in 2012. Together with his wife, he has since retired fully and now resides in his native Mexico, where they enjoy their well-deserved retirement. His legacy lives on through the continued operation of Luis Lopez Automotive under the management of his son, Luis Lopez Jr.

About our shop and filming history

Our shop was originally built in 1936 and operated as a Mobil gas station (pictured below) through the 1960s. With its distinctive architecture and corner-lot presence, it became a familiar fixture in the Atwater Village community.

After its time as a service station, the building continued its life in the automotive world, transitioning into a full-time repair shop. Eventually, it became the home of Luis Lopez Automotive, where we continue the legacy of trusted neighborhood car care.

In 2020, our shop’s building took a star turn when it was featured on the Netflix series Hollywood, reimagined as the infamous “Golden Tip” gas station (pictured below). With its authentic 1930s Streamline Moderne design, the building provided the perfect backdrop for the show’s dramatized take on post-war Tinseltown.

In the series, the Golden Tip is a fictionalized version of a real-life scandal involving a covert prostitution ring run out of a gas station by notorious Hollywood fixer Scotty Bowers. The attendants? Aspiring actors moonlighting as sex workers, all in pursuit of fame and survival. (Gasp!)

In 2024, our shop was also featured in The Sympathizer (pictured above), an HBO limited series based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel of the same name. The story follows a complex tale of the Vietnam War, told through the eyes of a double agent embedded deep within the South Vietnamese military and later, the Vietnamese exile community in the United States.

While our building didn’t make it into the final cut, the street corner we’re on definitely earned its moment on the big screen. In Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994), there’s a pivotal scene where Bruce Willis’s character, Butch, spots Marsellus Wallace crossing the street and hits him with his car. That scene was filmed right at the intersection of Fletcher Drive and Atwater Avenue—just steps from our shop. It’s a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, but for locals (and movie nerds), it’s a fun bit of Atwater Village film history that ties our neighborhood to one of the most iconic movies of the '90s.