Hans Hohlrieder has been repairing cars since he was a teenager in his hometown of Niederau in Austria.
In 1990, Hohlrieder left Europe to explore America; two years later, after realizing the demand for German automotive repair in the U.S., Hohlrieder, then 24, opened his first Auto Haus repair center in Yorktown, specializing in German cars like Mercedes, Audi, and BMW.
In 2014, Hohlrieder opened an Auto Haus in Williamsburg. Now, at age 50, Auto Haus has opened a third location, this time in Virginia Beach.
Hohlrieder bought the business assets and building from Larry’s Import Center, another German automotive center that operated at 1801 Virginia Beach Blvd. for decades. Hohlrieder says it was difficult to find the right building in Virginia Beach that could accommodate automotive repair. So when Hohlrieder realized that the owner of Larry’s was retiring, he jumped at the chance to take over the site.
“It was an absolute perfect match,” said Hohlrieder, “the zoning was already there, the building was designed for automotive repair. It could not have been any better.”
Hohlrieder invested $250,000 into the property, remodeling the interior and purchasing brand new equipment, such as car lifts and tools. The front office and waiting room have been renovated with new flooring and walls. The 40-year-old building place smells like a new construction.
Hohlrieder says the most interesting piece of equipment at the Virginia Beach Auto Haus is the brand new alignment machine. The machine ensures proper alignment of a car’s wheels and suspension system using a system of cameras, mirrors, and computers, which photograph and process images of patterns attached to the wheels by technicians.
Cameras, mirrors, and computers work together to align a Mercedes Benz at Auto Haus in Virginia Beach. The camera photographs the patterns placed on the wheels by the technicians to ensure proper balance (Joshua Weinstein/Southside Daily)Before starting his own auto repair business, Hohlrieder bought and sold antique Mercedes in the U.S. during the early 1990s and is still passionate about repairing those older model cars.
“I love working on classic Mercedes,” says Hohlrieder. The Auto Haus location in Williamsburg even has a “class car department” that caters specifically to antique models.
Although the Virginia Beach location will not be doing any bodywork, customers can still have those repairs at Auto Haus locations on the Peninsula.
“We do body work at our Williamsburg and Yorktown locations,” Hohlrieder says, where they have the equipment and space for such work.
Auto Haus currently has 82 employees at its three locations, and Hohlrieder says that he will be hiring another six to eight employees in Virginia Beach this year.
