Auto Teknika is a full-service auto repair shop offering everything from basic maintenance and state inspections to complex diagnostics and major repairs for BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Mini, and Volvo. We work on vehicles back to about 2006 (depending on make), however we also service older and antique BMWs and Porsches.
NEW MANAGEMENT
Auto Teknika is currently managed by husband-and-wife team and automotive enthusiasts, Geordi Mazzone and Hilary Mathes. Geordi joined Auto Teknika in 2016, bringing 10+ years of automotive experience, notably with Volvos, and a passion for German cars which fostered a quick expansion of his expertise into German automotive diagnostics and repair. He was promoted to General Manager in 2023 though he stills works in the shop full-time. Hilary left her 7-year marketing career to come back to the automotive world and joined Auto Teknika as a service advisor in 2023.
Both Geordi and Hilary developed a love for cars early on in childhood, having been introduced to the automotive world by their fathers. Geordi began in his father’s driveway, fascinated by mechanics and driven by the urge to understand how vehicles and their systems operate. He started with tinkering on his 90s era Hyundai, then Acura Integra, then BMW E36, developing a passion for performance modifications and the inability to leave his cars stock. Hilary started in a different direction, falling in love with the styling and big engine sound of the 1960s and 70s, especially the American Muscle Car. Her first car was a neglected, not-quite-muscle-car ’68 Chevy II Nova that became her daily driver for 4 character-building years. She still has it to this day with a years-turned-decades long plan to restore it. Geordi and Hilary’s automotive passions have since expanded into other areas, conveniently merging to include certain era Porsches, in particular the 987 which they have added to their stable. Their interests in the automotive world go beyond the driveway and includes Formula 1, go-karting, races at VIR, car shows/events, and a brief stint pit crewing for a small endurance team.
They met in 2012 at a longtime Charlottesville staple in auto repair, Edgecomb’s Imported Auto (closed in 2019), then took brief detour to VA Beach to expand their automotive careers, and ultimately landed back in the Charlottesville area where they plan to stay. Now, their passion is continuing Auto Teknika’s legacy of providing quality automotive repair.
HISTORY
Auto Teknika was founded in 1979 by local resident, Adrian Pols. Adrian, formerly a social worker for Albemarle County, started as a one-man shop working exclusively on Volvos. Auto Teknika was originally named “Eastham Engineering”, after the old Eastham Market on Rt. 20 North in which it operated.
Following Eastham Engineering’s initial success, Adrian leased space in Downtown Charlottesville to accommodate his growing customer base. Once the move was completed in 1984, Adrian began to employ additional technicians, and started branching out to service an ever growing supply of other European cars that began to dot Central Virginia’s landscape.
For 20 years, Eastham Engineering continued to mature and became well known for providing knowledgeable service to the growing European automotive market. Eventually, the name Eastham Engineering was dropped in the late 1990s as many of the current customers had never visited the original location near Stony Point, VA. Some customers may remember Teknika by its interim name (for 10 years), The Foreign Auto Center.
As Auto Teknika, the shop expanded to provide a multitude of services for Volvo, Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Mini, and Porsche.
Adrian Pols sadly passed away in September 2025.