Overland Service antofagasta | Mechanic and Parts

Chile

Details

Verified:
5 months ago
Altitude:
47.0 masl
Phone:
None
Contributor:
claudiaquinzio

Amenities

Repairs Vehicles:
Unknown
Repairs Motorcycles:
Unknown
Repairs Bicycles:
Unknown
Sells Parts:
Unknown

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Description

Luis Roa is a famous mechanic in Antofagatsa that worked for ten years in Alma and Paranal observatories. He is a good ingeniered that works in his shop making alll kind of repairs and manufactured spares for trucks. He is also a traveller with a camper and currently bulding an Unimog with a cabin. He also speaks english, and you can stay in his comfortable shop with hot showers, bathroom, kitchen and really fast Wi-Fi. We stayed for two weeks reparing the diferential, welding the pick up box, adding an extra fuel tank and reparing breaks. He is a wanderfull man working with polite and easy going people. Safe place to stay, and quite neighborhood. As an old traveller he understand what travellers need. He is also conected with good mechanics that can do repairs in engines and transmissions or whatever yo need. The shop does not look like a shop from outside. But as soon as they open the door you will see all kind of tools. White gate in the entrance, knock the door hard.

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We reached out to Luis because we needed to buy something of mercado libre. He kindly let us use his account and address, lovely guy and happy to help travellers. Shame he has no garage!

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Luis is the nicest guy in Antofagasta. Unfortunately he doesn't have his garage anymore but is still willing to help iOverlanders. If you have an emergency or need someone to point you in the right direction, he is definitely your guy.
Number is still the same (see comment below)
Thanks for everything, we hope to see you again :)

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Luis Roa is a nice and helpful guy. We had some problem with our van and he helped us even if he was not here.

Luis Roa est super et aidant. Nous avions des problèmes avec notre van. Il nous a aidé même si il n'était pas là.

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We tried to call, and send messages but Luis never answered.
Tratamos de llamarlos y enviarle mensajes, pero Luis nunca nos respondió.

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We got stuck in Chile during the pandemic and tried to wait it out in the mountains but it got too cold. Luis took us in for several weeks. He is an amazing person with a kind heart. There is everything in his workshop you need. Even during a pandemic. We feel so lucky we got to know him and that he helped us out during those crazy times.

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Coronavirus! +56 9 57 79 16 13
Hi, im Luis... if you need a place to stay, water or any help, feel free to contact me at my whatsapp.
In the workshop there is not internet signal at the moment, I cancel the service since I not fully involve in the workshop, but Im the owner!
Im away of the city, Im taking care of a building in the desert, I don't have telephone signal, only wifi in the office, so I can take a little to reply, no more than an hour.
I has been away for personal reasons, but during this difficult time, I will do my best to help where I can.
Luis

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Does anyone have Luis phone number or contact details? Thanks :)

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Raul seems to know a lot but more on the field than theory; he won't do a thing if it's not necessary. Our cylinder head needed a rectification and timing belt was dismantled 3 times which means it needed to be changed, but Raul told us that as long as there's no noise in the motor there's no issue. So I'd say come here if you only want to do what's needed for your car to run, but if you want to be assured it'll last a long time go some place else

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We stayed 2 days fixing some thongs in our motorhome. Luis is not working there anymore but you have this pal is + Alex a new guy. He fixed and adjusted some cabinets, window, our water tank, etc.
Very good work and price.
No internet but safe place to overnight inside.

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Thank you so much to Luis and Raoul. Luis opened the transmission from our MAN Truck and found the problem and can repair. He is very very friendly, super helpfull. We can stay in his workshop for 4 weeks, because we have to wait for spareparts from germany. We can use the washingmachine, kitchen and toilet.
Luis and Raoul do a very good, professional job - we can highly recommend them.
(We agree with the other good comment)

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We came to Luis‘ place because we had problems with starting the engine and leakage problems with the coolant.
Luis and Raul helped us with both problems and Luis also gave us a driving lesson with heavy cars in the mountains. We have a new battery now, no more leakages of coolant and know a lot more about our car. They did a great job and absolutely know what they are doing. Besides the excellent help they are both very kind and nice men :)
Because we needed a few days for fixing everything, Luis let us sleep in his garage - no problem with the rooftop tent ;)
We highly recommend going to Luis if you have any problems with your car and are around Antofagasta!

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We contacted Luis in advance with some brake issues and from the offset he was super helpful. Luis wasn’t currently work due to an injury however he arranged for an inspection to be done by his colleague Raul and a further appointment a few days later to sort the repair. They managed to find a brake specialist who was able to machine and find parts in Santiago to save us having to order from the US (life-saver!!!) Very reasonable pricing also! They were kind enough to let us stay in their huge secure workshop during the repairs, Luis stopped by a few times to check in on us and to help us plan our onward journey. Super helpful mechanics that are Overlanders themselves which really helps. Thanks again Luis & Raul.

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Good job by Raul with my differential. It was possible to stay in the garage.

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As our Iveco Daily needed a bit of maintenance and new front shoes we contacted Luis. He was not in town but arranged things for us to come and use his place. Luis‘s father opened the door for us and readily called Raul the mechanic who came over as fast as he could. Right away Raul guided us to a gomeria and in no time our truck had a new footwear. Back at the shop Raul , a very efficient worker, did the service . He invited us to stay overnight in the garage. A very safe place right in the middle of a big city! A bit sorry not to get a chance to meet Luis, we left the day after. And...a few days later, surprise ! As we were spending time in San Pedro de Atacama we met Luis! He recognized our truck from the photo and stopped by on his way home. A wonderful , cheerful, helpful person.
Overlanders, go to Luis. You’ll get the best service and last but not least Luis speaks well English.

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disappoined. We emailed and confirmed. Email was also confirmed. listed work to be done. upon arrival we were told to ask for Raoul. He was friendly but was not aware we were coming and they were busy? no oil in stock nor time to do any of the work we ask for. we left and went to mercedes benz dealer instead. but waste of many km. would not recommend.

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Agree with everybody: super friendly, helpfull guys. Our welding was done very well and the price was reasonable. And we could stay overnight. And wow wow wow: the WiFi, best in months if not years!!
On their request i give the WiFi code: name is skua, password: [passwords are not allowed unless explicitly permitted by the owner]
They prefer receiving a whatsapp before you come, cause they are still working every 2 weeks in Bolivia for the next couple of months. Luis Roa & Nico +56 9 57791613

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Luis and Nico are the best! We came here with a problem with our engine after a lot of bad mechanics and luis immediatly knew what was the problem and Raul (the car mechanic ) fixed it the other day for us. Also we had a great time with those lovely guys and ended up building a table for our car. Wifi is so fast we had no problem to watch all the game of thrones episodes we missed while camping. Note: this is not a car mechanic! It's two super nice guys offering you their help, workshop and contacts to fix whatever needs to be fixed, but no place where you come leave your car and get it fixed at the end of the day. But you can learn a lot and have a great time with them and probably some other Overlanders around.

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Yes, we came to louis place for a chance from our shockers. He did it stright away. And after one night in his workshop we were very,very happy and moved on. All are so unbelivable friendly. Drive down the one way road and look to the left hand side for the "white" irongate beside the pink house.

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Luis garage is absolutely pecfect place for travelers. We found it because of iOverLander, we had a problem with our Mercedes. Luis was not there but we can stay there. His friend Raul help us. On time when we were waiting for new stuff from europe we spend nice time in Antofagasta. In this garage is everything what you need. Water, kitchen, bathroom, fast wi-fi, electricity and tools for reparing cars.
Thank you Luis, just pitty than we can not met each other.

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Luis and Nico are again in Bolivia for the next 2 weeks. They are working 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off until September. When they are not in Bolivia they will not spend a lot of time in the workshop. People are still welcome to stay when he is around, but be aware both Luis and Nico are not eager to take on a lot of work during their time off.

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Helped me find a mechanic for my broken transmission. He in in Bolivia for the next two weeks, working!

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Luis and Nico are in Bolivia until the 13th of February, so there is no use coming here until then.

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Luis and Nico are in Bolivia until the 13th of February, so there is no use coming here until then.

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Both Luis and Nico are in Bolivia for work the next two weeks. So they can't help overlanders at the moment.

Since this place got so popular, it is now by donation. There is a donation box, so please leave some money for these great people.

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Twice we have been in Luis' shop. Although sitting in a workshop and getting the car fixed was not the purpose of our overland trip, we have had a great time, being helped by Luis and Nico with our car issues. Very friendly, hospital people with a great mindset. Even if you don't have mechanical/ electrical problems and just want to enjoy truly and great chilean people, this is the place to be.
Luis is thinking about starting a motorhome renting/selling business. His shop in Antofagasta is perfectly positioned, and no one else know better what a overlander needs.

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We arrived at this place because of a problem related to our alternator in our combi! We were warmly welcomed by Luis and Nico. Nico helped us discover the problem and the best solution to fix it. We stayed around a week (the time to receive the new alternator from Santiago). They have been really helpful. The plus is the wifi (that is very fast) and the shower if needed the time you stay here to repare something. Thank you to them and to the I overlander community for letting us know this great place.

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Luis was not there, but his motorcar mechanic Nicolas was also super friendly and helpful; he works some days at the starter, the lights and the steering of an VW bus from a dutch couple; we stayed two days here and can fix some little problems at our car by ourself; we can use the washing machine, shower and toilet, so it was possible to repair our Thetford toilet - Nicolas has an o-ring seal for it; Nicolas - muchas gracias por todo!

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The best mechanic we've had in South America! Such a good experience. We stayed here 2 weeks, Luis and Niko helped make our car run even better than when we bought it, and taught us a lot about car maintanence. It is a very big truck workshop so it has room for multiple vehicles and big rigs. It does get very busy, at one point there was 4 overlanders, so Luis and Niko ended up spending a lot of time helping everyone, instead of on their own business. For this reason Luis has actually now decided to make the Overlander Service his business, which we thought was a great idea, this place is perfect for overlanders. Also the Internet is super faster. If Luis can't fix the problem, he'll help find a way/someone to solve it. If he can, he'll do the best job! :)

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We stayed here 2 weeks, Luis and Niko helped make our car run even better than when we bought it, and taught us a lot about car maintanence. It is a very big truck workshop so it has room for multiple vehicles and big rigs. It does get very busy, at one point there was 4 overlanders (a lot of fun!), so Luis and Niko ended up spending a lot of time helping everyone, instead of on their own business. For this reason Luis has actually now decided to make the Overlander Service his business, which we thought was a good idea. If Luis can't fix it, he'll help find a way/someone. If he can, he'll do the best job! :)

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Luis Garage is a place to be for us. We got a perfect consulting concerning our camper, a warm and welcoming atmosphere and a safe place for the night. Highly recommended!

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Luis is one of the best person we met during our trip! I don't what to say except that if you have any mechanic issues, troubles, questions, or just want to meet lovely people who love to travel and discover other people, this is the place!!
We came for what was supposed to be a little problem on our van, and circumstances made us stay for nearly two weeks. He offered us his garage with all commodities (kitchen, Wi-Fi, electricity, shower...) you may need, and even let us use his own van to sleep while our was fixed! He and his team are very skilled and lovely, you should really go there !

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Llegamos a lo de Luis por las recomendaciones positivas de ioverlander. Cuando luis y su equipo abrieron las puertas del taller encontramos, obvio, un excelente mecanico We arribe to Luis place for the pero sobreto todo eso las mejores personas de todo Chile. ioverlanders positives coments. When Luis and Luis y su equipo arreglaron el velocimetro y otros detalles mecanicos. El nos invito a pasar la noche en el "teller", lavar la ropa, usar el baño, su cicina y demas...!!!
Luis and work team open the doors we find, ovius, excelent mechanics and the best persons in all Chile. Luis and workteam fixed the speedometer and other mechanics problems in the moment... he demand past the night in the "taller", wc, whasmachin, kitchen, and more...!!!

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Everyone traveling overland with a vehicle should pass by Luis. This man is amazing: a good mechanic, a wonderful teacher and an extremely friendly host. He taught us a lot about our car and even showed us how to drive in the sand dunes after we lost a bit of confidence after being stuck in the sand for a few hours ;-)
Everybody should be able to visit Luis before starting the trip, it will make your journey so much more comfortable!

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alta recomendacion, muy amable gente...

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alta recomendacion, muy amable gente...

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Came here just for some checkup and ended up staying two nights. Great, friendly people. Luis really tries to help were he can. There were more overlanders here, some with more serious problems then we had. He let all of us stay in his garage (also two of their dogs). Good athmosphere.

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great guy helped me fix my speedometer on my klr650 .and also let me stay in his garage for couple of nights

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Update address is Rio de janeiro 742, makes it easier to find this really nice and capable mechanic!

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Hemos tenido un problema mayor con la caja de cambio que fue resuelto con profesionalidad, tesón y buen humor. Seguro el mejor taller en que un Overlander puede soñar

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We arrived here late afternoon, without calling first, which is advisable in order to be assured of a place. Despite this and the fact that we did not need his services for our RV, Luis welcomed us with a huge smile and gave us a safe haven for the night. He restored our faith in humankind after we had our window smashed and passports, laptop and iphones stolen in Iquique. His hospitality knew no bounds and in true gentlemanly fashion, would not accept any payment for the night!!! We ended up giving him maps that he needed for a journey he planned to take. It was the least we could do. By the way, the actual address is one street around the corner.

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Could not possibly speak more highly of Luis. We limped up to his workshop with very little warning, having nearly destroyed our car on Ruta de las Lagunas. He took us in with a smile and helped us solve all of our problems. He recommended to us and brought us to the best suspension and brakes mechanics in the city, who did excellent work at reasonable prices. Not only did Luis help us solve some problems that have persisted within our car since we bought it, he even explained the issues by drawing everything out on his whiteboard! We stayed at his workshop the whole time and slept there, which had the best wifi we've had since we left the U.S. On our last day with Luis, he even took us to drive our car on sand dunes, which we had no idea was even possible! We are forever indebted to Luis and may not have ever been able to finish our drive to Patagonia without him. Best mechanic in Latin America.

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We came twice to Luis shop. He was very helpful, always with a big smile even when he is tired. We went with his family to Isla Santa María to camp one weekend, they were all really nice people. Luis also helped us storing our camper for 1 and a half months while we were in Santiago. We actually found a friend! He is happy seeing other people leaving with a smile... Thanks Luis for everything!!

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This place is amazing! Luis is so welcoming and knowledgeable. He asks that people email him ahead of time if they have specific issues to confirm that the problems are within his area of expertise : [email protected] anyone is welcome to come whenever but he wants to be sure he can help you before you drive hundreds of miles out of the way. We had some work we wanted to do and he was so generous with helping us and sharing his shop space. we stayed the night and it was comfortable with hot shower and great wifi. He loves meeting new overlanders. Sounds like he is typically pretty busy with his primary business here, working on mining trucks so don't necessarily expect to drop your car off to get work done like at other mechanics. Our best shop experience ever!

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Luis is great. He invited us to his family X'mas gathering. We felt so warm and never forgot such X'mas. Because of his family, we feel Antofagasta as our home in South America. Luis is a very good teacher. He taught us many things how to check our car on the road. He also helped us to check the car, change brake oil, add insect net and also fix the door lock.
It is really good to meet Luis if you go Antofagasta and you may also meet some other ioverlanders there.
In case you come,you can contact him via email [email protected] in advance

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This is by far the best place I have had to stay in almost two years of traveling. After doing some serious damage to my Transmission in Salar de Uyuni, I limped into Antofagasta on a recommendation from a fellow traveler (Christian). Luis Roa (the owner of the shop) opened up his shop and his family to me, my girlfriend, and my giant dog. He allowed me access to his wire feed welder, lathe, press, and every sort of machinest tools you can think of. The Transmission mechanic was able to come here and remove my broken bits while we camped in luxury. While I had to wait for parts, I was able to pressure wash all the salt from Uyuni and paint the entire undercarriage with anti corrosion paint, along with two pages of pending repairs He has a small laundry machine, two bathrooms, and a beautifully hot shower. Days turned into weeks, turned into two months. I think I would have lost my mind if it weren't for the kindness and generosity of this outstanding person. He also set up a diving trip for another overlander (Jason and Ashley) who came through while I was here. So if you have some pending repairs, or maybe some of those projects you wish you did before you left.... Or just need to pressure wash your Rig, definitely come here and enjoy the hospitality of Chile. He won't charge so just make a donation and help out around the shop If you can. Thank you Luis Road!!

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Agree with everything. Great guy. We can't thank him enough for his generosity during our 5 day stay during which we added leafs at another shop he recommended and checked out our oil pressure system. He went above and beyond and truly enjoyed the traveling community.

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If you have ANY problems w/your vehicle or just need a few nights off the road then you must go see Luis Roa at Overland services! This place is a gem! Luis caters to overlanders. He can steer you in the right direction. A enGineer by trade, Luis now runs a big rig shop. He sPeaks perfect English and the shop has the fastest wifi and the hottest showers in the northern continent. trust us, you won't go wrong with Luis. Large white unmarked sliding shop door. Just knock hard on the personal door. Usually closed on weekends but def check if your rolling through Antofagasta. Just replace what you use and try not to take advantage. This shop has any tool you would ever need, and is a great resource for overlanding. Go out of your way to see Luis in Antofagasta Chile.

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This is maybe a place to stay. In fact this is a truck mechanic workshop. Read the mechanic post on same coordinates to know more about Luis. I'd you ask kindly he maybe lets you stay a Night.

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We saw the iOverlander mechanic post and though this would be a nice place to check our suspensions. Luis took us directly in and was quick to state that we could just stay here for the night (or as many as we would like). He helped us fix everything and also examined us a lot about the region and gave us tips for our further travels. We ended up staying three nights in his workshop and could easily have stayed for a long time. We were there together with Jeff from San Fransisco who had already stayed with Luos for over a month working on his camper. This can easily become a little travelers meet up place. We ask everyone who visits Luis to help him with something in his shop to give back something.

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Luis Roa is a famous mechanic in Antofagatsa that worked for ten years in Alma and Paranal observatories. He is a good ingeniered that works in his shop making alll kind of repairs and manufactured spares for trucks. He is also a traveller with a camper and currently bulding an Unimog with a cabin. He also speaks english, and you can stay in his comfortable shop with hot showers, bathroom, kitchen and really fast Wi-Fi. We stayed for two weeks reparing the diferential, welding the pick up box, adding an extra fuel tank and reparing breaks. He is a wanderfull man working with polite and easy going people. Safe place to stay, and quite neighborhood. As an old traveller he understand what travellers need. He is also conected with good mechanics that can do repairs in engines and transmissions or whatever yo need. The shop does not look like a shop from outside. But as soon as they open the door you will see all kind of tools. White gate in the entrance, knock the door hard.

Report Check-In

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