Michael Kettl (that’s “Kettl” to customers and friends) has been a gearhead for as long as he can remember. Raised in the glow of his father’s hot rods and relentless tinkering, Kettl’s first inspirations came from a garage filled with classics like the 1949 Buick and 1929 Plymouth. Always curious, always hands-on, he’d shadow his dad at every opportunity, soaking up everything from wrenching wisdom to mechanical intuition. That hands-on foundation became a career path in 1999, when he landed an apprentice position at a local Volvo dealership.

There, Kettl learned the old-school way: by doing, not just reading. His work ethic and skill earned him Master Certified Technician status by 2002, but fate had bigger plans. That same year, Aaron Marshall joined the shop and introduced Kettl to a different automotive obsession: German engineering. One test drive in a 1986 Audi 4000 Quattro later, and Kettl was hooked. From that moment on, Audi became his language, and German cars his domain.

He didn’t just work on them, he lived them. So when Aaron launched Berg Performance, it was only a matter of time before Kettl joined the team, officially coming aboard in November 2014. Today, Kettl is more than just a technician, he’s a leader, mentor, and one of the most trusted minds in the shop. His current daily driver is a 2007 A4 Avant, but when it’s time to disappear into the wilderness, he grabs the keys to his 1992 Toyota Land Cruiser.

Whether it’s fine-tuning a high-performance Audi or guiding a trail rig through the backcountry, Kettl brings the same level of precision, patience, and passion. Outside the garage, he’s a devoted family man and father of three, a youth leader at his church, and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. A true outdoorsman, Kettl is happiest in the mountains or on the river with a fly rod in hand. And while his dream car list is ever-changing, current contenders include the TT RS, R8 V10, and a Euro-spec Audi S2, all fitting for someone who lives and breathes quattro.

Stay tuned: Kettl’s also working on a new series of off-road classes, blending his trail know-how with technical mastery to help others get the most out of their rigs.