I just started bringing my car to Car Tender this past year. They're conveniently located near my house, and the customer service has been top-notch at each visit. The team is knowledgeable, provides a detailed inspection report, and takes the time to explain everything without any pressure. After years of having my car serviced at the dealership, I've happily made the switch to Car Tender. Most importantly, I trust them and never feel like I'm being taken advantage of. I highly recommend! read more

Car Tender is the only place I take my older Jaguar and Mini Cooper S. I have been going to them for over 15 years and would go nowhere else. Friendly, competent, and expert service knowledge are consistant hallmarks of this terrific foreign car service. I recently moved to the Kitsap Peninsula, and had my Jag towed (on the ferry!) so that they could fix it. The best! read more

Been going to Car Tender since about 2000, so 25 years. Wouldn't take my European car anywhere else. Over the last 25 years they have worked on several BMWs that i have owned and one Mercedes. I recommend then to all my friends. read more

I've been a customer of Car Tender for 20+ years with 4 different vehicles, new and used. SAAB, Porsche and Mercedes. They've worked their magic on each and provided me with safe and reliable maintenance/repairs; and always with a fair and honest price. They are knowledable and fair- I've never worried about work being performed that wasn't needed. Their integrity and customer service is without equal and their communication and follow through is consistently excellent! John, Paolo, Rob and mechanic David are each worthy of a 10 star rating, if such were possible. Thank you gentlemen. read more

I live in North Carolina and this car I wanted to get inspected is in Washington which is across the country. I had choose the $450 Pre-Purchase Inspection and couldn't be happier with the experience. The inspection was incredibly thorough, and the detailed report gave me full confidence in the car. Rob's and the Techs communication throughout the process was amazing--any picture I needed, he stepped outside to get, and any question I had about their procedures, he answered clearly and right away. After the PPI was done Rob called and ran me through every little bit of the very detailed report. As a car guy speaking to other car guys, I know buying a car from across the United States can feel a little scary, but Rob made it feel like I was working with my trusted local shop. Truly an awesome shop to work with! read more

First visit to Car Tender in March 2025 so that they could troubleshoot problems with our recently-purchased used Audi. Outstanding customer service and fair price for the extensive diagnostic work completed. Special thanks to owner Russell, service rep Paolo, and technician Shawn. read more

Another outstanding experience from Seattle's premier independent BMW experts - friendly, professional, on-time repair, exactly as promised and at the quoted price. Thanks John, Russ, Paolo, and the whole team for always being there for us! read more

I've been using the shop for a couple of years now and the services has always been outstanding. They are super friendly, knowledgable and reasonably priced. Highly recommended. read more

You should feel really good about bringing your car to Car Tender. I don't know diddly about cars and you're always worried you're going to get screwed...not here. I took my 1970 Mercedes here for years on the hill. During the pandemic I got a new car since I was worried Otto (that's his name) might not be the apocalypse ready. He pretty much sat for 2 years. Decided he needed to get out of the rain and snow and he should semi-retire to California. Got him towed out to Car Tender in Shoreline to get him road ready for his 800+ mile journey. Got updates from Rob about his progress. David, the mechanic, drove him to his house in Tacoma to make sure he could handle the distance. During my week long journey to CA Rob was checking in on us to make sure we were doing ok. Had one little hiccup in Florence, OR and the entire Car Tender team was FaceTiming me to make sure I was getting the proper service I needed. Otto is safe and sound in sunny NorCal. Thank you Car Tender team for giving us both the confidence to make the journey!!. read more

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I'm not one to leave a review. However, Rob and his team at Car Tender deserve all the praise. Car tender is one of the most professional and helpful shops I have ever encountered. They genuinely care about helping you solve whatever issues you have with your car. Furthermore, they are honest and upfront about everything. My Audi's engine was heating up and needed to get fixed asap as it is my only car to commute to work to. I had the pleasure of working with Rob. Rob always went above and beyond, keeping constant communication about what needed to be done, kept me in the loop about every update he got. He even worked with my warranty company, which is challenging to deal with. I am delighted with the car tender. I have become a lifelong customer, and 1000% recommend car tender. read more

These folks know the vehicles they work on, are detail oriented and get the work done correctly. My car hasn't run this well in years.

Our BMW recently aged out of the included dealership service so we needed to find a new place to get it serviced. Am happy to say my experience at Car Tender was great - Paolo was our Service Consultant. They performed an oil change and did a full inspection. There were a few recommendations for things we need to keep an eye on or get replaced in the coming months (not surprising for a 6 year old car @60k mi) but nothing felt pushy or wrongly recommended, which I appreciate as a female visiting an auto shop. They have a good setup for socially distanced drop off & pick up and sanitized all high touch surfaces in the car. I'm glad I could support this small business and am grateful they are in such a central location in Capitol Hill! Will be happy to go back for future needs. read more

I've been taking my older Mercedes here for years - as did the previous owner of the car. They know my car better than I do. Is it cheap? No, but that's the cost of having an older German car I guess. I appreciate how they usually prioritize what needs to be done and though it's a busy shop Paolo and the team do a good job of communicating. read more

I trusted this company with my Mercedes's. My vehicle was in their shop for two weeks each and every time I'd call to see if my vehicle was ready for pick up I would receive excuse after excuse. When I finally picked up my vehicle it was vandalized and all my personal property was missing. This has been a nightmare and I've requested their insurance information several times however they have yet honored my request I will never ever use Car Tender again There's so much more to this situation however I got my point across. More to come... read more

I was referred here by a friend . Brought my Audi for an oil change . And I can't say enough , from the price range to the Quality of service. I plan to keep coming here for their services !:) read more

I've used Car Tender for well over 10 years. The people there are among the best mechanics and among the best people you'll find. They will work tirelessly to fix your car's issue whether it's as simple as a routine maintenance or more complex like hydraulic systems or minor transmission work. I have loved working with them. read more

I've entrusted this shop to be my independent bmw shop for 25 years and expertly care for multiple cars in that time. You can rely on them as they have the expertise and integrity to fix and maintain your vehicles. 5 stars! David W read more

These guys are simply awesome. I moved to Seattle last year and tried out Car Tender for basic maintenance on my WRX. I wasn't even going out of my way to find the best shop in town! Randomly chose Car Tender and boy did I choose well. I went again for maintenance a few days ago and I'm pleased to report that the 5 star service is there to stay. Knowledgeable, friendly staff always out to inform you on what needs to be fixed, what doesn't need to be fixed, what we need to watch for. There are no hidden charges. Everything is thoroughly tabulated and the charges are clear. They keep a running progress report that's visually clear so you know what's coming down the road. Amazing work! I will be taking my car and future cars to Car Tender as long as I'm in Seattle. read more

This place requested that my review be removed. So im writing another one.. Feel free to artificially inflate your score by asking yelp to remove bad reviews! I WILL NOT BUCKLE! AVOID THIS PLACE LIKE IT WAS FILLED WITH AIDS INFESTED ZOMBIES!!! I've taken 3 of my cars here. One person is nice, namely the younger man at the counter. However I've been presented with seriously some of the worst customer service in my life at this place. I've had my car sit for weeks not being worked on and presented with hostility when i said i wanted it back, just to have it back and it not be fixed (read not worked on). These people need a serious lesson in customer service. My mechanic(s) now i love, and carry my card with them where ever i go. This place is expensive and once you get rude service (which, you WILL eventually) you'll see why this review was warranted. read more

Professional, friendly, and punctual people. They know cars, especially German cars very well. Folks went a great length to collect information about my car and shared with me. I highly recommend this place. read more

They are awesome aways super helpful and very experienced. They took great care of our 91 735iL BMW

BMW of Seattle was not able to diagnose a error code and charged $400. I brought the car here and they fixed a minor battery issue that was causing the error codes for a reasonable price. They were very professional and had the tools needed to diagnose and work on European vehicles. Skip the dealership and go here. read more

John, Paolo and the team at Car Tender redefine what customer service is. This is the only shop in Seattle I will take my cars to. A few weeks ago a friend and I decided to buy a '76 BMW 2002 and drive it from Seattle to New York. We dropped the car at Car Tender for a quick pre-trip baseline inspection, where it was noticed that the brakes were completely shot. John stayed late to find us some new pads, and then came in on Saturday morning to finish up the car so that we could leave on time. Beyond this, John and Paolo followed us along our trip, calling periodically to check in, and found other shops along the way that could help us with other unrelated troubles that sprung up along the way (I mean come on... 41 year old car going over 4,000 miles is going to have some issues). These guys do great work, charge very fair prices, and embody the ethos of customer service. Absolute top notch shop. read more

I can not recommend this place highly enough. They are knowledgeable, courteous and efficient. It's probably the best experience I've ever had with an automotive shop in my life. I also appreciate how they worked out perfectly social distancing drop off and pick up. read more

I had a Prius V tire issue and Paolo asked me to swing by, drop off the tire and let them take a look at it. In the end, they let me know that they were reluctant to repair it, for safety's sake and provided a great bid for new tires. While we weren't prepared to move forward, the whole experience from start to finish was super positive, super professional, treating myself and my wife as though we'd been customers of theirs for years. John was also awesome, helping my wife with questions about tire wear, to help her with talking with Toyota about warranties, all along knowing there wasn't any financial reward. I love companies like this. We'll be back! Bruce and Donna. read more

I rarely write reviews on Yelp (usually only when the place/service is terrible) but these guys deserve 6 stars! I dropped off my car at Car Tender on a morning as my car's battery went dead the day before for the first time in three years and I had to jump start it. I was welcomed by Paolo and the team and they told me they would perform a battery check. They gave me a ride to my office in Downtown Seattle. Later on that day they called me. At this point I was already prepared to pay a hundred bucks or so to get my battery replaced. Surprisingly I was told that everything battery related is fine after they checked them. What's more, they also performed a courtesy check, air pumped my tires whose pressure were on the lower side and washed my car for free! This place has awesome customer service and charges very reasonably. It will definitely be my go-to place for auto repair and car maintenance moving forward. read more

Took my BMW 2 series in for some brake maintenance. Not only did they do everything quickly and professionally, resetting CBS as appropriate etc. They also did a complimentary vehicle check, equalized tire pressure and filled up the coolant. Overall a great experience. I am glad to have such a fantastic service on Capitol Hill! I think I will be returning here more that once. P.S. Special Kudos to John for quickly responding to Yelp messages on a Sunday morning! read more

When I received a promotional VIP welcome offer last week, I was so looking forward to finally ditch the dealer and use Car-Tender for my Mercedes service needs, going forward. That excitement was very short lived when I included "A" service and a request to check for any brake work, I may need, when I bring my car in. I received a quote that was nearly 4 times as high as the dealer! Not only the VIP offer went out the window, they included services like replacing my rear windshield wiper that the car does not even have - this is after they checked my VIN! This may be minor but I expect more attention to detail, knowledge and integrity before extending trust. I see good reviews from those who've been there unfortunately my experience was different and I didn't get that far. read more

THANK GOD! I found these guys! I do not drive a high end car, in fact it is a Honda Civic, stalled out a few blocks away from Car Tender, they were able to get me in, diagnose, and offer me an affordable solution, my actual price came in below the estimate given, and the car was ready on time. Woo Hoo! I would recommend the folks at Car Tender. Thank you for helping me get back on the road. read more

I've serviced my 06 Audi A3 here ever since it went out of warrantee. I seriously love them - attention to detail, great customer service, and they do a good job of walking a fine line of keeping my Audi up to date with everything it needs, while watching my pocketbook for me and not replacing anything needlessly. I'm a very happy, and very loyal Car Tender customer. read more

I had a mixed experience taking my Mercedes to Car Tender this past week. I had taken my car to the Phil Smart dealership a couple months back because it was idling high, and they ran a diagnostic and determined there was a vacuum leak at the partial load crank case vent hose. The estimated repair was for $332, but I decided to wait a bit and I took my car to Car Tender. I called at 8:30am on Tuesday and they said they could probably fit me in that day. I explained the problem to Car Tender and they had me sign a work authorization for $300. I signed it, and then showed the Phil Smart diagnostic and they said they could fix it for $300. Great! I pointed out I had signed the authorization for $300, and we agreed they'd fix the hose and see how things were running from there. No call back until Wednesday afternoon, when they said they'd need to also fix the mass air sensor, a couple spark plugs, and replace the air filter. Everything including fixing the hose was going to be $1000, and would take until Friday. I mentally expected $1000, so I was happy. I called them on Friday (they never called me with status updates), and it turns out the total bill was for $1300. They had actually done a $300 diagnostic along the way. I can see how a diagnostic was warranted, but it came as a massive surprise to me since our initial discussions were about the $300 repairing the hose. I explained the misunderstanding to my initially very helpful and polite service consultant. She reluctantly agreed to take half off the diagnostic fee, but when I came in only about 1/3rd was taken off and none of the work was itemized so I could see what cost what. The service I received also understandably deteriorated once I bickered about the bill. Here's the thing, though: My car was fixed. It's running great -- much better than before. And, while I'm not 100% trusting of the list of things to be fixed with any mechanic, Car Tender saved me $200-$350 over what the same repairs would cost at Phil Smart. But communication about the status of my repair, and the total cost, was poor throughout the 4 days without my car. read more

My car needed an oil change very badly and for a few months I've been calling around to the more popular/marketed oil change places but I never made an appointment. Eventually I decided to pick this place because it was only 2 blocks from my house, so in the case that my car broke down on the way, I wouldn't have to push it far. When I called, Isabelle answered the phone and was very friendly and helpful setting up an appointment. I arrived at the location where Paul introduced himself and went over what would happen. Upon pick up, Paul went over the check-up sheet (I'm sure that's not what it's called but that's what I'm calling it) and answered any questions I had. He was super nice and great at explaining any confusions I had. The car also got a shower, which was very nice and the price for the oil change was much MUCH more affordable than if I went to any of the more marketed places. I will absolutely recommend them if you need an oil change or anything else car related! read more

I was hesitant to take my car here because of all the bad yelp reviews, so for a while I went through the hassle of taking my car to a shop on the east side. However when my car's alternator died, we decided to take a risk and just had it towed here. I am very glad we did -- we had nothing but positive experience here. They fixed the car, quickly and, as far as a can tell, with high quality. Furthermore, when we were picking it up, my sweetie discovered a nail in her tire, and they were very nice to look into it, and to get us air. All while being very helpful and very polite. All in all, I am very happy with this place, and will use it the Primary Care mechanic for my car. read more

Car Tender has taken care of my sweet old car now several times and I always leave happy (though slightly poorer). SERVICE: They are quick to service the car and their staff is friendly. They always keep me up to date on how long it will take or if things are taking longer than expected. I've never had a negative experience in working with their staff. PRICE: To be totally fair, they are in the center of Capitol Hill, extremely conveniently located, and in what I assume to be a high rent area. Everyone has to pay their bills, so I think their prices are fair. They also clean the car before pick up which is a huge asset - a solid $20 value. Plus they do a great job, so I've never had to fix something they attempted to fix for me. Highly recommended! read more

I live right across the street from these guys and have always enjoyed seeing the constant selection of cool vintage BMWs when I walk by their lot. So when my Volvo broke down and started pouring coolant from under the car, it was the first place that I thought to call. They work mostly on BMWs but I was happy to discover that they would fix my car. Having worn different hats in the auto industry over the years, I've seen my fair share of shops and I can say that you're not likely to find one that looks more organized that what they have here. Even the service desk/reception area looks nice, efficient and clean. From start to end, they had my car for just over a week, which at first impression seemed a bit long, but it's understandable because I was behind everyone else who had an appointment. When I dropped my car off, I was even treated to the sight of a pretty 3.0CS and E34 M5 - stuff like that brightens up the day of gearheads like me. The total tab was definitely more expensive than it would have been at the other Volvo specialist I usually go to, but I know the work was done right and the tech gave me a very thorough list of some 20 odd repair items that my car needed - most of which I knew about but some that I didn't. Like some other reviews have said, they talked me out of some services that they thought I could do a lot more cost-effectively on my own. Patrick was good about keeping me up to speed about what was going on and taking the time to explain in detail why and how the repair was going to be done. When I picked up my car, the tech was eager to take a few minutes with me to poke around under the hood to explain what he had done and what he thought needed attention. I got my car back washed, along with a thank-you note and some candy in the center console. Nice touch. Bottom line - these guys want you to be confident that they know what they're doing and that they care - and it shows. It's not cheap - but with car repair you get what you pay for. I don't know that I'd take my car to them for everything, but if you're looking for dealer expertise without the dealer price tag, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place. read more

Really surprised to see the negative reviews, I took my battered old BMW e12 here for years. Even though my car had to be the worst example of a bimmer they had been unfortunate enough to work on, they always treated me like I had just rolled up in an e30 M3. Never did any work without a really good explanation of why they had to do it, approved everything with me before they did it. They also were good about understanding what was worth fixing and what wasn't given the er.. limited value of my car. When it was finally beyond help, I felt like they actually shared my grief at it's passing. Very nice people who are good at what they do. Is this the cheapest place to get your car fixed? No, it really isn't. Don't go here for an oil change or simple repairs, their time is too expensive for stuff like that. Are they the guys you want doing the important major repairs to your BMW? Yes. They will do it right and not cut corners. read more

I had a very different experience from the ones described here. I'll start by saying I expect honest service and advice, and I reward that by acting as an evangelist for said honest mechanic. Having read good reviews of Car Tender, I brought my older BMW in for some exhaust work. I expected to pay for diagnostics, and agreed on a maximum price to complete that. And I got what I asked for, a likely cause of my problem within the agreed upon price. So far, so good. Next the service rep at Car Tender provided me with a quote to replace my catalytic converter. The quote came in at roughly 3 times the price as the other place I contacted. Both parts were made by the same company. This is not an honest experience. It's one that comes off as exploitative. Based on this experience, I would caution to search elsewhere for a mechanic they can trust. read more

I spent $3k on an old 2002 Mercedes just to say I had a Mercedes, and because it was still an upgrade from my old 1998 Toyota Camry. I bought this car knowing that the money I saved on buying a newer car would have to be spent on premium maintenance sooner or later, and that time came sooner than later. All of a sudden, my car stopped taking fuel at the pump even when the odometer read it was only at an 1/8th of a tank. Car Tender was honest with me that fixing the fuel meter on my dashboard would cost $1500, i.e. half the cost of what I initially paid for the car. Moreover, they mentioned that even though the fuel meter said my tank was low, the tank was technically full hence why it wasn't tanking more gas at the pump. In other words, they were honest upfront that it wasn't a necessary fix and that I could just keep track of the mileage on the odometer and pump accordingly. So even though I paid ~$150 for a diagnostic, I really paid more for peace of mind in knowing that nothing was seriously wrong with my car at the time (they checked the brakes, the tires, and cleaned the car too) and that I wouldn't have to junk it. So I definitely felt that I got my money's worth. I didn't end up paying for the full repair because I'd rather put that money in a rainy day fund when the car inevitably needs a more urgent repair. I went to Fat City and they were great and honest as well, but I feel that the Car Tender guys went above and beyond in every aspect. Plus there's a great sandwich shop next door that I got coffee and chicken and pesto sammy after I dropped my car off and it was a scenic walk back to work in SLU. Who knows if I want to keep a car in Seattle when I can just walk and Lyft everywhere, but in the present I will most definitely make this my go-to spot for car maintenance. read more

I hate to say it but these guys are the reason people are skeptical about going to the mechanic. I'd love to use this shop because it's close to my work but it is too shady. As one reviewer mentioned the parts were marked up 116%. I'm aware that it's standard practice for a shop to mark up parts but these guys take it to a new level. I came to pick up my car for a quick brake check and was greeted by an additional laundry list of insignificant fixes they wanted to make like replacing the emblems, fixing a piece of trim, etc. That's fine but they wanted $45 parts for the emblem and another $45 for labor. That's $90 for a part that costs $25 and a job that takes less than one minute. Anyone with common business sense would say "hey I'll slap that on there for free" or at least quote a reasonable price to earn your trust for the bigger more expensive jobs. A customer-mechanic relationship is based on trust and when they reached for that low hanging fruit to try and rip me off I lost my trust. I could name a few other things. The sales guys try to up sell on just about every part as if I'm going to race the Grand Prix or I'm Mario Andretti. read more

Beware...... This place cannot be trusted. I took my 03 Range Rover here because it had a small leak in the cooling system that I had been monitoring for a couple of weeks. They told me the water pump needed replacing and we should do the thermostat and belts at the same time for a cost of $1,500.00. I called to the dealer to check their pricing and was quoted the same price. When I called Car Tender back they offered to give me a 15% discount on the price. I decided to shop further and pick up my car, they told me it was very dangerous to drive the car off their lot as it was "leaking coolant faster than they could put it in", a direct quote from John, and recommend I have it towed. I knew this was a lie, unless they had done something to my car, so I drove it 3 blocks to my home. They charged me $135 for the diagnosis - 1 hour of labor. They were going to call me back with a re-quote and never did. I ended up having the work done by a great specialist shop for $680 with factory BMW parts, it's a 14 mile drive North but well worth it - the car made it fine with the slight leak. I am VERY happy to find a mechanic I can trust. read more