Steve really knows his line of work and how to do things right for his customers. He is my friend, but he didn't, couldn't and wouldn't pay me for writing this review. He knows, and the rest of my friends know, it's 100% honest when it comes from me. First thing - I'm done paying the dealer for servicing my car. It started out with buying a brand new car after too many problems with the prior car (that could have been avoided through proper selection of mechanics). But, after getting second opinions from other mechanics, the dealer was just taking me for a ride. So enter a small arsenal of local independent (and not so local as I live in Sacramento) mechanics who help me maintain my car. Steve's rates are very reasonable. He's taken care of many of our motorcycling friends' import and domestic cars and light duty trucks. His shop's policy is to always leave the customer's vehicle in better and cleaner condition than when it came in, and to do the job right. I came in recently to have an oil change done and a minor issue checked out. One problem I had was with poor headlight function. Steve aimed the lamps (I didn't know that could be done with these modern - post 1960s auto lights) and did a quick buff job on the plastic lenses. POOF! There was light on my way back over the hill that night! Another tip Steve gave me was regarding tire pressure. Honda suggests 30 psi as stated on the driver's door frame. However, my car doesn't have a sensor for tire pressure, so Steve let me know I could get better mileage and still have great handling if I upped the psi to 34. I checked the tires and they state their max pressure is 50, so I gave it a go. Wow, much better handling than I would have expected. I'm eager to find out if my mileage improved from 23-26 to something closer to 26-29 mpg. We'll see and I'll update you! If you're looking for a trustworthy shop that won't take your wallet for a ride, visit Steve @ Jim Ludy's Motech. You can thank me later! read more

Motech Automotive - Steve tidied up the engine bay with some WD-40. Something I really appreciate. - Auto Repair Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Great service, very friendly, and very quick. I called morning of and they fit me in right away and when I showed up late they quickly found me another time slot for that day. Very professional and up front about cost, for a '95 Honda Accord it was only $59. It took 10-15 minutes from when I walked in to when I drove out. They did a free pre-cooked to make sure it would pass without charging. I would definitely recommend to everyone and come back. Only word of advice is that the shop is actually down on May not Soquel so don't circle around looking for it right on Soquel. read more

Motech Automotive - Auto Repair Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

This was a review I forgot to finish... I trust my past self to give this company what they deserved which was apparently 5 stars - I can't recall why exactly now, but knowing myself - it was because I felt the people I encountered were friendly, helpful, and trustworthy. I don't review places often, so they must have really made an impact at the time. read more

Steve is amazing. No matter how weird the issues are with my vehicles, he goes above and beyond, every time. Things just work after he's done. Truly, a local treasure. You can't go wrong with this place. And you'll probably get cool stories and a great conversation in addition to your car running top notch. read more

Steve was nothing but polite and courteous. Helped swap a dead battery in my girlfriends car in less than an hour plus helped give me a jump to get it into the shop. I highly recommend taking your car here for any problems. read more

Great news that Steve Arnold from Motech Auto Repair has taken over this shop as the new owner Steve has fixed more cars, bikes and cab over trucks for me than I could possibly count. Honorable,, skilled and gets the job done quick! I also don't know how many times I've called Steve with a broken down vehicle and have had him drop everything to help me sort it out. Having Steve on my speed dial helps me sleep at night. three thumbs up! read more

I just noticed that I have neglected to review my auto mechanic! I need to take care of that oversight: If you are a single woman, you need at least two professionals whom you can trust implicitly: a good OB/GYN and a trustworthy mechanic. I've been using Jim Ludy's for over a decade and through two Hondas. I thought the original Jim of Jim Ludy's was a great mechanic and I remember being worried when Ken Jenkins took over... but I ended up even happier with Ken. Ken is honest, kind and calm. His estimates are accurate (and I track average maintenance costs through the online Honda forums.) Through the years, I have recommended him to many friends. Ken just takes the stress out of car ownership and maintenance for me. This review will probably be filtered for being too positive, but my feeling about this business really is "Woohoo! As good as it gets!" I hope you will have a chance to read it and to check out the good work that goes in at Jim Ludy's. read more

If you are looking for an honest mechanic who you can trust to give you the real story, then look no further than Motech's Ludy Automotive. Steve Arnold, the new owner is as stand up a guy as you could hope for. He excels at diagnosing particularly difficult automotive issues and will give you the straight answer for how to fix the issue the correct way. No more worrying about whether or not the mechanic is spinning a story to get you to spend more. Steve will give it to you straight and do the work the correct way to ensure it is fixed right the first time. Motech/Ludy's Automotive is highly recommended! read more

Came in for a clutch repair, they were very nice, got my car in the shop and back to me as fast as they could. Great service, very straight forward and honest. Very pleased with the repair. read more

steven is responsive and attentive and gets the job done. motech has the best rate in town for a smog. This place will handle it!

This shop is bull. Misdiagnosed problem two separate times. I was charged $650. for the screw-ups. Then he tried to explain that "Oh,How could I have been so dumb, I should have seen the problem right away", "Let me fix it, all will be good" Hell No, keep your bloody hands off my truck, you crook. read more

We have been dealing with an old Civic that belongs to our brother who is sick. Coming from out of town has been extra difficult to get a problem diagnosed. We were referred to Steve and he was able to find the problem in about 1 hr while other shops could not detect what was wrong. Steve has great knowledge, great service and fair prices. Highly recommend this shop read more

I've tried a few mechanics around Santa Cruz over the years but Motech is where I'll take my vehicles from now on. Steve provides great, clear, thorough service, the techs do an outstanding, professional job, and they're considerate about working with your schedule. I appreciate the honest, friendly, and no BS service. Thanks guys! read more

Me and my boyfriend are visiting from out of town this week. Out of nowhere my driver window wouldn't roll up! We tried to fix it ourselves but couldn't figure out the mercedes machinery. We called three other places that wouldn't take us, because it was about 5:45 PM on a Friday and they were closing at 6. I called motech and Steve answered and said he could take us if we got there soon, luckily we were down the street. He stayed after hours to fix my window even though it was cutting into a date with his wife. He was super nice and fixed it quickly. Great customer service! Thank you Steve! read more

Steve has been servicing my (along with my friends' and family's) vehicle's for years. He has always made time to smog them, and his diagnostics/repairs have been on point every time. He explains what the car needs and why without trying to confuse you or using too much technical jargon. He's been able to repair every smog failure I've taken to him. Since moving away I have not been able to find another mechanic that comes anywhere near his technical abilities. My friends and family continue to take their cars to him and have nothing but good things to say. read more

Santa Cruz is a blessed town because there is at least ONE honest, knowledgeable mechanic there in town.. Steve Arnold, the new owner of MOTECH & Ludy Auto, is a dear friend of mine. I'm telling people looking for honesty in Automotive repair, that this man is your Best Bet. Steve is Honest, period. Additionally Steve loves the challenge of getting to the bottom of a car problem and making it right, He takes each car that come into his world as a personal challenge ( We've talked about this perspective often) it results in Him going out of his way regularly, to resolve the problem. HIs Motto "We got This" is classic Steve ....He 's the most knowledgeable car person ive ever known. (and Im 60 years old!) Santa Cruz is Blessed because they have an honest hard working Auto Tech....and his staff is top notch too, because Steve demands the best of his staff, and pays them more, for that. read more

Needed a smog for my 09' Audi A4...they took me in same day, while everyone else I called refused to take me till the next week. Got my car smogged and payed, the whole process took maybe 15 mins max. Not to mention this was THE cheapest quote I got around the SC area, $39 I believe. Steve is a great guy, very helpful and hard worker, you can tell he cares about his clients. Will definitely be coming back for any other auto/ bike needs I have. read more

I would highly recommend this auto repair shop. There efficient and reasonable, always tell you up front what you're vehicle repairs will cost, and then keep those costs at or near the original bit. they show you the parts that have been replaced and the old ones they have removed after repairs are done. They also treat you with respect and kindness. read more

The best shop in the area! Steve is a great guy who will give you great deals and expert mechanic advise. I recently had my 2002 harley davidson sportster 883 inspected by him and was given a very thourough and detailed report with pricing on repairs. Steve gave me many great tips and advice for riding motorcycles. If anyone needs a safety inspection done on a car or bike, Motech is the place to go! read more

Love this place. They are quick and professional, yet personal and friendly. Found them by chance when I googled smog checks and couldn't be happier!!! I will surely return and send any and all their way! Oh, and they also have the lowest prices around, but I would've paid more just for the great service! read more

Great, friendly service. Got a Smog check at the last minute and Steve was quick to get me in. Highly recommended!

Best mechanic I've been to. I needed an oil change, a new serpentine belt, and a power steering fluid service on my '06 Corolla, and I was able to get serviced quickly on the same day I called. Even better, Jim Ludy's was able to get it done for almost $100 less than I was quoted at another shop. read more

Motech saves the day! Today I set off in a quick "get smog check and go to the DMV" trip, but it all fell apart after visiting a different smog station. The check engine light on my motorhome was not working and the station didn't have time to fix it today. The problem is I needed a smog check and DMV visit to bring my registration up to date before driving a birthday party brewery tour around town Saturday (tomorrow). After racing to a car parts store (Napa the only ship with the light bulb). I made a panicked parking lot full dash removal and check engine light bulb replacement with tools bought and borrowed from Napa.. the clock struck 2:50 pm. Dash back together, engine light lit up! Back on the phone to find a station that would smog it and give me time to make it to the DMV before 5pm closing. No luck. Everyone was booked til next week. Final call, Jim Ludy's Motech. Understanding I was in a squeeze they squeezed me in between appointments and completely saved the day! RV passed and I'm in the DMV... from here I'm in my own but if it wasn't for Motech all hope would be lost. Motech rocks! read more

I usually reserve my Yelp reviews for negative reviews, which I have given to other auto repair places. But the fact that I have no bad experiences with Jim Ludy's says all you need to know. They say what they do, and they do it right. And Ken the owner always goes out of his way to politely help me with any questions. read more

Steve and his team are great! I have a very unusual vehicle; a 1996 F350 box-truck ambulance conversion. First of all, when I was stuck on the road and on the phone with Steve, he was able to talk me through a tricky electrical situation. Once I made it into town, on short notice the crew did a trip inspection and then Steve fixed a number of issues that were mind-boggling to some other mechanics I had dealt with. I admire his extraordinary ability to creatively problem-solve and think outside the box. Steve is quite a character; perhaps I caught him in an especially generous mood, but he was even willing to let me hang around while he worked so that I could understand and learn more about my rig; I'm really grateful for that! It's very reassuring to know that I can bring my complicated rolling home to the Motech folks, be treated with respect, and be taken care of. Thank you!! read more

WOW... An HONEST auto mechanic. YES, it is possible! It exists at Jim Ludy automotive. The current owner Ken worked with the original owner (Jim Ludy). He obviously learned the finer points of customer service (he already knew expert auto care). The stereo-typical "crooked" mechanic looks to point out additional items that must be repaired IMMEDIATELY! But these guys are so busy (with return customers) that they don't need to create artificial needs. If they notice something getting old / thin / tired, they give you an HONEST opinion of how much longer it will last. NO lies about the need for EMERGENCY repairs of a reliable car. 20 years & two owners later.... Still THE ONLY CHOICE!!!! read more

I used to take my car to Jim Ludy's years ago when I was still in the Santa Cruz area. Awesome place, you don't have to worry about getting ripped off. Ken is a honest guy and will treat you right. read more

I had a great experience here a while back and I made a note to return the next time I needed car servicing. Friendly, courteous, knowledgable people, and I was pleased to work with a great female mechanic. read more

We were traveling through Santa Cruz and had car trouble but luckily we found Motech. They let us bring our van in right away and were able to diagnosis it and fix it the same day. We made it back to Portland the next day without any trouble. All the staff is very helpful and they seem very honest. Their pricing is very reasonable too. I'm so glad we found them! read more

I am really happy with the work of Motech. We had a motor heating problem due to a ruptured hose and what other companies deemed as a 200$ problem, Motech fixed it for only 60$. That was amazingly cheap and effective and honest service. I really appreciated their cunningness and would like to recommend this company to anyone in Santa Cruz. Great people, keep up the good work! read more

I've been going to Ludy's for years. Both Jim, and the current owner Ken have always been great. I have never had a problem getting an appointment for my car to get serviced. The service there is super friendly and straightforward. They will not tell to get services that you don't need. The garage is centrally located (though they don't offer shuttle service). The garage is not part of some mega chain. It is locally owned. I highly recommend this garage. read more

Had a smog test. Great, fast and friendly service. In and out in under 20 minutes. And great price.

Wow well let me start by saying this is an awesome shop. Steve is the owner and extremely helpful, I had a wiring issue with my motorcycle which is a KTM supermoto that KTM themselves couldn't even resolve and I live in San Jose so I just happened to google motorcycle mechanics while standing on the ocean front blowing off steam after talking with KTM and them saying it could take up to 20 hours to find the short in wiring. Motech came up in my search engine so I called them steve answered and sounded extremely confident about if it were a wiring issue "he would nail it quick" so I set something up for him the following week because it was the only time I could get off work and the bike is my only transportation, (he would've taken me in next day if I were available) anyways took it to steve and as I was riding over was thinking there is no way this guy can nail this like he is saying, KTM THEMSELVES CANT EVEN FIND IT!! Dropped the bike off to him at 10am came back and hung around most of the day as he worked on it here and there because he does a lot of other business which I totally understood. By 4pm he had the bike back together and completely fixed!!! I was freaking baffled!!! SO GREAT TO HAVE SOMEONE LIKE THIS IN THE BAY AREA, I would recommend steve and his crew to anyone no matter how far you have to travel. Call him first tel him your thoughts on the problems and he will tel you flat out if he can fix it or if you are better of taking it somewhere else but for wiring HES THE MAN!! Thanks steve and all of Motech! And he only changed me 2 hours labor $225 and problem solved!! PS KTM said this problem could go from a couple hundred to couple thousand with no confidence at all read more

Let me just say that I have never left a review for anything anywhere. But I just had to for this place. Called to ask if they had time for a smog and they got me in on the same day. The smog was more then reasonably priced. While they were working on my car I asked a bunch of questions to the man behind the counter. Pretty much any questions I had ever had about cars. He answered them all and didn't make me feel like an idiot. My car almost didn't pass smog, but they were able to tinker with it and resolve the issue. I had just bought my car and they even answered all my questions about it free of charge. The lady that did the smog was really friendly and honest! I will certainly be coming back for all my car needs here and Im super excited to have finally found a good mechanic! read more

Great service! I dropped in to get my car smog checked. It only took about 15 minutes in total, the person was very helpful, and it was a very decent price! read more

This is a GREAT automotive shop! Steve is so pleasant to work with and goes out of his way to help you out. Smog is only $39 too. Great shop - great guy - no need to go anywhere else! read more

They are very kind and helpful , also reasonably priced. I went there for a smog check, had an excellent service.

Ken retired and Jim Ludy's is now closed. Boo hoo. Now I have to find a new mechanic.

After getting the run around at the dealership, my hubby and I were looking for an honest mechanic. Steve was just the guy. He diagnosed the issue, and informed my husband that it was a simple fix. The problem was taken care of and after a month of trying to pass smog check, my car passed on 1st try with Steve. He was honest and affordable. We are never returning to the dealership again! read more

Ken, Shawn, and Gary are the best! They've been working on our cars for over 10 years and we have appreciated their attention to detail, integrity, and friendly customer service. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone and in fact have done so many times. read more