My experience with Dave involved sloppy work, the problem not being fixed, and rudeness. I did get my shocks replaced (so far successfully), so I suppose that's the one star! After reading reviews on Yelp and fed up with Weatherford's pricing, I brought my 2000 BMW to Ottowerks for new shocks, and to fix the air conditioning. Dave was nice enough on the phone, and we set a time for me to come in. My father (who was an auto mechanic for 18 years, specializing in Mercedes and BMWs) happened to be in town, so I brought him along. Dave was nice, recommended a different brand of shocks, and promised to call with estimate on AC. The next day he called me at 11 am to say my shocks were done and my AC was fixed! When I picked up my car he also mentioned he had replaced a rear lightbulb. Unfortunately, the AC wasn't fixed -- apparently Dave never bothered to check. The real story is that it needed a new compressor and receiver/dryer, requiring another trip back to the shop, and another $1500. When I got home and opened the trunk, the light assembly was sitting out in the trunk, not put back in place. My FasTrak was also missing. I called the next morning to discuss that FasTrak and light assembly ... I was polite, but not really happy, and Dave reacted by *literally* yelling at me on the phone. I mean, yelling at the customer you just gave terrible service to?? Lost my FasTrak forever. Brought my car to Phaedrus, they were professional and polite and got my car done on time, within the estimate amount. My feeling is don't waste your time with Ottowerks. read more

These guys are seriously fantastic. I have an 85 535i, which means that I either have to be handy with a wrench or have a great mechanic. I unfortunately don't have the time, place, nor often times skill to do the repairs that the car so often requires. Thankfully I have found the latter. I've taken my car there twice now and each time they have fixed the problem the first time, within a day, and for a great price. The last time I brought in my car with a clutch issue they looked over the whole system and instead of trying to sell me on any major repairs they found a kink in one of the feeder lines that was causing the problem and quickly (and cheaply) fixed the problem. An honest mechanic? A rare breed indeed. They do a great job of explaining what they've done and letting you know of any other possible things that the car might need to get done in the future. Given that my car now has over 200k miles on it, I will definitely be using these guys again. read more

I took my Benz into Ottowerks this week with a broken water pump and assorted other problems. Dave Grisel, as usual, did an outstanding job. Not only was the pump fixed but Ottowerks also checks for other potential maintenance items that keeps my Benz on the road and not in the shop. As it turned out I needed a couple of parts replaced that were relatively inexpensive but made all the difference in motor performance. This is the measure of a good business that keeps customers first. My reward is peace of mind knowing that the repair and maintenance of my car is done professionally and correctly. read more

I'm proud to have a new Ottowerks license plate bracket on my Mercedes and am thankful that Dave and his crew took the time to diagnose and work on my engine. We needed a new head gasket, but feared there could be bigger problems. After quoting a rate that was in-line with quotes we got from other shops (one that did not specialize in Mercedes and BMWs, and one that did), we felt comfortable having Dave pull the top of the block off for a look-see. After getting in there, Dave identified the leaking water pump, and the need for a valve job. It's not uncommon for mechanics to find a whole laundry list of things that 'need attention' after they've got things apart, but in our case it didn't seem that Dave was trying to stick it to us, or sell us stuff we didn't need. He gave us a couple of options on how we could proceed, explained the pricing and the labor involved with each, then gave us the choice on how to proceed. He also offered to show us all the used parts - pretty cool. While Dave had the top off, he went ahead and replaced some hoses and belts and cleaned the engine compartment - things that are just easier to do when you've got the room to work. When we arrived to pick up the car, it was running like a top. The cold idle was quieter and smoother than the engine used to run when it was fully warmed up. Not only was the car detailed, Dave went ahead and replaced the front grill - which had been banged up pretty good over the past 10 years - for free! Our total bill was what he quoted, and he sent me home with an extra quart of oil. Can't ask for much more than that! Don't tell Dave, but I would have gladly paid for the license plate bracket! His garage also has a pretty cool setup. read more

Ottowerks is awesome. I like it because the owner Dave has a no BS kind of attitude. I can fully trust this guy with my car. He also really knows all about what he is working with. I can tell because I also know a lot about my car: the model engine it has, specific parts that could possibly broken, etc. So it's nice to be able to tell when a mechanic really knows what he is doing with your baby. Also, its pretty damn cheap for a BMW specialist shop. $53 for an oil change is a bargain for me. Brought my car here 3 times in the past 2 years I've lived here and always had a good experience. Oh, and if anyone is wondering how this place got it's name... here is a brief history lesson for you (I haven't talked to the owner or anything, but I 'm pretty sure): - Gustav Otto is a guy who invented the four stroke internal combustion engine. He also co-founded BMW indirectly by starting an airplane manufacturing company, Otto-Werks, which made German airplanes during WWI. The company later became BMW as we know the company today. read more

I have had two great transactions so far here. My ML320 was stalling and Dave replaced an electronic doo-dad and now it doesn't stall anymore. He explained it to me at the time and I know enough about cars to think he wasn't full of it. I had actually stalled a few blocks away and he answered his phone at like 7pm. He was gone for the day but said I could have it towed to his shop and he'd check it out in the morning. After that fix, I came back and got some tires from him a few weeks later. They were done in a day and I saved a few hundred from quotes I got at other places in The City. He has always been nice. to me Some people don't mesh well I guess. Auf. read more

I recently bought a new to-me used Golf. I didn't know where to take it until a friend recommended Ottowerks, since the car is German, and the shop is easy to get to. This is hands-down, the fiercest looking mechanic's shop I've ever seen. There is art and color everywhere, music playing, plants, and a cut-in-half car as a desk. The owner, Dave, is funny, down to earth and could explain to me in lady-terms, what was going on with the car. Dave found a serious front suspension problem which was going to be expensive to fix. Our car came with used-car warranty which had never been used before. Dave walked us through the super-complicated process of figuring out how to get the warranty people pay for the repair. The car is now in perfect shape and I saved a ton of money! read more

Ottowerks is amazing!! I just moved to the city and have a 99' BMW that has always had problems. I was a little scared when I had to take it to a mechanic that I was unfamiliar with but after 5 min. these guys put me at ease. They hooked my car up to the computer instantly and gave me a good idea of what the problem was and how much it would cost with in 10 min. Then they got the part and got the car repaired in the same day. The car has been running great now for the past 2 months! Another thing I loved about these guys is when my car was on the lift they went over and showed me 3 or 4 things I should do as maintenance for my car. They were not pushy at all and just said, "When ever it fits in YOUR budget bring it back in." I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone. read more

Another casualty because of misleading Yelp reviews. My car had intermittent starting problems and I drove in to Ottowerks to get the problem fixed. Long story short, 5 days and countless explanations later I landed up paying Dave $1600 and the original problem is still not fixed. I need to spend $600 with another mechanic (Dave's quote to fix the real problem was another $800) to get the problem diagnosed. Clearly, I got robbed here and I'm looking for help from Yelpers to find the right course of action. I don't expect Dave to return any of my money back, but here are some prices that I checked on the internet for parts that he billed me for (I have his original handwritten bill): - BMW e46 Power Steering Cooling Coil Hose (Dave: $291, Internet: $130) - Interstate (Dave: $231, Internet: $189) I've just been set back a $1600 for repairs that were not really needed on my car and I still have to spend more to get the real problem fixed. Thank you Yelpers! read more

I've gone to Dave several times and have always been impressed with his service and costs. I've taken my car in with emergency type situations at 3pm and got my car back before 10am the next day. I went in recently to have my brakes and shocks replaced and got it done in a day. Just for fun, I went into Midas to see what the cost would be and it was actually more expensive. The difference? Dave and his people KNOW what they are doing so it takes them less time to repair your car, and therefore you save on the cost of labor. The per hour cost might be slightly higher, but the quality is unbeatable. I highly recommend Ottowerks!!! I continue to have great experiences with Dave and Ottowerks. Very professional and super nice. The new space is definitely a step up from the old and will significantly prolong the life span of the workers! read more

I brought my 320 SLK to these guys 3 times. Each time the job was not fully completed (brake light was on). Each time they told me additional things were wrong, and 1500 dollars later my brake light was still on. I don't doubt their sincerity, maybe Mercedes is not the best for them. read more

Just wanted to update my review. I have been going back to Dave since 2006 and his work is still awesome. Since the last review, we had both cars serviced multiple times, we even referred several friends with a variety of foreign cars and every single one of them had a positive experience. So not only is he excellent and honest as far as BMW/Mercedes/Foreign car specialists go, he is also consistent. I wouldn't even think of going anywhere else. Discovered the place through Yelp. My wife took my mercedes to Dave, Mercedes quoted us $1200 (out of warranty) to replace the sensor of the tiptronic. Dave estimated the sensor to cost...$16.95. We ended up paying... $120 net with labor. Dave also suggested we should get our tires on-line and gave us the URL of the site ! From now on, we're taking my car to Dave and I told all my friends about it. Thanks Dave. read more

If you value your car, your money, and/or your time then avoid Ottowerks. Dave (the owner) made the problems on my car worse - so much so that I had to go to a different mechanic the following week and have the same work re-done. I came to Ottowerks because they are not too far from my apartment, and because I had read some good reviews on Yelp. Unfortunately, I had not paid enough attention to the several 1-star reviews. I also didn't think to check the Better Business Bureau, where Otterwerks has an "F" rating. My loss on both points. When I took my car to Ottowerks it was out of tune - it's an older BMW which I just bought a month ago. The valves were noisy, the spark plugs hadn't been changed in a long time, it had some slight misfires, and it was getting poor fuel economy. I also wanted the radiator flushed, because the coolant was a sickly color. At first I was impressed by the shop - lots of sharp-looking classics up on the racks, and cool art on the walls. (How often have you seen that, original art on a mechanic's wall?) Dave talked as though he has considerable knowledge of BMWs. So I felt comfortable letting him work on my car. Wrong, wrong, wrong. When I got home my car was leaking coolant like crazy. This was not a mechanical problem per se - they had forgot to tell me that as result of their slipshod method of radiator flushing, the car is going to overflow a ton of coolant the first time you drive it. I can't imagine a radiator flush technique like that, which resulted in the discharge of engine coolant into the municipal sewer, is even legal. Worse, after paying over $600 for parts & labor, and putting up with Ottowerks' super-shitty hours, the problems with my car were WORSE than before they worked on it. The valves sounded like they were going to fly apart (louder than before), the engine was noticeably down on power, and the fuel mileage was absolutely abysmal. I complained to Dave, and his response amounted to "tough shit". Clearly he does NOT stand behind his work. Less than a week later I had to take the car into Phaedrus (who are expensive but competent) to have the same work re-done. By the end of the day they had my car running well, no more noisy valves, engine back to full power. Their mechanic said the valves were horribly out of adjustment, that the spark plugs had not been correctly gapped, and that one of the plugs was not even screwed in all the way! No wonder my car was running badly when it left Ottowerks! read more

I was back at Ottowerks yesterday and once again Dave took great care of me and my BMW 525i. Dave has replaced the valve gasket, headlight lens, and most recently the brakes. All work has been done professionally and at a reasonable price. It is a pleasure to feel like I was not taken advantage of when getting my car fixxed. I wish there were 6 stars, dave and his crew are the best! read more

Can't give the guy 5 stars, cause I've only been there once, but I have to say it seems a nice operation. He had a couple cancellations and fit me right in for a muffler replacement. Didn't try and sell me on something I didn't ask for, just did the job well and I appreciated that. He's also a true car lover. Some guys don't want to talk cars at all (even if they love them) but Dave seemed to enjoy rapping a bit on the pick up. I've been a Phaedrus guy for more than a decade, but would take my car to Ottowerks any time with confidence. read more

I have been going to Dave for about 5 years now and my 10 year old 328i is always running great because of his expertise! Highly recommend... read more

I bought a new car and sold my BMW so I won't be going to Ottowerks anymore. When the 5-year warranty ran out, I looked for an independent BMW shop and Dave kept my baby running for another 11 years. Now I have to deal with the dealer on my new car. I'll miss Ottowerks! read more

There are nicer and just as knowledgeable mechanics in town. I would double check the bills if I were you. Yes, not all mechanics created equal but when you find out how much they are gougng you on the spark plug. You start to wonder. "Penny wise, Pound Foolish" Here is the example of what was a good restaurant going down hill. You can tell how busy they are on a normal day. read more

ive been going to dave at Ottowerks for 8 years. And look how awesome!!!! [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/ty7er/IMG_0137.jpg[/IMG] He's always been a straight shooter, never charging me unfairly, and taking the time to explain what he IS charging me for. In a field where there are so many unscrupulous mechanics, Dave stands alone as one you can trust. Excellent, excellent work! read more

Earlier this year we purchased a used BMW 530iT station wagon (1996, 92K miles, V8). After driving around for half a year we took it to Dave to get an oil change and to have him check on the car and engine. He called me a couple of hours later and said everything looked pretty good, but he would recommend to clean out the engine as oil had accumulated in some compartments... (not sure with the technical details). Preventative maintenance... cost: around $800. Well, I wasn't really sure if I should do it, but I wanted to drive my bimmer for another couple of years... so I said yes. The first couple of days after we got the car back everything seemed to be fine, however, shortly thereafter one cylinder started knocking pretty badly! Additionally, we started hearing an intense 60-second "vacuum-cleaner" sound when started the car... this sound was unrelated to the knocking. So we took the car back in and Dave identified the reason for the noise pretty quickly (during the engine overhaul he had put in a different hose for an air-pump, the correct hose was on backorder). Regarding the knocking he double-checked his work and changed the oil viscosity. The knocking was not really gone but he predicted it will probably go away if we would take the car on a long road trip. Well, that's what we did and the engine runs perfectly fine now. Although our experience with Ottowerks was a little bit of a rollercoaster, we think it's a great BMW repair shop- especially for mechanical stuff. During the whole time Dave was very friendly, explained exactly what he was doing and most importantly, I never had the feeling that I get screwed... even when things looked a bit bleak. read more

My sister and I drove in separately from Berkeley today at about 10AM. She was worried about a check engine light, so when she called all the local shops, whetherford dicked around with her on the phone for about 15 minutes, another place couldn't take her this week, and ottowerks said "Sure, bring her on in!". They were super friendly and didn't look too annoyed when they realized that the problem was her gas cap cord screwed in with the gas cap. (BMW sensors are finicky like that.) He was darling and didn't charge us and didn't act like we wasted his time (which we kinda did). :) Go here. So So worth it. read more

I love my bimmer but boy does it suck to get it fixed! Still if you have to bend over a barrel, I'd rather have Ottowerks fine tune my motor than the slick folks at BMW of SF. Dave's a colorful fellow (sporting tatoos, thick east coast accent) but he knows cars and he runs a clean, tight, ship. He'll explain everything he did; show me all the worn parts and why this/that needed to be worked on. I found him very thorough and informative. Since, I don't know much about cars, I give him as much crap as possible just so I can feel that he earned my business. That being said, go to Dave. He'll do you right. (You know what I mean, sick-o) read more

When it comes to mechanics, you need someone you can trust and rely on...Dave from Otterwerks not only knows his sh--, but he will be straight with you about what to do now and what to anticipate. He's the one to go to for BMW's--no BS. He is also awesome for advice on motorcycles. read more

I have extensive car background, having done brakes and engine rebuilds myself . In SF, i'm without a large area to do repair work,let alone attempt to R&R the control arms,so I needed to find a good BMW Repair only shop. Kinda hard to find his shop in a low rent area. FIVE stars, Dave seems to know what he's talking about , and after some technical questions I had asked him, I felt he was a savvy mechanic. So, he did the brake lines, new front lower arms and the power steering resovoir R&R, and did a fine job. I'll go back again. His business operating hours are kinda tight, but the price is right. AND my car was not dirty and his work was clean. My BMW M3 is feeling a bit better; and it felt a little tighter. Smile, I tell my self, I always spend $1,000.00 everytime this car gets work done, the price you pay for mechanical charisma. Some people have said BMW means Break My Wallet, but I luv feeling when I'm pushing it 10/10th's on the race track. The M3 is a car/machine you can take Solo2 racing or just cruise it to Safeway and get groceries. The car looks conservative, has a conservatively rated 240 hp, but its enough to get one's heart racing whenever you floor the gas pedal in any gear. The speedometer will easily run around the dial beyond 132 mph whilst travelling uphill. The Perfect car for the closet Wild Man who works in the Financial District. Tthe M3 is an all around athlete and gets 25 mph on the highway. Geez, I luv it. read more

David at Ottowerks knows BMW's. This place is a no hassle, straight forward mechanic. Prices are standard but your paying for experience and convenience. He takes the time to let you know whats going and honest advice of what to do. Fast turnaround. If you have a BMW, live in the city I suggest going here. BMW's will run forever if you keep up with the standard maintenence. read more

So...its good to know that the engine replacement job has held up well. Minor things that shake out of such a big job have been handled effortlessly by Dave and his guys. Once again, highest possible recommendation. read more

I can not say enough good things about Dave and his team at Ottowerks. The day I bought my 325i I brought it to Dave, who looked over the entire car and gave it the seal of approval- yes, I should have done this BEFORE I bought the car, but none the less he was so great in looking at all systems and telling me about the car's history. He has been so helpful in keeping my car maintained and telling me ways that I can prevent certain things from occurring. I was nervous about buying a BMW because of what I have heard about servicing them, but knowing that I have Dave and his expertise has made the last three years worry free. All of the work he has done has been great, and just yesterday I stopped in with a service engine light that he quickly discovered was nothing more than not replacing the gas cap correctly. And also, you will never see a cooler garage than this one- plants and art galore and a desk made out of an old BMW front end complete with an Eames lounge chair. It's rad. read more

Very reliable good solid work, extremely fair pricing, and very friendly people. Dave is a super nice guy and has a great shop. He's willing to survey the car and proritize work to be done rather than hitting you with a giant bill right off the bat. I have had my 99 m3 there several times now and his work is always excellent. I'm very happy I found what I consider to be one of the last honest mechanics. 5 stars! read more

My 9 year old BMW just rolled over 100k miles and needed a bunch of work and I've been dreading it for months. When my car wouldn't start one morning, I couldn't put it off any longer. Ironically, a friend had just recommended Ottoworks the night before, and when I called they were able to look at my car that day. It was a great, no-BS experience. They were very up-front about what needed to be fixed and why, and did great work. The prices were fair, and they were completely transparent about what needed to be fixed right away and what I might want to watch for a bit. When I picked up my car, they even showed me the details of what they did and why. Dave is the kind of mechanic where you can get a straight answer to "if this was your car what would you do?" Highly recommend! I won't consider bringing my car anywhere else. Finding an honest mechanic is the toughest part of owning a less-than-new car. I now no longer have to search. Thanks, Dave! read more

Dave at Ottowerks is hands down the best mechanic in town. I have referred Dave and his team to two friends and he took such great of them, basically saved them money, time, many headaches and made me look like a hero for the referral. He is thorough in his explanations, fair at pricing and just an all around honest guy. Truly cares about his work and stands by what he and his team do. If you need a mechanic, Dave is your guy, he will not disappoint. read more

The BEST! I can't say enough about Dave and the team at Ottowerks. I was looking for a new car after the lease on my 650i ran out. With a pregnant wife I needed a completely different car and started the search. We looked at a whole range of cars. We had two pre purchase inspections done and not only did Dave provide know exactly what to look for, but also provided us with great advice about what to look for in our search. I saved a fortune by having the inspections done by Dave. He will most certainly be looking after my new 2005 X5, which has 95,000 miles on the clock but is better than most cars with half the mileage. They know their cars, are super passionate about them, don't BS you and charge very reasonably . You are mad if you take your BMW anywhere else. Seriously. read more

Dave has helped me diagnose issues on my 335i twice now and all I can say is that I've had a great experience. Recommend Ottowerks to anyone that is looking for a great BMW mechanic. read more

Dave is a no nonsense straight shooter. He explains exactly what the problem is and what he can do to fix it at minimal cost to you AND he's a great mechanic! I've been going to Dave for years. He's the only one I trust with my Mercedes. read more

Dave and crew have been servicing my 2001 CLK55 since 2007 and their work is fine. I just had an experience of a new part failing-they took the car back and fixed it straight away and re-fixed it. Sure there are things that go wrong and they don't always get it the first time but these are freaking complex machines. I guess there is a reason why car makers don't give 10 year warranties...stuff breaks. Especially suspension parts on San Francisco's pothole ridden streets. read more

I have a 91 BMW convertible. She is my baby. I absolutely LOVE my car. When I was living in Monterey, I had a BMW specialist who took great care of her. Upon moving to SF about 5 years ago I was at a loss. So when things went wrong, I brought my my car to the local shop. They were fine for all the basic repairs and tune up. However when I started having some more difficult problems, they just could not figure out what was going wrong. After several (4?) visits to the old shop and thousands of dollars I gave up on their ability to diagnose the problem. A friend suggested Dave @ Ottowerks. I brought my car to him and in less than a minute, he knew what the problem was. His prices were very reasonable and went out of his way to find me a used part that saved me well over a thousand dollars. Then when the car was ready, he delivered it to me because I was crazy busy. I have never had such good and friendly service as well as someone who was watching my bottom line for me. When I got the car back, I couldn't believe the difference. It drove like it was new. He got it right the first time when others could not figure it out. He delivered my car to me. He went out of his way to save me a lot of money. I couldn't be happier and I am confident my car will last a lifetime under his care. read more

When my car died, I took it to the closest shop in my neighborhood. They concluded that the timing belt must have broken and that I would likely need a new engine. Given the cost, I decided to hit Yelp and get a second opinion from a BMW specialist. Read the reviews on Ottowerks, called Dave, and he got me in the same day. Dave immediately figured out that the timing belt was intact. Dave was stumped for a couple of days as he ran through the potential problems and eliminated each of them. After a few days, he evidently had a vision of what the problem was while he was in the shower. Seriously, you have to appreciate that kind of dedication... Fixed the problem, saved me over a grand, and threw in a slick license plate bracket gratis. Dave is unquestionably the man to see if you have a problem with your BMW. read more

Let me say off the bat that this review is not about the quality of the work done by Ottowerks, but more about the way that they failed to listen to my instructions and forced me into work that I had not consented to. I brought in my car at 7 AM, told them about two problems I had experienced and told them to call me when they had diagnosed the problem and had a cost estimate. It was critical that they follow these steps bc: (a) I rely on my car for transportation to the South Bay -- and needed to plan the work around alternate transportation options; and (b) so that I could get a second opinion and see if I had been over-quoted. Ottowerks told me they would get back to me with the estimate that morning. I told them I had meetings throughout the day, but I would call them back. Ottowerks did not call me until 1:55 PM. I was in a meeting and could not get back to them until 3 PM. In that hour, the team at Ottowerks started to work on my car without my consent. When I called back at 3 PM, I reiterated that they were supposed to obtain my consent before working on the car. The guy said I should be thanking him for the repairs because he was "saving my life." I found that glib response completely offputting. He should be thanking me for not making a big stink about the fact that he was making unauthorized repairs on my vehicle. He acted like he was being some good samaritan, like there was no enterprising financial motive behind his actions. Well, I decided not to make a big deal of it. He quoted me $700. I decided to bite the bullet. He told me that would include changing one of the lights on the car, which I told him might be complicated beforehand and to include in the estimate (that's because the dealership would do it for free!). My husband picks up the car the next day, and suddenly the cost has become $900, including $120 to change the light. Would have been nice if he had called, as I asked him to, make sure that this additional chunk of change was okay. Basically, times are hard right now. The average American family can no longer withstand $1000 of unanticipated expense in a given month. These jerks flagrantly disregarded what I asked them to do and substituted their own what was in their opinion superior judgment for mine. Not what I look for is a service-oriented business. Will not return. read more

Great serv. fr. Dave, I highly recommend Dave's shop..look no further, Ottowerks is the place to be for all bmw service. He will be straight up with you (no BS) and his prices are reasonable. read more

Passionate BMW service for my E92. Dave knows his stuff and always some cool cars in the shop. Cheaper than the dealer but maintaining German cars isn't cheap. Recommend calling ahead. read more

Great, honest up-front service. The garage itself is quirky, cool and inviting. The honesty, knowledge and friendliness tops any of the BMW service dealers I've dealt with, and I've been dealing with those dealerships for years. Plus, the prices are the most modest and it's easy to get an appointment. The only reason why it's not a 5-star? It's on a one-way street that may make getting there a bit annoying, but that's not their fault. read more