Hector and crew not going anywhere else honest, fair and timely took extra time to diagnose a random thing. 2022 Tiguan read more

Brought my 964 in for a few repairs (typical nonsense with old cars, AC, CEL, minor oil leaks). Great communications, excellent diagnostics, finished on time. Really pleasant people. Place is full and busy with antique Porsches. read more

Great shop to service german cars after warranty. Hector, Peter, and staff are a great team. It is small shop with a big family vibe. They get your vehicle in and out. They are genuine car people. They want to do what is correct. Service to value ratio is on point. I have had three different BMW serviced and they always do a great job, tell us the truth, and are fair with cost. read more

Exceptional. I'm old; and as such, I've been to more than a handful of mechanics. This is a wonderful independent garage run by very invested and honest people. Great work, great customer service! read more

Short version: I would not recommend going here or even getting a quote for service. Really poor pricing, transparency and customer service. I brought my car in based on the quality of reviews but my personal experience was very different. Long version: My 2016 GTI need a water pump and thermostat replacement (very common for this car) so I called the shop for a diagnostic and estimate and brought the car in the next day. I drop the car off at 9am with Hector and again described the issue and reiterated that I think it needs a water pump and thermostat replacement to which he responds they will check it out and give me a call around noon. At 3:50pm I call (goes to voicemail) the shop and ask for an update. They call me back promptly at 3:56pm and let me know they will perform the diagnostic the next day and give me a quote. At 10:12am the next day they let me know the the water pump and thermostat needs to be replaced and the repair will cost $2,000 total and $200 for the diagnostic. Approximately $800 in parts and $1200 in labor (6hrs). I was shocked by the labor rate and let them know I would call other shops and give them a call back. I called 3 other shops in town (who all had experience with this exact repair) and all of them quoted me between $1400 and $1500 total with labor rates much lower (~$150/hr). I called Ventura VW to see what their labor rates are and they told me they charge $200/hr. I called back (again went to voicemail) and told them I would like to pick up the car and get it serviced elsewhere. This shop wasted my time and my money and I will never be back or recommend them. They wasted my time by not performing the diagnostic timely and also provided an absurd quote which could have been done over the phone (as it was for the 3 other shops in town). They wasted my money by charging me $200 for a diagnostic when I specifically told them the issue over the phone and in person. read more

Santa Barbara Autowerks - Absurd quote w/ $200/hr labor rate (as expensive as a VW dealer) and 6 hours quoted for a 5 hour job (confirmed by 3 other shops in town). - Auto Repair Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Amazing experience, fast, great communication, they even clean your car! And do a great job to! I am very happy thank you guys

I was in the process of buying an BMW M5, and wanted to get a vehicle pre purchase inspection. I set up the appointment with Hector, he is very professional and thorough with what's to expect with the pre purchase inspection. I highly recommend this shop as they specialize in German brands with a few exceptions. Just honest and humble people and very reasonable with the pricing as well. Thanks for being awesome! read more

I came in for an annual fluid change/inspection on my MK7 GTI. Great, clean shop, very professional and straight ahead. No bs, no unnecessary up selling or other shenanigans. They clearly cater to people who care about and know about their cars. read more

Peter and the entire team at SB Autowerks have taken extra good care of our Audi A6 Avant and our Porsche Cayenne for a handful of years with precision service every time. With their regular oil change service, new brakes, tuneup, simply everything we need for our transportation units have been completed on time and within their very considerable costs estimates every time. Including major repairs! Most importantly the service is precisely taken care of without any worries or problems every time! Great service, plus your car is washed and cleaned inside and out always. Close and convenient, great reliable service you can count on. Don't hesitate, you will appreciate how professional and experienced the SB Autowerks crew work hard at delivering most important quality. Call and make an appointment, you will be pleased. read more

Driving from LA to SF my BMW X3 sprang a cooling system leak. Fortunately I was in Santa Barbara instead of some godforsaken spot on hwy 101. I found SB Autowerks on Google and limped there with the greatest apprehension. Hector put me at ease and within 3 hours had diagnosed the problem, found the necessary parts (new coolant expansion tank) and I was on my way. Whew! Tragedy averted. Thanks, guys! read more

Peter diagnosed my AC problem and replaced the compressor on my 2014 Mercedes. Professional and friendly service. I recommend this shop for out of warranty repair work on your German vehicle. read more

Hector and Peter saved the day for my girlfriend and I! These guys were probably the most honest mechanics I've ever met! I just wished we lived in the area because Autowerks would be my new go to shop! We were driving up to Santa Barbara for a weekend getaway from Long Beach. We were about 5 miles from our destination when suddenly we heard the loudest bang underneath our car (like someone hit it with a baseball bat multiple times). Unfortunately, we drove over a car jack on the middle of the 101 freeway! The cars in front of us drove over it with ease but I guess our Audi was lower than the other cars and didn't have the same clearance. Immediately we noticed that the car was shaking when we pushed on the gas pedal. We exited the freeway and didn't see anything hanging and no fluids were leaking so we tried to drive again and it felt like the drive shaft was going to fall out from underneath our car. Needless to say, it did not feel safe to drive so we had it towed to a nearby Mechanic (Autowerks). It was around 1pm on a Friday, thankfully Peter agreed to squeeze us in and take a look. We went to grab some food while they investigated what was going on. I was fully expecting a diagnoses that was going to cost me an arm and leg, especially since we're from out of town and had no other options. Most mechanics could have easily taken advantage of that, but not Peter and Hector. After having the car all afternoon, we received a call around closing time saying that they fixed the issue!!! We were completely surprised! Peter said that they found multiple impact points under the body/support braces but no damage to the engine, transmission or driveshaft. They repositioned the chassis brace, tightened everything up and the vibrations and shaking stopped! They drove it around a bit to make sure and the vibrations did not return! Our bill was only $160!!! I can't thank Peter and Hector enough for their honesty and saving our weekend getaway! We were stressing out so badly, trying to figure out how we were going to make it back home and figure out if we needed to buy a new car or spend a bunch of money to get this one fixed. It could have been a lot worse but thanks to them we didn't have to worry about that anymore and we were able to enjoy Santa Barbara and drive away safely with money still on our pocket! I highly recommend them to anyone in the Santa Barbara area! read more

Scheduled an appointment for an oil change last week, for today at SB autowerks. Came in got a quote for 270$ presented my access 50% discount they said ok... 2 hours later received a call that my car needed a tune up a quote for 1600$ I declined the tune up service. They could no longer make time for my oil change. Wasted 3 hours of my time. 876,000 hours in life. You took 3 thank you I will not return. read more

Hector and the team at SB Autowerks are great. Most of all, I trust them. I grew up working on cars. I've done just about everything under the hood but crack open a transmission. My mechanical and technical knowledge of cars is no way on par with the certified professionals here or anywhere else for that matter but it does make me suspicious of mechanics. Do I really need that service or part? I've been screwed over by dealerships and small shops. It's comforting to find a team I can trust here at Autowerks. My Benz CLK calls this place home for her yearly maintenance as did her little SLK sister before her. While I've been lucky not to have major issues, if I do, I have confidence in Santa Barbara Autowerks the right repairs will be done at a fair price without costly overages. If they guys say I need a part, I guess I need a part. Bring your BMW, Audi, VW and especially your Mercedes in for service. Have a track car in need of a new turbo? They can do that too. In fact, I hear they do it quite well. read more

Car broke down driving from LA to SF stopped in SB and they fit me in the same day and was out by the afternoon. Super knowledgeable on my M3. Solid people working over there would recommend to anyone with a Euro car. They got me back on the road! read more

Santa Barbara Autowerks - Auto Repair Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

We had our front lower engine shield separate and get damaged on the Highway on our way down to Santa Barbara. Autowerks looked at our car immediately, ordered the necessary part and booked us for two days later the same morning the part was due in. It was such a smooth process! We felt they treated us like we could have been one of their regular customers. We highly recommend SB Autowerks! read more

Hector & Peter are friendly, professional and great communicators. Although the cost of having a car (and pretty much every modern luxury) has gone up significantly (ouch!) the past few years, I'm glad I found them and I still feel good about hiring them for all of my unwanted (HA!) auto repairs. read more

I've interacted with my fair share of auto shops from Orange County to Santa Barbara, and SB Autowerks is the BEST I've experienced! I brought my CLS 550 in when it wasn't holding a battery charge and literally no one else in town would even give me the time of day. Huge shoutout to Peter for getting my car in immediately and also shoutout to Hector for being so patient, friendly, and approachable when I asked a million questions. At other auto shops, I've always been skeptical if they're being honest or just trying to get more money... I knew I could trust SB Autowerks when I called other local auto shops and they even said SB Autowerks is the best place in town and most equipped to help. Hector and his team were upfront about costs and what was needed to get back on the road. They were extremely thorough and kept me updated at every step of the way. They never made me feel like I was bothering them, which was a huge relief because again, I've encountered plenty of mansplaining/condescending mechanics. Lastly, it's been a couple months and my car is still working as they said it would! Thanks again, SB Autowerks! read more

Negatives: shortly after receiving an oil change from this location, one of my fog lights mysteriously fell off/disappeared. Did I fall for the oldest trick in the book? Positives: Friendly, did an excellent job cleaning the interior of the car, otherwise good work, experience pushed me to learn how to do an oil change on my own! read more

Took a G-class here for a pre-purchase inspection. They were very thorough and found almost $8,000 worth of work that the car needed. Needless to say that allowed me to get the car for a fair price. Had I skipped on the PPI I would be out $8000! Do yourself a favor and if you're considering to purchase a Mercedes, have SB Autowerks do an inspection on it first. read more

Fantastic work done on my beloved older Passat! Want to especially thank Hector who is incredibly proficient and oh so very caring. I would never go anywhere but to Autowerks! read more

This place is absolutely top notch. I received Incredible service while in route to Southern California. We had ab low coolant light on our Mercedes, so I went straight to yelp to find out who might be able to help in a pinch. This business came highly recommended by you folks on yelp! Thank goodness that I didn't go anywhere else. Peter came to our rescue and fixed the problem and sent us on our way so quickly. Thank you so much for being just a kind, kind human. read more

Hector was extremely helpful with my Audi RS5. Audi's can be tricky beasts, but Hector and crew were very methodical and careful through the entire process. They resolved the issues in less than 48 hours. This is my new go to for repairs and service. read more

I asked for a quote for an Automatic Fluid Transmission Change for my kinda old BMW Z4 from 6 different shops. I like to save some money by doing a little research, and buying all the parts and fluids myself. From the 6 shops, 2 shops didn't wanted to work on my car because I was bringing the parts and the other one quoted me very expensive. SB Autowerks gave me a fair price and did the job flawlessly. After the transmission fluid change I drove to SF for the Thanksgiving holidays and I felt the difference in the smother changing gears. I am lucky to have found a good value for the money mechanic shop for my BMW maintenance in Santa Barbara. As a UCSB student, I couldn't afford the car brand dealer or expensive shops, for sure I will be back! read more

Santa Barbara Autowerks - Before Transmission Fluid Change - Auto Repair Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Took my E92 M3 here for a simple oil change. I supplied my own oil as it would be no issue for them to use it. Before leaving, I let my car idle to check the oil level and saw that it was too high. I let them know it was too high and they took care of it, but for something as simple as an oil change this shouldn't happen. It takes very little effort and math to make sure the correct amount of oil is put in. According to Johnny (the tech who worked on my car), he drove it on the freeway and checked the oil level afterwards. Not the right way to deal with a E92 M3. Check the oil level first before driving it. Driving it with too much oil could've damaged my engine. Also, they had to put my car on the lift and waste perfectly good oil in order to lower the oil level which I understand but could've been avoided putting the right amount in first try. While putting the car on the lift, no jack stands or protection underneath were used and the side skirts had direct contact with the lift. If I had the option to correctly lift my car, I would make sure to utilize the jack stand points to prevent any contact with the paint on the side skirts. I'm glad they were able to fix the oil level, just be cautious taking your M car to them. read more

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Hector and Peter are very responsive and they are very professional in vehicle repair! They did the wheel bearing, hub, and wheel rim replacement for my Audi A5. They also helped me a lot when dealing with the insurance claim. They also informed me the potential issue with my tire which causes the skid on the snowy road. I would highly recommend this shop and I would definitely go for them for my vehicle maintenance next time! read more

I heard a noise coming from my BMW x5 engine. I stopped by the shop without an appointment. The technician opened the hood and diagnosed the problem. I made and appointment and two days later they fixed the problem. They called me before the repair and explained in details what the problem is and the cost to repair it. Very friendly, professional and honest guys. read more

HONEST and get straight to the point. This is super important to me when bringing in my vehicle. Professional, knowledgeable, efficient, respectful and friendly. Thanks Peter! Keep up the good work. read more

The first time I came here I used the Axxess deal. I'd never heard of this place but I'm so glad I checked it out. They've been able to quickly find the problems I've had with my Passat. I appreciate that every time I've brought my car they return it cleaner than I left it with a nice wash. Hector is very honest and doesn't beat around the bush with prices or the problem. He is very knowledgeable and has great customer service. Thank you Autowerks read more

Professional, reasonable and they look out for their customers. The team at Autowerks know what your car needs and doesn't need. They make sure you understand what needs to be done, what your car may need in the future and they help you prioritize to make sure you are safe and happy in your car. read more

Amazing work The mechanics are Amazing they fix my car in like 1 day I will definitely go back with them and if you looking for a mechanic take your car with this guys they even wash and wax my car definitely 5 stars read more

Was a block away with a dead car and they wouldn't even come give us a jump... terrible service every time I've been there! Peter said he had the equipment but we were too far away to come help us out. Don't know how close we need to be... he said nothing about "waiting 5 -10 minutes" as he responded to this review, instead he hung up the phone! read more

Santa Barbara Autowerks - Auto Repair Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

This is hands down the best auto shop I've been to. Honest, straightforward, and always surprises me with the level of care, attention, and love they put into my car. I've taken my bmw in twice now for different issues, and it comes back driving better than I thought possible. They clean and wash my car which is just an added bonus. Hector is always patient, nice, and accommodating. They even stayed late so that I could have my car back the same day. I highly recommend anyone looking for a shop to check out Santa Barbara Autowerkz read more

Probably the best car service place in California. No wonder people are driving to Santa Barbara just for these guys from San Francisco and Los Angeles. I brought my CL500 to them and even if I have tons of things to fix on the car, they are more the willing to help me to find cheapest and best way to fix it. They fixed many if the things and few just for free - now that's a service! Highly recommended!!!! PS! I'm not a paid advertiser!!!!!! read more

I absolutely LOVE Santa Barbara Autowerks, Inc. and can see myself being a loyal customer for years and years to come. With the help of my fellow Yelpers, I first called upon SBAW to do an inspection of a used BMW that I was considering purchasing. They did a thorough evaluation, provided honest feedback and helped coordinate pick up and drop off of the vehicle. I ended up purchasing a great car, for a great deal! Fast forward a few months later, I call SBAW in frenzy, as I attempted to rush to a yoga class on my lunch break and couldn't get my keys out of the ignition. After troubleshooting the issue for several minutes myself, I called SBAW, and a very patient, Hector answered the phone and started by asking me kindly if the "car is in park?" Why no! It wasn't! A minor detail I neglected to attend to in my haste! As I proclaimed to Hector what an idiot I am and thanked him profusely, he never made me feel stupid and was quite validating. Thank you Hector! I've had a couple of other routine services since then and am incredibly satisfied with the work these gentlemen have done. Hector and Aaron are gems to work with and they deserve all the accolades bestowed upon them. They're 5-star reputation is well earned! If you're looking for a mechanic that you can trust, look no further and call Santa Barbara Autowerks! (Don't forget to check-in on Yelp while you're there and take advantage of their 10% discount, which can go a long way when you're getting a major service. :D) read more

Since I am going on a 3000 mile road trip soon, I wanted to be sure my car was road ready. I took my Mercedes to HP Autowerks in Santa Barbara because they offered an oil change, tire rotation, check and top off all fluids, ran a free diagnosis and washed my car!! All for the same price as the local muffler shop was going to charge me just for an oil change! These guys are not your average mechanics. They specialize in german autos and are meticulous while keeping their prices competitive. They were professional, friendly, had my car for less than 2hours. I am very happy with their service. The repairs needed were prioritized to fit my budget and there was no pressure or sales pitch to deal with. Thanks so much guys, you rock! read more

I feel very lucky to have found Santa Barbara Autowerks. When my warranty ran out on my 2012 Volkswagen Passat, I began looking for a place to get my 40,000 mile service done. I contacted the local dealer and couple of other garages. After reading SBAW's great reviews on Yelp I decided to give them a call. Their quote for the service was about $100 less than the other places I had called. They run an extremely clean shop and the two gentleman I dealt with were very friendly and helpful. During the service they found that one of my CV boots had a slight tear. Unlike some other places who would of warned of possible catastrophic damage to the drive shaft unless the boot was changed immediately, the guys at SBAW simply told me that there was no need to do the work now and it was something we could check again next time the car was in. Finding a trustworthy mechanic is not always easy. I highly recommend SBAW. read more

I drove all the way to Santa Barbara from Los Angeles to have them work on my BMW, and all I have to say is that the 70mile drive was worth it. Harold is extremely professional and has tons of knowledge so he was able to answer any question that I had. He also didn't try to up sell me any parts or try to convince me to get certain things. They installed everything perfectly with no issues and they made sure everything was good by double checking it. So if you're looking for any kind of performance parts for your car, ask for Harold and you won't be let down. read more

The good ones just fix your car--the best ones detail it when they're done! I've loved every experience I've had with SB Autowerks. I also love that Hector educates you without making you feel stupid. It's not my industry and I don't pretend to know anything about cars, but I'd love to learn as much as I can along the way! Thanks Hector! read more

I've been a long time client of Santa Barbara Autowerks and I guess I never got around to writing a review. My experience with Santa Barbara Autowerks over the last 7 years has been nothing short of flawless. The team is very professional and unlike most mechanics I have had experience with in the past, they are also very personable. On a typical service visit, they didn't just find things, fix them and charge accordingly. They find things, provide a detailed quote for both OEM and aftermarket replacements and upon approval, order the parts and complete the job in a timely manner. Throughout the whole process, they are quick to provide me updates as they have them. It's much appreciated and doesn't go unnoticed. Thank you! read more