Bert was conscientious and thorough and funny, a pleasure watching a master engrossed in his craft and not the bottom line. One of my all time favorite mechanics -- German trained -- and we are now working more complicated engines so I appreciate that the spirit was still kind and skillful. read more

I can't praise the work of John and Bert enough. They've done excellent work on both my Porsche Cayenne Diesel and my Porsche 991.1 Turbo. Exceptional! John's expert eye in spotting a failing turbocharger bearing very likely spared me from destroying my entire engine. Whew! Thank you John. And they also skillfully troubleshot and resolved some tricky issues with my wife's trusty Audi SQ5. I trust these guys completely. And being an ex-racer myself I can tell you that John's motorsports experience... where he excelled at the highest national level... equips him with near savant-like troubleshooting wisdom. He's seen it all. read more

The Garage Santa Barbara - John's recent patients. Both now back in top form. - Auto Repair Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

The Garage is a great place to take your car for maintenance! I took my car there for a second opinion after getting a long list of critical repairs at my usual oil change location. John was able to let me know what was really critical and what still had plenty of miles to go before it will need attention. I trusted him to do the work and he did an amazing job! I will definitely be going here for all my car needs going forward. read more

Very thorough diagnosis and repair of my vehicle. Master technician Bert Linau and The Garage's professional team of mechanics are committed to excellence in the service of repair. Great communication throughout and I appreciate their hard work and dedication in ensuring my vehicle was dialed in. Thank you! read more

The Garage Santa Barbara - Auto Repair Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Christian was very helpful, communicative, and transparent. It's a relief to know a mechanic that you can trust! I will be back.

The Garage has kept my Jaguar sedan running well for years--everything from annual servicing to some recent high tech computer updates. Prices are always fair, what needs to be done always gets done, without excessive work, and the service is always impeccable. read more

It's notoriously difficult to find good and honest mechanics. The Garage has the best--and I've been in the Santa Barbara area long enough to know. For Audi and other German brands, plus Land Rover, Bert & Crit are your guys. We have older high-mileage Audi's and Bert keeps them in good running order without unnecessary add-on repairs. Meanwhile, I often see high end Audi's in the shop as Bert is in demand for specialty repairs and mods because of his extensive knowledge and experience. I hate to divulge my best kept secret for keeping my 2003 Allroad happy, but Bert's the guy. And--bonus--the shop is always immaculate. read more

The Garage Santa Barbara - Auto Repair Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

This is the second Volkswagen that I have been taking to the garage for service. Bert is extremely knowledgeable, having been trained in Germany The mechanics at the garage, always go above and beyond, and I usually get a call saying that my car is ready for pick up sooner than anticipated. I highly recommend this business! read more

great team always does it right - thank you i appreciate the great work - everything round great

I brought in my 2013 Audi A5 Cabriolet due to a check engine light. As busy as they were, I towed the car in per a friends recommendation. Bert was there to meet us at the door, And quickly formed an opinion on what he might think it was. At the time I had purchased an extended warranty, And he was dealing with them. The warranty company, Ideal Auto Protect, were not very friendly, But I just had Bert do the work anyway. A few days later I picked up,the car, And to my surprise, The final bill was 30% less than what I was expecting. Knowing that this repair was coming out of my pocket, Even though I had purchased a $3,000 warranty. I was truly taken care of. I cancelled the warranty and put the cash in a savings account to cover maintenance. What a great experience. Another point worth mentioning, The shop is immaculate. Five stars all the way. read more

My overall experience with The Garage was nothing but positive. From the initial diagnostics to the work that was done, they were very accurate with assessing my needs. I went here for a second opinion after visiting another mechanic, and I am very happy I did. The work was honest and thorough which was very refreshing in this industry. Thanks again Christian! you'll be my first call from now on. read more

Really happy with The Garage!! Christian "Critter" Mooney knows his way around a Land Rover. I do a lot of work on my cars so I'm usually hesitant to contact an Auto Repair shop for work. The job I had was just too big to do on my own. I contacted Christian and he was the only one who could tell me over the phone what the job was in detail. Down to which bolts he had to remove by hand. He resealed and rebuilt the entire front end of my 1970 land Rover Series 2a. Not many people do this work and he went above and beyond to do a perfect job. Great Mechanic! Great Place! read more

I've been in Santa Barbara for 5 years and have never had a better auto repair experience. I primarily worked with Bert Linau on multiple occasions for repairs to my Audi. He and the entire staff were thorough, courteous and knowledgable. I would definitely recommend this shop to anyone needing auto repairs in the area. Thanks guys! read more

We take my wife's Volkswagen Jetta to the Garage. I really appreciate how Bert always takes the time to explain to me whatever is happening with the car, and he is honest with me about what work needs to happen right away, and what can wait. I never feel like I have paid for something that I didn't understand. read more

I am so happy to have found The Garage to service my Landrover L4. Christian was able to answer my questions over the phone with regard to concern over a warning light for brake pads (it was a Friday) and get my car in that Monday. He was clear in communicating what needed to be done after checking everything out and also gave me an idea of items for the long term so I could plan ahead. Work was done within the day with Landrover parts and cost was more than reasonable. Looking forward to having all future maintenance handled by The Garage. read more

Fantastic independent garage in downtown Santa Barbara. This is the second time I have taken my VW Tiguan into this garage with the same outcome. Clear honest pricing, friendly and timely service, no sales pressure. I left knowing my car had been professionally serviced and was good for another 10,000 miles. Thanks to Bert for going the extra mile yet again. Use this garage. You will be in safe hands. read more

As a college student in Santa Barbara, I was hesitant to find a car mechanic in a new town. Christian at The Garage has been amazing in helping me and my family fix our 2008 Land Rover over the past year. If you are looking for an honest, dependable and knowledgable spot in SB, these are your guys. They have been nothing but transparent and super helpful in fixing up our car to great condition! Thank you!! read more

Great service as always. I've been taking my cars to John and Critter for a few years now. Always great to deal with and knowledgeable. Thanks. read more

These guys are amazing: they fixed an issue with my Land Rover Discovery that the dealer and other mechanics hadn't managed to figure out in two years. They are not only very knowledgeable, but also courteous, on time and on budget. I won't bring my car anywhere else but at The Garage in the future. read more

Awesome service from professionals that know what they are doing and have souls. You can just them, I love that fact and so when they give you a price or a suggestion you know it is fair and that they stand behind there work. If you have an Audi or land/ Range Rover , heck a mini or whatever, you will really like these guys. read more

Great people, great service, honest, diligent and reliable. All three of those guys genuinely wanted to help out in anyway they could with my limited budget. Thanks Bill, Bert and Christian! I'll definitely be back. You guys rocked. read more

They are the best ! I lost my wheel lock tool for my BMWx5 They went out of their way to take my car to a local tire business to get the job done. They are competent , knowledgeable and customer service friendly. Honest pricing! Thank you ! read more

Took my 1999 Range Rover to Chris to have my air suspension converted over to regular springs. They hooked me up with a great kit and my Rover drives smoother than ever. They did the whole job in about two days. Highly recommend these guys if you are in the Santa Barbara area with a Range Rover or other European. read more

For a while, Ive gotten to know Bert Linau and his team. They have serviced my ancient Audi and my friends (older) BMW. Bert is a compassionate guy who is knowledgeable and trained in German cars. What I like so much is that if something is not essential, or can wait awhile without detrimental effect on vehicle, he recommends that course, rather than grab, cram and load my bill. Once he even had a spare Audi headlight switch ($450) which he put in for nothing... and gave me the expensive part.. Im a customer for life and thats how business in this town should be :) read more

I met Bert when he was the Foreman in service (for 15 years!) for Audi at the Santa Barbara Auto Group. Let's just say I don't take my cars to that over-priced place anymore. The Garage never lets me down. They pick me up when I need to be picked up, are honest & straightforward about the time and cost of a project and offer practical solutions based on my goals with my cars. read more

We've only brought cars to these guys a couple times, but they've been incredibly professional and honest. Definitely recommended and will go back soon. Clean shop and great location. Thanks. read more

Bert is THE man! I am extremely pleased with my first experience at The Garage. Just bought a 2001 EV MV and brought her in for a full inspection which was incredibly thorough. Down to burned out bulbs. She immediately needed a rack and pinon job. Bert is really knowledgeable about VW's, did the work as promised, on time, and for what I was quoted (which was incredibly reasonable). I am eager to learn all I can about my dream van and Bert was really patient with my questions and teaching me about her when I asked. I feel really confident owning an older car with Bert looking after her! read more

Brand new in Santa Barbara, I arrived at The Garage, after reading rave reviews on Yelp, with my brand new (used) Mini Cooper Countryman. I had put the wrong gas in it - the manual having told me that lower octane was ok, and me not knowing that octane as low as 87 doesn't exist in Europe. A yellow engine light was on. I assumed that I had damaged the engine, and at the very least my almost full gas tank would have to be drained. Bert could not have been nicer, did a test and assured me the engine was fine, and told me there was no need to drain the engine (saving me a ton of money) as an octane booster in the tank would work fine. I was clearly in honest hands. One of his regular customers told me that despite his all American style he had trained in Germany and that nobody knew European cars better than he did. I am so grateful to have been guided to Bert by all the previous yelp reviews, and glad that my mini has a good GP in her new home. read more

I have an Audi have been so happy with The Garage. Bert is extremely knowledgable, does great work, and provides friendly, honest, and helpful good old fashioned customer service that is hard to find these days. He not only services your car, but takes the time to expalin everything and give advice. read more

The only mechanic I've ever had that is fair, honest and always does quality work. I have a Mercedes and I'd recommend them to anyone. Friendly as well! read more

This is the BEST mechanic shop I've ever been to, after 15 years of trying a few different mechanics in Santa Barbara. Bert is so knowledgeable about cars, and I love that he educates me every time I pick up my car by explaining what he did or what needs to be done in the future. I've never had a mechanic teach me so much! He is also quick to say what doesn't need to be fixed at the moment, if there are things that can wait till later-- very few mechanics do that! I highly recommend The Garage to anyone looking for an honest, dependable mechanic. read more

This shop is the only place I will take my Audi to, done, end of story. After having some interesting experiences with the Audi dealership (go figure), I was recommended The Garage from my Lyft driver (also driving an Audi). The dealership quoted me more than double for something that Bert was able to fix for little to nothing. There was no BS with this visit, I came in and left with my car running like new. Ladies, this is the best place to take your car and not feel like you are being taken for a ride with unnecessary repairs etc. Bert is an awesome dude!!! read more

Burt did an awesome job with my Mini and charged a fair price- repairing it to spec in less time for less money than Schneider's... Without any attitude. Helpful, courteous, fairly priced and quick service = my highest rating. read more

The Garage Santa Barbara is a great place to get first class care and repairs for your car. While specializing in Audi's and German cars, Bert Linau and his co-worker can easily take care of any other brand car. If you want an expert to take care of your car, this is the place to go. Its not the right place if you are a bargain hunter or looking for a cheap fix. This is a master mechanic with years of experience who will do a thorough general inspection if you come in for i.e. an oil change. You can get a car while yours is in service, they do a quick car cleaning, you can even ask to get the car dropped off at your local address. You can't beat the customer service. They are courteous, experienced and timely. In addition, they'll also let you know if there's something that does not need to be done at the time, not like other places who'd have you fix anything and everything they could make money on. Can definitely recommend The Garage! read more

If they work on your make and model then these are the guys to see. Only reason they don't get 5 stars is that we had some kind of communication breakdown and it turns out my car was fixed a day earlier and I didn't know. read more