Car Tender Reviews

No other place I would bring my vehicles to, whether my classic BMW or my fleet Mercedes...I also bring my duramax there but don't tell anyone.

They are a rip off. They will claim you need 'other' services once they have your car. When you asked to see the 'broken' piece or worn piece that they are replacing they claim it was accidentally thrown away.

John and the Team at Car Tender took great care of my vehicle during a recent trip to the coast in Washington. They provide a real local business and authentic approach to their craft. You won t find a more honest place to take your vehicle that will provide the level of value you get at this workshop.

These guys are awesome! What down to earth good people in the heart of Seattle no less! They helped me with a flat no fuss. Friday night 5 pm. Thank you John & Patrick!!!

I have used Car Tender for service on every car I have owned over the past twenty years since I moved to Seattle. I attempted to use Audi of Seattle for a couple of repairs, but they were a far cry from the quality of service and overall experience that Car Tender provides. While not the cheapest hourly rate, they always have always diagnosed the problem correctly the first time, and probably saved me quite a bit of money with their efficiency. Every repair was done correctly the first time, and I have never had to bring a car back (unlike Audi of Seattle) to get them to diagnose the actual correct problem. Personalized service. Once you've been there, they know you by name, and treat you terrifically. I always spoke with Patrick Linke for 18 years, until he recently moved on. I would recommend Paolo for any questions you have regarding your vehicle. Highly recommend.

There is no other place I would bring my 75' 2002 to. Far and away the best European shop in the PNW....especially for classics.

Excellence is the best word I would use to describe my experience in this car repair business. Keep it up!

CarTender has done routine maintenance and repair on my two now nearly classic (20 years old) BMWs since they were new. The guys at CarTender have come through with really inventive repair work on these cars to fix a couple of unconventional problems when they occurred. The guys are thorough, careful, and absolutely stand behind their work. I won t go anywhere else.

Amazing service every time I bring my car in. Really well run shop, recommended!

I saw the full video of the incident at Car Tender. The amount of patience and restraint the owners practiced with that mob was incredible. They never worked on my car but as a fellow mechanic and shop owner on the opposite side of the country I can tell you those are qualities you find in very skilled automotive technicians. I would not hesitate to give them a try! Hope your situation down there is resolved quickly and peacefully. Cheers!

Great staff. Though they didn't have time+expertise to work on my Lada.

Did my 2000 528i. I was surprised they only charged half an hour of shop time to replace a MAF pipe. Seattle places can gouge you but not here. Courtesy inspection was informative and accurate. This is an icon of 12th Ave. I remember my friend going here in the mid 90s and it was an icon then.

Great company - super service, far better value than the dealer and they took a practical approach to solving a problem and doing it for far less cost. Totally reliable. Third time going here and they've been consistent.
Will definitely use them again.

Amazing service! So friendly, respectful and helpful.

I always thought of Car Tender as being an honest business until I went over records of a vehicle I had recently bought.

You guys charged the owner $370.00 to replace brake fluid in the the reservoir. Not a complete brake flush and not one component was replaced. It is noted as plain as day that the fluid was siphoned from the reservoir and refilled.

I have 25 years in the European auto repair business and read all of the repair orders throughly and was very disappointed to see how you guys took advantage of the previous owner of this car. There are several other jobs where it appears book time was almost double what current Alldata times are.

I understand you need to be profitable, but some of these charges are out right ridiculous.

These guys are affordable and their services are exceptional!

This is the ONLY shop that will work on my BMW's! Excellent customer service, honest and fair.

Excellent from start to finish, especially good at keeping you informed on options and progress.

Possibly the best place to have your German car repaired

You should sue the city and the mayor for the cops not coming when your place was set on fire and burglarized. Failure to protect.

Car Tender has been servicing our Volvo, BMW, & VW autos for 20 years. What else needs to be said?

I want good, honest work, so I shall not use their service again.

Got a quote for $60 to replace a headlight here. Just got the work done elsewhere for $12.50. Can't vouch for the service, but the prices are astronomical.

Fantastic service. Had a windshield wiper break 10 minutes before closing, and the mechanic helped switch to the working arm/blade so I could drive for no charge. Will return for future service.

They are fantastic about being super transparent about any work they recommend (or don't recommend!) and the price. Great communication through the maintenance process so you know exactly when things will be done.

The shop works with integrity and were able to take my vehicle in immediately. The staff all seem knowledgeable and friendly. I appreciate the text updates and help working with my insurance company. Thank you for making this an easier process! Great neighborhood shop for my BMW!

Took my car in when the cable that ran from my starter to the batter melted on my exhaust header.

Pros:
The customer service was really good. I was dropped off and when the final repair was done they even drove it to my work. I'm assuming that's not something they did for everyone. More about that later.

Price for labor was about average for this area and the repairs were done quickly.

Cons:
I had to take the car back right after driving it off because the starter (which they had to take off to get to the cable) was incorrectly aligned and making a grinding noise when starting the car. Not sure how they missed this when they started the car and drove it out to me.

To their credit though, they did remedy the situation by giving me a ride back to work and dropping my car off at my work when they finished the repairs. They also didn't charge me anything for the second repair.

I got the feeling they were decently honest and didn't mean for the car to have any other problems. I work on cars frequently (I couldn't work on this one because it broke down at 5 a.m. on I-5) and I had a good indication of the problem before taking it in. They diagnosed the problem correctly and were honest about the problem and the repair.

Overall, not a bad shop I suppose. Could have better quality control when letting cars go out the door. It looks like they work on a lot of cars but have good intentions at heart.

I gave it 3 stars but I feel closer to 3.5.

I have a great time bringing my car to the team at Car Tender. Super friendly and knowledgeable people. I don't know too much about cars, so I appreciate it when they explain what's going on when I bring my VW for a service. I also appreciate how I never feel like I'm being sold things I don't need. I'll always recommend this shop!

Been customers of Car Tender for more than 2 decades, in fact when they first started the business. Been satisfied with their commitment to reliable, honest service for as long as we've known them. We recommend them without reservations since we continue to use their services even after they moved out of their old site.

I've been taking my car to the great guys at Car Tender since about 1997. My mechanic of 19 years passed away, and I didn't know where to turn until one day I saw a beautiful 2002 parked in a lot. I wrote the owner a note, asking where she took her car for service, and left it on her windshield. It was the beginning of two wonderful relationships :) one with the owner of the BMW, and the other with Car Tender.

I'm doubtful there is any place else in Seattle as knowledgable and competent as Car Tender, especially for rarer cars like my 2002. It amazes me to see the scope of their skills, spanning old cars like mine to jazzy new digital wonders.

If this review sounds biased, it's because it is. I cannot say enough about them. There is huge peace of mind knowing they are there for me, and deliver top-notch professional services for reasonable prices. I'm very grateful and recommend them highly. It's really great to have an opportunity to leave a positive review for Car Tender.

PS. If you ever have to wait for your car, they have a well-stocked candy dish :)

This auto-repair car shop is truly a gem in 12th Ave! The staff works fast, very knowledgeable and they only charge you at a very reasonable rate. I trust Car Tender than any other repair shop. Highly recommended!

What a fantastic experiance!!! My wife and daughter were in seattle after having drove off of the pass where the SUV was giving them brake trouble. I was reffered to Car Tenders thru a friend who know the right people in the area. Patrick took my call and then worked my family in on a moments and inspected the vehicle, corrected the simple issue and sent them out the door with a freshly washed vehicle!!!
Thank you so much!!!
The Renards

I had a great experience with this company. Even though they didn t have the type of battery needed for my Escape, they were able to find one and install it same day. Plus they washed my car.

Car tender was my go-to shop for my 2002 Mercedes C-class. They consistently did better quality work at a lower price than Mercedes dealerships and have some of the best customer service I ve ever experienced from an auto shop. I have since moved out of the area so am no longer a customer, but would recommend to anyone in Seattle looking for expert mechanics for older model German cars.

Very professional, and pleasant to deal with. The place is clean and organized. They are transparent about what is wrong, what they did, and what might need to be done in the future. Definitely did not feel overcharged, or taken advantage of. Even vacuumed and washed the car! I'll definitely be using them from now on. Thanks guys!

I have been taking my SUV to Car Tender for the last year and have been extremely happy with the quality of work and exemplary customer service. I am very critical of who I take my vehicle too and will always come back to Car Tender because I know the work will be done right with the highest standards.

Great experience here. Very prompt service and professional people. Did some AC and general maintenance work and got my car back within 24 hours!

These guys do excellent work. The only shop I trust for my business and personal vehicles.

Car Tender has been the sole tender of my 92 Mercedes for over 15 years. They've done everything from the little to the big and from the easy to the impossible. And at all times with integrity, precision and genuine care. They are not cheap, but they are by far the best! Regardless of what my next car is, it too will go to the Car Tender Team. My thanks to all!

Got my seriously ill husband out of the hospital - and found that I had a completely flat tire. I'm not from Seattle and was pretty desperate. Car Tender was pretty close and Wow! I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THEM! They went way above and beyond and were very, very nice. It's been a long time since I've been anywhere where everything is WONDERFUL!

If you are lucky, you might find a diamond ring on the beach. You might come across an original PIcasso in a thrift shop.Or you might decide to take your car to Car Tender

I recently took my vehicle to this place to have a couple of issues fixed. It went in for rear brakes, exhaust leak, tail light, and a new battery. For starters, it came out of the shop with a couple of brand new problems. It now will not accelerate properly, and the accelerator itself has gotten "stuck" and didn't free itself until I turned off the car. I brought it back and they basically told me they can check some stuff but it was going to cost more. After inflating the original estimate for the 4 tasks more than $1000. I will go elsewhere from now on.

Car Tender has been taking care of our cars for over 20 years. They are very clear about services needed, costs and time line. They also tell you when Factory Planned Services are not necessary. Can't recommend them highly enough!

Great service ,friendly technician's & very knowledgeable.

I was given an estimate of $700.00 for the work on my BMW - 3 days later when I finally asked if we were still within the $700, they said 'ah no, we are now at $1700.00. I told them to stop all work on the car, and it still took another day to get my car back, and the final bill was $1800.00! they were also rude. terrible experience overall.

Eric was an amazing help when I had an issue with my FIAT. He was extremely kind, honest and able to assist me immediately. I will definitely return to Car Tender!

Good People Doing good things for classics as well as newer cars. Have assisted me with Mercedes from 1955 to 1996 vintage.

Josh and the guys here are efficient and courteous, and will not take advantage of you. Trustworthy and excellent service- these guys are worth it!

I loved how communicative and transparent Paolo was during the whole process. It was great to be able to chat over text, so I didn't have to step away from work for frequent phone calls. Your price for the auto emissions test was a bit steeper than your competitors, but I was willing to pay it because your operation seemed (/is) really professional and conveniently located. I'm confident my car was in good hands!

Shame on all these people leaving bad reviews for this shop without ever having stepped foot in there!