Granny’s Garage

When I first got my BMW and needed a AAA tow at one point, I was going to have them take me somewhere else. The AAA towing guy basically told me that Granny’s was the place to go, and HE WAS RIGHT!!! I never wanted to go anywhere else after that. They are not cheap, but Kurt is very honest and has been working on BMWs for many years, and really knows his stuff. Honesty and aptitude in a mechanic are the two most important things, and he has both. And he is a nice guy, as is the woman who works in the office and the guys that Kurt has working for him. I did not have a lot of problems with my car because it was in such new condition, but he was really, really great; they all were. Five stars for the best BMW place in Santa Barbara (to be honest, I never went anywhere else!!)

I had an issue with the AC/​Heat in my recently-​purchased used BMW 325i Sport Wagon. Having never owned a BMW before, I was concerned about finding an honest mechanic. Thanks to Unilocal, I found Kurt at Granny’s Garage. Before going to Granny’s, I did a lot of research as to what might be the problem, and the dealer that I called told me that the cost of repair would likely be nearly two thousand dollars.
I was tentative about going to a new mechanic, but when I got there EVERYONE made me feel right at home. Within two minutes Kurt identified the problem and offered the least-​expensive repair. The repair bill was completely in line with the estimated repair cost (a fraction of what the dealer quoted me), and the service was done timely the same day. Knowing that I just bought the car, the team also was kind enough to do a full evaluation of the car (at no extra cost) to be sure there were no impending problems. Fortunately, there were none!
Imagine that: a car mechanic that is friendly, performs as promised, and doesn’t try to trump up repairs that really don’t need to be made.
The professional and friendly service, the knowledge of the vehicle type, and the timeliness and cost all lead me to conclude that this is an excellent shop, where I will be returning for years for the care and maintenance of my cars.
I could not give this business too high of a recommendation. It’s the best.

This is the BEST BMW shop I have ever been to. Some of the reasons it is THE BEST:
–Kurt is extremely knowledgable. He is second-​to-​none in his knowledge of BMWs
–You are absolutely treated like family. I moved out of Santa Barbara a few months ago to the Midwest. A mechanic in the Midwest recommended a repair that I didn’t trust. I called Kurt to get his opinion on wether or not to move forward with the repair. He remembered my car and talked me through my options. He had NO WAY of making any money on this, but simply because I was his customer in the past, he gave me is opinion, which I consider to be gospel on BMWs. He also talked me through what he would charge for such a repair so I would have a baseline. (BTW: Kurt’s price for the repair in SANTA BARBARA was $ 150+ cheaper than what I was quoted by a shop in Cincinnati, Ohio). THAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE.
–Kurt is so knowledgable and efficient with his work that his prices are more than fair (see example above where his price in CALIFORNIA was cheaper than what I was quoted in the Midwest).
–You will always feel very taken care of while knowing that Kurt cares as much about your car as you do.
I cannot recommend Kurt and his work highly enough.

These are kind and caring people who look after their customers like they’re family. They’re knowledgable, competent and proactive in maintaining our car.

The absolute go-​to BMW shop in Santa Barbara. When i got my BMW 6 years ago i spent a while trying different shops around Santa Barbara until a friend recommended Granny’s. I usually do my own minor repairs on my car, but when I have something that is too much of a headache our out of my skill range, i bring it to Granny’s. This is by far the most reliable, honest, speedy, and reasonably priced BMW shop in town.
Kurt is a very friendly and easy going guy. He takes the time to explain exactly whats going on and shows you the old parts to give you an idea of what happened.
This is the mechanic that you’ve been searching for.

I have recently moved away from Santa Barbara and boy do I miss Kurt at Granny’s! I am actually preparing to drive my vehicle 300 miles down to Santa Barbara from San Francisco for Kurt’s excellent service. He has helped me with my 1999 BMW 540 countless times over the past five years, always striking the right balance between economy and maintenance of my car.
You can spend more money for perfectionist car repairs, but when you’re driving an older BMW you need to know someone who will work with you to weigh the repair options at every turn. Kurt has spent an hour searching for a coolant leak on my car without billing me, and has advised me on my own repair jobs several times. For example, when I couldn’t identify the cause of a tick in my engine, Kurt correctly identified a spark plug noise saving me a lot of time and money looking for a hydraulic lifter problem.
Thanks again, Kurt, in this age of disposable cars we need more mechanics like you that make it possible to keep an older car on the road!

On our way back to San Diego, my BMW ’03 started to shake while idle and the exhaust got really loud. Brought it into Kurt and he put my car up right away and did an inspection on it. We were worried we wouldn’t make it to SD, but he said we were safe, gave us the part name we would need to fix it when we got back, and he did ALL of this for free. Overall great service!

Serviced my BMW & Mercedes for over 10 years. Never had a complaint. The owner Kurt is kind, thoughtful, and a good problem solver.

I had a faulty passenger seat sensor that caused the airbag light to go on all the time. Rather than replace the sensor at considerable expense, Kurt suggested I purchase an inexpensive bypass device from eBay (less than $ 15) and he installed it for a few bucks. it worked like a charm, saved me a bundle, and the passenger airbags are fully functional.

I’ve owned over 15 BMW’s in my lifetime and am an avid BMW enthusiast. I used to take my cars to other shops but once I took one to Granny’s I never went anywhere else. The entire staff is very nice and very easy to work with not to mention Kurt and the guys are the best BMW mechanics in town. They don’t ever try and get you to replace something that doesn’t have to be replaced and always want to try the cheapest solution first. I recommend them to everyone that has a BMW or Mercedes, best shop in town hands down.

By far the most reasonably-​priced independent BMW mechanic I have used in Santa Barbara.

I love to review a place like Granny’s because I prefer to write positive reviews rather than negative ones! I have been a customer of Granny’s for almost 20 years and have never, I repeat NEVER been disappointed!!! They always get my car in promptly when I need work, they stick to the qoute that they give me and I haven’t ever had to take the car back for additional work! It seems so rare these days to find people in the service industry that take pride in their work. I have had the opportunity to refer Granny’s to several friends and I think that they are all still loyal customers as well.

Doesn’t stand behing their work. Three weeks after a radiator hose replacement to a relatively new radiator, (4 years, 41,000miles) the same connection to radiator broke, causing a roadside breakdown. Radiator had to be replaced at considerable expense because of possible damage, done during installation of the new hose. Cracking or breaking of connection during installation sited as cause, due to conditions of break and low age and mileage on radiator. Granny’s did not stand behind their three month warranty of service, despite significant evidence, indicating possible damage at time of repair.