Car Tender

I've been a customer of Car Tender for the past year with an older Mercedes and advise other Mercedes owners to go elsewhere. Once I waited 2 hours for an oil change (it was dropped off at 9am, came to pick up at 4pm and ended up waiting until 6pm...and at $100 for an oil change I don't expect that!) and most recently I was told that it needed many (expensive I might add) things done to it only to take it to the Mercedes dealer (Phil Smart) and find the car was in excellent condition! Go figure! I don't plan on taking my car here anymore nor do I recommend you to! more

I am a recent Mini Cooper owner and was looking for a mechanic to trust. I was sent to Car Tender via the Capitol Hill BMW dealership - and have been very impressed! They provide excellent customer service, take time to explain services and so far, I feel they have only suggested what is needed. My take is that they are in it to develop long-term relationships with their customers. good news in a mechanic! Kudo to Car Tender. more

I love Car Tender. I've had nothing but quick & friendly service from them. I have always gotten my car back on schedule. They're always right on estimate. Wonderful treatment of my classic automobile! more

My experience with Car Tender has been very poor. I initially took my 1974 BMW 2002 in to investigate a noise that a Chevron station said sounded like a wheel bearing. They found nothing wrong during a test drive. When the noise worsened, I took it back and was told I needed a new differential. 700 dollars and three weeks later the noise was still there. They then informed me that it was a wheel bearing issue. There was another issue I had them fix at the same time. They did call me to authorize work over 100 dollars, as per the law, but when I paid the bill, it was nearly 150 more than they had quoted over the phone. For the most part, it's clear that they know their stuff, with my case being an exceptionally bad scenario. I recognize that old cars need constant maintenance and that people make mistakes. However, it is also clear that I was very low on their priority list. All in all, my car was in the shop for more than five weeks, with them promising that they would "get to it tomorrow." At no point did they set the expectation that it would be a while before they could get to my car. To add insult to injury, when I finally picked it up, they had lost my key. Test drive: $50 New (well, new to me) differential: $700 Fixed spark plugs/fixed leak/carburetor adjustments: $400 New wheel bearing/construction of a shim: $400 Finding a new mechanic: Priceless Bitter? Oh no .... more

I was sent Kevin York's direction by a friend of mine, and relatively long-time Car Tender customer. To borrow from one of Andy's early posts, I don't love them...I like them. Don't get me wrong, they're friendly guys and quite knowledgeable, but maybe it's the experience of trying to maintain a classic Rover that has me a bit jaded on all garages. While things can get a bit expensive, they do go the extra mile with shuttles to nearly anywhere within reason, a freshly-washed vehicle when it's ready for pickup, and they're always hunting for constructive feedback. The key for me was their knack for explaining, in non-technical language, precisely what the issues are with your vehicle...honestly, almost as if it were their own car. To that end, they've actually steered me away from what would have appeared to be costly repairs on several occasions, or suggested reasonable alternatives. Bottom line, I wouldn't use them for a basic oil change if you don't have to. But for anything more serious, give them a shot. more