Santa Cruz Auto Repair

I have been taking my BMW's to Nate for over 30 years.I first met Nate when I bought a 1983 320is. He was the service manager for Santa Cruz BMW, which long ago closed. He then opened Optimal Auto Care. He has serviced and repaired all my BMW's, the 1983 320is, a 1985 325is, a 1988 M6, a 1999 540iT, and a 2003 540iT. Nate is the most knowledgeable mechanic for BMW's I have ever encountered. Since I live in Salinas, it is a hassle getting the car to and from his shop in Santa Cruz. His intimate knowledge of all things BMW makes it worth the drive. Always professional, always very busy, which speaks to his experience and quality service, but always excited to talk about anything BMW, Nate Smith is simply the best BMW mechanic on the central coast.

Fast and efficient service. Â Within minutes after my arrival, they started servicing my vehicle. Â Compared to other BMW mechanics in the area, the price was right and service was stellar.

After a lot of "trial and error" in finding someone to service our BMW in the Santa Cruz area, we finally found Nate Smith's Optimal Auto Care. Not only are they are honest and very fairly priced, they're professional and extremely helpful. We couldn't imagine entrusting our car to anyone else!! Thank you Nate and your entire team.

BEST IN TOWNI have been taking my 2001 wagon to Nate since the warranty ran out. The first thing I did was check around to find out from other BMW owners where to go. EVERYONE said Optimal Auto. I even checked with an owner of a local new car dealership in town and heard the same, Optimal Auto. I have never been disappointed in the customer service or repairs. It is pricey but what isn't when you have a BMW. They are honest and will tell you the straight scoop. Maybe something is showing sign of wear but it can be replaced the next service, they will give you options. I can't say enough about the whole staff too, they treat you like you are family, they really care about you and your car.

I will not take my car anywhere else! Â I have taken my 2003 Mini Cooper with high mileage there a number of time and the service has been honest and cost effective (Mini's like BMW's are not cheap to work on, generally parts.) Â This time I had an error code that even after repairing the part, it still showed up. Â Nate and team spent a fair amount of hours trying to figure it out. They did not want to replace a computer that didn't need to be. Â Based on Nate's experience in the market, he personally dug deeper into his resource pool and found a way to fix it.Then, the best part, and the part that NO OTHER SHOP in the country would do, he didn't charge me for the labor hours they spent trying to figure it out. Â I was happy to pay, but they said, they should have had this knowledge and they had learned how to deal with the same thing in the future, so they didn't charge me!Wow, other shops would have never done this. Â Now, I want to buy my next vehicle with Optimal's help, then bring my cars to Nate Smith forevermore.Thank you, Nate and Team!!!

My family has been long-time loyal customer's of Optimal, and we have taken my old BMW there for minor repairs for the last several years. Recently I had a pretty bad oil leak, and when I brought it in, they found that it was a result of a mistake they'd made when they were replacing a head gasket a while back. Since it happened during a repair that they did, with a part that was still under warranty, they brought my car in and fixed it for free. Great customer service, this definitely ensured that I will continue to bring my Beemer here!

I bought two beautiful BMW's from Optimal Auto in March. The DMV's new mail system for dealer registration has been sub optimal at best. After several phone calls to the DMV were met with a reply of," your registration should arrive any day".. I waited for me reg to arrive. Of course I was pulled over and told the DMV had no record of my registration and my car would be impounded, as the registration was way past due. I called Optimal Auto and explained the situation. Nate went to the DMV and spent two hours working the situation out and then Meg delivered the tags to our house tonight. Their service is unparalleled and their cars are the best. No one but optimal auto will ever work on my car. They have NO competition as far as I am concerned.

I have been using Nate Smith for my 1999 528it for 5 years.  Put away your unrealistic expectations of always getting immediate service or comparing their prices with some unnamed shop in LA or expecting them to find some wrench you probably lost yourself, and Optimal Care is  the best run business in town.  Expensive?  Well, realistic cost for quality care.  They seem to identify the problems, communicate the cause and have several choices of levels of repair.  Then they fix it to the degree that I desire ..., since I have an old car. By the way, I often leave money inthe car and have never had anything stolen.  Most realistic people who want quality care and are willing to pay for it will be happy with Nate Smith.

Nate's Optimal Auto is the only mechanic in Santa Cruz that I will use! Â I've been taking my wife's BMW and my Toyota to Nate since 2003 and have received EXCEPTIONAL service and treatment every single time that we have dealt with them. Â They have gone "above and beyond" on several occasions to ensure that we were well taken care of and that our cars received the best possible service. Â They have been very thorough in researching and handling problems with our cars. I recently had a transmission problem which, if I had taken my car to a dealer, would have resulted in having to pay for having a new transmission installed. Â Nate researched the situation and was able to repair it at a fraction of what it would have cost at a dealer. Â Now it's running like a top! Â I am delighted!I really appreciate the level of care and the quality of service!

Nate's shop is fantastic. We showed up minutes before they were closing and were personally helped by Nate in a professional and friendly manner. He went above and beyond what we've experienced at other Auto Care establishments.He saved us money on a repair that our Mini Cooper S required. We have definitely found the shop that will exclusively service our Mini Cooper!Thanks Nate!!