Have gone to Bowman's for years for regular maintenance as well as to address various issues with my Audi over the years. I chose them because I lived across the street, so obviously this was especially convenient given it would involve leaving my car there. Now, I drive 5 miles across town to them--hassle and expensive Uber ride!!--because they are worth it. I wanted to highlight their HONESTY: The time finally came this summer for me to decide whether I wanted to keep putting money into my 10-year old Audi or buy a new car. After he diagnosed *several* issues with my car that would have ultimately cost me near $3k, Steve recommended I just get a new car--and not only that, but to get a Japanese car rather than another German one so that I could save on future repairs. Obviously none of that would have been in an auto-repair shop's best interest, so I just really appreciated the honesty (and consistency...Steve had actually given me the same advice before, I just didn't listen back then!). Also, Steve didn't charge me for any of the above diagnostics. Anyway, I did a total 180 on my car search thanks to Steve's advice and brought home my new Lexus today. Thank you Bowman's! and thank you also to Gunner the dog--I love you sweet boy! read more

Great experience with my Mini Cooper, knowledgable mechanics. They found the source and fixed it. Brady and Jesus listen to you and will do it right. Highly recommend this business. read more

I chose to come to Bowman's because it's walking distance from my house, I am so glad i found them. I am usually skeptical about going into a mechanic shop alone being a female, but they were so honest and trustworthy and straight forward. I never once thought twice about the work they were doing. I referred a co-worker and the amount she was quoted everywhere else was dropped by half that price. Highly recommend them and i will be using Bowman's for any car trouble i may have in the future!!!! read more

Thought my 4Runner had a more serious oil leak, but Bowman's diagnosed the culprit (oil cooler fitting) and fixed it in one day! Reasonable price for the work/parts. Looks like I found my "go to" mechanic in SB! read more

I have had 2 BMWs and with no doubt, Bowmans shop is the most trustworthy, reliable, and mostly HONEST shop in town. I've compared prices for the exact same repairs needed, and they are just plain ole HONEST and reliable. (No, they're not my family!) read more

Steve and Brady are neighborhood gems. Not only do they also help me and my family, there are times that they give me a ride home while the repairs are taking place. It is wonderful to be able to trust your mechanic, especially when you have no experience with cars. Thank you Steve and Brady! read more

Had a headlight issue and they fixed it the same day without charging a bunch of money. Great family owned place. Def would recommend

Jesus took time out to diagnose my Volvo v90. Told me I'm okay to drive home, and let me photograph the diagnostics to show the dealer. Good man, good shop. read more

Can't say enough good things about these guys. I got an oil change at this random garage earlier this year and then found out they put the drain plug in too tight. First garage I called would not assess without removing the plug. They said if it's stripped it's 3k plus to replace the entire oil pan. I asked if they can just assess before doing anything, they said no and got aggressive. Then I call Bowman and they are super mellow and tell me to bring it in and they'll take a look. They got the plug out, it's fine, changed oil and brake fluid and ran an overall diagnostic check. Super easy and quality experience. Just couldn't have been more pleasant. read more

Steve is a nice person and easy to communicate with but he should not be working on MiniCoopers. my FB Mini group did the correct diagnosis and I took it elsewhere to get what was a simple issue fixed. His diagnosis, not supported by test equipment, would have been the wrong solution and far more expensive. I'm just referring to Mini Coopers here. I think he's honest but was just not qualified to work on my Cooper. read more

Steve and his team exceeded my expectations! I took my car in to get new brakes and O2 sensor and they noticed one of my headlights was out and changed it with no fee. Would definitely recommend for anyone who needs auto repair! read more

Shop is scamming unknowing customers out of hard earned money. I would at least like the suggestion that my truck needs it valves adjusted and not to be told that it's probably a bearing issue and may cost thousands to repair. If you go up on other review sites you'll find other customers who have been overcharged and although the work is high quality there is many many things that are overlooked and lead to bigger issues read more

My MINI Cooper was due for a service, and they were able to take my car without needing to make a reservation far in advance. They got me in quickly and my car was done the same day. They were very nice and did an excellent job! I will definitely bring my MINI here for all my service needs. Definitely recommend! read more

I was in town visiting family and had concerns about my car's ability to get me home safely. I called Bowman's on a Friday morning and they fit me in the same day. I needed to drive back on Monday, so I really appreciated them making room in their schedule on such short notice on a Friday. They assessed my car and made some adjustments that allowed me to get home with no issues. Plus they were incredibly friendly and easy to coordinate with. I can't recommend them enough! read more

Convenient and personable. They took the time to explain the repairs; which was helpful because the dealership I previously went to always stacked on extra fees. read more

Bowman's is the best! Having a trustworthy mechanic is something my dad always valued and instilled in me. Bowman is that, like quintessential auto repair place, complete with an old dog out front like a Norman Rockwell painting. The shop is charming, the service is great, and the owner and mechanics are honest. Highly recommend Bowman's to all my friends and you! read more

Bowman's is amazing! Every time I've had an issue with my BMW, they have been able to get it resolved quickly and cost effectively. They are great about clearly explaining what's going on so I understand my options. It's much appreciated. read more

Unfortunately one of the scam shops in town charging customers excessive costs for basic repairs. I've personally had some extremely large quotes at nearly twice the cost of other shops and I'm an ex mechanic knowing what it should cost. Also unfortunately I've heard of a quote's like $10,000 to replace and engine on a 20 year old Toyota when it would cost between 4-6,000 from any other shop and also have had quotes with excessive labor costs. Many good shops will only charge the amount of hours it actually takes and not charge the book hours regardless of if it took less time. Another way this shop profits is off the parts by charging the customer extra over what the part suppliers are selling parts to the shop at. Say a part costs $50 and the mechanic shop charges you $100 so he can make more profit off the same work. Go to another shop and hunt around for labor rates between $90-140 per hour read more

If you need a GREAT VW mechanic in Santa Barbara, I highly recommend Bowman's Auto Repair! They are a fast, friendly, affordable, local, family-owned business. Excellent service! High integrity! Very glad we found them! read more

I was getting some strange noises at start up, like valves clacking n loose timing chain. It's hard to work on these new car engines, 2011 Hyundai. No check engine or engine repair light. I looked for a competent mechanic using Google, called a few n settled with Steve Bowman. I arrived at his shop and found it very clean, no oil or grease on the floor n parts on benches not scattered. Steve listened to my description of the problem. He asked me to leave the vehicle overnight n the next day he gave me a diagnosis. He repaired the problem and now my engine noises are gone. Steve was honest in his diagnosis, repaired n delivered my vehicle as promised. I highly recommend Steve Bowman Auto Repair. ADDITIONAL INFO - Three days after reapiring my vehicle Steve called and asked if there were any new issues that needed attending. NOW THAT'S SERVICE ! read more

The mechanics at this shop are thorough and competent and good at diagnosing difficult problems. The shop is easy to work with and provides great service. read more

I was concerned about a slight, intermittent burning I'd smelled as I drove between Northern and Southern California over the MLK Day weekend. The traffic in Santa Barbara was stopped dead, so I decided to use the time and instead of sitting, pulled off the highway and found Bowman's. Despite being super busy, they stopped and gave my car a safety check that was not at all cursory, including looking under the hood, checking out the brake pads, and inspecting the under carriage. They gave me the all clear -- and refused to charge me for the inspection. I could honestly see scheduling my car maintenance around Santa Barbara vacations just to justify going to Bowman's. read more

I took my car to Bowman's for an oil change and was pleasantly surprised at the nice experience. The charge was reasonable and they did not attempt to upsell me with repairs that I wouldn't be able to know whether I really needed or not. They were lovely and friendly and explained things to me thoroughly including my car's dashboard which completely mystifies me. I will be going to them from now on! read more

I live in the Sacramento area and my daughter is up in SB at school. Followed their Yelp reviews. Glad I did. They got her VW repaired very reasonably. Honest and dependable. Highly recommend read more

Take your car to Bowman's! These mechanics are very professional and super friendly. Normally when mechanics see me coming (female) they're going to charge me premium prices. These men were honest and the price was under what I was expected to spend. I am going to use this shop for my car from now on. read more

Complete trust in Steve and crew. We take our Volvo and Toyota Tacoma in. Used to take our Jeep Cherokee and Silverado before we sold them.

Went in to have my car battery replaced because it was incredibly super dead. They were very friendly and polite and I was out with a new battery in about 15 minutes! read more

Jerry Seinfeld once said a good mechanic more valuable than good sex. In an industry that is notorious for screwing you without consent Bowman's Auto repair is one of the good guys. Steve and Brady run a good dependable shop and are always honest with everything they do to your car. Multiple times they have called, giving me my options and price breakdown waiting on my approval where other shops load up the work orders and you don't learn about it until you get the bill. Highly recommended. read more

I struggled to find a car mechanic in town for my BMW that I trusted and that did excellent work. Bowman's is the only place I'll take my car now. All members of the staff are amazing and always kind. Steve and Jesus are always a joy to work with. I love that they always take the time to elaborate the details of the job performed and how that aspect of the car interacts with everything else. I recommend no other auto repair shop in town. 5+ stars read more

Trustworthy, Jesus did a pretty major repair on my Volvo. I thought the price was fair and so far my car runs great. They were happy to drive me home 3 different times. read more

I have an older BMW that's starting to have problems. Steve and Brady are extremely helpful and we're able to diagnose and solve all my problems within just a day. They even saved me some money by informing me that a few replacements didn't need to be done. I would recommend this shop to anyone with a German car that doesn't want to pay outrageous prices. read more

I have a Mini Cooper convertible and the guys at Bowman's do a great job taking care of it!

My 2005 Volvo V70 may have the most difficult headlights to change on the planet. Bowman's not changes the bulb w/o an appointment, but only charged me the $20 for the bulb ... no labor cost! Definitely my new "go-to" place to have my Volvo repaired. Plus, you get to visit Daisy the Chocolate Lab! read more

I had a very positive experience with Steve and crew with a repair on my Saab wagon. They completed the job on time and kept to the estimate. They did the whole job properly and I was very pleased with the whole experience. How do I know it was done properly? I'm a mechanical engineer by day. I usually do my own car repair but am rethinking that approach due to Bowman's quality of work and reasonable cost. read more

Steve saved a tow to the Mini dealership in Camarillo!! able to fix my "collector" car & made it happen that day! For the cost of a cheap Uber ride home (they offered tho!)! and a beautiful walk to pick up the restored car ...so glad to have this discovered this gem... can't thank this team enough!! Steve & Phoebe your are both dolls! read more

Had a used car I thought might be worth buying. Invested $85 in a diagnosis and found the car had serious problems...more to fix than the car was worth. I walked away from the deal and that saved me a lot of problems. Great mechanics and good, honest service. read more

Great service! I was recommended by a friend to go there, and you couldn't find more knowledgeable, honest, and helpful mechanics. They would always ask before performing any more service, and even recommend against doing certain work because they didn't think it would be worth my money. I like them so much that I specifically waited to come back to Santa Barbara to get the oil changed on one of my cars. read more

I'm new to the area so this was the first time I'd had my car serviced in the area. Bowman's Auto repair came highly recommended through a friend. The service was stellar and I am definitely taking my car there for all future work! I have a 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix, and even though Bowman's specializes in BMW, Saab and Volvo, I felt my american made car was in great hands. My air conditioner needed service, my two front hub assemblies were in need of replacement and my front sway bar had rusted through and finally cracked through. Since I'm hands on, I bought the parts and planned to do it myself. When the rust from my Midwestern car made it clear I was in over my head I gave Bowman's a call. The owner, Steve is a certified master technician, and was a great guy to talk to. He took an interest in my car we had a great conversation about it and what I wanted done. He was honest and up front about everything and worked with installing the parts I had already bought. I brought my car in the morning and he had it ready in the evening -- even with welding to replace a broken bracket so he could get the new sway bar in. Throughout the whole process I felt like I was in good hands. And the price came in below what I expected. Its great to have a mechanic I trust in town! read more

I was driving from San Diego to San Francisco when my check engine light came on. I was in Santa Barbara where I know nothing about auto repair shops. Got online early this morning and contacted a few, and Bowen was the first to get back to me. Told me to come in anytime. I did, and the owner, Steve Bowen, came out immediately and hooked up the reader, and determined that it was a faulty bad fuel sensor. He cleared it and suggested waiting until I got back home to get it fixed. He recommended I put some high test gasoline in, and sent me on my way without charging me a dime. I was very impressed, and would highly recommend this business to everyone. It's not often that I get service that good and prompt. Thank you again, Steve! read more

Very kind and helpful service! I brought my car in to have the brakes and shocks checked. Turns out no work is needed at this time. The mechanics explained to me how my car is doing and let me know they did not need to service it. No charge since they didn't do any work. Great experience! read more