Marlon at Garage One is skilled and honest. I'm happy to finally have found a great mechanic in Santa Barbara.

Marlin saved the day! My husband and I had major car trouble on the freeway and needed to find a mechanic asap. We could not have been luckier than to have broken down just a few miles from Garage-1. Marlin dropped everything he was doing to assess the problem, ordered the water pump within an hour and put aside his entire day to install the new pump. He is knowledgeable, efficient, and such a nice guy. The cost was totally reasonable and it was quality work! To top it off, he even picked us up in town when the car was done. It also doesn't hurt that the shop is located in the charming town of Carpinteria, somehow our bad luck turned into a nice day, strolling around at the beach and popping in to all the cute shops and restaurants. It was a win, win. read more

Took great care of my BMW X5 once again. Excellent customer service, quality, and advice. Highly recommend Garage-1 and Marlin. And very reasonable pricing for good, local Carpinteria service. read more

Fantastic work by Marlin. Highly recommend for fair work with great quality. Doesn't matter if it's just a regular service or a more involved repair. read more

Marlin is a real standup guy, and you couldn't ask for a more knowledgeable, competent, and efficient professional to take care of your automobile. I came in to see Marlin on a bloody hot day when I had just discovered that my air conditioning wasn't working. He generously offered to take a look at it that afternoon between jobs to see if there were any obvious fixes. Thus earning my business for life... read more

Went to other shops in the areas and paid for diagnosis and parts that would fix the problem my car was having that ultimately did nothing but hurt my wallet. After taking the car to Garage 1, Marlin located the problem within seconds of opening the hood and gave me a clear diagnostic of the problem. So I went back to the other shop and got my money back and found a knowledgeable, straight-up and professional mechanic in the process. If I can't fix the problem myself, I have 100% confidence that Marlin can. Do yourself a favor and don't waste your time and money, take it to Garage 1. read more

Marlin was wonderful! He stayed on a Friday afternoon looked at my daughters car and ordered parts and fixed it first thing Monday morning.

There are not enough compliments or recommendations I can give to Marlin and Garage-1, of course there is a reason why he is in such demand. Could not be happier with the work he did on my Porsche and strongly recommend you consider Garage 1 for work you need on any car you own. read more

Marlin does a great job, he's inventive in providing a variety of options when trying to decide whether to fix or not fix, and he's honest and provides results for a fair price. What more can you really want in a mechanic? read more

I never had the pleasure of meeting Marlin in person, but he is extremely professional and up-front. I wanted to purchase an older Porsche Cayenne in the area a few months ago and needed to have it inspected. My friend suggested I use Marlin if I wanted the job done right, and I was extremely satisfied with the service I was provided. Marlin is extremely professional. He is very knowledgeable when it comes to German vehicles (and other cars as well). He has YEARS of experience and it really showed every time I spoke with him. He knew exactly what he was talking about (I know this because there are two common problems with the older Porsche Cayennes - cardan shaft failures and coolant pipe failures - and he knew about both of them). He made sure to specifically address both of those concerns for me. Marlin kept my confidence as a top priority. The owner of the Porsche took the car into Marlin's shop for me, which is why I never met Marlin myself. However, Marlin made it clear to both me and the owner that he would only be dealing with me. Marlin only sent the inspection report to me, since doing otherwise would be a conflict of interest. That is when I knew I made the right choice. Finally (and most importantly), Marlin REALLY delivered on what I paid him for. I was given a highly detailed breakdown of everything, with estimates and the whole nine. I knew exactly what I was getting into by having the car inspected by Marlin. THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT. His attention to detail, coupled with his experience and skill, is truly unparalleled. I cannot give a higher recommendation for Garage-1. Marlin is a great guy, very personable, professional, and really delivers. Thanks, Marlin. read more

Marlin is clearly one of the most experienced german auto mechanics around. His service is complete, honest and of the highest quality. I trust what he tells me and I never get the feeling that I'm getting the run around like I have from some mechanics or dealer service departments. If he doesn't know what the problem is, he'll tell you. He stands behind his work and sees it through to completion. His honesty and integrity are appreciated mores than he knows. read more

Garage One is the garage to take your car to! Marlin is the best around these parts hands down. What I appreciate most is his professionalism and communication in dealing with the issues at hand. Very clear emailed estimate with pictures of what needed to be repaired on my Mercedes. Thanks again Marlin! read more

We were visiting the beaches of Carpinteria, CA when my Infinity developed brake problems. I used yelp to find Garage - 1 German and gave Marlin, the owner, a call. I described the problem over the phone - confident that my brake pads needed replacement - but Marlin disagreed. He said bring the car in so he could better assess the issue which I did. After about 20 minutes he concluded it was a rotor problem and the repair could wait until we returned home. Given that we were here celebrating my wife's birthday and I really did not want to deal with a car problem, I was very grateful for such an honest assessment. So I echo all the other reviews in saying this guy not only knows his stuff but his integrity is without question. read more

Marlin is responsive, professional and delivers. He is trustworthy and dependable. Highly recommend him.

i found marlon here on yelp and i'm coming back to say only the highest and best things about him. i don't do a lot of reviews and it's been a real long time since my last one, but i'm a real person and this is a for real review. marlon is the best. i have a converted sprinter van and a vw bug r-series, and in every case he has gone above and beyond to make sure they're both in top shape for the ways that we use them. this is the guy you wish you could find wherever you live. we were so lucky to find him. read more