Westlake Village European Auto Repair

My first time here was today. I had a great mech for my 530i Bimmer -- in Santa Monica -- but going into town from the Bu these days is an all day affair, so I wanted a mechanic closer to me. So I went over the hill to the Valley, based on the Yelp reviews I found for CS Motorwerks. Chris diagnosed my problem (bad spark plugs) and did the work quickly, and well. He also went over the car and told me six other things that should be taken care of in the next year or so -- and he was dead on about all of them. (I checked the engine later. Every thing he told me was right.) BMW's are insanely great cars with some insanely ridiculous shortcomings. It takes a real artist to figure it all out. You want total dependability, get a Honda. You want beauty and grace, get a BMW or an Alfa -- but prepare for it to fuck up. It takes a special kind of wrenching to make these cars reliable in the long run. Wrenching that is surprisingly hard to find. This place impressed me. I used to do all my own work on my Bimmer, but no more -- my body punishes me when I work on my car - but I know cars and and I know and respect great mechanics - it's an art form, no lie, you have to be super Zen to really be good at it -- and Chris impressed me a helluva lot. He's smart, honest, and thorough. He did the job quickly today, and his prices are reasonable. Really good mechanic. Really good shop. Good karma. I'll be back.

I almost don't want to share because I want to keep this prize a secret. I've been using Chris's shop, CSmotorwerks, for more than five years. I have found Chris to be extremely knowledgeable about BMWs, more so than any other shop I've tried. He takes the time to explain the repairs and is good about providing options to keep costs down. It can be hard to find a good BMW shop and I am more than pleased to provide this testimonial.

I took my car to two shops for a quote on some engine work and my third shop was the charm. Christian at CS Motorwerks provided me a much better price for the work I needed and walked me through the process of the work that needed to be done and the pricing. After getting my car back and feeling like I avoided being ripped off by two other shops, I don't think I will take my BMW anywhere else as long as I'm in socal. I've always wanted an independent car shop that I felt like I could trust and it looks like I finally found one. I definitely recommend taking your BMW here and I highly doubt you'll be disappointed in the car service or customer service.

My almost 7 yr old 2008 328 conv had the check engine light on and Christian diagnosed it to be a failed sensor. I have a SULEV (super ultra low emission vehicle) and the sensor that failed was welded onto the radiator, which meant the radiator had to be replaced also. Rather than just doing the repairs, Christian did some research and found out that this problem was still covered under warranty. He gave me the phone number of a service advisor at the BMW dealer who was familiar with Federal and California SULEV extended warranties. I brought my car into the dealer and repairs were performed at no charge! The service advisor at the BMW dealership even commented that CS Motorwerks saved me a lot of money because not many independent BMW repair shops would look into seeing if a certain type of repair was still covered on a vehicle that the manufacturer's warranty had expired almost 3 years earlier and that they would have just done the repair and collected their fee. Christian's extensive knowledge of BMW's is only matched by his honesty!

For the last 3 years, my family and I have been taking our Mini Coopers to CS Motorwerks. We have always been happy with the quality of service they provide. The team at CS Motorwerks knows the ins and outs of the automotive sector and are always friendly and available to answer any questions. I would recommend this shop to anyone who owns a BMW/Mini Cooper. Your car will be in good hands.

I have taken my BMWs to Christian twice and he has yet to charge me. Just prior to my first visit, I was told by another repair shop that my car needed brakes. I decided to ask Christian his opinion before moving forward. He took a look at the brakes and saw the pads still had meat and the brake light was not glowing. He advised me to wait for the light to illuminate. The second time I was having engine problems. Another shop told me that I needed to have the intake manifold polished for a cost of ~$800. Again, before having the work done, I checked with Christian. He said it sounded more like a fuel delivery issue and that my car had fuel injector issues for which BMW had extended the warranty. Christian advised me to take my vehicle to the dealer for repair. He further told me that if the dealer found the problem to be something other than the injectors, he'd be happy to take a further look. However, he was correct about the faulty injectors and the repair of over $2,000 was covered under warranty. Finally, based upon my experiences, a friend of mine also took her BMW to Christian. She had received an estimate of $600 from another shop for a repair that she declined. Christian was able to fix the problem for $200. Christian is a great mechanic and runs a very fair and trustworthy shop. I recommend CS Motorwerks wholeheartedly!

Great mechanic, great shop. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a solid, honest place to get your car fixed. It won't get any better than this!!

Well it's 8 months later than my previous review. This time around my brakes were at the point that they finally needed to be replaced/worked on along with some other maintenance items on my list. It was a breath of fresh air to have someone like Christian work on my BMW. He's an incredibly knowledgable, talented, honest and fair mechanic/shop owner. I firmly believe in supporting small local businesses and this is one business I support. I am over the moon thrilled to find my forever mechanic and to not feel like I paid a mortgage sized bill at the end of my service. My car runs beautifully and I am one happy and relieved driver. It's gotta say/mean something when you read all the outstanding reviews on CS Motorwerks. Thank you, Christian.

A year ago I moved to Simi Valley from the San Fernando Valley. I had a great independent BMW shop I used, but I thought I could find another great shop in my new neighborhood. I took the recommendation a person who owns BMWs and has lived in the area for a long time. I tried the shop, but I had to make too many return visits to resolve issues with newly installed parts, and some other issues I didn't like. Next, I tried a nearby BMW dealership. I was also greatly disappointed. So far, it was two strikes and I was thinking of just returning to my old independent shop in spite of the drive. Before giving up, I decided to talk with some other BMW owners in Simi, stopping to talk with them on the street or in parking lots. I received three recommendations for Chris Sniady at CS Motorwerks, in Westlake Village. I did some internet research and liked what I saw, and decided to give Chris a try. Best decision I have made since moving to Simi. Chris is knowledgeable, friendly, and his prices are reasonable. He has worked on my car several times now, including an oil change, installing new motor mounts and new shock absorbers, plus helping me working out some issues with my headlights. If you are looking for a place where you can trust the person to care for your investment, look no further and go see Chris at CS Motorwerks.

Christian is knowledgeable and professional. I find him honest & trustworthy in repairing my 04 325. He is a little quiet at first and warms up quickly.