Paul’s Motor Werks

These guys are the best. Very thorough, they always take the time to listen and are great at communicating to the clients and with each other. Very reasonable pricing and knowledgeable. I won’t take my car anywhere else.

Dishonest mechanic, I would not recommend taking your car here for any service. I had been taking my car to Paul’s over the course of a couple years, and spent a few grand or so on repairs over a few visits, and thought they were pretty good.
However, there were little signs of dishonesty that I picked up on each time, but seemed relatively minor so I did not pay them too much mind at first. For instance, once they did an oil change without my consent, and without me even having requested it in the first place. When I came to pick up the car and the bill was $ 80 higher than they quoted me over the phone, I had Jack go over each item with me, at which point I was a little surprised that they would just give me an oil change, charge me, slip it into my bill and not even mention it. He blamed it on the tech, and they took the charge off the bill. Another time, they swapped out the bmw emblems on the front and back without asking, and just charged me for that as well. Since I was thinking of doing that anyway, I just left them on, and paid them for it.
The first major red flag is when my alternator failed, and I had to get the car towed to their shop. The told me that I had a bad starter and they could not even diagnose the problem until the starter was fixed. However the starter was practically brand new at that point, and I did mention that, but they seemed adamant about the failure of the starter and insisted that it would need to be replaced. The starter was still under warranty from the mechanic that put it in, but I did not want to pay to get it towed again to his shop to get it checked out, and possibly find out that it was in fact a bad starter. So after the alternator and starter were replaced at Paul’s, I took back the «old» starter to the original mechanic, who tested it repeatedly right in front of me, and it fired right up every time. When I called and spoke to Paul over the phone, he was extremely rude, and defensive, and ended the conversation with a snide comment to the effect that he would be glad to put the old starter back in, and charge me again for the labor to do so (and of course not give me a refund for the starter he put in). I actually did not feel so strongly that he knowingly tried to cheat me, until that phone call, where he showed me his true colors.
I definitely had no plans to ever return to Paul’s shop, until I had a similar «trans failure» light come on recently. This is the same dash failure signal that I received when I had him replace the alternator, so I took the car back to his shop to have it checked out since the alternator was still under a 1 year warranty. After a few days of him having it at his shop, I had a relatively long conversation with him over the phone. He explained to me that the transmission was pretty much shot, and would need to be replaced. He laid it on pretty thick, and explained all sorts of technical inner workings of the transmission. He gave me 2 options, a new transmission which would run almost $ 4,000 and a rebuilt one which was almost $ 3,000. At this point I already strongly felt that he was highly dishonest, so I ended up just paying his diagnosis fee, and taking my car back. I then took the car to a transmission specialist to give the transmission a full inspection (consisting of removing the housing cover and checking for excessive metal laying around indicating damaged gears I suppose). Turns out, all they had to do, was reset the check engine light that had been triggered for some reason, close the transmission cover back up (with a new gasket), charge me a $ 200 service fee and send me on my way with a perfectly good existing transmission still in place. Now I have zero doubt as to Paul’s lack of honesty and integrity. I felt like going back and telling him, but I am sure he would not care one way or the other.
I rarely write reviews for anything, but I think it should be known the way that this shop operates, or at the very least how I was treated as a customer…

Love this place! Honest. Does good work. Doesn’t even seem like they want my money?!?
I have a 2008 that is reaching 100k, been taking it to the dealer, but the last time I went there for just a service, they said I «needed» a $ 1200 repair for something or other that I’d never even heard of, and my car was running fine, so I skipped it. Thought I’d give the dealer one more try, so I called 2 years later for service and was told it was due for over $ 1000 worth of work.
Went to Paul instead the next day and he explained to me that all I needed was a basic going-​over, and that I could wait to do most of the other work (like brake replacement) until my warning lights came on. He gave me a very clear rundown of what to expect over the next few years with my aging vehicle, and a clear budget for each item. Let’s just say I saved almost $ 700 on my trip to Paul’s.
I will DEFINITELY bring my car back here no matter what else comes up. I love how everything they do and don’t do is explained in detail, pricing is fair, and I trust that they aren’t going to «suggest» unnecessary repairs.
The only thing I miss about the dealer is the rental car — which I guess I was paying $ 1000 for.

Thank you! To everyone at PMW.
Top notch techs and mgmt. Both of our cars get worked on here exclusively. It’s so great to have someone close by that we can trust. If you don’t have to go to the dealer please go see Paul.

I Met Paul and felt he was an honest individual so when my car broke down and had to be towed I went to Paul. This I didn’t look around for pricing to see if it was good.
I got a call they told me my alternator had gone out and was quoted a price. I agreed to have it fixed. I went in to pick up the car and found out that the service was performed but was $ 100 more than quoted and that work had been done to replace a part I had not been notified of. Also I had called other places to see what they would charge for the same service and many would do it for $ 100 cheaper at a minimum. Some upwards of $ 300.
I was talking to the employee jack to see if he would work with me to make it cheaper. I wasn’t asking for the moon but to equal the competitors. I am a young college kid and didn’t want to be worked just because I had a car that needed to be towed.
Jack told me a couple different stories saying if it was before then they could but since it was done they wouldn’t and that is all because they had ready drawn up the invoice and the only explanation I got as to why they were more was because they were BMW certified parts. (All the places I called said they were as well) I asked if they would call the manager Paul. Jack left and then returned shortly saying that they could do nothing. He said he talked to Paul and said he said the same thing. «It’s already done tough luck.» I don’t think that Jack even called Paul because before he was already very irritated. and my friend saw him out the phone down when he walked outside. Course why would he want to do more work.
What makes me mad is the only explanation I had for as to why they charged more and they wouldn’t work with me is because the invoice had already been printed otherwise they would have given me a discount. Jack mentioned this multiple times. Just because I hadn’t done my homework before and was in a bind they took advantage of the situation and wouldn’t work with me and charged me more than quoted. I was not asking for the world. Just a good price. So as to not be taken advantage of.
I would not recommend Paul’s Motor Werks. You would be better off going to the BMW dealership. They charge pretty much the same price.

Quick, honest, competent and reasonably priced — highly recommend them for Porsche service!

We have two BMW’s and have been coming here for many years. We highly recommend Paul’s on every category of evaluation — competent, honest, fast, friendly, fairly priced. Very easy after hours drop off and pick up. We are quite sure that this is the best place in town for BMW repairs. The location certainly isn’t the best for us but the level of service makes it worth the drive.

Paul’s team is great — very honest and trustworthy. He has been maintaining my 540 for over 10 years and is the only one I trust to repair it!

Being completely car illiterate and a non-​technical person, when my electrical sockets (cigarette lighters) stopped working I knew I had to trust the experts and bring it in for help.
Immediately over the phone they were able to diagnose the problem as probably a blown fuse. With this information I was able to do a little more research. My instruction manual pointed where the fuse box was, but I still had no idea where to go from there.
When I came in, the mechanic showed me where the box was and we checked the fuse together to find, lo and behold, a blown fuse. The mechanics replaced it and within 10 minutes I was on my way. He didn’t charge me for the part, nor his time and even turned down the tip I offered.
When you are completely non technical and have to rely on the experts, you can only hope they do not take advantage of you. A quick job as this, they really could have up-​charged me and made a huge profit and I wouldn’t have known the wiser. Instead they have gained my trust and made me a loyal customer.
I will be taking my car back to this facility.

I moved here in August and was concerned about finding a good mechanic. Coming from a family of mechanics I knew it would be hard to trust an «outsider. First
appointment went well. 2^nd and 3^rd were more critical as my car needed to be fixed as soon as possible. Paul and crew have provided excellent and timely service. I have not had to return the vehicle for anything not done right. The prices are reasonable and fair.
I don’t have a BMW, but rather an 8 yr. old VW Jetta. No matter.
Without a doubt, the car leaves Pauls garage better than it enters it.

I’ve just started recently taking my car to Paul’s shop.
It isn’t a BMW, but rather a 12 year old Toyota 4Runner with 180K miles on it.
I needed valve cover gaskets replaced and couldn’t pass inspection any more. Without inspection tags, and a constant check engine light, the value of the vehicle is worthless. I knew I needed to do some work. I just didn’t want to put «too much» into it.
I shopped around quite a bit. Paul came in about $ 50 cheaper than other shops on labor for the gaskets. He recommended I change plugs and wires (190K on vehicle and 100K since last change) and helped clear codes that were keeping me from passing emissions including replaceing the mass air flow sensor. He was patient with the vehicle, and did a great job of getting the car passed through inspection.
Paul communicated often and understands that people are on budgets. Probably why customers are coming to him instead of a dealer in the first place. I implicitly trust his analysis, and his diagnosis. He answers honestly and fairly and I’ve never ever questioned his integrity or advice. A very redeeming value in this profession! You can tell by talking to him in the first few minutes about your situation.
I have a ’10 VW I will take to him for service too now that I’m off warranty. Good mechanics, good guys, and honest. Fixing/​maintaining a car isn’t cheap. Best to find a good mechanic that will make sure you do what is necessary and help save you money.

I was lucky enough to find Paul’s almost two years ago, because that is when my car, a 2004 BMW X5, decided it wanted new parts, all at the same time (woo hoo, lucky me and my wallet). I was stressing about trying to find a good shop that was reasonable, but that was exactly what I found at Paul’s. Paul and Jack are so great — they always show me what’s going on inside my car and explain why I need to fix it in x amount of time. They are affordable and the service is amazing. I will never go anywhere else! I highly recommend Paul’s to everyone I know.

I have been going to Paul’s since 2008 and find him to be among the most honest and dependable BMW specialists in Austin. He is always very transparent with his diagnostic results and never pressures you to do more than you can afford.
The only thing I can say negative is that I wish that I never needed his help! It is good to know that he is there when I need him though (although I hope I don’t).

First time at this place, but what a difference to the dealership. Paul took me on a test drive after the basic updates performed and showed me what to look for. Best experience I’ve had with a dealership so far. Reasonable prices and quick turn around.

When I heard the dull, grinding noise coming from my Mercedes S55 I knew it was going to be something I wouldn’t be able to fix myself. I had heard from friends with S-​class Merc’s that the liquid-​filled motor mounts could cause noise as they aged and that they were expensive to fix through the dealership.
I was expecting a $ 1500 service fee (an estimate from the Mercedes dealership) so I was pleasantly surprised to receive a $ 1100 estimate (which included a fix to a power steering pulsation sensor as well).
Paul and his team were the consummate professionals and delivered with rock-​solid customer service in a timely manner. Will definitely use them again!

I have been a customers of Paul’s for about 7 years, with two different cars. Paul is the type of mechanic you can only hope to find. He specializes in BMW’s and is cheaper than the dealer, but just as qualified. Not only does he take care of what needs to be done, but also let’s you know about things that need to be done without being pushy. I recently took my 7 series in for an issue with filling the gas tank. He spent countless time trying to diagnose the problem, but could not figure it out. Rather than trying to get me to pay for things that could potentially solve the problem, he said he could not figure it out and only charged me for the gas they put in the car. I would rather have a mechanic try everything they can think of and not charge me for services they are not positive will solve the problem. I ended up taking it to BMW where they isolated the problem, with Paul’s help.
Every other service I have gone to him for (regular service, breaks, oil leak, etc.) they have been solved and done at a great price. There is something to be said for someone who wants to fix the problem and not just charge you for service you do not need.
Paul’s has done everything they can to earn my business each time I go in, which I appreciate. I recommend them to everyone I know for BMW service.

We have been customers of Paul’s for years and I can’t beleve I have not written a review yet.
Honest and reliable what more do you want from your auto Docs? Paul’s specializes in BMW and Mercedes.
We took my wife’s old BMW to Paul and never had any issues with his repairs or maintenance. We now take both of our Mercs there as well. If he can save you a few bucks he will. If we ever had a minor issue Paul will step right up and make it right.
The only downside is his location. If you have to make a left on 2222 toward 620 good luck especially during the rush hours!

Like most things in this world, auto mechanics are not binary and easily lumped into GOOD and BAD, but rather somewhere in between. Fixing a car is science but running an auto mechanic shop is an art and Paul is very good at bridging the gap between the two. I have been bringing my 528 to Paul now for nearly two years and while we have had a few minor hiccups (replaced the wrong pair of tires ahead of schedule, windshield washers disconnected), my car runs wonderfully well for having over 110K miles and I have no doubt that it will go another 50K more given Paul’s services.
Are they cheap? No, but neither is any BMW maintenance. Are they skilled? Sure, I have yet to find a mistake in their work and been very happy with it. Are they timely and considerate of my time? Absolutely. As long as I communicate when I need my car back and listen to what they estimate, and we followup later, I have not been disappointed. Are they trustworthy? Paul and his team have done nothing to betray my trust and everything to earn it.
There may be less expensive options, but Paul’s is close to my office, he and his staff have been extremely helpful and nice to me, they have gone out of their way to help me numerous times, and I trust them with my car completely. If you want the dealership or chain repair shop experience, go there because Paul’s is different.

It’s with a bittersweet heart that I am selling my BMW. Paul has done all the work on the car for the last 3 years that I have been back in Austin. Luckily, my car was not inflicted with any ‘demons’ so most of the work that Paul and his team was routine maintenance of the oil change, battery, brakes variety. They completed all of that work on time and at budget.
I was very worried a couple of years ago when my AC started acting erratically. Dollar signs were dancing in my eyes. I called PMW, explained what was happening, and Paul told me right away he was 90% sure what the culprit was (a sensor/​switch issue in the climate control module). I brought it in, he confirmed the diagnosis, and had me back out on the road in no short order and with a very reasonable repair bill.
Now that I am leaving the BMW family, and buying another pre-​owned German car, I can only hope that I am lucky enough to find another independent shop like PMW that is as skilled in maintaining that make of

I first went to Paul’s when he was just getting started with his shop in 2000. I had a 98 M3 at the time. Since then I have used him for my ’01 540i and my ’03 M5. He has always been honest (BMW would tell me i needed a $ 1,000 repair so i would go to Paul for a 2^nd opinion and walk out of there saving $ 900). Everything always done right.
Exceptional service as well.