European Specialty Automotive

Great service, friendly to talk to on the phone. Very fair pricing-puts customer interest first. Amazing first experience. Thank you!

My new favourite business
in town!

I took my vehicle to diagnose a check engine light, they carefully inspected every component and fixed a couple of issues which were causing the problem. Very reasonable when it came to pricing. Dropped off the vehicle in the morning, it was ready for pickup the same day, and it was sparking clean!

Later I asked them regarding a part for my partner’s vehicle, without hesitation they got me a quote for it, and woah it was a fraction of the quote given to me by the dealership for the exact same thing!

I’ll be coming again for sure!

You guys are the best!

Excellent communication, service and speed of work. Dropped off at 8am and by 10: 30 I had a full, detailed report including pictures of everything examined and fixed on my BMW. My new go-to BMW mechanic!

Recently purchased a 2008 BMW 335xi from Caleb, had a minor issue shortly after taking possession of the car. Contacted Caleb, he said bring the car down and had it fixed at no charge on New Years Eve. I HIGHLY recommend anyone who is looking for a used higher end vehicle to visit European Specialty Automotive and talk with Caleb.
Edit: After owning the car for two years now, I had some maintenance done to the car and bit the bullet and had the staff add some modifications to the car. What a difference! The modifications made the car more responsive (understatement) and improved fuel economy (surprise!) I HIGHLY recommend bringing your vehicle here, the quality and care that was shown to my requests and the installation of the parts was perfect. I am so grateful to Caleb, Tom, Bart, Phil, Sarah, and the rest of the staff at European Specialties.

I’ve been searching for my dream car after a great deal of research and finally found it posted online at European Specialty Automotive. Upon reviewing the car, I found everything was beyond what I expected. The 2014 Lexus RX 350 was absolutely mint with unbelievably low mileage and detailed to perfection. I never once was pressured and found the staff to be courteous and professional, particularly the manager Caleb who guided me through the entire process and made my experience one of no pressure and was upfront about everything. I did find a couple of very minor things I asked be looked at and upon my return later those issues were fixed. Overall, this has to have been the best experience one could ask for and I highly recommend this company.

Friendly and comprehensive in their approach to fixing my vehicle, which had an intermittent ignition switch issue.

My '04 BMW Z4's exterior was in rough shape when I dropped it off at European Specialty Automotive. When I got it back it was like it had just rolled off the showroom floor. The paint looks refreshed, the rims are shiny and restored, and several blemishes from rock chips were dealt with. They even professionally reinstalled the BMW emblem that had been knocked off from a previous pressure washing elsewhere.

I also had my brakes looked at and they provided me with photos of what needed doing, and were upfront and honest about my concern with the brakes.

Both services were taken care of in a timely and professional manner.

Top notch service, will use again

We were SOOOO thankful for the awesome service from you guys! And Tom Zieba in particular, he helped alleviate a ton of stress! Looking forward to dealing with you guys again!

I brought my '87 Porsche 944 Turbo to ESA. Ultimately, they helped me the best that they could although at the time, I was unhappy with a few things. But to his credit, Tom made it right and I left not with the repairs I had hoped but feeling that I was at least heard and respected. Not sure I would return with this particular car but I would recommend ESA to others with newer cars. There are only a few places on the Island that can work on such cars and ESA is one of them.

I've been taking the MB here for several years. They've always been up front and honest with me; thank you.

Specialized automotive company: great service, great people, very helpful and friendly. Lovely, new, purpose-built building! With European Specialty Automotive I was able to get the vehicle I wanted (a low-mileage, fully-optioned Mazda CX-3 GT AWD) in excellent condition for an unbeatable price, WITHOUT leaving the island. With Caleb, the purchase & paperwork, ICBC insurance process, plates transfer, transferring my tired old trade in, all and more were very quick, easy, professional, accurate. First class company: highly recommended!

Very quick, through know what they are talking about. Got my Jag in worried about the heater core, turns out it was some other small thing. Super happy

Just moved back to Nanaimo, but I used European Specialty Automotive at their old facility. The new facility is amazing. They worked on my old Porsche, and it's an absolute thumbs up from me. I believe I dealt with Caleb and Tom. Everything was explained, costs itemised and I couldn't be happier. I am now back in Nanaimo, and looking to get re-acquainted. I have also heard from several people in the car game here that European is their default for getting quality work done.

Had some work done on one of my vehicles. Work was done to perfection and in a timely fashion. Clear communication throughout the whole process.

Additionally, I noted their strict adherence to Covid guidelines, including masks and sanitization stations. I felt very safe there.

Fantastic shop! These guys were able to solve my problem with amazing service. Tom was incredibly helpful!

I have taken my car here 5 times with the same issue over the past 2 months and it is still not fixed!

Been here a couple times after consistently poor service at BMW dealership. Friendly, fair prices, quick booking times and good communication. Only slight was the consistency with mask wearing. I unfortunately didn't feel safe. Otherwise great!

Highly recommend these guys for any mechanic needs. I had my 2009 Mini Cooper towed in last minute and they took me in right when I called, I had my car back in 3 days and on the road after a labour intensive job. I really liked how the mechanic had shown me the old gasket. Once I got the Mini back I was very impressed with the effort and workmanship, they went above and beyond to meet my needs of needing the car last minute. Highly recommend European Specialty Automotive I will be back! ;)

Ordered a part for my car, was there on time, cheaper then the dealer, and same part. Say what!

Great people to deal with, fixed by BMW very quickly and very reasonable fees, will definitely be going back for more help when I need it, 5 stars from me

Tom is the man. He'll get you sorted, without having to part with your first born. First class service.

My friend brought his Porsche in for a rear window regulator for the convertible top. The vehicle was Givin back to him with the window miss aligned so the top would not seal and a huge chip in the paint right beside the window they were working on. They pushed on the convertible top to try and align the window that they did not install correctly and the roof never worked again. He tried to work with the company because it is an older car but they accepted no responsibility and told him to go somewhere else. Absolutely apalling customer service. He brought it in for a 2000$ repair and was giving his car back in way worse shape than when it was brought in. If you value your car do not trust there sloppy company to do your work. If the job was done right the first time and the window was aligned properly and the wind screen was put back like it was when the vehicle was dropped off this all would have been avoided. Very poor quality of work especially for high end vehicles.

I went to this repair facility with a service engine light, they had recently moved and their facility is brand new. I was very impressed by the new building and high-end BMWs and Mercedes on the lot as a matter of fact I Felt a little out of place with my Volkswagen GSW LOL.
However I was greeted with a smile by the owner who checked the code himself personally gave me a computer print out of what my codes and problems were (straight to my phone via text message and email, how cool is that!) it must’ve been a good day because he did it for free. I came back when the codes showed again and had the vehicle inspected to find the root cause of the problem. There was some confusion with warranty and they did not do the repairs for me at their facility. I had to deal with Volkswagen directly and it took them three visits to figure out the problem as opposed to European auto and an hour and a half of their mechanics time.
I strongly suggest this facility to anybody with any European vehicle.
Be patient because quality comes with demand and this place is busy.
Darrin T
PS I should make note that the service manager Tom is ridiculously easy to get along with and deal with, thanks Mr.

Squeezed me in with short notice and installed a Malone Tune for my car very quickly! Great Service and an awesome staff!

Buying a car from this dealership is the best car purchasing experience I have ever had. I seriously can't praise this dealership enough.

I made the trip out from the lower mainland to take home a really rare find, and it was totally worth it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

They had prepared the car for my arrival in the shop, cleaned and dry so I could do a full inspection on my own. They weren't pushy, they were honest, and they were overall just really helpful.

They have some real gems on offer, and for reasonable prices.
Thank you Caleb and the team for a great experience.

European vehicles are expensive to fix regardless of where you go. Nice to find a place that has experience with them and can accurately quote and understand the work necessary to complete the job.

Caleb and staff were EXCELLENT in assisting me on the purchase of a luxury sports car they had on the lot as a surprise gift for my wife on our anniversary. The car itself was a limited edition Porsche, and everything he promised it would be (I'm writing this almost 3 months later) turned out to be accurate!
They have a niche business with specialty vehicles, and frankly I'm surprised (and grateful) we have this in Nanaimo. Highly recommended. Thanks Caleb, she loves the car!

Just moved to Nanaimo. Own a volvo and checked the web for service near to where we bought. European Spececialty Auto came up, read some of the reviews which were very positive. Had them diagnose a problem. They gave me an estimate. They got my needed part and installed it on time. Met the owner and have to say it was a very professional experience. Staff pleasant and knowledgeable. Will definately go back.

Amazing customer service and the guys in the office for service, best darn service guys ever.thanks guys

Great service, very professional and knowledgeable. Provide way more value than OEM shops. Highly recommend for any European vehicle

I purchased a vehicle from here. They were very professional. The owner went out of his way to come in on his day off to sell me a car. He was very honest and was very easy going. I would highly recommend this Autoshop/Dealer!

Had the most wonderful experience today! We just got on the road to head on our Honeymoon when our BMW started rattling. Brought it in here, they kindly snuck us in, and had it fixed and back to us in time for our hotel check-in. So grateful for this service!

I had the pleasure of working with Caleb and team to purchase a Mercedes E400 Sedan. From the condition of the car to the professionalism of the service and sales departments - the service and support extended by European Specialty is a rarity today. This was my first experience with European Specialty and it’s no surprise that they are as respected as they are in the Sales and Service of fine automobiles and earn and deserve the highest ratings. Thanks Caleb!

A great experience buying our Mercedes SLK! Caleb held the vehicle for us until we could find time to get over to the island and did not even ask for a deposit. Car was exactly as advertised. Whole process was seamless. Would recommend European Specialty to anyone!

Great professional and friendly service. No nonsense approach, straight forward with the client. Saved me a lot of money! Highly recommended!

Absolutely top notch service! This is likely the BEST independent shop I've been to for a European car. Service was quick, efficient and I had the car back much earlier than initially promised. Will definitely be returning for all future mechanical needs, and can easily recommend to anyone looking for a quality, professional shop.