Dino Motors

Danny and Johann just keep rocking. Ruby Beto (86 Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio) was not sounding right, but then just coughed instead of purred — and on a flat bed she rode to the place that KNOWS Ruby. They know how THIS car should sound — and I swear no matter what they do — that car SMILES when they work on her. And she puuuuuurrs all the way home. There is something in healthcare called «whole healing» — that is what Dino Motor folks do — they perform whole healing on this car. I am always so grateful — for the quality of work, the care each person unfailingly takes to make sure you know what is going on, what is needed and why, how things work together — but also for being so respectful, kind hearted, honest and caring of my Ruby Beto. Again, thanks for getting her up and running — she sounded better than ever on the way home.

Went for a quick fix, once again — above and beyond — these guys are great!!! Fast, friendly, and reliable — I wouldn’t be repeat customer if this wasn’t the case!!!

Johannes and Danny are superb craftsmen and you can see that they take great pride in their work. I usually get a little nervous when I bring my car to get worked on but Dino Motors has been great. They have done quite a bit of work on two of my cars over the past years and have always worked out well.
We all know it is difficult to find a shop that you can trust but I am glad that I have the guys that I can take my cars to without worry.

Johannes and Danny at Dino motors performed a miracle today. I have a 2014 Maserati Ghibli and accidentally dropped a bushing down the side panel of my trunk. After most of the dealerships telling me to either fill in the space with foam, or cut a hole, Johannes and Danny’s calm cool demeanor thought through where the bushing could’ve dropped, and retrieved it within the hour. With that, the rattle was gone, and a good conversation about classic Ferraris. If you’re looking for fast, easy and cheap, this is not the place. If you’re looking for passionate technicians who care, there is «no other place» in the Bay Area.

I have had very good experiences with Dino Motors in the areas of maintenance and asking for «buyer’s guide» type information (translation: spending time with me for free).
Johannes and Danny have been the folks I’ve spoken with though I see other folks around the shop of course.
For me, I can tell there is a lot of experience in the house when you talk to those guys and it’s evidenced by the mix of cars in the shop. I get frank answers about my car or other cars I ask about; and they’ve been to the point about what my car needs and doesn’t need.
I saw a comment below about time estimation. I will not debate that person’s issue as I don’t know anything about it but I want to share my thoughts on this because it comes up a lot as a topic about shops in general on message boards or in conversation about the exotic repair shops in Anytown, USA.
Normally, I am a pretty precise person. I walk into such a place putting my Italian/​Euopean hat on. Like my favorite Sicilian restaurant in Palo Alto — things happen at a certain pace. It’s baseball, not hockey. I am not saying this about Dino Motors specifically; I am addressing the person looking for a shop based on Unilocal reviews by letting them know that I have evolved my attitude regarding servicing rare Euro cars based on experience. Every shop has comments on Unilocal or your favorite message board about turnaround time.
Our quirky cars are just that. Parts take longer to get. The jobs are often longer than the equivalent job on a mass produced car. Mysterious indicator lights pop on for no reason during repairs that have to be chased down. And sadly some of our favorite cars have some «lowest bidder» components in them and parts or repairs can be costly.
My attitude has evolved to be different than when I get my Acura services. I have the best time when I’m getting my car worked on. I stop by the shop casually and I point at the cool car up on a rack and have a great conversation about it for 10 minutes or more and learn new things. I get a lift back to my place and go about my life.
These guys are completely nutso about cars at Dino Motors and seem to run a business that’s in alignment with average parts prices and labor as far as I can see. Dino Motors is a solid shop to turn to when you need service or advice.

These guys are awesome… not only do they work on Ferraris for a living, they also drive them — SUPER knowledgeable about these cars!
After looking for months for a nice Ferrari 308 GTS, I decided to give them a call to see if they had any leads… they happened to have a beautiful 1985 308 GTS QV that a client had bought in for service in preparation to sell.
Johannes and Danny were super helpful in helping me to learn more about the car and connecting me with the (now prior owner).
Dino Motors has been working on this car for the past 10 years… now that I’m it’s proud new owner, they will continue to be the only shop which touches my Ferrari.
Also, although they’ve specialized in older Ferrari and Lamborghini, they just got equipment to work on the new cars as well… if you’re looking for an awesome super knowledgeable Ferrari or Lamborghini independent shop, I would totally recommend Dino Motors!

Outstanding shop. It is hard to find an honest mechanic, but this place has one ! I have been a customer for a number of years.

This is a great Ferrari shop. Johannes and Danny know their stuff and their prices are reasonable considering the other local alternatives. They both sincerely care about doing a great job for their clients. I took my Testarossa in for repairs recently, and yes it cost me a small fortune, but that was the nature of the repair. I enjoyed occasionally to stop by the shop and they would show me what they were doing to my car. They were very methodical with the work and also did other maintenance on the car as they proceed to complete the main issue.
The only criticism I have is that Johannes is unfortunately poor at estimating how long the repairs will take, especially when he already has a garage full of other projects. So, be prepared to be patient in getting your baby back, but I think in the end you will enjoy the service provided!
Also, check out their new website at

I contacted yohannes several times to fix the damage to my car. He refused. If you want your coveted car to come home in good condition, DO NOT USE DINO MOTORS, HE MAY DAMAGE YOUR CAR!

Johannes took great care of my «lowly» 328 F-​car… replaced the gas cap, radiator cap with NOS, fixed an annoying oil leak I had for a year, and did a minor service at a very fair price. If you treat people with respect, you will usually get it back.

Dino Motors will repair most any vintage/​specialty European car including; Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Ferrari, Fiat, Lamborghini, Lancia, Maserati and Mercedes Benz. They do their work with a professionalism that is not often found these days. Johannes, the owner, is a true craftsman and often fabricates parts on the spot if they can’t be sourced. He has repaired, owned and driven all types of exotic cars for many years. If you own a classic European sports or exotic car that needs expert TLC this is a great shop.