MINI Team
Ron Inchausti -Owner
Owner and operator of CMW, Ron is a Huntington Beach local and has been working with his hands since taking apart a bicycle back in 1976 at the age of 8. Later, as a student at Marina high school, bicycles became mopeds and then cars. Since then, the vehicles became more difficult and more expensive to fix, but soon it became clear that cars were going to be a passion of his. In 1996 while pit crewing for a race at Long Beach Grand Prix, the BMW bug bit him. The pair of BMW M5s took first and second as the poor 500hp supercharged Mustang he was helping with finished 8th. After investigation in the pits, Ron discovered that the M5s were just 6 cylinders and normally aspirated. Shortly afterwards Ron purchased his first BMW, a 1988 750il. Since then he has purchased many cars, but all were BMWs. He worked on BMWs at two independent shops in Huntington Beach before going to Crevier BMW in Santa Ana. In May of ’05 Ron left the dealer and started CMW. Two months later his first child (Bella) was born. Ron is a new enthusiast by some peoples’ standards, but he believes all the years of import and domestic trenches has given him a perspective that most owners or technicians don’t have. “I truly believe BMW builds the very best cars. I have seen the others inside and out, and my vehicles will always have a spinning prop (or MINI wings) on the hood.” Ron is a master certified technician with factory BMW training and a very positive attitude.
Andre Nguyen -Technician
Emmigrated from Vietnam in 1980, a “boat person” was the label given by many. He left a thriving farm owned by his family for generations because the “VC” would soon be taking it from them. After a failed defection attempt, he spent three months in a prison cell so small that standing was impossible and help was needed to walk afterwards. During his second defection, he found himself leaving Vietnam in the dark near Saigon at which time he became captain (by default, since he was the only one who could keep the one-cylinder engine running). The boat, a 27 foot “long boat” designed to accommodate 8-10 people was filled with 92 defectors (even whole families). After 5 nights and 4 days an oil tanker traveling to Malaysia spotted the barely floating vessel. After spending three months on the island of Pulau Pinang near Malay sia he was finally able to fly to America were he has sponsored nearly all of his family to America and raised 4 boys and even earned citizenship in 2002. Andre is a senior technician and very knowledgeable about BMW vehicles. He always has a smile and is a great person to be around. His love for America and his story of freedom should be admired by all.
Brandon Lavoie -Technician
Although he has been with us for two years, getting Brandon to write a bio has been like pulling teeth. After two years we have poked and prodded for info and finally have enough for a bio. Brandon Lavoie grew up in orange county surrounded by BMWs, having a good-sized family (two sisters an older brother and both parents) all having BMWs. He has been wrenching on cars since before high school, when he got his first BMW. His family business led by his father’s ambitions began to founder and in 2006 was closed. The Lavoie family was having trouble and shortly after the business closed Brandon’s father left. It was then when a mutual friend introduced Brandon to Ron. Since then Brandon has become an integral part of Coast Motor Werk. He knows BMWs and MINIs inside and out. His devotion to his family is very strong and it’s a common thing to see Brandon working on a family members car on his days off.
Brad Watson -Irvine Service Manager
Born and Raised in Southern California, Brad Watson has been involved with cars since his early teens working on 1st generation VW Type 2’s and Karmann Ghias. After working at Steve’s foreign car parts in Downey, Long Beach and Cypress, he landed his first BMW job at Crevier BMW where he worked for 8 years and developed a passion for what truly is The Ultimate Driving Machine. Brad has been working at BMW Dealerships for over 20 years in the parts and service departments. He has joined our team at CMW because of the strong emphasis on customer value and service that he feels many dealerships have lost sight of. “I feel that by building relationships, the business will take care of itself. By offering quality service and surrounding yourself with talented individuals, the relationships that are built will be long time friendships.” These strong like-minded goals that are shared with the entire staff at CMW will help bring CMW to both LA and Orange County. Brad enjoys spending time with his wife of 19 years and 5 children. He understands that quality time is most important and cherishes every moment he can. Brad also enjoys a round of golf from time to time.
Derek Petterson -Irvine Shop Foreman
Born and raised outside of Boston, Derek has always had a passion for all things mechanical. He grew up with a desire to learn how things work. His interest in model airplanes turned to bicycles. Natural progression led Derek to his love for cars. He started as a Volkswagen enthusiast, followed by Porsche, and finally, BMW.
Straight out of high school, Derek attended Northeastern University majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He figured this would satisfy his passion for mechanics. After two years of engineering, he realized he wanted something more hands on. He decided to take his love for German automobiles to the next level.
Derek transferred to Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology to major in Automotive Technology. He completed the four-year program to earn his Bachelor’s Degree in Automotive Technology and Management. He took this to his first job at Brentwood Motorcars, an independent shop specializing in all makes of German automobiles. This is where Derek’s passion for BMWs began.
At Brentwood Motorcars, Derek had a great chance to get extensive training on Porsche, Audi, VW, Mercedes, and of course, BMW.
It did not take long for Derek to realize the beauty of engineering that could only be found in a BMW. After 3 years, he decided to pursue his passion for the ultimate driving machines. He decided to focus his career on Bimmers by transferring to Foreign Motors West BMW. While working at this dealer for just a few months, Derek knew that his future would be with BMW. He strengthened his skills by attending BMW’s exclusive training program, STEP. After a year of intense training from some of BMW’s best trainers, he returned to his Boston dealership. He remained at the dealer honing his skills with BMW, earning his BMW Master Technician Certification.
Derek left the dealer, looking for a company where he could find more of a “family” environment with an emphasis on providing quality service to the owners of the cars he loves. This is when the family of Coast Motor Werk took him in.
When Derek is not at CMW, he can be found restoring his BMW 2002, surfing, bringing his dog to the beach, and soaking up all of California that a guy from Boston could.