Where do you get your BMW serviced?
 

Hi there,

My mom's 2003 X5 is due for a major service/full maintenance, more specifically.. "Inspection 2" as BMW likes to call it.
I called auto west and they want crazy money to do it.

I heard The Euro Shop is good and they have the BMW GT1 Diagnostic Machine so that has to be a plus right?

I was wondering where you take your BMW or if you know of a good service place that works on BMW's.

Thanks.
And sorry if this is posted in the wrong forum.

DIY but the only problem is BMW purposely structured the vehicle to be complicated for 2 reasons
1) sake of being complicated to make money
2) performance eg. weight distribution

Call Brian Jessel Autohaus and talk to Richard. 604.638.7000

I wouldn't personally trust anyone else that isn't the manufacturer to do a major service on a car like BMW.

I would suggest AutoWest, or Brian Jessel Autohaus, I heard they do great work, and help support RS sponsors! :thumbsup:

Won't BJ be the same price is autowest more or less?

Autowest is a BMW dealership, Brian Jessel Autohaus is not. Give him a call tomorrow.

I can only think of 4 places to recommend for an Inspection II:

1. Brian Jessel Autohaus (RS Sponsor - How can you go wrong?!?!?!?!?!?)
2. Nixon Automotive - In Burnaby. I've had a good experience with their diagnostic services once on my E30. Wait times for service can be up to a week or two weeks unfortunately.
3. The Euro Shop - The shop is under new management, however, Karl is an AWESOME guy and still works there and the new owner is a BMW fanatic. Downside is they are in Surrey if that matters to you (distance wise.)
4. CG Motorsports - Popular shop and have only heard good reviews but mainly from their own followers and loyal customers.

Good luck!

^^ those were the exact same 4 I was just gonna list

1. CG Motorsports
2. CG Motorsports

OEM parts, BMW trained mechanics, great labour prices. Will go over everything that needs to be done. Preventative maintenance. I've been going to them for 5 years.

lol, i go to my mechanic for everything that needs to be done to my cars. A small shop but work is very decent.

If you want the run around with a bunch of people who have no idea what the are doing, then bring it to Autowest.

stay away from autowest. worst experiences EVER.

GT1 diagnostic doesn't really do anything for a 2003 X5. E65 up yes. But 2003 E53 no.

Never have problems with AutoWest either..

Can't recommend a particular shop since I live on the Island, but I've never really understood why people take their car to the dealership. Frankly, all the stories I've heard about the dealership are way worse than at Indy shops.

A good independent BMW mechanic cares about your business, and therefore will not fuck up your car or do a piss-poor job because it may prevent you from returning in the future. They'll also try to save you money on parts, since they don't make a penny when they order OEM parts from BMW. The dealership may "care" about your business but they also know as a general rule if you're going to pay their rates for service once, you're probably not the type of person that will switch to an independent mechanic in the future. Once a sucker, always a sucker.

Example: on e46's, the failure of the VANOS piston seals is very common. They basically disintegrate after long periods of time because they're made of a material that can't handle the ultra high engine temperatures, and this results in performance issues (often unknown to the owner). BMW's solution is to replace the *entire* VANOS unit with a new one, which costs an arm and a leg... and it's not a solution at all, because the new unit has the same faulty piston seals that'll fail in another 80,000-100,000 km's. (BUT... BMW makes a lot of money because the markups on parts is so high, so they love this "solution"). It's also unlikely that the dealership will inform you of the actual cause of the problem, and thus you will assume this is the only solution.

If you have a head on your shoulders and a willingness to do some research, you'll quickly Google the problem and discover there are aftermarket seals available that are made out of a different material (viton, I believe) that can withstand the engine temperatures. They cost $60, and once they've been replaced they'll never fail again. Compare that to a $600 VANOS unit that you'll have to end up replacing again in a few years...

Moral of the story: the dealership has a vested interest in high-cost solutions to your problems. Their mechanics may have "special training," but more often than not their troubleshooting (cost to you: $120/hour or more, including time to diagnose problems) usually consists of an email conversation with a BMW North America rep. In case you are unaware, BMW service manuals are often so secretive that they will not even give them to service reps... the mechanics have to email off-site specialists to facilitate step-by-step troubleshooting procedures. In fairness to dealerships, this means that often their overpriced diagnoses is not their "fault," they're simply following protocol... ie, BMW service manual says to fix the VANOS piston seals problem by replacing the entire unit, so the mechanics and service rep perhaps dont even know there's another solution available.

An indy shop is less likely to try and charge you unnecessarily, at least for parts. The key, as I mentioned, is to find a good shop and build a reputation with the owner or manager. Usually it only takes a 30-second conversation to tell whether or not they value your business.

Sure, as with anything, there's still a chance you'll get hosed by an indy shop. But if you check their reputation and do a bit of research about your car first, you should be able to avoid serious problems and save a lot of money.

As for the crap about BMW dealerships being "experts" and having "special diagnostic tools"... that's true for the latest generation of each model, probably, because they haven't been around long enough for servicing info to reach all the indy shops. But your car will usually be under warranty for the first five years anyway, so you might as well go to the dealership for warranty servicing...

BMW's reputation for being extremely costly to maintain is partly undeserved because too many people go to the dealership or allow themselves to be ripped off at indy shops, imo... the key is research and finding a decent shop that values your business.

(I guess it's a lot like five-star hotels. They know you can afford to spend $500 a night for a room, so they know you'll pay $6 for a bottle of water without complaining. Similarly, BMW knows people keep going back to the dealership because customers want their "expertise" and they can usually afford it, so they can easily charge $120 an hour without losing much business.)

/Rant.

Give Juan @ Juan's Auto Service a call...the guy knows his euros and has all the latest diagnostic equipment including the GT1. He's in Richmond on Capstan Way.

http://www.canpages.ca/page/BC/richm...e/3711794.html

CG motorsports in Richmond.

+1 on Euro Shop and CG Motorsports.

CG Motorsports

henneken, they specialize in mercedes and bmw cars, all new and old, they have been recommended countless times

they are on marine drive beside OK tire right off of aurthor lang bridge

If you follow what inpsection2 has spelt out and document the results. It does take a heck of a long time to complete the check lists... eg a lot of the test do require the wheels off.. brake liner measurements etc. So shop hours wise, if the inspection is done to spec, it adds up. The key is once the inspection is done, you as in the owner still have to interpret the data along with your service adviser to decide what needs to be fixed etc.

Now the question is which shop will really spend the time to do all that.

The second complaint people have about alternative repair methods. As long as the shop backs it up, then it is fine. However at the dealership, they have the original parts at hand, and the documentation on how to fix it is there.. I don't see problems with them using the factory method. They also add a margin of safety.. eg replacing aluminum control arms, instead of pressing in bearings etc.

So I searched up CG Motorsports and found out that they also service VW, so I assume that they'll also service Audi.

Should my brother wait till his car (2007 A3)'s warranty expires, or it doesn't matter at all?

Unless your brother has purchased an extended service plan.. then it doesn't make a difference. If there are any warranty items that need to be replaced, with good documentation, you should be able to get it reimbursed. CG is a well known shop within the local european community.

For most BMWs, because the first 4 years of servicing is included, there is no point going to 3rd party shops until that has expired.

Shops can easily make a few bucks on parts supplied. Since they will have an account with the suppliers, they get XX percentage off. And just bill the customer back at retail or whatever they choose.

For sure, but at the end of the day it doesn't cost you anything more if they make a few bucks... and their profit is peanuts compared to BMW's markups.

Most of the time I buy parts online and take them into the shop, if I know what needs to be done ahead of time. That way you know what you're getting and can often save a few bucks.

EUROSHOP hands down, I have a supercharged m3 and Karl (previous owner) is the only one who touches it. Even though he sold it, he still works there frequently and the new owner is an awesome dude too. CG is way too overpriced for my own personal reference, they charge almost the same as dealership. Euroshop charges $80 an hour.