Dan's list of local repair shops

[uptownautoservice]

All I can say is that Dan is a great guy.

[specz66]

Took my 5 series (545) in for an oil/filter change and had them look at a wheel that had a slow leak based on recommendations from this forum. When I called to make the appointment and a price quote my quote was $150 w/ a 10% CCA discount. Cool. So they do the oil change and I guess they didn't have the filter for my car because I see a parts guy from BMW of Sterling show up w/ an oil filter.

One of the techs came out and told me my wheel is slightly bent but should be ok and shouldn't need to be replaced (appreciated the honest assessment) but that the tire has a bulge in the sidewall most likely from a pothole. Nice, just bought the Conti DWS's in December w/ no road-hazard insurance of course! Then they present me the bill. Total came to $179 and change. On one hand they were thorough and showed me what was wrong and didn't charge me for the wheel inspection, on the other hand the 10% club discount was only on the $17.60 oil filter ($1.76). Really!?!? And the oil is motul at $12+ per quart (I need 8.5 quarts). Their rate is $95 per hour, and it only took .5 hours but the oil worked out to over $110 (used 8.5 of 9 quarts) plus the oil filter.

My first reaction was where was the $150 oil/filter change w/ a 10% club discount? My expectation is that when I call a BMW specialist, tell them my model type, and ask for a quote I expect a fairly accurate quote. I was expecting $135 plus whatever they would have charged for the wheel/tire inspection (which the tire didn't come off the wheel). Maybe it would've worked out to be the same had they charged me? I don't know but while they were friendly I'm not sure I'll go back. For that kind of money I could go to Sterling. Maybe next time I'll try CCC in Manassas. I like to support businesses that support the CCA whenever I can.

Anyways, that was my experience.

[Bob]

$12 a quart seems outrageous, synthetics are down to $4/$6 at chain stores.

[ERGriffin]

Anyone have any experience with Einstein's Auto Repair in College Park, MD? I sort of just ran across them, saw they have a GT-1 in the shop (seems pretty rare to find that).

[pseto]

Anyone have any experience with Einstein's Auto Repair in College Park, MD? I sort of just ran across them, saw they have a GT-1 in the shop (seems pretty rare to find that).

yes, when i lived closer I used Gary (owner) for most of my repairs. He's very knowledgeable and a former master tech at Passport. He's never steered me wrong and has been very straight-forward with all repairs.

[bunks-tj]

hey guys,

i was sent over here from the 318ti forum by member over there. I am looking into getting a BMW and was wondering if anyone had a suggestion of a good place to get a prepurchase inspection done in or near winchester? nothing on the list appeared to be in that area.

thanks

Liam

[mcoupemindy]

hey guys,

i was sent over here from the 318ti forum by member over there. I am looking into getting a BMW and was wondering if anyone had a suggestion of a good place to get a prepurchase inspection done in or near winchester? nothing on the list appeared to be in that area.

thanks

Liam

Liam,

I don't know of any specifically in Winchester, but if the seller is interested to bringing it up around your place in Manassas, VA, I highly suggest taking it to Convenience Car Care in Manassas.

[bunks-tj]

Liam,

I don't know of any specifically in Winchester, but if the seller is interested to bringing it up around your place in Manassas, VA, I highly suggest taking it to Convenience Car Care in Manassas.

thanks. i am not familiar with that shop specifically but i wiould consider it if the owner let me take the car. i just know it is usually easier to take a car to a shop that is near where the owner is. i am going to call on it today, just usually like to have my ducks in a row before i make calls.

[mcoupemindy]

thanks. i am not familiar with that shop specifically but i wiould consider it if the owner let me take the car. i just know it is usually easier to take a car to a shop that is near where the owner is. i am going to call on it today, just usually like to have my ducks in a row before i make calls.

Timmy (owner) and the CCC crew are good guys. I'm rather picky on who touches my car (for obvious reasons) and they have really taken care of me.

[raymondalombardo]

Anyone have any experience with Einstein's Auto Repair in College Park, MD? I sort of just ran across them, saw they have a GT-1 in the shop (seems pretty rare to find that).

I've used them as they are not far from the Metro (Greenbelt). Gary Davis, the owner, is very knowledgeable and used to work at Passport before opening his own shop. It is a very down to earth shop -- not any "showiness" -- but Gary knows BMWs and is extremely honest. When you get to talking to him, his knowledge of the car is actually very impressive. He will never sell you work you do not need, but he will tell you what the car needs so that your car is safe and in sound condition. His prices are fair, not cheap, but at the same time he is not as expensive as some of the other non-dealer BMW shops in the area. In comparison, I have tried other BMW shops in the area and have wound up sticking with Gary because I felt their pricing was high. And people who know me know that I am not cheap with servicing the cars, it's just that I don't want to be hosed.

The only problem with Gary is that because he is a small operation, if you have anything major going on -- "major" being anything outside routine service -- you should probably plan on having the car there for more than one day. That being said, this is not that unusal nowadays since dealers even don't like to stock parts for cars that are more than a few years old.

But overall, I would recommend him because of knowledge and honesty, and fair but not cheap pricing. Hope this helps and good luck.

[ea-sport]

Anybody use Martin Motorsports recently? The one in Alexandria, VA not the one in Gaithersburg, MD. I used to bring my car there when I still had extended warranty and had not needed any repair work done for a while. Just wondering if anybody had a more recent experience with Gary Martin. For me it's the closest indy shop to my home but in all honesty I am not sure if he's 100% honest as far as the works needed for my car.

[SharkD]

Sorry I've been MIA.

The link in the first post does work, but it redirects to: http://www.dvsmith.net/bmw/service/dc_service_shops.php

I'm working on turning it into a wiki...

[Joshua]

I'd like to add my repair shop in northern Baltimore county. I just opened in May of 2010. Baltimore Bimmer is a new shop where you can watch your work being done or you can even rent a bay and do it yourself if you have the hand tools. We have all the specialty tools for timing engines an pulling them, even a GT-1 so you can get the real problem diagnosed.
Our labor rate is $85 an hour which blows away any competition and we do this simply for the love of BMW's. If you've never heard of us give us a try and we guarantee you'll be pleased with the knowledge and service unsurpassed even by the dealerships.

Everything your BMW needs can be taken care of here and our knowledgeable staff are all master technicians so you know your car isn't being handled by an inexperienced mechanic. I am the owner and as a BMW Master technician I am the hub of the Shop. We have a MINI Master on staff and an ASE master. You can visit the website http://baltimore-bimmer.com for more details.

[BlackOps]

Any recommendations in the Woodbridge/Dumfries/Quantico area?

[SJAM3PLZ]

Dang.. what's up with Excluservice? I though Lothar was the man there to stay!