Dan's list of local repair shops

[Ethan Blank]

Is there a shop you recommend for MD inspection?

I had my Miata pre-purchase inspection in VA at Convenience Car Center, and while they woul have passed the car for VA inspection, they can't do MD.

It's 16 years old with 175k miles, so I am afraid of bringing it to a shop without knowing anyone there.

I'm still relatively new to this area, so I don't have a regular mechanic yet (my '07 335 will keep me in that position for at least a few more years, I hope!)

Any shop near Columbia is a plus, but I will certainly travel to a good shop to avoid complications.

Thanks!

[jbshin]

Dan Martin's Auto Service
8100 H Beechcraft Avenue
Gaithersburg, MD 20879
(301) 926-8977
Small shop but the work is excellent; he knows BMW's very well and his prices are very good. One year warranty. Frequented by the more 'performance-driven' club members. Well-acquianted with older BMW's and M-cars. ($75/hr)

Martin Motorsports, Inc. (not affiliated with Dan Martin)
460a S Pickett St
Alexandria, VA 22304
(703) 823-9735
Well-regarded by club members. Personal experience with M6's, E24's and E28's. ($80/hr)

Dan's labor rate is 99/hr. I was just there yesterday to get some estimate. I am getting estimates for the coil over kit and the front wheel bearing work, labor for which largely overlap, but they are quoting the work separately.

Martin Motorsports rate is $98.50

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

Is there a shop you recommend for MD inspection?

I had my Miata pre-purchase inspection in VA at Convenience Car Center, and while they woul have passed the car for VA inspection, they can't do MD.

It's 16 years old with 175k miles, so I am afraid of bringing it to a shop without knowing anyone there.

I'm still relatively new to this area, so I don't have a regular mechanic yet (my '07 335 will keep me in that position for at least a few more years, I hope!)

Any shop near Columbia is a plus, but I will certainly travel to a good shop to avoid complications.

Thanks!

Eastham's Exxon in Bethesda is honest. I've done multiple inspections with them - the one car that they failed fully deserved to get failed. If it needs some leniency to pass, you probably won't get much there, but they won't break things or make shit up.

[Thoreau]

As a follow up, I've been going to Road Race Technologies in Dulles for about a year now. They are a racing shop and do good work. There is also Curry's Auto service that does general repairs. They do decent work but they charge you 120 as opposed to 95, and they aren't BMW centric.

All in all the RRT guys are pretty straight forward and will back up their work. The only mild gripe I have is that they push their motul oil's quite a bit. I know BMW uses castrol, and all the BMW owners I've met use mobil one/amsoil/lubromoly and more recently redline. So it's kinda odd. But besides that quirk, they are good folks that you can have a beer with.

[Ethan Blank]

I ended up using Ed York at York Automotive in Mt. Airy.

Can't say enough good things about Ed's shop, his work is excellent, his rates are reasonable, and he knows what he's doing.

[Billy Hill]

My 2002 325xit is up for Inspection 2. Great info here on finding independent shops.

The question I have is how many of the items on the Inspection 2 list are actually performed? While the car was under warranty I noticed that every dealer would check the boxes for oil and other fundamentals on Inspections 1 and 2, but 75% of the list was left unchecked. The stealers (Sterling and Arlington) always told me that "of course it was all done" but frankly I figured they were lying.

[bimmer_fahrer]

Just curious if anyone knows if Curry's bought out J&F....

[woodym3]

Just curious if anyone knows if Curry's bought out J&F....

I just heard recently that the original owners, Joe Anderson and Gordon Fletcher had sold J&F to a couple of the technicians.

[Jim Dunlap]

Interesting. A few months ago, before I opted for an M3 off eBay, I looked at some Perf Package 3 series for sale at J&F's front lot, and the cars seemed unattended to...dirty, low tire pressures, expired safety stickers. Drove by not long ago and a quick glance seemed to show the cars still there. Not the way to stay in business. A few months ago we took our 2000 328Ci to J&F and they professed no knowledge about Vanos seal problems...even if they did agree that after a cold start the engine surged and even quit.

[woodym3]

The Bimmer Sales office that operated out of J & F's building was not under the same ownership as far as I know.

[RJHOLLAS]

Just took possession of a 1994 530i sport wagon. Overall in good shape, however, I need a shop I will be able to work with on a long term basis.

[woodym3]

Just curious if anyone knows if Curry's bought out J&F....

Riding my bike along South Four Mile Run Drive recently I noticed that Curry's has a new shop just down (up) the street from J&F.

[Marksvw]

I bought my 1999 BMW 528i from Advantage Certified in Manassas and have had them do repair work for me. I like them and Convenience Car Care Center. Tim, the owner of CCCC, has been the host of several DIY events and is very helpful. If you subscribe to Checkbook Magazine or can find it in your local library, their review of local repair shops is extremely useful. Another source is the Car Talk site. Look for the MechanX section, put in your information and find the names of good shops in your neighborhood.

[Psi5]

I just wanted to give major props to RRT

A quick set of comments on three independents in NoVA- Advantage Certified, Alexandria Bavarian, & RRT. I can provide details on each upon request. Context - I expect a lot out of a repair shop, both customer service and quality car care and am willing to pay for that service. That said:

Advantage Certified - Took my car there for a little more than a year, major and minor service. They do offer loaners, customer service is only OK (can be really nice or really nasty), but I am convinced they were recommending expensive work ($2k+) that did not need to be done. They did fix what I asked but two later mechanics told me some of their recommended work was unnecessary. For work you know needs done, they are OK. However, wrt their recommendations and dedication to customer service, caveat emptor. I won't go back.

ABS - They know BMWs and their repairs, thoroughness, and work was outstanding. I'd recommend them without reservation except that they can take some time to get to your car (like a week plus once and then only after I had called multiple times to see what was going on and to explain repeatedly what the problem was) and, as others have noted, their customer relations are, well, a bit rough around the edges. If you can afford to give up your car for a while (like overnight for an oil service - I cannot) and can spar with them about it, they do excellent work.

RRT - Excellent service, car and customer. I've been going there for about two years and have been very satisfied. They recommend what needs to be done and not more, offer advice and suggestions, and are just nice to hang out with and talk about cars. Highly recommended shop. The only downside might be their location, on the far side of Dulles. For me (western Fairfax) it is fine but for those further in towards DC, it could be a bit far. For those guys, I'd recommend ABS but just be ready to be snarled at...

My .02

[jbshin]

I've started going to RRT when I needed coilover kit installed. I have since been back there multiple times. They sometimes miss things if you don't talk to them in person vs. writing it on a overnight drop. Their labor rate is reasonable and about the only downside is their location. I, too, agree about them only using Motul fluids for everything, but I doubt they will mind if you brought your own. I typically bring my own parts even though they have a sign that says that they do not allow it, or something to that effect.