BMW of Fairfax DIY Feedback

[Munchenman2]

NCC DIYers,

Please use this thread to post comments, praise, and constructive criticism after this Saturday's final 2007 Do It Yourself event. We have thirteen BMWs registered for the DIY, which runs from 0800 to 1200. [Service location is at 2805 Old Lee Highway.]

Any member who is not registered and wants to drop by and observe is welcome; a number of us will be heading to the (relatively) nearby RRT open house afterwards.

Plans are percolating for our 2008 DIY program, and we solicit your input!

Cheers,
Co-Coordinator Alan
The DIY curmudgeon

[Zchild]

First of all let me state for the record that BMW of Fairfax is an extremely busy place on a Saturday. That being said, I give the DIY a solid C+. There was no dedicated tech support because the technicians were busy working on client BMW's. I saw a tech twice for a total of five minutes and that was after waiting twenty minutes after asking them for help. In my opinion DIY's at dealership should held on Sunday's. I was fortunate and planned to have a friend show up to help me, that's the only reason I completed the projects I planned during this DIY. I only did my thermostat and water pump. Folks with more extensive tasks worked well after 12:00. I'm not entirely sure that we gained a great deal by using BMW of Fairfax for this DIY except to give them the benefit of our resources for their parts. The DIY at BMW of Sterling was an A+.

[John in VA]

I was glad to be able to finally attend a DIY - been meaning to for the past year!
I successfully changed out my diff mount, and was pleasantly surprised that the Koni Sport sway bars I picked up from the BMP blow-out of old-car stuff DID fit my E28. Not surprising was the fact that the dealer didn't stock the rear sway bar links (applies to E23, 24, 28, 30, and 36).
Many thanks to Donald Marsh, BMW of Fairfax's QA guy for helping me out and checking my work. He previously wrenched for John Estep in Harrisonburg before his stint with Alpina and BMW in the Middle East. He knows his stuff! He had a sweet "318ti" with an M motor.
Thanks to Alan & Zach for the great year of sessions, refreshments and DIY apparel. I look fwd to more in the coming year.

[e30 + e90]

With nothing to compare it to, I was pleasantly surprised by the DIY day at BMW Fairfax. I owe Donald Marsh a huge thanks for his help. A friend and I decided to replace the catalytic converter and muffler, which was probably too big of a job for our first DIY day. That being said Donald came to our rescue after we had successfully removed the old parts but had stripped out 2 bolts in trying to reinstall the new cat. I was prepared to throw in the towel and leave it for the professionals but Donald was willing to help make the day a success. I would definitely recommend that people come out for a DIY day, even just to see what others are doing.

Lessons learned:
1. an impact wrench is a great thing for removing old stuck nuts but not a useful tool for reinstallation
2. research the tools needed (not just the parts needed for the job)
3. access to the car on a lift beats the heck out of crawling around on your back in the driveway

Thanks to the organizers for putting this event together and the DIY memorabilia!

[OwnedbyDuncan]

Any thought of doing tech inspections at DIY for drivers' schools? I would be willing if work allows no mandatory OT or herding trials to help out.

Dave Apker and the collies