[BMW_335i_Coupe]

Hello All:

I have a 2009 335i E92 without any modifications and less than 25K miles since it's not my daily driver.

Based on feedback from the forum, in the past I had been taking it to BMW of Silver Spring and working with the Service Advisor Kevin Hull for mostly routine maintenance such as oil changes, but also some warranty and recall work as well such as replacement of the HPFP. I felt that Kevin was fairly knowledgeable, detail orientated, customer service focused and fair. In addition, another reason I liked having the work done at BMW of Silver Spring (Dealer) was the ability to get a BMW loaner car of my choosing for work taking longer than a few hours to complete.

In the past I had a couple bad experiences with BMW of Rockville which is a bit closer to where I live than BMW of Silver Spring and is under different management from when I last took it there for service.

I went to schedule a service appointment today and it appears that Kevin Hull along with 1/2 the other Service Advisors are no longer at BMW of Silver Spring so it appears that they have greatly reduced the staff in the service department. As a result, I wonder if that means they have also reduced the number of technicians/mechanics working on the vehicles and the quality of work will decrease.

Past recommendations from this forum for Service Advisors at BMW of Silver Spring include Rachel Rhea and Kristina Williams who both appear to still work there.

I'm pretty particular about all my cars and would rather spend a little more to get the work done right the first time and without damage to the vehicle, such as scratches. It's also convenient to have a BMW loaner while the vehicle is serviced. Based on the age of my 335i I'm planning on replacing the coolant, automatic transmission fluid, rear differential fluid, new tires, front end alignment, etc in the next year or so.

With all that being said, based on recent experience, does anyone have recommendations for a service provider including BMW dealers ? If you have a specific suggestion for a technician/mechanic and/or Service Advisor that would be great.

Thanks !

[pseto]

Kristina Williams

[Rezinator]

Thomas Grant at BMW Silver Spring was always great to work with while I was under warranty.
Outside the BMW dealership I would use RRT, they are more expensive than some other indy shops, but do excellent work. I don't know of any indy that provides a loaner vehicle.

[BMW_335i_Coupe]

Thanks for your quick response - I appreciate it !

I don't think Thomas is there anymore. Based on their website it appears that they slashed the number of Service Adivsors from 9 to 4 and Thomas & Kevin Hull among others are no longer listed.

Originally Posted by Rezinator

Thomas Grant at BMW Silver Spring was always great to work with while I was under warranty.
Outside the BMW dealership I would use RRT, they are more expensive than some other indy shops, but do excellent work. I don't know of any indy that provides a loaner vehicle.

[davidkotok]

Luther at fleming automotive is fantastic - knows our cars incredibly well and is way better value than going to dealership

[RMNB]

Call Kevin at Aktiv Automotive in Gaithersburg. BMW specialist who is honest and has up to date equipment/software to diagnose your vehicle properly. Example: I asked my Rockville SA about a 3rd gear issue...relayed to the BMW Tech and had no idea what the problem could be except get a new clutch probably or maybe a transmission issue. I ran it by Kevin and he went to clutch algorithm ratio and mechatronic recalibration. He knew exactly what it was after driving it. Issue resolved...$130 paid happily. So an honest knowledgeable indy is invaluable. He has my car dialed in and runs absolutely perfect as he is familiar with the tune Frank at TuningTech and bounce back feedback to easily figure out my car.

301 869-3200. 1000% better than the stealership.

[pseto]

Originally Posted by 335xi Beast

Call Kevin at Aktiv Automotive in Gaithersburg. BMW specialist who is honest and has up to date equipment/software to diagnose your vehicle properly. Example: I asked my Rockville SA about a 3rd gear issue...relayed to the BMW Tech and had no idea what the problem could be except get a new clutch probably or maybe a transmission issue. I ran it by Kevin and he went to clutch algorithm ratio and mechatronic recalibration. He knew exactly what it was after driving it. Issue resolved...$130 paid happily. So an honest knowledgeable indy is invaluable. He has my car dialed in and runs absolutely perfect as he is familiar with the tune Frank at TuningTech and bounce back feedback to easily figure out my car.

301 869-3200. 1000% better than the stealership.

I agree that Aktiv is another great option.

[QMRLC]

+1 for Kevin at Aktiv