[WOPALX]

Does anyone have any experience with these guy's?

Now my car is out of warranty I'd like to start using an independent that is somewhat close to home (Wahroonga) or work (Alexandria).

Cheers,

S

[cruvon]

Originally Posted by WOPALX

Does anyone have any experience with these guy's?

Now my car is out of warranty I'd like to start using an independent that is somewhat close to home (Wahroonga) or work (Alexandria).

Cheers,

S

did speak to a guy who said he worked for BMW/Mini dealerships as a contractor and was willing to work on the side, got his contact thru" an online classified. He's mobile in Syd so he can come to you, haven't used him yet so you'll have to judge credentials but in my email conversations with him about things I was looking at installing he did sound very knowledgeable about BMW's, could PM you his contact details if interested in exploring this option further.

[johnnydad]

I have heard good things about Bee-Ems from several people.

Also Bromspec in Brookvale (bit of a detour) gets excellent raps and know a fellow now retired from Autohaus Strecker in Alexandria who spoke very highly of the place.

[335i-boy]

I started using independant shops a couple of years ago with my E46 325Ci M-Sport.

I used Platinum Auto Sevices in Botany once. They are supposed to be BMW specialists. Central Locking on driver's side door would lock but not unlock. It needed a new door actuator. Also it had a small A/C condenser leak that would drop chilled water on my left shoe only in + 35degC temps and high humidity in summer. It only would leak when cornering hard right. He had the car for 4 weeks to do a service, check the leak (which he could not find) and replace the actuator.

After all that, when picking up the car, there were grease marks all over the light grey leather interior and there was literally ZERO fuel in the car. "----" kms left to empty. I am positive I dropped the car off with a 1/3 of a tank of fuel. I could only assume it had been driven a long distance. Upon querying the lack of fuel, owner said they had left the car running to diagnose the A/C leak. Using a 1/3 of a tank of fuel while idling would take a really significant amount of time.

Stay away from these guys.


Bromspec in Brookvale is quite good, but a bit pricey.


The best I have found is BMWise in Artarmon. They only do BMW's, nothing else. The owner is ex Alto BMW. His name is George. He has won numerous BMW awards for BMW mechanic of the year and BMW apprentice of the year in his younger days. The awards are hanging on the wall. It is a smaller shop. George is hands on instead of in the office so he makes sure all work is carried out properly before the car is handed back to the owner. He is extremely thorough. You also get the car back with the interior spotless.

Along with his good work, I have found him also to be the most competitive on price. Drop in and say hi. He is located next to the Bunnings in Artarmon. He is quite happy to discuss with you what work you may require prior to booking your car in. If you are not happy with what he has to say, it hasnt cost you anything. Just some of your time.

Better to check first, rather than get a hefty bill for sub par work.

[WOPALX]

Options, cool.

I have a 2EE3 error (coolant sensor plausibility) I need to have dealt with as well as a tranny service, oil change and diff oil change so will make some calls.

[kaishang]

Did this guy give you an estimate at the start of how long it would take to do the job? 4 weeks is suprising, to say the least.

Originally Posted by 335i-boy

He had the car for 4 weeks to do a service, check the leak (which he could not find) and replace the actuator.

[bcoz]

I used Bee-Ems twice last year for my previous E36. They specialise in BMW and Mini and are actually closer to Asquith than Hornsby.

They provide indicative quotes over the phone and their pricing was reasonable. Although they didn't wash my car (like BMW dealers), they always left it clean.

I would definitely consider taking my 330d there after its warranty expires.

[Ninjaoz]

Bee-Ems at Hornsby aint cheap though, last time i got quoted for a normal service, it was roughly about the same price as what the dealer would have charged!

[335i-boy]

Originally Posted by kaishang

Did this guy give you an estimate at the start of how long it would take to do the job? 4 weeks is suprising, to say the least.

He initially advised that all work would be completed in about a week because they would need to drive the car to replicate the A/C leak.

After a week had passed, he advised me that they could not yet replicate the leak as it was not humid enough and they could not find a door lock actuator that a dealer had in stock. The earliest would be at least 4 weeks out of Germany. He asked me if I would consider a 2nd hand door lock actuator from a local wrecker in Sydney. Considering the long lead time, I said OK.

After the 2nd week he could not find a 2nd hand door lock actuator. He still was not able to replicate the A/C leak.

Same story after the 3rd week. I then sourced a new door lock actuator from my local dealer who got it from Doncaster BMW in Melbourne.

I gave him the new door lock actuator. He said he was flat out and still had the service to do. Another week then goes by.

I turn up to pick up the car. I was pleased that they had washed the car. Then I saw the bill. Firstly I complained about the price. I managed to get a $100 discount on the labour. Which was about 1 hr's worth.

Second, I go to get in the car and I find the leather had grease marks all over it on the front and rear seats and on driver's side door trim which they had to remove to fit the door lock actuator.

I went back in and complained again, they managed to clean the car up as best they could. I then left feeling pretty angry and disappointed.

While I am driving, I notice a hissing sound coming from the driver's side window. There was daylight between the rubber window seal and the window itself. They had to remove the window from the door to fit the door lock actuator and they had not adjusted the window properly when they re-fitted the window to the door. Then, I noticed the car had "----" kms to empty worth of fuel.

So back I go. It was 5:30pm by then and his guys, one of which had performed the work, had left so he couldn't fix the window straight away. He assured me that it will be fixed the next day. I quizzed him about the empty fuel and if he or one of his guys had driven it a long distance during test drives to replicate the A/C leak. He then was very offended that I would accuse him of such a thing. He was of the opinion that I had handed the vehicle over with no fuel. I couldn't believe it.

I turned up the next day to pick up the car, checked everything was OK inside and out and drove the car to make sure the window was fixed which it was. I went back to talk him regarding the overall job. He wasnt at the front desk. I asked one of his employees where he was and that I wanted to speak with him. I was informed he was busy.

I left and when I got home I proceeded to write him an email to express my disappointment regarding the quality of his work. Also to get some correspondence from him in writing. I received a very dirty email in reply. I then tried to call him the next day, but as soon as he picked up the phone and realised who it was, he kept hanging up.

The whole experience can only be described as a soap opera. One unsatisfactory incident after another.

[kaishang]

Thanks for the write-up. Well Platinum Autos is blacklisted if I ever need any BMW work done in Sydney.

[cruvon]

Originally Posted by cruvon

did speak to a guy who said he worked for BMW/Mini dealerships as a contractor and was willing to work on the side, got his contact thru" an online classified. He's mobile in Syd so he can come to you, haven't used him yet so you'll have to judge credentials but in my email conversations with him about things I was looking at installing he did sound very knowledgeable about BMW's, could PM you his contact details if interested in exploring this option further.

ad for the mechanic was speaking about is still up, check link for details

http://sydney.gumtree.com.au/c-Cars-...AdIdZ109259774

[Stuart@BMRAutowerkes]

any more indies people can recommend?

asquith is a bit far from me...

alternatively, any fair-dinkum dealers around sydney?
edit: perhaps that's a bit of any oxymoron....

[Stuart@BMRAutowerkes]

bump, I might be giving BMWwise in Artarmon a call soon seeing as they are geographically close... or the indie cruvon recommended.

unless anyone else can recommend a good place for a service?

[BMWX5driver]

Originally Posted by WOPALX

Does anyone have any experience with these guy's?

Now my car is out of warranty I'd like to start using an independent that is somewhat close to home (Wahroonga) or work (Alexandria).

Cheers,

S

Look on this
http://sydney.gumtree.com.au/c-Cars-...AdIdZ241432450
Or this
http://www.bmwmultimedia.com.au/