Your thoughts on a local "indie" shop...

[JFlo]

Hey guys! So per the car, I have a 15K service coming up in about 4,000 miles and the car currently has about 49,500 on the odo. I dropped by this local indie shop in St Augustine (south of Jacksonville, FL close to where I live) to get a better feel about the place before I let them do any work on my baby. When I informed the owner/mechanic about the car, milage etc. he ran out pulled the VIN (I assume) and walked inside and said "I guess you want the 50K service?" He threw me a little off guard since most of the time people dont talk too much about a 40K, 50K service etc., it's more on a 15K interval... please correct me if I'm wrong. He checks his computer, and says that the only thing that is needed is a check up and potential change of brake pads (at 50K that is), he added of course depending on the current wear of the pads.

He claims he has access to the newest diagnostics system (I can never remember the name of the system), and uses M-Sport recommended oils and fluids, such as the 10W-60 etc. I asked him if he had alot of experience with M-Sports and his answer was: "we know nothing about them!" I guess he got tired of my questions, and kracked a joke that I didnt quite pick up on at first. He seems to have a good reputation in town, I only know one guy that takes his 750Li there, but I've seen some nice exotics pulling in and out of this place such as a 612 Scaglietti, Lotus Exige just to mention a few.

I guess what Im asking is how do you guys get comfortable with these so called "indie" shops, do you guys supply the parts to make sure 100% you are getting the right stuff; Im afraid something like that might come off as insulting too. I guess I got a little thrown off when he started talking about the 50K and wanted to see if there were some of you guys out there that had any experience with any local shops, and how best to go about using them.

Any help would be highly appreciated!

[dparm]

Sounds like you will need to tell him what services to do. I'm sure he's capable of the mechanical work, but he probably doesn't know the detailed service schedule for your car.

[JFlo]

Originally Posted by dparm

Sounds like you will need to tell him what services to do. I'm sure he's capable of the mechanical work, but he probably doesn't know the detailed service schedule for your car.

That was kinda my thoughts as well! I guess that is understandable, but at the same time, if I have to tell him what to do, potentiall order/buy the parts, I'm at that point where I might consider performing the service by myself? I would have to make some more investments on the tools front, but not too much for some basic servicing.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by JFlo

That was kinda my thoughts as well! I guess that is understandable, but at the same time, if I have to tell him what to do, potentiall order/buy the parts, I'm at that point where I might consider performing the service by myself? I would have to make some more investments on the tools front, but not too much for some basic servicing.

Right. It's a time/cost-benefit analysis. If you have the spare time and don't mind getting dirty, most of that stuff is DIY.

[PhillyNate]

If you HADN'T finished up saying you see exotics in and out I woulda said RUN LIKE HELL but you should be ok...I guess.

[JFlo]

Originally Posted by PhillyNate

If you HADN'T finished up saying you see exotics in and out I woulda said RUN LIKE HELL but you should be ok...I guess.

Hahaha, ya I guess you're right! But that's what brought me there in the first place, the fact that I have seen some other fairly "complex" cars he works on in there.

Thanks for chiming in guys!

[JFlo]

I actually just got in touch with another non-dealer shop in Jacksonville, a little more inconvenient than the other but a very solid reputation. I was talking to the service rep there and he explained to me that they perform a pretty extensive service at 60K, including oil change, air filter, cabin filter, transmission flush, plugs and so forth. The quote was $950, which wasn't too bad I think. I forgot to mention that the DCT so that might add some. Again, I didnt think it was too bad, borderline "too good to be true" based on what the same parts will run me. Any thoughts or experiences what you guys have paid for similar services performed by non-dealership shops?

[JFlo]

Originally Posted by mdosu

You should double check regarding transmission fluid change. DCT is a lifetime fluid, BMW dealer won't change it, I question whether that shop will do it. It can be done.

Thanks for chiming in! I actually dropped by the shop last Friday and talked to the people there. Another guy with an 08 M3 had the same 60K service performed the day before, and the DCT-1 fluid was fully changed.

I asked the owner (of the shop) about his opinion on the "lifetime fluids", and he said it was pretty much BS! I his words, "ya the fluid will technically last the lifetime of your transmission, but the lifetime of your transmission will be significantly reduced by not performing that change".

I completely agree with him, and dont understand how BMW can justify not changing the tranmission fluid. What's so different with those moving parts, and that oil compared to let's say the engined and the engine oil? As he pointed out, this all depends on how long you're planning on having your M3. If you know you're going to get rid of it before it hits 100K, there really isn't much of a point. Then you can probably get away with 15K oil changes as well, haha

[G80indy]

I think based on his responses that he is the right kind of indy ---- fostering preventive, sensible maintenance.
Have you gone online to see their customer reviews?

[JFlo]

Originally Posted by 330indy

I think based on his responses that he is the right kind of indy ---- fostering preventive, sensible maintenance.
Have you gone online to see their customer reviews?

Yes I have seen quite a few reviews, and I know he is really popular in the area. Most of the time booked for two weeks out. The only thing was that i didn't know anyone with an M that had been, but saw a Z3M when I was there and they had just finished an 08 E92 the day before I was there.

[JFlo]

Originally Posted by mdosu

I too believe in changing the DCT fluid, the only reason I mentioned the lifetime fluid is seeing if the shop knew what they were talking about. lol.

Haha ya, good call! He was quite upset about BMW's BS maintenance schedules lately.

$950 seems reasonable for that laundry list or services. Have you priced out all the parts costs to see how much it would cost in fluids/parts alone? Then you can estimate how many hours it can take and back out their hourly rate.

I actually haven't done all the math myself, however his breakout was $500 in parts/fluids, and $420/440 for labor. He said the whole thing should take one of his guys 5 hours, so we're looking at a little north of $80/hour.

The only reason why I haven't done all the math yet is because he uses certain "non-traditional" fluids. They are of equal quality, just different brands, labels etc. For example, he didnt use the Castrol 10W-60 but another 10W-60 (cant remember the name) that is LL01 approved. Alternatively, for those who wanted a different viscosity he used a 5W-40, non-castrol since they didnt have an LL01 of that viscosity. I never got the chance to ask him about what diff, and trans fluids he uses, but I just noticed Motul's DCT fluid so seems like we keep getting some more options.

I also called my local BMW dealer and they "refused" to give me a quote for a 15K service, i didnt talk to them about a possible 60K. The lady tried to convince we that they had a machine that would read my key, which determined what they would do as part of the service. I thanked her for the assistance and hung up! Those guys never stop surprising...

Anyways, Ive been looking through the DIY section and it all seems to be there for what I wanna do for the 60K, the only thing that seems a little bit time consuming is the change of diff and trans fluid, as well as the plugs. Certainly doable over a weekend though, but at the same time it might be worth the $420~ in labor. Not to mention that I would need someone else to reset the computer anyways, and idk what they charge for that kind stuff. Any experiences with that?

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by JFlo

The only reason why I haven't done all the math yet is because he uses certain "non-traditional" fluids. They are of equal quality, just different brands, labels etc. For example, he didnt use the Castrol 10W-60 but another 10W-60 (cant remember the name) that is LL01 approved. Alternatively, for those who wanted a different viscosity he used a 5W-40, non-castrol since they didnt have an LL01 of that viscosity. I never got the chance to ask him about what diff, and trans fluids he uses, but I just noticed Motul's DCT fluid so seems like we keep getting some more options.

I also called my local BMW dealer and they "refused" to give me a quote for a 15K service, i didnt talk to them about a possible 60K. The lady tried to convince we that they had a machine that would read my key, which determined what they would do as part of the service. I thanked her for the assistance and hung up! Those guys never stop surprising...

If you are sticking with 10w-60 I wouldnt use anything but the Castrol TWS. Read up on the bearing threads for more info.

Also, the BMW dealer is correct. Their key reader will tell you what needs to be done (same info that appears on your i-drive screen). The only way they could give you a quote is by reading your key to determine which services need to be performed.

Your M3 has "condition based servicing" or CBS which is dependent on mileage, time, and driving style. Thus, the car will tell you when oil, brake fluid, etc need to be changed. There is no blanket checklist for things to do at 60k miles. If you read your cars owners manual you would know this.