Backyard older BMW mech?

[Khyron]

A friend has a 94 (I think) 325 XI and is pretty much stuck with dealer rates. Anyone recommend some good backyard guys or shops with lower rates? He has a 2nd vehicle, and is in the N.

Khyron

[Mo Squared]

There is this place up in the NE i think its called Kantech Motors, i took mine there and they were reasonable and dealt with BMWs but they are not certified. I never had a problem with them one tho.

[3G]

ill get u my friends # he fixes cars out of his garage very good guy

[C4S]

There is no 325Xi in 1994 ...

do u mean I or IS ?

[bimmerheadbri]

I just had my clutch done on my '86 325e by Pepi at Five Star Motors.

He is right downtown across from the King Eddy on 9th ave S.E.

He runs out of the used car lot there.

He and his dad run the shop and know European cars really well.

Call Pepi at *MOD EDIT* No contact info for non-sponsors

Tell him Brian (BMW 325 with the new clutch) sent you.
I was very pleased.

[AllGoNoShow]

Sheni's Autotrend, lots of guys like him

Marc @ Alpine Autoworks, lots of guys like him

Personally.... whip ou thte tools and start wrenching :), best way to know and drive and fix your car and save yourself money is to do it yourself.

Just for the way BMW designed half its shit, I wouldn't just give them to any mechanic myself. Any monkey can rip something apart and put it together, but a trained monkey can put it back together right so you aren't fixing it 2-3-4 times.

[robpark]

I am going to say Sheni's Auto-trend....

Don't have to worry about unqualified people working on your car, Sheni is a factory trained BMW tech....

Give him a call, *MOD EDIT* no contact info for non-sponsors

[bimmerheadbri]

Me and a buddy used to use Sheni. He is a very skilled guy and does good work.... HOWEVER....

When we compared our bills for the work done, his totals always came up to just around $750... EVERY TIME!

Now, Sheni is a really nice guy and all, and does good work, but I was getting tired of his $750 jobs.

Ball joint replacement - $750

New muffler install - $750

Timing belt and injector seal replacement - $750

There seems to be a "trend" here (pardon the pun).

I have no issues with his abilities, just his billing practice. This actually led me to do way more on my bimmers by myself and if you have the time, is much more satisfying.

My $0.02

[Fivewayradio]

I agree with the above. Sheni is a good guy and he does great work, but he's expensive. He's definitely not a cheap fix, though he is cheaper than the dealers. I don't think he does any work less than $750. Or he finds enough stuff wrong to charge $750.

I also used Midtown auto, just across the street from Sheni's. They're alright, but I didn't find them as knowledgable. That's pretty important to me when I'm spending $750 every time I go to the shop.

[Khyron]

Thx - I will pass them on to him today. Btw - I could have been off a bit on the year, might be a 92? It's badged as a 32? XI. I'm no BMW expert that's for sure.

Khyron