Review of Calgary AutoWorks

[KRyn]

I originally stopped by CAW before the May long weekend to pick up some Motul gear oil and a Schwaben spreader tool to aid in my long weekend project. With the help of another beyond.ca member, I was able to install a new differential and some sway bars. During this process I got lazy and cut a few corners. The end result was my car started making some horrible squealing noises and clunking profusely (which turned out not to be my fault).
Usually, I would never take my car to a mechanic shop for something I could do myself. But after spending so much time on my back underneath my car over the long weekend the thought of working on my car all weekend again was a little sickening (also said beyond.ca members wife is probably ready to kill me). Enter Calgary Autoworks, after my positive experience there picking up some stuff I decided I would get them to perform the following:

• Oil change with supplied filter (I also had them collect an oil sample for a Black Stone oil analysis)
• Brake fluid flush & bleed brakes
• Examine / diagnose squealing noises
• Check front endlinks / sway bars to diagnose clunking sound

Any shop should be able to perform an oil change and bleed brakes. I can happily report CAW is able to perform these very basic tasks and follow specific instructions. Were CAW exceeded my expectations was when it came to diagnosing and fixing the squealing and clunking noises my car was making. Not only did they identify and fix my squealing noise (I didn’t realign everything as I should have), they determined that the front sway bar I installed was defective (Whiteline is currently shipping me a new one). To top all of this off they only charged me for an hour of labour to diagnose my clunking/squealing sounds and fix everything. I have no doubt that other shops would have charged for two or more hours of labour and attempted to justify it when I inevitably raised a stink.
Everyone over at CAW was great to deal with. The call I received to update me on the work performed and issue with the sway bar was much appreciated. Lastly I would like to personally thank Colin for helping me with my sway bar warranty claim. If I ever get lazy in the future it is nice to know there is another reputable shop here in Calgary I can feel comfortable taking my car.

Edit: I should also note dealing with Whiteline's North American support group has been easy.

[ToXicXxX]

Chris and Colin are pretty good guys! I used to go there for all my stuff.

[03ozwhip]

Originally posted by KRyn
I originally stopped by CAW before the May long weekend to pick up some Motul gear oil and a Schwaben spreader tool to aid in my long weekend project. With the help of another beyond.ca member, I was able to install a new differential and some sway bars. During this process I got lazy and cut a few corners. The end result was my car started making some horrible squealing noises and clunking profusely (which turned out not to be my fault).
Usually, I would never take my car to a mechanic shop for something I could do myself. But after spending so much time on my back underneath my car over the long weekend the thought of working on my car all weekend again was a little sickening (also said beyond.ca members wife is probably ready to kill me). Enter Calgary Autoworks, after my positive experience there picking up some stuff I decided I would get them to perform the following:

• Oil change with supplied filter (I also had them collect an oil sample for a Black Stone oil analysis)
• Brake fluid flush & bleed brakes
• Examine / diagnose squealing noises
• Check front endlinks / sway bars to diagnose clunking sound

Any shop should be able to perform an oil change and bleed brakes. I can happily report CAW is able to perform these very basic tasks and follow specific instructions. Were CAW exceeded my expectations was when it came to diagnosing and fixing the squealing and clunking noises my car was making. Not only did they identify and fix my squealing noise (I didn’t realign everything as I should have), they determined that the front sway bar I installed was defective (Whiteline is currently shipping me a new one). To top all of this off they only charged me for an hour of labour to diagnose my clunking/squealing sounds and fix everything. I have no doubt that other shops would have charged for two or more hours of labour and attempted to justify it when I inevitably raised a stink.
Everyone over at CAW was great to deal with. The call I received to update me on the work performed and issue with the sway bar was much appreciated. Lastly I would like to personally thank Colin for helping me with my sway bar warranty claim. If I ever get lazy in the future it is nice to know there is another reputable shop here in Calgary I can feel comfortable taking my car.

Edit: I should also note dealing with Whiteline's North American support group has been easy.

So it's safe to say they're a good place to go with our BMW's? Good to know. Good review.

[94boosted]

Originally posted by KRyn
During this process I got lazy and cut a few corners.

?? What corners?


Originally posted by KRyn
Not only did they identify and fix my squealing noise (I didn’t realign everything as I should have),

What was out? Camber in the back? Toe? Did they re-align?

[KRyn]

Originally posted by 94boosted


?? What corners?


When I bent everything to gain access to the drive shaft nut instead of removing it.


Originally posted by 94boosted

What was out? Camber in the back? Toe? Did they re-align?

CAW had to adjust the axle dust shields ( :rofl: ) and the brake dust shields, they were rubbing on some moving components. That is what I mean by realign haha. They also noticed some rust on the front wheel assembly that was causing some issues / noises.

[KRyn]

Originally posted by 03ozwhip


So it's safe to say they're a good place to go with our BMW's? Good to know. Good review.

I do believe they are.

[94boosted]

Originally posted by KRyn


When I bent everything to gain access to the drive shaft nut instead of removing it.



Oh like the exhaust heat shroud?

[T-Dubbs]

colin @ CAW is great!
he always bends over backwards for customers.
i highly reccomend them!

[03ozwhip]

I'm getting an oil change done by these guys and getting a quote on friday for some other work. Hopefully they're as good as you guys say they are, because I still have warranty and I don't want to take it to BMW.

[toastgremlin]

What was wrong with the Whiteline sway bar? Sway bars seem like pretty simple devices but I've not been really impressed by Whiteline's build quality and fitment so far this year.

[KRyn]

Originally posted by 03ozwhip
I'm getting an oil change done by these guys and getting a quote on friday for some other work. Hopefully they're as good as you guys say they are, because I still have warranty and I don't want to take it to BMW.

What oil are you planning to use (I assume you are changing the oil in a N54 powered car)?
Let me know what you think of them and their operation.

What kind of other work are you having them potentially do?

I need to install my new sway bar when it arrives and install some new plugs before I tune my car. Depending how lazy I am feeling I might have them do it for me.


Originally posted by toastgremlin
What was wrong with the Whiteline sway bar? Sway bars seem like pretty simple devices but I've not been really impressed by Whiteline's build quality and fitment so far this year.

Where the end-links bolt to the sway bar, the sway bar ends are tapered. It appears as though Whiteline missed a step in the machining process to flatten out the sway bar ends so that the end-links can be bolted to the sway bar properly. You can't properly tighten down the end links on the sway bar. After taking few decent corners the end-links become loose and clunk like crazy.

[03ozwhip]

Originally posted by KRyn


What oil are you planning to use (I assume you are changing the oil in a N54 powered car)?
Let me know what you think of them and their operation.

What kind of other work are you having them potentially do?

I need to install my new sway bar when it arrives and install some new plugs before I tune my car. Depending how lazy I am feeling I might have them do it for me.



.
no it's an N55, I would have thought that being they are a European shop, they should have the oil I need there, because I honestly didn't even research what oil to go with.

Because I have warranty, I am thinking of getting them to do plugs and waterpump since I'm coming up on 100k. A member on here told me he could do it and offer me a written receipt, but, I think I should just get it done at a shop for this time.

[KRyn]

Originally posted by 03ozwhip

no it's an N55, I would have thought that being they are a European shop, they should have the oil I need there, because I honestly didn't even research what oil to go with.

Because I have warranty, I am thinking of getting them to do plugs and waterpump since I'm coming up on 100k. A member on here told me he could do it and offer me a written receipt, but, I think I should just get it done at a shop for this time.

Of course they have the correct oil. I know for fact Motul 8100 is BMW LL-01 (which is what I went with). I also believe that Liqui-Moly has the same rating which they also sell.
You read so much about failing water pumps online, it seems like it will happen sooner rather than later. I have some NGK 5992 plugs gapped to .025 I am going to install in short order before I tune my car.

[03ozwhip]

Would the gap be any different on an N54 vs N55? Ibe got a PPK on mine, but unsure if it requires a different gap because it's a tune...basic tune, but still a tune..

[KRyn]

Originally posted by 03ozwhip
Would the gap be any different on an N54 vs N55? Ibe got a PPK on mine, but unsure if it requires a different gap because it's a tune...basic tune, but still a tune..

From my understanding, most people who are tuned aggressively and running FBO cars gap their NGK plugs to .022. This is considered the appropriate gap for N54/N55 engines running high boost (at least as high as stock turbos are capable of making). As my car will only run a basic MHD Stage 1 tune I am going to try a larger gap at .025, if I have any problems I will just pull them out and re-gap them. I think anywhere from .025 - .022 should be fine for your car based on what the internet forums have to say. The NGK plugs are cheaper than OEM and apparently perform better, but I can't speak from personal experience with the N54/N55 yet.

[ToXicXxX]

The OEM bosch plugs don't have a user settable gap (the tri-prong ones). They are more then ample for even a Stg 2 car. Our customers run them with downpipes + tunes & more. Though service life should be halved once tuning is implemented.

As for the water pump, the golden age for them seems to be 100,000km. When they fail there is no warning, the car will just overheat. They are an easy DIY item, but the part itself is pricey (and I'd recommend doing the thermostat with it, as they are attached).

[KRyn]

Originally posted by ToXicXxX
The OEM bosch plugs don't have a user settable gap (the tri-prong ones). They are more then ample for even a Stg 2 car. Our customers run them with downpipes + tunes & more. Though service life should be halved once tuning is implemented.


I would agree have to agree, they are likely fine for most applications. It appears they really shine when you are running E85 with an agressive custom tune.


Originally posted by ToXicXxX
As for the water pump, the golden age for them seems to be 100,000km. When they fail there is no warning, the car will just overheat. They are an easy DIY item, but the part itself is pricey (and I'd recommend doing the thermostat with it, as they are attached).

Could you PM me the price for the water pump + thermostat with roughly how many hours it takes to install, I am curious.

[03ozwhip]

^ +1

[03ozwhip]

Shit, it's expensive for an oil change on these cars lol anyways, well worth it to go here, Colin was awesome to deal with, they will be doing future work on my 335 in 2 weeks.

Thanks for the review again Kryn. Getting the big maintenance done, then the "modding" starts.

[KRyn]

Originally posted by 03ozwhip
Shit, it's expensive for an oil change on these cars lol anyways, well worth it to go here, Colin was awesome to deal with, they will be doing future work on my 335 in 2 weeks.

Thanks for the review again Kryn. Getting the big maintenance done, then the "modding" starts.

What oil did you end up using, Motul? If so, it isn’t cheap but it is supposed to be great oil. Using quality oil and changing it frequently in the N54 is a requirement as far as I am concerned. The damn engines run so hot all the time and with the janky injectors you just never know what’s going on with your oil.

Glad to hear they met your expectations. I will likely be going back to them to have some more basic work done shortly.

[ToXicXxX]

I always used Liqui-Moly in my N54, though Motul is also great. I believe one of their offerings is one of two 100% group IV esters avaliable.

[KRyn]

Originally posted by ToXicXxX
I always used Liqui-Moly in my N54, though Motul is also great. I believe one of their offerings is one of two 100% group IV esters avaliable.


What's the price difference between Motul 8100 5w40 and its Liqui-Moly 5w40 counterpart?

[03ozwhip]

Originally posted by KRyn


What oil did you end up using, Motul? If so, it isn’t cheap but it is supposed to be great oil. Using quality oil and changing it frequently in the N54 is a requirement as far as I am concerned. The damn engines run so hot all the time and with the janky injectors you just never know what’s going on with your oil.

Glad to hear they met your expectations. I will likely be going back to them to have some more basic work done shortly.

Ya motul 800x? I'm really trying to keep the quality of everything on this car as high end as I can, all the way down to the oil and as expensive as they are, oem bmw replacement parts when needed.

They definitely met my expectations and they are doing my plus, waterpump and t-stat on the 12th. I really want to wrench on this car myself, but for now, until the warranty is done, which isn't for quite a while, I'll take my business to these guys.

[ToXicXxX]

Originally posted by KRyn



What's the price difference between Motul 8100 5w40 and its Liqui-Moly 5w40 counterpart?

Hard to say, given that no one sells them for MSRP, it's kind of a crap shoot on retail pricing.

The 5W-40 counterpart would be leichtlauf, which is designed for turbocharged motors. They have a few different 5W-40's, but that tends to be the go-to.

[prae]

Just wanted to chime in and compliment Calgary Autoworks. I used them for winter tires on my F-150 and I found their responsiveness, workmanship, pricing and service all top notch. I'd use them again.

[03ozwhip]

Took the 335 in yesterday to have plugs, water pump and thermostat replaced as I'm just shy of 100k. They ended up calling me half way through saying that the cabin and air filter was crazy dirty(who knows when they replaced it last before I bought it) so I told them to go ahead and replace those as well.

Not only did they do it all in less than the quoted time, they advised me of the filters and didn't charge and extra labor on those and took 1.5 hours off the labor.

I'm super happy with their work and I would highly recommend going there for anything you need. My car just with the plugs and filter is more peppy than it was, so I'm happy about that too.