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My dad used to joke- three things you need in todays world: A good doctor, a good lawyer and....a good mechanic.
(He was a musician who could barely turn a screwdriver without hurting himself- I was working on the family cars when I was 14. Oh, and that joke works with 'a good bass player' too.
)
But this got me thinking about how owners and mechanics interact- and more specifically on how to make the jump from Dealer to Indy.
It isnt as easy as it sounds on a forum, right?
BMW wraps everyone into a warm fuzzy cocoon of dealer processes: 'just do what the dashboard says'; 'have a latte and a loaner, dont trouble yourself with what we are doing'... 'BMWs are highly complex engineering marvels- only dealers can fix them'; 'why take the risk for a few $', etc.
So folks go through life until the warranty expires, only to face a crisis when the CEL comes on or a service message pops up.... "What do I do now??"
So, what can an owner do to transition to non-dealer service?
I though this thread might collect a few thoughts on this...
1. The communication you have with the mechanic/shop is THE most important aspect. More important than price.
2. Begin the interaction with shops before you have a crisis. Drop in, say hello. "I am going to need a shop after my car comes off the BMW maintenance- Im trying to pick a place"......Test the communications. Do you like to be schmozed? Do you just want the straight dope? Are they listening to you and picking up on your clues? If you are a DIYer, but need a shop for 'the hairy stuff', tell them this- see how they respond. If they scoff, there is an answer- if they say "cool, they are pretty easy- but if you do get over your head, we are here" you have another answer.
3. Use oil changes, brake jobs as a lower cost test for how they will be if you need a valve cover gasket; a water pump; etc, etc. (ie when you get towed in and not driven...)
4. Ask about how they go about diagnosing. You arent testing them (well, some of you might- but YOU dont need these tips..) but more importantly you are testing how they communicate with you.
5. Recognize that a 'car expert' is everyone that knows one more layer than you know..... yeah, this is hard. This is why 80% of the public is lost talking to SAs. BUT, even if people cant tell the technical truth, they can get a BS sense. Better to feel that out over a brake job, then when the top of the engine is open and they are claiming "its 2800 to proceed".
6. Use Yelp and car-specific forums for references. BMWCCA has a listing- although my personal opinion is some of these "BMWs Only" shops with high profiles in the BMW world can be basically a dealer experience without the loaners. Or even with their own loaners! Just as expensive.
Many years ago, I had purchased my first BMW and walked into the service area at my local BMW dealer. Spoke to the service manager and said "nothing wrong, but in the future I am the kind of owner that ___, ___, ___. Which of your SAs is the guy I should work with?" My point is that conversations outside of repair transactions can shortcut the time to reach a relationship. This case it was in a dealer, but same applies outside.
So drive up to a shop and just say "Im looking for a shop- whats up with you guys?"
So, what else?
.
(He was a musician who could barely turn a screwdriver without hurting himself- I was working on the family cars when I was 14. Oh, and that joke works with 'a good bass player' too.
)But this got me thinking about how owners and mechanics interact- and more specifically on how to make the jump from Dealer to Indy.
It isnt as easy as it sounds on a forum, right?
BMW wraps everyone into a warm fuzzy cocoon of dealer processes: 'just do what the dashboard says'; 'have a latte and a loaner, dont trouble yourself with what we are doing'... 'BMWs are highly complex engineering marvels- only dealers can fix them'; 'why take the risk for a few $', etc.
So folks go through life until the warranty expires, only to face a crisis when the CEL comes on or a service message pops up.... "What do I do now??"
So, what can an owner do to transition to non-dealer service?
I though this thread might collect a few thoughts on this...
1. The communication you have with the mechanic/shop is THE most important aspect. More important than price.
2. Begin the interaction with shops before you have a crisis. Drop in, say hello. "I am going to need a shop after my car comes off the BMW maintenance- Im trying to pick a place"......Test the communications. Do you like to be schmozed? Do you just want the straight dope? Are they listening to you and picking up on your clues? If you are a DIYer, but need a shop for 'the hairy stuff', tell them this- see how they respond. If they scoff, there is an answer- if they say "cool, they are pretty easy- but if you do get over your head, we are here" you have another answer.
3. Use oil changes, brake jobs as a lower cost test for how they will be if you need a valve cover gasket; a water pump; etc, etc. (ie when you get towed in and not driven...)
4. Ask about how they go about diagnosing. You arent testing them (well, some of you might- but YOU dont need these tips..) but more importantly you are testing how they communicate with you.
5. Recognize that a 'car expert' is everyone that knows one more layer than you know..... yeah, this is hard. This is why 80% of the public is lost talking to SAs. BUT, even if people cant tell the technical truth, they can get a BS sense. Better to feel that out over a brake job, then when the top of the engine is open and they are claiming "its 2800 to proceed".
6. Use Yelp and car-specific forums for references. BMWCCA has a listing- although my personal opinion is some of these "BMWs Only" shops with high profiles in the BMW world can be basically a dealer experience without the loaners. Or even with their own loaners! Just as expensive.
Many years ago, I had purchased my first BMW and walked into the service area at my local BMW dealer. Spoke to the service manager and said "nothing wrong, but in the future I am the kind of owner that ___, ___, ___. Which of your SAs is the guy I should work with?" My point is that conversations outside of repair transactions can shortcut the time to reach a relationship. This case it was in a dealer, but same applies outside.
So drive up to a shop and just say "Im looking for a shop- whats up with you guys?"
So, what else?
.
