Repair Shop in LA

[asifallasleep]

Can anyone recommend a repair shop in LA? Thanks

[LeeJohn]

summit on washington in venice... ask for dave he is a jedi!

[ziff73]

For 02's? Steve Nelson at Top End Performance is awesome. I used to go by there all the time when I had my first 02' and he always took time to help me out and talk 02s with me. I just went back and visited to let him know I finally got another one and he still remembered me (about 6 years went by!). He's also one of the best sources for parts, etc.... racetep.com, I think.

[Pierre]

Can anyone recommend a repair shop in LA? Thanks

LA = Louisiana or Los Angeles?

If you meant Los Angeles, where about? LA is a big town.

Jack at JF Pro BMW has been a long-time 2002 shop in Van Nuys.

www,probimmer.com

(You'll sometimes see his ad pop up at the bottom of this very page.)

[josh72ooh2]

Proceed with caution with Pro Bimmer. Jack comes recommended but be prepared to get badgered if your car was modified in any way (5 speed, etc...).

I went there for some help with my suspension and proceeded to rip my car to shreds and high-ball me on the price (almost $3000 to go through my suspension and alignment).

He said the only way he would look at it was if he tore the whole thing apart and rebuilt it from scratch. OK... fair enough but i didn't think he had to go that deep into my car.

But then things got a bit out of control, he opened the hood and accused me of my distributor being old (it was brand new from IE), my engine not sitting level because of the 5 speed (from what i understand, they aren't level engines to begin with), he said i had a solex on my car when in fact it is a Weber, I told him it was a Weber then he said it was a water choke and it is actually an electric choke. He started going off saying he should put dual carbs on it and they should only have a manual choke...

Then he went off on me for buying a round tail light car saying the metal is crap on those cars and i should have gotten a later square light car...

It was like meeting with a bully. I could tell what he was trying to do. He saw a freshly painted car (due to a recent accident) with new rims and assumed i didn't know anything...At some point, i said 'thanks for your time' and drove off. i couldn't take it anymore. I even arranged a ride from his shop with every intention of leaving my car there that day...

I'm sure the quality of his work is good (if you want to pay for it) but that is no way to act if you are looking for new customers.

I wish i had other suggestions for you but I too am looking for somebody in Los Angeles that is reasonable and semi-convenient. I've ended up doing more and more work myself as a result (which in the end, is a good thing, provided i am doing the work correctly).

[asifallasleep]

Proceed with caution with Pro Bimmer. Jack comes recommended but be prepared to get badgered if your car was modified in any way (5 speed, etc...).

I went there for some help with my suspension and proceeded to rip my car to shreds and high-ball me on the price (almost $3000 to go through my suspension and alignment).

He said the only way he would look at it was if he tore the whole thing apart and rebuilt it from scratch. OK... fair enough but i didn't think he had to go that deep into my car.

But then things got a bit out of control, he opened the hood and accused me of my distributor being old (it was brand new from IE), my engine not sitting level because of the 5 speed (from what i understand, they aren't level engines to begin with), he said i had a solex on my car when in fact it is a Weber, I told him it was a Weber then he said it was a water choke and it is actually an electric choke. He started going off saying he should put dual carbs on it and they should only have a manual choke...

It was like meeting with a bully. I could tell what he was trying to do. He saw a freshly painted car (due to a recent accident) and assumed i didn't know anything...At some point, i said 'thanks for your time' and drove off. i couldn't take it anymore.

I'm sure the quality of his work is good but that is no way to act if you are looking for new customers.

Interesting, I had some work done by him and got a similar song and dance. He vigorously criticized the previous work done to the car, which really bothered me. I had him do a few things but then in a subsequent phone call he was contradicting himself quite a bit and i felt like i was talking to a used car salesman. I never went back.

[kbmb02]

You might consider Ronin Autowerks in Fullerton (ask for Tom) - they are open some Saturdays, usually a bunch of 02's there to ogle.

Re: 'warnings'/rants . . . one can only guess that shop owners and mechanics have a forum where they rant about disaster cars, whining / cheap customers, etc.

[williamdholmes]

jeff tighe...949.887.7350...in costa mesa (not exactly L.A.). displays the incredibility rare qualities of honesty and competence. and he races 02's

[net30]

x2 for Ronin's...Tom is a straight shooter and the prices were fair.

[josh72ooh2]

This is a topic asking for opinions/referrals.

Re: 'warnings'/rants . . . one can only guess that shop owners and mechanics have a forum where they rant about disaster cars, whining / cheap customers, etc.

There is a certain etiquette one would expect as a customer trying to give business to somebody. As i mentioned, i know nothing about the quality of his work from personal experience, but i can say (from personal experience) that Jack lacks etiquette.

...And who wants to be surrounded by, or do business with, a jerk?

[mtriple]

You might consider Ronin Autowerks in Fullerton (ask for Tom) - they are open some Saturdays, usually a bunch of 02's there to ogle.

Re: 'warnings'/rants . . . one can only guess that shop owners and mechanics have a forum where they rant about disaster cars, whining / cheap customers, etc.

X3 for Ronin. They are 50 miles each way from my house, but I still go there and trust them with my car. They have a few 02s all the time there and Tom is an old school 02 guy that knows all the secrets. Make sure you check out Ronin's monster racer when you go there.

Here is a teaser, but its done now:

hamada

[BDB]

I had some engine and other misc work done on my 2002 at 2002AD. I know from prior threads that there's a small group here that did not have a good experience w/ AD. Me personally, I was treated very well. My mechanic was a guy named Nelson. He updated me at every step of the way, he even used a spreadsheet sent via email to calculate costs to make sure that the work performed and the costs were transparent. At no point during the process was there any doubt as to scope of work, schedule, etc.

I got my car back yesterday and so far so good. I will continue to patronage AD as they are close to me and treated me well.

[RSlater]

Ronin is great. I used them from a recommendation and was more than happy. Very straight shooters and very fair with prices. Tom is a genius with 02 carbs!

Ryan

[AceAndrew]

You might consider Ronin Autowerks in Fullerton (ask for Tom) - they are open some Saturdays, usually a bunch of 02's there to ogle.

X4 for Ronin, I had my diff go out on the 57 (my own fault). Tom put in another one and stayed late so I could pick up the car after work. The most genuine guy in the business I've come across.

[LeeJohn]

Summit automotive on Wahington St in Venice.. David is the smartest guy i know involving bmw especially classics.. I would stay away from racetep, pinks automotive, james imports.