Competent and "HONEST" BMW garage ?

[McNihil]

Hi all,
I'd like to share my bad experiences with you and the same time ask if any of you know where I can find a competent mechanic that knows BMW and who's honest. I've tried Bavarian auto Clinic next to Décarie and I don't like dealing with Helmut, i get the feeling that I'm always bothering him and he doesn't listen. Now I'm going to BM Services Exclusifs and after my last two visits there I don't think I wan't to return and I'm also moving on the Southshore in June.

Problem 1 - In August 2008 my car started making a whining noise which varied in pitch as the engine revved, so something belt driven I assume. This is a very noticeable sound even with the windows up, sounds like i'm running with a top fuel supercharger. Went to BM Exclusif, he said it's probably the alternator or the belt tensioner but he'll check with a stetoscope to make sure. He changed two belts, two pulleys and the belt tensioner and said the problem was gone. But it wasn't....the exact same sound....I wasn't two happy. I just went back yesterday for the same problem, this time he said that it's most likely the alternator but he'll turn it manually to make sure that's where the sound is coming from. So he changed the alternator and a pulley tensioner which according to him was also making noise.....and wouldn't you know it....the sound didn't change !
When I told him the sound didn't change and brought him to the car with me so he could listen he insisted that it was much, much better....but it just isn't ! and the he said that what I hear is a normal sound. So my car started making a normal sound after years that I've owned it and a E36 M52 is supposed to sound like it's winding a huge supercharger ? :mad:

Problem 2 - Deep thunk sound when I press or depress clutch pedal, kinda comes and goes but mostly when i'm pressing the clutch when the rpm is above 4k or depressing the clutch after downshifting and didn't match the revs properly. But sometimes just when I'm driving around in first gear at 20km/h and press the clutch to go into second. I keep thinking that it must be subframe related which is scary, but he keeps insisting that it isn't. I've made him check on 3 different occasions for where that thunk could be coming from and he doesn't see a problem anywhere and he drove the car on all occasions and never heard any thunks ! :mad:

Oh and also today he had to replace the powersteering fluid because it was dirty which he had replaced just last year but had forgot to put the cap back on the reservoir and I only noticed 1 month and 2000km later. and he insists that it's not related to that....hmmmm....possible, but I doubt it.:confused:

Sorry for the long thread but I had to get this off my chest. These adventures have cost me close to 2000 $ and I'm not in a financial situation to be able to cover these useless costs....I love my car but it's turning in a financial disaster, Help :(

[Gregster]

has anyone checked the water pump?

2nd problem sounds like a motor mount or trans mount.

[McNihil]

Water pump was changed 2 years ago, and the thunk sounds like it's coming from the rear or middle of the car and it's very erratic, sometimes I won't hear it for weeks no matter how I drive.

[kenneth]

Bonjour Jocelyn! Sorry to hear about your unpleasant experiences with that garage. That is outright unprofessional, to change parts without solving the problem! I would not have returned after the first time. Anything you can do to refuse yesterday's work?

I don't know too many Bimmer shops, I only know about "Bimmershop" :D in Vaudreuil. They are good and fair from my experiences with them.

You should also not limit your choice to Bimmer garages. What I mean is that if you know of a shop with a very good trouble shooting mechanic it might be worth considering. Granted that Bimmer garages may have come across similar problems to yours, then again they might not, which would then call for good trouble shooting skills.

Good Luck!

[Phil]

Helmut and Norbert are great mechanics and their shops have served BMW enthusiasts and club members for many years.

Nobody is perfect but these two guys get very high ratings in most folks' books.

And there are always two sides to a story. More precisely, you need to hear both sides before making a judgment.

I'm sorry you are unhappy Jocelyn. Sometimes "break my wallet" is the sad truth.

Phil

[FrankyGoes]

The E36 is getting old. Mine is anyway !

I solved my wallet problem by getting tools...

I have the turbo whine. From what I read everywhere it can be any of 5 different things. I decided to embrace my turbo sound... until whatever is failing fails. I'll replace that component when the time comes.

Good luck with your search for a garage. Norbert did save my ass many times since I got the car.

[white328]

I have been to Norbert two time too for my car.

The first time (with the 328) a noise in the front wheel problem that wasn't solved.

The second time it was for the inspection of the M3 and no "test de compression" (sorry don't know the english word for it !) and he didn't take off the wheel !!! the result was that the brake where good, but the shocks were done and the rear shock mount had already been "repaired" (took me 4 hours to repair them properlly, i'm lucky i had a welder...).

So me too i'm preaty mutch looking for a garage, but to go to Vaudreuil ... :(

[PassatVR6]

diagnosting a problem can be hard, i know it's frustrating for a car owner but that's life unfortunatly.

[Nick_ll]

Your 2nd problem, if it comes from the middle of the car is either the Guibo (flex disc) between the tranny and driveshaft, or the driveshaft center support bearing.

[kenneth]

I understand that diagnosing problems are hard and even the best mechanics may be stumped once in a while. The fact of the matter is the customer is out a couple grand with the same problem unfixed.

To me a good mechanic means someone who will outright say he's not sure about the source of the problem, and give you your options (and cost) beforehand once you embark on changing parts 1, 2 and 3 by trial and error. If you knew before laying down a couple of grand that the problem might not be solved, and YOU give the go ahead, you cannot feel cheated by the outcome.

Changing parts is not all there is to being a mechanic. ;)

I am not sure, but I believe OP was not complaining about Norbert nor Helmut.

[McNihil]

Your 2nd problem, if it comes from the middle of the car is either the Guibo (flex disc) between the tranny and driveshaft, or the driveshaft center support bearing.
I knew about the possibility of the Flex Disc being used, that's actually the first thing I told him to check this time, but it seems that it's fine.
I know diagnosing is hard and I also know that Helmut and Norbert are very competent and really know their way around BMWs, that's why I've been going to them all these years, but I also know that they have a business to run and sometimes fixing things that don't really need fixing can be an easy way to make some money. I'm not necessarly saying that's the case here....but it could be...and there's no way of knowing, which is mainly what frustrates me, because in the meantime I'm just trusting their judgment and giving them money for things that don't seem to make a difference.
What really got me off this time is him saying that it's a normal sound (the whining)....then why have we been trying to fix it for the past year ?:rolleyes:
And I also read on some forums about the thunk or thud problem in the rear that alot of mechanics and even the dealership in some new cars cases, that said that the "thunk" was normal and part of the BMW experience ! :confused: ....and maybe it is.

Thanx for your support :)

[McNihil]

I've been reading up on torn subframes and subframe mounts on the internet and the problems people describe are "exactly" what I'm experiencing. So I was wondering how come the garage kept telling me that it was fine and instead checked for other things. From what I read, just getting to where the subframe attaches is a PITA, so what I'm wondering now is : Is it possible to check for subrame cracks or subframe mounts failing without dissassembling the whole rear end of the car ? Because I'm pretty sure they didn't do that at the garage. And from what I can remember, everytime (3) I asked him about the subframe (because this was my diagnostic right from the begginning) he would always answer : From what we "can" see, the subframe "seems" fine.
So is he just not checking it ?
What are my options ? Because this totally doesn't feel normal and I'm afraid I'm breaking the car everytime I hear it.
I'm thinking to get someone to install a subframe reinforcement kit :
Scenario 1 - Once he gets to the mounting points he sees that its broken and has to fix them and install the reinforcements.
Scenario 2 - The subframe is fine but atleast I'll have peace of mind and a reinforcement kit, but it doesn't solve that booming noise.
Does anyone know where I can get this done and how much could it cost ?

[Emre]

A torn rear subframe (or broken rear subframe mount) is not very subtle. Usually, the way you can tell is by tossing the car from side to side or cornering hard. If the subframe is loose for whatever reason, it feels like the rear of the car is "disconnected." It's like the body is moving but the tires are lagging behind. I can't really explain it better than that...but you know it when you feel it. It's a really sloppy feeling in the rear end.

[McNihil]

I just took an appointement with Bimmershop for Monday morning to get a second opinion. The guy told me they fix a subframe per week ! LOL So I guess they know what it's supposed to look or sound like.
Emre, the rear of the car feels fine in cornering and I'm not hearing any "cracking noises" so right now I'm still thinking its mostly the subframe bushings (which would explain the deep "boom" sound) but I don't want it to degenerate into a cracked subframe and I've been driving the car like this for almost two years. The guy from Bimmershop told me a way to test if the subframe is cracked or not is to try to move the car forward or backward under its own power while holding the brake and listen for a cracking sound, I'll go check this afternoon.

[McNihil]

So I did the test and holding the car with the hand brake I can't hear any creaking sounds then I tried with the foot brake and I can hear a slight creaking sound coming from the rear but hard to tell if its around the subframe area or the brakes....it's a sound I had noticed before when coming to a full stop when it was really quiet and then again when taking off...dunno if it could be something else, alot of things can creak and squeak in an old car and it doesn't mean they're broken.

[Emre]

One common reason for clunks and thunks coming from the rear under power is a worn out rear differential or broken rear diff mount. Should be easy to diagnose and easy to fix.

[McNihil]

I just got back from Bimmershop with some good news ! :D
The subframe and all the bushings are fine, it turns out the "thud" is from a bit of play here and there in the drivetrain that just kinda accumulates going down the line....nothing to worry about, quite normal for a car past 150k kms.
The whining noise sounds "normal", he disconnected everything that was belt driven and the sound didn't change....so probably just coming from the air intake. :rolleyes:
I just wish I could have gotten those answers a while back...which would've saved me stress and money. :mad:
Thanx Seb ! :)