Bought a BMW. Need to get it in tip top shape. Which shop is the best?
 

I went ahead and bought a 97 740iL with some, uh, issues that need to be resolved. Factored that into the price, and got an ok deal. Thanks to everyone who gave me pointers in the last few months.

Anyway, I need to get it fixed. Valve cover gasket, valley pan and transmission gasket. I have a quote from Nixon's, but they missed a piece of electrical tape taped over a lit airbag sensor while doing the PPI. Oops. That made me slightly unhappy. Airbag sensors can be a bitch on this car, and I'd have negotiated the price a bit more to account for that.

What is a *good* shop to take my car to get these repairs done? Note I'm asking good, not necessarily cheap, but cheap is a bonus. I just want to know which one, in your opinion, is the best, and why. I don't want to go to a shop, drop a couple grand for some big repairs, and have them screw it up.

Thanks for anyone that can help.

hopefully you won't be dumping more $ into this car than what you've paid for...

Yes I will. I've always wanted to own one, and I plan on keeping it for at least 5 years. I mean, cars are a money pit, new or old, no matter how you cut it. You either lose money on the depreciation of a new car, or you lose money by repairing an older one.

@Soltaaa: The website is down, but I'll look into it.

just out of curiosity, what's the mileage on the car?

maybe give wetmore in north van a call, they do a lot of euro cars.

200 and change. Why?

pmed you!

I've gotten work done at German Auto Sports in Surrey. Very happy with their prices and professionalism.

bmw i suggest you DIY because parts alone..... ask me how I know

lol

Honestly, if I had a garage in my house, and time, lots of it, I would *love* to do my own work. Unfortunately, I have neither, so I know I'm going to be gouged one way or another.

I like the guys at Esplanade Auto Haus in North Van. Super cool and knowledgeable and realistic. Helped me alot when I was buying my Benz Wagon. They do all makes but know German cars really well.

BJ autohaus :fullofwin:

i've done 2 valley pan gaskets. its not that hard to diy. about $200 in a top end seal kit and you should be good to go. if water pump condition is unknown. might as well do that too. replace the rear manifold cover plate (osv) while you are at it. also if you plan on doing the trans pan gasket, do the trans filter as well. get an oem filter. non-oem ones have a tendency to collapse. the good trans fluid can be expensive so source that out first. a;so i suggest you get a peake tool or start downloading inpa and get a diag cable off ebay. the only real way to affordably own an e38 is to diy. check out e38.org. lots of info there

just remember to buy your own parts from the US ( pelican parts, ecs tuning, etc) and ask for the labour my friend got quoted an item that costs 50 bucks as 265

Valley Eurotech in Abbotsford

did you have a pre purchase inspection?

pm me with a list, ill give you a quote, and potential what else to expect as well. certain items being located together means u can save some labour.

Go to a guy who have 20+ years of experience and autox champion = Advance Automotive in Richmond No. 6 Road. Ask for Johnny. They might not have a nice marble tile showroom, not a multimillion dollar garage and hoist. But they have EXPERIENCE.

2 shops to recommend

-german auto sports in surrey

-goldwrench automotives in north vancouver.

congrats on the new car.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Nixon Automotive in Burnaby yet. They are easily some of the most specialized BMW mechanics - none of the shops above have as many specific tools, BMW training, and stocked parts as they do. They do a lot of work for our car dealership and I have trusted them with my E36 3-series racecar for many years, I wholeheartedly recommend them.

Mark

the good thing though, being an old bmw, there should be a lot of jobber parts out there, keeping costs down.

They were the ones who did my PPI. They may be good, but that really soured them in my eyes.

each to their own.

I know a lot of people who were not happy with nixon. Myself included. They have not been the same since Nixon himself was there.

btw OP, you are in for some vehicle costs.

I am quite familiar with the m6X engine.

you can do the valve cover gaskets yourself. If they are faded it would be a good time to powdercoat them if you are picky that way. Also a great time to change the spark plugs if they need doing so.

Are you sure the valley pan is leaking? if its never been replaced before, odds are it probably is. To replace the valley pan you need to replace the following components to do the job RIGHT.

-intake manifold gaskets
-throttle body gasket
-PCV plate gasket
-PCV plate
-4X knock sensors (they will be cracked from all the heat!)
-the valley pan
-the waterpump if it hasnt be done recently. otherwise the gaskets for the rear water channel
-multiple o-rings
-fuel injector o-rings depending on condition

the transmission gasket is also a easy job. you will have to dump the 3L or so from the pan first and then drop the pan. At over 200,000kms on a lifetime fill transmission. I wonder if the fluid has ever been done before... or if the transmission has ever been replaced before...

Good luck!

To be honest, I think a lot of shops would have missed it.

And shame on you as the buyer for not catching it.