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Thread: I need a good bmw mechanic in sydney!!!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2011
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    2002 330Ci

    I need a good bmw mechanic in sydney!!!

    I've been to 2 places both have been awful and overcharged me and damaged my car!!!! I've never been so uncomfortable about a mechanic before in my life!!

    I need my center bearing and center bearing support on my driveshaft replaced, both mechanics say it's fine but I am 100% positive that it's the problem, and even if it's not I want it done for peace of mind.

    Can anyone recommend anywhere that is good, trust worthy and reputable?? And actually charges for what they do, not trying to rip people off??

    Any help would be great!

  2. #2
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    2007, BMW X3 E83
    Hi 4PotZ3,

    Did you get any response this this query? Can you let me know which mechanics you went to that I should avoid? I read somewhere on this forum that Peter Mabey Car Care - BMW service specialists in Crows Nest are very good, but I've not used them as yet. They charge $140 an hour, but I'm not sure how that compares to others...

    Let me know how you get on. Thanks

  3. #3
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    Aug 2011
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    1992 BMW 325i E36
    Hi 4PotZ3,

    Not to sure where your from in sydney but Bavarian Engineering in taren point (south sydney) are awsome. their prices are average but for the work they do its well worth it they know bmws inside out and only service beamers. They wont rip you off the owner is 100% honest with you and will tell you how it is. its usually a 2 day wait to book in. heres a link to their website if your intrested

    http://www.bavarian.com.au/home.htm

  4. #4
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    Jul 2011
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    Sydney
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    1998 M3
    anyone here use Peakrpm/performance in paramatta before?

    They're hourly rate is around $100/hr.

    Have seem previous owners service bills and they all seem to be around the $2,500 mark :x.

  5. #5
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    Hervey Bay, Qld., Aust
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    1995 E34 525i
    I don't live in Sydney but have made a number of enquiries to Bromspec at Brookvale. Very, very knowledgeable and helpful.
    Cheers
    Weisebar

  6. #6
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    2006 BMW M5
    I can vouch for Bromspec as well. Alistair knows his BMW's and is very reasonably priced. Also can suggest Southside Suspension at Taren Point. They do wheel alignments, ballancing and services as well as anything suspension/mechanical.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2011
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    The Great Southern Land
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    M3 EVO '96
    There is a place call MH Autocare in Waitara near Hornsby.

    I use him along with 5-10 of my mates who all own Bimmers.

    Matt is extremely knowledgeable and charges less than the average mechanic.

    I would highly recommend

  8. #8
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    Nov 2012
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    MACQUARIE PARK
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    120i

    BMW mechanics

    Hey everyone.

    Im new to this forum stuff but there is a workshop in Belmore called Belmore Motor Works and its run by two mates George & Marno. I got recommended to them by some friends and recently went their for some repairs.
    They have both worked at BMW dealerships before for about 10 years or so and they are extremely knowledgeable and also very friendly. Marno even got to being a Master Technician at BMW which is the highest ranking.
    They are extremely honest and fair in their pricing(compared to the dealers).
    I would definitely recommend these guys.

    BM Master

  9. #9
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    Dec 2012
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    sydney
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    1996 BMW 318i
    Hey dude I had my car serviced at automotive hospital in Sydney they were great might want to give them a go visit their site or call them automotive hospital.com.au

  10. #10
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    2010 honda accord
    BMW Mechanics Sydney Australia
    platinumcarservice.com.au/bmw-service-sydney/

    Platinum Car Service – We are the leading , independent BMW service & repair specialists in Sydney

    Supposed to be very good…
    Last edited by Spiva; 12-05-2012 at 01:57 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  11. #11
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    2008 E90 Sedan
    I just got my vacuum pump and gasket cover changed by Steve. I suffered from "white smoke" and "oil burning smell" for a long time before I went to Steve. I got my 320i repaired by some other mechanics earlier. They did nothing and charged for around $500. ><

    Steve is quite good. Efficient and reliable. He works for BMS in Darlinghurst, which is close to Sydney CBD. If you guys have any engine problems, just ask him to check for you. His rate is about $110/hr.

    There are also many cafes there. I had much coffee while waiting.

  12. #12
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    Jun 2012
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    1989 325IE
    Give Killara Garage a try, in Killara of course, on the Pacific Hwy,
    They did a new inlet manifold gasket on my old 1990 325 plus new engine mount and charged a total of $495.00 which frankly I thought at the time was pretty bloody reasonable. I was recomended to them by a friend as I was not in the position to do the job myself at the time. I normally do all my own work.
    If you have ever worked on removing the inlet manifold on a BM then you will know that the price was pretty good.
    Last edited by nimbus24; 02-06-2013 at 01:06 AM.

  13. #13
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    E46 325ci
    +1 for BMS in Darlinghurst, I have been going there for a few years now and they also look after my wife's cooper s.
    I will never go anywhere else.

  14. #14
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    2007 BMW 325i convertibl
    Quote Originally Posted by steviemc1 View Post
    +1 for BMS in Darlinghurst, I have been going there for a few years now and they also look after my wife's cooper s.
    I will never go anywhere else.
    Hi

    you are spot on mate

    I just compared 3 Sydney Indys asking for quotes for:
    • Microfilter Change
    • Oil Change
    • Spark Plugs Change
    • Break Fluid Change

    Results:

    • BMW dealer at Rushcutters Bay quoted me completely ridiculous prices (280, 400, 460, 280).
    • Bavarian Engineering was slightly better but not much (100, 400, 350, 200).
    • Platinum Car Service wasnt prepared to give me a quote on the phone.
    • The very clear winner is BMS Auto Haus who quoted 275 for Microfilter and Oil Change together and 55 for the Break fluid. They also told me I wont need new spark plugs for another 40k (whereas the BMW dealer says I need them (he didnt check them but made that up))


    My relatively serious question: is there no law in Australia against this kind of robbery from the BMW dealer?

  15. #15
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    1995 E34 525i
    That's why they're called "Stealerships"

  16. #16
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    Jul 2013
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    Melbourne Australia
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    996 GT3, R32 GTR, Mazda6
    I need a pre purchase inspection done on an E34 M5 in Sydney lower north shore ideally. Can anyone recommend one that has specific experience with this type of vehicle?

    Thanks,
    Nick.

  17. #17
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    May 2013
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    1998 328i Convertible
    Has anyone use scuderia servizio in Artarmon? Any feedback?
    "You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can't possibly live long enough to make them all yourself."

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by tunehound View Post
    Hi 4PotZ3,

    Did you get any response this this query? Can you let me know which mechanics you went to that I should avoid? I read somewhere on this forum that Peter Mabey Car Care - BMW service specialists in Crows Nest are very good, but I've not used them as yet. They charge $140 an hour, but I'm not sure how that compares to others...

    Let me know how you get on. Thanks
    If you have never gone there so don't go there.

    BAD ATTITUDE. This workshop seems to have different owner from the original Peter Mabey. The current owner is very RUDE and have no service mind. I have my own regular garage shop but I called this place to have the safety check for the rego because it is close to my new place but had a very bad experience. He didn't even have to say I am not welcome there because I wouldn't ever go there or even come close there again.


    The guy didn't even tell me when the car was finished. He just parked in front of me when I was sitting outside waiting until the lady yelled and asked him whether my car was done. I asked him earlier whether he could help make it a bit quicker because I had to go to work in the morning but he gave face with attitude and too proudly said he had the best service.


    My old garage in Hornsby is way better in service and expertise. My current garage is also the best. I didn't see anything here that better than other garages I have been using. It is the worst place.


    No waiting area, no car pick-up and drop-off the station, no complimentary car and definitely no city car pickup and drop-off for people who works in the city like my current and old garages do. This is why this shop only got small money from me. Just for the rego! I don't know how much this shop would quote you for other services but I bet it wouldn't be cheaper than my old or current garages because I can gaurantee that my garages always quote me honestly because I can tell who is nice and isn't nice.

  19. #19
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    Sep 2013
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    If you have never been there, don't ever go there. I didn't know they charge $140 per hour which is the rip-off.

    BAD ATTITUDE. This workshop seems to have different owner from the original Peter Mabey. The current owner is very RUDE and have no service mind. I have my own regular garage shop but I called this place to have the safety check for the rego because it is close to my new place but had a very bad experience. He didn't even have to say I am not welcome there because I wouldn't ever go there or even come close there again.


    The guy didn't even tell me when the car was finished. He just parked in front of me when I was sitting outside waiting until the lady yelled and asked him whether my car was done. I asked him earlier whether he could help make it a bit quicker because I had to go to work in the morning but he gave face with attitude and too proudly said he had the best service.


    My old garage in Hornsby is way better in service and expertise. My current garage is also the best. I didn't see anything here that better than other garages I have been using. It is the worst place.


    No waiting area, no car pick-up and drop-off the station, no complimentary car and definitely no city car pickup and drop-off for people who works in the city like my current and old garages do. This is why this shop only got small money from me. Just for the rego! I don't know how much this shop would quote you for other services but I bet it wouldn't be cheaper than my old or current garages because I can gaurantee that my garages always quote me honestly because I can tell who is nice and isn't nice.

  20. #20
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    Oct 2013
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    2002 BMW E39 530i
    Quote Originally Posted by applebee616 View Post
    If you have never been there, don't ever go there. I didn't know they charge $140 per hour which is the rip-off.

    BAD ATTITUDE. This workshop seems to have different owner from the original Peter Mabey. The current owner is very RUDE and have no service mind. I have my own regular garage shop but I called this place to have the safety check for the rego because it is close to my new place but had a very bad experience. He didn't even have to say I am not welcome there because I wouldn't ever go there or even come close there again.


    The guy didn't even tell me when the car was finished. He just parked in front of me when I was sitting outside waiting until the lady yelled and asked him whether my car was done. I asked him earlier whether he could help make it a bit quicker because I had to go to work in the morning but he gave face with attitude and too proudly said he had the best service.


    My old garage in Hornsby is way better in service and expertise. My current garage is also the best. I didn't see anything here that better than other garages I have been using. It is the worst place.


    No waiting area, no car pick-up and drop-off the station, no complimentary car and definitely no city car pickup and drop-off for people who works in the city like my current and old garages do. This is why this shop only got small money from me. Just for the rego! I don't know how much this shop would quote you for other services but I bet it wouldn't be cheaper than my old or current garages because I can gaurantee that my garages always quote me honestly because I can tell who is nice and isn't nice.
    I've seen you post this on a few different places when I was hunting for an indy to do a PPI when I was in the market, so I'm beginning to think you have some sort of personal vendetta against them. You're right, there is no waiting area and there is no car pick-up or complimentary car. Personally I don't really care about the car-pick up/drop off, I will agree with you however on the waiting area comment, that was a bit of a let down. But there's a cafe right next door which has plenty of room and they take good care of Greg's customers, and they are happy to have you sit there all day drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes (I know I did for about 6 hours) while you wait for your car, so to me that makes up for the waiting area. However, a complimentary car would be nice, and a car pick-up drop off service would be even better, but would probably incur extra charge which I personally would probably avoid.

    But bad attitude? Sorry mate, but judging by that fact that you are going out of your way to sign up to forums and local review sites just to copy and paste the same comments and trash the business, I think whatever attitude you think you received is probably deserved.

    Anyway, even though this thread is old I'll add in my recommendation for other people in the Sydney area on the hunt for an indy. Keep in mind I don't know the guy THAT well, so some of the stuff below might not necessarily be fact, but it's the impression that I got when dealing with him.

    I have had two PPI's done by Greg at Peter Mabey Car Care in Crows Nest, and while he is quite expensive ($450) compared to others who charge in the 300s, I think he does a really good job. He pretty much clears his entire day just for your car and inspects EVERYTHING. Not just mechanically, he inspects the body and interior and can tell you if the car has ever had any body work, and includes all the little minor things in your report as well (interior/exterior blemishes, rattles and squeaks, vibrations, odd sounds, etc.). To keep it short and simple, he goes over it with a fine tooth comb, hence the amount of time it takes.

    All my life I've never liked mechanics, ever. Greg is probably the first mechanic that I could actually recommend to others and know that I won't be steering them in the wrong direction. I've heard he frowns upon mods but I personally never discussed this with him, however he does frown upon non-genuine parts and pretty much doing things outside of the way that BMW intended in most cases, but personally, when I got him to do a PPI and when I need a car running right and somebody with good troubleshooting skills, that's exactly the kind of mindset that I want from my mechanic. If performance mods and aftermarket parts is your thing, I probably wouldn't go to him, I reckon if you handed him an aftermarket part and asked him to put it in, he probably wouldn't unless it's for a widely accepted reason. Oh, and he does everything from oil changes to transmission and engine rebuilds too. For example, if you come in with an auto transmission problem, he will offer to look at it internally depending on the problem and see if a rebuild will cost less than a new one.

    One negative (and in a way positive) thing is that he is ALWAYS busy, and most of the time he can't be booked for at least 5 business days. His shop is chock-a-block full of Bimmers next to and on top of each other. I don't know for sure but I think he's got a bit of a "one-man-band" thing going, although I have seen another dude or two performing some diagnostics on the other cars, maybe he has a couple of mechanics for specific things, I get the impression that most of the work is done by him. This might be why availability is not so good.

    I also admired his selfless attitude. After inspecting the first car I brought to him (which turned out to be a complete train wreck), he took the liberty to show me how to check a few things around the body and paint, and a couple of tell-tale signs of bad workmanship under the hood so that when I look at the next car I can decide whether or not to bring it to him.

    The second car that I had him inspect I ended up buying, and I informed him that I generally do routine maintenance on my cars, and blatantly ended up asking him how he would feel about me working on my own car and leaving him to do major work. In fear of him saying that he would not prefer me to do any work and to leave it all to him, I was pleasantly surprised that he didn't seem to mind, he said he understands that some people like to have a play around and do their own maintenance and that's fine, and he didn't mind sparing a few minutes of his time for a few quick questions about parts and procedures, but obviously keep it within limits (i.e don't call him once a month/every day asking about something and never actually provide him any business, he's not a walking tutorial).

    The only thing he mentioned was that the downside to performing your own work and then bringing it to him for other stuff, is that there are certain small things in some cases that you may do differently to him, and he may have to spend an extra ten minutes or so having to find/figure it out which would end up possibly costing you extra labor over a long period of time.

    TL;DR

    Pros -
    Head mechanic "Greg" is a nice guy with a sense of humor, but straight down to business about cars.
    Trustworthy, good advice.
    Keeps a clean shop.
    Does things by the book, no half-assed shortcuts.
    Uses genuine parts.
    Experienced.
    Doesn't appear to have apprentices running around.


    Cons -
    Potentially a little too expensive ($450 for a PPI). See below for a few misc. quotes I got from him a few days ago and decide for yourself.
    Doesn't do performance mods and doesn't like aftermarket bits.
    Availability is rarely within the same week of your call.


    Here's a couple of quotes he gave me on a few things that I asked about.

    Transmission service (pan and magnet clean, NOT flushed with pressure, and leaving fluid in the torque converter, changing tranny oil), parts and labor - ~$500
    Pre-purchase inspection - $450
    Ignition module replacement, parts and labor - ~$360

  21. #21
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    Apr 2014
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    NSW Australia
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    It's good to see some reviews of places. I just got my car and took it to it's first service at BM Wise in artarmon. Recommended to me by neighbours of my parents who have gone there for years. Let's just say - great service. The car I bought was not in great mechanical knick as there had been no maintenance. He ran me through everything he was changing and explained it all to me - I checked prices around and I think he did great by me. He was nice and explained it all to me, something which never has happened to me at the toyota service places. I'll be going back there for sure

  22. #22
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    Apr 2015
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    2010 BMW 118i
    Folks, I'm new to the forum and need to mention that I brought my 2010 BMW 118i to Peter Mabey yesterday - Greg (the owner) was recommended to me by my neighbour. I have up to now had my car serviced by my local mechanic in St Ives but it had recently developed an annoying noise from the rear and I was reluctant to have it investigated by a non BMW expert. Greg checked all suspension mounts, eventually traced the noise to the lower left rear shock mount and tightened the mount. All fixed. I am cautious when it comes to mechanics (am 70, with the ransom of grey hair !) and realise that a non-scrupulous person could have 'diagnosed' the need for a full rear suspension replacement. Greg also cleaned the car's washer bottle and lines (had a trickle on the windscreen when activating washer) and replaced a rear brake pad sensor incorrectly installed by my local mechanic. My first encounter with Peter Mabey was positive. I will now have them service my car.

  23. #23
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    Jun 2015
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    If you haven't found a good one yet, I'd suggest V & H Bavaria Motors located in Gladesville, Sydney.
    Below is a link for the website
    www.vhbavaria.com.au

  24. #24
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    Jul 2015
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    NSW
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    BMW M3 2008
    +3 for Platinum Car Service in Pagewood. They Cover the Eastern Suburbs. I work in the City and they drop off and pick me up from work. Basically they do everything they can to make servicing the car convenient. Having tried a few other shops in the past I wouldn't take my car anywhere else. Prices are also competitive. Being an Engineer I know a little about nuts and bolts and having seen their work I can vouch for their quality.
    Last edited by Fleming108; 07-10-2015 at 01:26 AM.

  25. #25
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    2002 X5 E53 3.0L Pet
    Bumping an old topic

    Is BMS in Darlinghurst still a top recommendation?

    Thanks

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