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Thanks to those who recommended Slifer Motor Works to me.
I bought a 2000 M5 with about 30,000 miles on it a few weeks back, and it needed an oil service and inspection. Plus, oh joy of joys, I found it had an oil leak towards the front of the engine bay.
Several people on this board recommended a shop run by a board member with the screen name "Hudson" (Joe Slifer). On boards like this complaints and discussion of lousy service are common, so in the interest of fair play I thought I'd recount an example of the opposite experience.
On arrival to the shop I figured I'd come to the right place. There were two Cobras present, one a replica the other a 40th Anniversary (which was particularly gorgeous - I added a picture of a similar car below for reference). There was also a pre-James Bond model Aston Martin (I don't know enough about Aston's to be specific) that was undergoing full restoration. A beautiful black Mercedes (vintage 1970-something?) had been restored, and per the customer's request upgraded with a serious modern sound system. There was also a hot rod in the paint shop, and Joe's own 60's muscle car under wrap. His Sterling Grey E39 M5 was parked out front. Let's just say I was immediately comfortable with his credentials :biggrin: .
Joe took the time to tour me around the shop, and invited me to get under the car with him while he did his work. NOT the kind of experience you can get at the dealer. In time he diagnosed and cured the oil leak (a worn seal involving the Vanos unit), and the fix was not nearly the expensive nightmare I had feared. I have to wonder whether the outcome would have been the same at the dealer, or whether they would have simply called for a new Vanos unit. I'm now much more confident in my ownership of a used M5 knowing that I'll have a guy like Joe caring for the car.
In any case, he was a pleasure to deal with, very fairly priced, and his shop was a car enthusiast's dream. With all the nightmare mechanic stories out there, I just wanted to give props to one of the good guys. :cheers:
I'd be curious to hear if anyone else has had similar experiences with a quality shop.
This is what the Cobra looked like, freakin' amazing:
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I bought a 2000 M5 with about 30,000 miles on it a few weeks back, and it needed an oil service and inspection. Plus, oh joy of joys, I found it had an oil leak towards the front of the engine bay.
Several people on this board recommended a shop run by a board member with the screen name "Hudson" (Joe Slifer). On boards like this complaints and discussion of lousy service are common, so in the interest of fair play I thought I'd recount an example of the opposite experience.
On arrival to the shop I figured I'd come to the right place. There were two Cobras present, one a replica the other a 40th Anniversary (which was particularly gorgeous - I added a picture of a similar car below for reference). There was also a pre-James Bond model Aston Martin (I don't know enough about Aston's to be specific) that was undergoing full restoration. A beautiful black Mercedes (vintage 1970-something?) had been restored, and per the customer's request upgraded with a serious modern sound system. There was also a hot rod in the paint shop, and Joe's own 60's muscle car under wrap. His Sterling Grey E39 M5 was parked out front. Let's just say I was immediately comfortable with his credentials :biggrin: .
Joe took the time to tour me around the shop, and invited me to get under the car with him while he did his work. NOT the kind of experience you can get at the dealer. In time he diagnosed and cured the oil leak (a worn seal involving the Vanos unit), and the fix was not nearly the expensive nightmare I had feared. I have to wonder whether the outcome would have been the same at the dealer, or whether they would have simply called for a new Vanos unit. I'm now much more confident in my ownership of a used M5 knowing that I'll have a guy like Joe caring for the car.
In any case, he was a pleasure to deal with, very fairly priced, and his shop was a car enthusiast's dream. With all the nightmare mechanic stories out there, I just wanted to give props to one of the good guys. :cheers:
I'd be curious to hear if anyone else has had similar experiences with a quality shop.
This is what the Cobra looked like, freakin' amazing:
