dvsmith.net

Now that I have moved to North Carolina, I will be providing a sister list to my catalog of D.C. area independent service shops. Shops I have personal experience with are listed first. Labor rates are indicated when known.

• Krause and England, Inc. 8613 Barefoot Industrial Road Raleigh, NC 27617 (919) 781-1871 A very serious race-oriented shop. Their work is top-notch and attentive to detail. The staff is straightforward and honest in their diagnoses, suggested remedies and prices. The number of high-end and specialty cars in the service bay is always impressive. K&E works hard to support the local BMW Chapter and its HPDE programs. ($84/hr)
• First Class Automotive 5408 Oak Forest Road Raleigh, NC 27616 (919) 878-9100 Housed in a large, modern and very clean facility, this shop works just about every BMW made, although they are most familiar with recent and late-model cars. The worksmanship is top-notch, although the service write-up indicated that they failed to listen to my description of the actual problem and failed to not my preference as to parts manufacturers (I specifically asked not to use a certain brand of radiator). Labor rates were reasonable, but parts costs ranged from 120%-300% of BavAuto and/or dealership. Uniquely, they wash the vehicle before pickup. ($85-100/hr, depending on the nature of their work)
(The shops below have come up in discussion or searches, but I've never used them, personally.)
• A Better Wrench 102 Northfield Drive Chapel Hill, NC 27516 (919) 929-6921 A shop that was personally recommended to me by Holland Hale of Atlantic Auto Exchange, the staff seemed knowlegable, friendly and flexible when I spoke with them on the phone.
• Korman Autoworks, Inc. 2629 Randleman Rd Greensboro, NC 27406 (336) 275-1494 The original BMW racing shop. Particularly specialized in older-model cars.
• Motorsport Connections 2556 Landmark Drive Winston-Salem, NC 27103 (888) 463-2591 209 West Plaza Drive Mooresville, NC 28117 (704) 662-9364 A mildly race-oriented shop run by World Challenge and BMWCCA Club racer Billy Revis. Along with Korman, Motorsport Connections served to anchor American BMW tuning firmly in the heart of NASCAR country.
• Carr Industries, Inc. 301 Orville Wright Drive Greensboro, NC 27409 (336) 931-0007 (From the International Association of Independent BMW Service Professionals.)
• The Car Place, Inc. 5409 Oak Forest Drive Raleigh, NC 27616 (919) 878-5600 (From the International Association of Independent BMW Service Professionals<)
• German Performance Center 530 Highway 70 East Garner, NC 27529 (919) 772-7668 (From the International Association of Independent BMW Service Professionals.)
• Johnson & Johnson Import Specialists 1515 Mechanical Blvd Garner, NC 27529 (919) 773-2314 (From the International Association of Independent BMW Service Professionals.)
This file was last modified: Sunday April 04, 2010