[Cgm9999]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a good independent shop in Colorado Springs. I'm in the Springs, but I'll travel for high-quality, affordable work. My '09 BMW 335i just ran out of bumper-to-bumper warranty, although it still has CPO left. Basically, after today, I'm done with the clowns over at Winslow BMW. If you guys have any recommendations on a good, fair, reasonably priced and competent shop, please show me the light.

Furthermore, if anyone in the area can scan for logs, I'm in dire need of some help. The car feels lethargic and reluctant to downshift and Winslow keeps telling me there isn't a problem. I'd love the opportunity to get a more informed opinion on the matter. Thanks for any and all help ahead of time.

[richpike]

In general, I've been very happy with Winslow. Not sure who you are using, but I highly recommend Jason as a service advisor and Brian as a tech.

Having said that (and you'll have to take my recommendations with a grain of salt since I like Winslow ) I used to use German Motor Sports off of 8th street for maintenance type things and I've heard very good things about AR Design in Denver for performance work.

-Rich

[Carl Morris]

AR Design seems good for performance work and Jack's Transmissions in the springs is good for drivetrain work and performance work if he's familiar with your car. But he doesn't do automatics.

[Cgm9999]

Thanks for the tips, guys.

I'm considering doing a few things to the car and I'm looking for someone that won't look at me like I have lobsters crawling out of my ears when I tell them I want to do the M3 control arm upgrade. Any recommendations for shops in the Springs? I know this modification gives additional negative camber, so I need a shop that will both competently install the M3 parts and align it to the correct specs to account for the new camber. I'd like to keep it local, but again, if everyone in the Springs is not up to the job, then I'll travel to Denver.

What do you guys think?

[Neutrino45]

I also had a shitty experience w/ Winslow BMW. They got some kind of overspray on my car and the idiots there tried to use adhesive remover to remove it and fucked up my car even more! I would not recommend anyone for service or purchase. Eddie and the service manager are useless pieces of shit!

[Neutrino45]

After fucking up my car w/ the adhesive remover, they tell me it's water spots and they won't fix it. They told me they don't have hard water at their shop.

[Cgm9999]

Originally Posted by Neutrino45

I also had a shitty experience w/ Winslow BMW. They got some kind of overspray on my car and the idiots there tried to use adhesive remover to remove it and fucked up my car even more! I would not recommend anyone for service or purchase. Eddie and the service manager are useless pieces of shit!

Yep, this is par for the course for the rubes over at Winslow and is typical of the "premium" service I've received from them each and every time I've brought my car in (9 times in the last 11 months!!!).

A while back they did the complimentary wash on my car only to completely ruin the clear coat. I just got done claybarring, polishing, and waxing my car a week before, so it came into their possession just about perfect. When I picked it up, there was spiderwebbing and circular scratches all over my car. I blew up. They promised to fix it by giving it a full detail, but instead, the "professional" they were using burned the paint on my roof with the polisher they were using. After waiting four days to get it painted, the car initially looked better, but still had scratches all over it, which became more and more evident after the wax they applied wore off. It became clear that instead of doing the right thing and professionally polishing the entire car, they merely filled the scratches with a few coats of wax. Assholes.

Frankly, I don't understand all the love that these guys get from other members on the board. I don't doubt their good experiences; all I'm saying is that every time I go in there, they either a.) can't find the problem and give me a line of BS that my car "drives amazing", or; b.) cause more problems with the car then it had before it came to them. I swear, this dealership (again my experience, YMMV) is completely incapable of diagnosing a problem if a CEL isn't present. Whatever happened to being a good mechanic and using critical thinking skills and detective work to see the job through?

Case in point, I know for a fact that my car is running sluggishly. Over the last few weeks, I've noticed a sharp decline in response, acceleration, and general athleticism from the engine of my car. If I gun it on the highway to pass someone, it struggles to pass many lesser cars. Case in point, I could barely walk a new Hyundai Sonata 2.0T on the highway the other day. I was the only one in my car and the Hyundai had two people. Since the car had temp tags, I feel confident that the car was stock (I don't even know if there is an aftermarket tuner company for that application, but whatever.) Yet, when I brought it into Winslow, they claimed that the car was as powerful as ever. To justify their position, they said that the car didn't have any codes of CELs, as if that was gospel and the end of the discussion. I reminded them that less than two months ago, my car had a cracked intake valve cover that caused my car to have the passing power of a Daihatsu Charade and even that failed to throw a code or CEL. In response to this, I got the ol' "well I can't explain that, but..." response. Pathetic. It's a sad day when the customer is doing all the leg work, research, and investigation into the problem and has to inform the service staff how to fix the problem and where to find it. Isn't it their expertise that I'm supposed to be paying for? Shouldn't my responsibility end and theres begin after I drop off the car, especially at a BMW dealership?

I swear, I absolutely dread bringing in my car to Winslow. Every time I do, it's a complete waste of my time. Like clockwork, they call me about six hours after I drop it off only to tell me that there's nothing wrong with the car. It's frustrating as hell.

[richpike]

Originally Posted by Cgm9999

Yep, this is par for the course for the rubes over at Winslow and is typical of the "premium" service I've received from them each and every time I've brought my car in (9 times in the last 11 months!!!).

A while back they did the complimentary wash on my car only to completely ruin the clear coat. I just got done claybarring, polishing, and waxing my car a week before, so it came into their possession just about perfect. When I picked it up, there was spiderwebbing and circular scratches all over my car. I blew up. They promised to fix it by giving it a full detail, but instead, the "professional" they were using burned the paint on my roof with the polisher they were using. After waiting four days to get it painted, the car initially looked better, but still had scratches all over it, which became more and more evident after the wax they applied wore off. It became clear that instead of doing the right thing and professionally polishing the entire car, they merely filled the scratches with a few coats of wax. Assholes.

Frankly, I don't understand all the love that these guys get from other members on the board. I don't doubt their good experiences; all I'm saying is that every time I go in there, they either a.) can't find the problem and give me a line of BS that my car "drives amazing", or; b.) cause more problems with the car then it had before it came to them. I swear, this dealership (again my experience, YMMV) is completely incapable of diagnosing a problem if a CEL isn't present. Whatever happened to being a good mechanic and using critical thinking skills and detective work to see the job through?

Case in point, I know for a fact that my car is running sluggishly. Over the last few weeks, I've noticed a sharp decline in response, acceleration, and general athleticism from the engine of my car. If I gun it on the highway to pass someone, it struggles to pass many lesser cars. Case in point, I could barely walk a new Hyundai Sonata 2.0T on the highway the other day. I was the only one in my car and the Hyundai had two people. Since the car had temp tags, I feel confident that the car was stock (I don't even know if there is an aftermarket tuner company for that application, but whatever.) Yet, when I brought it into Winslow, they claimed that the car was as powerful as ever. To justify their position, they said that the car didn't have any codes of CELs, as if that was gospel and the end of the discussion. I reminded them that less than two months ago, my car had a cracked intake valve cover that caused my car to have the passing power of a Daihatsu Charade and even that failed to throw a code or CEL. In response to this, I got the ol' "well I can't explain that, but..." response. Pathetic. It's a sad day when the customer is doing all the leg work, research, and investigation into the problem and has to inform the service staff how to fix the problem and where to find it. Isn't it their expertise that I'm supposed to be paying for? Shouldn't my responsibility end and theres begin after I drop off the car, especially at a BMW dealership?

I swear, I absolutely dread bringing in my car to Winslow. Every time I do, it's a complete waste of my time. Like clockwork, they call me about six hours after I drop it off only to tell me that there's nothing wrong with the car. It's frustrating as hell.

Wow - I can totally see why you'd be pissed. Perhaps I've just been lucky.

Slightly off topic, but is your 335 a F30? I see a gorgeous Lemans Blue F30 on Garden of the Gods frequently. I always do a double take when I see it as LB was my first choice in colors when I was buying my car (but I couldn't find one with the setup I was looking for).

-Rich

[Cgm9999]

Originally Posted by richpike

Wow - I can totally see why you'd be pissed. Perhaps I've just been lucky.

Slightly off topic, but is your 335 a F30? I see a gorgeous Lemans Blue F30 on Garden of the Gods frequently. I always do a double take when I see it as LB was my first choice in colors when I was buying my car (but I couldn't find one with the setup I was looking for).

-Rich

Nope, not mine. Mines an '09. You're right, though, LB is a stunner on a 3 series. I get lots of compliments from friends and strangers alike.

[ar design]

We are located in Denver, and do factory service on all makes and models, performance parts sales+install, and custom fabrication, all in house! Feel free to call or email with any needs!

[Evil///M]

AR design in Denver for sure.

Originally Posted by ar design

We are located in Denver, and do factory service on all makes and models, performance parts sales+install, and custom fabrication, all in house! Feel free to call or email with any needs!

I'll be looking into your vargas+fuel upgrade package when I get back from deployment.

OP Personally, I've never had anything but positive experiences at Winslow. If you're dealing with the service advisors, I would recommend you to talk to Brian the shop foreman directly. He is a really cool guy and he knows what he is doing. Any time I've taken my car there, I would make sure Brian himself would be doing the work on it. I wouldn't settle for less.