M5 specialist in Scotland
Discussion
rash_decision said:
www.b4bmw.co.uk
Based in Clydebank, just outside Glasgow.
I have used these guys for years with my M3s. E36, E46 and E92. Great guys with great knowledge, and have seen various M cars in various states of repair. They have all the dealer tools for the likes of Vanos etc. The last time I was in they had the head off an E46 M3 for a head gasket job, which obviously involved Vanos and timing chain work. They have had a few M5s kicking about too on visits to their workshop. They were also doing a complete engine rebuild on an E46 320is?? It was a limited run for homologation according to the owner, who I had a chat with. Apparently the components they used for weight saving in the engine suffered the old Nikasil problem. BMW wouldn't admit to it and were wanting £8000 upwards to put the guy's car right. B4BMW were doing a compete rebuild, with new components for £4200 from memory. In short, they are capable, and priced well compared to dealers.
Cheers. I've sent them a message through their site so I'll see what they say, if anything.Based in Clydebank, just outside Glasgow.
I have used these guys for years with my M3s. E36, E46 and E92. Great guys with great knowledge, and have seen various M cars in various states of repair. They have all the dealer tools for the likes of Vanos etc. The last time I was in they had the head off an E46 M3 for a head gasket job, which obviously involved Vanos and timing chain work. They have had a few M5s kicking about too on visits to their workshop. They were also doing a complete engine rebuild on an E46 320is?? It was a limited run for homologation according to the owner, who I had a chat with. Apparently the components they used for weight saving in the engine suffered the old Nikasil problem. BMW wouldn't admit to it and were wanting £8000 upwards to put the guy's car right. B4BMW were doing a compete rebuild, with new components for £4200 from memory. In short, they are capable, and priced well compared to dealers.
AW Autotech in Aberdeen get highly spoken of from what I've read so I've emailed them too. Hopefully there is someone with experience I could rely on .
Reviving this as I'll be needing someone soon (likely VANOS). Right now Mr. Vanos is looking like the closest safe bet as I've phoned the following today and they either don't have the tools required or don't want to-
B4BMW, Owen Ferry, Ronnie Weaver, Central Garage and AW Autotech.
Still to speak to Stuart at M3 Motor Co. (not holding my breath) and some things I've heard more recently about Motor Technik in Kirkcaldy have put me off.
B4BMW, Owen Ferry, Ronnie Weaver, Central Garage and AW Autotech.
Still to speak to Stuart at M3 Motor Co. (not holding my breath) and some things I've heard more recently about Motor Technik in Kirkcaldy have put me off.
Eztiger on here sent me a detailed email that made them sound like you couldn't trust them 100% given his experience, a member on m3cutters spoke of being quoted £1200 worth of work that ended up costing £400 elsewhere and my friend's workmate at BMW is having to sort a Z4 electric steering issue after they misdiagnosed the problem.
So enough for me to doubt trusting them with my engine.
So enough for me to doubt trusting them with my engine.
deadslow said:
have you tried George Morrison in Rutherglen 0141 643 1768
Cheers for this suggestion, George seems to know what he's doing on the whole from what I can tell but I'm getting them to send both VANOS units down to Phil Crouch at CPC. (VANOS isn't passing test in the software but I'm sceptical with one of the banks as it was only replaced 2.5 years ago!)I phoned Mr. Vanos three times before I phoned George and it seems his reputation precedes him. What's the point in being any good if you can't answer your phone? Kev at George's said he left a message for him last week too and he's never heard anything back.
Ok so good and bad.
Firstly, the guys at George's seem to know what they're doing and I don't doubt the car's in better nick now than when it went in.
However, after a bill of £1160 from CPC to refurbish both VANOS units, I was not expecting a bill from George for another £1200.
I can understand doing the rocker cover gaskets while the covers are off (a heads up would have been nice though) but the oil in the car had done 6 miles since the last service just before going in, I had asked if it could just be saved and re-used, surely not difficult? Oil and a filter at £134.70 when it wasn't needed is a kick in the teeth, especially when I can easily get the same for about £75. Add to that doing the brake fluid (it was due but was going to leave it until the new year) when I hadn't asked for it, flushing the entire cooling system when it wasn't needed and removing all the wheels and cleaning the wheel centres and hub carriers is just more cost that I didn't need before Christmas.
Surely I shouldn't have to explicitly state what I don't want done when the original plan was just to remove both VANOS units and check and see if there was a big circlip missing.
I should have said something at the time but after a 12 hour nightshift and just 4 hours sleep with a drive to Fort William to endure I just wanted away.
All made better by the fact that, despite the car failing the VANOS test in GT1 prior to all this, it drives f
king identically now.
Firstly, the guys at George's seem to know what they're doing and I don't doubt the car's in better nick now than when it went in.
However, after a bill of £1160 from CPC to refurbish both VANOS units, I was not expecting a bill from George for another £1200.
I can understand doing the rocker cover gaskets while the covers are off (a heads up would have been nice though) but the oil in the car had done 6 miles since the last service just before going in, I had asked if it could just be saved and re-used, surely not difficult? Oil and a filter at £134.70 when it wasn't needed is a kick in the teeth, especially when I can easily get the same for about £75. Add to that doing the brake fluid (it was due but was going to leave it until the new year) when I hadn't asked for it, flushing the entire cooling system when it wasn't needed and removing all the wheels and cleaning the wheel centres and hub carriers is just more cost that I didn't need before Christmas.
Surely I shouldn't have to explicitly state what I don't want done when the original plan was just to remove both VANOS units and check and see if there was a big circlip missing.
I should have said something at the time but after a 12 hour nightshift and just 4 hours sleep with a drive to Fort William to endure I just wanted away.
All made better by the fact that, despite the car failing the VANOS test in GT1 prior to all this, it drives f
king identically now.Depthhoar said:
Judging by Patrick's most recent posting here and on another forum, this is one BMW specialist I'll be excising from the list of potential spannermen for my M5.
(Competent? Possibly. Honest?...that'll be a definite Scottish 'Not Proven'.)
The thing is, given garages are so few and far between up here to deal with such issues, and given the fact they do know their way about a complex engine, I'd probably use him again and be abundantly clear (over phone and email) that nothing else is to be done apart from agreed work without my knowledge.(Competent? Possibly. Honest?...that'll be a definite Scottish 'Not Proven'.)
That and have some bloody sense about you before paying the invoice and not just accept something if you don't like it. Lesson learned I suppose.
I have noticed another thread on here saying he can get carried away with what gets done.
The alternative of getting the car all the way down to CPC and back is still too much hassle by comparison.
Gassing Station | M Power | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff