Desert Bavarian Service

I started going to Desert Bavarian due to other reviews of them being trust worthy for women. As a female BMW owner, I didn’t want to worry about being «taken to the cleaners» nor have to take my late-​model Z3 to the dealership. Each time I have brought my car to Joe, he has done what has needed to be done (even saving me money when I have had another mechanic tell me it would be more.)
They have my business as long as I have my Z3. I highly recommend them!

Let me start by saying I really wanted to like this shop. The mechanic/​owner is a really nice guy and I’m a fan of supporting small businesses, especially those that offer an alternative to higher-​priced dealerships. That said, my experience wasn’t satisfactory. After having to bring my car back to the shop a second time because they didn’t get to my car the first time I brought it, they needed a full week to fix my valve cover oil leak. They said they needed to order a special tool, then parts, etc. My appointment had been scheduled weeks in advance. Why not order these things before I arrive? I expect a shop to take, maybe, twice as long as a dealership but, come on… a week? Their communication wasn’t very good either, forcing me to call them each day for an update, When my car was finally ready, I looked inside the passenger compartment to find a small access panel on the floor board, along with two grease stains on the mats. Small things, I suppose, but it showed me a lack of attention to detail and respect for my car. Under the hood, I found a metal cable (interference suppression band) that wasn’t reattached to the engine, a plastic harness that routs wiring over the engine not properly reattached to the cowl, and a cabin filter housing cover that had damage (screws were overtightened causing plastic to split). The actual repair itself of my valve cover leak seems to be holding as I haven’t experienced any additional oil leakage, so thus two stars instead of one. If you use this shop, I hope you have a better experience than I did.

I move here from Maine 2 years ago and had my ’99 5 series trucked out here. I never thought I find another place like I had in Maine where people came from several states to have their cars serviced. I ask Joe at Desert Bavarian to give my car a «once over» and change the oil. He told me that nothing needed fixing immediately, including changing my oil, but gave me an estimate of when I should think about replacing or fixing a few things. He has now been my mechanic for 2 years for both my car and my wife’s X5. Honest, straight-​forward and reasonable prices.