UAE BMW Workshops

[dodgeek]

[added by admin start]
Please keep this STICKY topic short and just as a place to add a list of more workshops. If you post, then please give the name of the workshop and any details (address, phone number, your thoughts/review on it).
Thanks!
Forum Admin
[added by admin end]

Here is a list of known BMW Workshops. Its still a short list, and I will work on it when I have the time. I am just trying to compile this list but some of the addresses are still vague until somebody clarifies:

Dubai:
- Tony Edwards BMW Service Centre (Near Nissan Service Centre, Al Quoz, SZR) - pretty pricey

- X Service Centre (Stone's throw from Tony Edwards across the back street, Al Quoz, SZR)

- Auto Tune Dubai (http://www.autotunedubai.com Al Quoz, SZR, see map)

- Jano Motors (Al Qusais) - Al Qusais Industrial Area 1 - 04 267 6427 (when Al Zuleikha Hospital is on your left, go straight and when you reach a traffic light turn right. Jano Motors is the 2nd workshop on the right. You will notice a lot of BMWs there. I heard its one of the better cheaper workshops in Dubai. Have to try it out to confirm

[Brembo]

isnt there one guy in Abu dhabi or mussafah? Danny i think. supposed to very good.
will try to get exact location.

[firasdxb]

One of the best workshops Al Sari السري , and it is located in Sharjah Industrial area, when you reach omar al mukhtar traffic signal, take right, then take first U turn, and then the first right you will find it. This workshop does not accept any brand but BMW. The owner is ENg.Nayar, who worked at the GULF Mechanic centre (agency of BMW) for 20 years.

The only problem is they are higher than average in market, but they garantee their job.

[Malhilo]

well...for Al Sari workshop, I went there three times, and in both times they almost cheated me..
First one, I changed some light bulbs for my car, it cost me a very huge amount of many, when I left I checked if I purchased the lights from outside and made it for another normal workshop it will cost me less than the half..

second one i needed them to check my AC, it was cooling but not 100%, they said it is leaking, I have to change the compressor, condenser, and expansion valve, in other words I have to get a new one, I paid 200 Dhs for checking only and left without doing anything, went to another workshop, filled the AC with gas and now it is perfect.
3ed time I went because there was a sound coming from the car when first moving (I told them I think it is from the exhaust), they checked and said no it is from the driving shaft, it must be removed, fixed, might work and might not, if not I have to get a new shaft (it will cost at least 2000 Dhs), I also paid for checking, left, took it to an exhaust workshop,and it was indeed from the exhaust, it was fixed for 100 Dhs and it is fine..
on the 2ed time when I was there, a man came to take his car, I did not knew what was exactly the problem (I think it is heat issue) they said he has to pay around 5000 Dhs, and as I remember the problem still not solved 100%, the man was shouting like crazy, and he refused to take his car..

so, I will not advise Al serri workshop..they are much much expensive than other workshops, and not professionals..
I think when they check for the problem they know what is the problem of the car, and they say it is a totally different thing just to make you pay more, and while they work they will fix your real problem..

[root]

Good info Malhilo!
Its exactly this kind of information about workshops we all others need to know about, as its a jungle out there.

[mdawam]

Hi everyone,

Newbie to this forum. Just joined a local company for 10 weeks now and am planning to buy an E39 1998 BMW. Can anyone recommend any good mechanic in Abu Dhabi Used to do the normal repair and maintenance for E36 when I was in Malaysia. Unable to do it now as I've no garage of my own

[rustyjack101]

I'd like to get a quote from the Al Sari workshop anyway. Does anyone have their tel no. or email address?

I need a new engine for my BMW 325i (2001). A connecting rod is broken.

Thanks

[edgeman]

Good info Malhilo!
Its exactly this kind of information about workshops we all others need to know about,Thanks for sharing such a nice sharing.it is very useful for all keep it up.

[wadie]

Hi Everyone
I have a major problem in my X5 (2004) A/C system and according to the BMW Service in Abu Dhabi i have to replace the Condenser, Evaporater & Compressor !! quotation is more than 17'000 Dhs! PLEASE I REQUIRE DETAILS OF A GOOD REPAIR SHOP IN ABU DHABI than can do this! i/m sure the prices are a fraction

PLEASE ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED
MANY THANKS

Wadie

[root]

woah, 17k! where did you check with? Ali and sons?

Well, AGMC in Dubai is probably as expensive (if not more).

Most of the workshops mentioned here are in Dubai, but thats because members have provided this information. I would wish people could share their Abu Dhabi experiences here as well.

Everyone I know, heads to Mussafah for cheaper car repair. I would sugges the same, and check for workshops that have BMW logos on them or have BMWs parked around it. They will atleast have the tools/computers needed. I personally dont have any experience or recommendations from AD.

But once you find one, please do come back and add your experience...good or bad, as both are useful for others.

[mankool]

I have a personal experience to share as well:

I had a 530 2006 that had this problem with the engine - at idle the car would just jolt and rumble and the RPM needle would go crazy jumping up and down. I took it to BOSCH and they had a very brief look and said most probably its the issue with the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor or even the ignition coils. Said the coils are around 2K i think, don't remember exactly. I never took the guy seriously.

Later, i decided to go to Munich Motor Works (AlQuoz). This British owner had opened it just a few weeks ago and boy was he delighted to see me. He took the car for a spin and he said it is definitely the Ignition coil that is causing the irregular spikes at idle. I asked him about his profile and he said he was a qualified BMW engineer with 20 years experience working with them! I was impressed and i thought my car in good hands.

After a day he called me back saying the issue was not with the ignition coil as he replaced them and the problem was still there. He said that he noticed engine sludge when he was working on the replacing the coils and the problem could be related to oil build up in the engine! That scared the hell out of me as it seemed like a BIG job that involved a lot of "cha-ching" (cash register sound). Well, i asked him to give me an estimate and he said the minimum cost for opening the engine and cleaning up the mess would be around AED10K ... i was in shock! I was so desperate that i told him that if it takes 5K i'll pay him but 10K is too much. It didn't work out with him and i tool my car back. Good thing was that when i gave the car in I asked him if i had to pay him anything in case he wasn't able to fix the problem and he said it was not necessary if he didn't fix the problem. Nevertheless, he handed over a bill of AED250 for swapping the coils in order to diagnose the problem.

Moving on, i thought I'll check out the garage in Sharjah and i took the car over to John's workshop (on the right hand once heading towards industrial area from King Faisal Road, down the bridge). I worked the same deal with him as well - fix the car and you get paid else you are gonna get 'ziltch'. He kept the car for about 5 days and changed some broken air intake pipes and leaks etc and he said everything looks ok and he suspects a timing problem. It seemed to me he was following the "trial and error" route and I didn't like that so i paid him around 2K and took the car back. Next stop was Janu in Sharjah.

I gave Janu the car and told him the story as to what i had repaired. He looked around for a day and eventually said it is a timing issue. He adjusted the timing and believe me the car as good as new! It started performing better and was even quicker! I don't know since how long this problem had been going on but after that day it seemed like i was driving a different car and all i paid Jano was 1700 compared to the 10K that Munich Motor Works was asking for!

Btw; the 530 was a second hand car that I had bought with just 65K on the odometer and with full service history from AGMC. I had even taken the car for service to AGMC and they didn't say sh!t about the car having a problem. Infact, the rumbling became worst after i got it back from them.

Anyway, the bottom line is i didn't like the way Munich Motor Works handled the job and i personally think they are only good for taking your car for an oil change.

John - i think he was ok, its just that i didn't let him fiddle with the timing .. maybe he would have fixed it? But i think his price is a tab bit high.

Finally Janu ... i think he knows his stuff and his charges are pretty decent.

P.S: No comments about AGMC here; they are an aweful bunch with problems in just about every aspect of their dealings. I will explain this once i post about the 2008 320 that i bought.

[aynstayn]

Hello All, got an X5 4.8SE 2006 model on the secondhand market, and a month after using it, got 'Fail Safe Trans' error on the dashboard display. Since it was time for a service, thought would get it to AGMC for service/diagnostic. Big mistake for my pocket!
Anyway, after paying the price for the service and other minor spares, they told me that the fail safe error would require them to change the whole transmission and gave me an estimate of hold your breath.. 65K DHs! Ive tried looking at forums to see what the error is and how it can be fixed, and most solutions say that the computer needs to be reset and/or battery needs to be checked/changed. AGMC did both and it still gave the error message.
It would normally go away once ive switched the car off, but since yesterday its become permanent, and now the car seems to get stuck on third gear!
Has any body esle been thru this and could offer advise?

[mankool]

Well, you did the obvious i.e. search on the Internet and in most cases it is helpful as it could be a simple fix. Did you check on YouTube? Cause there are loads of videos from mechanics discussing these issues (and promoting their business). It helps in understanding the problem .. in this way you won't get ripped.

In your case it seems like a transmission problem and i think Alhoorani Auto Gear can help you.

Ok, i don't work for this guy and neither am i related to him in any way. From my experience with a german car that had transmission problems i can say this guy can do the job for you. He specializes in Auto tranmission and electronic issues. He will charge you somewhere in the range of 15K since this is a german car and not just any but an X5 so be prepared to dig deep into your pocket.

I'm no mechanic or anything remotely close but from my experience transmission repairs are expensive as they are labour intensive. One has to bring down the engine and open up the "rear seal" and separate the transmission from the engine and the whole big metal (tranmission) chunk comes out. To do just this i.e. diagnose only without fixing anything AlHoorani will charge you somewhere close to AED2000.

If your local dealer doesn't have the parts, AlHoorani will order them from Germany (not sure about their authenticity) but they will work. If you plan to give your car to AlHoorani, i would suggest you ask him to break down the cost for you bit by bit. Namely:

how much for labour
how much for parts (Receipts etc)
bla bla bla

This way you will be able to negotiate with him else you will be stuck like i was ..... and i ended up paying him AED8300 without much room for negotiations...

Oh, and he gives a warranty of 1 month so negotiate the warranty period before giving in the car for repair (regarldess of whom you are giving it to)

AlHoorni contact details are below:

http://www.hoorani.com/English/contactus.aspx

Do let us know how it goes ....

[aynstayn]

Thanks Mankool. Saw in your ealier post regarding Janu, do you recommend Hoorani over them?
Also, did you also have a similar issue ie regarding tranmission? Im just wondering how a 2006 model which has fairly low mileage (75K) and used mainly in the city could end up having its whole transmission unit conking out so quick! If it indeed has, then says a lot about the quality of BMW, doesnt it?

[mankool]

Well, i don't trust the second hand dealers as they normally clock the odometer and do all sorts of stuff with the car. Sorry to make this sound so bad but it actually happens.

You can check with Janu if he is ready to take up tranmission jobs for BMs; i'm not too sure if he does. You can get a second opinion from AlHoorani as well ... He will run a computer scan and tell you what could be possibly wrong but in most cases he will have to open it up to check what has gone wrong. Could be the Torque converter or the synchronizer or God knows what!

P.S: I personally feel AlHoorani charges more than the average Joe so it would be best to check with Janu first.