Strictly BMW, Bellevue - Opinions?

[Topless99]

BMW Strictly Independence - i think thats the "official name"

Its a BMW shop in Bellevue off of 20th & 140th. Has anyone taken their car there? is it any good?

I'm looking for a shop - thats preferably not a dealer - to take my car in for maintenance. In addition to general engine maintenance i also want to find a place that can do electrical work - my car sometimes has some "lock" issues (i.e. sometimes the locks don't work without the key)....

any recomendations? would Strictly be a good place to take it?

thanks for the help!
Steph

[Alpine 318is]

thats a good shop

check out german car speaicalists

[EEEEeeee36]

I'll just put it this way - you have to be a pretty damn good shop to be certified to install and troubleshoot DINAN, and they are. Strictly BMW has great hourly rates and can do just about anything, although I haven't seen too much custom stuff come out of there (just bolt-ons mainly).

Pretty much all the shops in the PNW FAQ thread are great though. Call around and see which one 'clicks' with you. :thumbup:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6061016&postcount=2

If you are specifically looking in Bellevue, you may want to check out Autohaus Vick and LBR also. Both very great shops. The only difference is they are not just BMW shops, they are all German/Highline shops. Strictly is just BMW. :thumbup:

[blackm3]

If you're over the East side. Strictly is good..or if they're booked, try Eastside Bavarian in Issaquah. Very professional and competent. Or you can try my favorite shop in Ballard, Groupe II motorsport.

[EEEEeeee36]

If you're over the East side. Strictly is good..or if they're booked, try Eastside Bavarian in Issaquah. Very professional and competent. Or you can try my favorite shop in Ballard, Groupe II motorsport.
Groupe II motorsport? Do you have a link? I would like to put them in the PNW FAQ thread. I'm always interested in new shops. :thumbup:

[Andres]

BMW Strictly Independence - i think thats the "official name"

Its a BMW shop in Bellevue off of 20th & 140th. Has anyone taken their car there? is it any good?

I'm looking for a shop - thats preferably not a dealer - to take my car in for maintenance. In addition to general engine maintenance i also want to find a place that can do electrical work - my car sometimes has some "lock" issues (i.e. sometimes the locks don't work without the key)....

any recomendations? would Strictly be a good place to take it?

thanks for the help!
Steph

I've been to Strictly many times to buy parts. Andrew and Brian are very helpful in helping you find a part. The dealership guys look at me like I'm retarded when I ask to buy a 96+ part for my 95M3. I've never taken my car there for work though.

Not to take away from them but I highly suggest taking your car to Eastside Bavarian. Tell them Andres sent you. I know everyone there on a first name basis. Hell, they even know my voice when I call. A little trivia fun, David (one of the owners) used to work for Strictly as a tech. Jamie and Ken both used to work at Bellevue BMW. They are just as competent as the dealerships.

Eastside Bavarian
- They just moved shop location. New shop is AWESOME!
Issaquah, WA 98027
(425) 391-1990
http://www.eastsidebavarian.com/

[m5james]

If you're over the East side. Strictly is good..or if they're booked, try Eastside Bavarian in Issaquah. Very professional and competent. Or you can try my favorite shop in Ballard, Groupe II motorsport.

Eastside can kiss my ass after screwin me over on my diff. To make a long story short, I felt the same way about them till they did me from the back even after discussing my options BEFORE I even brought the car to them.
Then to top it off when I came to get my car....
- It was dirty
- Still up on the lift 5 hours after they called me and told me it was ready
- Battery was dead
- For some odd reason they managed to break my radar detector mount next to my rear view mirror (how did that get in their way anyways when swapping A DIFFERENTIAL)
- The side bolster on my seat snapped off, disconnecting the wiring harness so the seat and steering wheel wouldn't move

I will never go there again, and they didn't even have the decency to repair the problem or respond to my email about the issues I had with them

[///w3fl3x]

Eastside can kiss my ass after screwin me over on my diff. To make a long story short, I felt the same way about them till they did me from the back even after discussing my options BEFORE I even brought the car to them.
Then to top it off when I came to get my car....
- It was dirty
- Still up on the lift 5 hours after they called me and told me it was ready
- Battery was dead
- For some odd reason they managed to break my radar detector mount next to my rear view mirror (how did that get in their way anyways when swapping A DIFFERENTIAL)
- The side bolster on my seat snapped off, disconnecting the wiring harness so the seat and steering wheel wouldn't move

I will never go there again, and they didn't even have the decency to repair the problem or respond to my email about the issues I had with them
One of few complaint i've heard of eastside bavarian.

My brother's battery died too but i think it was a faulty battery we got from them and possibly cause of the alternator but they swapped out for a new one. :D

Their new shop is awesome. Way bigger then the old one.
Maybe my car won't come out dirty after i bring it in for service. :devillook

[m5james]

Well them having to pay for a new shop is probably what contributed to them screwing me, so I should get free parking in the garage when outta town or something then right ;)

I can understand about the battery dying while at the shop, becuase I know if I leave it for longer than 4-5 days without starting, it gets weak. But my point is they called me, they knew I was on my way within a few hours, and still didn't have the car off the lift and in the parking lot, at least idling to a bit to give it juice to start again when I got there. Washin is debateable due to people suing for scratched cars and other BS like that, so I'll let that slide. I still have no good reason to see why they broke my radar detector from it's mounting bracket next to the rearview mirror, nor at least re-assembling the side bolster of the seat so I could move it off the friggin steering wheel from the 5'2" driver that was in it before me. Point is they shit on me, and I am not ever going to endorse them until they step up to the plate and fix what happened.

This all started with agreeing to do a diff swap under my aftermarket warranty, who also paid for my engine.....of which I was able to choose the engine builder and pay for the difference of the upgrade options. The same situation happened with the diff where the warranty let me choose it. All items were agreed upon through Eastside before I even brought the car there. Adjuster came out to the shop, and they got a check for the cost of replacing a STOCK diff, at which point I agreed to either pay the difference UP FRONT or at the time of delivery.....then the ass rapin' began. Suddenly they can't/won't/lack of funds in their account (you decide) to do the difference in cost with me. Then when getting down to arguing with the Ken......he pulls outta his ass that "oh, well we won't install aftermarket parts unless it is OUR supplier" WTF!!!! :mad WHY in the fuck did I bring it there in the first place, otherwise it would have been Car Tender, Strictly, etc....you name it - all of which we discussed before the car was even towed as to what my intentions were to hear him say "No problem, we can do that since we know the car and have serviced it before, bring it on in!" Asswhipes.......:nono

[SpeedLi///Mit]

I used to work with a guy who is a tech there now... he is really good. So I know there is at least one competent tech there :)

[m5james]

Oh I don't doubt the work is good, I just got screwed around with and I'm basically gonna have to spend 3+k for something that COULD have cost me 1k if the agreed upon terms were met and actually performed. I took my car to them the first time due to being low and fluid and actually kinda locking after doing my little stunt in my avatar:stickoutt They did a flush, fill, additives service to the diff, and all was good for about a few months or so when the diff finally gave the ghost while getting on a freeway in Everett. I brought the car all the way from Everett to Issaquah just becuase they agreed to perform the additional tasks that I asked. I actually had to pay the difference for the tow bill also, adding insult to injury from them screwing me over when the work was ready to perform....only to have them install a stock 2.83 open diff and no more willingness to work with me once they got a check in hand.

[///w3fl3x]

Have you called and talked to them or have you only emailed them?

Everytime something goes wrong they resolve it for me pretty fast.

They're actually pretty busy these last couple of weeks cause of the move. Instead of a 6 car garage they have one that can fit like 12 cars now.

They're also probably still busy trying to get everything working in the new place so email won't be the best option if that's the only thing you've done.

[Bengali86]

I just got my m3 back from Eastside Bavarian: Went in for Upper/lower radiator hose, car came out with the hoses and a new belt, (old one was lookin bad) they said they did not want me driving with that bad belt, got the belt and labor for it for free.

They are great people over there, and yeah the new shop is HUGE!

I still have the invoice from them as customer #4- (from my first e36 a while back, not this M3) I will always go back there, Im sorry for your experience there :( that sucks

they have always displayed 110% sevice when i bring my car there.

They still have that damn M1 there, they even have a whole room dedicated to the M1 parts!

[blackm3]

Steph..I can look at your car's lock for you next weekend. PM me.

Ee36..site for Group II

http://www.group2inc.com

My favorite shop. All the hardcore track rats go here for suspension tune up, corner balance,etc. Plus they will install aftermarket parts for you. Not too many shops will do that. I will probably have them build me a roll cage next year.

[EEEEeeee36]

Steph..I can look at your car's lock for you next weekend. PM me.

Ee36..site for Group II

http://www.group2inc.com

My favorite shop. All the hardcore track rats go here for suspension tune up, corner balance,etc. Plus they will install aftermarket parts for you. Not too many shops will do that. I will probably have them build me a roll cage next year.
NOICE. Thanks bro. They are now added in the PNW FAQ therad. I may be one of those track rats, although it's looking like next year due to my extended vacation absorbing fundage and time this year... :D Hopefully I can do a few HPDEs before September. :thumbup:

[STEVE36]

I'll just put it this way - you have to be a pretty damn good shop to be certified to install and troubleshoot DINAN, and they are. Strictly BMW has great hourly rates and can do just about anything, although I haven't seen too much custom stuff come out of there (just bolt-ons mainly).

Pretty much all the shops in the PNW FAQ thread are great though. Call around and see which one 'clicks' with you. :thumbup:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6061016&postcount=2

If you are specifically looking in Bellevue, you may want to check out Autohaus Vick and LBR also. Both very great shops. The only difference is they are not just BMW shops, they are all German/Highline shops. Strictly is just BMW. :thumbup:


Strictly does not use an hourly rate. It varies based on complexity, etc. Good shop.

[EEEEeeee36]

Strictly does not use an hourly rate. It varies based on complexity, etc. Good shop.
That must be more recent - I haven't been there in more than a year, but they had an hourly rate posted before... :dunno

Yes, an excellent shop. :thumbup:

[EBM3/4]

They actually do have an hourly rate, it's posted on the wall in the front office. I believe it's either 94 or 96$ an hour. But they use that rate loosely and it really does depend on the job at hand.

They've always given me thorough explanations and answered any questions I have (and I usually have a lot of specific questions for every repair). They've been fantastic with my last 3 cars. I've been taking cars there now for a few years and I don't have a single thing that has happened to bother me in the least.

They can be busy, but they have fit me in on an emergency basis, (ie: leaving on road trip, etc) if I explained my situation, many times now. I work with Brian and he knows I'm usually short on $$$, and works with me on that. One large repair I had turned out to be much more expensive in parts than originally expected, so they deleted 4 out of 5 hours of the labor charges associated (400$!!). This was hundreds of dollars profit to them, but it allowed me to pay rent that month. I had already been a long time customer and had referred many people to their shop, so it was nice to get such an act of kindness in return. Try em out, you wont regret it.

[Topless99]

Thank you :) That is the type of response i was looking for. i was debating on the other two shops Jesse mentioned...but i think i'll take it to Strictly now.

[plowskxc]

If you live in the seattle area, complete automotive has a pretty good shop, i work there and they do good work. If there is something that needs to be done on the car and we cant do it, we take it to other shops, so you can get just about everything done. And there arent any service advisors, you work with the mechanic directly that is working on your car. Plus your car gets a really good wash and vacuum when its done. Its located off of broadway and union on capital hill. Check it out...seriously

[Aodhan]

I have being a big fan of Car Tender on Capital Hill. They have done alot of good work for me and have good prices. The car goes back to them on Wednesday for a rear end suspension problem :(

[STEVE36]

They actually do have an hourly rate, it's posted on the wall in the front office. I believe it's either 94 or 96$ an hour. But they use that rate loosely and it really does depend on the job at hand.

They've always given me thorough explanations and answered any questions I have (and I usually have a lot of specific questions for every repair). They've been fantastic with my last 3 cars. I've been taking cars there now for a few years and I don't have a single thing that has happened to bother me in the least.

They can be busy, but they have fit me in on an emergency basis, (ie: leaving on road trip, etc) if I explained my situation, many times now. I work with Brian and he knows I'm usually short on $$$, and works with me on that. One large repair I had turned out to be much more expensive in parts than originally expected, so they deleted 4 out of 5 hours of the labor charges associated (400$!!). This was hundreds of dollars profit to them, but it allowed me to pay rent that month. I had already been a long time customer and had referred many people to their shop, so it was nice to get such an act of kindness in return. Try em out, you wont regret it.

http://www.natural-process.com/strictly.jpg

I'd say they use the hourly rate very loosely, at least in my experience. And yes, getting to know the guys can never hurt. I'm a repeat customer, and would recommend them to anyone.

Steve

[EEEEeeee36]

http://www.natural-process.com/strictly.jpg

I'd say they use the hourly rate very loosely, at least in my experience. And yes, getting to know the guys can never hurt. I'm a repeat customer, and would recommend them to anyone.

Steve
Actually, come to think of it, I believe it's a legality that shops post an hourly rate in the state of Washington. I think it's a consumer protection type item and even if they don't go by it they have to post it. That is probably why Strictly has it even though they state they charge via a menu basis.