Alexandria Bavarian Service

I called in for a oil change on my 2007 328xi BMW and was quoted a price of $ 160. That seemed a bit high to me, so I called a couple of other authorized BMW service centers. I was quoted $ 79.95 by BMW of Alexandria and $ 89.95 by another authorized BMW service center. Needless to say, I will not be going to ABS. I can’t even imagine what I would have been quoted for brakes or tires or anything else. Call around — this place doesn’t seem like the most reasonably priced.

I was a longtime customer and brought multiple BMWs to ABS over the years. I see they have many glowing reviews yet a sprinkling of unhappy ones that also seem truthful and detailed. So which perception is accurate? Both. Let me explain:
Grant, Steve, and colleagues are highly knowledgeable, expertly competent, and unfailingly honest. They will do top-​notch work on your BMW, and they will not rip you off. Ever. They will even drop you off at the Metro. The complaints are mostly about lacking communication – and those reviewers are not lying. I had decided that given the impeccable quality of work and honesty, I was willing to accept and adapt to this. And I did – till recently.
ABS will never try to get you to do work that isn’t needed. In fact, they have discouraged me from doing major repairs, because I wanted to replace something too early or a symptom I perceived was just a BMW quirk. Countless times I’ve had them spend time diagnosing something – only to tell me all was fine and that I owe them nothing.
More examples: The battery died. Grant replaced it and refused to charge me. He said he would get money back from the manufacturer, as it was under warranty. He has actively dissuaded me from having numerous things repaired, because they were just quirks inherent in an old BMW (e.g., notchy 5-​speed shifter). Long ago, I called him about buying a recent high-​mileage BMW, and he told me it would be a money pit. He could’ve made tons of money off me in repairs. That’s honesty!
Their prices are not low but are reasonable for work by BMW master mechanics, using OEM parts. (In fact, they won’t even touch aftermarket parts – which is great in that you know you’re getting factory-​approved service.) If you’re looking for a $ 20 oil change, not only should you not use ABS; you should not be driving a BMW, because you will destroy the car in a year or two. That said, I was surprised at the premium I paid for a set of new tires over what I could get them for online, delivered and installed. That it took 10 days and many phone calls to find out the status drove me crazy.
Does ABS know BMWs? Definitely. Grant has or had an Isetta, an i3, a 3.0 CS, and an E36 wagon. Steve had a 535i with a stick shift. I’ve seen all manner of rare Bimmer there – from M Coupes to an 850CSI (V-​12). Grant is on a regional BMW technicians’ council. The waiting room is like a BMW museum.
Can Grant come off as brusque? Yes. He likes to break the ice by joking around, and his is a deadpan wit – so you may not know he’s joking at first. But once you learn his sense of humor, you realize what you thought was enigmatic curtness is just poker-​faced silliness. (Things like, «That’ll be $ 10,000.» And then he won’t charge you.) He will definitely be curt with a prospective customer who tries to wheedle him on what the shop charges – which is just not done in the world of auto repair.
Do you often have to call to get a status report on your car? Yes. Does the phone often go to voicemail? Usually. Did I have to call a second pr third time after leaving a voicemail? Yes. Does Grant respond to emails sent to the address on his business card? Almost never. Have there been times I dropped off my car and called a few days later, only to learn they had not gotten to it because things got hectic or the one guy who could do X was sick? Alas, yes. Did these quirks sometimes drive me nuts in my years as a customer? Yes!
HOWEVER: ABS does a great job repairing BMWs to factory standards, and it was reassuring to know I could trust their work and their integrity. I’m not a patient man, but I’d decided I’d rather deal with calling each day to get the status than have a dealership or crooked shop overcharge me, bilk me into unneeded repairs, or install the wrong part. I would rather have a great mechanic with so-​so phone response than a so-​so mechanic who’s a great communicator. I’d rather spend an extra 5 minutes making a phone call than an extra $ 500 on something that didn’t need fixing.
So why did I stop using ABS? First, they left my always-​waxed (and fairly rare) car parked under a tree for a week – Grant’s personal collection takes up a few spaces in the garage – so it ended up covered with sap. I was going to overlook that. Then I realized on my receipt for the set of new tires (for which I’d foregone any online rebate or discount), they didn’t update the mileage. Had I not noticed this soon, it would have been hard to know when to replace the tires again. (And it could have hurt resale value.) Nor did I get any warranty info. Having paid full retail, I thought this was sloppy.
You should take your BMW to ABS if you want quality repairs without being upsold or overcharged. But ONLY if you can happily go without your BMW longer than expected, be repeatedly proactive with all communication, and accept a general lack of clarity. I can’t do that. But if you can, you’ll find ABS does flawless work at fair prices and will never lie to you.

I moved here from Hawaii about 12 years ago, shipped my 328i and needed to find a mechanic. I posted to a local BMW forum and all responses pointed me to ABS. I have never been disappointed — Grant and his crew have taken wonderful care of «Hans» from my first visit. He might be a little grumbly some days — but hey aren’t we all? And dealing with BMW owners can’t be easy…
Grant gives you the straight story — if something is wrong with your car, don’t expect to hear short cuts or well maybe you could hold off — nope Grant will recommend fixing it and ABS will fix it correctly, with genuine BMW parts. If you don’t want that type of service, go elsewhere. Why pay a ton of money for a car, only to nickel and dime the repairs? ABS takes the time to explain what is wrong, why it should be fixed, and more importantly, what additional problems/​risk might arise from ignoring the issue.
My car is about 17 years old now… as other posters have said, Grant has told me on more than one occasion that it’s time to say goodbye… at 175K miles, it’s running great, but Grant thinks ahead. We’ve discussed the «what could go wrong» and the costs and the «you don’t want to be stranded on a highway in Pa late at night by yourself with your dogs». As much as it breaks my heart, Grant is right. He knows how much I love the car — Hans was my first BMW — it would be easy for any mechanic to convince me to fix this, fix that, oh it needs that. I think most mechanics would — except for Grant — he has integrity and he’s an honest guy.
If you love your BMW, take it to ABS!

Grant and his employees at Alexandria Bavarian do not do what they say they are going to do. Period.
After having my car inspected for a track day, I scheduled it for a power steering repair the following week. I duly dropped it off at the appointed time – Tuesday morning. I received a call around 4 that afternoon saying that they had not gotten to it but would do it the following day. I did not receive any word as to the car’s being done on Wednesday, so I finally made contact around 5pm. Bavarian is extremely hard to get ahold of and routinely does not answer the phone. When I did reach them, I was told the car had not even been looked at. After two days – I was done.
Grant seems to think that it is acceptable to take a car and not perform the service for which it was dropped off. He further seems to think that it is an imposition to either call the customer or field calls from the customer.
This is life, and stuff happens – I got it. But it is unacceptable for a shop to simply not do a job for two straight days and not bother to tell the customer.
Bavarian wasted my time, and they will waste yours.

3 years later, and I continue to go to ABS.
My car is running smoothly, only needing oil changes. If your BMW or Mini Cooper need any work. Come here!!!

After bonding over our dislike of the Alexandria Mini Dealer’s service department I was thrilled with my first visit with my Mini. They looked it over, did just what was needed, no more, gave me good advice on replacing my tires and the car was ready that same day. Super easy to drop off and hop the bus to the metro. I’ve owned my mini for 4 years and have always had idling issues that despite many attempts, the dealer wouldn’t address. I never mentioned this issue to ABS, but noticed upon pick up that the car is no longer revving and sounding like it might stall in the cold. I’m sold, and no way I’m going back to the dealer where they made me feel like a dumb female and even sent me home one day driving a car that the body shop said was unsafe.

Nice enough my guy/​took time to explain the technical stuff. However, after 1.5k, it seemed like I got everything fixed except what I came in for (an oil depletion problem). Less than one week after I got the car back, my oil light was on again. When I called in after, I was told that that wasn’t the issue we’d talked about. In reality, it was the primary issue.

I was concerned seeing some of the other reviews, regarding customer service and general grumpiness of the owner, however that was NOT my experience whatsoever.
Grant is a true BMW aficionado and he knows his stuff. I took my car in for a «check up» before a long road trip and I could not have asked for a more thorough look-​over. He gave me a list of all the things that I needed to watch for, but did not need to immediately repair. He also spoke to me for quite a while about BMW’s and his love for them.
I’m disappointed to be moving away or I would continue to bring my car here for future repairs and service.
Additional, I write this as a young woman who often feels as though she is taken advantage of when having her car repaired. The shop next door to ABS once had my car for a week and added an additional 300 (unauthorized) miles to it while it was there for service. I never once felt Grant was trying to make extra money off of me or take advantage in anyway.
Take your car here, people!

I’ve been to a lot of indy BMW mechanics across the country over the years, and ABS is definitely among the best. They’re thorough and do rock-​solid work without any BS. They use BMW parts and BMW specs for repairs, which means you get dealership quality work without the dealership drama and upsell.
What really sold me on ABS is the one job they ~didn’t~ do. I’m kind of obsessive about my cars, and this particular BMW was the first (and only) new car I’d ever owned. After 15 years and 180K miles, I started getting weird feedback from the clutch. Grant took it out for a drive (this is notable in and of itself — it’s the rare mechanic who will actually drive your car) and told me I needed a new clutch and flywheel and another unrelated fix … and that the damage would be well north of $ 3K.
And then he proceeded to explain why it wasn’t really worth it to do this kind of work on a car of this model and age.
It killed me to limp home with the car, but in the end, I know Grant was right. And I think it takes a huge amount of integrity on the part of a mechanic to walk away from a pretty decent bill in order to guide the customer to the right decision. I’ll put the $ 3K+ towards a new car and it will be a win in the end, even though I have to send my trusty E46 to the grave. Any other mechanic? Well, I would’ve just become a member of their frequent-​flyer club.
Care about your car? Go see Grant.

ABS is a great shop, i can’t say anything that hasn’t been said already. I’ve owned a BMW in some form or another the the last 17 years and i’ve always cringed when i had to take it for service and /​or repairs because all the shops (and i’ve been to almost every dealer in the area and a few of the «respected» indy shops) want to sell you service you don’t need and don’t do the service that you do need. ABS does what they say they’re going to do and in my experience is straight up about what service you need and what you don’t. Bottom line, they almost act like they have a fiduciary responsibility because they try to save you money! When is the last time that happened at a mechanic, no less? I can’t recommend these guys enough, Grant and his crew are top notch, i just wish i found ABS 17 years ago, it would have saved me a lot of money and stress.

If you need to have your BMW looked at, please do yourself a favor and take it to ABS. You will not regret it. Grant is the epitome of knowledge and customer service. You will actually enjoy taking your car back to be serviced after you’ve gone here. Highly recommended.

Our BMW is 12 years old, 75,000 miles & needed some work. We recently moved here & were unsure where to take our car. Thanks to Unilocal,all of you helped us make the right decision! Grant worked on our 330ci & did a phenomenal job. He didn’t do anything unnecessary even though my husband tried to make Grant do se other work. Grant assured us the extra work wasn’t needed! The car runs like a brand new baby! Best place in the country!

I REALLY recommend this BMW service center. Grant and the guys working here are FANTASTIC!
We’ve always taken our car to the dealer, but were dissatisfied. When I took our car to Grant and told him everything the dealer had told me needed to be repaired, he was sincere and told me that only some of those things actually needed to be repaired. I truly appreciated his honesty.
When he called me to tell me what needed to be done, he explained everything patiently. He clearly knows what he is talking about. He answered all of my questions clearly. He was very attentive and made me feel like he cares for every single one of his customers. He gave me great recommendations and was very professional. I noticed, after picking the car up, that he even replaced the BMW wheel center cap emblem free of charge.
When I went to pick up the car, he picked me up at the nearest metro, which was very convenient. And, he charged me less than what he first quoted me.
The experience of taking our BMW to the Alexandria Bavarian Service was MAGNIFICENT. I can say I’ve finally found the place where I’m going to be taking our car for service.

Ok, if you are a woman and call this people, they will blow you off.
THAT’S ALL I’M GOING TO SAY. Horrible customer service.

The customer service is terrible. ABS
would not even listen to an explanation of the issues with my car. Needless to say, my business will be taken elsewhere.

I really don’t know what to give this place, since my first visit was 5 stars and my last visit was total and complete crap.
First visit– straight oil change. Emailed for an appointment, brought it in, dropped it off, got it back within a couple of hours (drove it from Vienna so had to wait for it to cool down). Easy peasy.
Last visit– wasn’t ready for one yet, but wanted an oil change before I drove/​moved to Chicago. Emailed for an appointment. No response. Finally called and he said he could fit me in… on the last day I was an Alexandria resident. Drove up early in the morning and there was a truck parked right in front of the garage. Parked next to it because I didn’t know where else to park. There are no signs and all available spots were blocked by said truck. Proceeded to get verbally abused by Grant after I came in– for where I parked (he made me guess where I should park instead of politely asking me to park in an unmarked spot), for handing over my keys (god forbid I should provide him with my KEYS and god forbid he should take the ones he needed off), for coming in before I drove to Chicago («nothing like waiting until the last minute,» he says. No shit, dumbass, but I’ve been kind of busy packing and oh I don’t know, relocating my life), for not coming in to get my oil topped off and/​or for not noticing that I needed it topped off, and verbally abused for being alive.
He also did an inspection on my car without asking because he saw it was expired. Yes, it was only $ 13. Yes, it was considerate that he was keeping me from getting a ticket. No, he didn’t call me and ask first because I would have said no since I’m probably going to have to go through the song and dance again in Illinois.
I’m okay with sarcasm, but I am not okay with a gruff personality to the point that I feel demeaned.
As a woman, I would suggest having your boyfriend/​dad/​husband bring your car here because similar to other experiences I’ve had, he treated me as if I was an idiot girl asking for more blinker fluid.
Better business bureau, my ass.

Brought my new (to me) 04 Mini into Grant today. I didn’t get a used car check before I bought it, I just wanted the car, so I was a bit worried about what I may rack up in needed repairs on an 04 Mini with 85,000 miles. I told grant to give it an oil change, new spark plugs, and a once over, to tell me what may be wrong with it.
He called me at about 10:30 and told me that a gasket was leaking oil onto the engine, and he wanted my permission to fix it, but that it needed to be fixed. I gave him the go ahead and asked for a quote for everything.
When it was time to pick up my car I told him to let me down easy, just assuming, in my OCD/​anxiety ridden mind that there had to be boatloads wrong with the car. He told me how lucky I was to find that car, because it wasn’t showing signs of problems associated with the year. He also charged me $ 80 less than he quoted me. We parted ways with him saying «I don’t think I’ll see this car again for awhile» That’s what I wanted to here, Grant was certainly a great guy to deal with, and I’ll be glad to bring my car back to him, but yeah, hopefully not often…

I was referred to the place by enthusiastic coworkers. I have to second everyone’s reviews — this place is honest and trustworthy. They did an expensive but fairly priced repair on my steering column quickly and without hassle. They even recommended that I google it to learn about the discussion of the original part’s potential recall in case there was any potential to recoup money later.
Just this week, I called in for an estimate on window repair. My Mini’s window was stuck in the closed position. Grant said I could bring it in but suggested a free home remedy first — and it totally worked. Thank you!!!

I feel lucky to have been turned on to ABS. Grant can be a bit gruff, but you can rely on his work and his advice. The best review I can give is that I trust his judgment and trust that he shoots me straight. I don’t say that about many people in any business.
I always question a dealership that tells me I «need» something done to the car. In most cases I find that it really becomes a dealership «want.» Grant tells you exactly what you need and, more importantly, what you don’t. When he tells me the car needs something, I’m comfortable spending the money on it. So far, all the work I’ve had done to the car here has been outstanding. Oh, and it’s normally MUCH cheaper than the same job at the dealership.
If you’re a BMW or Mini owner in the DC area, and your car is outside of warranty, you’d be crazy to go anywhere other than ABS.

If you have a BMW or MINI, this is the only place to take your car. I cannot say enough good things about Grant or the shop. It might be worth a speeding ticket to race to this place STAT!
I was tired of the runaround at the dealer’s repair shop, and took a chance on Grant. Boy, it was the smartest thing I had done in a long time.
I told Grant the car had been sitting for awhile and needed to be checked from front to back. He called me within 24 hours and reported everything he could find. He was able to explain exactly what needed to be done, what was the most urgent, and how much it would cost. Repairs were then immediately done.
I feel as though my 2002 BMW is a new car again — I can notice the difference since he worked on it. The price was right and the service was stellar. This is a shop for the real people who wanted competent service at a good value!