Great place to take your German imports. I don't trust a lot of mechanics with my car but they came recommended by many. It was just an oil change I needed but they did a good job and were quick and fairly priced. Very knowledgeable and nice people too! read more

Black Forest Werkshop - Waiting area - Auto Repair Near Me - Austin, Texas

Absolutely THE BEST place you could take your import. Lee is so knowledgeable and his staff are absolute pros. I was given an estimate for $1798 at Northwest Imports and several people told me to check out Black Forest and I am so grateful that I did. Lee charged me under $1200 AND fixed another hose AND fixed a headlight. Great quality, great value, great people. Five stars. read more

My maintenance warranty ran out at BMW and I needed to get the parking brake clip repaired. Apparently this is an infamous beemer problem that could be fixed by the manufacturer by making this $1 piece with aluminum rather than plastic. This vehicle has 18K miles on it, so you can decide for yourself why BMW doesn't remedy this issue. Anyway, the dealer wanted $980 to fix this. It does require moving the exhaust pipes and other chassis stuff to get to it, and they say it takes 4 hours. Today I met Lee. His shop has fabricated an aluminum part that "will last the life of the car" and he charged me $350 to do the job. It took his crew about an hour to do it. This was a refreshing respite from mechanic paranoia and dealer deceipt. It's like some of the reviews here were at some different shop. This was friendly, with a cozy waiting room, nothing but professional all the way. read more

Upon replacing my valve cover gaskets, I realized the previous owner had stripped the threads on the cylinder head for the valve cover. Lee was able to get my car in first thing in the morning and by lunch, they had helicoiled the thread and wrapped up the job. read more

Lee and his team at Black Forest Werkshop are excellent and highly trustworthy. I'd been seeing him for repairs on my 2011 BMW 3 Series and could always trust that his diagnosis was accurate and that he wasn't trying to nickel and dime me to get me to spend more money at his shop. I felt confident that he and his team would recommend the repairs they would do to their own personal vehicles. Very glad to have found this shop. read more

The right front low beam headlight went out on my 335i hardtop so I took a look at YouTube to see how to replace it & the videos I found said I'd have to get up into the wheel well to fix it. It looked a lot more complicated than I expected so I took it over to European motorworks to get an estimate. They pulled it in to take a look & told me it would cost an hours labor ($115) and the cost of the bulb ($41). Couldn't get me in same day though so I made an appt for the next day. Later on that day I found another shop in my neighborhood, Black Forest motorwerks, and called to get an estimate. They said it would probably cost about half hour of labor plus the part and encouraged me to bring it by. Long story short, it turned out there's no need to go through the wheel well & I could have replaced it myself. Got out of there for about $50. Easy. Really good guys & they won't bill you an hours labor for something that takes them 10 minutes. Honestly it was embarrassing how easy it turned out to be & I should have popped the hood instead of relying on YouTube to figure out how difficult it was going to be. read more

All the guys are down to earth friendly & really appreciate your business. I just switched from the dealer now that my Mercedes is 5 years old -- I wish I'd made the move sooner; just imagine all the money I could've saved read more

Just took my BMW 328i in for it's 100,000 mile adjustments, oil change, brake flush, and other filter changes. I felt the service was superior, courteous, and quick. I've been going there for years and will continue doing so! read more

Scammers I do not recommend this workshop to anyone they charged me 1,000 in labor told me my hose was busted and I needed a new one that would cost me 650$ I was beyond frustrated with them took my bmw to another workshop and told me my hose clamp was lose and just needed to be tighten .. smh I felt like they took my lack of knowledge about cars to there advantage . I do not recommend this place at all unless u got extra 700-1000 to waste read more

I brought my mini cooper convertible in due it running rough. Lee diagnosed it as being due to the high pressure hose malfunctioning. It would have cost me an easy grand, but he advised me to take it to the dealer and have them fix it for FREE. Apparently it was a known problem. I took it to the dealer and they indeed fixed it for free. Lee talked himself out of an easy 1k fix, and by doing so made a customer for life read more

I really appreciate how much time, Lee (the owner) takes with me to explain whats going on with my car and what my options are. They make it easy to drop off and pickup my car after hours and are priced affordably! read more

So it's pretty rare these days that I run into a situation where I almost actively don't want to review a place: most business who do well I figure deserve the sunlight. But today it was high time that I took care of a few nagging issues on my car, and there are only a few options for local car care here if you have a Mini as A) there isn't an Austin dealership and B) most folks that do work on them seem to specialize. At any rate, I've had some luck in the past but it typically required great hoop jumping on my part, including but not limited to having to wake up at the crack of dawn, the indeterminate wait inherent any time you're up for car repair...it's not always a business tailor made for killer service. There seems to be a supply and demand issue at play. Anyhoo, so today was the day and I decided to try some place new, and Black Forest drew the proverbial short straw. I cruised in, told them what the issues were, and chilled on the couch for an hour while they confirmed then addressed the problems. The rate was fair, we talked about but didn't end up attacking some of the other things that need to happen down the line, and the way I was treated was stellar. I'll be back, with happier wheels happening. read more

Black Forest Werkshop - Auto Repair Near Me - Austin, Texas

The owner, Lee, is exactly what I want in my mechanic. He's an honest guy that will try to explain the problem and solution even though I don't know much about cars. I saved hundreds by going here and deciding that the services the dealership proposed were unnecessary. That happened years ago, and the car is still running great. Seems like some people have had bad experiences, but car repairs anywhere can be costly and frustrating. read more

Excellent service. Fair price. Friendly and helpful staff. Recommend this establishment.

The worst place you can bring you car. The owner Lee left my car 3 weeks without touch the car and kept lying that the car is fixing, end up replacing with used part. I've reported to BBB and they've take care of this bad business. Because of BBB I've got part of my money back. read more

Lee and his staff are super professional and have kept my 2008 BMW running for many years. Sadly, my car, at 191K miles was totaled last week. I just called Lee to thank him for him for taking such good care of my car all this time. I highly recommend Black Forest to anyone who is in the market for an honest and knowledgeable mechanic. read more

I gave this place a try after observing all the great reviews and what a total regret. I originally brought my car in to repair the coolant system, I didn't know what was exactly wrong but I trusted them to fix what it was brought there for. Instead they took one look at my wife, a tattoo covered lesbian, and decided to fast talk her into replacing the entire radiator and oil gasket. It ran almost $2k and a couple weeks later what do you know, the issue with my coolant is still existent. They took complete advantage of my wife's lack of car knowledge, told her not to worry about the coolant and instead focus on the oil and radiator. She took their word and we got the repair done. After bringing the car in for the second time we got a call telling us we'll need to put out another $650 to replace a "leaking" hose. That was absolutely not happening, something in my gut told me to get a second opinion from another German shop, and what do you know. Diagnostics were ran, levels were tested and pressure was completely fine! No leak in the damn hose, the clamps were just loose. They tightened them up tested the levels again and all was good. I'm furious with this workshop and I'm left wondering if anything was ever really wrong with the parts they did fix to begin with. Josh has the most irritating attitude towards customers, throws crazy prices at you and gives an abrasive demeanor when he tells you what needs to be fixed, he gave no knowledge of the exact issue at hand once we notified them that we'll be picking up the car instead of agreeing to get the work done! A nice older gentleman took his time to explain things in depth, and it was greatly appreciated, but I'm even more grateful i followed my instincts and got a second opinion with my original German shop! read more

Needed a replacement pump for my windshield washer on my 2017 Mini Cooper S. Made a couple of phone calls then went by to discuss repair. They brought my car right in and had the repair done in 2 hours. Friendly service, thorough discussion of the problem and the repair. Shop area is clean and well organized. I highly recommend this shop to anyone needing Mini Cooper service in the Austin area. read more

I brought in my BMW 325i to have a side airbag reinserted into the airbag compartment after it blew out. When I came back to get my car, a small chip in the windshield that was there when I brought it in had turned into a giant meandering crack all the way across my windshield. The owner/mechanic was very defensive and abrasive about the issue, and stated that he couldn't be responsible if, during a 'test' drive, the chassis shifted and caused the chip to turn into a monstrous crack. What kind of test drive were they taking my car on? Some kind of joy-ride through bumps and hills? Suddenly, a simple chip repair turned into a very expensive windshield replacement, courtesy of BFWerkshop. As for the service I originally brought my BMW in for (airbag replacement), they did a terrible, terrible job. A few days after leaving BFWerkshop in my car, the airbag sensor was going off. I took it into BMW of Austin, who informed me that whoever put the airbag back in hadn't bothered to properly fold and position the airbag so that it would deploy properly and safely; they had just stuffed it in haphazardly. In the end, taking my car to BFWerkshop proved to be a huge waste of money and time. They actually made things much, much worse. read more

These guys totally rock. Beyonce, my beautiful black Bimmer, had some issues with her a/c. It crapped out. It was only blowing cool air on one side of the car. I called Lambs Tire and Automotive and the lowballed the price. So, I took it there first. Lambs had NO idea how to charge my car - apparently the old "bait and switch technique" (I do not recommend them). I had scheduled an appointment with BMW of Austin, but service there (although excellent) costs an arm and a leg. So, the following day I decided to take my car to Black Forest Werkshop on the recommendation of a friend. I was initially thrown off by Black Forest Werkshop because there are signs for a Pilates studio outside of the building. When you enter, there actually is a Pilates studio inside the building too! Interesting, but I guess it works. The staff was awesome. They thought that I may need to replace a part that would cost about $2300 to repair. However, I asked what they would recommend and he said that I shold just try to charge the a/c with some dye. See how long that lasts me and all. I said sure. They drove me over to where I work - about 10 minutes away. By lunchtime, the car was good to go. They even washed it. $130 and Beyonce is good as new! The a/c is running strong! These guys have made a lifelong customer out of me. read more

Below is why I recommend this BMW shop.....Lee is great!!! As a 2005 BMW owner it is really difficult to understand and feel that you understand and believe that you need to spend at least $1000 for each repair on your BMW each time. Lee goes beyond giving customers the information to understand why their car needs what is being recommended. Lee provides the information which gives the assurance that all is being recommended and done specifically for your car's needs. Thank You Lee read more

DO NOT GO HERE FOR BMW WORK I brought my BMW X5 in for a squeak coming from the back left tire area, the check engine light being on, the cd player not playing cds, and the battery not being able to hold a charge, and a power steering issue. When I got the car back with the "report" all of the issues above were mentioned and quoted around the four to six hundred dollar mark. Exclusive of the cd player which, "He didn't like to work on." Included was a 450 dollar cost on my window. Errrrhhhh!! Wait, my window wasn't broken.... Turns out these scam artists decided to break my window and try to take advantage of my mom who brought the car in. With an additional 450 dollar charge. When I came in and told the owner of the issue he proceeded to tell me that he understood the problem and said, "We know when the window broke, but like I said before, that X on there means TIMES 5." (as in a multiplication factor of the problem) I asked him again, "Are you going to take care of the problem?" He said he would if it was his fault. I asked him how that could be. He said, "Only if one of my guys stood on the window with it half down and changed a light bulb in the ceiling." That's the moment when I realized this guy was a port-a-potty full of shit business owner. DO NOT GO HERE FOR BMW WORK. CHASE V. read more

They ran my card without me authorizing the charge, despite their assurances they'd call me with more information. What's worse, when I asked a service person over the phone about BMW's suggested service, he said much of it, including spark plugs, wasn't necessary. In fact, he said we'll check out your car and tell you only that which is necessary. When I later received my bill, it suggested three scheduled maintenance items (I just had one done), one of which was spark plugs. Makes me think you're no better than the dealership and despite my original phone call, you simply suggest work that doesn't need to be done, just like BMW. Liars and thieves like many others. Won't be going back if that's the way you work read more

If you have a BMW, you must take it here instead of to the dealer. A coworker recommended the shop to me when I was crying over how much the dealership wanted to charge me for the latest repair. My back brake light was out and the dealership said it would be $300+ to replace the brake light housing. I took it here, one of the guys took a look, said "hold on a sec", got out a pair of pliers, took 3 seconds to bend a piece of metal... my brake light started working again for $0. When the BMW emblem fell off - $13 to replace. Don't get me wrong, I spent plenty of money here getting my car fixed and maintained, but I never once felt ripped off. These guys know what they're doing. read more

I have taking my BMW M3 to these guys a number of times and have always been completely satisfied with the work they have done. If you drive a BMW then you probably know how much maintenance cost on these cars and it's not exactly cheap. However if you want quality work done at a fair price then I highly recommend you give these guys a try. read more

I went to Black Forest Werkshop to have my transmission examined and ended up paying about $500 to have a fan clutch replaced. The mechanic didn't retighten the hose clamps. They blew off, dumping the coolant, and stranding my wife alone on the highway at night in south Dallas. The transmission? "It isn't doing anything unusual." So it still doesn't go into gear at startup. They didn't address the main reason I brought it in. One more thing. I asked about my "Service Engine" light coming on. They said they did not do inspections. Fine. Can you read the codes to tell me what is wrong? "You can just take it to Jiffy Lube and they will tell you the codes." Raised eyebrows here. Jiffy Lube indeed reads the codes which say "lean bank one and two" I figure maybe I should look under the hood. I look at the intake and see a quarter sized hole in the duct. There is no excuse for a mechanic to miss that. I ended up buying the $16 part and fixing it myself. Black Forest Werkshop was a very disappointing experience all around. read more

I have a hard time giving this place a 2 star rating because Lee the owner is very nice and I want to like them and to back, but I just can't. I drive a 2008 Mini Cooper Convertible. Took my car in in October for steering issues. Was given a list of 7 things it "could" be, but no guarantee. They picked the one they thought most likely would fix the problem; didn't help. They also gave me a long list of things it needed. Spent $1600 for what seemed to me like nothing. Took my car back to them in the spring, the car was overheating. They kindly found a part for the fan so didn't need to replace the whole thing. Continued long list of things it needed given to me. Car continued to overheat after this work was done. Spent another $800 for nothing. Took the car in one last time after the brake light sensor went off. Complained about car still overheating and steering issue, with all the money I had paid. Over the phone they said the sensor was just faulty and brakes were fine, and they thought they finally knew what the steering issue was and the overheating. The steering was a rusty steering coloumn/rod- isn't that the most obvious thing to look at? Then they called me back after I had agreed to however much more money to pay again and they said 'oh actually your brakes do need to be fixed and it will be another $500'. At that point I lost my sh*t on Lee, who listened to me rant and yell for a good long while and he kept his cool and apologized but said its the nature of the business that you can never know for sure what's wrong. I feel I should have not been charged the second time for the steering and overheating issue since I'd already paid for it once. I will not be going back read more

What I liked the most about Black Forest Werkshop (BFW) was the following: 1. Education. The owner educated me about what was going on with my car. He even pointed out the issue while the car was lifted. He took me to an engine and showed me some other things about what was going on and explained to me more about the thermostat issues and more about how the MINI Engine operates. 2. The BFW Shop. His shop was clean and organized. It almost looked just as good as the MINI dealership. I love nice and righty places. 3. The Staff. All of his employees' behavior, mannerisms, attitude, and dialogue were those from. Great leader. Everyone was kind, calm, patient, informative and positive. 4. The last and most important piece of this sweet pie was the Customer Service. The owner gave me a ride to a local diner for a place to eat and work. I ended up staying at Waterloo Icehouse from 9 am until 3:30 pm. He came back to pick me up!!! I mean dude who does that!??? If you want a place to trust to work on your MINI Cooper, go to Black Forest Werkshop. If you want to learn more about the best customer service...you know what to do. read more

Oh what a day. I had to take a car to the BMW of Austin shop, and bring my sister's Mini Cooper in to Black Forrest. This is my 5th BMW that I trust to Lee and team. They have always had quality service managers and it really shows. The prices are fair, and there is no shortage of patience when it comes to explaining the technical side of things. I prefer the quality of the service and experience I have every time at Black Forrest to the local BMW dealership. read more

I needed to get a part for my 335i recently and decided to give these guys a call based on reviews from yelp. I told Chris what I needed and he'd told me he would give me a call back. A few minutes later he calls me back and tells me a price that was the cheapest I found online (cheaper than BMW of Austin, too) and that I can pick it up tomorrow. Next day and no need to pay for shipping -- pretty sweet, right? It gets better. The next morning they call me to confirm that my part has arrived and that I can pickup whenever it's convenient. I stop by in the afternoon and I gotta say..maybe I haven't been in a lot of indie mechanic shops before but it has to have one of the better waiting areas that I've been in. On the way over, I broke my own rule of having no food or drink in the car unless it's water, which of course means the one time I have something from Starbucks in the car, it spills. I mention this to Chris and he got it cleaned up, too. They really go above and beyond in terms of service. I felt taken care of here. read more

Black Forest Werkshop - Waiting area - Auto Repair Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I called yesterday because I was having a problem with my 2005 Porsche 911. Lee personally met me at the workshop and looked at my car and took a lot of time to do research on how to fix the front seat. He followed up with a phone call number the next day and he worked on it some more. I'm definitely coming back to this place because they have very good customer service. Thanks Lee! read more

I've been impressed with the service I've received from Black Forest. I've had 2 services from Black Forest. One in 2019 and another in 2021 both were done exceptionally well. Lee and Josh and technicians here are well equipped to answer any questions you have. I've been lucky to find guys I can trust with my vehicle. I will continue to come back. Thanks guys read more

Fantastic Service. I have been using Black Forest since being recommended by BMP (Al Hafner Tuning) in Tyler, Texas, when I moved to Austin, Texas for college. I have grown to love Black Forest more than my home shop at BMP. Black Forest is dedicated to customer service, and making the client happy. Chris is absolutely amazing! He takes care of me every time I call in, and even when I drop in without calling ahead like I did today. Had the front passenger control arm go out on my 2004 325i BMW, Chris got my car looked at, identified the problem and costed it within 30 minutes as I waited in the comfy waiting lounge (complete with free wifi!). Chris got me in same day, and had me gone in less than 3 hours, under the initial estimate, and all as a walk in, without an appointment. Better than a BMW dealership if you ask me! Chris even took the time to explained exactly what they needed to do, why and all the parts involved! I have full confidence they know exactly what they are doing! Love the friendly service, free wifi, complementary ride, hands down the best BMW servicer in Austin! read more

Very grateful for honest, quality repair. I won't go anywhere else ever. Give them a try and you won't be disappointed! :) Thanks Lee!!! read more

This place is just awful i spent 3000dollar here to fix my car and there is still engine malfunction light. After I take it to a dealership they charge me 277 dollar and fix my car. What the heck is going on. read more

Top notch shop and honest straightforward people. I went to Black Forest Werkshop with all intentions of leaving my 528e there until they could figure out the issue. I turned up in my 750iL with my wife and waited for them to open. We were greeted by Lee and his wife and invited in. Lee asked why I chose his shop and I told him because of the reviews and went on to explain how I needed an independent shop for my cars as I didn't care for the dealer experiences. Lee listened intently and when I was done with my explanation of my braking issue he proceeded to ask what I have done and what could I do. He took me into the shop and explained some of the finer points of brake hardware and gave me some tips to determine what was truly wrong with the car. He then went on to explain other items to watch for on the car and what may need replacing based on its miles and age. He even listened to me ramble on about my 750iL issues and let me know that they are a bear to work on. I can tell you I was a kid in school, taking mental notes of the invaluable experience being shared with me...and all without ever being asked to fill out a work order or pay a dime. I found the issue with my 5 series, I fixed it and I attribute that success to a shop that could have taken the car in and easily and more quickly done the job and billed me for it. No, they chose to educate me and spend time sharing their knowledge thereby allowing me to make the decision if they were the right shop for me. That day they gave me an experience I won't soon forget and because of that I will trust all of my BMWs to the team at Black Forest Werkshop. I highly recommend them to anyone that is looking for a straight shooting, professional, knowledgeable and customer service oriented shop that will rival any BMW dealership I've ever visited. Thank you Black Forest! I look forward to our next visit! read more

I think the guys at Black Forest are knowledgeable and ethical - no doubt about that. The reason I give them 3 stars are the following: - Their prices are higher than most other private repair shops and almost as high as the dealership - They treated me like a child when I went in there. I mentioned that my dad who lives in another state is a mechanic. They told me a few issues that my car was having, and when I didn't agree to get them all fixed at once, they asked for my dad's number to call him and explain to him so he could decide. I refused and explained I am a grown woman and that it is my money and my decision. Then AGAIN when I picked my car up later that day, he asked to call my dad about the other issues my car was having. I found this pretty demeaning and will not go back because of it. read more

Based on Yelp reviews, I decided to take my BMW for oil change to this place. Here's what it turned out to be, while doing an oil change they told me that battery died and I need to replace it, it was fine until then. They quoted me $300 to replace the battery. Austin BMW normally charges 260-280 for a battery replacement with a BMW battery. These guys offered to replace the battery with DEKA battery which was priced at 180 and 120 bucks for labor. Now anyone who knows anything about cars can tell you that 120 bucks to put a new battery is ABSURD!! Their explanation is 120 is inclusive of taxes and registration fees. I will spare the rest of the detail.. here's the bottom line.. DON"T TAKE YOUR BMW TO THIS PLACE!! These guys are all about ripping off their clients, not sure how they got all these positive reviews, sounds fishy! read more

These are THE BEST guys around!! Do yourself a favor, if you have a Mini or BMW, take it there. I had a Mini, had meaning I'd just bought it 30 days ago from a non BMW dealer, and got taken for, and bad! I took it to them to do the repairs that the original dealer said I needed. Black Forest unfortunately confirmed what was wrong, BUT they found more damage and then said they could not in good faith allow me to do the repairs needed right then when they knew I'd be back for more within a year. How awesome is that? They could have taken me for $1100 and eventually more, but did not. Honest to goodness good guys out there in the automotive industry! Total rarity and uber hard to find, but there they are, GO TO THEM!! read more

Best mechanic I've been to. Takes time out of his day to show you the operation and what is wrong with your vehicle. Will help you troubleshoot other problems or take test drives with you to see what is wrong with your car or your clutch. The owner is great, the staff is great, everyone seems to take a high level of pride in their work and want to deliver the best quality that they can for your vehicle. They may not be the cheapest around, but it's better to get the job done right by expert mechanics than to take a chance and probably pay more for it later. I believe that all repairs are guaranteed, to give you more piece of mind in case the same problem occurs in the near future. read more