Review long overdue!
Just had an engine dropped into my ride. '96/7 Series. Engine was shipped from Cali and has 95k/mine on it. Clean as a whistle and the car runs like brand new now. I was in the shop for a lot of the rebuild, watching.
Had another one dropped into my X5/'01. The engine was donated from a vehicle with 65k miles on it. That was two years ago. Same phenomenal results.
These guys are BMW Whisperers. They work on any car, but their expertise is foreign and beyond that BMW.
Everton "Skip" Stephenson owns this little gem of a shop. His nephew Justin is his assistant. That's it...just those two...and they are as fast and crank out more work than shops triple their size. They have limited place to store cars, so they're eternally incentivised to get your car out - fast. That means same day delivery of parts and work being done while you wait, if possible.
He's ASE certified with all the typical certifications, blah, blah that every mechanic seems to have..but that not this dude's magic. It's that he's a car nerd.
Yup, a car nerd. Skip reads schematics, engineering and service bulletins FOR FUN. What that means is this guy brings a skill set to the table that you can't find in MOST shops let alone dealerships these days....that old school mechanic that can LISTEN to you & your car and tell you what may be wrong with it before even connecting that li'l scanner to your car's computer. He knows things about car parts and systems that even the parts guys don't know. I listened to him on the phone yesterday describing to the wholesaler what to look for and the guy on the phone was supposed to be the parts expert, lol.
Beyond that, the guy is resourceful...and honorable. And relentless. Guy won't stop till he solves your problem. He really takes it personally if he doesn't find/solve your car's issue lol.
If the part can be salvaged or repaired - he'll fix it, where most shops simply replace it and bill you because the "manual" says whatever it is comes in pairs or as one sealed unit. I can't tell you all the stuff he's never charged me for over the 3+ years I've been using him. For example, I needed a speed sensor the other day and he happened to have one in his shop from wherever and he just put it on. Be advised, I was there having a water pump installed so he just threw in the sensor to get my ABS light to go off. A speed sensor for my car is normally about $175 + labor, mind you. He was also able to put a blow torch and some sealant on two of my catalytic converter clamps rather than buying two new ones cuz he thought the wholesalers prices were too high. The clamps were $60 each = $120 + 1/2 hour's labor anywhere else.
Lord knows I've dropped enough cash on these cars so I appreciated the gestures! He fights to save you money like it's HIS money being spent.
Good dude. Glad he's my mechanic. No more hopping around to different shops using guys with questionable skill, motivation, and expertise.
Bottom line is I travel past MANY shops to come to Skip. It's well worth the trip.
5 stars. Solid. read more