Well, let me tell you about my ABSOLUTELY AMAZING experience with Exotic Customs and its owner…read moreMike. Sorry, for the lengthy review, but I feel this needs to be mentioned, so others don't make the mistake I almost made.
My BMW dealer told me my 2010 BMW 335xi needed to have the passenger side HID head light replaced due to a broken part. The total parts and labor cost were almost $2,200. This seemed expensive. While searching online for a used head light for my car, I came across Exotic Customs. I read online they specialize in HID head lights. I read the review from Roger M. here on yelp and after reading about his experience I decided "no way, I'm not going through what he did". So I continued my search, clueless that I was about to make a bad decision to go elsewhere based on a bad review. Eventually I purchased a used headlight from a place with great reviews. After the dealer tells me I bought the wrong headlight, the place wouldn't return it. I was furious I had wasted $650 on the wrong head light! A colleague at work overheard my complaint and told me to call Exotic Customs. He mentioned lighting is one of their specialties. I showed him the bad review about their HID lights. He laughed and proceeded to show me pictures of his friend's car they had recently customized. He called his friend, who had nothing but good things to say about Exotic Customs and especially about the owner Mike. I mentioned the bad review online and he stated "you can't believe everything you read online. Once you see what they do there, I guarantee you won't want to go anywhere else". So, based on the referral from my colleague's friend, I called Exotic Customs to make an appointment to see what they would charge to fix my head light.
When I arrived 30 min early, Mike was working with another customer, so I waited for him to finish. While listening to their discussion I felt confident Mike knew what he was talking about. Once they finished, Mike looked over my car, found some bad components in the headlight and he recommended he repair the broken piece. I told him my dealer said it needed replaced. He smiled politely and said "I can actually fix it for much less". I inquired about cost. He put together 3 different proposals. One to fix the headlight the least expensive way, another to fix it with a new replacement BMW parts and a third option using their upgraded parts. All of his options were at least $1000 less than my BMW dealership!! I questioned all of the options. He explained them thoroughly, made recommendations and let me choose. He was very knowledgeable about how all of the parts were made and the installation process. I ended up going with the more expensive option using their custom upgraded parts. I felt this was the best option. Mike put through the order to produce the parts and called me a week later for installation.
When I dropped off my car, the guy that was dropping off his car when I first stopped in, was picking it up. It looked like a totally different car. I was very impressed with the repairs, paint work, and custom parts they made. It looked as if the car had never been wrecked. The guy told me he couldn't believe how different the work was at Exotic Customs. He said they were more expensive than the other shop he went to, but the work was much more impressive.
My car was in the shop overnight and Mike called me the next day to pick it up. When I arrived, Mike showed me everything they did to my car. He actually did the head light repair work himself. He showed me how everything worked just as the original BMW parts did. My headlights are now almost twice as bright as the original BMW lights, allowing me to see more of the road! ....and the lights don't blind oncoming drivers, because they used the original BMW headlight. Their work and parts are definitely top notch! I'm amazed they were able to fix my head light and make both headlights even brighter for half the price my dealer quoted me. They even give a warranty on the head light parts which the dealer wont warranty electrical parts!
So in conclusion, I am glad I listened to my colleague's friend about going to Exotic Customs and seeing for myself what they do. This shop is real hidden treasure in West Chester. They are honest, upfront about everything, and actually care about the work they do. They don't want you to waste your money buying new parts if they can effectively repair the part for less. To me that's a great way to meet your customer's needs. After seeing how Mike runs this shop, I'm glad I went with his option. Even after wasting $650 on wrong headlight, I still spent less than my dealers quote.
So, for those like myself who always read reviews and make decisions based on them, I'd recommend actually checking out the place before you judge them based on one bad review. You never know.... you might find an amazing place and save a $1000!!
Thanks again Exotic Customs!!! You guys are awesome!!!
