Wedge Kyes Import Specialties

These guys made a new customer out of me this week. Great service, after a botched attempt by another local shop to get my Bimmer running.

I am sorry to say that Wedge Kyes is in severe need of improvement. A year and a half ago I got some work done on my A4. The bill came to nearly three grand, and that was a blessing compared to the competitor I checked with before going with Wedge Kyes. The work stood the test of time and I have no complaints. I only bring it up to clarify that I am not a one time customer that got disgruntled.
Recently I had a very slight noise coming from the front of my car, so I brought it to the shop. This was a mistake to do so without calling first. Unlike a lot of car shops, Wedge Kyes is very particular about letting you leave your vehicle. I dealt with this out of them before. A word to the wise, make sure they can take your car before bringing it in. Some would say this is a great indicator of their brand name and service, and thats hard to argue.
After being told I had to drive my car back home twenty five minutes away I was given an appointment time for 2 days in the future, fair enough, so I brought it back when requested to.
The car spent all of a couple of hours at their shop, and then I got a call back. What I heard next floored me. The estimate for the noise in the front end and for failed fans was just shy of five grand. The tech that looked her over claimed all control arms needed to be replaced as well as all motor mounts. The price for just the control arms was seventeen hundred bucks with another eight hundred tacked on for labor. I was in disbelief and found it insanely hard to believe that after only putting around eight to ten thousand miles on the car from the last time I had it in their shop, that somehow I had accumulated five grand worth of repairs. The car is driven an extremely low amount of miles, around ten to twenty miles every other day, so I quickly informed that I would just pay the minimum fee for having the car looked over.
A week later I brought the car to another shop that I have never been cheated by or told inaccurate information from, and sure enough, their estimate was a fraction of what Wedge Kyes was trying to charge, completely different diagnosis for the front end issues. This second opinion is much more logical considering the amount the car is driven.
I know one of their best mechanics had been in and out of work because of medical issues, and normally I am not one to speculate, but I will go out on a limb here and assume that this vast contrast between my first and second experience with them is due to that particular mechanic not being around as much. I hope he is well, but I will not be bringing my car there again.

As long as I live within a 2 hour radius of this shop, it will be the only place I bring my BMW to get work done. I’m very DIY when it comes to my car but there are some things you can’t do yourself. After doing a complete suspension refresh my car was in desperate need of an alignment. I also had vibrations that I suspected were from bent rims and figured I’d either need to replace them or live with the vibrations. I took my car to Wedge Kyes for the first time and not only were they able to correctly and perfectly align my car, (other shops can’t seem to get it right) they were able to balance 2 bent rims and completely eliminate my vibration issues. That’s pretty miraculous. I can’t say enough good things about the job they did, it was money well spent. These guys know what they are doing and will take care of you. Wedge Kyes restored my faith in auto shops.

I have both a 2005×3 and 2001 M5, and Wedge Kyes is the only place in Baton Rouge I will let service my cars. Wedge and team have always been very courteous to me, do high quality work and are far more reasonably priced than there local dealer. For bmw enthusiasts, this is the place for you. For those in-​the-​know, this is a similar shop to Bavarian Specialties (mike yaskin) outside of Philly.
For those who like the coddling feel of a dealer, well… you can go pay double for lesser quality up the street.

I own a 2008 BMW 335xi sedan that recently crossed the 50,000 mile warranty mark, which I had them do an oil change and an inspection 1 on.
Some important points:
— They promised the car back by the end of the day and they delivered.
— They asked me before changing the spark plugs and were even nice enough to go through my records in the trunk to find when they had last been changed. (Note: These were $ 250 extra, so I’m glad they asked.)
— They checked the computer for fault codes and reset the service request light for the inspection and oil change. (The computer in that car requires specialty equipment that an ordinary mechanic doesn’t have.)
— Eli knew exactly what the «low coolant» light in my car meant. They investigated the problem and, after pressurizing the system and leak testing it, determined the flaw to be in the radiator cap, which they replaced. (They asked first.)
My car is running well. Their quality is as good as a dealership, but unlike a dealership, you have more control of what goes on. Combine that with better prices and I have no reason to ever go back to a dealership.
Anybody who follows my reviews should have noticed the things I said about Brian Harris BMW. If you’re looking for a competent alternative to a dealership, I strongly recommend Wedge Kyes (Yes, mommy and daddy named their baby boy Wedge.) and his mechanics.

Hardly do I ever take my car to any local repair shops simply because I don’t trust any of them. Wait a second! I trust them as much as I trust my car salesman. That doesn’t mean I trust my dealer any more so, but at least their technicians are certified and competent.
I’m a DIY kind of person who likes to work on his car and only when it’s really necessary do I turn my baby in for repair. And sure enough, when my car warranty had expired she broke down on me big time. And now I was at a crossroad, do I go to my car «stealership» (oh, I meant dearlership) where they charge me an arm and a leg, or do I go with a local repair shop and hope for the best.
Knowing how I feel about local repair shop I took my chances and went with Wedge Kyes Import on Airline Hwy. I was really skeptical about these people and going in there I knew pretty much what needed to be fixed. 45 minutes later I was told exactly what was the problem, how long it was going to take, and how much it was going to cost me. They answered all my questions and put me at ease. I felt comfortable enough to let them work on my car.
The next day I got my car back as promised in working order and on time. They delivered as promised on their service and repair and I couldn’t have been any happier. Their shop might not be as big or fancy as the next car dealership, but their professionalism and expertise can rival with the best of them. It doesn’t mean now I will trust my car with any local repair shop, only with Wedge Kyes Import will I ever come back.
Most of the time I believe you get what you pay for, but to knowingly pay for those ridiculous fees they charge at the car «stealership» is unimaginable. It wasn’t easy for me to let go of my buddies «Ben Franklin» to Wedge Kyes Import, but it would have cost me another mortgage had I gone to my dealer. I’m happy with the service and I know I still have enough moolah for a pack of ramen noodle. =)
I gave them a «4-​star» rating because they didn’t clean those dirty fingerprints off my car. As a courtesy they could have given me a car wash or better off pay for my Happy Meal. Damn you… where’s the love huh?