Bavarian Professionals

I went here due to the great reviews and left scratching my head. First, Eric is not the easiest person to deal with, secondly when I asked the tech what’s wrong he said «I don’t know» but Eric comes back and says it’s this and that (I am keeping it vague to limit retaliation). They kept on changing parts and testing over several visits hoping to fix the problem which at $ 150/​hour of labor is criminal.
In reading some reviews, I had a similar experience with Blasian S. and Jack H

Can’t believe I never gave Bavarian Professionals a Unilocal review. I’ve been a customer for well over ten years with several cars and never disappointed. I do some of the basic maintenance myself but rely on them when I don’t feel like getting dirty /​crawling under the car /​feeling lazy /​lack of time /​I’m in over my head. Yep, that ends up being a lot of the time…
The entire crew is knowledgeable and most of all honest. The only negative of sorts is that while their labor rate is less than the local dealers, it might still seem high when compared to other local shops. Over time I’ve learned it’s worth every penny: They quote actual labor time whereas others will over charge under the guise of using book time, they have the proper equipment, they understand BMW’s, the work has always been done right the first time, and with a little planning they will provide a loaner car. To illustrate one of several positive experiences and why I trust them, one of the cars once had a check engine light. The cause was a faulty O2 sensor which was covered under an extended BMW service bulletin. Nat printed the bulletin and sent me to the dealer to have it fixed gratis. Can’t prove it, but I feel a less informed /​honest shop would have fixed it and charged me for it. In the end, it’s well worth the peace of mind and high level of service.
Over the years I’ve taken the cars to a variety of shops in the East Bay as well as in the Reno /​Tahoe area, some of which I would not even trust to clean and lube the chain on my bike! Bavarian Professionals is the only place I would go to for proper troubleshooting or have a complicated repair done correctly on a MINI or BMW. Highly recommended.

Professional, friendly, expert, and thorough. I have been bringing the old ’94 540i here since I bought it used in 1997. That’s 18 years of rock solid service and I look forward to bringing my (future) M2 here for more. Bavarian Professionals is now an authorized Dinan dealer, and yes I will be modding my M2 with Bavarian Professionals’ help.

Excellent people. Excellent, honest work. I have taken four different BMWs here over the past 15 years. I would not go anywhere else.

Spent $ 2000 for some I think this is the issues and still not fixed — in addition, now you think it’s a different issue another $ 600 and you still want to charge me for the diagnostic test too??? Who does this and you have not found the problem — never again

Eric and the Bavarian Professional team is awesome!
BMW quoted me $ 4K for oil filter housing gasket and turbo vacuum hoses and oil pan gasket for my 2010 535I with sports package. I had Bavarian Professionals take a look and they said that the vacuum hoses did not need to be replaced and the only items that were needed was the gaskets. They had it all done for around $ 2100. No more leaks and oil drops in my garage!
These guys are very honest, great mechanical and customer service skills!
I will be coming back to them without hesitation.
Great job guys!!!

I recently got a PPI for an E46 done here ($ 225), and was very satisfied. Marta is very thorough, knowledgeable, and provides clear pricing, so I ended up getting two items repaired there directly after purchase of the car. They even ask you if you prefer the OEM recommendation or your own specific settings for tire pressure! And wash your car too! Great place.

Awesome service and fair prices. Our family moved into the area last year and they have addressed both the issues we’ve had with our 3-​series. Both times the car was returned quickly and clean.

Nat and his team have taken excellent care of my 1986 BMW 325 for the past 17 years. They are professional, meticulous, honest, and a joy to work with. I recommend them without reservation.

Blown away by the service I received at BP. My Mini was making strange engine noises and after a test drive the mechanic raised the ugly spectre of the infamous timing chain problem. Marta said they could check for this with 1.5 hours of labor to open up the engine, but that if the timing chain was the problem, it would be a ca. $ 2k repair. Yikes. But when she called me back later in the day, I was delighted to hear the engine was fine, and the only problem was I was short of oil (and boy, did I feel stupid). They looked over the signals from the computer to look for other problems, topped the oil up, and cleaned the car inside and out. It runs great again and I am a very happy and impressed customer!

Thanks Eric for the A1 service on my E63. They had her running flawlessly. He explained all the work done in great detail. By far I am not a BMW expert but Eric put me at ease as there are so many other so called BMW specialist in this area. Thank you again for all the hard work. I will be a repeat customer for not only repairs but for any official parts, accessories and oil changes in the future. They had my car ready as expected and called me daily with updates and they were readily available for any questions and concerns I had. They even offered me a ride to Bart when I had initially dropped her off for repairs. Talk about great service, communication, and honesty. What more do want from a mechanic? What topped it off was how clean my car was when I picked her up. I can’t thank you guys enough!

These guys have my ’91 325i running better than ever. Great attentive service, they know their business. So glad I found them. Too bad I wasted so many years going to inferior repair shops.
They have always given me good pricing and have suggested less costly methods to repair a problem. Good job!

I’ve been meaning to write this review for a while now.
Early last year I opted to take my BMW for repairs at Bavarian Professionals for what ended up being worn out engine mounts. The technicians at this location wasted a considerable amount of my time with unnecessary repairs in order to «test» the car in hopes of having the issue reveal itself. Needless to say that it never did. Unfortunately by that point I’d spent close to a thousand dollars on repairs to no avail.
Luckily, in the summer that immediately followed, I moved back to my hometown in SoCal after finishing a graduate program in Norcal and visited a shop down here. They managed to properly identify and fix the matter within two days and charge me less to boot.

Update:
Bavpros fulfill the dream of a good used BMW.
I got the same amount of work, at a higher quality, for half the price than the dealer.
Not only that, everything is in writing, clearly written and backed up with honest, fair, and intelligent people who are not greedy like the dealers.
Contrary to past experiences at other shops, my car was not left dirtier than it was when I dropped it off, nor was I charged 250 dollars for a car wash like Weatherford does with the mandatory contract for even listening to what you are saying and processing it, let alone diagnosing, and best of all I wasn’t billed for bullshit.
I am an e46 nut, and a problem solver. I am picky as hell and I don’t just drive my cars to death, I nitpick, restore, and maintain them. Unlike VWs, parts are cheaper and better, labor is cheaper, and BMWs are designed to be taken apart and put back together again. Therefore, it is crucial to have someone well read, experienced, and literate managing your service, but also someone who is fair and will charge you to do what you want to do that you can’t or won’t.
As a blue collar guy and a demanding driver, I am totally impressed that BavPros stands out for not robbing the poor and providing quality work on quality vehicles by quality people.
A+
Thanks BavPros!

Excellent service and very helpful. They actually saved me $ 2000! Michael made a few phone calls regarding a part I needed, and as a result ended up saving me a bunch of time and money. Marta the front desk cashier is also very helpful, and knowledgeable. They also seem to love BMWs which is a big plus because their hearts are in it…

I had some tires shipped from Tire Rack to be installed by these guys. They did it quickly and efficiently, with professionalism and great customer service. Definitely will be on my list when my car is out of warranty.

Had faulty ignitor coils diagnosed by BMW dealership and they charged me pretty much my first born child. I thought I’d give Bavarian pros a shot because it came highly recommended by a friend.
They got me in quickly and was significantly cheaper than anywhere else.
My car is pretty much back to normal and job was done in only 1.5hrs.
Will be back when my next service is due!

These guys love my BMW as much as I do; enough said.
Fair and honest, with a dose of reality. It makes for a perfect place for BMW service. Seeing as they charged a fraction of a dealership for the same service, you can’t go wrong.
Totally trust these guys.

Thank you Bavarian for the great work that you do.
After dealing with Berkeley BMW Weatherford and BMW of San Francisco one too many times, I decided to take my 2010 3-​series somewhere else. Looking for a trustworthy place to take your car can be a stressful task to get done.
I had an urgent need to replace my brake pads and rotors for my car, and although Bavarian was already completely booked, they still squeezed me in because they knew I needed this work done asap. They are reasonable in price, and their level of customer service and professionalism is what I appreciate the most.
I also received my car back with a detailed car wash which was unexpected. I will definitely be bringing my BMW back for other work in the future.

Leaving a belated review.
I came here with my 2007 335i when my tire pressure monitor came on. The tread had worn through and started leaking. While I was there, Nat had advised me to also replace my front control arm bushings, as those started to leak.
They spoke with me in a way that wasn’t condescending like some others I’ve been to, and very open and straightforward about what they thought I should get done, and how they were going to do it. Nat followed up with me several times to confirm things and to make sure I was on the same page. I felt like a valued customer. The car came back to me fast, and in great shape.
Basically, all the things you want from a specialized mechanic are there. Service, knowledge, and price. They are going to be far cheaper than the dealership. I went to one after because it was a little more convenient in terms of getting to work, but I regretted it soon after. Although this place is a little far from me, I definitely think about coming back.