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Mechanic Recommendation in the Northern Cal

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Old 10-25-2009, 03:20 PM
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My 04 545I died this friday. My dashboard lid up like Christmas light. Seems like everything is going wrong with the car from seat belt to my abs to my gear. Ultimately, it shuts itself down. Anyone know what's really wrong with it? I am in Livermore and looking for a mechanic I can take my car to.

Thanks in advance...
Old 10-25-2009, 07:58 PM
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I would check the battery to start with.
Old 10-25-2009, 07:58 PM
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Originally Posted by yellowpad' post='1040245' date='Oct 25 2009, 04:20 PM
My 04 545I died this friday. My dashboard lid up like Christmas light. Seems like everything is going wrong with the car from seat belt to my abs to my gear. Ultimately, it shuts itself down. Anyone know what's really wrong with it? I am in Livermore and looking for a mechanic I can take my car to.

Thanks in advance...

All your symptoms point to an almost dead or ?Dead Battery?. If you are running on the original battery on a 2004, it is time.

Have your battery checked at the local Kragen store. I think they do a free check.

BTW, I also live in Livermore and just got out of warranty. So far so good, but I too would like to know of a good reliable BMW mechanic, so If you find one keep me in the loop.
Thanks
Old 10-25-2009, 08:50 PM
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my livermore neighbor....I just move here to the area and only know east bay bmw. I will keep you posted once i found a mechanic. In the meantime, I will replace the battery tomorrow.

Originally Posted by jagbagri' post='1040426' date='Oct 25 2009, 08:58 PM
All your symptoms point to an almost dead or ?Dead Battery?. If you are running on the original battery on a 2004, it is time.

Have your battery checked at the local Kragen store. I think they do a free check.

BTW, I also live in Livermore and just got out of warranty. So far so good, but I too would like to know of a good reliable BMW mechanic, so If you find one keep me in the loop.
Thanks
Old 10-25-2009, 09:08 PM
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Call John at ABS, he used to be a tech at Peter Pan BMW for rougly 9 years and recently opened up his own shop in San Mateo. He has serviced my car since my warranty has expired. His customer service is excellent, very honest guy and reasonable pricing.

If you do decide to have him repair your car tell him Randy with the black 545i sent you. Here's his website.

http://alternativebmwservice.com/index.html
Old 10-26-2009, 12:59 PM
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Hi all

I live in Dublin, and nice to meet you all. The most know mechanic I know is Edge Motorworks in dublin. They were also sponsor to BMCCA GGC event 3 weeks ago. I only heard good stuff but did not try them, since my car will be out of warranty next year.
Old 10-26-2009, 01:02 PM
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Thanks ...but way to far for me.

Originally Posted by r9ndy' post='1040458' date='Oct 25 2009, 10:08 PM
Call John at ABS, he used to be a tech at Peter Pan BMW for rougly 9 years and recently opened up his own shop in San Mateo. He has serviced my car since my warranty has expired. His customer service is excellent, very honest guy and reasonable pricing.

If you do decide to have him repair your car tell him Randy with the black 545i sent you. Here's his website.

http://alternativebmwservice.com/index.html
Old 10-26-2009, 01:05 PM
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If you want to drive to the Southbay.. there is Motospeed West in Santa Clara. I've only gone to them once for an oil change on my 1988 735iL, but were highly recommended as a solid BMW mechanic shop.

Motospeed West
(408) 727-6631
1925 Grant St, #1
Santa Clara, CA
http://www.motorspeedwest.com/

They have good reviews on Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/motorspeed-west-santa-clara
Old 10-26-2009, 01:39 PM
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I think Edge Motorworks as suggested by Leventor is the best bet. They're pretty reputable and also closes to yellowpad.
Old 10-26-2009, 04:19 PM
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Just laste week, I replaced my battery at Batteries Etc and they did a great job. Gave me a fair price for a new battery, did the install for $20, kept the core, and I got a $5 coupon from their web site. There's a Batteries Etc in Dublin.


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