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BMW Repair in UAE
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BMW Repair in UAE

·
September 3,2013
·
7 min read

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When it comes to German cars, you either love them or hate them, there is no middle ground. The love would sprout from the excellent options that come with the car, and the fact that it is German. As a (now former) owner of a model 2000 BMW 728iL I can safely say I have a decent amount of knowledge about what it is like to own such a car. 

Car Overview:

My father purchased this magnificent machine back in 2004 and was handed down to me after a number of years. When it was bought, it had 25,000 KM on the dash. The car was practically in dealership condition. For example the CD changer magazine in the boot was still in its original packaging as it has never been used, when we turned on the radio, we got the set up screen, which was the first time the radio was ever turned on. The BMW was also a top of the line model, it had all the gadgetry and nifty things you get in most cars today, keep in mind it is a model 2000.

Maintenance and Repair:

Given the fact that the car was fully loaded, meant that there are more things in it that could go wrong, and the systems in the car are so complex that if a small part of goes bad, the entire system needs to be changed. Nevertheless, this is something that is expected of all German cars that are 5 years or older. The issue with this comes into play when you try to find a workshop that is trust worthy and knowledgeable about German cars, some people will say just go to the dealership or German VIP workshop, it is also important that the workshop will not burn a hole in your pocket. So naturally over the years I have come across numerous car workshops, some were good but some were down-right horrible.

The Bad:

As the years passed with the Bimmer, the biggest issue revealed itself, coolant leakage. So naturally I took the car to a car workshop to get the issue fixed. This workshop is called Abu Omar’s Auto Repair Workshop located on the Sharjah Ring road, he took a look at the car and told me that I need a new frame for the radiator as there is a leakage, plus a new coolant bottle as that was broken. Naturally I told him to go ahead with the repair. He then mentioned that the AC filters are in bad condition and need changing, as summer was approaching I told him to also change them. After 3 hours of waiting I was told the car was ready. He asked for an amount that I thought was expensive, so he said “regular customer, I will give you a discount” which ended up being around 50 Dhs off the bill. The very next day the car gave off a ‘check coolant level’ message. So I returned to the shop and told him about it, he said “it is fine, this happens with new parts.” He filled it up with coolant and sent me on my way. A few days later, the same message appeared, I returned to him rather angry, he checked the car and said the sensor is broken. So I had him change it, paid for it and I was on my way. A little after that, the AC suddenly choked and was not blowing air as much as it used to. I returned to him for the AC issue, and he simply said I don’t know I am radiator cooling system mechanic. After spending weeks going back and forth to this shop to try and have them fix the issue they caused, I got fed up and decided to just live with it. So bottom line is, I went to this shop to get the radiator fixed, he ended up ruining the AC and not fixing the radiator because I had to put coolant in the car almost every weeks as there was a leak. The mistake I made here was that I went to any general workshop, not a German specialist.

The Good:

At one point while owning this car, the car just lost all of its power. The throttle would be floored and the Engine roaring and RPMs are sky high, but the car would easily take 30 seconds to get up to 80KMPH! I thought that it could be a problem with the air to fuel ratio where the Mass Air Flow sensor was broken, so I had it changed, but still the problem persisted, I visited numerous garages, no one knew what the issue is. Then I was told about a garage that specializes in BMW, Mercedes, and Mini. The shop is called John’s Auto Workshop in Sharjah industrial area on King Faisal Street. I went there and was greeted by the shop manager Abu Hanna, I explained the issue and he immediately said the engine coils need changing, to prove it he changed them and had me take the car for a test and the problem was gone. After this experience I became a regular customer of this shop for any issue that happens with the Bimmer. The good thing about this workshop is that it also has a parts shop in it, so you don’t need to go and look for parts to buy for the work to be done. And the professionalism is top notch in this workshop, where you park your car at the entrance, and you sit in the waiting area and they take it and work on it, and for the people who are interested in seeing the work being done there is an air conditioned viewing window that gives you a clear view of the entire workshop. The only problem with this workshop is that it is rather expensive, for example a simple wheel speed sensor changing costs around 100 Dhs, keep in mind the process is to remove the wheel change the sensor and reattach the wheel, changing a light bulb costs 60 Dhs. Nevertheless, you get what you paid for.

The Excellent: 

One day while making a U-turn, the car’s central steering rod snapped off the right wheel, so the left wheel would turn with the steering wheel, but the right wheel turns freely. I had to get the car on a recovery truck as it was too dangerous to drive in the condition it is in. This problem happened in Dubai and it was rather late at night so I could not take it to John’s, while looking for an open shop in Um Rumool to get the car looked at I saw a shop that had nothing but BMWs and Mercs outside it’s door so I figured he is a German specialist. This was Auto Car Garage in Umm Ramool. I was greeted by the shop manager Mr. Mohammed who was Jordanian and explained to him what happened, he took a look at the car and said the entire steering rod needs to be changed, it was 11 PM so he told me to return the next day at 11AM to pick up the car. I returned the next day and the car was fixed, washed and parked outside. He gave me the receipt for the part and the work that was done, the labor cost me only 100 Dhs! This was a huge job, as the engine needed to be raised a little in order to remove the old part and not to forget the alignment of the wheels. He simply said “I don’t think it is good to overcharge customers.” This shop immediately became my go-to workshop for anything that goes wrong with the Bimmer. After chatting with Mohammed I found out that the workshop managers and technicians are all either brothers or good friends as it is a family business, so it is very well run. 

The Ending:

The ownership of this BMW was a nightmare at times especially when you don’t know where to go to fix it, but even with all of that I still got that smug pleased smile on my face every time I got into the car. Unfortunately on the 26th of July in the Marina area of Dubai at a stop light I was rear ended by a Mazda 2 going more than 80KMPH and the Bimmer was sent plowing into the intersection. Both cars were totaled and the Bimmer was declared beyond repair as the chassis was severely damaged. A very sad ending to an otherwise amazing car that was perfect in every area. It is sad to know that the Bimmer is now rotting away in some scrap yard in Dubai.

Do you know a good BMW / German Workshop in UAE? Please recommend here: http://goo.gl/r59O49  

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