Dr. Beemer

Of course, the experience was good, owner seemed like a nice guy, the receptionist was very friendly and the wait time was very less, costs lesser than deal and other good stuff.
BUT,
their diagnosis of my car problems was wrong. What should have costed me nothing, might have costed me ~$ 500 if I had let them folks work on my car.
MORE DETAILS:
Drove in on a Friday morning, to get my 2010 335i convertible inspected and I mentioned up-​front that the steering vibrated when I brake (which I kinda knew would be something related to the control arm — and not the brake rotors/​pads since they were replaced just a while ago).
I received a quote for ~$ 500 indicating that I needed to change the brake rotors etc. since they were warped.
Later, found out from another shop that the vibration during braking was because control arm was loose and they tightened it for free. Importantly, the car is running fine now and the braking is smooth.
I don’t care about them wrongly recommending to change brake rotors that were running fine, but what concerns me more is that they COMPLETELY MISSED THE LOOSE CONTROL ARM in their inspection.
I spent ~$ 100 for a sloppy inspection (not to undermine their work, but for me it was really a complete waste of my money). It could have been a honest mistake (since others have rated highly) — but for me, they might have thought that changing the brake rotors is more $‘s for them than a simple tightening of control arm, then I have been lied to.
TL;DR:
BOTTOM LINE — Don’t go solely based on their recommendations (it can be wrong, and can cost you much more). Unless you don’t know head and tail about cars. Else, just drive up to another of your trusted mechanic.
EDITS ¹⁰⁄₁₉ — After this review, they refunded me the money I spent and I think that’s a very good sign! Changing my review to a neutral one :)

I live in Round Rock and am willing to drive all the way south to be sure my lil Ms. Mini has the best service. As a 2002 model, she is getting up in age and I understand the importance of the best work done. The last appointment fixed so many issues it feels like I have a new car. As a woman, I’ve had so many auto repair businesses try and take me to the cleaners. Not these guys. Everyone in the office is like family. Love, love, love em! They know what they are doing, they are honest and up front about what needs to be done immediately as well as what to look for in the future to keep Ms. Mini up and purring.

I was completely satisfied by the service I received from Brian and his team at Dr. Beemer. I am a DIY’er when it comes to car maintenance; however, I sometimes have to take my BMW in for service when I don’t have the time or the job is bigger than I want to take on. Many repair shops do not understand the complexities of BMW maintenance and perform work that is unnecessary. After talking through my repair job with Brian I felt he was honest, knew his craft, and would provide good customer service. Plus, their labor rate is lower than average. I normally abhor bringing my car to a shop. After researching all my options I decided on Dr. Beemer even though I had to travel from far North Austin down to their shop in far South Austin. It was worth it.

Best mini service in Austin!!! I’ve spent the last 3 years looking for an honest, reliable place for my 2005 mini & Dr. Beemer was Fantastic! One of my break lights needed to be fixed & I made an appt yesterday for this morning. I arrived and 20 min later my car was ready. They didn’t charge me an arm and leg like at the dealer or other service places in town. They checked my alignment and I am pretty sure they replaced a leaky hose. How do I know? Last (and final) time I went to the dealer they gave a 10 pg print out of all the service my car needs (on my third trip there) & buried at the end was an estimate for the heater hose: $ 15.02 for the hose + 292.12 for labor= $ 341.42 with tax etc!!! The guys at Dr Beemer didn’t mention it, but I am pretty sure they replaced it for FREE b/​c I didn’t smell exhaust or chemicals when I turned on my A/​C. I have spent thousands of dollars at the Mini dealership for service (which they never did correctly & didn’t take responsibility for) & they couldn’t be bothered to fix something so simple. If you want an honest and reliable service place for your Mini/​BMW/​range rover, Dr Beemer is the place for you!!!

I can not say enough good things about Dr Beemer.
1) For the repair work I desired, I asked for a preliminary quote on the phone (based on what the dealership had told me I needed) The price I was quoted was $ 200 less than the dealership. And they performed the work and stayed with the quoted price — didn’t charge for anything extra.
2) They checked the car and discovered that there was a problem with the radiator (caused by an accident that I had had — but no other mechanics or body shop had discovered the problem… — and 2 body shops and auto repair places had recently looked at the car). Luckily, they found the issue, so, I was able to contact the insurance company to get that attended to. Yay! This discovery later on would have cost me a lot of money…
3)Dr Beemer had told me that the repair would take 3 – 4 hours. They completed the work in 2 hours!!!
4) The office manager was great, she called me to reschedule our appointment, worked with my schedule and confirmed the appointment.
5) The owner is a wonderful and very helpful person — even spoke to the insurance company for me. He is also a great conversationalist. :)
Dr Beemer was a 40 minute drive from my house. The BMW dealership is a 5 minute drive. I hate driving. However, Dr Beemer is more than worth the drive and I intend for them to do all future work on my car.

Dr. Beemer is THE place to go if you’re in need of a repair, oil change, or just a new set of tires. They recently hooked me up with a beautiful new set of Pirellis and I couldn’t be happier. Going into it with little tire knowledge, I left the decision in their hands and they definitely delivered — and even knocked off a little from the price they quoted me! I was impressed with their professionalism, quality work, extensive knowledge, honesty, and kindness. Being a girl, I’m always a little worried about being ripped off or taken advantage of when it comes to automotive issues, but that definitely doesn’t happen at Dr. Beemer. They go above and beyond my expectations. Highly recommend.

Came in for an oil change, left a customer for life. Very thorough, found some other issues.

these guys are great! i went to them with few problems with my car, they not only fixed the problem but also looked around to make sure nothing else needs to be change, finding out that I had a crack in transition fluid container. anyways, they were great. and plus i love their prices compare to other bmw shops ! recommend

I only bring my car here. There’s no other place I trust more than these guys to get the work done and done in a solid time! Around December, the suspension in my X5 was going out. Started getting sloppy on the road and was making noise going over bumps. They saved me from likely having an breakdown on the road which would’ve been disastrous. When I got my car back, everything felt new. I haven’t felt a car handle that way since when it WAS new. I was so pleased. I’ve been using them ever since. William knows a lot about what he does and is a great explainer of the parts in a car and how they work. Analogies are super helpful when complex parts need to be replaced. Like my YAW sensor needing to be replaced. I’d recommend this BMW place to anyone I know who needs their car serviced, but I think they specialize in Beemers. So I’ll let those guys know.

Since my last review (and posted picture), my ’04 RR was in the shop getting some work done. While they were working on it, an unexpected accident occurred — the lift it was on malfunctioned and dropped my truck from nearly 6 feet in the air. Thankfully no one was hurt (first and foremost) as vehicles are replaceable, not lives! The shop had to get their insurance company involved and as we all know, insurance companies are NEVER easy to deal with. But hat’s off to Brian, Will and the Dr. Beemer team. They set me up with a rental for several weeks (as their insurance company refused to cover me beyond 3 days) and gave me ample time to find another RR that was comparable to the one I had. They also helped in the insurance reimbursement process (saved me weeks to get my check) as I was getting weighed down with tons of paperwork and red-​tape nonsense. And to recoup the losses I incurred from previous work done to my other RR, Brian and Will came up with a generous offer to cover work needed on my newly acquired 05′ RR (parts/​labor @ cost) and an «extended warranty» (so to speak) that we agreed on for as long as I own this vehicle — which I know will (and has already) save me $ 1000’s of dollars. In short, Dr. Beemer went above and beyond to make sure I was 100% satisfied.
It’s actions like these you find rare today with many businesses — most are about bottom line and cutting their losses. As a small business, these guys do it right! And as I said before, sometimes you will have to be patient with them as they get slammed with work (today being an example) but always worth the wait.
Some advice: Be a proactive customer and plan accordingly — in the end it makes things easier on everyone!

I could never have too many positive things to say about this place. In fact, one of the reasons I bought a second BMW was because of the people at Dr. Beemer. They know their cars, they know their mechanics and they know their customers. My car is under warranty, but I choose to drive in from out of town and pay them for repairs and maintenance rather than have it done for free at the dealership. When I do actually need work done at BMW, they always tell me which I appreciate immensely. Their prices are more than fair and the level of customer service is worth every penny of it.

I am currently stuck on the side of the road due to a belt breaking. A belt that I paid Dr bimmer to replace. Turns out, they didn’t. They left my old belt on, charged me, and told me it was replaced. They simply lied. The belt is the same old belt, they never replaced anything. And to make matters worse, they broke my transmission thermostat while in my car, and told me I had to pay for the replacement part. When I told them that’s not right, they told me I’m more than welcome to get my own part. Why? Why should I have to pay for a part that they broke. This place is a joke. When I took my car to the dealership, they asked who had worked on it last because of all the oil and power steering fluid all over the engine. They also commented on the fact that the power steering pump and return line had been installed wrong. They took everything Dr Bimmer did apart, cleaned it and put it back together right. I can’t believe I have Dr bimmer close to $ 1000. Biggest waste of money and time ever. Don’t take your car here, don’t listen to the fake reviews they have posted up here. They are a chop shop and they are dishonest.

Dr. Beemer has excellent service and staff. They treat their customers great and my car is in better condition now than ever. I am pleased with the overall car diagnosis that Brian had made regarding my windshield wipers and they know what they are talking about and are very knowledgeable. I will return to Dr. Beemer now for all of my BMW needs.

I’m so thankful to have discovered this place. Dr. Beemer is definitely hands down the best repair shop I have ever been to. Super friendly staff, warm and welcoming. From Brian (Owner), William (Svc Mgr) to Kayla the secretary and the mechanics, they are all very knowledgeable and go out of the way to help you with whatever problem you’re experiencing. Great prices and you can trust that they are giving you the truth, unlike other shops that may rip you off. I would recommend Dr. Beemer to anyone with a BMW, Mini, or Range Rover. This is my 2^nd time here and I know I won’t be going anywhere else. Thanks guys!!!

Have taken my car here multiple times and always have a good experience. Will continue to come here to get my service and repairs done.

I took my Mini Cooper to Dr. Beemer because I had a headlight that wouldn’t go bright even after I had changed the bulb and a rear hatch that wouldn’t always latch correctly. I dropped it off on Wednesday morning at 8AM. I picked it up on Friday afternoon. They had put some tape around one some of the wiring of the headlight. They had estimated an hour and a half to put tape on the wire, but it ended up taking 2 hours to put on the tape, $ 105/​hr, and $ 10.99 for the tape itself, for a total of $ 220.99. For the rear hatch, they took off the trim and moved it around, which was described as a «proper trim install» on the receipt, fixed two broken plastic clips, and put in a tail gate switch. Moving around the trim and putting in the switch took 2.5 hours at $ 105/​hr, the two plastic clips cost 99 cents each, and the tail gate switch cost $ 115.99, for a total of $ 380.47. They also performed a «24-​point 1^st time look over» at $ 99.99/hr for half an hour for a total of $ 50, and noted a very large number of things wrong with the Mini, but when the total got past about $ 5K I lost track of what all they had in mind. Grand total for taping the headlights, moving the trim, replacing the tail gate switch, and the «general look over» was $ 662.10. If anyone is interested in seeing the receipt just let me know and I will be happy to provide it. The two-​star rating here in Unilocal is supposed to indicate «Meh. I’ve experienced better,» which is an accurate assessment.

These guys are great. They are fair, courteous and they keep in touch with you so that you know what is going on with your car. I wouldn’t take my car anywhere else!

The first time I went to Dr. Beemer, I would say that was a five star experience. They didn’t do any work on my car, but told me to head to Big Boys Collision Center for body work. That’s an honest mechanic that will send you to someone else they know can help you better.
My most recent experience was closer to the one star or no star end of the spectrum. I needed my microfilters changed and an oil change and just a general look-​over. I filled out the customer intake form online and then called to schedule this service. They said I could bring it the next day. I left the car overnight and the keys in there not super secure drop box – like anyone could easily break that thing open and have keys to 20 beemers.
Whatever, he is a Dr. so I’ll assume they know what they are doing.
They didn’t have envelopes to write your name on but then I thought, they can click the key and see which car is mine, and I had an appointment, and filled out the customer intake form, so they knew which car was mine. Right? Right?
I awoke the next morning to several calls from Dr. Beemer. No, they did not know which car was mine or what I needed. The woman said, «Oh, is it a dead battery?» No, why would you even say that? «Oh, well, it’s the weather, cars are just dropping.» If Dr. Beemer is a doctor then the staff nurses right? And what is they were talking about your family member that way? «Dropping.» No. My car is not «dropping,» it just needs new microfilters, an oil change, and just a general look-​over. Like I told the guy on the phone and put in the on-​line intake form.
«Oh, well an oil change is $ 107.» Okay, does that include a general look-​over? «No.» This I don’t understand. It’s better for me to know how my car is doing in general and better for them to say, «You came in for an oil change but you need to get blah-​blah repaired now, and the whatever has about x amount of miles before you need to worry about it.» Okay, so the $ 107 oil change doesn’t include a look over. And the microfilters, how much? «$ 147.» Okay, so $ 254 and I won’t know if all of a sudden my CV joint is going to fail and cause all kinds of damage because Dr. Beemer didn’t include a 36 point safety inspection with his oil change.
This is not my first rodeo. I maintained an older Volvo for years. Every time I took that car in for an oil change it was $ 150 to $ 600+ depending on what needs to be worked on when I took it in. And I know that because all the mechanics I ever took it to would do a general look-​over to make sure the AC bet wasn’t about to break apart and lodge in the compressor and cause the compressor to fail or whatever.
I’m not going to have these quacks who aren’t going to do a look over on my car change the oil and microfilters, when they don’t even know what car is mine after I filled in the intake form and made an appointment. I say I will come get the car. I show up a few hours later, my car is in the front parking lot unlocked and my key is sitting on the front counter, unattended, with several other unattended keys. I wait a beat to see if anyone will notice or care that I am taking that key and finally someone comes around the corner as I pick up my key to leave. No warm and fuzzies about this place.

Excellent service! Brian took great care of my MINI Cooper when I wore through my clutch and flywheel. He explained everything he was going to do step-​by-​step and didn’t dumb it down because I’m a girl. The price tag on my repair was reasonable the day I walked out of the shop and he even off-​set the price of my car rental. My MINI has never been running better and I couldn’t be happier.

Every time I get work done at Dr. Beemer, Brian takes care of me. Recently, I got rear brakes done. He quoted me $ 410 out the door, but dropped the price under $ 400, which I was not expecting. And I got ceramic pads (OEM) which have been working perfectly. You gotta go here if you drive a MINI Cooper. Join the Austin MINI Cooper Car Club and get 5% off parts and labor.
Be sure to schedule your repairs, for best results.