On September 9th, 2014 I called 4 BMW shops to get out-the-door price quotes on replacing a clutch.
Import Car Corner was the lowest price with $672, with two of the other shops at around ~$850 and ~$950 (one never got back to me).
I got my car towed there and the main guy, I believe Dan told me he would call me when my car arrived. I was now going with the car.
I called about 30 minutes after I was told the car arrived by the towing company to confirm, he told me that it had arrived he just hadn't gotten around to calling me yet. He agreed to checkout the price to give me a more accurate quote, he was going to try to do it that afternoon and cal me when he did. This call was around 2:45 pm.
I called back on September 10th, at 2PM (nearly 24 hours later). He told me he hadn't been able to look at the car yet, but he was hoping to be able to get to it that afternoon.
I called back on September 11th, at 2pm (another 24 hours). This time he told me he had just looked at the car, and that the fly wheel was also in pretty bad shape and he was going to call me soon on that. I asked how much it was with the fly wheel and he said he would get back to me that afternoon. I ask to make sure he gives me a quote before doing anything.
On September 12th, I called him at about 9AM because I hadn't heard anything back from him. He told me he had forgotten about a doctors appointment, but he would give me a call back this morning for the quote.
He called me back at 11:45 am (first time he ever called me) telling me that there were two options with the fly wheel, and that the out the door price was about between $1,850 and $2,000.
I had looked online a few days prior and found the kits with and without flywheels to be about $500 difference. It didn't make sense to me how there was now a $1,200 - $1,350 price difference, so I told him I would get back with him.
I called another company which said they could do it for $1,690.
I called Dan back and let him know I would like to get it towed. He said that's fine as long as I paid my bill. I asked him what bill, I hadn't agreed to do anything, and he said he put in the work to remove the transmission, so I owed him.
I asked him how much it was and he didn't know. He said he was going to call me back.
He called me back and said it would be $372.
I told him that was ridiculous, I had never agreed to that amount, and I had continually asked for a quote before doing anything.
I said because there is no result, I am not paying for anything. He said half of it was done, so he was charging me half the labor.
I told him the quote he told me on Tuesday, and he said no, that was just for labor. I said, fine, but that's not what he told me, and that's not what I agreed to, and that I continually asked for a quote. He was refusing to budge. I told him that was something I would settle in court since he was refusing to give me my property and we never made a deal for the amount he specified. He told me that he would sell my car if I didn't pay it in 30 days under a mechanics lien.
In addition, he said I had to pay in cash because they didn't accept credit card.
While we were on the phone he continually talked over me (about 10 times in a row), not letting me speak, then asking what I had to say to that.
I told him that I would be happy to meet him in the middle, and give him half the labor (he had done work) of what he quoted me. $300 for the clutch kit, which mean labor was $372. I would pay half that.
He said he was unwilling to accept that and would not give me back my car without me paying in cash. He hung on me when I was trying to work with him.
I finally agreed, but at this point because he hadn't kept his word with any of it, and I was unsure how hostile he would be in person (I never was at his shop nor did I sign any papers prior to this), I called the police for an escort.
He ended up letting me pay $340 for the car and I got it towed to another company. The company I got it towed to -- someone who worked for BMW for years, was very perplexed on why anyone would remove the gear box and a number of other pieces which do not need to be removed. Some of the nuts and bolt were missing (maybe 2-3, not many)
Import Car Corner/European Car Specialist Reviews
On September 9th, 2014 I called 4 BMW shops to get out-the-door price quotes on replacing a clutch.
Import Car Corner was the lowest price with $672, with two of the other shops at around ~$850 and ~$950 (one never got back to me).
I got my car towed there and the main guy, I believe Dan told me he would call me when my car arrived. I was now going with the car.
I called about 30 minutes after I was told the car arrived by the towing company to confirm, he told me that it had arrived he just hadn't gotten around to calling me yet. He agreed to checkout the price to give me a more accurate quote, he was going to try to do it that afternoon and cal me when he did. This call was around 2:45 pm.
I called back on September 10th, at 2PM (nearly 24 hours later). He told me he hadn't been able to look at the car yet, but he was hoping to be able to get to it that afternoon.
I called back on September 11th, at 2pm (another 24 hours). This time he told me he had just looked at the car, and that the fly wheel was also in pretty bad shape and he was going to call me soon on that. I asked how much it was with the fly wheel and he said he would get back to me that afternoon. I ask to make sure he gives me a quote before doing anything.
On September 12th, I called him at about 9AM because I hadn't heard anything back from him. He told me he had forgotten about a doctors appointment, but he would give me a call back this morning for the quote.
He called me back at 11:45 am (first time he ever called me) telling me that there were two options with the fly wheel, and that the out the door price was about between $1,850 and $2,000.
I had looked online a few days prior and found the kits with and without flywheels to be about $500 difference. It didn't make sense to me how there was now a $1,200 - $1,350 price difference, so I told him I would get back with him.
I called another company which said they could do it for $1,690.
I called Dan back and let him know I would like to get it towed. He said that's fine as long as I paid my bill. I asked him what bill, I hadn't agreed to do anything, and he said he put in the work to remove the transmission, so I owed him.
I asked him how much it was and he didn't know. He said he was going to call me back.
He called me back and said it would be $372.
I told him that was ridiculous, I had never agreed to that amount, and I had continually asked for a quote before doing anything.
I said because there is no result, I am not paying for anything. He said half of it was done, so he was charging me half the labor.
I told him the quote he told me on Tuesday, and he said no, that was just for labor. I said, fine, but that's not what he told me, and that's not what I agreed to, and that I continually asked for a quote. He was refusing to budge. I told him that was something I would settle in court since he was refusing to give me my property and we never made a deal for the amount he specified. He told me that he would sell my car if I didn't pay it in 30 days under a mechanics lien.
In addition, he said I had to pay in cash because they didn't accept credit card.
While we were on the phone he continually talked over me (about 10 times in a row), not letting me speak, then asking what I had to say to that.
I told him that I would be happy to meet him in the middle, and give him half the labor (he had done work) of what he quoted me. $300 for the clutch kit, which mean labor was $372. I would pay half that.
He said he was unwilling to accept that and would not give me back my car without me paying in cash. He hung on me when I was trying to work with him.
I finally agreed, but at this point because he hadn't kept his word with any of it, and I was unsure how hostile he would be in person (I never was at his shop nor did I sign any papers prior to this), I called the police for an escort.
He ended up letting me pay $340 for the car and I got it towed to another company. The company I got it towed to -- someone who worked for BMW for years, was very perplexed on why anyone would remove the gear box and a number of other pieces which do not need to be removed. Some of the nuts and bolt were missing (maybe 2-3, not many)