včera, 11:50 AM
My 3 Series is due for a major service and the dealer quote made me sit down for a minute, so now I'm weighing up whether to go independent or just swallow it. The car's out of warranty so there's no real reason to stay loyal to the dealer, but I've heard enough mixed things about local workshops to be cautious, especially with all the electronics and coding on these cars. I don't need the cheapest option, I just want someone who actually knows BMWs and won't cut corners or leave me with a warning light that wasn't there before. A colleague mentioned a BMW Garage she's used for years and swears by, but I didn't get the name and she's on leave, so I'm doing the rounds myself. Has anyone found a place they genuinely trust for servicing and diagnostics, and did you notice a real difference in price compared to the dealer? Also curious whether independent places can handle the software side properly or if that's the one thing you still have to go to the dealer for.