Best Wishes, John!

Happy Friday!  Well, for us it’s a bittersweet Friday.  Today was John’s last day here at the shop.  He’ll be moving back home to Michigan to be with family.  We’ll miss his happy personality and his passion and dedication to top-quality work.  He’s been given some rusty, beat up bimmers, and we’ve watched in amazement as he transforms and they take on new life.  He is a truly gifted craftsman.  We’ll also miss the delicious coffee cakes that his wife and daughter made for us!  😉  In all seriousness, we would like to thank you, John, for all of your hard work.  It has been such an honor to meet you and to work with you.  We wish you the best of luck with everything!
We’re back this evening with our Friday night Cruise-In!  So bring your favorite item to grill, your favorite beverage, some chairs, and join us for a fun evening at the shop!  We hope to see you here!

John wrapped up some last details on our 1969 BMW 2002 this morning:

This week John also did some prep work before the 1989 BMW 325ix gets sent off for paint:

I also brought my 2002 in for some work…Ok, my 2002 Honda CR-V!  I had heard some odd noises coming from the rear of my car, noises that sounded like a helicopter was buzzing overhead.  So we put it up on the lift and the guys took a look at it.  It turns out that the rear differential carrier bushings were “toast.”  The vibration damper was between two broken rings, thus not floating properly as it should.  Not good!  Jason and Jordan to the rescue!  Thank you, guys!

You may have seen the cool 1983 BMW 320i on our facebook page earlier this week.  We’re excited to get this great bimmer back on the road!  It has been sitting in a garage since 1990, just waiting for some love.  All original, with an interior in amazing condition.  Needless to say, we’re ecstatic to work on this vintage beauty!  Reggie had to drill out the broken lock cylinder, and a new one is on its way here from Germany.  She’s running and driving now, thanks to Jason, who resurrected her C.I.S. fuel system.  We’ll be doing some fun stuff to this lucky bimmer, so be sure to stay tuned for more!

This 1994 BMW 540i is in for new control arm bushings:

One of our favorite e30 M3’s is back in the shop for some work: Replace, evac, and recharge the A/C system; replace condenser; remove and replace alternator; new bushings, belt, and adjusting bar; adjust e-brake; and diagnose slow reacting gauge issue when cold/first started.

I always love discovering new things about cars that have been to the shop that show the owner’s personality.  For example, take a look at the inside of the deck lid:

Very cool!

When taking a look under the hood, Reggie discovered not only one bracket had been sheared, but two!   The a/c compressor bracket and the alternator adjuster bracket!

What caused this to happen?  1. The motor generates a lot of vibrations.  2. The bushings on the alternator were bad, which put more force on the alternator adjuster bracket.   3. The a/c compressor bracket (below) was the incorrect bracket for that particular a/c compressor.

We’re off to finish up some bimmers and get ready for tonight’s Cruise-In!  Have a Safe and Happy 4th of July weekend!