Now that I have moved to North Carolina, I will be providing a sister list to my catalog of D.C. area independent service shops. Shops I have personal experience with are listed first. Labor rates are indicated when known.
- Krause and England, Inc.
8613 Barefoot Industrial Road
Raleigh, NC 27617
(919) 781-1871
A very serious race-oriented shop. Their work is top-notch and attentive to detail. The staff is straightforward and honest in their diagnoses, suggested remedies and prices. The number of high-end and specialty cars in the service bay is always impressive. K&E works hard to support the local BMW Chapter and its HPDE programs. ($84/hr)
- First Class Automotive
5408 Oak Forest Road
Raleigh, NC 27616
(919) 878-9100
Housed in a large, modern and very clean facility, this shop works just about every BMW made, although they are most familiar with recent and late-model cars. The worksmanship is top-notch, although the service write-up indicated that they failed to listen to my description of the actual problem and failed to not my preference as to parts manufacturers (I specifically asked not to use a certain brand of radiator). Labor rates were reasonable, but parts costs ranged from 120%-300% of BavAuto and/or dealership. Uniquely, they wash the vehicle before pickup. ($85-100/hr, depending on the nature of their work)
- A Better Wrench
102 Northfield Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
(919) 929-6921
A shop that was personally recommended to me by Holland Hale of Atlantic Auto Exchange, the staff seemed knowlegable, friendly and flexible when I spoke with them on the phone.
- Korman Autoworks, Inc.
2629 Randleman Rd
Greensboro, NC 27406
(336) 275-1494
The original BMW racing shop. Particularly specialized in older-model cars. - Motorsport Connections
2556 Landmark Drive
Winston-Salem, NC 27103
(888) 463-2591
209 West Plaza Drive
Mooresville, NC 28117
(704) 662-9364
A mildly race-oriented shop run by World Challenge and BMWCCA Club racer Billy Revis. Along with Korman, Motorsport Connections served to anchor American BMW tuning firmly in the heart of NASCAR country.
- Carr Industries, Inc.
301 Orville Wright Drive
Greensboro, NC 27409
(336) 931-0007
(From the International Association of Independent BMW Service Professionals.)
- The Car Place, Inc.
5409 Oak Forest Drive
Raleigh, NC 27616
(919) 878-5600
(From the International Association of Independent BMW Service Professionals<)
- German Performance Center
530 Highway 70 East
Garner, NC 27529
(919) 772-7668
(From the International Association of Independent BMW Service Professionals.)
- Johnson & Johnson Import Specialists
1515 Mechanical Blvd
Garner, NC 27529
(919) 773-2314
(From the International Association of Independent BMW Service Professionals.)
(The shops below have come up in discussion or searches, but I’ve never used them, personally.)