Mobile mechanic suggestion

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dhanepud
dhanepud Posts: 4 Newbie
in Motoring
Hi ,

I broke down my BMW (320, petrol, manual, 2010 make, 57000 miles). The car showed Oil warning and then start knocking before grey smoke started coming from exhaust when we stopped. I just want to check if there is a good mobile mechanic that can come home to check & fix if possible that you can recommend?
We live around North West London (close to Wembley/Harrow/Ruislip/Southall area)

Thank you

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  • System
    System Posts: 178,093 Community Admin
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    The car showed Oil warning and then start knocking before grey smoke started coming from exhaust when we stopped.
    Its knackered, the engine is scrap. Only fix for that is a rebuild or replacement engine.
  • Robisere
    Robisere Posts: 3,237 Forumite
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    If that mileage is genuine and you can find a second hand engine, it would be worth the cost. But I would avoid a mobile mechanic, ask neighbours for a recommendation of a local garage (not a dealership!) that will consider an inspection and fitting another engine.

    Otherwise, I'm sorry to say it is scrap.
    I think this job really needs
    a much bigger hammer.
  • attila_
    attila_ Posts: 462 Forumite
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    I wouldn’t recommend a mobile mechanic to diagnose an engine problem. Use a bmw specialist, who has experience with those engines.

    A quick google search or ask locally.
  • Ebe_Scrooge
    Ebe_Scrooge Posts: 7,320 Forumite
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    edited 24 April 2019 at 8:17AM
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    attila_ wrote: »
    I wouldn’t recommend a mobile mechanic to diagnose an engine problem. Use a bmw specialist, who has experience with those engines.

    Why ??? Does a BMW run on Dilithium crystals or does it have a Flux Capacitor ? Or is it a standard Internal Combustion engine that uses petroleum spirit as its fuel source ?

    If the OP was experiencing a complex electrical problem that was peculiar to BMW and required knowledge of the particular BMW software, then a specialist may be needed (though even that's not always the case). But for a straightforward mechanical problem, any mechanic worth his/her salt will be more than capable of diagnosing and sorting it - or advising that it's beyond economical repair, as the case may be. A mobile mechanic may not have the wide range of tools in their van, or access to a hydraulic lift, that may be required for a full engine strip-down - so a local independent garage may be better in that respect - but there's no particular specialist knowledge required in the situation described.
  • onomatopoeia99
    onomatopoeia99 Posts: 6,964 Forumite
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    attila_ wrote: »
    I wouldn’t recommend a mobile mechanic to diagnose an engine problem. Use a bmw specialist, who has experience with those engines.

    A quick google search or ask locally.
    The problem described is common to all internal combustion engines. No oil pressure, bearings destroyed, engine scrap. It's completely not BMW specific.
    Proud member of the wokerati, though I don't eat tofu.Home is where my books are.Solar PV 5.2kWp system, SE facing, >1% shading, installed March 2019.Mortgage free July 2023
  • debtdebt
    debtdebt Posts: 949 Forumite
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    I'd rather use a BMW specialist who has repaired tens or hundreds of these engines before than a normal garage who might take longer and not do as good a job.

    Also, why would the OP want to use a mobile mechanic? Surely if it's an engine out job, they'd need a hoist and bench to to remove the engine and work on it???
  • Robisere
    Robisere Posts: 3,237 Forumite
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    What is the difference between a "normal" garage and a BMW garage? Oh, wait, it's the cost!

    During my time as a workshop foreman, my blokes and I worked on many different vehicles, including BMW's. We had one quite wealthy customer who would only buy a new Beemer every 3 years if the dealership would allow us to service and maintain it. He told us that he actually walked out when they said no. They rang him at home and said OK, but we would have to buy only BMW parts for his car, which was fine by the customer and ourselves. The dealership sent someone down to our place to inspect us. When he saw Jaguars, an Aston and two other Beemers, he left satisfied.

    That is a customer trusting the garage, which is what has to happen for the satisfaction of both. The dealership "labour charge" was over 3 times ours. We were just half a mile from his home, they were 20+ miles away. We never had his car longer than a day, they would take days with the first car he bought from them years before. Of course, we never had to find and fit a new engine to his Beemer, but we would have been confident in doing that.
    I think this job really needs
    a much bigger hammer.
  • debtdebt
    debtdebt Posts: 949 Forumite
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    I was recommending a BMW specialist, not a BMW main dealer for the suggested repair.
  • Robisere
    Robisere Posts: 3,237 Forumite
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    So you mean a garage specialising in BMW work? Also expensive!
    I think this job really needs
    a much bigger hammer.
  • Ebe_Scrooge
    Ebe_Scrooge Posts: 7,320 Forumite
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    debtdebt wrote: »
    I was recommending a BMW specialist, not a BMW main dealer for the suggested repair.

    But why ? As stated before, mechanically an engine is an engine, it doesn't matter if it's plonked into a BMW, a Skoda or a Lamborghini. Yes, the electronics and computers and stuff may need specialist knowledge, but from a purely mechanical point of view any half-decent mechanic would be able to work on any engine.
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