VAC Motorsports

Arrogant assholes, their mindset is «if you drive an expensive car you should be able to overspend for repairs ». I got something fixed and picked up the car and suddenly had another different problem that wasn’t there when I dropped it off, they blamed it on my car and a coincidence.

As a passionate E46 M3 Owner, barring close to overly obsessive, I regret ever using any other Indie Shop to work on my ’05 M3. I had a poor experience with another Indie Shop where they had a remote tuner custom tune my car for an Alpha-​N Tune and the downstream impact to my car was brutal. My car limped its way into my garage for almost a full year — I had a Check Engine Light that wasn’t burned out during the tune, a misfire issue that was lingering even after a Full Coil Pack Swap, and an overall sense that I should’ve never started Mod’ing my car from get-​go. After countless unanswered calls and unreturned text message and emails, I had given up on that shop to fix the issues.
When I had the time to focus on my car 4 weeks ago, I got in touch with Brian from VAC, and mentioned that I had spoken to Klevis about my situation and we worked out a date/​time to fix my M3. Klevis handles the On-​Dyno Tuning and I wanted to get some Dyno-​Time for him to retune my car.
We got a date in the books, and from that point, Brian helped me get my car back on the road with a Custom Alpha-​N Tune. Let me take a few steps back — It took a few weeks to get to me driving out of the VAC Parking Lot. Turned out that the Misfire and CoilPack Issues were the tip of the Iceberg; I had a failing VANOS (which are common in these cars), overly tight valves, and a failing Fan Clutch. This caused VAC and I to move my car from the Dyno Shop over to the Service Department where Mike helped me get the parts fixed, replaced, etc. Mike has an incredible Support Staff in the Shop — Mike, Armand, and John (To name a few) — All playing an intricate part in making sure the downstream impact of my bad Tune were solved. And, they managed to get much of my Out of Pocket Expense covered by my 3^rd Party Extended Warranty. Throughout this process at VAC, I was traveling for work, and Mike and/​or Brian were in constant communication with me to make sure expectations were level-​set and timelines were agreed upon. There was never a time when I felt like I couldn’t call VAC, or even stop by the shop, just to see the progress.
Some reviewers might have their thoughts/​reservations about VAC but the truth is, if you own a BMW because you enjoy driving it and appreciate the performance and experience it provides the driver, then you bought a BMW for the right reasons. They deliver on the Ultimate Driving Experience — With that said, as a BMW Owner, it should be called out that in order to maintain this exceptional driving experience, an owner should take care of their investment and have a mechanic or shop that knows what they’re doing and have the experience on the RaceTrack to prove it. VAC isn’t the cheapest, but BMW’s aren’t cheap either — Therefore, owners shouldn’t expect the cost for service and maintenance to be cheap. If you’re looking for a cheap BMW Mechanic, beware of the Downstream Impact of your Service Shop Choice — Ask me how I know, and I’ll tell you the same story above. The quality of the service that VAC overall, showed me, is incredibly high, and it’s awesome to know that they’re local to me — There’s no other shop I’ll ever take my M3 to.

Those guys seem to really know their stuff. Just sit in the waiting area as a fly-​on-​the-​wall one day and see for yourself.

I spent the weekend working on my M3, planning to replace my CPV valve, changing my Oil Level Sensor and changing my oil. Believe it or not, I go to remove the oil drain plug and… its STRIPPED! The 6 mm hex opening on the plug itself is stripped smooth, so there is no way I can get it out without drilling it out or using an extractor.
Now, my car has only been serviced by VAC for the two oil changes that I owned the car (I rarely drive it). So either the oil drain plug was already stripped prior to me bringing it in for service (prior owner), OR it was stripped the last time (second time) they changed the oil. Either way its is completely unacceptable that they did not tell me that it was stripped in the first place or that they stripped it after the last oil change… there truly is no excuse. I can careless about the part (only $ 3.00), just the courtesy to tell the owner of the car!
Its either negligence in not telling me or negligent that they stripped it. Looked like they used an impact wrench on it. It was completely rounded out. Luckily I was replacing the oil level sensor so I was able to drain my oil that way, so the next time I change the oil I will have to vice grip the drain plug out or drill it out. Needless to say I was beyond angry and will be servicing my own car from now on; only reason I had them do it was because I didn’t have a driveway or garage to work on my own car.
I trusted VAC as a BMW enthusiast’s service shop specializing in race and M cars, and I expected way more… at least the courtesy to tell me that it was stripped even if they «didn’t do it». There is no way that you can strip that plug and not see that you did it or not see that it was stripped to start with, that’s just terrible customer service. Any mechanic worth his salt can see and feel when a bolt is stripping. Beware the customer service level seems to have dropped here.

I only got basic work done. They cost same or more as compared to bmw dealership.
I got my new wheels n tires mounted. They scratched one rim. Without asking me or getting my approval the guy put some paint on rusty hubs. It was a bad job but they still charged me money for that. I was naïve and didn’t argue about it. I got wheel alignment done twice and paid $ 160+ every time, on my bmw with stock suspension. They never got it right. Bad alignment screwed my tires.
Later I got it from a reputed tire shop for $ 90 and all 4 tires are wearing out nicely.
I got a quote for brake work, the price was same as bmw dealership, so I avoided them and went with the BMW dealer with a loaner car and on time delivery.
For wheel alignment and 9:00am appointment they took 6 hours to do the job. They don’t care about your time, absolutely poor service management.
I cannot comment on big M car jobs but avoid them for basic maintenance.

I am happy to write my 100^th review on VAC Motorsports which came highly recommended to me from a coworker. After my car stalled out and hydro locked, I was afraid I did irreversible damage. I have done extensive research on my E46 and I figured there was problems with my oil separator.
When I called, I spoke with Michael who knew exactly what the problem was and wasn’t afraid to ball park a rough estimate over the phone. This put me at ease and more importantly gave me an idea of whether it was worth it to get fixed. His «high» estimate was $ 1500 if they needed to do a full intake service along with many other minor things that could go wrong.
Once they were able to see my car, and realized it was hydro locked, they called me back. I explained to them all my problems and with 225k miles, I wasn’t sure if repair would be worth it. My car is in great condition given it’s age and mileage and they assured me it was.
After they got the oil out and changed spark plugs they started the car and it ran and relieved me of my state of panic. They updated with me with the good news that I did not need the intake service.
They called me with the final bill of, much to my surprise $ 1640. I could not understand why less work was needed and the bill was higher than the estimate. They fixed other problems of mine like the water pump and thermostat that I was never quoted. When I inquired, they stated they were in there anyways and it needed it badly. This left me with a very bad feeling because I did not consent to this work, just merely discussed issues without mention of pricing.
When I explained my frustrations, I was told that they figured my original quote was my budget. They showed me the faulty parts. In the future, I hope the experience will be transparent.
So why 5 stars still? My car now runs like a top, they spent a lot of time explaining my car issues along with other general car info and they seemed to care about my 330XI as much as I do. These are not just your typical mechanics, they are specialists who love what they do and it shows. Last night, I even received a phone call to make sure everything is running right.
I am not giving 5 stars because the experience was flawless, they get 5 stars because they’re the only ones in the area I would trust to work on my car. Their knowledge of the vehicles they work on is bar none and I am sure if you take your car here you won’t be disappointed.

Engaging sales staff, high-​level mechanics, service manager is extremely organized and helpful. The machine shop is one of a kind in this area, recognized for its improvements to various BMW components.

I recently purchased a few smaller items for my S54 E30 M3 thru Mike at VAC. Even though these items were not in stock, Mike kept me informed via e-​mail as to the status of my order/​shipment tracking. Solid communication and relatively cheap shipping from PA to NYC. I will buy from Mike @ VAC again!

Take your car here if you want your computer recoded without your consent, if you like playing non-​stop phone tag to find out the condition of your car, if you want to be charged for damage that occurred while the car was in their care, if you want to be overcharged for work that was NOT done ($ 160 labor rate), if you want to search for a reputable shop to correct all of VAC’s sins! Oh yeah, if you dont think that purchasing & maintaining you bimmer cost enough already then, by all means, rush to these thieves!

If you live in Philadelphia this is the only place you should take your BMW for repairs.
They are reasonably priced and are more knowledgeable than anyone else in the area in BMW repair. The only thing that is a pain is that they charge for check engine diagnosis so save yourself the hassle a buy a ODB2 code reader and go in there with the codes.
They let you bring your own parts for a small fee (not warrantied) or the sell moderately priced parts that are warrantied.
They are very helpful and have great customer service. They get repairs done quickly and you can keep your car for a few days if you are traveling.
A+++++ shop.

These guys offer friendly, honest, Professional service. I would definitely recommend them if you need work done or are looking for a late model part.
Tim
1997 BMW Z3. 1.9L

It’s been years since we had our 2001 BMW 540it Sport wagon serviced here, and up to that point had had multiple cars serviced at VAC regularly over the course of years.
At the time of our last visit, we needed a wiper motor replaced. VAC recommended replacing with a used motor that they had readily in stock. We asked instead for a new OEM motor since we planned to keep the car long-​term; and still have it.
When we came to pick the car up, we were informed that requiring OEM parts caused them to be backed up for the day. I thanked them and apologized for the trouble. Upon starting the car, I recognized the car was louder under the hood than normal. I popped the hood and found the engine cover missing. This is a $ 350+ part. I assumed they must have just forgot, so went back in to get the cover. They swore up and down that the cover wasn’t on the car when it came in for service. I am meticulous about the car; wash the car weekly, including under the hood; and can confirm it was there. The VAC mechanic came out to the car to look under the hood. As we looked at the location of the missing cover, I spotted other vacuum hoses and connections unattached. They hadn’t finished the job.
They looked around their shop another time, but couldn’t find the engine cover. VAC told me they would call if they found the cover. I never did hear back. 2 months later, the wiper motor failed. We went to another BMW independent mechanic near King of Prussia, replaced the motor again, and haven’t had any problems for years now.
Its a shame, because we had been talking to VAC about swapping in an M5 6spd. They were either less than straight-​up or have a very disorganized shop. Sadly, we won’t be back. Repeat customer lost.

i have a 2006 3 series that has been serviced regularly at the Main Line dealership, after receiving my last bill of $ 550 for an oil change and battery I figured its time for me to find some place that is both reasonable as well as provides quality work — I heard positive things about VAC so I decided to get my car inspected here, I really liked the vibe of the place. Car checked out fine as I expected and hoped, but while talking to these guys I mentioned that recently Main Line spotted a very slow leak in my Vanos line — they wanted $ 490.00, VAC took a look and confirmed a very slow leak but told me that (1) this was not something that needed attention for about another year or so and (2) they would charge me about $ 200!!! Big Time savings, although I’m not looking forward to having to repair my car, but when the time comes to do so I will certainly be back at VAC.

These guys are awesome! I felt like a child in a toy store when stepping foot in the waiting area. They had VMR + BBS LM wheels up for display, motors and other various BMW tuning parts. Out in the yard sits a few dozen rare old school BMW’s.
I brought my e46 330 there for a new expansion tank + thermostat. They priced me at around $ 300.00 for parts and labor. A bit pricey I understand but totally worth it!
The service there was very friendly and honest! Something every customer should be expecting from a mechanic! Would definitely be patronizing this business again in the future!

I found these guys just doing internet searches for a good BMW mechanic in Philadelphia as I recently moved to the area and needed my car serviced and some new tires installed. The shop is nothing sexy or glamorous from the outside as it is under an overpass and there are a lot of older, well used BMWs on the hurricane fenced in lot. But inside you find a family-​like private auto repair and auto-​body shop run by a racing team. They have BMW 6 cylinder and 8 cylinder race engines on display in the waiting area (which demonstrates they mean business) and friendly people every where you turn.
The guy I dealt with, Aaron Childs, was incredible. A friendly laid back guy who was easy going despite having a ton of work to do for customers and getting the 3-​series ready to campaign at Watkins Glen this weekend. He was really accommodating when I requested to have my tires/​wheels drop shipped and he worked with me to quickly get my car in for the work it required. On top of that, he found ways to save me money… truly unexpected from an auto mechanic.
But the best part about the whole thing was finding my car in the service bay next to the race car when I came to pick it up (plus the fact that everyone there kept telling me what a nice little car I have… which of course I love because who does not like it when people tell you, you have great taste). They specialize in BMWs, so if you have one, need it worked on, and want it worked on by great guys who know what they are doing and will try to save you money while providing great customer service, this is the spot. And you get the bonus of having your car repaired or maintained by racers.