I agree, they're are lots of ads for shops in the back of the magazine. For me though, I'd trust the opinions of people here vs someone who pays to have an ad in the magazine, meaning paying for that ad is worked into what they have to charge as well. I used 3 of the big name, ad paying guys in Seattle and literally got screwed each time over 5-6yrs when things sometimes got above my head, I needed a vehicle lift, etc...and I work on BMW's. I know it's the bitter taste in my mouth, but I just don't trust most shops anymore, so referrals mean more to me than someone who pays for ad space.

Strictly BMW in Bellevue, WA has a racing team, which is a VERY expensive hobby/sport...guess who's paying for their fun and their 5+ track cars on the weekends? I'm not against profit, that would make me a hypocrit, but I'm far from charging what they charge, and I've figured out $200 fixes that they wanted $5000 for, and they're solution wasn't even close to what ended up being my problem. Between the BMW trained techs, and home taught BMW mechanics like myself and a handful of others on here, Xoutpost and forums like it have become invaluable.

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