Reviews
Head out on the highway
Lookin’ for adventure
And whatever comes our way
– Original lyrics by Mars Bonfire
Before the advent of cars, we had horses. Before we had mechanics, we had veterinarians. Has the process really changed? Not really.
When my trusty steed wasn’t galloping uphill I began to ponder if I should put him down. I feared that I rode ’em hard and put him away wet one too many times. Did he have a transmission pneumonia? Time for a check-up.
George, the Mini Cooper, has been an expensive steed to repair. I’ve always taken him to the dealership and I fear that, at times, it was I that was taken for a ride. I’d venture that I’ve put in a $$$$ manure load into the upkeep when taken to the dealership. In this economy I took the advice of good ol’ President Truman, “We must cut down the cost of living.”
Based on Yelp reviews, I contacted a different “vet” across town and found their client services were less than acceptable. WIth a little Yelp shoveling, I kept digging until I was able to steer my steed to J & F Motors.
Like most medical professionals (mechanics), they want to know what the symptoms are, when they appear, the frequency of the symptoms and any contributing factors that may aggravate the issue. The professional then applies this information to their body of knowledge and then the magic begins. But all patients are in agreement that bedside manner is the sweet treat that makes the medicine go down easier.
The J & H Motor crew are true professionals in every way. They have outstanding customer service in addition to their phenomenal expertise. The client experience always begins on the phone and they truly had me at hello. I felt like our interaction was a partnership while trying to diagnose George’s symptoms and there was ongoing communication that set my mind at ease. They applied the appropriate diagnostic tests per my permission and paved the way for a seamless process.
Before George and I rode into the sunset, the Doc let me know that we could come by at anytime should the signs and symptoms return. Now that’s some sweet feed in the feedbag.
Want to know what J & F stands for? Just Fine. (Well, that’s my interpretation.) Because that’s what you’ll be the next time you have a little hitch in your giddy up.
J&F serviced my 5-series for the past seven years. I found their work to be consistently excellent and quick. I found everyone there to be honest and I felt like they were genuinely looking out for me. After 140K miles, I had to get rid of my BMW. The car still ran great – but as you would expect with any high performance car with that many miles – it became expensive to maintain it. My wife would not let me buy another BMW (see paragraph one) – much to my chagrin. I bought an Acura instead. It is a perfectly fine car, but it isn’t a BMW..
The other day, I had a fender bender which has put my Acura in the body shop for a few days. The insurance company gave me a 328 as a rental. I noticed that one of the lights had gone out on the rental. I was in J&F’s neighborhood and decided to pop in – although I had not seen them in almost a year (since I got rid of the BMW). They welcomed me with open arms and checked out the car for free. Class act.
A few weeks ago, the “check engine” light came on in my husband’s Volvo. And of course, the timing was absolutely terrible (why don’t cars ever break when you don’t need them for a while?!?). The engine light didn’t come on until Thursday night, and my husband needed to drive to Pennsylvania on Saturday morning to visit his dad in the hospital. He could drive my car to work on Friday, but we don’t really trust my car for long car trips. So…we needed to get the Volvo checked AND fixed on Friday.
I placed a call to J&F Motors at 7:30am on Friday morning when they opened. The guy I spoke to, Mike, was very kind and understanding. Clearly this was not the first time he has dealt with a frantic female having a car crisis. LOL. He told me to bring the car in as soon as I could, and they would try to work it in between appointments.
I took the car to the shop around 8:30am and was prepared to spend the day waiting. Instead, I was absolutely DELIGHTED when they offered to drive me home in their shuttle! HOORAY for not being stuck at the mechanic’s office all day! I tried to tip the driver, but he informed me that there was no charge, that he was one of the owners and worked on the cars, too. I forgot his name, but he was also very kind. I was really out of it…had been horribly sick the night before and hadn’t slept much, so I really appreciated their assistance and sympathy!
It turned out to be nothing more than a gas cap seal gone bad that was causing all sorts of problems. They replaced the part and checked everything out again to make sure it was ready to go. No gouging or fixing things that weren’t broken. When we went to pick up the car, we were thrilled to see that they even gave us a much appreciated discount on the labor costs! We were very grateful for the entire experience.
We definitely found our new mechanics in NoVa!! The online appointment system (on their website) is super convenient. The only downside to this shop is that they only service BMW, Volvo, Mini & Mercedes. I told my husband that I guess I need a new car now.
After reading the other Yelp reviews, I decided to give this place a try last week for some work I needed done, and had already received a quote on from another shop. Not only was Mike extremely helpful in explaining exactly what I needed to have done now, and what could wait, but their prices were way under what the other shop had provided me in their bid.
They did great work — if you need to have your BMW looked at, bring it here!
I appreciated the fact they were upfront and honest about pricing — no surprises when I got the final bill. I had my oil changed, brake rotors (spell?) replaced, my a.c. fixed, and my safety inspection completed in one afternoon. They even drove me to/from work that day, which was nice because I hate having to bum rides from friends or coworkers whenever my car is in the shop. Everyone there seemed very knowledgable and I didn’t feel like they were trying to take advantage of me just because I’m a young female (like some auto places do).
Also, my brake light went out a couple weeks later and I went back and they replaced the bulb for free! Overall, I was happy with the service I recieved and my car has been running smoothley.
I also inquired about having an upgraded fusebox installed in my Ferrari 308. Paul (who I think is the chief mechanic) said he could do so. Again, the job was done on time and at a fair price. J&F specializes in BMW, and also services Mercedes, Volvo, and Mini vehicles…….they can now add Ferrari to the list.
Very courteous and professional service………..kudos to Mike and Paul!!
I recently picked up our vehicle after an oil change – got home – and when I went to restart the car it wouldn’t start. We’ve had issues with our battery in the past, so I assumed that was the problem. I figured if a door were left open while they worked on the car that would have killed the battery. Of course, this was through no fault of their own. So, I called them for help and they told me they could send over two of their guys when they left for lunch to jump it and bring it back to the shop to charge the battery – they also said they’d let me know if we needed a new battery.(Thankfully, I could just take the other car to work because hubby was out of town.) They even said they’d drop it off at the house when it was finished charging. I guess it pays to live just under a mile from J&F Motors.
I got home – car was there – and keys were where I asked them to leave them. Battery was charged and there was no need for a new one. No extra charge. Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!
Mark S
