Anyone use FunKtion Auto?
6th Gear
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,911
Likes: 0
From: Ellicott City, MD
I did that all the time.
May be we can do that after Coffee & MINIs.
6th Gear
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,911
Likes: 0
From: Ellicott City, MD
Ace Photo, http://www.acephoto.net/ @ 3pm
Funktion Auto Groups, http://funktionauto.com/index.asp @ 4pm
Coffee & MINIs, Starbucks Coffee, Location. I think there is a big clock tower in the shopping center, but I'm not certain.
@ 6pm
Funktion Auto Groups, http://funktionauto.com/index.asp @ 4pm
Coffee & MINIs, Starbucks Coffee, Location. I think there is a big clock tower in the shopping center, but I'm not certain.
@ 6pm
that plaza is known as the Clocktower. I've never seen the name posted. I worked across the street for a year, lived behind it for another year and worked up the road for another five years and it's always been called 'Clocktower". Golds Gym - Clocktower. Shoppers Clocktower.
I've never seen the name posted. I worked across the street for a year, lived behind it for another year and worked up the road for another five years and it's always been called 'Clocktower". Golds Gym - Clocktower. Shoppers Clocktower.
6th Gear
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,911
Likes: 0
From: Ellicott City, MD
Back to the topic, I believe there will be 2 or 3 of us altogether. The confirm time for FA is 4pm.
6th Gear
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,911
Likes: 0
From: Ellicott City, MD
Motorholic
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 396
Likes: 0
From: Alexandria, VA
Oil change?
Hi,
Does Funktion Auto do oil changes on MINI Cooper S? If so, how much do they ask for? And are they open on weekends? I need to get my oil change, now that I've completed the break-in .
Thanks!
P.S. Their web site appears to be down--does anyone have the exact address? Thanks again!
Does Funktion Auto do oil changes on MINI Cooper S? If so, how much do they ask for? And are they open on weekends? I need to get my oil change, now that I've completed the break-in
.Thanks!
P.S. Their web site appears to be down--does anyone have the exact address? Thanks again!
6th Gear
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,911
Likes: 0
From: Ellicott City, MD
We had a good time.
There are four of us there, Hypnohealer, PGT, DeCreama and me. We had a chance to talk to the owner and his tech crews, they also show us their facility. The facility is great, they are well equipped and best of all, very friendly. I'm very impressed.
6th Gear
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,881
Likes: 3
From: Edgewater, MD
First Impressions of Funktion Auto
Great place! We were met by the owner, Walid, who spent some time with us and made a point of making us feel welcome (there were four of us). He introduced us to Payton, their salesman (they also sell performance cars, and have a business of buying cars for customers on spec), who spent a lot of time with us answering our questions and sharing his considerable knowledge.
The place is CLEAN. The shop floors were clean. The bathroom was immaculate. Their offices were reasonably neat and clean. The customer waiting area is HUGE, comfortable and, you guessed it, clean.
Something that sets these guys apart from most shops is that the mechanics are not paid by the job, but are paid hourly. That means they don't have to cut corners on jobs to make their income. And it also means they help each other out. We watched several of their techs working together on a car. How often will you see that at one of the big three dealerships? Not often, I'll wager.
The shop does use flat rate to estimate jobs, and I believe they charge $95 per hour. They seemed very willing to give estimates for work, and encourage their customers to stay with the technician while he does a thorough going over of the car once its on the lift.
Their specialty seems to be performance work, and while they're glad to do routine maintenance, they really seemed to get excited about working with superchargers, turbos, and anything that would result in more power, as well as better handling.
Their plans are to increase their focus on MINIs, and they intend to begin stocking some of the more popular performance mods, like pulleys, swaybars, etc. And they would probably be glad to get and install anything their customers wanted.
They also hold tech days and DIY days for local clubs, and seemed quite willing to include us. How many other shops are?
Something that Payton mentioned is that some dealerships actually bump the flat rate on some jobs, so even though a job might be listed for X hours, some dealerships and shops actually charge 1.5 X. These guys don't. So it sounds like if anyone is planning to get some work done, it would really pay to give these folks a chance.
If you're looking for an alternative, stop by and visit with these guys. See for yourself.
The place is CLEAN. The shop floors were clean. The bathroom was immaculate. Their offices were reasonably neat and clean. The customer waiting area is HUGE, comfortable and, you guessed it, clean.
Something that sets these guys apart from most shops is that the mechanics are not paid by the job, but are paid hourly. That means they don't have to cut corners on jobs to make their income. And it also means they help each other out. We watched several of their techs working together on a car. How often will you see that at one of the big three dealerships? Not often, I'll wager.
The shop does use flat rate to estimate jobs, and I believe they charge $95 per hour. They seemed very willing to give estimates for work, and encourage their customers to stay with the technician while he does a thorough going over of the car once its on the lift.
Their specialty seems to be performance work, and while they're glad to do routine maintenance, they really seemed to get excited about working with superchargers, turbos, and anything that would result in more power, as well as better handling.
Their plans are to increase their focus on MINIs, and they intend to begin stocking some of the more popular performance mods, like pulleys, swaybars, etc. And they would probably be glad to get and install anything their customers wanted.
They also hold tech days and DIY days for local clubs, and seemed quite willing to include us. How many other shops are?
Something that Payton mentioned is that some dealerships actually bump the flat rate on some jobs, so even though a job might be listed for X hours, some dealerships and shops actually charge 1.5 X. These guys don't. So it sounds like if anyone is planning to get some work done, it would really pay to give these folks a chance.
If you're looking for an alternative, stop by and visit with these guys. See for yourself.
6th Gear
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,964
Likes: 0
From: Alexandria, VA
Great place! We were met by the owner, Walid, who spent some time with us and made a point of making us feel welcome (there were four of us). He introduced us to Payton, their salesman (they also sell performance cars, and have a business of buying cars for customers on spec), who spent a lot of time with us answering our questions and sharing his considerable knowledge.
The place is CLEAN. The shop floors were clean. The bathroom was immaculate. Their offices were reasonably neat and clean. The customer waiting area is HUGE, comfortable and, you guessed it, clean.
Something that sets these guys apart from most shops is that the mechanics are not paid by the job, but are paid hourly. That means they don't have to cut corners on jobs to make their income. And it also means they help each other out. We watched several of their techs working together on a car. How often will you see that at one of the big three dealerships? Not often, I'll wager.
The shop does use flat rate to estimate jobs, and I believe they charge $95 per hour. They seemed very willing to give estimates for work, and encourage their customers to stay with the technician while he does a thorough going over of the car once its on the lift.
Their specialty seems to be performance work, and while they're glad to do routine maintenance, they really seemed to get excited about working with superchargers, turbos, and anything that would result in more power, as well as better handling.
Their plans are to increase their focus on MINIs, and they intend to begin stocking some of the more popular performance mods, like pulleys, swaybars, etc. And they would probably be glad to get and install anything their customers wanted.
They also hold tech days and DIY days for local clubs, and seemed quite willing to include us. How many other shops are?
Something that Payton mentioned is that some dealerships actually bump the flat rate on some jobs, so even though a job might be listed for X hours, some dealerships and shops actually charge 1.5 X. These guys don't. So it sounds like if anyone is planning to get some work done, it would really pay to give these folks a chance.
If you're looking for an alternative, stop by and visit with these guys. See for yourself.
The place is CLEAN. The shop floors were clean. The bathroom was immaculate. Their offices were reasonably neat and clean. The customer waiting area is HUGE, comfortable and, you guessed it, clean.
Something that sets these guys apart from most shops is that the mechanics are not paid by the job, but are paid hourly. That means they don't have to cut corners on jobs to make their income. And it also means they help each other out. We watched several of their techs working together on a car. How often will you see that at one of the big three dealerships? Not often, I'll wager.
The shop does use flat rate to estimate jobs, and I believe they charge $95 per hour. They seemed very willing to give estimates for work, and encourage their customers to stay with the technician while he does a thorough going over of the car once its on the lift.
Their specialty seems to be performance work, and while they're glad to do routine maintenance, they really seemed to get excited about working with superchargers, turbos, and anything that would result in more power, as well as better handling.
Their plans are to increase their focus on MINIs, and they intend to begin stocking some of the more popular performance mods, like pulleys, swaybars, etc. And they would probably be glad to get and install anything their customers wanted.
They also hold tech days and DIY days for local clubs, and seemed quite willing to include us. How many other shops are?
Something that Payton mentioned is that some dealerships actually bump the flat rate on some jobs, so even though a job might be listed for X hours, some dealerships and shops actually charge 1.5 X. These guys don't. So it sounds like if anyone is planning to get some work done, it would really pay to give these folks a chance.
If you're looking for an alternative, stop by and visit with these guys. See for yourself.
Your impressions are spot on. I'll let everyone know how it goes if I end up getting my coilovers installed there.
Motorholic
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 396
Likes: 0
From: Alexandria, VA
Great place! We were met by the owner, Walid, who spent some time with us and made a point of making us feel welcome (there were four of us). He introduced us to Payton, their salesman (they also sell performance cars, and have a business of buying cars for customers on spec), who spent a lot of time with us answering our questions and sharing his considerable knowledge.
The place is CLEAN. The shop floors were clean. The bathroom was immaculate. Their offices were reasonably neat and clean. The customer waiting area is HUGE, comfortable and, you guessed it, clean.
Something that sets these guys apart from most shops is that the mechanics are not paid by the job, but are paid hourly. That means they don't have to cut corners on jobs to make their income. And it also means they help each other out. We watched several of their techs working together on a car. How often will you see that at one of the big three dealerships? Not often, I'll wager.
The shop does use flat rate to estimate jobs, and I believe they charge $95 per hour. They seemed very willing to give estimates for work, and encourage their customers to stay with the technician while he does a thorough going over of the car once its on the lift.
Their specialty seems to be performance work, and while they're glad to do routine maintenance, they really seemed to get excited about working with superchargers, turbos, and anything that would result in more power, as well as better handling.
Their plans are to increase their focus on MINIs, and they intend to begin stocking some of the more popular performance mods, like pulleys, swaybars, etc. And they would probably be glad to get and install anything their customers wanted.
They also hold tech days and DIY days for local clubs, and seemed quite willing to include us. How many other shops are?
Something that Payton mentioned is that some dealerships actually bump the flat rate on some jobs, so even though a job might be listed for X hours, some dealerships and shops actually charge 1.5 X. These guys don't. So it sounds like if anyone is planning to get some work done, it would really pay to give these folks a chance.
If you're looking for an alternative, stop by and visit with these guys. See for yourself.
The place is CLEAN. The shop floors were clean. The bathroom was immaculate. Their offices were reasonably neat and clean. The customer waiting area is HUGE, comfortable and, you guessed it, clean.
Something that sets these guys apart from most shops is that the mechanics are not paid by the job, but are paid hourly. That means they don't have to cut corners on jobs to make their income. And it also means they help each other out. We watched several of their techs working together on a car. How often will you see that at one of the big three dealerships? Not often, I'll wager.
The shop does use flat rate to estimate jobs, and I believe they charge $95 per hour. They seemed very willing to give estimates for work, and encourage their customers to stay with the technician while he does a thorough going over of the car once its on the lift.
Their specialty seems to be performance work, and while they're glad to do routine maintenance, they really seemed to get excited about working with superchargers, turbos, and anything that would result in more power, as well as better handling.
Their plans are to increase their focus on MINIs, and they intend to begin stocking some of the more popular performance mods, like pulleys, swaybars, etc. And they would probably be glad to get and install anything their customers wanted.
They also hold tech days and DIY days for local clubs, and seemed quite willing to include us. How many other shops are?
Something that Payton mentioned is that some dealerships actually bump the flat rate on some jobs, so even though a job might be listed for X hours, some dealerships and shops actually charge 1.5 X. These guys don't. So it sounds like if anyone is planning to get some work done, it would really pay to give these folks a chance.
If you're looking for an alternative, stop by and visit with these guys. See for yourself.
Thanks again!