If I recall correctly, they are open Mon through Friday, and are closed on weekends. They do their special events, DIY and tech sessions on weekends, however, and they seemed very willing to do that for us, as well. For regular stuff, plan on M - F. And you'll always want to call ahead for an appointment.

Their number is: 703 544-0015
Website is funktionauto.com

 

They are not open on Saturday (they are happy to do some other events: tech day, open house party, etc. for us on Sat though. )

From what I heard, maintenance and minor repair, a day or two in advance.

Ed, you beat me on this one.

 

Just call me Lightning

 

Thanks, that's what I was afraid of.

 

Sorry I missed meeting up with ya'll but my schedule is killing me....so far my impression of the guys up there is....they are AWESOME!!! Wayne put up with my rambling, Keith came out and checked a few things before they even wrote up my ticket....they worked out my rental car with the quickness...everything said above about the shop is spot on...looks like I found a shop for my Mini (well for things I can't handle myself)..I do my own oil, brakes, plugs/wires...blah blah....they could have sold me a few items on this repair but didn't, fixed only what needed fixing and not a bunch of other stuff.....I'll be picking up the car shortly and I can't wait....no more rolling around with a fire extinguisher in the boot...and no more abs/traction/brake light all lit up in my face....I'll confirm the exact hourly rates later today...

Looks like the guys up at Funktion should be up on your list of honest/quality shops in the NOVA area!!!! Thanks guys!!!!!!!

 

I had sent off an email to Funktion Auto last evening, and got a response this afternoon. And we had a nice email conversation, back and forth, and we were able to set up an appointment for Friday afternoon. Nice and easy.

Why is this impressive? Because most business like this doesn't seem to treat email as a valid form of communication, and when they do, they take their sweet time in responding (at least a day if I'm lucky). I can't seem to get a response (by email or phone) from another shop much closer to my office, and I was able to get an appointment with Funktion a lot sooner than I can at my dealership.

Looking forward to visiting them.

 

So, last Friday I took my Mini to Funktion to have my Cross Coilovers and SPC rear control arms installed and for alignment. As hoped, their customer service and knowledge were impressive to say the least. Without question, I could not be happier.
Wayne, the shop manager was very responsive with all of my emails and questions before the install date. On the day, he was very courteous and took me to Enterprise for a rental and also arranged for the pick-up at the end of the day.
Walid, the owner, has the heart of a racer and a true automobile enthusiast. He is a reformed software engineer and is now dedicated to racing himself and making the best performance shop in the area. He made me feel genuinely welcome and spent a great deal of time chatting with me about his interest in Minis and our community. Originally, I was not sure if he would be interested in Minis as a clientele, since he works mostly with high end exotics, but he was quick to affirm his desire to be the definitive place that Mini owners can trust and bring their cars for all kinds of service, from regular maintenance or performance tuning. As someone has written before, his mechanics are salaried and have no interest in pushing unnecessary work on people. He has recently purchased a used Mini as a project car and may be buying an R56 very soon as well.
The 2nd in command there, and forgive me as I cannot remember his name (Scott?), was also very nice, but I didn't have much time to talk to him. But, I did want to mention that he owns a classic Mini himself which I saw as a good omen.
Steve, I saved for last, because he was a BIG part of why I was happy with my experience. He is the resident suspension and alignment specialist and was increadibly patient, professional, and a perfectionist when it came to getting my alignment right. Steve fielded all of my questions with patience and respect. I spent at least three hours on the shop floor just watching him work and asking question along the way. I felt bad at first, but he was so accommodating that I felt at ease staying by his side and learning during the install. He is apparently very active in SCCA auto-x and supposedly is a top performer there, so I felt very comfortable going with his alignment suggestions and plan to take my car back there for all my future alignment needs. The coilover installation was not an easy one. I can explain why if anyone cares to know. But, he stayed almost an hour and a half beyond closing to get it right.
So, in sum, after two visits and one major suspension swap, I've witnessed great facilities, enthusiasm, honesty, patience, and technical expertise. I'm not sure what else I need in a shop (except maybe a standing discount to all DC Metro Mini members ). 5 Mini Wings out of 5!

 

nice writeup! I can confirm that the install is not an easy one. I did my own at home at the same time you had them do yours at Funktion....there's a fair amount of work involved even though I've done it before. Mine's in, but not 'set up' yet. I gave up at being able to drive the car again....I'll tune it over the coming weeks, then get the alignment.

 

Nice review and very informative.
Thank you so much.

 

Wow, sounds good. It pleases me that there is another shop around that we can trust. Pl4ypl4y, let me know what you think of the coilovers.

 

I got a flyer in the mail from FunKtion auto, and am considering using them for an oil change and tire rotation. I could do them myself but these guys are only 2 minutes from my home. Mini of Sterling wanted $150 for the service. Are these guys any better? Can anyone recommend them?

 

yes

 

Read this thread here:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...light=funktion

I had a very good experience with them and they would love to do regular maintenance for Mini's

 

I thought I heard a rumor that DCMM was working with Funktion Auto to have a "do it yourself day" where they'd let us use their workspace and tools for the very things you've mentioned, QZ. I think they'd even have mechanics on hand to help out.

I don't know where this stands...maybe a more senior member could fill us in. I think they're waiting to see if there's enough interest.

Glenn.

 

Dang it, Larry...you beat me to it!

Thanks for the info.

g.

 

In mid November, we went there to check out the place and very impress in their facility and their staff. Walid, the owner, mention about all kinds of activities that they're more than happy to accomodate to our club and members, including the possibility to arrange the diy day, track prep day or even use their facility for the club meeting in the future.

 

I too got one of those flyers in the mail yesterday.

 

I too got two of those flyers in the mail yesterday

 

I wonder if we were there at the same time--I was there around that time for an oil change (and to check 'em out) and remember seeing a DS MINI that came in with a guy and 1 or 2 children (one of them ran around on the service floor ) Anyway, the people at FunKtion Autos are pretty nice. But do keep in mind that they use a different oil from what MINI use--the oil name escaped me for now, but they did assure that it meets the MINI's standards, and given their interest in high performance cars, I think they know what they're talking about.

I plan to use them for maintenance not covered by MINI, as MoS want plenty of advance notice to make appointments, while FunKtion didn't need much advance notice, not to mention little bit cheaper than MoS.

 

That wasn't me.

I went there with 3 other MINIs. Da Crema, Hypnohealer and PGT. They are no kids.

 

I got one of their flyers too. I'll have to check them out. When's the next meet there?

 

I got one too. How did they get our addresses? Is there anybody working there that worked at MoS?

 

someone used to work there I think. perhaps he downloaded a customer list

 

Thanks everyone for your comments. I think I'll swing buy today and get a price for an oil change and tire rotation.

 

Walid is great! Very nice guy. His shop is tidy, and they have lots of capability to upgrade cars and do regular maintenance. I met him at a private track day in West VA a couple of years ago.