Anybody got any recommendations for a good independent Mini service place on the west side of LA? Just got raped on replacing front brakes at Long Beach Mini (where I bought the car). Though I've not had any problems with their work in the past I'd prefer to find someone closer to Santa Monica now that my '04 S is 6 mos. out of warranty.

 

if your just talking about pads, why not do it yourself?

 

Already had the work done. It was front rotors, pads, sensors. Just trying to think about future repair needs. Only went to the dealer cause I didn't do any homework on independent options...silly me!

 

i'm in west LA also and i still haven't found the shop i liked. i've been to steve's performance auto in north hills (north of 405 on 101) and it was ok. i did meet steve and he was very nice, but the shop wasn't terribly spectacular. there's also the m shop in eagle rock and minicorsa in van nuys that i might check out in the future. i've also been to south bay mini and i think they're great, they set up a video game and movie for me while i waited and even offered to buy me soda and sandwich and i picked up tons of free literature, but i paid dealer prices when it was all over. i'm spoiled 'cuz i came from an RX-7 and i had 2 really awesome shops for those cars. still looking for mini...

 

I am on the Westside also,it sucks,Give Danny a call at Mini Corsa in Van Nuys ( 818-994-0338),he did a lot of suspension work for me and installed all of my Alta stuff...Great kid ,good mechanic,fair prices and fast.He has the passion to do it right and fair.. He races his own car and won't sell you anything you don't need...Steve's is a joke,he screwed me around for almost two weeks on some parts....

 

Thanks for the input. It kind of blows me away that given the amount of Minis I see zipping around the Westside that there isn't an obvious "Mini-centric" repair option hereabouts. The car has been my daily driver for 3+ years with only minor maintenance issues and has a bit less than 22K miles on it. It's basically stock, and has never seen a track day. Was a bit shocked that they said new rotors were required. I don't drive it nearly as hard as some I've seen. I'm hesitant to cry "rip-off" but I wish I'd priced out some options before getting the service done.

 

I am more surprised there is not a Mini dealer per say on the west side,although the folks at Alexander were great to deal with when I bought the car.Maybe somebody will catch on and open a shop in near future,especially with all the cute ladies putting aound in their Mini's....but in any case give Danny a call if you need any help,he'll get the job done for you....Take care