Review of Munich Auto in Austin, Texas

I was traveling for work, and when I went out to my car on Monday morning it would not start. When trying to start, nothing would happen. I could hear the fuel pump come on and the battery had a full charge, so I suspected the starter. Munich Auto was close to my hotel, and I saw some good online reviews, so I decided to give them a call.

Ray, who I think is the owner, answered the telephone. I told him my predicament, and he told me to get the car to him and it would be fixed by Thursday, which was when I was leaving. He told me that if it was the starter, it would be $670 after parts, labor and tax.

I got the car to him Monday afternoon, and he did a diagnostic on it to make sure no other part of the electrical system was fouling up. They confirmed that it was the starter. They had the car fixed by Tuesday afternoon. Picked up the car on Wednesday morning and the price owed was the price quoted. I was very happy with the service they provided. Would use them again and recommend them to a friend or family member.

FYI - they charge $87 (parts, labor, and tax) for an oil change.

http://www.austinbmwrepair.com/

Damn.

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Is that a good damn or a bad one? I'd be hesitant to to bring a car in on Monday and be told it'd be fixed on Thursday. Did they give you a loaner car or anything?

Just seems like a lot of money to me, as opposed to DIY. That's all.

I thought I read the starters in our cars are a real PITA to change. I might have someone do it for me if mine failed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NorCalZman

I thought I read the starters in our cars are a real PITA to change. I might have someone do it for me if mine failed.

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Joop did it. I figure anyone can.:shifty

DIY was not an option. Car was in a buddy's driveway, which is on the side of a hill. I was in Austin to work, and we working at night after our meeting to prepare for the next day. Yeah, the price was steep, but I knew it was not going to be cheap for the type of repair that was needed.

This could have been much worse. I was driving in from New Orleans the day before, so I could have been stranded at the Texas-Louisiana state line when I stopped to use the restroom. Then I would have missed my meetings, which went quite well.

http://repairpal.com/estimator gives an idea of the cost of some repairs.

For my ZIP code, they have 2 estimates for starter replacement (auto vs manual):
Auto = $609 to $811
Manual = $477 to $643

The lower end of the range is usually an Indy, while the upper end is the dealer.

I understand sometimes (like this case) is not possible to shop around or DIY.