Brookline Jaguar & BMW Service

I have been taking my car to John for years. There is no one I trust more. His pricing is fair and he is great to deal with. He always does a great job.

John seems like a knowledgeable and honest guy at first blush until you get to know him. When I first called him on the phone he sounded confident about his abilities relative to the dealer. On my first visit to him, he charged 2 hours to do a simple fix to the plastic support against my battery because he initially thought it was drained and so spent most of that billed time trying to recharge the battery that didn’t need recharging. My second visit to him was much worse. When he diagnosed a fuel pump failure, I asked if I could bring in my own part. He responded that he doesn’t deal with «aftermarket» crap. Then before informing me what the price of the replacement was, he did it anyway and said it would be $ 600 for parts and labor. When I inquired about what the manufacturer of the pump he installed, he repeatedly dodged the question, saying «it doesn’t matter». After pushing him on an answer and getting him angry, he finally admitted that it was an aftermarket part. I looked up the price online and this «crap» was $ 113, for which he sold to me for 3 times profit! He brags that he has a 2 year warranty on the part but duh, you get the same warranty when buying from the manufacturer. John claims that this situation with me as an upset customer was very rare. But when I picked up my car after the battery died, he mentioned that he had a rough day, that he had a couple of tough customers. What made it really insulting was that he had my car locked up in his garage because he feared that I would run off without paying.
Save yourself a headache and look elsewhere. There are plenty of competent mechanics that can do the same quality job as John for half what he charges, and they don’t blow a fuse when you ask to bring in your own parts. This guy is a loose cannon that should not be in the customer service business, let alone fixing BMW vehicles. He was very impatient, rude and defensive on the phone and in person. He didn’t want to listen because he knew I had good information.

I’ve been coming here for 5 plus years and I’m always really happy with service. I really recommend this place to people in the Boston area.

This is a really frustrating review to write for me as things were going so well.
We are new to the Boston area and were having an issue with our 2011 BMW 328xi. I communicated with John via phone and email and he seemed responsive and eager to help. He even reached out to BMW directly prior to us committing to working with him to get some info on the issue we were experiencing.
He suggested we come in and run a diagnostic check, which we agreed to do. My wife and I both work full time and she rearranged her schedule to come in this morning at 8am. She arrives, John is not there, only another younger person who spends 45 minutes trying to figure out how to hook up the diagnostics machine. He fails, and my wife has wasted her time.
Being new to the area, we are still searching for a shop we can rely on for all of our needs. We had high hopes for Brookline, but will now be going elsewhere.

I have to agree with some of the other posters regarding customer service and general professionalism/​courtesy. I had the unfortunate «pleasure» of meeting the owner in the driveway of Jaguar/​BMW Service as I was dropping by car off to the auto body place next door (World Autobody — could not recommend a better place).
I had never been there before and unknowingly had parked in one of his parking spots — not the auto body’s spots a MERE few feet away. Mind you there were no signs splitting up the lot — nothing indicating that the spots were part of his business. The owner happened to be looking at a car next to mine and as I was getting out of my car, he started yelling at me to «never, ever park there again» and that I needed to move my car immediately. His tone was incredibly angry and verged on threatening.
I was extremely surprised he was so rude for what was an HONEST mistake and let’s be real — NOT a big deal in the scheme of things. I removed my car right away as he WATCHED me re-​park (literally watched the entire time) and then finally returned to whatever he was doing.
He was unnecessarily and incredibly rude — so much that I almost left. Luckily, the auto body place next door is INCREDIBLE and they apologized profusely for what wasn’t even their problem. I’m glad I didn’t leave so they would not lose my business — and I hope they don’t lose anyone else’s, because the employees/​owner at the other auto body place (World Auto Body) were and are INCREDIBLY respectful and courteous. I’d hate to see them lose business due to the owner of BMW/​Jaguar — who feels the need to be an asshole to customers over mistakenly parking in his spots.
Way to make a name for yourself. Unilocalers, take note from a level-​headed customer who appreciates professional courtesy and general respect…

I’ve had really great experiences with John and the rest of the staff here. I find him to be very knowledgable and straightforward about problems with the car (a BMW X3), and realistic about what repairs /​services are truly necessary.

I called BJBS for the first time about a month ago to see if they could do a quickie o/​c on my E39, as I couldn’t leave the car for the day as other dealers/​mechanics ask. The owner, John, was winding things down before taking a week off, but he said he’d get me in. I figured this guy was good right off the bat, as he obviously enjoyed chatting about cars. Before adding new oil, he vacumed out every last bit of old oil from the engine compartment; I’ve never seen this done before. He also did a thorough visual inspection and saw a leak in the dif. He topped off that oil then put the car on his state-​of-​the art troubleshooting scanner to see what problems the car had in the past. When I got the bill, he charged me only for the o/​c. I felt John treated my car as if it was his. I’ll def be back in the future. Thanks.

Sadly my BMW is entering its twilight years so no longer covered by the factory warranty. I found Brookline BMW in my search for non-​dealer, independent BMW service at reasonable rates.
Went to them for a brake fluid flush and was very satisfied with the service I received. Their pricing was as good as if not better than other independent shops I got quotes from and they had me out the door in about an hour. Conveniently, they are around the corner from Starbucks /​Panera so I was able to get some work done while I wait and the guys gave me a call on my cell when the car was ready.
The guys also provided me a tutorial on what I should expect service-​wise over the next few years from my car. Given their experience servicing cars like mine they were able to walk me through what I should expect and if and when big ticket items are likely to come due.
I definitely would go back to them for my future service needs!

I am writing this because my boyfriend won’t sign up for Unilocal.
Anyway, after taking his car to Herb Chambers a few times (so overpriced. you’ll come out with a list of things that never needed to be fixed in the first place!) and then when something went wrong which was not allowing the car to start — we got quoted at hundreds more dollars at other places. Everyone we spoke to there was incredibly helpful and took the time to accurately diagnose the problem. They would also find simple, creative solutions to any problem and they would always be the cheapest. We’ve been twice now and both times were amazing with amazing turn-​around time. My boyfriend is lucky I look on Unilocal!These people are right! :)
BTW — Rob is the one that dealt with the car, both times. He is incredibly friendly and even took the time to explain to me and show me how he fixed the car. (Of course, while I understood it at the time — I don’t drive myself, so re-​explaining it would be difficult,)
I CANNOT recommend this place enough, especially for all I hear about the places that continuously rip people o ff. You should have seen the bill the one time he brought the car to Herb — and probably the last time, ever.
BTW it was a bmw m3 2002 or 2003.

John and staff are straightforward, very fast, and cost effective. Our BMW was 9 years old and needed major maintenance and replacement of numerous items due to just wear and tear– we already knew this. The performance had really diminished over time and it just sounded like pieces were ready to fall off, because they were. Before we saw John we were seriously thinking about selling the car cheap because we didn’t think it would be worth the cost to repair and replace everything needed off warranty. On short notice they worked us into a busy schedule with a garage full of cars. Within minutes they advised me that the car was in good enough shape to keep, and gave a run down of the likely fixes needed. Within one day everything was done, and they got me back on the road with what essentially runs like a new car. They took time to clean the engine bay and make that look like new too. The cost of major maintenance and a bunch of replaced parts was not more than a scheduled dealer maintenance, very reasonable for first rate quality work. My standards for work quality and professionalism are high, and this group exceeded my expectations. I am glad we kept the car, they made the choice to keep it financially sensible and were honest and straightforward to deal with. Highly recommended without qualification, efficient and high quality BMW repair shop!

Today I brought my Jaguar for the 5^th time to BMW — Jaguar in Brookline and again was super happy with the overall package of service quality, price and friendliness of the whole staff. I always can rely on the absolute expert knowledge of the owner and his employees (e.g. when my car ran hot I got the right diagnose from BMW — Jaguar on the phone while another garage needed two days to figure out what was wrong…). Today I was sheduled for replacing the back brakes. I was told to do so a couple of weeks ago by Sullivan tires when changing to winter tires. But instead of simply taking the car in and doing the job for 550 bucks Bmw –Jaguar removed one tire, checked the brakes, told me that they were still good for another 5000 miles, cleaned the brake, put the tire back on and send me home with a small service charge (i also got my wipers replaced). How much more customer focussed and friendly can you be?

I had a brake light out and my coolant level was low. I found Brookline Jaguar & BMW Service online and figured I’d give them a shot, being that my X5 was no longer under warranty. I showed up, and John filled my coolant level and fixed my break light on the spot, AT NO COST. He also vacuumed the leaves out of my engine as a courtesy.
I was impressed at the customer service and plan to come back for years to come. I’d rate this operation 10 stars if i could.

My husband’s review posted below, he won’t sign up for Unilocal :):
Can’t speak for Jaguar, I own a 2000 BMW 3 series. Went through a number of other mechanics and dealer (s) who screwed me over regularly. Discovered John 3 years ago and life is 100% better. He’s not going to smooth talk you like the dealers but gets to the point immediately, tells you exactly what is worth doing or not doing, quotes you a fair price (somewhere between dealer & local gas station mechanic) and then does a fantastic job. If you need hand holding, air-​conditioned lounge, free espresso and a good rogering, go to Herb Chambers; if you need your BMW fixed, go to John.

Great guys who know their BMW’s. They take you into the shop to show you exactly what needs fixing, or what you should keep an eye on. I have shopped around and their prices are way cheaper than dealers, and they have all the tools to get it done right!
I would recommend any BMW owner to check out this shop.

First, if you own a Big Money Waster (BMW) you know that they are expensive to fix and maintain. That being said, I had just returned from the dealer (stealer) who told that my car would require $ 3,000 in repairs. (which included replacing my cabin air filter for $ 250 bucks! what a joke)
After spending only $ 1,000 at the dealer, the car still wouldn’t start. I had my baby towed to the guys at Brookline Jag and BMW. John took great care of my car and took the time to repair it, and not just change out expensive parts.
The guys had my car up and running in short time, and I haven’t had a single problem since. They did say it would require the expensive overhaul, but their estimate was well below what the dealer told me.
These are guys you can trust.

It’s times like this when I wish there was a «zero» star option.
Long story short; a rodent chewed some wires in my engine so I did a quick fix. Rodent returned for 2^nd course so I actually thought I should get the repairs done professionally and plan for extermination after.
The first thing out of the repairman’s mouth was, «How the hell am I supposed to fix that»? Awesome! «Aren’t you the expert»? I ask him. «Well, we don’t work on your type of car that much». Not two minutes later he tells me what a piece of crap my kind of car is. «If they’re that bad, then wouldn’t you be working on them all the time»? His reply was astounding. «When someone brings one in with a problem, we tell them to go somewhere else».
Please take «Jaguar» off your title, or learn how to fix them.

I called Brookline Jaguar and BMW Service last week when my Jaguar X-​Type failed to start on a cold morning. It made some pretty awful sounds that indicated it was something other than just a battery so I wanted to call around before I got it towed.
When I called Brookilne Jaguar and BMW Service, it was immediately apparent that this shop had no interest in fixing my car. The mechanic on the phone started off by trying to convince me that it was probably something in the engine, that «wasn’t worth fixing». So basically, they’re telling me that I should just buy a new car? Not helpful.
Finally, after some prodding and hypothetical questioning, I got them to quote me $ 600 to put in a new starter, but this was followed by the statement, that they «don’t really work on Jaguars anymore, since they see more BMWs.»
Ok, then take «Jaguar» out of the name of your company and stop wasting my time.
If you have a Jag, or any car really, check out Samuel’s Jaguar in Brighton. I called them next, and had far better experience.

Best Boston BMW mechanic! John McClain has been the best mechanic I have ever been to. He is an expert on BMW’s (can’t comment on Jaguar because I do not own one), always explains what he has done so I can understand it, and he has great prices. I have taken my car to the big BMW service centers and they can’t come close to John’s knowledge and honesty. I would recommend him to any BMW owner.

I recently took my car in for service here and the service surpassed my expectations. John and his team were wonderful. You can tell that he really knows these cars and knows what he’s doing. He kept me informed, broke down the time of labor beforehand and explained everything to me. Most places keep everything a total mystery so they can charge you whatever they want in the end.
The service was timely and well done. I also had to get the hood ornament on my car replaced and John was very creative with a solution, and again, cost effective.
When it came time for the bill he went through the breakdown with me and answered any questions I had. He’s a true professional and I would recommend anyone that has a Jaguar or BMW to try him out.
I was taking my car to a Jaguar dealership west of Boston and was very disappointed with the service. I just didn’t trust them and kept getting the feeling like I was being ripped off… probably because I was. The service there was horrible and they charged an insane amount for services that were much simpler then they made them.
Why go to a dealership that charges a crazy markup when you can go to someone who knows these cars very well, saves you money, and does the job right? John has won my business and I look forward to going there for continued service.