Three e30 nuts set up a shop one day...

[thealbert]

I'd be interested to see pictures of that. I have a glass moonroof as well but it's simply a replacement for the stock steel panel, and an independent sliding headliner piece made from the stock one. I wasn't aware there was a second type.

Oops, sounds like I made a mistake. Apparently Manolet just told me that on his E30, the moonroof was actually original from the factory. It was just a rare option one could choose when purchasing their E30 straight from the factory. I'll try get more details/pictures and post them so you guys can see. I honestly didn't know it was a rare factory option! Learn something new everyday!

[Kershaw]

a rolls pulled in randomly after 2 months of opening?

congrats. looks like you'll be pulling in the high class clientele. money appreciates good things.

[Mlarsen]

I think a big thing a lot of shops overlook is lighting. You guys got it right.

[bernzpeed]

Welcome you guys. Nice to catch you on here. I seldom visit the BMW forum for PI coz there's too much monopoly there. But glad u decided to join us.

Beautiful shop man, only thing I would do differently is the glass windows into the shop. Nobody likes to have people watching them while they work, and customers don't want to see what goes on in shops

transparency... is good for both the customers and the shop owner. customers can see how they work and will earn more trust.

I think a big thing a lot of shops overlook is lighting. You guys got it right.

[ethrtyiS]

absolutely incredible. you are definitely winning. have to get you some shirts to showcase. ;)

[Mr. Burns]

Unreal!

that's not a shop, that's an experience!

Good job guys!

outta curiosity, are you performing mostly maintanance, or do you dive right into custom fab work like boost setups, engine swaps and the like?

[thealbert]

Unreal!

that's not a shop, that's an experience!

Good job guys!

outta curiosity, are you performing mostly maintanance, or do you dive right into custom fab work like boost setups, engine swaps and the like?

Hahaha, thanks! Well, it's always been a dream for us and we feel very lucky that we get the opportunity to live in it!

In general, we primarily offer services in:
- Original and Replacement Automotive Parts
- Automotive Repairs, Maintenance and Services
- Computer / ECU Diagnosis and Repair
- Automotive Detailing
- Accessories and Performance Parts
- Automotive Lifestyle Products

We currently don't have a dyno so we're not really working on boost setups just yet and we also don't do any paint or any major body work that requires painting. Though all these are in the plans for the future.

However, we can do custom mechanical work like engine swaps, transmission swaps, bolt on modifications that don't require any dyno tuning, etc. Those are no problem.

We will soon be working on a automatic tranny to manual swap on my E30 325is actually. I'll be sure to post pictures on that. :)

[robrez]

@leegf:

as promised, a few more pics of manoletr01's (aka "the boss") car:

Definitely a "boss's" car right there.

When I retire in the PI, I'm bringing my e30s and taking them to you guys for service.

[robrez]

Thanks! Where did you see the build thread? I don't think I've ever posted anything about it yet here on R3V limited. I was waiting for the car to be totally done before I post anything about it. I'm currently working on a auto to manual tranny swap right now. :)

A link was posted here

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=212638&highlight=philippines

[SSE30]

Gorgeous shop. Best of luck to you with your business.

[thealbert]

A link was posted here

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/show...ht=philippines

Holly cow! I didn't even know about this! That's awesome! I didn't know people outside of our club were following it! What an honor. And yes, now you know just how nuts we are for E30s and how it led from BMW nutter to ARC Automotive service center that services BMWs! hahaha

[thealbert]

Welcome you guys. Nice to catch you on here. I seldom visit the BMW forum for PI coz there's too much monopoly there. But glad u decided to join us.

Hey Bernzpeed! Nice to see a familiar name over here and thanks for the warm welcome. I think the BMW forum for the Philippines may seem like a monopoly cause there's really just not enough supply of suppliers over there. This is primarily due to the demand being much smaller. Especially when compared to markets like the USA or Europe. The number of active members of the BMW Car Club Philippines is just 100. That's microscopic compared to the markets in USA. I know you used to work for Volvo. A simple comparison, how many Volvo dealers are there in the Philippines compared to the USA? On that same note, there are only 3 BMW dealers in Manila and only 5 BMW dealers in the entire country. From what I can remember during my last visit to Los Angeles, there were already 6 BMW dealers within the greater Los Angeles area and it's vicinity alone! Not to mention, I am completely jealous on how much cars are in the USA. In 2007, my brandnew 2007 E90 325i at the time cost me 90,000 usd in the Philippines! And to think that's just a 325i, bottom of the barrel that you can buy in the USA in 2007. In fact, from what I know, the 325i isn't even offered anymore in the USA and it was the 328i that was the entry level 3 series. Not to mention, prices have gone up over here since 2007! In fact, they don't even offer the 325i anymore since sales were just too low and the highest 3 series you can buy off the lot is a 320d for the same price. The typical 3 series variants you can get are the 316i, 318i and 320d. You can order a 335i but you REALLY don't want to know how much that one costs, trust me! With figures like that, no wonder supply is short! Darn those import taxes!

When I retire in the PI, I'm bringing my e30s and taking them to you guys for service.

We'll be here when you need us! :)

[pilotskillse30]

No worries buddy, I totally understand where you're coming from. I believe this could be a car culture difference of shops in other parts of the world over car shops here. I've seen many shops in the USA where clients aren't allowed to go near the shop floor and they really can't see what's happening behind it's closed doors. Over here in the Philippines, it's sadly fairly common for shady business to happen behind closed doors of car shop floors. Unethical mechanics would sometimes swap parts from customer cars, play around in with their radios, purposely damage parts so clients will be forced to pay for more repairs, etc. Believe me, I've had this happen to myself on many occasions in the past in many shops.

So when my partners and I decided to open our own shop, we figured the best way to combat this problem is to offer transparency. Transparency with our clients where they can see our mechanics work on their cars to give them the peace of mind that we're taking good care of their cars. This also gives the opportunity for clients to see their cars being worked on and whats happening without them having to get close to the cars. Client's getting up close and personal to their cars and the shop floor also is a very common occurrence with car shops here, especially among enthusiast car owners where they really consider their cars as their "babies".

True this transparency doesn't give us much wiggle room from the shop's end to make any mistakes, etc but it's a trade off that we find is well worth it, well received with our clients and set us apart from the other regular shops in town. Furthermore, the open transparency policy forces us to make sure we make less mistakes on our work, keeps our mechanics on their toes and thus leads to better quality throughout the board for the customer. Better quality translates to less mistakes, which means happier customer and in the end, makes us happier as well. So for us, we see it a win win for everyone. :)

agreed

[Tron]

Awesome looking shop very professional!

[fporro]

Ten thumbs up 'cus that's all I got :)