I have a solid BMW guy where I live in NY but commuting to New Haven now makes that situation…read morenearly impossible so I faced the music that finding someone here made much more sense. Alas, I embarked on a deep dive into researching BMW experts in the area. Though I was skeptical of going to a mechanic who is also a dealer for reasons one may conjure on their own, Carhavn had the strongest reviews by far and seemingly very transparent practices.
The first time I dropped of my beautiful 325xi wagon, I started off by proactively pontificating that I would never sell it, so not even to bother trying to sell me into something newer or attempt to buy my low mileage, sea-foam green beauty off of me. Ramiro is a funny, kind, straightforward and very thoughtful guy who I could tell immediately upon meeting that he could handle not only me (um, handful) but my many questions and the needs of my older car. He approaches consultation with excellent transparency and communication. Even more importantly, for a woman by herself in a new mechanic's shop, I never once felt mansplained to (ladies, you will know that this is very important). Ramiro listens and clearly joys in educating people about their cars and how to have a lasting relationship with them. He is the owner and from what I can tell, does not do the actual repairs, and on one occasion where I called to say "hey this thing has suddenly stopped working" he went and asked his guys, came right back and said "try doing this" and viola, the problem fixed itself without me having to bring it in (or pay anything). That's major.
When I first read the Yelp reviews, I thought that getting photos of the parts and job while work was being done sounded maybe like a bit of overkill, but I'm just a born skeptic... I will tell you that to be on the receiving end of that kind of service has been remarkably comforting, which was unexpected. Especially for my partner who is 80 miles away and usually very involved in the maintenance of our vehicles. I love my car and as driving is such a part of my daily life and I want to keep her healthy, strong on the road for years to come; I definitely have an ally in Ramiro. Lastly, the one time I really got stuck, on the 6th floor of my parking garage two Friday evenings ago, I reached out to Ramiro (to whine, and) to tell him I'd be having the car towed in. He not only responded to me, but called my phone, after hours, to ask about what was happening, to learn what the AAA battery assessment report said, and offered that it sounded fuel related rather than battery, alternator, starter, etc. He checked back with me through the evening as he knew I was by myself, and offered to help how he could... ABOVE AND BEYOND, people. And, it did indeed turn out to be the fuel pump. I'm sure Ramiro didn't want to be doing that on a Friday evening (and maybe I shouldn't be telling others that he did, ha), but this cemented that I was clearly dealing with a business who cares genuinely not only about my satisfaction as a customer, but for my wellbeing as a human person.
After having my car serviced by Carhavn on now three occasions (two preventative maintenance jobs, plus the fuel pump), I will attest 100% that Ramiro is an honest business owner with great integrity and a deep, genuine love for European cars and building trust with his clientele. His wife is amazing and I love seeing her warm smile when I come in, too. They can certainly be trusted to do an excellent job with your car; using the best parts they can get their hands on, giving an accurate estimate on cost always (and even a Yale employee discount! Thanks!), delivering within the timeframe promised and they even have a loaner vehicle for pre-planned, all day jobs.
Don't even think twice about bringing your car to this business.
