FCUK BavAuto! rant

[marko]

holly crap, I do not remember being this disappointed, like ever!

just about a couple years ago I purchased Bavarian Autosport springs & Billstein shocks for my car - and have had them on since then.

Though it looks ok (lowered & all), I always thought the ride generally sucked.. too soft & 'wavy' on some occasions & bottoming out harshly over potholes on other occasions - but I just attributed it to BMWs being tempermental when it came to aftermarket parts (having owned a WV Gti before).

anyway, out of boredom, I called Bav Auto today just to find what other suspension set ups they have for sale (as I'm contemplating coils) - and while on the phone with some clown I asked if their Bav Auto springs are PROGRESSIVE RATE (which is really a 101 of ANY suspension upgrades - and basically a MUST for lowered vehicles).
Well, guess what, they are NOT! And why, well 'I dont know' says the expert technical advisor, 'thats just how they come from the factory'?! :rolleyes:

WTF? How the fcuk do you sell non-progressive rate performance LOWERING springs & get away with it?? F-ing TOOLS! :confused:
FCUK Bav Auto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bunch of amateurs...:mad:

Silver linning - now, after 2 years of a s*it ride (mostly due to my my pre-assumtion that ALL lowering 'performance' springs are progressive rate - VWs spoiled me) - I FINALLY know why my car fels like S*IT.

DON'T BUY Bavarian Autosport springs for your ti (or anything else, if you can help it)!

end of rant...

[weezer]

Unfortunately, they are generic "sport/lowering" springs outsourced from Taiwan. I worked at Racing Dynamics and saw the shipments came in and they repainted them to match RD colors. Bavauto also sources some of their products from the same manufacturer in Taiwan..........so.....
When it comes to parts like that, I always try to spend the extra $$ for well known brands.
Sorry to hear about your suspension issues. I also cheaped out in the beginning and ended up spending more. I have H&R sport springs and currently Konis up front and Bils in the back. Originally, I got KYB shocks all around............they sucked and the rears blew after 6 months, so spent more on Konis and Bils afterwards.

[mohaughn]

Progressive rate springs are usually used on street cars. True performance springs are not progressive rate. Progressive rate springs give a better ride, not better handling. Linear springs give better/more consistent handling, but may not be the best choice for a daily driver. Of course, cheap linear springs are not going to be as good as a properly engineered suspension using good linear rate springs(vogtland, penske, H&R.)

You can easily look at the springs and tell if they are progressive as the distance between the coils will change..

These fronts are progressive rates springs- http://www.bavauto.com/assets/imglib500/bas_coilovers.jpg

These fronts do not look like progressive rate springs- http://www.bavauto.com//assets/product_images/bas/springs.jpg


The most important thing about a suspension is that it must all work together as a system. For that reason I would recommend buying from a vendor that really knows what they are doing with suspensions. For our cars, that is ground control, or TcKline.

These are tckline, linear rate springs(made by vogtland.) http://www.318ti.org/gallery/data/655/DSCF1138-c.JPG

[CirrusSR22]

When I first bought my I made a couple purchases from BAVAUTO. I was unhappy with them from the start and never went back. They sell a lot of cheap crap and their prices aren't very good either.

I strictly buy from PelicanParts, AutohausAZ, and TischerBMW, although that's for replacement parts not "upgrades"

[the governor]

... VWs spoiled me ...

Amen to that!

[marko]

point taken - you live & you learn, I guess...



[QUOTE=mohaughn;177714]The most important thing about a suspension is that it must all work together as a system. For that reason I would recommend buying from a vendor that really knows what they are doing with suspensions. For our cars, that is ground control, or TcKline.
[QUOTE]

[BMW_Hatchback]

I'm glad this thread popped up. I'm looking for some suspension tips, I need new stuff BADLY. Car still can takes turns at 80 though 8D

[thesk8nmidget]

quality products usually cost a it more but really its worth it sometimes!

[aceyx]

Nearly without exception, it will be cheaper to do it right the first time.

I've not had the best experience with BavAuto either. I know one of the guys is a ti owner (and maybe he's on these boards) but I found his tone both condescending and elitist. Half the reason I buy from a vendor is for their experience and know-how; if I have to fight to get it, or take some snippy tone while receiving that information, I'm taking my money elsewhere.

[tiFreak]

I've actually never had any problems with bavauto either of the times I went down there, I thought the guys behind the counter were pretty polite and helpful, maybe I just got lucky? :confused:

[Philly]

:shakefis: Marko will get you yet bavauto! :shakefis:


on a side note, Hey Fariz (weezer) - Long time no see dude.

[BMW_Hatchback]

I've actually never had any problems with bavauto either of the times I went down there, I thought the guys behind the counter were pretty polite and helpful, maybe I just got lucky? :confused:

Maybe your wife is sexy as heck

[Philly]

Pauly doesn't have enough money to buy a wife just yet...

russianbrides.com - theres some cheap ones on there for ya buddy, as long as you don't mind a little upper lip hair .... beggers can't be choosers.

[tiFreak]

russianbrides.com

holy crap! it's a real site! :eek: oooh... Natalia (http://www.russianbrides.com/asp/page.asp?mode=0&id=4706), I like her :love:

[1996 328ti]

I boycotted BavAuto when they started selling a breath analyzer.

[SDKmann]

Good thing I saw this thread, I would have considered Bav Auto springs before this.

[weezer]

:shakefis: Marko will get you yet bavauto! :shakefis:


on a side note, Hey Fariz (weezer) - Long time no see dude.

Thanks!
Between last July and now..........a whole lot o crap happened.
Got laid off from RD, separated and divorced, went to Indonesia for 3 months, found new job last Feb...........phew.......but thanks. Never lost interest in Bimmers though. Just started AutoX again.

On topic.....thinking of replacing current set up to coilovers and replacing larger rear Stabilizer only. The Ti's factory set-up is understeer.....seeing a lot of that during AutoX-ing....slowing down my times.

[318tifan]

anyone else with similar complaints?
looking to order aftermarket parts this week...
was going to place an order for the bavauto kit....
where else would y'all recommend to shop for parts??

[marko]

dont get their springs - ride is not too good - try H&R.
but billstein shocks are just fine.


anyone else with similar complaints?
looking to order aftermarket parts this week...
was going to place an order for the bavauto kit....
where else would y'all recommend to shop for parts??

[thesk8nmidget]

bimmerbum.com has a good affordable suspension setup

[ATF]

My H&R Sports & Bilstein Sports are nice. I experienced some knocking noise that stills comes back every once in a while, but only when the car gets loaded down..

[aceyx]

bimmerbum.com has a good affordable suspension setup
Always had great service from Ed as well.

[Moose]

glad this came up. I hadn't ordered from them in 6 years...just ordered a set of control arms and they sent me 1 instead of 2. Bastards!!! I'm on the west coast and it was another week to get it. I'm going to intercept the UPS driver today to save time since that's what I'm doing. F**kheads!. They used to send me like 17 catalogs a month and it would stuff my PO Box and leave no room for the real mail. I tried several times to have them stop the madness. No luck!! I just about had to change my name, email and move just to shake em'.
I'll never order another part from them EVER...and those cheezy cheep springs are teh suck. I knew that 10 years ago when one collaped at a track day:mad:on my boss' 323. F' them....

sorry got worked up. I feel better now sigh..

[thesk8nmidget]

hahaha wow! yeah i dont get a lot of catalogs but i do get about one a month

[jtbeemer]

holy crap! it's a real site! :eek: oooh... Natalia (http://www.russianbrides.com/asp/page.asp?mode=0&id=4706), I like her :love:

Wow, that site is ... making me wonder. There is a nest of Russians that live around here, that accent drives me nuts. Plus I'm fascinated by Russian history.

/got to get a better job

[318tifan]

that setup looks identical to the bavauto one??

[elchicano]

So does anyone have the BavAuto coilovers? Hows does it feel. Thinking of getting some for a killer price. Do you guys really think they are worth it if its lower than half the price of what they cost new?

[thesk8nmidget]

the coil over kits they sell are just inserts arent they? seems like a cheap way to stifen the suspension but in return lose the amount of travel the shocks will have.

i say save for a good reputable brand!

[elchicano]

yeah thats what i was thinking. damn you josh for telling me what i didn't want to hear.:biggrin: So yea i guess i'll bail on the BavAuto coilovers and look for something else.

[NHskibm]

This thread has popped up on almost every BMW board I have visited - and the list is LONG.

I live about 15 min. from Bav. I usually deal with Mike or Ian, but know the rest of the guys from management to shipping (not the owners however).

I'll tell you that I don't shop there because of their parts, but because of their service - although some of the guys I don't know see a bit 'interesting' with their customer service.

My chief complaint about Bav is the unpredictability. Over the 7 cars I've had in the last 5 years (all modded) I have found that depending on the part you really have a shot at getting 3 different 'levels'.

Level 1 - OE - this is BMW stamped factory replacement
Level 2 - OEM - non BMW stamped manufacturer replacement
Level 3 - Aftermarket - china.

When I order parts for rebuilding a car I always ask to see the parts or ask Ian or Mike to look at them to make sure I'm getting the right part. Now for OE or OEM their prices are hands down the BEST one can get without "contacts" in the industry.

Per their 'performance' parts. It is something they don't really focus on. Sure you can get Bilstein PSS9's (and they cost me $1300 for an E46 saving $300 over the next guy) but for the most part their selection differes from Turner and the other more race friendly parts suppliers.

As far as their springs go - they are NOT a sport spring. They are a 'lowering performance spring'. Translater they will only LOWER your car not STIFFEN it. If you want a stiffer ride you need to buy a different spring. If you read the literature they have on their site it explicitly says - better handling through lowering.

Bav does a great job of marketing their cheap lowering springs and people don't read closely what they are buying.

I own one set of bav springs - for an E30. I haven't put them in yet. I'm not 100% sure I'm going to either. But we'll see. ALL of my cars usually have Bilstein/H+R combos and although I don't get along with them I get the parts from Turner (also 15 min. from my house).

For those that have had bad experiences with Bav I must say that sucks. You must just get the wrong guys on the phone. Just call and ask for Ian, tell him Howard recommended him and I think you'll be happy. Oh! And make sure you go in loaded with the right questions to ask!

For the record I have been sold the WRONG springs from Turner as well for my E30 iX. Blew the struts. Can prove they were wrong and Turner won't admit to it and give a simple "sorry". I wasn't even looking for money. Just an apology.

[bullmand]

I've bought a few things from Bav Auto over the years and I've never had any issues with them. They have the best prices on the 'net for the Bilsteins when they go on sale (every June?) and they just hooked up a friend of mine who bought the Bilstein Sports while they were on sale. He didn't get springs but when we changed the shocks we discovered one of his stock springs was broken. He called them up and the sold him the springs at the package price and shipped them for free. I think the problem that hardcore BMW enthusiasts run into with Bav Auto is that they are for what I'll call casual enthusiasts. They carry pretty much everything for the guy that isn't really a car guy but wants some toys for his car. They put out a nice, shiny catalog and make it easy. I can't blame them for filling a market niche. My .02.

[Tyler]

I've actually never had any problems with bavauto either of the times I went down there, I thought the guys behind the counter were pretty polite and helpful, maybe I just got lucky? :confused:

I buy pretty much 90% of my parts from bavauto and never had a problem. There prices are good imo compared to other sites and it everything gets here within 24hrs of purchase. Just bought my shocks from them last month.

[aceyx]

I'll tell you that I don't shop there because of their parts, but because of their service - although some of the guys I don't know see a bit 'interesting' with their customer service.
I agree completely and am willing to spend 20% more for expertise.

However, the last time I was handled over the phone was deplorable:
My dilemma was that I needed rear shocks to pass inspection. I wanted to upgrade but had to budget elsewhere at the time so I asked if it was a big problem to do Bilstein HD in the back and leave the fronts stock for 3 months.

The guy is a ti owner and said that it was wiser to do all four. I agreed, but asked if it would be dangerous to do just the rear. He repeated what he'd said earlier (and I don't blame him because I understand liability). I mentioned that I have another car if it's an issue and just to order the Bilsteins.

I paid for overnight or 2day shipping, drove the box 1 hour down to the garage where my car was on a lift and opened it up: Sachs units.

Now, I'm all for people helping me make decisions based on their knowledge but do not make it for me--let me agree with you or allow me to make a dumb decision elsewhere. It also sucked because he knew I was in a bind for time and wasted some of it for me.

They fixed it as best they could, shipping out the proper units with free shipping but the first phone conversation and experience soured it for me. He spoke down to me like I was an idiot and that his car was better than mine. Sorry, but I have too many expensive hobbies to put a great deal of cash into my DD and I was hoping someone had specific experience with the problem. I can weld, have done most of the maintenance on both my cars and motorcycles since I was 18, and have a degree from a top-tier school.

Needless to say, I bought the fronts from Phil who was a breeze to work with.

[VROOMCP]

BavAuto sucks. Long story short... Some clown stole my credit card info!!!!

[NHskibm]

I agree completely and am willing to spend 20% more for expertise.

However, the last time I was handled over the phone was deplorable:
My dilemma was that I needed rear shocks to pass inspection. I wanted to upgrade but had to budget elsewhere at the time so I asked if it was a big problem to do Bilstein HD in the back and leave the fronts stock for 3 months.

The guy is a ti owner and said that it was wiser to do all four. I agreed, but asked if it would be dangerous to do just the rear. He repeated what he'd said earlier (and I don't blame him because I understand liability). I mentioned that I have another car if it's an issue and just to order the Bilsteins.

I paid for overnight or 2day shipping, drove the box 1 hour down to the garage where my car was on a lift and opened it up: Sachs units.

Now, I'm all for people helping me make decisions based on their knowledge but do not make it for me--let me agree with you or allow me to make a dumb decision elsewhere. It also sucked because he knew I was in a bind for time and wasted some of it for me.

They fixed it as best they could, shipping out the proper units with free shipping but the first phone conversation and experience soured it for me. He spoke down to me like I was an idiot and that his car was better than mine. Sorry, but I have too many expensive hobbies to put a great deal of cash into my DD and I was hoping someone had specific experience with the problem. I can weld, have done most of the maintenance on both my cars and motorcycles since I was 18, and have a degree from a top-tier school.

Needless to say, I bought the fronts from Phil who was a breeze to work with.

what kills me is that while Bav has some GREAT people working there, they also have some crappy people working there. I guess this is the case at all parts places - at least in my area.

Some guys love their jobs and take pride in it, some don't.

Unfortunately for Bav they are a call based store and you never know who you are going to get - unless you know who you want to talk to and dial their extension. I'm lucky enough to know Ian Nersesian (iann@bavauto.com) and exclusively order from him - via e-mail mostly. We shoot back diagrams from Real OEM and ETK and talk things through for some of my more 'interesting' projects.

But there are some guys who just don't get it. And they usually don't last long. And I don't know of anyone there that has a ti... And I know most of the cars owned and who they are owned by...

Sorry that you experienced what you experienced... Good reason not to go back... Or at least Strike One.

BavAuto sucks. Long story short... Some clown stole my credit card info!!!!

That has to do with an individual. A bad hire. I love comments like this on these forums. Was it proven that someone there stole it? Were you able to properly show Bav that one of their employees lifted it? If so what did they do? If you had proof beyond a reasonable doubt that their employee lifted your CC number and they did nothing to compensate you for your troubles, then yes, they suck (i.e. management).

If this is a classic pointing of the finger and you suspect it and they did nothing then I can't see how you could be angry at them. As a business owner you can't take the 'word' of someone over your employee(s). I would want proof as a business owner and then with that proof I would immediately fire the employee and call my legal friends to start the prosecution process as I wouldn't want word getting out that my staff stole CC numbers and I did nothing.

But to spread that word with "long story short" and not back it up makes you as bad a consumer as you claim them to be a vendor.

Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying it didn't happen, or it couldn't happen, or that it did and they did nothing. But here is a BMW forum that if those at Bav knew about (and no one does until I pointed the site out) they may advertise on (they advertise on E30tech.com). As a BMW community supportor don't they deserve the right for someone to eloquently justify their bad experience? To correct it?

Sorry for my long "rant" but the annonymity of the internet doesn't give you the right to say things that in conversation in person you would be made to justify.

[M-technik-3]

I like BAV as well, great customer support. Treat me with respect and tell me what's up with an order if it gets back logged as well.

Don't like there Shipping rates so I use them for certain items only and sale items. I use many shops thou and buy quality parts. Pays for them to last twice as long and for a company to stand behind what they sell. Heck BAV warrantied my Ex's Sach's when theu blew out on her Vert thanks to the wonderful DC roads. It now rides on Billie sports.