Mpire Automotive, LLC

08/09/2023

Mpire Automotive, LLC is currently closed for our annual summer break. We will reopen for normal business hours on Monday, August 14th. Sorry for any inconvenience, but we’ll see you when we get back!

07/06/2023

Another one…

A 535i came in the other day with a Drivetrain Malfunction warning and Check Engine Light. Oil change was done recently at a Valvoline and had a VANOS control fault (camshaft stuck) stored. First thing checked was the oil filter cap, and sure enough…oil filter cap was missing it’s center cage (VERY bad). Whoever did the oil change likely had NO EXPERIENCE with BMW’s and probably threw out the center cage of the oil filter cap when it inadvertently got unclipped from the oil filter cap, thinking it was part of the filter. Problem is, the center cage of the cap has an o-ring that seals into the bottom of the oil filter housing that is responsible for sending oil pressure to the cylinder head. A missing center cage (or even just a missing o-ring from the center cage) causes low oil pressure inside of the engine, which is VERY bad for the engine. Since the VANOS system is driven by oil pressure, this triggered the VANOS fault. Luckily for this customer, replacing the oil filter cap seems to have corrected the issue without additional damage being done.

This is actually the 4th or 5th car that we have seen in the past year, that developed issues after having a quick-change oil change done (Valvoline, Jiffy L**e, etc.). In every case, the oil filter cap center cage was found to be missing in the same fashion, but the damage done ranged from triggering VANOS faults like this one, to causing the engine to completely seize due to oil starvation at the connecting rod bearings, requiring a complete engine replacement!

To all BMW owners: do yourself and your car a favor and ONLY have it worked on (even for a “simple” oil change!) by people EXPERIENCED with BMW’s.

03/13/2023

Mpire Automotive, LLC will be closed from Monday, March 13th thru Friday, March 17th. Our apologies for the inconvenience, but we will reopen for normal business hours on Monday, March 20th.

In the meantime, if you need to reach us to make an appointment feel free to DM us here, or email us at [email protected]. Thanks!

02/20/2023

Mpire Automotive, LLC will be closed today, February 20th, in observance of President’s Day. We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, February 21st.

01/16/2023

Mpire Automotive, LLC will be closed on Monday, January 16th in observance of the MLK Holiday. We will be back in the shop tomorrow. See you then!

12/26/2022

Mpire Automotive, LLC will be closed from Friday, December 23rd through to the New Year for our annual Winter Break. We will reopen for regular business hours on Tuesday, January 3rd.

Have a Happy Holidays and a safe New Years celebration. See you next year!

11/08/2022

It’s an E30 kinda day in the shop today…

07/25/2022

Thankfully, no one in the shop came down with COVID and have continued to test negative, so after a safe and prudent self-quarantining period we are back to operating normally again! Our apologies for the delay!

Please note though that, with COVID numbers on the rise again, we are still operating by appointment only so call, message or eMail us today to make an appointment!

07/05/2022

We hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend and was able celebrate our country’s Independence Day safely amongst friends and family.
Unfortunately, over the holiday weekend we have had a possible COVID exposure, and while no one in the shop has currently tested positive for COVID, out of an abundance of caution we will be self-quarantining and suspending operations temporarily. Not scheduling any new appointments or taking in any new cars for at least this entire week, maybe longer. We will resume business as soon as it is safe to do so. Our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

03/15/2022

Mpire Automotive will be closed from Monday, March 14th thru Friday, March 18th for our annual vacation. We will resume normal business hours on Monday, March 21st. In the meantime, feel free to send us a message or email us at [email protected] for an inquiries. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and we’ll see you when we get back!

09/16/2021

08/25/2021

Mpire Automotive, LLC will be closed from Monday, August 23rd thru Friday, August 27th for our annual summer break. We will resume regular operations on Monday, August 30th at 9AM.

Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and we look forward to seeing you when we return!