BMW Repair Portland
MINI Repair Portland

We celebrate our 26th Anniversary in business and 20th under my ownership. These are milestones worth mentioning for at least a couple of reasons. First of all, 26 years ago there were not many professional alternatives to the dealer when it came to BMW service. There was a guy working out of his home’s garage with no waiting room, for example. There was room to offer the Portland BMW community something better, and that’s what Cathy started, a nice BMW-only shop. When I acquired Pacific Motorsports in 2002, I took her concept of A Higher Standard of Service and elevated it. What began as an offering for those BMW owners seeking to avoid dealership pricing and treatment, yet get something more than “greasemonkey” levels of service has evolved. It has since been refined to incorporate “high touch” levels of friendly casual service at the front, with “higher tech” levels of technical expertise and ... read more

With the world's attention focused on Glasgow, Scotland, and COP26, it seems appropriate to review what part we're trying to play in reducing our environmental impact here at Pacific Motorsports. First Business in Portland with Renewable Power When we acquired our building and relocated to our present location in 2004 in PGE’s service area from Pacific Power’s, we requested that our electricity come from 100% renewable power. Their response was that the reason I had it at my house was that it was only available for residential customers, that there was no such program for businesses. Our response, “You know you’re going to have a renewable power program for businesses someday, so why don’t you tell the higher-ups that there’s someone on Powell Boulevard that wants it now. Put it together and we’ll be your first client.” Six weeks later the ... read more

We are, by nature, an open, friendly and sociable bunch here at Pacific Motorsports, and this last year and a half has challenged us in that regard. We'd prefer to focus on the positive, though, such as this being our 25th Anniversary. This gives us an opportunity to reflect on where we've come from and what we've been through, especially over these more recent times, and for the relationships we've managed to forge over this time. I say all the time, "We have the coolest clients!" and we all nod in agreement. You have made this all possible, thank you for the opportunity to reach this milestone, and with such  kindness. We appreciate each and every one of you

The latest Hankook Tire Gauge Index survey results released in the last 60 days indicate that American drivers continue to neglect the maintenance of their vehicles. Specifically, they’re not checking their vehicles’ basic fluids, like oil and coolant, nor tire pressures; simple things that most people can perform themselves. Since not every car has indicators for oil and coolant (whether warning lights for low level or gauges for temperature), it is quite easy to overlook the early signs of fluid consumption or leakage. As a result, we often see vehicles towed in from overheating due to low coolant here at Pacific Motorsports. If you don’t know what to look for on your BMW or MINI in this regard, please ask, we’d be happy to show you how to perform these basic checks. This way you may be less likely to make “unplanned visits” to see us. Our preference here at Pacific Motorsports is towards preventive maintenance, rather than breakdown repair for ... read more

Many of us have increased gratitude for our cars since the beginning of the pandemic. We have always used them as “escape pods” and that is one of the many reasons we romanticize them. They allow us to literally flee our normal lives. Who hasn’t burned rubber leaving work, after all? Besides the obvious romantic connotations associated with the automobile, they are also a place of solitary refuge. Seventy-three percent of respondents to a TrueCar survey admitted to using their cars to get some alone time away from those they live with during the pandemic. And you don’t have to be a traveling salesperson or road warrior to have used your car for business, as 37% used theirs for business or personal calls and 32% as an “office”. Confined during various degree of “lock down”, even with those we love, can sometimes be, well, confining. Seventy-two percent of respondents admitted to using their cars for “me time” as a way of dea ... read more

Last summer we wrote about used car prices bucking historical trends and holding steady, and even increasing, during the traditional summer pricing downturn. Now, with an entire year’s worth of data available, an even larger Covid-driven trend is being revealed regarding car prices for both the used and new markets. First, manufacturers began to stop making as many lower profit smaller cars, focusing instead on higher margin trucks and SUVs. This pushed shoppers in that segment to the used market, as their options narrowed, increasing demand. Then Covid hit, forcing factory shutdowns worldwide, limiting availability of new product (3.3 million fewer units in the US alone manufactured in 2020), reducing new car sales and trade-ins and creating further upward pressure on both new and used vehicle prices. Ad ... read more

It’s peak frosted windshield season for us here in the Pacific Northwest and safe driving and peace of mind depend on a clear view forward. Utilizing the defrost button is usually enough to accomplish the job, but sometimes it may not be enough, particularly in colder and/or wetter conditions. Modern cars with integrated climate control, where you can set the cabin temperature at a specific setting, say 72 degrees, utilize both the heat and air conditioning as needed. This makes it easier, and faster, to clear the windshield. One of the reasons for this is the simultaneous use of the air conditioning’s drying feature. Air conditioning removes moisture from the air, as you may have noticed from that puddle of water under your parked car when using it in the summer, or from being dripped on walking under an old window unit hanging out over the sidewalk. You needn’t be concerned with the air ... read more

We are thankful, grateful and appreciative for each and every one of you, now more than ever, this year. The shared experience of “hunkering down” and “being in this together” emphasize to us that we are in a community, and that the more confined our circle gets, the more we miss each other. And when we finally see each other the flicker of recognition in our eyes, head and hearts is often delayed or subdued because one of our primary means of intra-species recognition has been reduced. However, cover we must, for the individual and common good. This, too, shall pass, and we look forward to seeing you all, in your most recognizable form, soon. Best wishes for a safe holiday season and a vastly improved (on every scale imaginable) 2021.  

At Pacific Motorsports our orientation has always been towards the health and safety of our clients and employees. To that end we engage in the most prudent Best Practices possible. We have been, and are continuing to, maintain all contact with clients, vendors and our co-workers at an appropriate distance. We have also adopted scheduling procedures that can be conducted via telephone, from initial appointment setting through to final payment.  We request that all vehicles be dropped off outside our front door under the awning, so that we may be aware of your arrival and see you both. Please leave the keys in the car, give us a wave, and we will retrieve the vehicle upon your departure. Our vehicle cleaning procedures have escalated to include immediate disinfection of high touch surfaces such as keys, door handles, steering wheels, shift knobs, emergency/parking brake handles, etc. using Oxivir TB*.  Our technicians who service and drive yo ... read more

A long-time client shared the analysis of the oil in their BMW 328d after their last oil service here at Pacific Motorsports. The column to the right of the Averages column, where the heading is 24,791 miles and the date is 5/19/2020 is with a known quality Brand X diesel motor oil that was in the car when he bought it. The column to the left, dated 9/28/2020 is the Total Rubia Optima 1100 we installed at that mileage and replaced again at 30,800 miles. As the laboratory reports, the Total motor oil sampled is lower than average, and the previous oil, in the quantity of "undesirable" metals (the ones that indicate engine wear, as they are the metals of which the engine is made) and higher in the desirable ones used as friction reducing additives ( ... read more