BMW Repair Portland
MINI Repair Portland

We received a call recently asking if we did emissions work on older cars, and, of course, we said yes because we do. This new client brought in her car, an immaculate 160,000 mile e46 325iX five-speed that she had custom ordered from BMW in 2002, and told her story. She had had it serviced exclusively at BMW dealers until this visit when it remained unrepaired after multiple attempts.  After we fixed it, took it through our state’s emission test, and presented the certificate to her, the reason why we were successful with the repair here at Pacific Motorsports became clear. At Pacific Motorsports our three factory-trained Master Technicians have been educated on models back to the late 1970s, and have worked on all of them since. This “seasoning” has given our staff the abilities to diagnose and repair a wide range of ... read more

Why MINI Coopers are Popular, an Informal and Unscientific Treatise MINIs, or MINI Coopers, are popular for a number of reasons, and, since we work on many of them, distilling the essence of their popularity to a few common elements may be difficult, but let’s try. When BMW relaunched the brand in 2002, they did so very effectively. The marketing campaign, especially in automotive magazines, was flat out brilliant. The games, stickers, etc. cemented the brand’s reputation as “fun”. It wasn’t marketed as practical, something you needed, but as something you wanted because of its attitude, like a club you wanted to join because of the credibility, it bestowed on you. The first thing they (Frank Stephenson was the actual designer of record) got “right” was the styling, which is undeniably MINI; endearing with just enough “quirk”. It was sized up to meet modern crash protection requi ... read more

Over the past couple of decades, a myth has arisen that all that is needed to diagnose a vehicle problem, such as a check engine or airbag light, is to hook it up to an automotive diagnostic scanner and an accurate answer will be produced. And now that they’re as cheap as $70, anyone can diagnose their car and know exactly what’s wrong. If only life were so easy. So, where does the information that the diagnostic computer or scanner receives come from? This information, what are sometimes referred to as trouble codes, comes from sensors. These sensors only know that there is an incorrect reading from a specific component, such as an oxygen or crank position sensor, they don’t know why the reading is incorrect. Is the sensor itself faulty, or is it the wiring, or the engine management computer? It could be more than one thing, especially on an older vehicle. The code points in a direction, it doesn&r ... read more

CBS is the latest maintenance tracking system BMW and MINI created to manage maintenance items and regular service intervals. Where service intervals and maintenance items used to be based on mileage or time (and a series of green, yellow and red lights on the instrument cluster), sensors now monitor fluids and systems to determine replacement based on how the vehicle is driven. This information is accessible via either the iDrive monitor or the dashboard information center. A mileage figure or date is shown indicating the date or mileage at which time the service will be due. A negative number indicates how many miles overdue the specific service may be. The CBS system is checked during every service here at Pacific Motorsports, so all parties are aware of the current conditions that the vehicle is reporting. This modern reporting system is not the be-all-and-end-all, however, it is ... read more

“Consumer Reports members reported greater satisfaction with independent mechanics, overall, than members who took their cars to most chain auto repair stores or local dealerships,” is how the Consumer Reports Member Survey titled “Auto Repair Shop Rankings” in the February 2019 issue begins. “Customers who had their vehicle repaired at local, independent repair shops had the most positive experiences.” These are not new findings to us and our clients here at Pacific Motorsports. It underscores the gulf between the service and professionalism offered by those whose reputation is bestowed from a corporation above and those of us who have to earn it every day. Come see why the focused specialization on BMW and MINI vehicles allow us to provide A Higher ... read more

Would you go see your neighbor the dermatologist if you were having migraines? They’re convenient and went to medical school, after all. Is that a Best Practice approach to life? It’s amazing how many people engage in a similar thought process when it comes to their automobile, thinking that any mechanic can repair any car. It’s possible, given enough time and trial and error, that that could happen. But, with all of the specialized knowledge, tools and computer diagnostic equipment required to properly service today’s complex vehicles, the chances aren’t great. We believe in specialization here at Pacific Motorsports, because we don’t believe that everybody can do everything in today’s increasingly complicated world. Everybody doesn’t have the training, experience, information, equipment, facility or orientation to do everything. That’s why up ... read more