34th Street Garage - Seattle

On 4/30/26, I brought in my 2016 BMW X5 for a free AAA inspection. They advised me to complete a list of services totaling $3,832.41, and I trusted them and had the following services done: cabin filter replacement, full oil change, spark plugs & ignition coil replacement, platinum fuel/air induction, automatic remission flush service, differential service (front and rear), transfer case, and brake system flush. I also attached my invoice. On 6/1/26 (a month later), I noticed a burning rubber smell and smoke coming out of the hood of my car, so I brought my car back on 6/3/26. They diagnosed a stage 4-5 oil leak from the valve cover area that was leaking onto the exhaust, and they quoted another $1,606.45 to replace the valve cover with an aftermarket part (URO aka a lower quality part). I asked Grant if this leak could have been missed during the initial inspection, since the leak was serious enough to cause visible smoke and seemed unlikely to develop out of nowhere in such a short distance. He had replied he doesn’t have an 8 ball and can’t read into the future, and that it was normal wear and tear. During my initial inspection, they knew my car was hitting 10 years and asked me to replace and service all the other stuff totaling almost $4k but not the one part that would leak 1 month later? Sure, you can’t predict the future, but how likely is it for a valve cover to completely crack and cause a Stage 4-5 oil leak onto my exhaust after 700 more miles? Another thing that really concerns me: Grant’s findings report stated that I had returned for an engine oil leak inspection "approximately 1,200 miles" after the prior service. My actual invoice shows 56,571 miles on 4/30/26, and my odometer read 57,283 miles on 6/3/26, so the difference is 712 miles, not 1,200. Please see attached pictures. I don’t know how this discrepancy happened, but it’s the kind of easy-to-fact-check detail that makes me question the accuracy of their documentation. It also made me not trust their work so I took my car to BMW Seattle and paid for the valve cover replacement with factory original (OEM) parts instead. At least my money spent came with a peace of mind Why am I writing this? To save you an expensive mistake. I trusted the knowledge of Grant and Logan and approved every service they identified on my initial inspection and paid ~$4k only to have a stage 4-5 oil leak 1 month and 712 miles later (not 1,200 miles per the report). I'd encourage anyone considering this shop to ask detailed questions and consider a second opinion before approving large repair bills. 7/13/26 My response to the owners: I can explain why I declined. I did initially authorize the repair, but then I found my 4/30/26 invoice and discovered your shop’s significant mileage inaccuracy on it. I could no longer trust your shop to continue working on my car. If the accuracy of an easily verifiable fact like odometer mileage cannot be relied upon in your documentation, how could I confidently approve further repairs based on the same documentation? I'm also glad I went to BMW Seattle, who replaced it using a factory original part, not an after-market part you offered. You acknowledged the documentation error with the mileage. But you have not explained HOW it happened. The correct mileage was readily available on an invoice from your own shop. A discrepancy of nearly 500 miles doesn't result from rounding. In addition, your shop recommended and performed 9 services in 1 day on my 10-year-old BMW. Yet somehow, you missed the valve cover, which is one of the most well-documented failure items on the N55 engine at this age. This was something you explained to me yourself when you were justifying how the cover could leak so soon after the initial inspection. You also never provided a sensible explanation on how a Stage 4-5 leak develops from nothing in 712 miles. If the thoroughness of the inspection justified almost $4,000 in services, your inspection should have been thorough enough to catch a failing valve cover.