La Jolla Independent: not good

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I've been using LJI for about 10 years now and they have always gone out of their way to be helpful and strictly honest. They have sourced unobtanium parts, lent me items, pointed out what I could do myself to save a few bucks,...the list goes on and on. If Ben made a mistake it only proves he is human, and not that he was trying to rip you off. The OP is out of line here.
 
Dirk said:
Dear Bill,

One employee gives you a CONDITIONAL price and calls you back saying that he gave you the wrong price. (He could have not call you back). He apologizes, his supervisor apologizes. You are threatening them (which is stupid). They don't blink because they are honest people making an honest living. Then you go off on a tangent on this site; "bait and switch" (wrongly used expression in this context), accusing them of a "screw you we can sell to anybody at any price" attitude.

You are wrong on all fronts. If it were not for fine people like Carl and his employees, many of us would not enjoy the great classic BMW experience we are having now.

I suggest that the administrator remove this threat all together, or at least remove the "not good" from the title as this is very misleading.
I wish La Jolla Independent good luck and hope that they stay in business forever !

Good luck to you as well in your hunt for cheap parts.
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As a rookie on all things e9, I disagree with the suggestion that this thread be deleted. Seeing multiple board members jump in to defend La Jolla Independent tells me a lot.
 
I have only good experiences with LJI and Ben in particular. One series of emails for a large order, not an E9, ran to 41 messages. Ben was helpful, consistent and patient throughout.
 
I've been lucky to know Carl, Chris and Ben- for a long time. I have written some big checks, but never, ever, felt that I was not treated fairly. Usually it was just the opposite.

Plus there is usually a cold beer in the refrigerator!

I would chalk it up to a misunderstandin- at most.
 
rwolak said:
I've never bought from La Jolla but two things strike me as strange: (1) was the salesman specifically told the parts required were for a coupe? Why did he mistakenly think they were for a 2002, and (2) the “coupes are approaching $100,000 so parts should reflect that,” attitude. So what he's basically saying is that, since coupe prices may be going up, La Jolla will charge "what the traffic will bear". Personally, not the kind of establishment I'd like doing business with. Yes, I know, they all do it but it's much easier to swallow when it not thrown into the customers face.
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You've no direct experience. Good of you to admit that so we can take the opinions in context.

Parts misidentification: humans make mistakes ... all the time. Famous folks have been say something to that effect for millenia. What counts is how people deal with mistakes they've made.

If coupes are going up in price, more of them will undergo restorations. That'll increase demand for parts and hence parts prices will go up. Look at what's happened to tool kits in the last 5 years, as an example. And, why wouldn't used parts reflect, to some degree, the value of the car they fit? If LaJolla over charges, they won't sell. And that's their decision to make.

Now, if LJ were a teeny place struggling to stay afloat, I could see them refusing to address their mistake by selling the parts at the lower price. But, I thought they were a pretty big vintage BMW shop, and if I were the owner ... I'd have bit the bullet and walked away from a few hundred bucks for the sake of not pissing off a customer (even if the customer were a bit unreasonable).

I've dealt with LJ on parts and have had 100% perfect service/attitude. THe guy who restored my previous E9 spent BIG $$ there and had only the best to say about LJ. The take away is that while LJ may occasionally screw up, and sometimes they don't take the high-road when they do, the vast majority of their customers are probably happy with them.

So what's left to argue about other than people telling each other how a 3rd party should run their business?
 
Might as well add my 02 cents...

My first shock the first few times I've talked to Carl happened when he "talked me out of buying parts." Carl actually listened and then counseled why I could try different approaches, rather than buying parts. Remarkable.

Ben has sourced used parts for me that BMW could not supply, and has snatched in demand new parts for me. Hint: AC compressor!!

I've also met Carl several times at Legends in Monterey and at Pebble Beach.
Stand up guy. Believe me, Carl and Ben are treasures for the e9 community.

La Jolla isn't at all hurting for business. They don't have to overcharge for parts
or sell parts that aren't needed to be who they are....
 
CARL and BEN are GREAT GUYS and GREAT SERVICE!

I have had nothing but great experiences with BOTH Ben and Carl!

Carl is a walking encyclopedia about EVERYTHING BMW!... Not just E9s

Carl has also talked me out of buying parts he said I did not need. Carl carefully explained how to do my own repair on the part I had. He could have just sold me his parts!
 
La Jolla independent is the tops

I have been buying parts from Carl for about 15 years and have worked with Ben and Chris extensively. I also had my coupe at the shop about 6 times over the past 10 years, bringing it down from N.CA for major restoration work. Carl is a pillar in the coupe community and the support and knowledge he brings is invaluable. It sounds like your issue might have been an isolated incident. Annoying, I understand, but I think far from a "bait and switch".
 
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