Collectively, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, and BMW cars represent the pinnacle of automotive design and engineering, but to keep these cars performing at their peak can cost an arm and a leg at the dealers. Fortunately though, there is an alternative, so whatever you needs, whether it is Porsche repair, BMW repair, Mercedes-Benz repair or perhaps Audi repair, why not consider an independent repair shop to take care of your pride and joy?
You may well ask what independent repair shops in the Miami, Florida, area know about imported high performance European cars, but the truth is that independent shops know as much as the dealers do, and oftentimes more. Dealers may tell you otherwise, but the fact is that if you need for instance, Audi repair services, you’ll almost always get it cheaper and faster from an independent shop than from the dealer.
Nonetheless, before rushing out to the nearest independent shop to put this to the test, you need to know why European cars are different from American-made cars. The differences are sometimes profound, and Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche repair requires a thorough knowledge of these differences. Let us look at some of the main differences between American and European cars that make say, Porsche repair a little different.

American vs. European Cars

Listing all of the differences between American and European cars falls outside the scope of this article, but we can (briefly) talk about two of the important differences that require a different approach when it comes to repairing these vehicles, such as-

Lubrication requirements

European motor oils are all made to standards that exceed those of American oils by a large margin, and in many, if not most cases, European-made engines can be severely damaged by using non-European standard lubricating oil. The reason for this are the facts that European car makers are allowed to develop special oil formulations that are designed for their special needs, and to insist that all oil manufacturers in Europe incorporate these formulations into their products.
The result is that if you need say, Porsche repair or lubrication services, you need to find an independent repair shop that is aware of the fact that your car requires oil that was formulated specifically for it. There are many such independent repair shops in the Miami area; in fact, some independents work on Porsche/BMW/Mercedes-Benz/Audi products exclusively, which means that they know exactly what your car needs. Moreover, since independent repair shops usually have lower overheads, they can give you an oil change on your Porsche or other European car at a substantially lower rate than any dealer can.

Suspension setups

Because of the nature of European roads that are mostly narrow and twisting, most European cars have stiffer suspensions than American cars do, and this feature is most noticeable on high performance cars like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche models.
Moreover, to make the stiffer suspensions work properly, European cars almost always have brakes and steering systems that are matched to their suspension setups, meaning that the control modules of these systems are programmed differently from comparable American units.
Therefore, problems on the brakes, steering, or suspension systems of high performance European cars can only be diagnosed with software that is compatible with the design parameters of these vehicles, and this is where a competent independent repair shop can save you a ton of money.
Independent repair shops that specialize in say, BMW repair services, are fully aware of the fact that BMW suspensions are set up differently from comparable American vehicles, which why a competent independent repair shop will always have access to the latest model-specific diagnostic software, which is not always the case with dealers- despite their claims to the contrary.
In addition, independent repair shops are often not as busy as the dealers, meaning that you will almost always get your car back on the road much sooner than if you had left it with a dealer. Nonetheless, there are other equally compelling reasons why you should consider using an independent repair shop if for instance, you need Mercedes-Benz repair services, such as the facts that-

Independents need your business

Unlike dealers that have an almost guaranteed client base regardless of the quality of their customer care, independent repair shops need to consistently perform well in all areas of their businesses to retain their current clients, as well as to attract new business.
In practice, this need translates into excellent customer service that is designed to make you return to them for future repair work. No independent repair shop can afford shoddy customer service and hope to remain in business, meaning that you will almost always receive superior customer service and care from an independent repair shop.

Independent repair shop are as knowledgeable as dealers

Well, mostly; in many cases, the technicians at independent repair shops are more knowledgeable than their counterparts at dealerships, since they often see say, Audi repair issues more often than the dealers do, and they almost always resolve issues quicker than the dealers do, too.
To remain in business, an independent shop needs to be aware of all the latest technical repair information as it becomes available, which does not always happen at dealerships. This goes for all European cars, and since all repair information is now freely available, it is a rare event to find an independent repair shop that does not now about a particular issue.
However, to be fair to the dealers, it sometimes happens that car makers do not release some repair information to the independent repair industry, but recent changes to several pieces of legislation has forced car makers that sell their products in the USA to make all Technical Service Bulletins, Recall Notices, and other information relating to the safety of their products available to the public.
Of course, this makes all of the latest technical information available to anybody anywhere in the world via the internet, meaning that any competent independent repair shop owner that deals in Audi repair, or for that matter in BMW repair, Mercedes-Benz repair, or even Porsche repair, has access to the same technical information that the dealers have access to.

One more thing

In practical terms, all of the above means that should you need say, specialized Mercedes-Benz repair services, or repairs to any other high performance European car, there will be an independent repair shop in the Miami, Florida, area that can provide it faster, cheaper, and with a bigger smile on their faces than any dealer can.