Didn't see this coming! I feel like every BMW guy in the US has paged through one of their catalogs at some point.
The much-needed website revamp made it seem like they were in it for the long haul, but those pretty catalogs aren't cheap to print. They were also putting their name on some dubious parts of Chinese origin just like ECS in the end.
Sad to see an old name go, but at least we still have FCP, AutohausAZ, and Blunt as independent parts houses.
Damn, that's the end of an era. I passed through there on my way back from Maine last fall to pick up some parts for my 2002. Everything seemed good - busy showroom, lots of good stuff on display, helpful employees.
A lot of good web content DIY videos and articles. Hope they don’t vanish.
Sad to see them close.
Their videos on YouTube were especially helpful when I started out working on my BMWs. I wonder if somebody like ECS or FCP will buy them out and keep their name around, as they are a good resource to have.
MINIzguy said:Their videos on YouTube were especially helpful when I started out working on my BMWs. I wonder if somebody like ECS or FCP will buy them out and keep their name around, as they are a good resource to have.
ECS seems to be acquiring every Euro car part distributor they can (Turner, Pelican, etc) so I would not be surprised whatsoever if it happens.
I no longer own a BMW but I'm seriously bummed out about this. It was so nice to finally have a parts distributor in the northeast. I could order parts in the afternoon and they would be delivered by USPS the next day.
Many a part was purchased through them, or did I just dream of buying them. Is Peter Pan BMW around still, they were my go to for OEM parts, they gave the best Roundel discounts.
I used to buy from the paper catalog in the ‘90s when BavAuto and BMP Designs were pretty much the only game in town. I’ve also made purchases from their showroom in NH a few times when I was living in Montreal in the early ‘00s.
They were nice folks, but they were overshadowed by Turner Motorsports and BimmerWorld. But I don’t know how anyone can compete in the Amazon era. I was shocked that Turner went down.
That's too bad, they were my go-to for BMW parts.
Pure speculation on my part re: Turner, but when I read about the acquisition by ECS I wondered if Will was more interested in racing than running a parts house and decided to sell as a result. Still do.
I am curious if Bav Auto got hit hard by the rise of FCP Euro (and to a lesser extent eEuroparts), both in the vicinity and with lifetime guarantees on everything. Neither has the range of performance stuff that Bav Auto did, however.
In reply to 02Pilot :
I think you are on the money regarding Turner.
As far as Bav Auto, what really bugged me about them for the longest time was their Web 1.0-era site that went far too long without a revamp. They were always more expensive than the competition but the bad website literally made it difficult to shop with them. By the time they finally updated the website I think the damage was done and many shoppers had already moved on to FCP/ECS/Pelican/Autohaus/Blunt/Bimmerworld/etc.
02Pilot said:Pure speculation on my part re: Turner, but when I read about the acquisition by ECS I wondered if Will was more interested in racing than running a parts house and decided to sell as a result. Still do.
I am curious if Bav Auto got hit hard by the rise of FCP Euro (and to a lesser extent eEuroparts), both in the vicinity and with lifetime guarantees on everything. Neither has the range of performance stuff that Bav Auto did, however.
Turner is still on the side of the building off 495 in Mass, but as "Turner Service" or something, so you may very well be correct.
I also fondly remember getting stuff from BavAuto back when my ex- had her M3. I lost track of how many times I passed the location in NH when I had an apartment nearby in 2016. Unfortunately, I never had a need to stop in.
Dang, I just got a parts order from them a couple of weeks ago based on Woody's recommendation. Sad to see another parts supplier biting the dust.
They got acquired by someone. Probably ecs
Silly question , but are they bitting the dust because of a shrinking market?
Enthusiasts (and people on this board) don't seem to be particularly fond of the E46 and later bimmers. The E30 and E36 are now 20+years old bordering on classic cars that no longer rack up the miles and the parts.
I know the local BMW club is shrinking every year.
In reply to fanfoy :
The E46 has a pretty good enthusiast following, but it's one of the last BMWs that does in the classic sense. Newer ones don't seem to have nearly the same following as the older ones, probably because they're just very different cars.
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