AKTIV Automotive

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Steve S
3 months ago
I had a problem with the suspension on my Volvo XC90, and these guys took care of the problem the same day. They do great work and have fair pricing. It's hard to find an honest, reliable repair shop, but I am sooooo glad to have found AKTIV Automotive. Keep up the good work!

  Noel L.
5 years ago
THE BMW shop to go to in the DMV! One stop shopping for routine maintenance/service, performance/racing upgrades, and pre-purchase/state inspections.Kevin, the owner, works on every vehicle personally, and takes care of it like it is his own car. He works very hard to keep your costs down. No up selling here. He saved me $1,000 on not having to replace my Brembo rotors and Bilstein strut on my M3. He will treat you as his best customer even for an oil change to an engine out service. When you bring your car here, you will be getting your own personal mechanic.Best shop, wonderful people, great service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Moe S
5 years ago
I purchased new my 2011 BMW X5 5.0, and after seven years of BMW dealer service, I took my X5 for the first time to an independent BMW service. I needed to replace my oil pan gasket due to a small oil leak. I did some research to try to find a reputable BMW service company in MD. In addition to Aktiv Automotive; I sought quotes from two other companies, but Aktiv by far had the best reviews out of the local companies I could find. I called and spoke with Kevin, who was very professional & courteous, and he gave me a truly reasonable quote (with my BMWCCA membership discount). Kevin and his team did an excellent job. Furthermore, Kevin is an honest and trustworthy owner. I ll be taking my BMWs for service there.

  Stephen Robinson
8 months ago
Excellent service. Called when car service was completed and the service was completed in a timely manner. I have had my 5 series serviced here a few times and they are always honest and upfront on service costs. They always diagnose and address issues effectively.Thank you.Services: Auto engine diagnostic, Air conditioningServices: Auto engine diagnostic, Air conditioning

  Mike Prusinowski
a year ago
Just took my BMW M3 in for a SMG to 6 Speed conversion and couldn t be happier. Very trustworthy and knowledgeable. They went the extra mile to ensure everything was done to perfection. I will continue to take my car here for all its needs. Highly recommended.Service: Auto maintenanceService: Auto maintenance

  Keeven Jack
6 months ago
Best place to get your Beamer or Benz worked on by the best. Ricardo at the front is very knowledgeable about the industry and gets you exactly what you need. Thanks Aktiv Auto

  Jeffrey B.
6 months ago
Superb shop from someone whose been in a lot of shops...My new Subaru got a hitch installed (hidden). It was done super fast and without issue. As a former PCA DE guy, this shop just oozes goodness from a car person's point of view. Good hands and minds, empathy, honest, and fair cost for skill set. If you want your car treated well and to get the right stuff done - this shop is a good choice. The people in the shop were super nice.Have gone back with my new STI and also another car.Always done efficiently, in a friendly fashion, and without issue. Pefect shop. Fair cost, and real expertise. 6 starts. Have been with them for years now...and plan to stay with them. The only hard part is I also like the dealer...so I do every other with them to keep everyone happy....Addendum: traded my subaru in for a used f-type. They just did a tone of service on it that I wanted done as just to start the car off with fresh fluids, etc. They did a super job as always.Update: Did some fancy wheel work and they did a superb job. Also spent time talking about a next project that is likely complex. Great shop and people. Honest. Skilled. Efficient. And humble. Plus nice. Recommended.Highly.Update 2: Did some some major surgery to the car in two steps and they did amazing, best in national class, level work - coolant and S/C prevention work (metal parts, snout clutch part made solid, etc.) was done by Nick way ahead of schedule. New water pump, bents, etc, etc. Car runs better than new now (and the "known" gotchas have now been excised). New LED headlights too.Amazing shop. Amazing people. Highly recommended. If I had a high end BMW that needed good hands, this is the shop in the area I'd use. I have used them for subarus and now an F-type. This is a shop where they are comfortable taking apart an engine and will put it back together correctly. Or they'll tell you upfront they cannot do it - super honest people. 17/10.Update 6/2023 -Had a weekend issue. They got the last part in the US needed for the fix and got me on the road by Tuesday.Amazing group of people. Super nice and super honest. Highly recommended. Very highly.Update 9/2023 -Still awesome. DId my rear coolant pipe in metal (elective on my part to prevent issues). Great people and very, very honest. Plan to put a timing chain in a vr6 with them in a bit. Highly recommended shop.

  Alex S-L
6 years ago
Recently shipped my 2006 E90 out to DC from CA. Car is high-mileage so I wanted to find a solid independent shop locally. Kevin and his team did an amazing job on my 325i:-I wanted to get my coolant expansion tank looked at after my low coolant light came on, and a local dealer said the tank may need replacement (to the tune of $900). Kevin accommodated me on a Saturday morning and determined the coolant tank was fine. He got my car on a lift to look for any leaks coming from the oil pan and found my front brakes to be needing replacement. We arranged to get the car back in first thing that next Saturday for a complete front brake replacement. I was expecting to have to wait all day, but Kevin turned the car around in less than 2 hours, while also flushing the brake fluid. I was amazed at how quickly the process was completed.Upon arrival, I mentioned that my cabin air filter also needed replacement. While I waited, Kevin ordered a new filter and installed it free of charge. All in all, I was out of there just after 11:15 AM after a 9 AM arrival. Their rates for a full front brake replacement were reasonable, considering the parts quality. I can't recommend these guys enough--they let their work speak for itself.

  Talley Cason
2 years ago
These guys are great! They are fair, honest and very accommodating. I have brought my car there few times and it's been nothing but top notch service. Carlos, Nick and Ricardo are great to work with and made sure I was well informed on what needs to be done to my vehicle.Services: General repairs & maintenance, Brakes, Brake service & repair, Oil changeServices: General repairs & maintenance, Brakes, Brake service & repair, Oil change

  Sharon Maxwell
a year ago
The staff at AKTIV is always friendly and courteous. They provide timely service at a fair price and their business practices are great to work with. I appreciate our partnership!Service: General repairs & maintenanceService: General repairs & maintenance

  raynorlbuckley
a year ago
Overall excellent experience with AKTIV Automotive. Provided best price for some work on my BMW M5 and completed everything with a fast turnaround. Kevin is a honest highly skilled mechanic and notified me of a few items that another dealership quoted me for that were completely unnecessary.A mechanic who saves you money and is honest is rare. I won't take my car anywhere else.

  Miguel Mora
a year ago
Everyone at AKTIV is extremely helpful and easy to communicate with. I highly recommend taking your vehicle to their shop especially if you have a BMW. I ve been a client of theirs since 2018 and have taken two BMWs there to get them serviced.Services: Transmission, General repairs & maintenance, Air conditioning, Auto maintenance, Oil changeServices: Transmission, General repairs & maintenance, Air conditioning, Auto maintenance, Oil change

  Ali Hasan
3 years ago
Came in to get my battery replaced and coded on my 2011 328i and Kevin was very friendly and professional. He took care of my battery in a very timely manner and charged me a very fair price. Will definitely be going back for future work. The staff here is very knowledgeable!Service: BatteryService: Battery

  Sergio
a year ago
They used to be very good when Kevin Lukas owned this business. Now they are just okey, somewhat sloppy. Mechanic forgets his stuff in my car. We asked to add tire pressure to my wife's car and they never did. I was charged for tire rotation which was never done (this was resolved later). Also, I've noticed the dashboard air vent on the driver side was broken. On the positive side, Ricardo has good communication skills, so, I hope they will readjust and stay afloat.

  Camille Whitfield
6 years ago
Kevin and his team are awesome!! I was able to drop my vehicle off for an oil change before heading into the office and it was ready by the time I got off. Kevin explained everything completed and also the next dates my vehicle will be due for service and what should be done. I feel so confident finding a home for my BMW to get service and will refer my friends and family to this shop as well. Thank you AKTIV!

  K K
a year ago
Top notch, friendly and trustable team. Their commitment to get issues resolved is their Hallmark. Had a transmission issue on my low mileage beamer and they fixed it after great deal of research. It ended up to be a small issue

  Roy Ngochi
a year ago
Aktiv deserves more than 5 stars. I took my 2022 G05 in for a speaker installation and Nick did a phenomenal job. And pricing was very reasonable. Will definitely be back

  R P L
3 years ago
Best in the DMV for all your services. I dropped my car off which I recently purchased back in December, BMW X1 2014 . I walked into the shop needed to figure something out with my car even tho he was busy, The Owner came outside in just a minute, helped me figure out what I needed & what to purchase, the exact part with the serial # and didn't even charge me. The following week I came back drop my car off with the part I ordered. Also gave him a list of things I needed to be get fixed lol, next day I got a call with an update on the car and then a couple hrs I picked it up . Very reasonable with the prices , Professional and Experienced "HIGHLY RECOMMENDED".

  David Kogok
3 years ago
I Dropped my 428i off yesterday at around 1pm. I received an email by 3pm detailing services that needed to be done. I Called back to approve the work at 5pm. They called me today at 12:45 to let me know vehicle was ready. Did brakes and rotors all the way around, replaced the front axle, and rear shocks. The last mechanic I took it too misdiagnosed many things and wanted to charge me close to 5k. These guys were on top of it and came in at less than half of that. Very prompt, courteous, and reliable work. This was my second time here and after this last experience, I will never go anywhere else.Services: Steering & suspension repair, General repairs & maintenance, Wheel alignment, Brake service & repair

  Chris B.
2 years ago
Took a used Audi S4 here for a pre purchase inspection. The guy at the front desk and the technician were both very communicative and helpful. They gave me an overview of the stuff they would be looking for before hand, and afterwards pointed out some minor areas of concern and advice for maintenance. Price was very reasonable.

  Bernardo Roschke
a year ago
Great BMW mechanic. Been going to this place since I purchased an E46 M3 in 2015. They always take care of any car I bring in, regardless of make. Recently recommended a friend to go there and he loved the experience as well.

  Robin Smith
3 years ago
My teenage daughter is living in Maryland and her headlight stopped working. It was under warranty but I needed to find a place that would install the new one for her. I had called several places in Gaithersburg and they all said they couldn't install it unless they provided the part. My last call was to AKTIV and spoke to Kevin. He was very helpful and said that he would be able to help her out. He said to have her come by so he could look at it to give me a price. She went there this morning and he gave her a price to install the headlight, which was very reasonable. After he was done he told her that he wasn't going to charge her as much since it didn't take him as long as he thought it would. He was also able to help her with replacing her tail light bulb as well. I would definitely use him again and recommend him to anyone needing repairs.Service: General repairs & maintenance

  baba Togola
9 years ago
I took my audi q7 to this shop and I would give more stars if possible, because this was the best experience I have ever had when it comes to taking my car to a shop to be repaired.Kevin, the owner was the most helpful person ever, he not only took time to research the cause of my issues, but after they started working on the car, they noticed that I needed less work than anticipated and made me save at least 60% of the total cost. I will recommend this shop to whoever needs serious, respectful, on time and going above and below service to satisfy the customer. Thanks for taking care of my car.

  A. Thomas Grunley
5 years ago
My review of AKTIV is so favorable that you d think I was related (I am not)! Where to begin? The quality of the repairs I ve had performed at AKTIV is incredible - they do a great job...true craftsman. The owner is committed to servicing his clients - the best way he can and at all costs - first and foremost. He had gone above and beyond in the way he s treated my family. The pricing is incredibly fair - more so when you consider you re getting the best automotive work in the area. When you run into problems with your BMW, which you will, just go to AKTIV and get it done perfectly at the right price the first time.

  James O'Gara
7 years ago
Terrific service -- took my 2011 BMW 335d there for a club meetup and got some unexpected help from owner Kevin and Chad. Friendly atmosphere, experienced mechanics, convenient location.Update: Took the car in on a Friday in December 2016 for struts. Kevin did the work and was cheerful and finished ahead of schedule. The waiting room is comfortable and I used the free Wifi to telecommute to work. Cannot recommend these guys highly enough.

  Hsin-Jung Chow (Tom)
6 years ago
I had my X5 serviced for a transmission fluid change and Kevin was so easy to talk to. I asked for him to drain/fill 2x, and not flush it and he did it without hesitation, where as other Indy's in the area I contacted seemed to want to do it their way only. I wish I found his shop sooner after having a few bad experiences at other shops.

  Stephanie T
9 years ago
After a disappointing visit to a BMW Dealership, Aktiv Automotive provided the exceptional, professional service I have some to expect from a BMW Dealer. My 325XI runs better now than it has since I returned to VA in 2012. In addition to the service request I brought to their attention, they found an issue with the car that could have left my 2 yr old daughter and I stranded on the highway. The issue should have been discovered by the BMW dealership during their "27 point inspection." The owners have high standards, and nothing short of perfect will suffice. Thank you for your professionalism and honesty. It was refreshing.

  Jacek Capala
6 years ago
Last week, a friendly state trooper pointed out a headlight malfunction on my BMW. I also received a Repair Order to be completed within 10 days. Unfortunately, changing a light bulb wouldn't do. I had to have the whole headlight assembly replaced. Kevin was instrumental in ameliorating this potentially stressful situation. Not only did he make the repair before my deadline, he also spent his valuable time finding me the least expensive option. Furthermore, he provided the Inspection Mechanic's certification necessary to close my case with the police. Thanks to ACTIVE Automotive, I can safely drive my car at night again. Therefore, I highly recommend Kevin and his team.

  Brian Bechtel
7 years ago
Since finding Aktiv, they have serviced my e46 and upgraded it along the way, are very friendly to performance work, Kevin is very personable the shop and staff are great. never been mislead and never had a mis diag from them yet..they have also handled my work truck and get things taken care of in a very timely fashion as they understand the need for as little down time as possible... if you have a BMW or anything else DO NOT HESITATE to bring your ride to kevin and listen to his suggestions your car will be solid...I have and continue to direct all my friends to them..I try to watch my budge at all times and they are incredibly well priced and could command more if they wanted it.....

  Evan Cavil
4 years ago
Been to these guys many times over the past 5 years. They're absolutely great! Most honest and knowledgeable mechanics ive ever found and the rates still always beat the competition somehow. Really comforting to know that you can bring your car to someone who isn't going to overcharge you for work you don't even need.