Repair Bill Woes

[93 325i]

Okay finally got around to getting my car looked at. I had the "THUD" noise happening. The one when you go to engage 1st gear from a standstill..yea so I get the call back with the diagnosis and it turns out to be just a cracked guibo and not the rear sub-frame failure..So i am happy with that, but he goes on with more:

-2 pwr steering hoses leaking, plus might as well do the fluid flush right?- $500

-change spark plugs- $200

-replace Guibo- $380

-front brakes & rotors- $475

-wheel bearing in rear..I had enough at this point so I say I just want the first 3 done.

But $500 to replace 2 hoses and do a fluid flush? $200 to put in spark plugs? I know the plugs are not hard to do but I do not have the time.. So jsut like that my bill is easily $1200 and hopefully that will be all. Im afraid he'll be calling back- Oh we noticed this now and it'll be $500 more to fix that..So advice to all- avaid the stealership like the plague cuz a $400 repair will easily triple..

[RIBEMR26]

Preaching to the converted buddy....thats why I learned/am learning to do almost all of it on my own...

good luck

[xsperf]

if this isnt the dealer, negotiate with him, thats just rediculous

[Speedy-325is]

go somewhere else!!!!! quick!!!

[93 325i]

It is a BMW dealership..the only reason I went there was because of the peculiar noise I was hearing. I am pissed I let them do more than the guibo..the spark plugs I wanted changed-should have done myslef..and $500 to replace 2 hoses? and a flush? I almost fell out of my chair when he said $500.. but I do know the steering was too stiff and there was a problem there and the fluid prolly never has been flushed.. But today I am ordering my Bentley manual and picking up a nice socket set and torque wrench..

[NeverLeaned]

Originally posted by 93 325i@Nov 1 2004, 01:41 PM
I know the plugs are not hard to do but I do not have the time..

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Well time is money right?? Seriously, if you took off from work/school and did most of this stuff yourself, you could save big $$$$$.

How much do you make a day? Lets say $200. Well if you did the brakes and rotors yourself, that would save you $200-$225 right there.

Spark plugs? Costs $50 to do it yourself.

Power Steering hoses? I've never looked at them myself but $500 sounds ridiculous (not sure how DIY friendly this is)

Seriously, its time for you too take a look at some of the DIYs out there before you go out and spend that kind of money.

Goodluck,
NL

[uiuc240]

plugs, brakes and rotors are all DIY on pretty much all cars. maybe not plugs on cars with a transverse "V" motor...but on a straight six? Seriously. Shouldn't take even the most shadetree mechanic more than an hour. If you've done it once it should take less than 15 minutes. Brakes are maybe a half day job...a little more if you change the fluid too.

Not sure on the Guibo though...just learning about BMW quirks myself. And the power steering could be $$$ due to access. You have to take lots of things apart just to get to most power steering lines. Check the Bentley.

Anyway, time to start learning! And getting greasy!

Eric

[97alpineM3]

Just so you know.. if you dont already there are many DIY on this forum.. under the FAQ forum.. also you may try going to

http://www.geocities.com/e36rulz/DIY.html

Which has a few... just search around.. most of the time when it nothing all that huge.. its not that hard to do it your self.. just get a few tools and work with it.. its fun too.. you learn a lot..

Good Luck in the future...

Les

[94 325is]

the guibo is not a big deal either did the one on my 325is in about a hour. shipped over night to my door the part was 80.00 though

[93 325i]

Thanks for the tips guys..not having the time is a lame excuss but I did attempt the plugs and there was oil in the spark plug holes...I thought it was a problem but after searching I see it is the valve cover gasket and sure as sh*t BMW just called and said that needs replacing..another $100.. The brakes and rotors I am gonna do myself, prolly upgrade to brembo.. I'll chalk this one up to live and learn and at this point all I want is my car running like a champ again

Does anyone have the bentley manual on CD-ROM? Is it worth getting or stick with the book?

[93 325i]

*update* My bill from the stealership is up to $1650 after taxes..

And this was for a car in really good running condition.. So to all you newbs out there beware before buying your used E36- make sure to plan on having a repair savings to keep it up..

[Zq-8_dawg]

Just think you could have had $1,000 in new tools as well as your car fixed. I hate taking my car anywhere and having someone else toutching it. I honestly wouldn't have paid $500 for some hoses that are easy to replace. Also $200 for spark plugs come on they are easy to change.

[Rookie]

OUCH!!!!! I f**kin hate stealerships!!! The door handles on my ride keep failing. A couple of weeks ago my driver side door handle failed and they wanted 350 just in parts and another couple of hundred bucks to fix it! Luckily I have warranty for a couple more months and cost me fifty bucks. However there work was so shitty it is busted again! By a really nice set of tools and a pair of cover alls. A weekend and a couple of six packs of beer and you can spend your time working on your favorite thing in the world. Oh ya send the wife to visit her sister out of state if possible!

[2.link]

Just to let you know depending on where you are from, they can't charge you more than $75 over the original estimate.

[93 325i]

Originally posted by Rookie@Nov 2 2004, 01:16 PM
A weekend and a couple of six packs of beer and you can spend your time working on your favorite thing in the world. Oh ya send the wife to visit her sister out of state if possible!

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haha.. u said it. gettin the CD-Rom repair manual so I can learn.. never again to the dealer shall I go.. all in all since i got the car for cheap, even with that astronomical repair bill i am still under book value for which i paid.. basically eliminated all the loot I had stashed for upgrades and such tho..guess it's time to start over

as for the quote price- i will raise hell if it's above 1650..as it is i should raise hell but i just want my car