Damn, did i get screwed?

[Swimjim]

So after all the fun of the new AA tune, etc, i take car in for oil change. Which has turned into replacing plugs, valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, oil filter housing gasket, coolant flush and a bill of $2500!

Granted the car is only serviced by the local dealer, but damn, did i get screwed?

2008 128i, 90k miles, auto/paddle shift, AA tune, K&N (charcoal delete), aFe scoops.

Oh, the dealer also just got in a 2014 M235i with 9k miles on it...they think i should trade mine in on it. Nope!

[andrey_gta]

That's a lot of gaskets. But a lot of miles so it balances it out

Some of those could have been Diy repairs. Without knowing your dealer mechanics rate it's also hard to see if they took too long

[Swimjim]

With as much as i do to take care of the car, it should be good to go for another 90k.

[MarkkyyMan]

I think plugs are typically replaced around 80k, sometimes sooner. You might make sure they aren't exceeding the recommended oil capacity on your oil changes.

[drewster99]

All that stuff could have been DIY.

[Swimjim]

i am pretty many of the things could have been DYI... valve cover gasket, possibly oil filter housing gasket & plugs.

oil pan gasket... nope! after watching what the tech had to go thru and not having access to a lift, oil pan gasket would not have been a job to do.

not sure i could do a coolant flush, considering i live in a apt complex and dont have a garage.

i asked to do the oil change early only because the car had just gone 1200 miles passed its check-up; the oil change was going to be needed anyway and putting 1800 miles of road trip, i figured now would be a good time.

in the end, i may have paid a little too much, but knowing the hard work was done by a bmw tech at their shop (which has all the bolts, etc in stock which need to be replaced) is some piece of mind. i trust the tech, particularly since they do let me go into the shop, ask questions, see what is actually being done.

and if i were to ever sell the car, all records can be pulled up from any bmw dealer.

[Southjersey128]

Originally Posted by Swimjim

So after all the fun of the new AA tune, etc, i take car in for oil change. Which has turned into replacing plugs, valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, oil filter housing gasket, coolant flush and a bill of $2500!

Granted the car is only serviced by the local dealer, but damn, did i get screwed?

2008 128i, 90k miles, auto/paddle shift, AA tune, K&N (charcoal delete), aFe scoops.

Oh, the dealer also just got in a 2014 M235i with 9k miles on it...they think i should trade mine in on it. Nope!

I'm surprised about the oil pan gasket. When the valve cover gasket and the oil filter housing leak, they run along the pan and make it look like the pan is leaking. Hope you really needed it, or they may have just been covering their ass.

[E82.Love]

Did all those replacements from 75k-80k. My car seems good for another few thousand miles. But thank god mine was under CPO warranty

[RoundelM3]

Swimjim - which dealership did you go to? Sounds like you paid about double what it should have been, and the need for the pan gasket sounds questionable. At that mileage, I would have taken it to an Indy shop where it likely would have cost less.

[Swimjim]

i brought it to the local dealership. during the inspection before the work was done, i did get a chance to see the oil pan and it was leaking around the gasket. the oil filter housing had residue around it so i knew it had to be changed. as for the valve cover gasket, hard to say since its all covered up with plastic!

i may swing by a local bmw shop and get an estimate from them for a comparison.

[eric@helix]

That's a hell of a lot of money for those repairs...

[Swimjim]

i have not been by another shop yet, but here is a list of work done...

- vehicle check
- standard oil change
- new spark plugs
- coolant flush
- oil pan, oil filter housing, valve cover gaskets
- aluminum screws
- labor for all

total - $2371. labor was $1868?!!! parts were just $480. i dropped the car off at 10:30am one morning and pick it up before lunch the next.

i shoulda gone to bmw tech school!

[hoki06]

What is the shop's labor rate? I'd guess around $120/hr but that's over 15 hours of labor for $1800 worth of labor charges. They might be charging book times for each job instead of actual time.

Does the front subframe have to be dropped to access the oil pan? If so, that could be a major contributor to the high labor charges.

[Swimjim]

yes, the subframe had to be dropped to change oil pan.

as for total hours of labor, the bill does not state. i would assume tech worked on car from 10:30am-5:00pm with a break for lunch or about 6.5 hours one day and then maybe 3 hours the next.

[hoki06]

Did you ask the service writer or service manager about your bill and why it is so high? They should provide a detailed breakdown of costs for each item on the ticket.

[Pothole]

120 dollars an hour is an absurd amount of money for a mechanic. I don't know whats normal in the US but here in Holland mechanics cost 50 euros an hour (half of the rate you paid).

[TheSt|G]

Oil pan gasket is a pretty involved job. The other items are pretty quick/easy.

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by Pothole

120 dollars an hour is an absurd amount of money for a mechanic. I don't know whats normal in the US but here in Holland mechanics cost 50 euros an hour (half of the rate you paid).

It depends on the region, but in NY dealers charge $130-150 and Indy shops charge $100-120

[Fume]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

It depends on the region, but in NY dealers charge $130-150 and Indy shops charge $100-120

That sounds sound like Seattle as well. I was quoted ~$140/hr for labour cost at my local BMW dealer.

[chris82]

I couldn't help it:

[Iron Man]

Originally Posted by Fume

That sounds sound like Seattle as well. I was quoted ~$140/hr for labour cost at my local BMW dealer.

My local dealer isn't too bad, since they quoted me $100/hr for labor. Indys are around $90/hr.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by Pothole

120 dollars an hour is an absurd amount of money for a mechanic. I don't know whats normal in the US but here in Holland mechanics cost 50 euros an hour (half of the rate you paid).

It depends...


In Germany most BMW dealerships charge 100 to 130 euros per hour for COD(customer paying) work. Most indi's charge 50 to 70 euros. But as the saying goes... you get what you pay for. My BMW Zentrum often charges way less time per job, than my little indi shop.

My indo shop charged me one hours labor to change my oil on my e39. At my BMW Zentrum that would only be a half hours job(sometimes less when they have a special sale).

That said... I almost always do all my own work/maintenance work.

Back in the day('90's) when I worked at a VW dealership... we charged $65 per hour. Of that $65 dollars, the tech would get(maybe!) $23. Maybe.

I think depending on where you live in the USA... most dealers charge between $90 to $160. The higher rates being in Cali or NY/Boston.

Dack