I brought my car to my local dealer, to figure out a problem I had with the front passenger wheel vibrating whenever I drive through any gradual dips. They told me that I needed to replace my bushings in order to fix that problem. Since I had no clue as to what was causing the problem, I allowed them to do the work and replace my bushings.

Well, suffice to say, it didn't fix the problem. After researching a bit on these forums, someone said that I needed to have the wheel bearings replaced. So, my question is, could I bring the car back to the dealership, and force them to do the labor on the car for free, if I bought the part that needs to be replaced? I kind of feel jipped since I paid $400-500 to have the bushings replaced, which did nothing to alleviate the problem AT ALL.

I'm guessing dealerships don't have a policy where you can bring it back if it was there mistake in diagnosing the issue?

They will probably look at it again and diagnose it for free, but they won't do the labor for free, and it's highly unlikely that they'll let you bring your own parts. Sounds like the technician couldn't be bothered enough to really take the time to diagnose it properly. My advice would be to drive the car with the shop foreman to be sure that they are diagnosing the noise you're hearing. Don't worry too much about the bushings though, there's a good chance that your car needed them anyway.

I agree with the above statement. They will diagnose for free...but they won't do additional work for free...as stated your bushing most likely needed replaced anyway, so that was the first and easiest thing to fix.

Sometimes it seems like dealerships are trying to get over on you when they come up with a huge laundry list when you have an issue with your car...but quite honestly they're just trying to avoid cases like these. So many things can contribute to vibrations or noises that it's common for a tech to potentially "over diagnose" an issue...just to cover his own rear, so that you don't come back later saying the problem is still there.

I agree with the above statement. They will diagnose for free...but they won't do additional work for free...as stated your bushing most likely needed replaced anyway, so that was the first and easiest thing to fix.

Sometimes it seems like dealerships are trying to get over on you when they come up with a huge laundry list when you have an issue with your car...but quite honestly they're just trying to avoid cases like these. So many things can contribute to vibrations or noises that it's common for a tech to potentially "over diagnose" an issue...just to cover his own rear, so that you don't come back later saying the problem is still there.

That is BY FAR one of the most intelligent posts I have ever read. You are absolutely right.

As a former Service Manager of a Lexus Stealership, my advice to you is to go in and talk to the manager. Explain to him the situaton and your research. You may be able to get him to cover half the labor and give you the part at cost. Techs are usually paid flat rate. That is they get paid the amount of time allowed by the service manaul or alldata. I have never seen a good tech use the total time allowed. A good service writer or manager can make up some time for the tech on other jobs. If you are not a loyal customer to the dealership,they may not be willing to help. You know what they say "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". Just don't go in with an attitude. Also, the bearing may not fix you issue either. Good luck!

"front wheel vibrating through gradual dips"?? Only one wheel "vibrating"? In the absence of more detailed info I'd suspect a worn suspension strut or out of balance tyre. The classic BMW front end "shimmy" generally comes in between 50 and 60 mph, often more noticeable under braking, and is most always due to worn thrust or control arm bushings and/or ball joints. However, you also need to look for asymmetric tyre wear to zero in on the problem. Maybe a tyre out of balance will cause a "vibration" - but generally this will be a harmonic vibration, becoming more noticeable at certain speeds, rather than triggered by dips in the road. It always helps to go in with an idea of what the problem may be, so the service guys don't take you for a complete rube and just spin you a yarn. This is why these forums are so helpful - you can find out stuff for free that the stealers will never tell you!