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Thread: Is the dealership trying to rip me off? Over $5000 in repairs

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Apple Valley, MN
    Posts
    102
    My Cars
    2007 BMW 335i

    Is the dealership trying to rip me off? Over $5000 in repairs

    I brought in my 04 325xi (68k miles) to the stealership b/c i noticed the rear inner side of the tires have been wearing really bad. I figured that it needed an alignment. A few hours later they called and told me that I needed over $5000 in repairs. They said the rear alignment specs were way off and even after the alignment they couldnt correct it back to the recommended specs. (both left and right were off on camber and toe)

    To fix the rear camber/tow issue they recommended that I replace Right trailing Arm ($731) Wishbone lower ($143) Service Kit Wheel BE ($114) and Bracket Right ($40)

    To fix the front camber -- they recommended Front Right Strut ($337) Wishbone Set ($684)

    Also they said that if the lower control arm is needed -- then i will need to replace Front Lower control arm bushing ($102)

    The grand total is over $5000, $2600 is the labor portion...The cost to fix everything is half the value of my car.

    This is my winter car. I have my 335i as my "fun car"

    Should I bring my car to a different shop to get this stuff fixed?

    Any help would be great!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Vancouver Isl, BC, Canada
    Posts
    4,173
    My Cars
    98 Euro M3, 04 M3, 06 M5
    take your car to someone else. even just to get a second opinion, i think your dealership is full of crap.

    for the rear, I have never heard of a car needing a trailing arm unless it was directly damaged from a crash. You normally replace just the bushings. the trailing arm bushing shouldnt cost any more then $50 each (one for each side), and the wishbone bushings shouldnt cost more then $16 each (one for each side). Im assuming the wheel service kit is a bearing.. again, not something that normally fails at 68k, you can normally hear if a wheel bearing is failing. Not sure what bracket that is for $40...

    the front struts do go, but that wont cause tire wear, The front wishbones hardly ever fail, especially at only 68k.. normally what fails is the bushing that mounts them to the body, which again shouldnt be more then $80 each(x2). I replace these all the time at work and can do both in about 30 minutes.

    to me, you have about $500 worth of parts needed(not including front strut), and about 6 hours labour +/-
    Last edited by legoman67; 07-11-2013 at 11:34 PM.
    Current:

    - 09 335i MSport, FBO.
    - 98 Euro M3, Estoril Blue
    - 04 M3, Carbon Black, 6 Speed Coupe
    - 06 M5, Black on Black, Full Leather.
    - 73 3.0CS, Tagia Green, 5 speed M30b35 converted

    Ex's: 1984 325e, 1988 325IX, 1992 525I, 1995 540i/6, 2002 330i, 2005 330xi, 1992 850i, 2003 330i #1, 2003 330i #2, 2002 330ci, 2004 330ci, 2007 328CI, 2007 335i, 2001 M3, 2006 M5 6 speed

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Posts
    550
    You could do an entire suspension swap for less than what they quoted you. Never should you need to replace a trailing arm, as said above. Thats crazy!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    130i
    It's just cheaper to replace the tyres as required it seems with that quote.

    Sent from my GT-I9305T using Tapatalk 4 Beta

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Apple Valley, MN
    Posts
    102
    My Cars
    2007 BMW 335i
    I thought about replacing my tires but the new tires were pretty much worn out after 7k miles. I think i'll birng it to another shop and get another quote. $5k is just outrageous. The car is only worth about 10k.
    Last edited by JLiusifer; 07-12-2013 at 11:09 AM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    13,674
    My Cars
    2005 325Xi
    Did you think to ask the dealer why they are recommending a trailing arm?

    Maybe you slid into a curb last winter?

    A second opinion on that large of an estimate would be a good idea.
    Quote Originally Posted by B4SH View Post
    If anyone knows, it's this guy who knows literally nothing about everything.
    Quote Originally Posted by fcvapor05 View Post
    Do you even OT? The mean 401k around here is probably about $6, what with all the shiny cars and $1,000 watches and donations to get other members' Volvos running.


  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Arlington, VA
    Posts
    9,933
    My Cars
    2018 BMW M240i
    Contact the local chapter of the BMW Car Club of America for indy shop recommendations. Each chapter has a website. $5000! As a previous poster noted, find out why the dealer wants to replace each part. They don't call them "stealers" for nothing.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    nil
    Posts
    652
    My Cars
    nil
    First, I would say the dealer is the most expensive repair option, usually. Our e36 sedan has about 76k on it and in the past two years, I've spent way more in parts then the car is worth. I can understand the situation your in. These cars need a fair bit of maintenance and repair when they hit 60-70k. You might consider getting some differing quotes from other repair facilities. I need to replace the bushings in our trailing arms(and subframe), and servicing them is not fun(ie installing new bushing and wheel bearing). Having come from many Audi quattros, AWD cars are expensive to maintain, especially as they age. Best of luck with it.
    regards

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