Get This (car update)

[Dr.M]

2Thick -

It's not a lemon.
4 years 97k miles and I've never ever had a problem.

I only brought it in for new pads and rotors, a tune up and some new spark plugs. I should have been out the door perfectly serviced with parts, labor and tax for $1600 and change.

So its been f'ed up ever since it was serviced?

They are right though about cost of ownership being much higher, my boss bought a new BMW and after its first NORMAL MAINTENANCE visit he knew he could not keep it and sold it, I could just about swear he said it was $500 for a tune up and car wash, but I can ask again if curious.

 

[Dr.M]

the check engine light in most cars is usually if it has fuel injection I think and if that system isn't working, then it gives a check engine light to show that there is an emissions issue - I personally agree that should be a different light than "check engine"

Any modern day car has a check engine light, and OBD I/II both cover plenty more than just the injection system/fuel pump etc, OBD I is pretty lightweight but anything 96+ has about 3 times the number of codes it can store, and my OBD I computer has about 85 codes.

 

[Dr.M]

someones forgot to hook up an O2 sensor.....

No, she would know instantly from getting about 12MPG instead of 2x/3x from the car being locked in a constant open loop, if it were that simple they should be getting a big fat LEFT/RIGHT O2 SENSOR FAILURE or etc, if her's is 96+ then she probably has 4 O2s.

 

[2Thick]

So its been f'ed up ever since it was serviced?

They are right though about cost of ownership being much higher, my boss bought a new BMW and after its first NORMAL MAINTENANCE visit he knew he could not keep it and sold it, I could just about swear he said it was $500 for a tune up and car wash, but I can ask again if curious.

That is about the right price for the tune-up.

That is why you take out those damn lights and do your own tune-ups.

 

[Dr.M]

I haven't yanked the light on my car, but I have my own diagnostics software and programming equipment as well.

I agree on the tuneups though, its not every man or womans forté, but all it is are some plugs, wires, and filters. Paying a dealer is double or tripple cost parts, paying for Joe to smoke a few cigs and talk to Bob about who he almost fucked last night, and then break a few things (plug wire boots, etc), strip the plug threads in the heads, while very slowly fixing the rest of the shit, then race around town impressing the bitches with "his ride".

Thats my impression of most dealerships, which is why I dont touch them, overpriced up the yin yang, now if only I knew how to do my own dental work

 

[Dr.M]

Good advice, I learned tons of crap just online, and from a local BA group, lots of experienced guys around.

Unfortunately however I have seen plenty of instances where this is not true (RICE), a friend of mine with an import (3.5L something, not a Maxima, I forget), has not a single member who has much of any kind of technical knowlege. These guys idea of modifications is $300 off-road pipes thats about $30 worth of pipe

 

[Lumberg]

Okay i'll make this quick cuz i don't feel like typing an essay:

Whenever you buy a certain BRAND of car..

find a group or club or internet site or friends who have the same car. Join this elite group. Then find out from them WHO they RECOMMEND for fixing the car. Many of them will know a certain individual who works at home and knows these cars INSIDE AND OUT and you can take it to him on say a sunday afternoon and get a full non-biased honest opinion on the whole car. Since it's a hobby, doing it for friends -- you won't get f'd.

I have a 3000GT and we have a small group of us here in the So.Cal area. And we have a couple mechanics who are friends with all of us who take care of our cars, and we in turn recommend more people to him. He never bs's us, and we have all saved THOUSANDS of dollars that would've been ripped directly to the dealers.

Do that in the future.

-= nav =-

That's a great idea. I want to be that guy one day.

JC

 

[velvett]

I guess your damned either way.

I had asked several people in my area for a recommendation and couldn't get a straight answer on a single person except one and the guy said he was too busy to do any car work on his off time.

Of course now that I'm whinning about it to a pal of mine I've got a recommenation of whom to bring my car to next time. Go figure.

Dr. M - 675 tune up, 910 new pads and rotors front & back

I am aware of the cost to maintain the car as I am the cost of the dealer and again I have never had an issue with the cost - I have an issue with the lack of service.

It's all relative.

I can sell someone a $3000 sofa or I can sell someone a $12,000 sofa. When the sofa arrives 3 months late the client is equally outraged at the inconvience regardless of what they paid for it.

(That said - my smaller jobs are higher maintenance than my larger jobs, but that is an entirely different topic.)


I have spoken to a BMW mechanic at a different dealer, a mechanic at a private service station as well as BMW North America and have received nothing but helpful answers and support. I am quite confident that things will work out to my favor.


Score 2 for me.

 

[Dr.M]

Front 'street' performance pads for my car, $59, rear $119 I believe (Hawk, blacks), rotors $29 each

Vette rotors are around $100 if you find the right place, I can get an entire front Porsche setup for around $1500, 4 piston calipers, or 6 piston for nearly 3 freaking grand (GT2 setup).

The labor would kill me, oy!

Find a message board for Beamer folks, if you haven't already.

Good luck!