vikingshelmut

I took my wonderful 2008 550i into my BMW dealer for some normal service (oil, brake fluid, etc) and was given an unfortunate estimate for a litany of other problems they say need to be fixed. It would appear that nearly every seal has failed, as I appear to be leaking oil from almost every spot on the engine. I'm quite stunned by the estimated cost of the repairs (~$13k) considering I've had ZERO problems up until now. I need help finding an independent shop in the South SF Bay Area that I can take the car to for a new estimate so see if I'm really up a creek or if I have some cheaper options.

Here is the list of items they say need repair, including the combined labor/parts cost.

Oil leaks from valve cover gaskets (cylinder head gaskets, o-rings, etc) - $3500
Front control arm bushings - $900
Front brake pads/rotors/sensors - $1200
Rear brake pads/rotors/sensors - $1100
Vacuum pump (not sure if it's a gasket/seal, or the pump) - $584 (no labor cost)
Alternator bracket seal - $1400
Front sway bar - $2400
Tranny sleeve connector, gasket, etc - $960
Lower engine oil pan gasket - $600

Help! I really do love my car, but $13k worth of repairs just can't be justified.

Wkistler23

Only place I trust:
Precision Motors in Newport Beach, CA
Precision Motors | Specializing in Independent BMW/Mini Service
Scott is the owner.
Jon is the service technician.
Give them a call, after 5 minutes you'll see why I go there.

vikingshelmut

NPB is pretty far from me. Anybody have any recommendations for SF bay area, south bay (San Jose, etc)?

addy33

Performance Technic - They are good with BMWs. I used them when I was in NorCal

6310 Houston Place
Suite A
Dublin, CA 94568
at Dougherty Rd

vikingshelmut

I ended up taking it to Fast Lane European in San Jose. They ended up doing most of what BMW was asking to get done for about a third the price. There were a few items they didn't think were necessary, so overall I'm happy to have my baby back.

KyleB

Good to hear. I'm pretty convinced that this is a tactic used to persuade people into trading up for a new BMW. I seriously doubt your car needed that much in repair. I'm going to guess it got nothing but clean bills of health the entire time it was under warranty, right?

In this day and age if a 7 year old car really does need thirteen large to bring it up to snuff, then BMW truly is building the biggest pile of crap car on the road and they need to come out and admit it.

vikingshelmut

I agree 100%, in fact the tech said essentially that "you should consider selling it or trading it in". Seems pretty shady to me. It definitely got nothing but clean bills of health while under warranty. At this point I'm wary of investing any of my money into a BMW again if this is how the dealers/service departments treat their customers. I definitely won't ever go back to that dealer in particular.