[ds968]

It took me a while to come to terms with the cost of having the 968 head rebuilt, but a few weeks ago one of my friends who owns a 2005 ( or maybe it's an '04 ) BMW 645 Ci took in into the dealer to have a coolant leak fixed. Apparently some pipe located in an entirely inaccessible spot cracked and had to be replaced. Sit down for what follows : Part cost $ 1,100.00 LABOR : $ 5,000.00 <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



So he shelled out $6 k for a friggin' collant leak repair. All of a sudden, my (roughly the same ) bill for parts and labor to have the entire head rebuilt all new valves, guides, lifters, variocam chain and pads, drive belts, rollers, tensioners, water pump, yada, yada.. seems like a bargain !

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[Cloud9...68]

That's incredible. At $100/hr, that's 50 hours of labor! More than an entire work week! I can't imagine what would take that long to repair.



As far as parts costs, we should consider ourselves very fortunate to have Sunset Porsche at our disposal. As far as I can tell, there is no such beast in the BMW world. Parts at, as far as I've gathered from the BMW forums, every BMW dealer in the country, are simply outrageous. It's generally the little things, like $4.50 for a 30 cent o-ring, that get my goat. That's why they're called "stealers." Fortunately, there is a good network of parts houses where most parts are available for pretty reasonable prices.

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[rl968]

BMW dealers charge a lot more than $100/hour for labor, probably closer to $200/hour. Still, hard to see anything taking 25 hours other than an engine rebuild.

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[Cloud9...68]

"BMW dealers charge a lot more than $100/hour for labor, probably closer to $200/hour"



Are you sure? That constitutes a new definition in Webster's for the word "outrageous." We own three BMWs, and they're not particularly difficult cars to work on. But still, like you say, even 25-30 hours is insane for anything other than an engine rebuild.

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[smshirk]

I think I'll sell my M3. Any takers?

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[flash]

that's one of the reasons we sold both of ours

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[ds968]

I also believe hourly charges may depend on the location, state, and the wtcgawf ( whatever they can get away with factor ) - this dealer is in Pasadena, Ca so although no Beverly Hills, I'm gusessing prices are still high.. I'll ask him if the hours / rate is reflected on the invoice, or if it just indicated " labor " . I remember they told him that practically the entire bottom half of the engine needs to be taken out to get to the pipe which needed replacement. Still, if I had to bet money, I think a certified, but independent mechanic might have dome the same job for half the charge.. then again, my buddy went to the dealer to replace his flat tire, he said it's too much bother and he does not have the patience to check for, or deal with alternative service shops so I guess he's prepared to pay an arm and a leg for anything..

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[Scott Collins]

Before my 3rd child came along about 8 months ago, I gave the BMW 740IL a serious look. The flagship BMW. Beautiful body style, power everything, lots of room inside, a "3-4 body trunk", etc...So I joined the Bimmer Forums to start researching the car. Chatted with lots of passionate BMW owners. Always cool to talk with people who are just nuts about their cars. I love it. Here's a quote from an owner, giving me the skinny,



"The repair bills for your Porsche will seem like lunch money compared to the BMW."



I still can't understand how a car designated as the "Flagship" is up in the air more than it's on the ground.

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[Cloud9...68]

BMW's repair history is highly dependent on the model. The 3 Series actually do pretty well; generally above average in Consumer Reports's reliability surveys, which are the industry standard. The 7 Series, yes, look out; according to CR, they're horrible. Same with most years of the X5 (gulp - we recently bought an '03). You pretty much HAVE to be able to do your own work, imho, or be independently wealthy, if you're planning to buy most BMW models. And that also goes for Mercedes, and Audi.

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[rhudeboye]

[quote name='ds968' timestamp='1290360982' post='101438']

I also believe hourly charges may depend on the location, state,

[/quote]



BINGO



I was talking with a mechanic friend who works in somewhat of a rural area. I told him that my mechanic, also a friend, charges $75 hour. His reply was "I could never get away with charging that much here".



Being so close to the DC area is another reason I travel to PA to get my 68 fixed .

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[Ryan]

Our Audi is now out of warranty and I though "hey I can do this 55k service", I mean it is only cabin air filters;oil change;plugs and air filter plus a bunch of BS checks. Well I know why they want $650.00 for the service now. You have to take the "F"in car apart to do anything. There is no information available to let you know how things are done on these cars. I still can't figure out how to put the cabin filters in or where they go. I thought I knew, but noooo.

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[Cloud9...68]

Hmmm... That's strange. I've found our BMWs to be pretty easy to work on, and there's tons of information on the forums and youtube about how to do just about anything.

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[ds968]

Had lunch with a business associate yesterday who drives a '07 650 , told him about the crazy repair cost of my buddy's coolant issue and he told me about his experience earlier this year when someone cut his beemer's soft top to steal a jacket he left in the car, and his iPod which was the only other thing of value in the glove compartment.. None of the hardware of the top / mechanism was damaged, just the canvas ( or whatever that material is ) which was slashed was replaced and the associated labor . the bill : almost $ 8,000 !!!! The insurance tried to convince him they don't have to replace with OE or have the dealer do the job but since the car was leased, they did not succeed and had to fork over $ 8k. For a rag replacement . So yeah, more an more our Porsche repairs do seem like lunch money.

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[PorscheDude]

Tischer BMW here in Maryland is the Sunset Porsche equivent but, with a much better website.

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[Cloud9...68]

I didn't realize Tischer was a BMW dealer; I thought they were an aftermarket parts site. I'll give them a try next time I need a part.

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[ds968]

So, I spoke recently with my "BMW buddy" ( his 645's repairs saga being the original subject of this thread ) who just informed me about yet

another absurd design in that German marvel of a car <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> A back-up light bulb ( he might have meant the reverse light bulb ) burned out

and its replacement requires... ready for this ...?...the rear bumper to be removed from the car ! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> So he shelled out around $ 250 to have a tail bulb changed ! As I mentioned before, I'm going to have a very hard time complaining about labor costs of fixing simple things in the 968..

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[Rap]

I am waiting to get my bill for my roof which broke last Sunday when I tried to latch it. If you buy these cars they cost money. Question is how much and how frequently!! Lol

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[tamathumper]

There are no cheap Porsches...

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[flash]

only cheap porsche owners

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