Quote:
Originally Posted by jphughan
Ouch! That must have been one hell of a pothole you went over to do over $3K of damage to both your front and rear suspension. You could always do some research on trusted indy shops in your area and get a second opinion. I can't speak for your dealer, but my wife's Mini dealer recommended a bunch of suspension work (while it was in for recall service) and when I took it to my trusted indy shop, he said it was basically total BS. Yes, TECHNICALLY the issues they mentioned existed (torn lower control arm bushings, a hairline crack on upper strut mounts), but the wear was simply what you'd expect from a part that wasn't brand new, not bad enough to warrant replacement. The same could be true here.
In terms of the consequences of going through insurance, I'm not sure whether single car accidents that don't involve collisions end up on your record. Then again, I'm not sure going through insurance even makes a difference in that regard; I think even if you pay out of pocket, the shop doing the work reports on work done due to accidents, and again I don't know if they differentiate between collisions and accidents. That's how places like CarFax get their data if I'm not mistaken -- but I certainly could be.
$280 for a cabin microfilter job seems pretty insane. I don't think it's much labor to get there, and the part itself isn't anywhere near that expensive either....
$1850 for tires is a bit crazy even including installation cost. They're also probably going to install Michelin PS2s (since they're OEM) rather than the better-in-every-way-and-cheaper Michelin Pilot Super Sports. Get the latter from Tire Rack ($1104 for 19" at the moment) and have them shipped directly to one of their recommended installers, who will then call you to set up an appointment when they arrive. And on a related note, keep an eye on your tires, dude! Don't let your tires go bald like that, and a bubble on a tire is a major safety hazard! Maintain your vehicle for your own safety and that of others. I'm surprised the inside of your FRONT tire wore before the outside though. My fronts wear on the outsides first and the rears wear on the insides. You must not be cornering nearly aggressively enough.
And CLEANING FUEL INJECTORS TO PREVENT CARBON BUILDUP?!?!? That's something that 335i's get, not M3s!! First, unless you're using crappy gas (rather than Chevron/Shell, for example), there's absolutely no reason you should need fuel injector cleaning service. Second, carbon buildup occurs on direct injection engines (which the M3 is not) and occurred on the E39 M5 because of a design issue which the E9x M3 doesn't share. That's a pure profit item at lots of dealers and is completely stupid, ESPECIALLY on an E9x M3. If you're actually worried about it, put some injector cleaning additive like Techron into your tank every ~6 months and call it a day, but I'd question whether even that would deliver a benefit.
I also like how they have 3 separate inspection fees: standard scope, vehicle check, and the DSC light -- with a note that the last one might have to be done again after the rest of the work is completed.  |
The crazy thing is, I don't recall ever going over a pothole at all, and definitely not one that would require a new front and back suspension.
Thanks for the tire advice, are those the best tires to have for a summer (and rarely winter) car? I thought those prices were outrageous.
How much should an alignment cost, and should I get it done at a BMW dealer?
I have been using premium gas at every station I have been to, so I wont be going for the cleaning fuel injectors like you recommended, thank you.
This is all at the 54th street manhattan BMW dealer by the way.