Quote:
Originally Posted by pbonsalb
But if this service tests the electronics, replaces what is needed, offers some warranty and is cheaper than new, it is worth considering. For me, it would have to be about 50% cheaper than new to be worth the risk of ending up with a paperweight and having to buy another and doing the job over again.
|
You guys in the states have access to greater variety and better pricing, best i could muster in canuckestan was circa a grand a piece canadian (approx 750 usd) shipped from the states, and that includes import fees and whatnot. as such i was looking at about half the price, and for americans it would be about 50-60% difference from new units.
When i took apart the units BBA had remanufactured i was disappointed, the pin they had used to secure the main shaft to the half gear had cracked the delrin gear, the gear was visibly made of lower quality machining processes and the mosfets they had replaced looked like they were soldered in by children and one of the surface mount tabs of the circuit for a mosfet was damaged and so they had bridged to a nearby voltage regulator. it was shoddy at best, and though i haven't opened jason's work (void warranty sticker on it) looking at his instruction vids on his site and the quality of the gearset i initially installed, i'm hopeful this will work out well, time will tell.
the way i look at it, it's a lifetime service with one rebuild since it's a lifetime warranty where only shipping has to be covered by me.
on a side note, as i was researching root causes etc, don't remember what thread or forum, i found a link to a german page detailing that it's well known among ze germans bmw folk that the root cause of the actuator failures is seizing and dirtying throttle linkage actuator shafts. every time i've taken my actuators out i wiggled the linkages and they did noticeably have resistance and had a reduction in lubricity. the article mentioned that to avoid actuator premature damage annually the shaft and their linkage/bearings need lubrication and that the area is prone to heat and dust ridding of the lubricants. makes sense and i instinctively did it when replacing actuators, but now i'll be doing it as a regular service to avoid this ordeal if possible.