Is $4000 the going rate for rod bearings?

[PACarGuy]

Here in Philly I paid about $2,350 for RB job, including oil pan gasket, BE bearings, ARP bolts. Labor was $1,250 for the above. Motor mounts were an additional $200 or so in parts and labor was included in the $1,250.

[Bpark1977]

Originally Posted by kerrit

IS Motorsports (Formerly IS Garage) in Renton charges around ~1700 in labor from a recent post. BE bearings and bolts are around $850, then add a couple hundred for fluids and gasket.

Spoke to Ian at IS. Just under 2900 including motor mounts, fluids, etc.
the other option was Vancouver and RG for about 2800usd but IS is down the street.
Gonna do test pipes at the same time cause in case you didn't know, Washington emissions laws expired last year.

[velociti]

Originally Posted by PACarGuy

Here in Philly I paid about $2,350 for RB job, including oil pan gasket, BE bearings, ARP bolts. Labor was $1,250 for the above. Motor mounts were an additional $200 or so in parts and labor was included in the $1,250.

Which shop in Philly? I usually go to VAC, but am conflicted because on the one hand, they've done tons of jobs with their own bearings, but on the other hand I'd like to use BE bearings. Any feedback you have on this other shop would be helpful!

[PACarGuy]

Originally Posted by velociti

Which shop in Philly? I usually go to VAC, but am conflicted because on the one hand, they've done tons of jobs with their own bearings, but on the other hand I'd like to use BE bearings. Any feedback you have on this other shop would be helpful!

Bavarian Specialties in King of Prussia. They're not the cheapest shop around, but Mike and the crew there are very experienced and knowledgeable, and are very practical. They've done lots of RB jobs at this point.

[deansbimmer]

$4000 is a "we-don't-want-to-mess-with-it-but-will-at-this-price" quote.

Shops that know this job and do them often charge significantly less. Our shop in Texas does them with BE bearings at $2400 including engine mounts.

[txcatalyst]

Please see my uploaded pic, I feel this was fair and in-line with other estimates. This included RB, motor mounts and spark plug change.

[deansbimmer]

Originally Posted by txcatalyst

Please see my uploaded pic, I feel this was fair and in-line with other estimates. This included RB, motor mounts and spark plug change.

Except they're using OEM bearings. I see you're local to our shop, Mporium BMW. You should give us a shout if you need the job done. We have BE bearings in stock (as well as others) and our turn around is the fastest in town.

[Fezza]

US$4k is pretty expensive for RB considering mine in W. Australia cost around US$2.5k total including mounts, diff oil change, full DCT service (inc. filters, pan gasket).

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by Fezza

US$4k is pretty expensive for RB considering mine in W. Australia cost around US$2.5k total including mounts, diff oil change, full DCT service (inc. filters, pan gasket).

Even with ACL shells, that is really cheap when including the DCT job!

[nyc_dude]

AutoTalent in LA is the same company that makes BE Bearings. $2000-ish.
Bearings + ARP Bolts are $800 + 8-10 hrs of labor (@ $125-150/hr)
Motor Mounts are $100-200. Oil Change is $150-200. Need a wheel alignment too $150.

Drive down to LA and visit DisneyLand/Galaxy's Edge + the Beach for vacation in the Spring/Summer. Porsche Experience Center is nearby too.

Sean Rho (Mashimaro) just opened a new BMW Shop in WA, which might be an option.
Might try a Nor Cal Shop, which is closer.

If you have a 2011+ e9x M3, the rod bearings are made of a different material (Harder Aluminum/Tin vs Softer Lead/Copper), so the RB service is not as critical. Try a Blackstone Oil Test first. You can change your oil more often (every 5k miles).


Cheers

[deansbimmer]

Originally Posted by nyc_dude

AutoTalent in LA is the same company that makes BE Bearings. $2000-ish.

BE bearings makes BE bearings. AutoTalent is a shop/distributor.

Originally Posted by nyc_dude

If you have a 2011+ e9x M3, the rod bearings are made of a different material (Harder Aluminum/Tin vs Softer Lead/Copper), so the RB service is not as critical. Try a Blackstone Oil Test first. You can change your oil more often (every 5k miles).

This is misleading and discussed ad nauseam in other threads. Later bearings are just as susceptible to failure as early bearings (if not more so). Additionally, oil analysis is unable to specifically identify bearing wear in those, rendering oil tests of little use in warning owners of danger in engines with tin/aluminum bearings.

[Fezza]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Even with ACL shells, that is really cheap when including the DCT job!

got a family member to bring me the BE bearings and ARP bolts from AutoTalent, purchased all new bolts from ecstuning and sourced all the other required parts from rockauto. still all up cost me that much.

[luckyse7en]

If you want to drive down to Portland metro area, I got mine done for about 1600 labor and I supplied my own BE bearings and oil parts. This was at AR auto service in Lake Oswego. Talked to the owner the other day and they keep bearings in stock now because they perform this job so often now.

[patsbimmer1]

I paid roughly $2000 for BE bearings with mounts, oil, gasket, etc and labor at EFab Motorsports in Lake Zurich, Illinois. I sourced the parts on my own through ECS with their BE kit. $4000 sounds outrageous and is far more than any shops quoted me in Wisconsin including Kelly Moss.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by Fezza

got a family member to bring me the BE bearings and ARP bolts from AutoTalent, purchased all new bolts from ecstuning and sourced all the other required parts from rockauto. still all up cost me that much.

Ah, so $2500 was for material only mate?

[dogbone]

Originally Posted by elusive303

Prices are ridiculous around here. I was quoted $230-$400 for a single strut install from a few local shops around here. That's like an hour of labor even with hand tools. I paid $400 for complete coilover install+adjustments from a reputable shop when I lived in the Bay Area.

In the Denver area, I found an indy shop with a knowledgeable tech in the Castle Rock area that charges fair prices. His rod bearing quote was reasonable. Nice guy. Fixed some stuff for me already. If you want to know more, send me a PM. (I haven't had him do the rod bearings to my street E92 M3 yet because I'm cheap and waiting......I'm spending all my money on my E90 M3 track car right now because I have a Time Attack in less than two weeks at COTA! And besides, there's snow on the ground here in Denver with 2-5" more inches coming Friday. The E92 is a garage queen when that's going on! Who needs to fix it?! )

[Scharbag]

Originally Posted by deansbimmer

BE bearings makes BE bearings. AutoTalent is a shop/distributor.



This is misleading and discussed ad nauseam in other threads. Later bearings are just as susceptible to failure as early bearings (if not more so). Additionally, oil analysis is unable to specifically identify bearing wear in those, rendering oil tests of little use in warning owners of danger in engines with tin/aluminum bearings.

Why does this keep coming up. No factory bearings are safe in the S65. Some will be fine. Most will wear poorly. Some will simply fail. Statistics is a bitch. Since BMW failed to consult the bearing manufactures prior to specifying a ridiculously tight clearance spec, we all get to participate in the "German Lottery." Fun.

While there might be a slight argument that the 702/703 Sn/Al bearings have slightly better tolerances than the 088/089 bearings (based on the data collected to date), they can still result in terrible clearances in the S65. It also sucks that, in general, Sn/Al bearings are not a good as Pb/Cu for other reasons, such as embedding debris, oil analysis (as deansbimmer states) and seizure resistance. Damn RoHS...

Cheers,

[elusive303]

Originally Posted by dogbone

In the Denver area, I found an indy shop with a knowledgeable tech in the Castle Rock area that charges fair prices. His rod bearing quote was reasonable. Nice guy. Fixed some stuff for me already. If you want to know more, send me a PM. (I haven't had him do the rod bearings to my street E92 M3 yet because I'm cheap and waiting......I'm spending all my money on my E90 M3 track car right now because I have a Time Attack in less than two weeks at COTA! And besides, there's snow on the ground here in Denver with 2-5" more inches coming Friday. The E92 is a garage queen when that's going on! Who needs to fix it?! )

Thanks for looking out and for the offer. I'm actually in the Seattle area now. If I was still in Denver I would've of done it myself since all my tools are still there. I've been following your build on the track thread for a while. Kudos on the awesome build and great driving!

[Fezza]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Ah, so $2500 was for material only mate?

no inc. labour (approx US$850)

[Charlievee]

Originally Posted by Scharbag

Why does this keep coming up. No factory bearings are safe in the S65. Some will be fine. Most will wear poorly. Some will simply fail. Statistics is a bitch. Since BMW failed to consult the bearing manufactures prior to specifying a ridiculously tight clearance spec, we all get to participate in the "German Lottery." Fun.

While there might be a slight argument that the 702/703 Sn/Al bearings have slightly better tolerances than the 088/089 bearings (based on the data collected to date), they can still result in terrible clearances in the S65. It also sucks that, in general, Sn/Al bearings are not a good as Pb/Cu for other reasons, such as embedding debris, oil analysis (as deansbimmer states) and seizure resistance. Damn RoHS...

Cheers,

So you reckon the original engine manufacturer needs to consult with bearing manufacturer on clearances? Engine manufacturers who have been building race cars for decades and have all the background and design info, and testing data on the engines??

I didn't know the tail wagged the dog.

[pbonsalb]

Yes, many think bmw screwed up on the S65 and S85, which have much tighter clearances than industry standard. When the tolerance stack is unfavorable, clearance seems to be insufficient and hundreds if nothing thousands of motors have failed.

[Scharbag]

Originally Posted by Charlievee

So you reckon the original engine manufacturer needs to consult with bearing manufacturer on clearances? Engine manufacturers who have been building race cars for decades and have all the background and design info, and testing data on the engines??

I didn't know the tail wagged the dog.

BMW builds cars.

There are experts in every field. And there are laws of physics. Plain and simple. Engineers can be arrogant asshats. I know. I am an engineer. Just because you think you know better than the subject matter experts, it is not always the case. And every once and a while, you learn a hard and humbling lesson.

I think this is a case where BMW has been forced to learn (hopefully) a very hard lesson.

Cheers,