M3 motor rebuild in shop for 4 past months

[momo69m3]

Guys I had bought a 2013 Bmw m3 6 speed zcp car in space grey and I love the car to death one of my dream cars and being a lucky 23 year old I had found a way of getting one in my favorite spec carbon roof with the 6 speed and the competition package. Sadly the car started to to act up it had 77k miles on it and around 81k apparently the valve spring broke and pretty much destroyed cylinder #7. That being said I wasn't gonna just give up on my dream car that I had worked my ass off to get and on top of that I had purchased new throttle body actuators and idle control valve through FCP which I had already installed. I always warmed my car up 15 min before driving taking care of it the best I could. My issue is the shop I have dropped it off to seems to be taking to long on the rebuild I had dropped my m3 to the shop on July 10 with full payment for rebuild with it and its nov 18 now I just want to know if im being unrealistic or am I being played for a fool for the amount of time they have already took, just want some direction on what to do.

[BayE30]

I would NEVER pay up front for any work. Also, who is this shop rebuilding an S65? there are only a handful of shops in the US that are competent enough to handle that job, how much did they charge you?

[momo69m3]

Originally Posted by SFCM3

I would NEVER pay up front for any work. Also, who is this shop rebuilding an S65? there are only a handful of shops in the US that are competent enough to handle that job, how much did they charge you?

they charged me 13k btw: sweet e90 m3 and its a small time shop its not like an auto couture or bimmer motors group

[dgoldenz]

Took about two months for mine. My shop only has one tech capable of handling the rebuild and it’s not the only thing he was working on. They told me up front to expect 1-2 months though. The actual number of labor hours quoted was 53 hours for the rebuild but that doesn’t include removing and reinstalling.

[roastbeef]

a fool and his money will soon be parted.

[///M3Fresh]

Originally Posted by SFCM3

I would NEVER pay up front for any work. Also, who is this shop rebuilding an S65? there are only a handful of shops in the US that are competent enough to handle that job, how much did they charge you?

This, 4 months and the shop took 13k from you? What was the expectations or ETA to complete the job?

I normally add time to most shop quotes, depending on what it is, sometimes up to 2x the time given.

If they told you it would be completed by 2-3 months I would start asking where they are with the work.

[PACarGuy]

Have you actually asked the shop what the deal is? Call me captain obvious, but that's where I'd start.

[xander_g]

At this point it is too late to say that you should have never paid upfront. They already got paid so they may not be too motivated to complete the actual work.
Google your local consumer protection legislation and speak to a lawyer - consultations are free.

[Dpc2u]

Why in the name of God's green earth would you pay in advance? Your car is the collateral. You don't pay for the completed work, they just put a mechanic's lien on it. :

[amrazM]

Where did you take the car bro?

[BPMSport]

Never pay for the work before it's completed. You should pay upon completion and then pick the car up.

Also, FYI, warming up the car for 15 minutes before driving it is doing it a disservice. You should let it warm for a minute or so and then drive easily until warm.

We have seen a number of valve spring issues (although fairly rare) and they have all been on 12 and 13 modules. Have not seen valve spring failure on earlier builds. I would venture to say this is a manufacturing defect in the latest batch of production.

Good with your repair and hopefully you can keep your dream alive!

[luckyse7en]

OP. I would definitely start looking into legal help. Hopefully you have all your paperwork in order. This kind of situation is a nightmare if you don't have paperwork to show you paid in advance, quoted labor, parts cost, etc.

Hope it works out.

[Rajmun340]

Maybe you should check if the garage still exists. I don't think any garage with a reputation will ask to be paid upfront, as was said, the car is the collateral. From that alone, I think you are up for more surprises. Also have you written your miles down ?
Everything automobile related is a dirty business where crooks of various levels abound from only slightly dishonest to crooks to the bone (stealerships not the least). i'm guessing there is more to the story that got you in that situation in the first place.

[Insomniaroy]

Ouch !

My advice (FWIW) : Stay polite and ask they show you the progress of the rebuild so far.
If they reject this, it's a tell sign that you are in trouble. Otherwise, make sure you get some commitment on paper (When will it be fixed, no additional costs etc.) .
In other words, make sure you can prove you gave them a fair chance before you "lawyer up"

[nrubenstein]

Welp. You’re probably screwed. That was incredibly unwise.

Have they even touched your car in all this time?

[Dpc2u]

OP seems to have poofed. It would be interesting to know how many times he has actually dropped in on the shop to look at the progress. I know I would have several times by now.