E36 323i in for MOT today.
Discussion
And it's failed as expected but not on what I would have thought that it was gonna fail on.
One of the rear coil springs is broken so no wonder the handling was iffy at 120 leptons the other day, and the garage, an independent, has said that both rears will have to be replaced and that they are £70 plus vat each plus 2 hours labour!!
Does not sound like a bargain to me especially at nearly £100/hour, except they have looked after the car for over 6 years now and normally have been very good.
Just wanted to check what you lot thought, as a search on the Net finds the coils at £25 but not genuine BMW parts.
One of the rear coil springs is broken so no wonder the handling was iffy at 120 leptons the other day, and the garage, an independent, has said that both rears will have to be replaced and that they are £70 plus vat each plus 2 hours labour!!
Does not sound like a bargain to me especially at nearly £100/hour, except they have looked after the car for over 6 years now and normally have been very good.
Just wanted to check what you lot thought, as a search on the Net finds the coils at £25 but not genuine BMW parts.
croyde said:
And it's failed as expected but not on what I would have thought that it was gonna fail on.
One of the rear coil springs is broken so no wonder the handling was iffy at 120 leptons the other day, and the garage, an independent, has said that both rears will have to be replaced and that they are £70 plus vat each plus 2 hours labour!!
Does not sound like a bargain to me especially at nearly £100/hour, except they have looked after the car for over 6 years now and normally have been very good.
Just wanted to check what you lot thought, as a search on the Net finds the coils at £25 but not genuine BMW parts.
2 hours labour? Would have thought that any competent garage could do both rears in an hour. You don't need compressors for the rears One of the rear coil springs is broken so no wonder the handling was iffy at 120 leptons the other day, and the garage, an independent, has said that both rears will have to be replaced and that they are £70 plus vat each plus 2 hours labour!!
Does not sound like a bargain to me especially at nearly £100/hour, except they have looked after the car for over 6 years now and normally have been very good.
Just wanted to check what you lot thought, as a search on the Net finds the coils at £25 but not genuine BMW parts.
sniff diesel said:
I can do rears in about 5 mins each, springs are about £35 each from GSF.
Yep, even allowing for jacking it up and undoing stiff bolts on the bottom shock mounts Rich I reckon I could do it under an hour easily....and have a cup of tea. I was being generous in time allowance. 2 hours seems an awfully long time for rears 
Just tell them you will sort the parts yourself from GSF.
Also suggest that a nearby garage has quoted an hour to fit the springs, and at a lesser labour rate too. Put the ball in their court to see if they want the business, otherwise take it elsewhere to get the work done.
£90 an hour at an IMT, even in London, is way too steep.
Also suggest that a nearby garage has quoted an hour to fit the springs, and at a lesser labour rate too. Put the ball in their court to see if they want the business, otherwise take it elsewhere to get the work done.
£90 an hour at an IMT, even in London, is way too steep.
sniff diesel said:
I can do rears in about 5 mins each, springs are about £35 each from GSF.
Yep, echo that. With the shocker bottom bolt out you can lever the spring out with a bit of BFI. Saloon springs are longer and can be a bit of a b
dos. Disconnecting the rear anti roll bar from the trailing arm helps.Your garage is taking the p*ss. Buy a couple of springs and fit them yourself!
Problem is that I have shut the door after the whotsit has bolted as they rang me to say that it had failed and what it would cost and told them to go ahead.
I'll argue it when I go to pick it up later today but I doubt that I'll have much of a leg to stand on. Shame as they have not ripped me off in the past.
I'll argue it when I go to pick it up later today but I doubt that I'll have much of a leg to stand on. Shame as they have not ripped me off in the past.
My mistake, the 2 hours of labour were for the coils, a couple of other adjustments and repairing and re-bonding the drivers side glass window to the regulator, which I had asked them to fix but had forgotten about 
The only shocker was the £186 including VAT for the 2 coils compared to the £70 quoted here.
Is it the difference between OEM and after-market?
The only shocker was the £186 including VAT for the 2 coils compared to the £70 quoted here.
Is it the difference between OEM and after-market?
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