OW OW OW OW

[CommanderJameson]

Edit: Regained composure and got complete list:

Front and rear offside antiroll links worn
Both rear ball joints worn
Offside rear control arm excessive play
Engine thermostat causing engine to run cool
Rear high level brake light not working (I knew this)
Nail in rear offside tyre
Plus the I2, MOT and brake fluid/coolant.

Cost to fix all: £1600.

OW OW OW OW

Edited by CommanderJameson on Wednesday 22 November 12:16

[CommanderJameson]

OK, so I got a colleague who knows the service manager at a different dealer to run the faults and cost past him, and the response was "sounds reasonable for the work involved, bearing in mind dealerships make a healthy profit on service".

Sigh.

I'll have the work done, on the basis that I'm doomed to always buy cars with invisible but expensive faults (last car I bought ran sweet as a nut for a week and then the cat failed, taking the exhaust with it - £600) but then they run fine after an initial "argh!".

[r5gttgaz]

Is that from BMW? If so you can get 10% off with their 4-Plus discount scheme.

[CommanderJameson]

r5gttgaz said:

Is that from BMW? If so you can get 10% off with their 4-Plus discount scheme.

Indeed, and I intend to do a bit of negotiating on the price when I collect the car. The service manager has already said that he will attempt to get a bit more discount on the parts, given the amount of work being done.

So far, I'm happy (as can be in the circumstances) with the honesty and up-front-ness of the dealer, whose name I shall reveal if they continue to meet my expectations.

As per name-and-shame rules, though, I'll keep schtum if they make a mess of this.

[dcb]

r5gttgaz said:

Is that from BMW? If so you can get 10% off with their 4-Plus discount scheme.

I thought it was 15 %

If it has gone to 10% recently, I'm in the market
for someone new to service my car.

[MattOz]

Still seems a little harsh. I've been quoted £329 all in for an I2 on my 330i by my local main dealer. I can't believe that those extra bits account for nearly £1300 quids worth. Blimey!

Matt

[blackspider]

If I was you I would use a good indy for that work.it could be done for say £1200 or less for the same quality of work!
...and that comes from someone who works for BMW!!!

[MattOz]

blackspider,

My view is that I get the services done at the main dealer (for the stamp) and if they have "recomendations", I have these carried out by a local specialist. Seems to work. Get FBMWSH for the car and if I can't do the job myself, get the local Indy to do the other non-routine maintenance.

Matt

[ipsg.glf]

CommanderJameson said:

Indeed, and I intend to do a bit of negotiating on the price when I collect the car.

If you mean collect the car AFTER they have done the work, then that is a big misake. You are negotiating from a position of weekness. Tell the Dealer up fron that you want their best possible price. Personally, I'd take it to an independent.

[CommanderJameson]

Well, I've got the car back. It's markedly less wallowy in cornering and noticeably quieter and more composed over the bumps. Fuel consumption was the thing I noticed first, though - back up to 35+ MPG on a run from the 25-30MPG I've been getting the last week or two, as the engine reaches its operating temperature and the autochoke turns off. Picks up like it should, too.

One might say, though, that for the money it bloody well should be.

Engine? As one might expect from the mighty M52, absolutely flawless. Still makes that noise at full chat. Car, I forgive you.

Preston Hall BMW, thanks for being up-front about costs and delivering what you said you would, when you said you would.

In future, I may consider having some work done at an indy, but this was the first service after buying and I wanted to get The Jameson First Service Horrible Car Cost Curse out of the way.

Edited by CommanderJameson on Thursday 23 November 17:10

Edited by CommanderJameson on Thursday 23 November 17:18

[Derek M5]

I thought it was only me that bought 'those' sort of cars!