Is $1900 to do the rear SubFrame bushings a ridiculous amount?

[dude8383]

Report back once its complete :up:

[jasonwiley65]

Sorry you're not closer. I'd give you a hand. If you are considering doing it yourself just follow the steps in my signature and feel free to ask any questions.

And what Nisse said is correct. It can be done with the subframe still in the car with the right tools. This is why BMW can do it much quicker. I'm not sure of the details...

I looked through your step by step guide, that is incredible. It also helped me see how big of a job taking out the rear subframe is! - Also, thanks for the tip, I called the local BMW dealership and they said it's less than a 3 hour job because of the tools they have. Crazy. Thanks a ton to everyone here. You all are the best.

[jasonwiley65]

Is the IX any different in the rear from a coupe?

Does it have to come down?

If it's no different than a regular e30 in the rear, then that is a brutal price in my opinion!

I had mine done at a dealership for under $200. I supplied the bushings.

This is why I love this forum...I called the local BMW dealership here and they said it was only a 3 hour job because they have a special tool for this specific job. Just saved over $1,000 on this! Thanks community!

[glnr13]

if you DIY it you should track down and rent (or buy but they aren't cheap) the subframe bushing tool and the trailing arm bushing tool. They both will make this job easier overall.

Realistically, there are so many "while you're in there" bits and pieces that you can replace when you do this job that it really is worth doing it yourself IMO. E brake lines, ebrake linings, maybe think about camber/toe adjusters (needs welding), sway bar connection reinforcement (also needs welding), sway bar, axles, diff bushing, giubo, center support bearing, the T fitting for the rear brakes, rear strut mounts, hell even rear wheel bearings...

[dude8383]

Thank goodness for a dry California car then!

Those are a joy to work on man! The clean cars rarely fight...



*I wanted to add that we also replaced shock mounts and the trailing arm bushings too. *

[EyExR]

Sorry you're not closer. I'd give you a hand. If you are considering doing it yourself just follow the steps in my signature and feel free to ask any questions.

And what Nisse said is correct. It can be done with the subframe still in the car with the right tools. This is why BMW can do it much quicker. I'm not sure of the details...

[Todd Black 88]

Not every subframe bushing comes out that easily ;)

Often times I have to break out the air chisel to literally break the aluminum insert so that the part stuck in the chassis can be retrieved after the subframe is fully dropped. My labor STARTS at $1k for an E30 simply because its a huge pain in the ass. The last e30 subframe job I did was around $1800 with parts and labor... but I had to replace every single brake line back there because of the rust.

Every car is different... some fight some don't. All depends on the life its lead up until your ownership.

Thank goodness for a dry California car then!

[reelizmpro]

I agree ^. Do it yourself. For the longest time I avoided doing the rear subframe bushings on my cars until I just decided to go for it. I found it wasn't really bad at all if you drop the entire rear as a unit, then the rest is easily accessible. None of my hardware was rusted so everything simply unbolted. I did it all in my driveway over the weekend because I had to take it to someone to get the tabs welded but if it weren't for that I could have easily had it done the same day.

[The Dark Side of Will]

At ten hours of book time, $1900 is $190/hour. That rate is way high, even for northern VA.
The bushings themselves are... $30 each?

They'll try to sell you everything under the sun, which you may or may not need.

I think they gave you the "Make a PITA job worth my while" price. Go somewhere else or do it yourself.

[ak-]

Here was my experience with my local shop who knows E30's extremely well 2 years ago:

Subframe bushings (AKG)
Trailing arm bushings (AKG)
Diff bushing (AKG)
Rear toe-kit, welded in (AKG)
Rear camber-kit, welded in (AKG)
Rear axle replacement (Oriely; lifetime warranty, 400wtq, what's there to lose? lol)
x2 Subframe located SS brake lines (I.E.) (They generously did this for me w/o me asking)
Custom alignment of all 4's.


Parts and labor: $1,188 tax included.

[mitchlevy7]

sometimes I quote a little high on jobs I have no interest in doing, especially when I am busy and dont need the work. Supply and demand. Maybe thats the case? Shop around a little bit.

Rear subframe bushings can be simple or a mess. I switched subframes when I was parting out my car and the aluminum part of the bushing broke off in the car and the ebrake cables were rusted in. Biggest PITA. They may have quoted you expecting the worst, so that if the worst happens, their flat rate tech doesnt loose a week of work on a 10hr job.

[Nisse Järnet]

With the right tools it can be done with the subframe still in the car, at least if using stock rubber bushings.

[dude8383]

The BMW dealership I took it to did it on the car. Seriously, I was in and out in under 2 hours.

Not every subframe bushing comes out that easily ;)

Often times I have to break out the air chisel to literally break the aluminum insert so that the part stuck in the chassis can be retrieved after the subframe is fully dropped. My labor STARTS at $1k for an E30 simply because its a huge pain in the ass. The last e30 subframe job I did was around $1800 with parts and labor... but I had to replace every single brake line back there because of the rust.

Every car is different... some fight some don't. All depends on the life its lead up until your ownership.

[Todd Black 88]

The BMW dealership I took it to did it on the car. Seriously, I was in and out in under 2 hours.

[ttrousdell]

It's not a fun job to drop the subframe and a lot of things are attached to it or in the way of it coming off the car. I'm not too surprised they quoted you that much however I would think a shop with air tools, a press and a lift should be able to do it in less than 10 hours.