Any actual BMW techs on here?

[TheB1G Lebowski]

Why are you complaining about warranty work??? Since BMW has the never ending warranty??? Free oil changes, free brake jobs, free everything. Seems like you have bad timing and should have gotten out long ago. Dealerships are terrible to work for any ways, its all good while the gravy is comming in but it stops quicker than it starts. Ill never work for a dealership again, i make more at an independent shop than i ever made at a dealership. Ill take hourly any day. Oh and the lil thing called the economy has failed so there are less sold and drove so less breaks.

[TheB1G Lebowski]

I used to be a Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge master technician, but was laid off after Chrysler shut down a bunch of dealerships. Now I work at a nice, well-run independent German shop. The pay isn't as good, but I'm in school and part time so I could care less. The work is much more interesting, and being hourly I can really spend the time to learn more and put extra care into our customer's vehicles.

IMO, a good independent shop is where it's at!

^^^This man knows.

[Skafrog]

I so totally disagree with you in so many ways. I have no idea how good or bad of a mech. you are but I bank insanely big on accident repairs-- now the high pressure fuel pumps on the crappy N52 motors- can suck the big one

I wonder how the difference insurance rules come into play. Granted I did not do a lot of insurance work at the independent shop I worked at, but it always paid less than a straight repair. Insurance companies will not give the shops full hourly rate.

[ForcedFirebird]

but like others, after a few years, after working long days, working on my own stuff was not what I wanted to do at night,
burned out and went into construction
now I work on my cars, friends ( or friends of friends) bmw's volvos and the rare english car ( not many left around here) and bmw airhead motorcycles. charge less then 30 an hour book time, but often take much longer to do a good caring job.

I went just the opposite lol. Been in construction for 16 years and have been tinkering so much with cars, jobs soon took over my garage - had to rent a shop.

I hear you on the book vs actual time charge, but when you are decent you will beat the books for repairs and still give the extra care. I like honest people like this and that's the way I like to run business, props for that!

[campbellj25]

Offtopic: Do you have an e30?

Yea, I have an e30, see the thread below, I actually stayed at work for 2 hours tonight and pulled the clutch to change the pilot bearing, it was squeaking badly, put a new throw out bearing in it while I was at it, and put a drive shaft in it. It's been down for close to a month now, due to my laziness, so I finally got it back on the road. Feels good to be driving it again. Going to try to fix my oil leak, and rear axle boot this friday after work, then it should be good to go, and I can finally start messing with suspension and wheels.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/show...24#post1802324

I'm a tech here in Germany. been doing it for about 4 years now. yeah, the oilchange crap has slowed quite a bit here--hell- the newer cars are at 30,000km between oil changes!!!-- but the work itself has picked up here in the last 2 years at our dealer.
I would 100000000000000% say that the independent shops in your area are killing your work.
here in Germany we go by the "AW" system-- 1 "AW" =5 min. yeah, bmw makes it harder and harder to "make" "extra" time-- but if you have a service manager that is worth a half a shit- he can always make it work out with guarantee crap.
and yeah, I have been working 6 days a week and "longshift" for a long time now-- and cant get motivated on my own crap at all anymore.

I have always heard that germany was at 12 frus an hour, and rumor has it that we are going that way in the future. We are at about 15,000 miles between oil changes right now, which sounds about like over there, some cars get up to 18,000 before the indicator comes on, but they are not driving alot of stop and go. The ones that do that get about 12-14,000. I can't really force myself to stay late, or work saturdays, I make a little less because I don't, but it helps me keep my sanity haha

Why are you complaining about warranty work??? Since BMW has the never ending warranty??? Free oil changes, free brake jobs, free everything. Seems like you have bad timing and should have gotten out long ago. Dealerships are terrible to work for any ways, its all good while the gravy is comming in but it stops quicker than it starts. Ill never work for a dealership again, i make more at an independent shop than i ever made at a dealership. Ill take hourly any day. Oh and the lil thing called the economy has failed so there are less sold and drove so less breaks.

I really don't complain about warranty work that much, besides the fact that our job times got cut. Warranty is always going to be there, these cars are always going to break, so that's what keeps any dealer going, it's warranty. Sure I get my occasional 15-18 hr e46 cp job, that I get done in a few hours, but those are few and far between anymore. They are all going to independant shops to save money, and honestly I don't really blame them. I would probably go work at an indy shop, but I admit I am spoiled by working in an air conditioned shop, it's kind of childish, but on those hot Florida days, which is most of the year, I am glad to be in there, rather than outside sweating my balls off. Warranty is not really about the amount of work you do, but how you write your story, BMW will actually pay for alot of stuff, you just got to tell them you did it to get paid.

[campbellj25]

I went just the opposite lol. Been in construction for 16 years and have been tinkering so much with cars, jobs soon took over my garage - had to rent a shop.

I hear you on the book vs actual time charge, but when you are decent you will beat the books for repairs and still give the extra care. I like honest people like this and that's the way I like to run business, props for that!

Yea, I "usually" have no problem beating the book times on most stuff, but there is some jobs that I wonder how in the hell they got the small amount of time for it. Those jobs just get a longer story with more bs to make up for the lost time. U got a shop in Coral Springs? I'm right down the road from there.

[ForcedFirebird]

Shop is in Pomapno Beach, I live in Springs. Still have a day job, but the construction has been getting slow lately and have been there a lot of days as well.

[raafhimself]

vista! he's from vista bmw guys!

[bimmer8604]

I so totally disagree with you in so many ways. I have no idea how good or bad of a mech. you are but I bank insanely big on accident repairs-- now the high pressure fuel pumps on the crappy N52 motors- can suck the big one

Are you kidding me? N54 HDP's are where its at(atleast for warranty). Takes longer to get Puma auth. than it does to replace! You must still be pulling the intake manifold.... N52 lifters aren't too bad, either.

I've been at the dealer for 3 years now. Went to STEP, blah blah blah. The warranty pay cut sucks. I'm ready to get out. Was much happier at the independant shop.

Kyle

[3bvert]

I would love to finsih out my carrer/life as an independent shop or working for one, and be exsclusive on what I do
just not enough old bmw's around this little town, and we do have one real good independent bmw shop, and one hack shop
and one hack of a bmw motorcyle indy who should have his fingers zip tied and super glued together
biggest problem is I live way out in the country , on gravel roads,no one would want to drive their car or bike this far out on shitty roads
nice dream

[mikeedler]

Are you kidding me? N54 HDP's are where its at(atleast for warranty). Takes longer to get Puma auth. than it does to replace! You must still be pulling the intake manifold.... N52 lifters aren't too bad, either.

I've been at the dealer for 3 years now. Went to STEP, blah blah blah. The warranty pay cut sucks. I'm ready to get out. Was much happier at the independant shop.

Kyle

did you not see where i typed N52-- not the 54

[bimmer8604]

yea, but when you said high pressure pump on an N52 I thought you ment N54. Dont know of any N52 high pressure fuel pumps..

Kyle

[TheB1G Lebowski]

I really don't complain about warranty work that much, besides the fact that our job times got cut. Warranty is always going to be there, these cars are always going to break, so that's what keeps any dealer going, it's warranty. Sure I get my occasional 15-18 hr e46 cp job, that I get done in a few hours, but those are few and far between anymore. They are all going to independant shops to save money, and honestly I don't really blame them. I would probably go work at an indy shop, but I admit I am spoiled by working in an air conditioned shop, it's kind of childish, but on those hot Florida days, which is most of the year, I am glad to be in there, rather than outside sweating my balls off. Warranty is not really about the amount of work you do, but how you write your story, BMW will actually pay for alot of stuff, you just got to tell them you did it to get paid.

Yeah that is true, wording it a specific way will really milk some extra time. I used to rape Ford on every piece of warranty i got. My teachers always told me it was in the write up for warranty to get paid. Yeah i wish i took a job once at a Ford dealership that had air, havent even been to a place with it since. It would be nice.

[mikeedler]

yea, but when you said high pressure pump on an N52 I thought you ment N54. Dont know of any N52 high pressure fuel pumps..

Kyle

of course there is-- the N52 is the non turbo version of the N54-- has a different intake- so you have to pull it off to get to the pump-- I'm not even sure if you guys have that motor over there. there are so many odd u.s. only things on the u.s. spec cars from the army base here-- 328i cars in germany ended with the facelift of the e46 here-- still in the states though?!

[motors4me]

of course there is-- the N52 is the non turbo version of the N54-- has a different intake- so you have to pull it off to get to the pump-- I'm not even sure if you guys have that motor over there. there are so many odd u.s. only things on the u.s. spec cars from the army base here-- 328i cars in germany ended with the facelift of the e46 here-- still in the states though?!

N52 is not direct injected, so there would be no need for it to have a High Pressure Fuel Pump. The N52 isn't a different version of an N54, they dont share any components.