BMW dealer declines suspension work on E30

[dnguyen1963]

Where I live, the dealer technician does not know what an E30 is. There are only three E30s in this town.

[jeffnhiscars]

I had a great relationship with my dealer in Charlotte. Not only did I text orders to my parts guys but if I had questions when I went in, he'd grab one of his 2 e30 guys who would come talk to me.

It all depends on who you know.

[MrBurgundy]

I was talking with a gentleman from the BAR and he was telling me they have the most complaints/cases against dealerships..

[325e '87]

Any time I drive my car up to the dealer it’s just to pick up parts I’ve ordered. I’m mostly ignored but there’s always one guy that asks if I would sell my car, which makes me smile and run home and drench the thing with 303.

[McGyver]

Being friends with a handful of guys who own(ed) or manage(d) independent shops, many times jobs are intentionally quoted high because they just don't want to do the work. Case in point: BMW V8 timing chain guides.

I've found this to be the truth. Sure, the shop can diagnose and fix rough running issues for your '02, but that's going to take a lot of time from a very experienced tech with no guarantee the tech gets it right (or all of the problems) the first time. So they'll charge enough to make it worth the hassle.

On the other hand, oh your e46 isn't running right? Computer says misfire on Cyl 1. Swap the coil to Cyl 3. If the miss moves, its the coil. If not, throw a set of plugs at it and call it a day. (Probably sell coils too, because, why not.)

[KI4UJO]

Not to mention all the old guys who worked on these cars new are fading away too..

Most younger guys probably don't care about it.


SAVE THE OLD GUYS!

Accurate. We're slowly running out of people who worked with these when they were new, dealer or independent. Not saying that there aren't current techs out there that can work on one, they are just few and far between.

I'd DIY it. If nothing else, you'll get the satisfaction of doing it yourself.

[agent]

Being friends with a handful of guys who own(ed) or manage(d) independent shops, many times jobs are intentionally quoted high because they just don't want to do the work. Case in point: BMW V8 timing chain guides.

[Staszek]

keep in mind they mostly work on soccer-mom cars these days - BMW seems hell bent on making the German version of the Camry. I would never willingly take a car there that wasn't under warranty/recall. The techs are probably competent enough to follow computer instructions on a modern car, but you'll pay out the nose for likely inferior service on something like an E30.

I just had my E90 in for recalls. They weren't rude (they complimented the condition of my 12 year old car, actually), but it was obvious they weren't going to make any money off me being there. I asked about getting my cabin filter replaced while i was there, and it would have been $120 with labor. it takes like 5 minutes to DIY...

The labor rates they apply to jobs are amazing. We brought the X5 in for service and my wife asked about removing the center console phone cradle (we didnt have the insert it was just prewired with a huge cradle taking up half the space in the center console), they quoted $750!!!

It took me 10 minutes to removed the cradle and $20 new OEM plastic cover to cover the wiring.

[MrBurgundy]

I wouldn't take my car to a dealer if they paid me to

[moatilliatta]

Not to mention all the old guys who worked on these cars new are fading away too..

Most younger guys probably don't care about it.


SAVE THE OLD GUYS!

[nando]

keep in mind they mostly work on soccer-mom cars these days - BMW seems hell bent on making the German version of the Camry. I would never willingly take a car there that wasn't under warranty/recall. The techs are probably competent enough to follow computer instructions on a modern car, but you'll pay out the nose for likely inferior service on something like an E30.

I just had my E90 in for recalls. They weren't rude (they complimented the condition of my 12 year old car, actually), but it was obvious they weren't going to make any money off me being there. I asked about getting my cabin filter replaced while i was there, and it would have been $120 with labor. it takes like 5 minutes to DIY...

[flyboyx]

you probably don't really want them touching your car anyway. at least if you do the work yourself, you can decide where the compromises are made.

[Staszek]

Only reason I still go to the dealer is the F15 is under warranty and still gets free maintenance, the other reason is for parts when I need in a pinch. I stopped bringing my E93 M3 to the dealer once the warranty ran.

Basically, do all the work myself, or independent if its above my pay grade.

Pulling into the dealer the only E46 I see even these days are just the M3's. I dont know if I have ever seen an E30 there.

[Rob]

My previous E46 and current E83 really only go to a dealer for recall stuff, and they are typically a little miffed at that.

[James Crivellone]

Very common, even my local dealer will turn most of those away. Occasionally I do see an E34 or E36 in there but its typically for long time owners who wish to continue to use the dealer for maintenance.

Keep in mind most dealer techs have never touched the older cars