PNW Chit Chat thread

[Alpine 318is]

Some customer's get it, other don't The ones that don't aren't our type of customer and we are okay with that.

I consider myself an OEM person but when I took at an estimate and they are charging me $240 for an E36 M3 guibo and I can get a genuine BMW one from FCP Euro for $140, yes I would prefer if they installed my supplied part.

[e30austin]

We don't install customer supplied parts, for warranty issues. More often than not what we find is customer supplies part - or we order aftermarket part from company with no real reputation or rapport - car get's held up on the lift because customer wanted to save 50.00 and ordered the wrong part, aftermarket part is missing something or additional information needed to install, etc. etc. - it just makes running an efficient shop that much harder.

Some customer's get it, other don't The ones that don't aren't our type of customer and we are okay with that.

QFT

Agreed on all counts...

[DrJosh]

I consider myself an OEM person but when I took at an estimate and they are charging me $240 for an E36 M3 guibo and I can get a genuine BMW one from FCP Euro for $140, yes I would prefer if they installed my supplied part.

I think the local shops get the parts through the dealer. So you'll pay the dealer markup plus any shop makeup. It sucks but unfortunately that's the way it is.

I do like ordering genuine BMW parts. It's silly sometimes but I don't really care.

[kid325e]

Actually I can get my hands on most OEM/Genuine parts from my usual suppliers.

Like I said, some people get it. Others don't and that's fine.

Alpine 318is - would you be willing to have your part installed at 134.00/hr without any warranty?

[Gregolas]

I think the local shops get the parts through the dealer. So you'll pay the dealer markup plus any shop makeup. It sucks but unfortunately that's the way it is.

I do like ordering genuine BMW parts. It's silly sometimes but I don't really care.

I am in this boat. My approach is if it is something that will leave me stranded I am buying Genuine BMW OR verifying though pictures who the oem supplier was and buy it without the BMW box to save. Certain items will always be genuine BMW for me, just my comfort with knowing it is a quality part.

I guess seeing numerous threads on here and Facebook groups over the years makes me wonder why people bother with buying these cars then try to nickel and dime on the cheapest part possible. The eBay control arms are a great example of a stupid decision and area to cut costs.

[Alpine 318is]

Alpine 318is - would you be willing to have your part installed at 134.00/hr without any warranty?

If its something that I highly doubt they are gonna screw up I yeah most likely. I am all for shops up charging parts 10%-15% I totally get it. But work with me here a bit. When I reviewed some work estimates from a PPI I was so surprised at the prices I was getting quoted for parts, when places like RMEuro or FCPEuro have genuine BMW stuff for much much less.

[Grand525]

If its something that I highly doubt they are gonna screw up I yeah most likely. I am all for shops up charging parts 10%-15% I totally get it. But work with me here a bit. When I reviewed some work estimates from a PPI I was so surprised at the prices I was getting quoted for parts, when places like RMEuro or FCPEuro have genuine BMW stuff for much much less.

With that said, given both parts (shop supplied vs yours) are 100% OEM, i'd rather have it done at other reputable shop that doesn't have high overhead cost, etc.
There are comparable quality smaller shops/mechanics out there that don't advertise and happy to cater customers request, logically and reasonably.
To each their own.

[bmwm42]

everyone is going to defend there place of work. ..most people on here can't afford 130 hr for labor let alone marked up genuine parts. fuck i don't care to count how many times ive been lowballed on shit i had for free i was trying to get rid of here on r3v. i personally only use genuine parts and buy them online but dont hesitate buying from the dealership either. but again to each their own.

[DrJosh]

I usually avoid buying from our local dealers. Their markup is insane even after BMWCCA discount. For example, I needed a new m54 valve cover. BMW NW was the only one that had one, and wanted $550. I ordered it from ECS for only $380. With the difference I can order a lot more parts, or buy a nice steak dinner afterwards.

Another example is BMW Seattle wanting $250 for an e53 door handle carrier. I can order the same one online from other dealers parts departments for ~$100.

[Matt-B]

got to pay for those nice dealerships somehow. More and more they cater to the rich, and not the true enthusiast

[ahrensNW]

20 is weird

[djjerme]

Dealerships exist for a reason.
As do the independent shops.

Both I would say are targeted at different clientele.

The Dealer, if you are still under warranty or are leasing is probably the better choice, but once that warranty is done, I would say shop around.

Obviously, most of the people on this forum are not the kind who blindly trust what the shop/dealer/salesman..etc. says or quotes and will try and find the best deal, but some people are not like that. I see people come in to my buddies shop, and they just say "fix-it" and don't care the cost, because they need it done.

My wife's A3 I kind of treat it that way. I won't do anything other than fill the windshield washer fluid or swap the summer wheels for winter wheels. It's still under warranty, and even if something is not covered, I don't want to have to deal with the headache of trying to diagnose or fix something on it (I got enough problems with all my cars) so if anything is amiss or due, she just schedules something with Sunset Audi.

Once it falls out of warranty, I'll probably take a little more ownership on her car, or just let her trade it on something new. As long as she has a reliable car, that is all I care. It's that piece of mind that I value over worrying about getting ripped off on dealership prices. Maybe 10 or 20 years ago I would have been more worried about saving a dime here and there on her car, but as I said before, I've got enough to deal with on my other projects cars.

I will say this though, some people have such blind faith in certain car brands that they are just asking for punishment. My in-laws are that way with Chrysler products. They won't buy anything but. It's not like they have an in at Mopar or get some huge discount (which is why I am playing in the BMW toybox these days), they just only buy their products because that's what they always have done.. And it's not like they owned a string of GOOD pentastar products - my wife learned to drive on a frickin' AMC Eagle for Christ sake!

[spiDmang]

got to pay for those nice dealerships somehow. More and more they cater to the rich, and not the true enthusiast

If you've seen what kind of money goes into these dealerships, you'd understand why they have to mark up the amount they do.

Is it unnecessary mark up's? I dont think so. You're buying a luxury brand car with luxury brand quality and reputation. We only like E30s because they are cheap and fun.

[BraveUlysses]

nah there's a layer of bullshit

just look at how much these fucks want for a brand new replacement key for an e46, its like 250 bucks

bought a pair of replacement keys from an online dealership, BMW Mini Parts for 153 each.

[DrJosh]

If you've seen what kind of money goes into these dealerships, you'd understand why they have to mark up the amount they do.

Is it unnecessary mark up's? I dont think so. You're buying a luxury brand car with luxury brand quality and reputation. We only like E30s because they are cheap and fun.

I disagree that it is a necessary markup. There are many BMW dealers that have an online parts sales department that sell parts for significantly less than what Seattle, Bellevue, or Northwest will sell for in-store. Northwest BMW even has an online parts department that sells parts at near competitive prices compared to other dealers across the country. For example, online they only charge $400 for the M54 valve cover I mentioned earlier. When I called to check if they had one and verify the price, they wanted $550 in-store. I asked why there is a discrepancy, it's basically because they don't need to. Even though the dealer will ship it out for that price, they won't sell it over the counter.

On the other hand, I do not have the same experience with Audi/VW. While they do typically charge more in-store, they have price matched their own online sales when I've asked.