Repair work estimate

spockety

Did the NCT on my 93 E36 BMW 320 last week, and the crux of it is I need:

1 lower arm ball joint replaced
1 anti roll bar bushes replaced
rear shocks replaced
handbrake adjusted

Just dropped it in for an estimate and it's coming back at 800 euro or thereabouts.. haven't seen the actual breakdown of that yet, but it's on the way.

What would you guys expect that work to cost?

lomb

spockety wrote:

Did the NCT on my 93 E36 BMW 320 last week, and the crux of it is I need:

1 lower arm ball joint replaced
1 anti roll bar bushes replaced
rear shocks replaced
handbrake adjusted

Just dropped it in for an estimate and it's coming back at 800 euro or thereabouts.. haven't seen the actual breakdown of that yet, but it's on the way.

What would you guys expect that work to cost?

handbrake adjustment-you can do this urself.
rear shocks-kwikfit will do em for 150, so that leaves the bushes. this may or maynot be an easy job.

spockety

well the bushes I've checked the Haynes and can probably do myself, but the ball joint is a 5 spanner job so I wouldn't be too confident of that. Handbrake can do aswell. Just threw them all the the mechanic for convenience sake, didn't think it would come to that much for the bitty stuff.. Looking forward to seeing the breakdown of the price!

mike65

Who gave you the estimate? a Bmw dealer or independent?

Mike.

Seth Brundle

Have a look at http://www.bmwcarclubireland.com/contacts.htm - there are some independant specialists there who will sort out your car (including parts) for less than half of what you were quoted.

unkel

kbannon wrote:

there are some independant specialists there who will sort out your car (including parts) for less than half of what you were quoted.

Amazing but true. I don't do any work on my car myself. All work is done by a trusted specialist garage. I reckon that over the years with my BMWs, I've paid about a third or a bit more compared to what a $tealer would have charged

spockety

Cheers guys, it was from a mechanic who lives near us (my dad has used him for years), works from his own house kinda thing.

Anyway, breakdown was as follows:

Cost of parts:

2 rear shocks 77 each = 154

front suspension (lower arm ball joint and anti roll bar bushes) - 145

brakes (he got this wrong in terms of what's needed, said he
wouldn't know what's wrong with the brakes until he actually
takes it apart) -
2 x drums 40 each = 80, shoes 38. (it actually has disk
brakes anyway, which surprised him, he thought all 93's back had drums,
but I think only the 316/318 have drums, not the 320?)

Labour 320 (I presume this is 40 an hour , 1 day 8 hours)
total 727 + VAT = 825

I think the brake problem is actually a snapped cable ( the rear left handbrake is actually doing 'nothing' - NCT guy), so I may do that myself which could knock 200 quid off that if you take away the drums/shoes/labour which are unecessary..

thoughts?

BrianD3

320 quid/40 quid an hour is too much for labour. So the guy works from his house - he probably has few overheads, doesn't have any employees and almost certainly does not declare his income from this little venture he has going.

BrianD3

spockety

Well I'm used to bike mechanics where 50 Euro an hour is the going rate, so I thought it was a decent enough price

He has a pretty good reputation, has been doing it there for a long long time now, must be in his fifties..

Seth Brundle

It is your choice then but personally I would go with the one who will charge a fraction of that and also is a specialist on these cars!

spockety

Of those on that list, anyone in particular you have used or would recommend?
I'm in Tallaght, I see there is Daire Collopy in Terenure, and Dave Quinn in Clondalkin, anyone used either of these guys?

(BTW, the mechanic who quoted me above actually drives an E36 316 himself..)

Seth Brundle

I have used just a few there (other specialists posted by club members) and the ones I would use are:-
Robert Harrison
Sandyford,
Dublin 18.
086 2552905

and

Furley Kannenberg
bmw10@eircom.net
Kilskyre
Kells
Co. Meath
046 43711
http://homepage.eircom.net/~furleys/

@Unkel - where do you go?