$3000+ in maintenance and repairs...then auto transmission breaks

Go Get yourself a beer. lol

Originally Posted by gvg5004

Yes I am very pleased with the result. It wasted a lot of my time but I mentally prepared and budgeted as if I had to spend $6000 myself. Now that I don't I sort of feel like I won a small lottery.

Can't thank the community here enough

lol. i did the same thing thinking i was going to owe taxes.. still feel like a millionaire

Originally Posted by Projekt330s

Go Get yourself a beer. lol

bought a bottle of Makers 46 to sip on

Great news.

Funny how the shop was most likely trying to save a few bucks using the aftermarket part - guess that didn't work out for them.

wait are they replacing the transmission?

firestone had a hard time simply replacing the tires on my wife's toyota matrix... it was scary to watch, honestly. i read through that whole thing, and i'm happy to hear you came out on top, but man... steer clear of that place, or any generic shop from here on!

places you should NEVER take your e46:

fiirestone\bridgestone, meineke, midas, jiffy lube, pep boys, and some others that may be local to you guys or that i forgot. glad it all worked out, though

Reading this thread turned into a suspense story, with a happy ending! It's great to see all of the good help form everyone.

Makes me proud to be a fellow fanatic

Nothing like a happy ending!

I'm about to replace both front axles on my 325xi... I was tempted to buy the cheap "Made In China" (EMPI) axles but now I'm glad I bought the GKN Loebro (OEM) axles. Will be doing the work (myself) next week... wish me luck!!

about $2300!!

Based on what I've been quoted myself and what I've read on these maintenance repairs below in the red ink is what the normal prices are with labor and parts for what you repaired on your car:

- fuel service / tune up - not sure what this is-fuel injection cleaner - $10 or fuel filter - $100 or fuel pump - $200?
- all belts replaced - under $100
- brake fluid flushed - $80
- front right tie-rod replaced -under $100
- CV joint replaced - under $100
- control arm bushing replaced - $300
- alignment -ALWAYS free with replacement of tires or suspension parts


All the above should at MOST (if you did a full a fuel service-pump-filter-cleaner) should be equal to $990 parts and labor. Even if you are generous and say the labor was higher than average or you have an XI so parts cost more and you add $310 to the $990 to make it $1300 total then the shop still got at least $1000 for free from you!

I get angry when I see sh1t like this!

Originally Posted by Cobra

places you should NEVER take your e46:

fiirestone\bridgestone, meineke, midas, jiffy lube, pep boys, and some others that may be local to you guys or that i forgot. glad it all worked out, though

+1

Glad to see it worked out!

Originally Posted by gvg5004

Yes I am very pleased with the result. It wasted a lot of my time but I mentally prepared and budgeted as if I had to spend $6000 myself. Now that I don't I sort of feel like I won a small lottery.

Can't thank the community here enough

Glad it worked out for you.
And the guys here were a huge help in getting an insurance settlement on my 325iT, from tactical advice in dealing with the adjuster, to helping me find solid, high dollar wagon comparables.

Originally Posted by delmarco

- CV joint replaced - under $100
- alignment -ALWAYS free with replacement of tires or suspension parts

I think your estimates are a little on the low side. A genuine BMW front CV axle costs $646. OEM part runs about $300. Cheap made-in-China part runs about $100. Those are online prices and without labor, seals, and differential oil.

Regarding alignment, I've never heard of a free alignment with new tires. A 4-wheel alignment runs about $75.

I'm doing both of my front axles myself for about $600 in parts (OEM parts). That includes new oil and seals.