Went to the dealership for an oil change...

Originally Posted by Fast Bob

That guy was Jay Leno, back before he took over Johnny Carson`s spot on the Tonight Show....

Yeah, but remember Leno was the highest paid comedian in the US for years before he took over the tonight show. WSJ did a feature article on him back then and reported that he earned like $800K a year. Saw him live myself back then and he was one of the best acts I ever saw.

Originally Posted by Fast Bob

Yeah, seriously....back when they still had the NYC Auto Show at the Coliseum, my roomie and I were at the Ferrari exhibit, we were discussing the finer points of the cars with a rather unkempt-looking guy, with shaggy hair, 3 days worth of beard, and wearing a red & black plaid wool lumberjack`s jacket.
That guy was Jay Leno, back before he took over Johnny Carson`s spot on the Tonight Show....

One year, the father of a kid who worked at my shop worked for Ferrari NA. He got me on the list and me and my two buddies got behind the velvet rope at the display at the auto show. We were all dressed pretty casually, having just come from a bike race in Brooklyn, but the salesman took us very seriously and spent lots of time explaining the features on the then new 360.

First rule of retail ( I learned a long time ago): assume everyone you talk to has a black card burning a hole in their pocket and work backwards from there. Never judge based on looks, they could be a rock star, Internet millionaire or trustafarian. I was shocked when I went into a very fancy local BMW dealer to buy oil this year ( it was on sale) and as I wondered around looking at new cars on a slow day, not a single salesperson said a word to me. I bet places like that lose more sales than they know about.

My local indie quoted me $335 for an oil filter housing gasket, guess I better jump on it.

$335 for an oil filter housing gasket??? You do know that the gasket itself costs what...$5?

See this is why you must learn to DIY. Either that or I should become a mechanic.

@skwidrific I see you are in Centerville. I live in Fairfax, and since I don't have anywhere to work on my car besides oil changes and other routine stuff, I go to an Indy. Unfortunately in the NoVA area everything is exceptionally expensive, but I've been really happy with the service I receive at Autoscandia. They are courteous, polite, and honest and much cheaper than the dealer. Sure they are more expensive than some indy's out there but I like the service, so I'm willing to pay a little more. You might want to give them a call. Another option is Road Race Tech in Chantilly. They've done some work on my car in the past and were generally nice and knowledgeable, but to far away from me to be worth the trip.

Originally Posted by hitbyastick

$335 for an oil filter housing gasket??? You do know that the gasket itself costs what...$5?

See this is why you must learn to DIY. Either that or I should become a mechanic.

Not everyone has the time or space to do this type of work on a weekend. Besides if you screw something up and only have 1 car, you are going to be in trouble come Monday when its time to go to work.

Originally Posted by nekkibasara

Not everyone has the time or space to do this type of work on a weekend. Besides if you screw something up and only have 1 car, you are going to be in trouble come Monday when its time to go to work.

I find myself in this position more now that I have a 5 month old boy to cart around. I can't just disable my car for a few days waiting for a part to come in, not to mention my free time is basically zero. That being said I have learned to manage my time better and I schedule a few hours here and there to do the maintenance on my car as needed, whenever possible. When I have to go to an indy shop, I know the guys there and I often bring beer with my payment, so if I need a favor I'm sure they'd try to squeeze me in in an emergency.

Originally Posted by nekkibasara

Not everyone has the time or space to do this type of work on a weekend. Besides if you screw something up and only have 1 car, you are going to be in trouble come Monday when its time to go to work.

I see your point, still though my mind just can't reconcile that cost. These cars can be quite financially punishing without DIY.

it looks like a very reasonable estimate for a high milage e46. don't pay attention to those talking **** about dealer employees. they are not crooks like many places they have employees that are not very smart and do stupid ****

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Originally Posted by hitbyastick

I see your point, still though my mind just can't reconcile that cost. These cars can be quite financially punishing without DIY.

Totally agree. I still DIY things like fluid changes (Oil, coolant, differential, etc.) and things like spark plugs, but if I need control arms or shocks my time is worth more to me than my money.

Attached is my quote for $5102.01 worth of work.

A few of the things on this list are the same as the OP's list but cheaper. But, the OP does live in NoVA and everything costs 120% as much there.

Dealerships will always try to get you with something. I'm having them replace my center driveshaft bearing right now, but if you look at the list they wanted to replace my oil cap and there's no reason for that. I like the diagnostic sheets, but you really have to wade through it and tell them what you want and what you don't. A lot of the prices aren't bad, they just throw a bunch of unnecessary stuff in there. Jiffy Lube does the same thing, they're just not as smart about it...

The oil filter housing gasket cost me $102 at a local independent, $120 for the fuel filter.

- $7 for the gasket, $95 to to replace it (1 hour time )
- $60 for the fuel filter, $60 to replace it (half hour)

Remember when you going to a dealership, EVERYONE you basically talk to needs to get paid. The secretary, car porter, service writer, mechanic, car wash boy, owner etc.,

When you go to a independent shop, the mechanic is usually the owner, so you pay one guy only.

A buddy of mine went in for an oil change for $70 on a flyer too. He brought me the recommended work they told him he needed for $3200. I did it ALL for $800 parts and labor. This is why I refuse to go to the dealer for ANYTHING. Besides, I have forgotten more about my E46 than they have learned.

I had a Dodge dealership pull some similar BS so it isn't just the BMW dealers that try to ... how did Fast Bob put it ... "resize your rectum prison style"

Hey, nothing wrong with that. I get the same type of quotes, to which I say, thank you. Let's hold off until the next time I'm here.

I'm too old to get excited about working on cars. Repairs don't satisfy my ego anymore. I rather take the chance by handing the work over to a local mechanic for 1/2 the quoted price, unless the job is a major repair.

The labor rate is that high to cover the cost of the salesman. It doesn't make sense to have a mechanic be a writer if the shop is busy enough and that's where the writers came from. The last time I was at the dealer the writer was wearing a very Nice Rolex and a suit and tie. No Thanks.