blowing warm heat

service light came on today, took it to a BMW ctr in the area.... they ran a Dio test and said I need a thermostat, and that i should change the water pump since you need a thermostat... and it would be $1200.00 parts and labor...... so I priced the OEM Thermostat $99.00 and the water pump $116..... now I need to replace the thermostat... should i do the water pump too or is the shop tryna take advantage of me???

I've never done a water pump on an E60 but I have done two or three on an E46, it really isn't that hard. Honestly if you're mechanically inclined, do it yourself and save the money. Granted it probably won't have a warranty or anything, but for $120 who cares. I'm not sure about the thermostat though.

Thermostat is 3 or 4 bolts and should take about an hour or less........from what I've read.

Side note: Karl - that is a sharp looking car!

Some folks recommend replacing the water pump when the thermostat goes bad, and visa versa. On my E36, the thermostat went bad, I asked my mechanic if I should do the pump at the same time...he said no...1.5 years later water pump is fine.
These are jobs that can be done by an Indy. I have a recommendation if you live in the Montgomery County area. Just send me a PM.

The recommendation of replacing water pump while replacing the thermostat is for those engines that have electric water pump (like N52). Labor for replacing the thermostat is very close to replacing both thermostat and water pump because they both are attached together. Since the electric water pumps seem to have higher failure rate (at least the earlier electric pumps) it is recommended to replace the pump while you are in there.

Not to high jack your thread but thanks Cattani. Its about to get coil overs, staggered 19s and new vinyl wrap. So it'll look even better in a couple months or so.