Quote from BMW - OFH gasket replacement ($$$$$$!!!!)

[Matticus91]

Stopped by my local dealer yesterday to pick up some oil and while I was in there I got a quote for the oil filter housing gasket to be replaced. Mine has a leak and is starting to cause some small issues so it's time to replace it, which apparently is a common issue on these cars.

So, they quoted me at $1,360 for the job. WHAT?!

I couldn't believe it, he said it was SEVEN HOURS of work for this thing. Now I'm aware of the whole lifting the intake crap that needs to be done to get to the final bolt on the housing but 7 hours?????? That is absolutely absurd... Especially for a part that really should have been a lifetime component!

Needless to say I just walked out of there and will be doing the job myself. I've talked to plenty of people about it and realistically it's more of a 2-3 hour job TOPS.

Was very upset about that quote! Anyone have a different experience with this issue or have any other recommendations?

[Stvee]

May as well clean your intake valves when you're in there.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by Stvee

May as well clean your intake valves when you're in there.

Depends if I completely remove the intake mani or not but yes you're absolutely right.

[Yeineken]

I was quoted the same price last time I was in on my n55. It turned out to be spillage from my last oil change. And it's not that hard of a DIY. Seven hours is ridiculous. They must be including breaks and lunch in those quotes.

Idk why it takes techs two hours to do simple jobs. With a lift I can change my oil in 20 mins. Take it to the dealer for the warranty oil change and its two hours. Mind blowing.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by Yeineken

I was quoted the same price last time I was in on my n55. It turned out to be spillage from my last oil change. And it's not that hard of a DIY. Seven hours is ridiculous. They must be including breaks and lunch in those quotes.

Idk why it takes techs two hours to do simple jobs. With a lift I can change my oil in 20 mins. Take it to the dealer for the warranty oil change and its two hours. Mind blowing.

Yeah I mean I completely understand they need to make a profit but this is insulting!

[tock172]

Originally Posted by Yeineken

Idk why it takes techs two hours to do simple jobs. With a lift I can change my oil in 20 mins. Take it to the dealer for the warranty oil change and its two hours. Mind blowing.

Dealerships have to go by book time for labor. They can't just wildly estimate how fast each individual tech can do a job and bill accordingly. It doesn't work like that.

If anyone in this thread is honestly surprised by the running costs associated with repairs and maintenance on an out of warranty BMW, you're either driving the wrong car or should have purchased a warranty.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by tock172

Dealerships have to go by book time for labor. They can't just wildly estimate how fast each individual tech can do a job and bill accordingly. It doesn't work like that.

If anyone in this thread is honestly surprised by the running costs associated with repairs and maintenance on an out of warranty BMW, you're either driving the wrong car or should have purchased a warranty.

I like you so don't take this negatively haha - as I said I completely get that they have to go by set numbers for labor. BUT, if an amateur having never done it before can follow a damn YouTube video and do it for $150 (cost of the parts for this job) in TWO HOURS... then something is realllllyyyyy wrong...

I appreciate this machine and the effort put forth by engineers and technicians to make it what it is. What I do not appreciate is a company that blatantly overcharges for a job that shouldn't need to be done in the first place.

I'm not a penny pincher, it's not about having enough money, it's about being taken advantage of. The fact remains that I'm capable of doing this myself, and I will. But what about others who aren't? Those who probably wouldn't know that the issue is a result of a poor quality part in the first place... I don't think it's right to take advantage of them.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by Matticus91

...So, they quoted me at $1,360 for the job. WHAT?!

I couldn't believe it, he said it was SEVEN HOURS of work for this thing. Now I'm aware of the whole lifting the intake crap that needs to be done to get to the final bolt on the housing but 7 hours?????? That is absolutely absurd... Especially for a part that really should have been a lifetime component!

Even IF it takes them seven hours to do the job(it doesn't, probably 2.5 hours of real time work)... that still comes out to ~$194 per hour - labor rate!!! The PFH gasket doesn't costs but a few dollars.

Find another shop. Most indi's are charging around $400 for this repair. Plus like someone said... you should also have the carbon cleaned off your intake valves... bc the intake manifold HAS to come off to replace the OFH gasket.

Dack

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

Even IF it takes them seven hours to do the job(it doesn't, probably 2.5 hours of real time work)... that still comes out to ~$194 per hour - labor rate!!! The PFH gasket doesn't costs but a few dollars.

Find another shop. Most indi's are charging around $400 for this repair. Plus like someone said... you should also have the carbon cleaned off your intake valves... bc the intake manifold HAS to come off to replace the OFH gasket.

Dack

Agreed... And yeah I will likely do the valves but the intake mani doesn't actually need to be removed, just lifted. I am probably going to make a full event out of it... Spark plugs, oil/oil filter change, air filter, valve cleaning, OFH gasket... May think up a few other things to replace while I'm in there... Don't want to be doing this again for a while lol

[Lucky1]

Originally Posted by Matticus91

Agreed... And yeah I will likely do the valves but the intake mani doesn't actually need to be removed, just lifted. I am probably going to make a full event out of it... Spark plugs, oil/oil filter change, air filter, valve cleaning, OFH gasket... May think up a few other things to replace while I'm in there... Don't want to be doing this again for a while lol

Is the job significantly different on a 135i than a 128i? Because on my my 128i the dealer quoted far less than that even in CAD. I'll try to find the quote but I agree with you. They couldn't have quoted me more than $500 tops.

Funny enough I find things like fluid changes and brake jobs at the dealerships for these cars to be competitively priced so I've been happy to do them there plus they provide me with shuttle service to and from my front door, completely worth it because I can work from home and am no way inconvenienced by taking the car in.

But they've started to charge a $175 CAD diagnostic fee and now I own the BMW Carly tool and OBDI wi-fi dongle. Seriously what a ripoff, were people really using them a ton for diagnostics and going somewhere else? Maybe like OP has suggested their pricing is way off The barrier for entry to get service should be far lower; incentivize people to have the car serviced by a low cost of entry otherwise I'll try alternatives myself. Regular maintenance is fine, its the unscheduled stuff that they get you for.

[tock172]

Originally Posted by Matticus91

I like you so don't take this negatively haha - as I said I completely get that they have to go by set numbers for labor. BUT, if an amateur having never done it before can follow a damn YouTube video and do it for $150 (cost of the parts for this job) in TWO HOURS... then something is realllllyyyyy wrong...

I appreciate this machine and the effort put forth by engineers and technicians to make it what it is. What I do not appreciate is a company that blatantly overcharges for a job that shouldn't need to be done in the first place.

I'm not a penny pincher, it's not about having enough money, it's about being taken advantage of. The fact remains that I'm capable of doing this myself, and I will. But what about others who aren't? Those who probably wouldn't know that the issue is a result of a poor quality part in the first place... I don't think it's right to take advantage of them.

No hard feelings, I've been down the same road many, many times.

My advice is to do some investigation into finding a trustworthy independent mechanic in your area, and going from there.

I've used countless independent garages in my area for the various BMWs I've owned and not all are created equal. I consider myself very lucky to have found a local shop that just recently opened with an incredibly qualified owner. Knowing him and having his shop close by gives me great peace of mind.

Now here is the crux of the issue: The OFHG has leaked on essentially every BMW 6 cylinder engine from the M50 (1992) onward. It's located in a very difficult to reach place, and the part itself is under $10. I know it's difficult to make a gasket last when it's constantly bathed in oil, but I find it a little irritating that BMW still hasn't addressed this. The gasket failed on my '04 330i and I shelled out to have it fixed. I was hoping they'd fixed this on the N55.

[RoundelM3]

One thing to remember here is that BMW Dealers are NOT owned by BMW AG. They're dealerships like any other brand, and can set whatever prices they want. It's not a reflection on BMW as a company if a dealership wants to overcharge you. I recently had to have the eccentric shaft sensor for the valvetronic mechanism replaced in the wife's 2011 128i, and was quoted $1600 at my local dealership. I then went to a reputable independent shop and was quoted just over $900 for the same job including the OEM replacement part.

I even had the same dealership quote me $350 to replace a TPMS sensor...which costs about $55 if you buy the very same OEM Beru part from an online source, and then had a tire dealer charge $20 to break the bead, replace the sensor and valve stem, then re-inflate and re-mount the tire. Dealership price for the sensor was $150. So, $75 as opposed to $350. Oil service at the Dealership is $125; at the indy shop it's $85 for parts/fluids and labor.

Unless you can find a dealership that will give you a BMW CCA discount (anywhere from 10-20% on parts and labor), shop around for a good Indy shop and your out-of-warranty/free service BMW won't break your bank.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by roundel335

One thing to remember here is that BMW Dealers are NOT owned by BMW AG. They're dealerships like any other brand, and can set whatever prices they want. It's not a reflection on BMW as a company if a dealership wants to overcharge you. I recently had to have the eccentric shaft sensor for the valvetronic mechanism replaced in the wife's 2011 128i, and was quoted $1600 at my local dealership. I then went to a reputable independent shop and was quoted just over $900 for the same job including the OEM replacement part.

I even had the same dealership quote me $350 to replace a TPMS sensor...which costs about $55 if you buy the very same OEM Beru part from an online source, and then had a tire dealer charge $20 to break the bead, replace the sensor and valve stem, then re-inflate and re-mount the tire. Dealership price for the sensor was $150. So, $75 as opposed to $350. Oil service at the Dealership is $125; at the indy shop it's $85 for parts/fluids and labor.

Unless you can find a dealership that will give you a BMW CCA discount (anywhere from 10-20% on parts and labor), shop around for a good Indy shop and your out-of-warranty/free service BMW won't break your bank.

It really depends on the dealership. The starting point is always what book rate is. I had work done on my car 3 times outside of anything which would be covered by warranty. All 3 times I negotiated the final bill for the work. All the dealerships I contacted to do the work were willing to give me their "best" pricing. I even sent a copy of an estimate from one dealer to another for them to match which they did. I'm glad they did because I wasn't too keen on driving the extra distance to save a few bucks.

With regards oil changes, those prices also vary between dealerships. I take my car to the dealership which is part of the chain where I purchased my car from for the BMW covered maintenance. But I also do the extra oil change which I do about halfway between the regular scheduled ones. My dealership charges an arm and a leg for the oil change so I take it to a different one that charges way less. It's about $98 to have it done at that dealership. $103 with tax.

So shopping around isn't just for independent shops.

[RoundelM3]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

It really depends on the dealership. The starting point is always what book rate is. I had work done on my car 3 times outside of anything which would be covered by warranty. All 3 times I negotiated the final bill for the work. All the dealerships I contacted to do the work were willing to give me their "best" pricing. I even sent a copy of an estimate from one dealer to another for them to match which they did. I'm glad they did because I wasn't too keen on driving the extra distance to save a few bucks.

With regards oil changes, those prices also vary between dealerships. I take my car to the dealership which is part of the chain where I purchased my car from for the BMW covered maintenance. But I also do the extra oil change which I do about halfway between the regular scheduled ones. My dealership charges an arm and a leg for the oil change so I take it to a different one that charges way less. It's about $98 to have it done at that dealership. $103 with tax.

So shopping around isn't just for independent shops.

It is when there is only 1 BMW Dealership within an hour's drive or more of where you live. I would have to drive about 65 miles to get to the closest one outside Wilmington, NC in Myrtle Beach, SC, and it's just not worth it. Only other alternatives are in Charlotte or Raleigh, both 2+ hours' drive and are fairly large cities with resultant traffic.

I also do the in-between oil change on my own dime, but taking it to the Indy shop is the only real alternative. Even with a BMW CCA discount, the local dealership still charges $40 more. When I lived in TX, the Dealership oil service with CCA discount was about what the Indy shop charges here. The local dealership has just changed hands, so policies and pricing may now be quite different.

[Hadeus88]

Honestly my 135i is my first bmw ever... and everything is expensive.. The dealer just changed my m brakes and rotors and it cost $1790!!! I was blown..

Gotta pay to play i guess

[Lucky1]

Originally Posted by Hadeus88

Honestly my 135i is my first bmw ever... and everything is expensive.. The dealer just changed my m brakes and rotors and it cost $1790!!! I was blown..

Gotta pay to play i guess

Find the brake part no's, buy them yourself online and pay an independent mechanic to install them. You'll save on parts and labour costs. Don't think there is anything unique about a brake job on these cars; any experienced mechanic should be able to do it.

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by Hadeus88

Honestly my 135i is my first bmw ever... and everything is expensive.. The dealer just changed my m brakes and rotors and it cost $1790!!! I was blown..

Gotta pay to play i guess

You got ripped off... Definitely find an indy for that

[dsocold]

320 for front bmw perf rotors, 150 for hawk pads, installation takes 20 min per side max..!

rear end is even cheaper would put you under 800 total

[Mr Rooty Von Tooty]

You aren't going to like this, but the typical labor rates at dealership run from $100 to $200 per hour!

If you can find an independent you can trust, a tall order, you'll pay considerably less. Fortunately, many of the problems you'll have like water pumps, oil & filter, brakes pads, battery, and so on the you'll be able to handle yourself.

[Bimmer-Bob]

Originally Posted by roundel335

It is when there is only 1 BMW Dealership within an hour's drive or more of where you live. I would have to drive about 65 miles to get to the closest one outside Wilmington, NC in Myrtle Beach, SC, and it's just not worth it. Only other alternatives are in Charlotte or Raleigh, both 2+ hours' drive and are fairly large cities with resultant traffic.

Believe it or not, there is a BMW dealership in Kinston, NC of all places. Not really convenient to you (well, closer than Raleigh or Charlotte) but it's about equidistant for me from Camp Lejeune to go to either Kinston or Wilmington, and the Kinston dealer has service appointments half days on Saturdays.

[gap]

Not defending dealerships and the quoted price does seem very high but dealerships do
carry liability insurance and cover any mistakes they may make. Their overhead is higher and that gets passed along to the customer. Have read of dealerships giving a customer a new engine because tech forgot to put oil back in after the oil change.

I was at BMW of Meridian, MS a week ago to finally get the battery cable recall done. They had architectural drawings for their new building. BMW was going to cancel their franchise unless they built a new building which will cost two million. Existing building is not bad at all and from what I can see a rehab would be all that is needed but BMW insisted on a new building. So instead of a $500,000 remodel they will be out a additional 1.5 million for the new building. That will be passed on to the customer and Meridian is a small market. Don't know how they do it.

While doing the recall the tech said my Indy Bimmer mechanic had not coded the battery to
the car, was told when the indy did it last year it was coded. Anyway the dealer tech coded the battery for no charge.
So a little sympathy and understanding for honest BMW dealers that do have to charge more than seems reasonable to cover their operating expenses.

[Motohip]

Mine was just under $500 at the dealership.