Quote:
Originally Posted by Sxs1687
SoooOooOoo I ended up going to an Indy shop for my wastegate issue. All in all, they did the work as they were supposed to but I think I may have ended up paying more here than I would've at the dealer.
Based on the recommendation on here, I gave this Indy shop a shot and told them what was going on. They told me there'd be a diag fee of upto 2 hrs labor or $310 but likely not that long. I didn't think they'd need two hours because I provided them with all the error codes but they claimed they took over 2hrs to test everything. (Dealer charges 250 for diag). They came back saying the left wastegate needed to be replaced (which is what I had expected from the start) and said 4 hours labor at $155/hr. The part was $967 (marked up quite a bit because the dealer has this part online for $550-650). Rt.66 said they can't cover any more than MSRP, which is $674. Rt.66 agent said the shop was price gouging and was getting worked up looking at the claim lol. Also rt.66 did not want to pay more than 2.6hrs of labor. After talking to some supervisors, I got them to cover the 4hrs but would not go any higher on the part cost. I ended up having to pay $700 today for the extra part cost and diag fee. At the dealer I think the part would have cost less but their hourly rate is $250 and rt.66 covers up to $195/hr in Maryland. I called the dealer to see if they'd just take the car and replace the part, knowing I had a diag report but they said they needed to do their own diag. Called a couple other Indy shops to see if I could just get the waste gate purchased and installed thru [...]
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So my experience with BMW only Indy shops is the price tag is barely slightly less than the dealer. The one I had (past tense) insists on sourcing OEM parts from a local dealer in which they have an account and get a discount but charge me the dealer retail price. Their hourly rate is slightly below the dealer and nothing to write home about. Both my dealer and the Indy is well below $200 per hour. I’m in Mass right outside of Boston, so I’m not out in the boonies where everything is cheaper.
I recently had a bunch of service stuff done. Plugs, coolant, filters, alignment. I got quotes from the dealer and two local BMW shops. The dealer was $1,000 less than the indies. I personally have never been charged a diagnostic fee. I think that’s bullshit. My dealer has never charged me one and neither has the Indy. I’ve always done the work they recommended as the fix. I can only see a diagnostic fee of they put time troubleshooting into it and you don’t move forward.
In your case, honestly, I can’t blame Route 66. The Indy was gouging on all line items. $195 per hour is more than enough to cover my dealer or Indy. A 30% up charge on the part is something I don’t blame them for pushing back on.
Sure if you bought the dealer BMW warranty, the dealer would be tied to the published time and rates for the repair. Just like factory warranty work. The dealer doesn’t try to take advantage of the warranty they sell or the customer. But you probably would have paid north of $5,000 for the same coverage as Route 66 and I doubt you could get 7 years.
The rates and fees in your area are outrageous. I would try a different dealer next time if you can.
I’m done with my indie. I like them in terms of competency and care, but they kind of gave it to me up the ass on my E39 and they don’t provide loaners. I still don’t know why they don’t source parts from FCP who is one state over and parts arrive the next day. OEM and guaranteed for life. My guess is they make more money off the dealer parts or get kick backs. The recent quote for +$1,000 more than the dealer was the last straw. It's too bad, I like them, they did all my Dinan work and I have spent over $30,000 there, but I get more loyalty concessions at the dealer. YMMV.