Should i trust the garage?

Hi,


I've dropped my car for servicing today and the garage just called me and gave a list of things I ought to replace, which all adds up to be quite expensive. My car is a BMW 3 Serie, 2003, automatic, bought last year from a garage. Can you help me decide what repairs/replacement I should do and which ones are unecessary or could be done for cheaper? I know nothing about cars...


Thanks for your help!





Here's the list:


Change Pollen Filter - 拢38





Air Con Re-gas - 拢80





Change Both Front Wiper Blades - 拢42





Change Both Front Lower Suspension Arm Kit - 拢384.80


(bushes completely worn, ball joint excessive play)





Change Both Front Anti Roll Bar Drop Links - 拢118.20


(excessive play)





Anti Freeze Flush - 拢45





Brake Fluid Flush 拢45





Change Fan Belt %26amp; Air Con Belt - 拢108.80


(cracked)|||Is your air conditioning not working?


Do you have any problems with the car overheating (Cooling system)?


Do you have any problems with the brake?


Are both front wipers blades bad?


These are questions you can answer yourself.





I do not deny that these are a part of a regular vehicle maintenance but, if they say


- Both Front Lower Suspension Arm Kit (bushes completely worn, ball joint excessive play)


- Both Front Anti Roll Bar Drop Links (excessive play)


- Fan Belt %26amp; Air Con Belt (cracked)





I would get a second opinion on what needs to be done and I would compare both estimates and would fix these three things and wait until I can afford or I feel more comfortable spending more money to flush the coolant, flush the brake system and change the wiper blades (if they are not so bad).





Good luck|||Is it bmw main dealer? Try shopping around from other garages try Mr Clutch very cheap|||He's ripping you off. Those parts do not cost the price they're asking. I would understand if the labor was really tough, but to install wind shield wiper blades takes 2 minutes or less. Well, you get the idea.





And usually, the thing with garages, is that they never buy the good and premium stuff for you. They purchase the cheapest parts, fluids, for your car unless you specifically ask for a certain brand.|||tell them not to go ahead until you have a second opinion ,from another garage or get the AA or RAC to check the car out ,|||get a second opinion before you pay anything. Some of the bigger "brand name" garages can easily charge twice what a local independent mechanic will. Shop around.|||don't you know if you need windshield wipers...and 42 lb?????? are they nuts.....i pay 6 dollars at any auto parts store {USA]...add it all up tell them you only can spend 300/400 right now...whats important





pollen filter...vacuum it off


AC..you want AC or not??


coolant flush...you care if it starts overheating? and wears out waterpump


brake flush...skip for now


belts...do you care if your stuck on side of road??? fix it


front end...how bad?? still steering ok...put off for 6 mo or yr...but dont forget about it....





BMWS cost too much to maintain/|||Hi - a very similar situation happened to me last month - it might be an idea to go to a local man with a list who relies on his reputation, not an 'approved service provider' who know they will always get business and admit to charging more!


I don't know much about cars but I do know you need to get your Fan Belt changed as I lost my last car to that, don't go for the blades and I would think the flushing is trying to get money. I had to shell out about 400 for the lower arm thing - its seems a bit coincidental (I'd only just got the car less than a year ago when it had had lots of work done) so I'd get a second reliable opinion on that, because sounds like that might be a typical garage money spinner when they think us girls (quite correctly in our cases) don't know what they're talking about! I got stung for 拢900 and regretted not getting a second opinion|||Bread and butter before all else.





Do the suspension work first.





quote:


"Change Both Front Lower Suspension Arm Kit - 拢384.80


(bushes completely worn, ball joint excessive play)





Change Both Front Anti Roll Bar Drop Links - 拢118.20


(excessive play)"





Those are vital to safety. Do these first, ignore the other items for now.





Everything else you can afford to postpone until some other time, they won't leave you stranded. And do shop around, you might be paying them too much money.|||You can always get a second opinion (I generally get at least 2-3 quotes before having major work done (like the suspension items).





I start with the dealership (almost always the highest), a standard shop, and then get the opinion of a 'shade tree' mechanic.





Obviously not everyone is going to be able to work on your BMW, so you might not have as many options as to where to take it.





It doesn't sound like they are trying to screw you - since the car is a bit older, and probably has a few KM on it. It's mostly up to you though, if the suspension feels sloppy in the front, and you've got the cash to drop, then go for it.





Otherwise, tell them to do the routine maintenance, and leave the more expensive items alone for now.





Generally, every time you take a car to a shop (for an oil change or whatever) they will try to get you to have other things fixed, and while they might not necessarily be trying to rip you off, there are some things that might not be pressing issues.|||i live in w/london drop me a line i will check whats wrong and give you a good price


dont just sit there reading this e-mail me|||I smell a scam. I am not familiar with money in Europe, but I do sense that he is just throwing parts at it which is a disgrace to all Technicians in the field.


Question: Do you feel like the car does not stay in a straight line, and do you feel anything in the steering wheel that is different from the time you bought it?


Now before you agree with the mechanic (he is not a Tech if he is throwing parts) you should have him show you the parts that are broken and explain why he is changing the engine coolant and Brake Fluid. He cannot disagree to those terms. If he does, leave the shop with your car and see a technician.|||I f you can afford it do it.


but before it goes in, put a knob of grease on your spare tyre valve, this will tell you if they have checked the pressures, mark your wheel trims to ensure they have been off, ask for all your old parts back to check them, buy your own windscreen wipers, check to make sure they have greased the inges on your doors, mark your air filter and pollen screws to ensure they have at least been off the car, and so on, WHY?


if any of the above are not done you can demand all your money back and report them to trading standards, even take photos of your markings, it does make them think when you point it out to them. there are too many cowboys out there, so is all you are doing is a quality of service check yourself, and you have a right to check the work you are paying for, do not take the car from the garage if the work is not done lock it up and tell them you are taking the matter further unless they compromise with you. mark all items they are claiming to do its easy with a scraper or chisel, get someone to check your marks first, damn cowboys any way so give a bit back mate.|||well you asked the audience! I think a second opinion is needed don't you?|||That sounds very pricey.


Pollen filter-its probably written that it should be changed at a certain mileage but i wouldnt bother. The pollen filter has nothing to do with the engine so it wont matter. All it does it filter out the pollen in the ventillation to make it more pleasant for hayfever sufferers.


Wiper blades-they may well need replacing but they are quite easy to replace yourself and they cost 拢1.49 each from wilko (total of 拢2.98)


Air con regas-if you have used the air con recently and you feel it is working ok then dont bother. Only regas it if you feel it is not effective enough.


suspension and anti roll- i cannot say whether these need replacing over the internet


anitfreeze and blake fluid flush-not essential but should be dont every now and then. Blake fluid can become slighly spongy after a while making the blakes slightly spongy. however this will not happen overnight, you will notice it very gradually.


fan and air con belt-i dont know how easy it is to change the air con belt but the fan belts on most cars can be changed relatively easily, however, this is quite important if it snaps so dont ignore it as its not just the fan that is operated by the fan belt|||i would get a few other quotes if you are not sure,also ask them to show you on the car what the parts are that need replacing so you can see for yourself,all of the above things are important repairs apart from air con re-gas and pollen filter.excessive play on suspension or steering parts are potentially dangerous if left as they will adversely affect the handling of your car as is dirty brake fluid any good garage will be happy to fully explain all of the above repairs to you in a way that you can understand and to show you proof as to why these repairs need to be done.


hope this is some help|||itts a bmw what did you expect when you purchased the car german car parts are one of the dearest on the market