1300 dollar brake job??!!!

[Bimmerteck]

Tens of thousands for tools I got all my tools (craftman) for under 2k and I have more them most guys do. Besides special tools, witch most shops should supply for you, theres no way you NEED to spend tens of thousands of dolors for tools, especially if you just got out of college. Hell, even the guys who bought snap on products at my school only paid a little over 3k for all their tools.

Now if you own your own shop you have to fork out the big bucks for tools, but no where even close to tens of thousands of tools to just start out at a dealership or a indy shop.

Welcome to stanceworks btw.

To start out, no you don't need too much, but many of my customers would not hand their keys to you. You cannot do many of the things with a set of craftsman tools that you can do with a set like mine your welcome to come watch any time. I have close to $50k in hard tools and $15K in diagnostics, information, and electrical specific. If I had factory BMW diagnostics you could add another $75k to that easy. Adjusting the carbs on a classic Ferrari technically only takes a cabinet screwdriver, but the knowledge is hard to come by unless you have a spare Ferrari or two to practice on. and Porsche WSMs don't fall from the sky they have to be purchased and are not cheap but you'll need them if you ever want to tear into a newer 911 motor.

[Bimmerteck]

I dont care what the "norm" now a days is, i still think labor rates, not just for technicians, are high compared to the job, especially considering that a lot of people that i know that do work at dealers, don't do half the work. When i was working at lexus/toyota i don't think a single car ever left with a radiator flush, even though the customer paid for it.

The above statement speaks volumes about your integrity as an individual. That you would not report them for fraud is kinda sad really.

I walked out of the shop the day the owner told me they were going to flat-rate pay and I would be making more money based on how many hours I turned. Interesting concept, but not how I do business. I had been getting paid salary that was raised and lowered quarterly based on customer satisfaction vs. comebacks. Interesting enough I now hear scathing reviews from people who used to take their cars there regularly and are now asking me to work on them at home b/c the quality of work as dropped off the map.

I charged my last customer here at the house just over $150 an hour for a three hour job. He payed it happily and is bringing his girl's car by next month. Point is that if you do quality work, and deliver on all your promises the best clients will not only find you. . . they will pay what ever you ask. If that isn't art, I don't know what is.

[wheelfetish]

If you think about it, it's actually harder for the training mechanic, because rather than buy books (which is peanuts in the grand scheme of things) he has to fork out tens of thousands for his tools.

Tens of thousands for tools I got all my tools (craftman) for under 2k and I have more them most guys do. Besides special tools, witch most shops should supply for you, theres no way you NEED to spend tens of thousands of dolors for tools, especially if you just got out of college. Hell, even the guys who bought snap on products at my school only paid a little over 3k for all their tools.

Now if you own your own shop you have to fork out the big bucks for tools, but no where even close to tens of thousands of tools to just start out at a dealership or a indy shop.

Welcome to stanceworks btw.

[Poon]

ok first of all, my comment was taken way further than necessary. The college comment was NOT insulting anyones intelligence or competence, so lets all relax a little here. Simply put, it costs money to go to college and its quite a bit of effort and therefore i think your salary should compensate for that.

I dont care what the "norm" now a days is, i still think labor rates, not just for technicians, are high compared to the job, especially considering that a lot of people that i know that do work at dealers, don't do half the work. When i was working at lexus/toyota i don't think a single car ever left with a radiator flush, even though the customer paid for it.

And, fixing cars is not at all similar to photography, which i consider an art. And lastly, i value my penis just fine, if you couldnt tell that was an exaggeration then i dont know what to tell you.

Sorry Bro, but you have it wrong. Is there actually a difference between going to college for four years to get a degree and going to trade school for four years to get a certificate? Both costs money to be there, and both require your time. If you think about it, it's actually harder for the training mechanic, because rather than buy books (which is peanuts in the grand scheme of things) he has to fork out tens of thousands for his tools.

Just because the dealership you worked at ripped people off doesn't mean everyone else does. I think what you witnessed rarely happens at shops. At least with most BMW's, if you go to a proper BMW specialist, most of the time you'll know if your coolant has been properly flushed, because the majority of BMW's off warranty are running generic green coolant, and any Indy BMW specialist will only use genuine blue BMW coolant.

Some people would actually consider working on cars an art. Not any mechanic can tune a pair of triple side drafts by ear, and when you consider paint/body work how can it not be an art?

Yeah, I know it's a pretty shitty first post, but I just couldn't let it slide. My bad for stirring the pot.

-Andrew Poon

[UnitedWeStance...]

Personally, I don't think $1300 is that much when you factor in its for a top of the line BMW. Now if you told me that was a break job price for like a 80's VW or something like that then maybe I might be more understanding about how you feel about the price... just my 2 cents though...

[a2lowvw]

dont buy a touareg then dealer reatail on complete brakes is just under $1900. for pads, rotors and pad sensors.

[Tuck&Poke]

ok first of all, my comment was taken way further than necessary. The college comment was NOT insulting anyones intelligence or competence, so lets all relax a little here. Simply put, it costs money to go to college and its quite a bit of effort and therefore i think your salary should compensate for that.

I dont care what the "norm" now a days is, i still think labor rates, not just for technicians, are high compared to the job, especially considering that a lot of people that i know that do work at dealers, don't do half the work. When i was working at lexus/toyota i don't think a single car ever left with a radiator flush, even though the customer paid for it.

And, fixing cars is not at all similar to photography, which i consider an art. And lastly, i value my penis just fine, if you couldnt tell that was an exaggeration then i dont know what to tell you.

[Neb]

I say find OEM parts and do the job yourself. Brakes aren't THAT difficult to do IMO. Just stay away from cheap ass aftermarket stuff and you'll be fine. $95/h is pretty standard in Canada too. Luckily for me, I go to Quebec to get any major work done, the Frenchies only charge $65 and hour

[Bimmerteck]

god hourly rates have gotten ridiculous, 95/hr! I'd rather slice my penis off than pay 95/hr to some dude who didn't go to college.

1. That's cheap for as advanced as a modern automobile is. The e38 series contains over 100 control modules communicating over 6 wired and 1 fiberoptic networks. Your Passat isn't very far behind.

2. When did I say that I didn't go to college?

3. You obviously value your penis far less than many of us.

Maintenance on cars in NOT difficult, not 95/hr difficult. What the fuck is it with labor rates in this country.

I know many photographers who charge more than twice that hourly to take photographs. Would you chop your penis off before paying a professional to take photos at your wedding as well?

At this point as a health professional I feel obligated to recommend that you seek help from a someone in the mental health field, perhaps a psychiatrist? Before you get around to considering cutting off any appendages I will let you know that they will likely bill you much more than $95 an hour.

[M.Burroughs]

god hourly rates have gotten ridiculous, 95/hr! I'd rather slice my penis off than pay 95/hr to some dude who didn't go to college. Maintenance on cars in NOT difficult, not 95/hr difficult. What the fuck is it with labor rates in this country.

I think that part was pretty unnecessary. If you dont want to pay that much, then do the work yourself. There are a lot of people who do not want to or are afraid to learn how to work on their own cars.

[Tuck&Poke]

god hourly rates have gotten ridiculous, 95/hr! I'd rather slice my penis off than pay 95/hr to some dude who didn't go to college. Maintenance on cars in NOT difficult, not 95/hr difficult. What the fuck is it with labor rates in this country.

[driftsucky]

Wait...so lemme get this straight. You have a BMW or HAD a BMW that your dad now has. You didn't know that BMW's are some of the most expensive cars to perform maintenance on next to Mercedes and exotics. Then, you had a maintenance issue looked at and the price was expensive? Is that right? lolz.

[Bimmerteck]

I worked at a shop for awhile. They charged you msrp but they actually got it for a lot less. Its one way shops make more profit. Plus they see a bmw come in and they jack prices up. You can do three things:.

I am going to attempt to be civil "I worked at a shop for awhile." is not a designation of merit in the field of automobile maintenance from any standards organization I know of.

"They charged you msrp but they actually got it for a lot less."- Take note people, businesses everywhere are out to get you by marking up their products.

Seeing as it is an independant BMW specialist I doubt they changed their prices at all when another BMW rolled into the lot.

1) buy your own parts and do the job yourself (its not that hard to replace rotors and pads).

This is a decent option if the OP has the tools required, and knows enough to safely perform a brake job.

2) buy new parts then have them do it.

I refuse to warranty any parts I don't source as I have had too many problems with aftermarket parts suppliers ecpecially when customers buy the cheapest parts they can find.

3) have them do everything, then when they're done asked to see the old parts (they have to show them to you, they can't throw them away). Find the specs for the rotors and pads then find a micrometer and measure yourself. If its within spec, the shopped ripped you off and you can get a refund or sue the shit out of them.

BMW rotors are speced as non machinable, good luck getting any money from them in court when the BMW certified technician will state that he got his estimate approved and in the intrest of safety and customer satisfaction included new genuine BMW rotors. The shop did not rip you off, or even surprise you with the bill after the fact. they did exactly what the $1300 estimate said they would do. What would his dad do, get on the stand and say "I own a BMW and my brake job was expensive." better yet hire a BMW tech from the dealership who can explain that the Independant shop was cheaper than they would have charged.


Erik

[Bimmerteck]

So my dad just called me and told me that he took the 750iL they took over the loan from me into the shop for brakes. They use a HIGHLY recommended indy shop for everything, and have been pleased with everything they've done to it thus far, however today he got a quote for 1300 dollars for pads and rotors on all 4 corners and that it was 90 percent parts cost not labor.

That can't be right. I hadn't had a chance to check brake stuff while the car was in my possession since they were fine, but a quick look at Autohaus shows that it shouldn't cost more than 400 bucks for OE improved parts. It's disc brakes, so it's not like they are that ridiculous to do, especially not for a well equipped shop with experienced techs. The high performance stuff for my old Trans Am only even ran me 600 bucks for all 4 corners and so there's no way this is right.

Any input? Thanks.

1. A BMW 750iL and a Trans AM are very different when it comes to brakes.

2. Genuine BMW parts for the 750iL should run around $900 for discs pads and sensors.

3.My labor rate was $95 an hour at an independant BMW specialist and Brakes on most BMWs are usually 1.3 hours per axle unless (except in the case of dual piston calipers where it is bumped to 1.5 hours)

4. Brakes on the 750 usually include bleeding the lines as the calipers like to freeze if the fluid is not kept fresh.(an BMW tech knows those sorts of things which is why you pay them what you do)


Sure you can find parts cheaper on the internet but they will not be genuine BMW, You may be able to install the rotors yourself, but are you a BMW certified tech? Your questioning why a brakejob costs right around 1% of what that car could have sold for new (assuming it's an e38) so I guess it seems cheap to me. If you want cheap brake jobs buy a slower, cheaper, less luxurious car maybe a 3 series next time or if he still needs a big car get him a crown vic. Way cheaper brakes but won't ever be a BMW.

Erik

[wheelfetish]

I worked at a shop for awhile. They charged you msrp but they actually got it for a lot less. Its one way shops make more profit. Plus they see a bmw come in and they jack prices up. You can do three things:

1) buy your own parts and do the job yourself (its not that hard to replace rotors and pads)

2) buy new parts then have them do it

3) have them do everything, then when they're done asked to see the old parts (they have to show them to you, they can't throw them away). Find the specs for the rotors and pads then find a micrometer and measure yourself. If its within spec, the shopped ripped you off and you can get a refund or sue the shit out of them.