They have no right to refuse to give you back a part that was on your car. I would be livid if that happened to me. I would tell them in a very polite tone that what they are doing is theft, no more and no less, and if you do not get the part back you will involve the police.
It is your car. It is a part that came on your car. If they uninstalled your convertible top, would they have a right to say "Oh, sorry, this is our convertible top now.. BMW recycles them... if you dont want to buy a new convertible top, I guess you will drive away without a top"
No. Its theft. I wouldnt even ask for a discount. Go to a different mechanic if possible. I know there arent a lot of options in Japan, but there should be at least SOME kind of alternative (such as non-dealer, reputable mechanic). Buy an E34 starter motor and put it in. Should be much cheaper. You may have to pay labor for the diagnosis/uninstallation of the starter (I think this is part of why they are holding the part hostage so to speak), but if you only asked them to DIAGNOSE IT, you should only pay labor for diagnosing. If they jumped the gun and removed the part without asking you, that is their problem, not yours. The law should side with you on that one.
The thing is, even if BMW required 100% the dealer to send the core in, they should only do that if the repair/replacement was authorized. In this case it wasnt. It was a diagnosis as far as I can tell.
Also not sure why you dont just get the one from bavauto? Do they not offer intl shipping? A starter is a starter and especially if the starter in our cars dates back to the E34, its hardly a modern piece of equipment. It should not cost that much, $190 seems fine. You dont have to pay to play if you can get the part cheaper from a US source..? Maybe I am misunderstanding...
