Flush?

[F87LUV]

So the dealer just called me and the mechanic says that I need my brakes and coolant flushed. According to the manual, the coolant is "lifetime". They want $225 for the brakes and $199 for the coolant. That seems a bit insane but there's no way I would attempt flushing the brakes myself. How much would this cost at a regular shop? My Z4's warranty/service coverage just expired.

[MetMan]

Looking through my service receipts from last year, My indie charged me $103.55 for a brake system flush ($75 labor and $28.55 for Brake Fluid) and $95 for a Coolant system flush ($75 labor and $19.95 for coolant). Hope this information helps.

[F87LUV]

Originally Posted by MetMan

Looking through my service receipts from last year, My indie charged me $103.55 for a brake system flush ($75 labor and $28.55 for Brake Fluid) and $95 for a Coolant system flush ($75 labor and $19.95 for coolant). Hope this information helps.

Damn, they want more than double. Thats a new pair of shoes! Thanks.

[MetMan]

I would expect that your rates would be more since you are in NYC, even with an indie.

[Finnegan]

Flush from the dealer = "flush money out of your wallet and into the dealership". Indie shop is the way to go.

[F87LUV]

Originally Posted by Finnegan

Flush from the dealer = "flush money out of your wallet and into the dealership". Indie shop is the way to go.

The problem is that I dont have an indie and I dont trust anyone. The last time my car was in the hands of an indie (body shop), they stole my headlights and swapped them for junked lights. It ended up costing me 5k. I was lucky to be able to go through insurance.

Well, I just bent over- $389 including tax and a 15% discount. FML.

[Finnegan]

Well, the "flush" quote is relative when the next best option are "crooks".

Geez--sorry you don't have better options.

[F87LUV]

Originally Posted by Finnegan

Well, the "flush" quote is relative when the next best option are "crooks".

Geez--sorry you don't have better options.

On a lighter note, they did give me a free state inspection ($35 value) which is why I brought it in.

[Finnegan]

It's always a good idea to find the bright side of any situation.

[Nikki]

They told me the same thing while the car is still under warranty and said it wasn't covered. As Finn mentioned, flush = flush your wallet.

[F87LUV]

Originally Posted by Nikki

They told me the same thing while the car is still under warranty and said it wasn't covered. As Finn mentioned, flush = flush your wallet.

Well, I think the brake flush is legitimate but Im not so sure about the coolant. Per the service manual, thats supposed to last forever. My last brake flush was covered under the maintenance program though- they dont cover the coolant but of course, when youre under warranty, its not needed. :/

[SCHMOUPE]

Originally Posted by ZGirl07

Well, I think the brake flush is legitimate but Im not so sure about the coolant. Per the service manual, thats supposed to last forever. My last brake flush was covered under the maintenance program though- they dont cover the coolant but of course, when youre under warranty, its not needed. :/

Umm there are many reliable indie shops just across the water in Jersey. Take a day off from work and hit up Bill at BimmerClinic in Elizabeth. Awesome shop with unbeatable prices.

[mikeinsf]

Originally Posted by ZGirl07

The problem is that I dont have an indie and I dont trust anyone. The last time my car was in the hands of an indie (body shop), they stole my headlights and swapped them for junked lights. It ended up costing me 5k. I was lucky to be able to go through insurance.

Well, I just bent over- $389 including tax and a 15% discount. FML.

Have you ever heard of a website called Yelp.com?
Ten minutes on there would have saved you $200.

Correction: 1 minute.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/minhs-auto-c...y:bmw%20repair
http://www.minhsautocare.com/

Just about every review gives the place 5 stars. Yelp reviews have never steered me wrong yet.

Other options:
http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc...show_filters=1

[F87LUV]

Originally Posted by shakib

Umm there are many reliable indie shops just across the water in Jersey. Take a day off from work and hit up Bill at BimmerClinic in Elizabeth. Awesome shop with unbeatable prices.

Originally Posted by mikeinsf

Have you ever heard of a website called Yelp.com?
Ten minutes on there would have saved you $200.

Correction: 1 minute.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/minhs-auto-c...y:bmw%20repair
http://www.minhsautocare.com/

Just about every review gives the place 5 stars. Yelp reviews have never steered me wrong yet.

Other options:
http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc...show_filters=1

Ive heard of yelp but I never really thought about it. Like I said this is the first time Ive had my car at the dealer out of warranty. I will most definitely look into an indie shop for next time.

[mikeinsf]

Originally Posted by ZGirl07

Ive heard of yelp but I never really thought about it. Like I said this is the first time Ive had my car at the dealer out of warranty. I will most definitely look into an indie shop for next time.

Yeah, it can be difficult finding a shop you trust. Stay away from the stealerships at all cost though. (well, not at ALL costs)

[Hawkeye]

The dealership in town here tries to gouge every now and then, but the indie shops are severely limited here. I know of 1 close to here.

Figured I would just start doing my own maintenance. Live and learn. Probably cost about the same in the short run but cheaper in the long run!

[Finnegan]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

The dealership in town here tries to gouge every now and then, but the indie shops are severely limited here. I know of 1 close to here.

Figured I would just start doing my own maintenance. Live and learn. Probably cost about the same in the short run but cheaper in the long run!

Me too. With the help of folks on this forum and few other websites (Madrussian for one, Billsweb******* I've learned to replace rotors, swap out pads, and flush brake systems. There's actually a very good DIY here for flushing the cooling system.

Doing the basics myself flushes fewer $$$ out of my pocket!

Wow, didn't "space" was on the filter list! No idea why that generated the *****.

[imom]

My car is still under warranty. Every 2 yrs you are supposed to flush the brakes with the M...not sure if it's needed for other models. I do know that when the dealer did it for free... it felt mushy...so I took it to my local trusted mechanic and watch them do it and made sure it was fully bled correctly.

Just because you pay the dealer for $$$ doesn't mean you get $$$ service. The only nice thing you get is your car washed...but I tell them not too so I can wash it myself and the free car rental.

If master techs were the only ones to work on your car, then I say go with dealer service. I had to ask my local dealer for the master tech to work on my car. Since it's an M, that request has been honored so far. I guess it's a rare enough car for them to work on instead of the basic 328i they see daily.

So what I'm saying in a long way around is try to find friends or through yelp for a good referral. Brake flush and coolant flush is relatively easy to do especially for a mechanic...hard to screw up if they've done enough and if they care. For a good mechanic; this is a basic job...a bad place may cause you more headaches. Good honest service is very hard to find these days... good luck.

[beta]

Originally Posted by Finnegan

Me too. With the help of folks on this forum and few other websites (Madrussian for one, Billsweb******* I've learned to replace rotors, swap out pads, and flush brake systems. There's actually a very good DIY here for flushing the cooling system.

Doing the basics myself flushes fewer $$$ out of my pocket!

Wow, didn't "space" was on the filter list! No idea why that generated the *****.

It's space with a parenthesis, like this: "forbiddenword)". I ran into the same thing earlier, haha.