Quote:
Originally Posted by trader4
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Try to work out a deal where all 3 parties contribute to the cost.
I also told him that it's BS that a tire rotation caused the front tires
to fail and that it's BS that the computer only stores emission related
faults.
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First of all, there's NO way a BMW dealer is going to put in anything but a new or rebuilt motor. Given $150hr plus the cost of the motor, this is likely to be a massive bill. The ONLY way this makes sense is if you are paying a third or less of the cost. To get these two dealers to chip in their thirds, will probably require an act of GOD. Or at least, a very sharp lawyer's involvement, (more money), and may take many months....if you can do it at all.
In my view of the situation, both dealers have got fairly reasonable outs. Keep in mind also that if the MB dealer had ANY CLUE if the car had some pre-existing motor issues, they would have never sold it off their lot; they would have sent it right off to Manheim as an as-is car. I think one must assume they genuinely thought the car was good to go.
For quite a bit LESS than one third of the cost, (~$7,000) you can have a used, low mileage motor installed, with a short warranty included. You will be driving again in about 3 days. If you're nervous about future failure, pay to get an aftermarket warranty once the car is back on the road, (probably will add about $3,500 to $5,000). Even if you just get a lower cost drivetrain-only warranty, that will cover the really massive risk.
To me, unless it's under warranty, paying the cost of a new motor, that exceeds the value of the car, makes NO sense on ANY BMW newer than 1974, (with the possible exception of a race car or a Z8). For a well used car with NO collector value, a used motor is fine.
Pay the $7k and be done. Chalk it up as a costly learning experience; had you had a proper PPI, this may have been avoided. But not even a PPI can always tell if you're about to spin a bearing, (you V10 M5 owners should beware!) Sometimes failures occur with NO prior warning or symptoms. Either you pay for an aftermarket warranty, or you take the risk. In life, one should NEVER self-insure unacceptable risks...that's what insurance is for. The richer you are, the more you can afford to self-insure.
BTW, I DO think a second opinion from a quality independent BMW shop should be the very next step. I have seen motors condemned when they are easily fixed. Not saying that's the case, but only an independent will install a used motor, so you may as well start the process with them.