I've been a longtime lurker here, but have posted very little. I have an '01 X5 4.4i that is having some issues that may run into some serious coin. My extended warranty will cover some of the costs, but by the estimates of the local BMW dealer and the indie shop, I'm going to spend about 50% of what the vehicle is worth AFTER the warranty pays its share.

My questions are ...

1. Has anyone dealt with ModuleMaster.com? One way I can cut some costs is to have my DSC module rebuilt rather than replaced. That would save me almost $1000.

2. Both BMW and the indie shop are insisting on list price for parts. I understand the dealer doing that. I can understand the indy trying to get the most out of the warranty. Now that the warranty is telling him the same rack & pinion he wants $1788 for can be purchased from a different supplier for $644 (less $170 for core) he's telling me that I have to pay the difference. Shouldn't he just buy the cheaper part? This holds true for the radiator, the guibo joint, the window regulator, and the thermostat that can all be purchased online at discounts ranging from 35% to 65% off of list.

These parts are all listed as "Direct OE replacements". By using these parts, I save another $1500 to $2000.

I've used the indy shop before and they are reputable. The manager there is insinuating that he should get "list price" and that if he gets a discount, thats his profit. I have no problem paying him a markup on the purchased parts. I just don't want to get fleeced for a 150% markup from what I can buy these parts for on my own.

He's also whining about the rebuilt DSC, although he had no knowledge that they could be rebuilt.

Any ideas on how to deal with this? I'd like to work with this guy because I know they do good work. I'm just not willing to overpay for parts to the tune of $3000 when he's getting $90 per hour for his labor.

Am I being out of line here? I used to run a construction business and when I sent out to have work done, the service managers would pass along all discounts because they were grateful for the repeat business.

Any advice would be helpful.