Requesting advice from the A\C guru's on here

[tacairlift]

Christiano, you have a leak in your evaporator, R-138a and compressor oil are leaking out. The Compressor oil is what is leaking out the drain tube. Try the extended warranty other wise it will cost about $2100 to get it fixed right. Good luck.

[Christiano]

Originally Posted by tacairlift

Christiano, you have a leak in your evaporator, R-138a and compressor oil are leaking out. The Compressor oil is what is leaking out the drain tube. Try the extended warranty other wise it will cost about $2100 to get it fixed right. Good luck.

I´ll try, for sure.
Do you know if they have to disassemble the entire panel to change it?

[tacairlift]

The entire dash comes out. See this DIY for more info. http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ement-diy.html

[Christiano]

OMG!!!

[X5_Rob]

+1... I'm handy with a screw driver but &%^&%! That is one involved repair job! I will have to let the dealer take my money if it comes down to it... I think I could cure cancer faster than I would finish swapping out my evaporator per those instructions (which were fantastic btw to whomever posted).

[SlickGT1]

Guys it is really not as crazy as you think. Yea a lot has to come off, but it is just a matter of removing and putting it back. As long as you stay organized, you will be fine. Dealer will rape you on this by the way.

[killcrap]

Originally Posted by SlickGT1

Guys it is really not as crazy as you think. Yea a lot has to come off, but it is just a matter of removing and putting it back. As long as you stay organized, you will be fine. Dealer will rape you on this by the way.

how exactly will the dealer rape you on this? lets see, you have to take a bunch of stuff out, and then replace the part, and then re-install everything. i dont see how you relate that to being raped? i would say somewhere around $2650.00 to replace the evaporator is fair at the dealer. any more is being raped, and any less is a discount.

BMW KSD2 says 76FRU to REMOVE the heater box, and then additional 16FRU to REPLACE the evaporator.

total is 11.5 Hours Customer Pay. @ $?? dealer labor rate
part is $683.62 + local tax(do not purchase OEM BEHR evaporator(made in china), $23.80 + tax for coolant, and $12 for 1 lb of r-134a.

[TiAgX5]

Not a difficult job, nor does it require ANY special tools. The DIY vs Dealer issue basically boils down to if the owner is willing to pay roughly 1/5th the value of the X to repair a $600 part.

With over 30 yrs of vehicle ownership I have found that NOBODY is as attentive to detail as the owner, I have personally seen more damage done to my/my family/my friends vehicles while at the dealership for service. Curb rashed wheels (Walker Ford in C'water FL had to drop the $s for 2 wheels on my old M'stang Cobra, ALWAY walk my vehicle with SA and FULL written damage report at drop off), dents, scratches, parts LEFT OFF, broken fasteners/trim pcs, leather seats and door liners scuffed/torn, all while in the care of the "professionals"!!!

Kenyon Dodge (now Autoway) needed to keep my Viper over the weekend to replace a coolant crossover tube gasket under warranty. Went to P/U on the following Mon to find over 250 miles where put on it, rear tires were BALD and the front was COVERED with the guts of the bugs that did not come off with the "hose off" it got after the party weekend!

IMHO, If the vehicle is not under warranty/CPO this repair is DIY, ESPECIALLY if you find the $2700 dealer price offensive.

[SlickGT1]

Originally Posted by killcrap

how exactly will the dealer rape you on this? lets see, you have to take a bunch of stuff out, and then replace the part, and then re-install everything. i dont see how you relate that to being raped? i would say somewhere around $2650.00 to replace the evaporator is fair at the dealer. any more is being raped, and any less is a discount.

BMW KSD2 says 76FRU to REMOVE the heater box, and then additional 16FRU to REPLACE the evaporator.

total is 11.5 Hours Customer Pay. @ $?? dealer labor rate
part is $683.62 + local tax(do not purchase OEM BEHR evaporator(made in china), $23.80 + tax for coolant, and $12 for 1 lb of r-134a.

I know you work for a dealer so I will leave that be. But what is so hard to understand about the dealer raping you? Maybe it is the fact that I can buy a 2002 4.4, for about the price of three of those heater charges from the dealer. It is all relative to the value of the car.

It comes down to how much you are willing to pay. In my book, pushing $3k for a dash removal, is insane. Yea there are times for the markup, but you don't need anything as far as special training or tools to do this job. An indy will accomplish the same for a third. What you don't think an indy can do it? I can do it. I've done it. But so does converting a car from Automatic to a 6 speed. Or an engine swap. All doable DIY, in my own garage.

As far as calculating hours by the book. Dealer told me 4 hours to change each of my motor mounts. My Indi, did both in 2. I paid $170 with tip, and other work was done. Either BMW techs are very slow, or very under trained.

Again, might depend on dealer, mine for example in Brooklyn, suck the fattest donkey balls. When I go to Bloomfield, it is a completely different experience. But that is an hour drive for me.

[bastereo]

The service department at a dealership and every indy shop works hourly. Meaning you pay for the time at a set hourly rate. Then you also have to pay for the parts.
So, not quite sure you think the "mark up" is. Parts mark up is different subject from paying for labor. BMW dealers are forced to use real BMW parts, those have set prices. Yes they are going to be higher, but the quality is higher and much better controlled than aftermarket parts

If you can't do it yourself you got to pay some one else to.

Removing a complete dash is quite the daunting task for most backyard mechanics.

And the dealer service adviser just looked up the times for each mount and added them together. The service adviser does not know how to work on a vehicle or realize there is overlapping labor.