Did I get ripped off???
 

HEy everyone i just went to the stealership and had them lower the rear part of the X with the DIS system. That went great no problems there. I had my front Eibachs put on the day before. When they dropped the rear i had them do a full 4 wheel alignment. Well i pick it up and they charged 1 hour of labor ($98) for the DIS drop which i felt was fair, but the alignment was $302!!! Ok the place that put my springs on said they charge $89, and to make matters worse the alignment is so far out AFTER BMW aligned it. If i keep the steering wheel straight it veers way over to the right. So now i have to take another day over go back to the dealership , 30 minutes away, and i paid $302 for this!! I mean that just seems so overpriced especially seeing it was worse than when i brought it in. What are your guys opinion on the matter?

4 wheel alignment for $302, yes i'd say they just tore your arm off...its about $100 everywhere else

If anyone works or has had a 4 wheel alignment done at other BMW dealerships i would liek to hear what you paid so i can go to them monday with names and prices. I wouldnt be near as mad if the car was actually aligned lol.

My guy charged something like $89 after he fitted tires I had bought online.
$302 = arm, shoulder and leg!

yup, cornholed!!!

I thought so thanks for the help guys. If you can i need dealership names and locations and what they charged so i can document it and give them fo proof of the over charge. Thanks

i was charged around 100 dollars. Are you sure the 302 dollars wasnt for the alignment plus the install of the front springs because then that would sound about right.

No i had the front springs done independently by another shop the day before.

I paid $129 at my dealership. I started having Brakes Plus do it for $49.

Many BMW dealers have standard menu pricing, shown in the service reception area. The prices I know are in CDN$, so I did a quick search on the standard (national) menu pricing that US BMW dealers show.

A four wheel alignment is listed at $222, or $295 with active steering. They note that that goes up for any parts required to correct out of specification measurements.

Depends why it was $302, maybe a mistake, maybe more work was required, maybe they were gouging. Hard to tell without more info. Speak to them and see what they say. $100 sounds low to me for quality work. Regardless, I would be more concerned about the quality of the alignment than the price of the alignment.

:iagree:

J: the 132 wheel/tire combo run fine!

Joe at Regal, (Robert did the work), is a pisser from NJ! It was like being back in metro NY bs'ing with him. Thanks for the tip. :thumbup:

GL on your Aling fix...doncha just love the fookin Stlrs?! :confused:
BR,md

Exactly if the alignment was perfect when i picked it up I would think, yeah maybe a little high. Problem is the alignment is worse than when i brought it to them, and i brought it to them with new front springs installed with no alignment adjustments done before they got the car. I mean i have to hold the steering wheels turned towards the left to get it to go straight, that is pretty bad i would say.

I don't know what the Rates in Florida are but I just Called A local BMW dealership and ask what the cost for an alignment would be and I was told that it starts at $255.00 for all 3.5.7 series. 4 wheel alignment I would guess would be more. Call around a couple more dealerships and ask.

Got 4 wheels alignment done last month on my X for $140 at an independent garage specialized in German cars.

It's $180 at my dealer!

Any GoodYear shope can do a 4 wheel alignment and it costs anywhere from $59-$89. It's by no means a difficult procedure, the machine tells the tech everything. You might want to call GoodYear in your area and get a quote to show your $tealer.

The machine may tell the tech everything, but that isn't necessarily the same as setting everything. Shops can correctly call their offering a four wheel alignment when they are measuring four wheels but just adjusting the front wheels (and compensating for errors on the rear wheels by adjusting the front). There are also various levels of completeness to what is termed a four wheel alignment, depending on how many items are checked. The BMW warranty allowance (what BMW pays the dealer) is listed at 2.6 hours on the web. That is likely to be a more complete procedure than anything Goodyear or other shops are doing for less than $100. Anything less than 1.5 hours sounds like a check, not an alignment.

I am not suggesting that everyone needs a complete alignment. I do think, though, that there are real differences in the actual services being described in this thread.

The point I was making was that the alignment wasn't an analog procedure where 2 chimps with wiffle ball bats squint through 1 eye to see if "the wheels look ok"..... the alignment rack is computerized and very accurate. The 4 wheel alignment that I had done at GY took about 1.5 hours on my other car that will remain nameless in fear of starting another "discussion" :) :) A 4 wheel alignment is not rocket science and just because BMW charges an arm and a leg for it (and everything else for that matter) and allocates 2.5 hours of labor doesn't make it right or any better than any place else. (obviously a place like GY could hire some chimp who could screw up your car, but as with anything automotive, you have to find a place that you trust with a good mechanic)

I think J/iluvspl woulda put up with the $300 pricey
"alingment", if the sumbitch ran down the road properly
following that fine "service" by the Stlr.

Wonder if the lowering job had an effect?

Most of us here don't necessarily seek out $20 oil changes or,
$100 tune ups, and most of us don't mind paying some dough
for good work; it's when the "fix" is worse than the orig condition
that PO's me and, I suspect, most here.
My2Cts.
BR,md

Lowering any car will definitely throw off the alignment.

I had my wheels aligned at the dealership (under warranty so I can't give you a cost) but I had to hold my wheel to the left as well to go straight down the road. Turns out there was nothing wrong with the alignment, they just forgot to center the steering wheel once they were finished. Could yours be the same problem?

Just a thought. :dunno:

David is right, I would not of minded so much the money if the alignment was true and correct. I mean it drove better the day before when i had front eibach springs installed with no alignment done afterwards!! I know for a fact looking at everyone elses posts on here that there is plenty of factory adjustments available to bring the car back to alignment after being lowered so i know thats not the issue.

Did you call around to Braman, Fields, Reeves, etc to see what the other Florida shops charge? The other thing is to check what the correction or adjustment readings on your invoice say--but, as others have mentioned, you'd think they would at least do a good job. Tell them you bill $60 an hour plus mileage for a bring-back.

The invoice has not correction number on it it states "customer states perform 4 wheel alignment
maintenance
perform 4 wheel alignment as requested"
On monday im going to call around to other dealerships and call them back as a random person and ask how much they charge for a 4 wheel alignment and see if they quote me lower.

Also try the dealer in Daytona 386-274-1200. The sales manager is Matt. Maybe ask him to intro you to the service guy. They are a smaller dealership which has picked up refugee customers from the big Orlando and Jax markets. Sometimes they try a little harder. Sometimes.

Acella...Daytuna is a long run from this zip, for service, lol!