[TxBeem]

They are charging around $1300 for the install with alignment. What do you guys think? Sounds high just for reassurance of warranty. I beleive independent shops round here can do it for about 1/2. Would spending the other extra "1/2" to have BMW do the install be worth it for warranty and obviously knowing that a BMW tech is doing this weekly that there wouldn't be any errors in the install? Or a suspension is a suspension and any shop can unscrew and screw back bolts of a part(s), get what I am saying?

I know I would return my car to BMW for alignment of course if I were to go independent.

By the way, I also was quoted $190 for BMW Performance exhaust install....now that's not too bad. $1900 for exhaust and installed.

[Scottycs]

$1200 installed is a joke!

[bavarian19]

Seems pretty standard for what dealerships are asking, but it is way too much.

[Stuart@BMRAutowerkes]

$1,300 made me lol.

Go to a shop - you got it right, suspension is suspension. The shop, out of professional courtesy, should also rectify any issues you have IF you have any.

[Hoog_23]

I was quoted 8-9 hrs by a local mechanic who I have trusted in the past. I don't know if he was just throwing out a worst case scenario but I know it sounded like way too much.

I pm'd a sponsor who quoted me 2-3 hrs plus alignment. I have to pretty much take the day off from work since he is not local but that is a significant difference in time and $$.

[stressdoc]

The dealer here did the Performance struts, springs, rear sway, M3 control arms & subframe bushings, alignment all for <$1k. A great deal that I have never regretted, zero problems, no squeaks or rattles. Job was done right.

[MassBimmer]

Suspension install should never take more than 4 hours...the most you should spend is $400 plus alignment and even that's on the high side

[Gavin@MMW]

Originally Posted by TxBeem

They are charging around $1300 for the install with alignment. What do you guys think? Sounds high just for reassurance of warranty. I beleive independent shops round here can do it for about 1/2. Would spending the other extra "1/2" to have BMW do the install be worth it for warranty and obviously knowing that a BMW tech is doing this weekly that there wouldn't be any errors in the install? Or a suspension is a suspension and any shop can unscrew and screw back bolts of a part(s), get what I am saying?

I know I would return my car to BMW for alignment of course if I were to go independent.

By the way, I also was quoted $190 for BMW Performance exhaust install....now that's not too bad. $1900 for exhaust and installed.

just as a reference point, we put in suspensions for ~$200 or less

they are charging like crazy.

[The HACK]

In all reality, a complete suspension install by a trained professional shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. BUT. At a dealership everything is charged by FRUs (I forgot what it stands for, but it's a basic standard unit of time per mechanic. Like an oil change would be a 2 FRU work (consisting of 30 minutes by a single mechanic). It may only take a mechanic a solid 2 hours of work, but they'll charge by the book, which will be an 8 hour job. At $120+ (dealership standard rates from what I'm told), $1,300 with alignment sounds about right. Does it make it right? I don't know.

I once helped someone install a set of coil-overs in his M Coupe. I originally told him it was only going to take a couple of hours. We ended up with three people spending over 8 hours each at my house. Turns out the M Coupe had originally spent several winters on the East coast and multiple nuts were seized on the car due to exposure to the elements. It took a lot of WD-40/PB Blaster, patience, and breaker bar and a couple of broken bolts and a lot of cussing. He's lucky I work on beer and chips at the time.

[BTM]

If you're getting the rear sway bar swapped out, it is quite labor intensive as the entire rear end needs to be dropped. Dealers will however inflate the shit out of their quotes. I had a verbal from a dealer for something ridiculous (like over $2k) JUST for a rear sway. I burst out laughing.

[michaelthepsycho]

Dealers should be used for the bare minimum required services. Everything else should be handled by your own trusted independent shop.
Dealership profits = Service -> CPO -> Used -> New car sales

[BlueLion]

i was quoted $800 for a coilover install by a local shop too....

[TxBeem]

Well guys I made a phone call to one of the notable shops in town and got a quote for struts and spring and alignment all for $1200! WTF

[tunachris]

I have a 2010 E92 with an M sport package. I looked into the BMW suspension package at my dealer, Steve Thomas in Camarillo, CA. They had already installed a Perfromance exaust for me. The SA told me to forsake the BMW Suspension kit, as the gains would not be worth the expense. The whole setup including the install was going to run between $2700, and $3,000.

I ended up getting KW Series 1 coil overs and the complete package including install was $1400. Tire Pros in Reseda, CA did the install including a computer alignment. No uneven tire wear, or any other issues.

[hdrewh]

Originally Posted by tunachris

I ended up getting KW Series 1 coil overs and the complete package including install was $1400. Tire Pros in Reseda, CA did the install including a computer alignment. No uneven tire wear, or any other issues.

THESE?

[brocklanders]

i agree shocks and spings= 4 hours at shops price. but i just got shocks, springs, front sway, control arm bushings, rear sway, and subframe bushings for $950 which was 10 hours of labor from a local shop(none of which is vehicle specific) so i would not go to a dealer if i were you.

[TxBeem]

Hey guys I found a guy locally that did a great job. I took the car home today after installing my BMW Perf struts and shocks and he charged $650, and that includes the computer alignment! And the car drives great! If any of you guys live in Dallas shoot me a PM and I can give you his name. They are a real professional shop not a bunch of hoodlums.

[Scottycs]

Just wanted to let everyone know I just installed my sport springs and BMW Perf struts and shocks. Without air tools or a lift, I was able to do the install and roughly 4 hours while drinking beer and taking brakes. With air tools on a lift, this job can be done in 3 hours or less. The rear is extremely easy once you get the trunk panels out. The front is a pain without air tools, because it takes some time to compress the spring with the autozone compressors.

Anything over $500 even with an alignment is ridiculous.

[uberschnell]

Originally Posted by stressdoc

The dealer here did the Performance struts, springs, rear sway, M3 control arms & subframe bushings, alignment all for <$1k. A great deal that I have never regretted, zero problems, no squeaks or rattles. Job was done right.

just the fact that it included the rear sway and subframe bushings makes that the deal of the century

[Scottycs]

More like he got a fair price.

Originally Posted by MteK

just the fact that it included the rear sway and subframe bushings makes that the deal of the century

[stressdoc]

Took a top tech 2 days. First time they had done the job, Service Manager treated it as training. It was a fantastic deal, given high quality of job.