[raptor_f22]

I don't know if it's a North/South divide or just a culture difference in the area I grew up in...but, as the post suggests, I'm curious to find out what everyone out there thinks about BYOP when carrying out servicing etc

Growing up I was used to mechanic's letting us (and literally every other customer) bring our own parts and working on a labour only basis.
The perceived advantages:

- 99% of the time, people would bring the correct parts so the mechanic just did what he needed to do, got paid and rolled on to the next job

- Customer left satisfied as they felt they'd got a good deal on parts they could afford and the brand of their choice or just that they'd been able to select the premium parts that they wanted

- Trust developed as customer doesn't feel "ripped off" by parts mark-up and mechanic doesn't have the headache of dealing with logistics

Moving on...I've started to read in a lot of places, that when you mention BYOP and trying to find a mechanic who works on a labour only basis, people get quite heated and angry saying things like "would you bring your own pasta to a restaurant to save $2?! would you hand the chef your ingredients and expect him to make food for you!?"

I understand the argument to an extent, but I definitely have a different perspective on that which I might share later.

There's also the common line "I only use OE quality parts direct from the manufacturer and I can get the parts the same price - if not cheaper - than you can on the internet". I have never found this to hold true.

So, what do you think? Are you happy to go all in when you take your car for a repair/service or do you have a different way of working with your mechanic?

Any really good or really bad experiences you want to share?

Not intending to judge anyone but curious what you think given how passionate everyone is about their car on here.

[Fez335i]

Personally, I take my own parts almost all the time.. Regardless of how simple or complicated the work is, I prefer to buy my own parts.. That way I get the brands I want at a price I'm happy with...
For what it's worth, I've used several different garages over the years and not once have any of them ever complained about me bringing my own parts.. I do however always make it clear when I book the car in that Ill be using my own parts

[Dopeslope]

Same as above,

95% of the time I find out what needs doing before hand, whether it's repair or service and get the parts and then book in with the garage.

For the Times that I don't know what's wrong I'll ask for a quote / price breakdown and do some research.

The only time I've ever had a garage refuse to work with supplied parts is with engine replacements.

I don't think it's rude at all, I think it's good for both parties if done right.

I'm in the north

[AWSAWS]

Yeah I always bring my own parts.
I even provide the oil and oil filter for oil changes. I just like to choose what goes on or in my car. It's not always the cheapest option either when choosing to provide top end parts.
Apart from MOT and services all my visits have been to fit custom parts anyway so garages just wouldn't have the bits I need.

[raptor_f22]

lol I see a trend emerging here. Ever since I moved down south, every garage/mechanic I ring up outrightly refuses to do any work if I bring my own parts.

One did begrudgingly accept but on the premise that "no parts or labour warranty at all because I can't guarantee parts that we didn't buy".

When I lived in W.Yorkshire and Lancashire it was never an issue and they'd happily let you see what they were doing too as they worked on the car.

Also found it really common for people to slag off companies like Euro Car Parts , "Haha ECP? They're shite! Why would you buy anything from them? It's such poor quality gear. I only buy parts directly from the dealer because I have a trade account" then when you walk into their workshop, it's littered with ECP receipts and there's the ECP van parked up outside! This includes Kwik-fit who I've seen lie about this directly to customers faces

Anyway, if anyone knows of a reputable indy or mechanic down near Farnborough that lets you BYOP please let me know!

[AWBimmer]

Agreed with the above. I needed my ABS wheel sensor (front right) needing replaced last week. Went to a local indy (Chris Plummer) who said the part will cost £95 + labour (35mins job).

I went home, did my own research and managed to buy the part for less than half that (from ECP!) and a genuine piece too, not aftermarket.

I always take my own oil + filters, my own brake discs and pads, my own parts whatever it may be. If they get arsy about it then I know I'll be taking the business elsewhere.

Simple. Or I'll research and try to DIY.

[AWBimmer]

I'd STRONGLY recommend Kwik Fit in Bagshot who I use religiously for alignments. Good bunch of lads, all car enthusiasts and all who I've found to be very helpful. Happy to put anybody in touch with the guys there.

I'm not affiliated in any way with QF.

[mjn77]

Always take my own parts. My local place more than happy if i supply parts.

[RajB]

I've used garages all over the country (even though I've always lived in the Midlands LOL). It's just how it's sometimes worked out. BUT I have always taken my own parts when I've wanted/needed to and it's never been an issue. I have built up some good contacts and companies over the many years so that makes it easier.

As above though I do a lot of work myself though and have done for others too. Always better knowing you've done a job and how you've done it.

[dm2583]

I always supply my own oil when my car goes to my BMW dealer for its service. Never had an issue.

[djgandy]

They build loads of profit into the parts. National tyres once screwed up a quote for me, saying a caliper would be £90 or something. Turned out they ordered the wrong part and it was more but they'd do it for same price. On my bill the "brake wear sensor" was £60! That's how they fixed their mistake.

Garages make loads from selling shit pagid/ecp budget stuff at inflated prices. The parts network seems to be a bit of a con from what I can tell, with a lot of low quality parts being sold for prices that seem good compared to main dealer, but are actually pretty poor considering the quality you are getting, and the inflated parts price.

For the price some garages charge with parts, you can actually get genuine BMW parts from Germany and get them fitted for around the same cost.

[abeardo83]

I'm quite fortunate in that I have a good friend who is a mechanic. If I want stuff doing and can give enough notice, I can use his ramp, tools and expertise to do the job myself. Same goes for servicing, so I just brought my own stuff.

Not sure what I'm going to do with the 335 though - it has a full BMW history which I'd like to keep. I think when the CBS flags up things except brakes, I'll take to BMW (and probably take my own oil!).

[old grey steve]

To be fair as a repairing garage we have no issue whatsoever in our customers supplying their own parts, if the parts are questionable we do advise why we feel they are questionable if the customer chooses to still have their supplied parts fitted then that's fine as long as we have pointed it out we are happy.

If later one an issue arises due to the part being an issue at least we are all aware that was the case when they were fitted, but re supplying your own oil and oil filters as well as air filters etc these rarely prove an issue its the aftermarket go faster goodies that are purchased along with some suspension parts that usually come up for discussion

[AWSAWS]

I drive about 2hrs (4hr round trip) to Darren Wood in Stockport OP. If you find someone reliable and knowledgeable then it's worth travelling further than you'd like to.

[Dopeslope]

Originally Posted by old grey steve

To be fair as a repairing garage we have .......

To me that's more than fair :-) If a customer brings genuine parts there shouldnt be a problem.

I think local small garages suffer the problems in this area, they cant compete on price with genuine parts and even sometimes pattern / aftermarket parts.

[Dopeslope]

Originally Posted by AWSAWS

I drive about 2hrs (4hr round trip) to Darren Wood in Stockport OP.

This is near me and have heard nothing but good things on the net, allthough my brother was quoted £900+ for DPf removal and remap without a rolling road run / check. no further details about it but made me think the rest of there prices would be high also ???

Whats your experience ?

[bhurd320]

I take my own parts to be fitted but the guy fitting them is a good friend, also i service motorbikes and tell everyone that gets there bike serviced to order and bring their own parts with them, saves me the agro of ordering them and paying out of my pocket if they decide to change their minds which has happened in the past

[Aragorn30d]

Originally Posted by Dopeslope

To me that's more than fair :-) If a customer brings genuine parts there shouldnt be a problem.

I think local small garages suffer the problems in this ****, they cant compete on price with genuine parts and even sometimes pattern / aftermarket parts.

Why cant they compete on price for parts?

A small garage will still get trade prices at the main dealer, so can either offer those parts to the customer at cost, thus providing a saving to tempt the customer in, or they can charge the customer the full retail price (just like the main dealer would) and make some extra profit. Or somewhere in between.

Their labour charges are also likely to be a lower than either a "specialist" or a main dealer, thus should easily be able to compete...

[djgandy]

Originally Posted by Aragorn30d

Why cant they compete on price for parts?

A small garage will still get trade prices at the main dealer, so can either offer those parts to the customer at cost, thus providing a saving to tempt the customer in, or they can charge the customer the full retail price (just like the main dealer would) and make some extra profit. Or somewhere in between.

Their labour charges are also likely to be a lower than either a "specialist" or a main dealer, thus should easily be able to compete...

Most garages don't use main dealer.
I see ECP, Andrew Page and GSF vans driving around all day long to garages.

They then mark up the £40 Pagid discs to £80 which to the customer seems like a bargain vs. BMW's £150 odd for each disc.

So if you want those cheap parts, you an buy them yourself from ECP, and use a 10% off code. If not, for the money a garage bills you for the parts, you can almost buy BMW genuine yourself, from Germany.

[Aragorn30d]

Yeh i know most garages dont use the main dealer. I just meant that IF a garage wanted to compete with a main dealer, using genuine parts, they'd have no issue doing so.

[raptor_f22]

Gonna throw this one out here... I personally try my hardest to get the best parts I can afford. That usually means going to ECP, yes. Owning a car like a 330d isn't cheap i'm aware but I don't have a bottomless bank account either so have to strike a balance.

However, ECP do sell some great branded parts (as far as I'm aware) i.e. i'm speccing up some Brembo parts at the moment. For normal road driving surely Brembo parts are fine? Same goes with Pagid, Mann, Textar and Bosch etc.

I'm not debating how they match up with parts bought directly from BMW but i'm sceptical that for the price difference, the majority of normal road drivers will ever notice a drastic performance difference.

And i'll go back to my original statement. I've seen plenty of mechanics including big name garages scoff at the mention of Andrew Page and ECP "hahaha that pagid shite? wouldn't touch it with a barge pole! cheap rubbish" only for the customer to disappear and low and behold...pagid parts are fitted. GSF also have a wide variety of suppliers, most of which are unheard of but GSF are used regularly by garages claiming to use "only" OEM parts.

I do agree with some of the comments on here, the parts network seems like a con at times. Won't go through the boring details but I've priced up a near enough identical list of parts which I need to buy, and after applying all relevant discounts the figures I get are:

£453 - Buying directly from ECP
£415 - Buying directly from Carparts4less (ECP's online only company)
£625 - Buying directly from GSF

So quite a big difference! I'm in contact with an Indy at the moment to see what price they come back with + their labour charge.

[raptor_f22]

Originally Posted by old grey steve

To be fair as a repairing garage we have no issue whatsoever in our customers supplying their own parts, if the parts are questionable we do advise why we feel they are questionable if the customer chooses to still have their supplied parts fitted then that's fine as long as we have pointed it out we are happy.

If later one an issue arises due to the part being an issue at least we are all aware that was the case when they were fitted, but re supplying your own oil and oil filters as well as air filters etc these rarely prove an issue its the aftermarket go faster goodies that are purchased along with some suspension parts that usually come up for discussion

Excellent, will be sending you a PM to find out more!