Inspection 2 Prices

K

Kernow-Z4

Member
Good Afternoon everyone,

My M coupe is nearing the time when it is expecting an Inspection 2,
Living down in cornwall i am limited somewhat by the garages i can use for such work, ive been out to 2 independent BMW Specilists and they have come back with wildly different prices.
One has quoted around £550 for a full inspeciton 2 including shims using genuine parts and Castrol oil, whilst another has quoted £700.
I have also gone out to the local main stealer and they have quoted nearer to £1000.

The question i ask is should i be slightly dubious of an independent who can offer the work at half the price of a main dealer, and considerably cheaper than what seems to be the going rate, can anything be scrimped on?

What seems to be the going rate for an inspection 2?

Thanks :)
 
It's always worth travelling the extra distance to an indy to have your beemer serviced, esp when it's an M.
I'd say you're close enough to Iridium in Southampton for example - the thread by dan yeates re. Iridium would certainly tempt me to investigate if I were in your position.
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=93834
I''d say Plymouth or even Torquay would be your closest search points for a specialist too.
What you spend on extra fuel/time getting there would probably repay itself in kind via the piece of mind you get having it serviced at a genuinely 'decent' indy specialist.
I'd never even consider going to a main dealer outside of warranty as they certainly have more of a focus on time and efficiency and imo more likely to scrimp and save.
 
Kernow-Z4 said:
The question i ask is should i be slightly dubious of an independent who can offer the work at half the price of a main dealer, and considerably cheaper than what seems to be the going rate, can anything be scrimped on?
Click to expand...

Yes and no. An independent can be cheaper by not having a shiny dealership to pay for and not having to adhere to fixed price, menu servicing. Just ask for a full, itemised quote to check that things like new gaskets are used and to see which plugs plus diff, gearbox and engine oils are used. Politely ask in advance for a copy of the shim readings for your records. If they say that you can collect the car on the same day be concerned!
It's a trek up the M5 for you but about giving Reddish (Bristol) a call?

:)
 
I used to use a BMW indie for work on my 5 and 7 series. It wasn't a shiny showroom, and much of what thy did was motorsports BMW...

he got original BMW parts way cheaper
his labour rate was HALF the stealer rates
He always described when he used original parts, and and if he was to use a non original part he'd say why and ask if it was OK or if i wanted to wait for original parts to be available. some parts made no difference, some he'd say BMW was better.

as long as they're open and honest i'd use an indie. probably helps that I'm handy with spanners so i knew if it was nonsense...it never was.

I used them mainly to get a service stamp.....
 
For Insp1/2 - reputation is everything.

The price is just a product of where, who, what etc. Doesn't indicate much in terms of quality.

For resale - it seems people prefer FBMWSH, particularly on Insp services. In reality? An independent specialist with significant S54 experience is 10x better than 90% of official BMW garage techs (who basically just change oil/filter for a living in modern cars only now).

The only advantage to BMW themselves is the fallback and warranty of works - the theory being if it goes wrong, you have somewhere to complain and then escalate to... in theory.
 
Thanks for the replys guys,

Ive done a bit of research into it before and the thread metnioned about Iridium in southampton jogged my memory with regards to it.
I was never intending to go to a main dealer, the local dealer to me doesnt get to many favorable reviews and have messed me around in the past with other issues.
Am i right in thinking the engine needs to be dead cold for the valve clearances to be done, hence dropping off the vehicle the pervious day due to thermal expansion of various parts?
The only thing about visiting a specialist further away is other factors come into consideration such as accomodation and fuel costs etc...
 
Kernow-Z4 said:
Thanks for the replys guys,

Ive done a bit of research into it before and the thread metnioned about Iridium in southampton jogged my memory with regards to it.
I was never intending to go to a main dealer, the local dealer to me doesnt get to many favorable reviews and have messed me around in the past with other issues.
Am i right in thinking the engine needs to be dead cold for the valve clearances to be done, hence dropping off the vehicle the pervious day due to thermal expansion of various parts?
The only thing about visiting a specialist further away is other factors come into consideration such as accomodation and fuel costs etc...
Click to expand...

Yes, stone cold, so it will need to be in for at least two days ideally.
 
Just had mine done at my local Indy for just under £470 + oils which I supplied, which were around £125.

Report on the shims, plus photos of the work being carried out supplied :thumbsup:
 
dan yeates said:
Kernow-Z4 said:
Thanks for the replys guys,

Ive done a bit of research into it before and the thread metnioned about Iridium in southampton jogged my memory with regards to it.
I was never intending to go to a main dealer, the local dealer to me doesnt get to many favorable reviews and have messed me around in the past with other issues.
Am i right in thinking the engine needs to be dead cold for the valve clearances to be done, hence dropping off the vehicle the pervious day due to thermal expansion of various parts?
The only thing about visiting a specialist further away is other factors come into consideration such as accomodation and fuel costs etc...
Click to expand...

Yes, stone cold, so it will need to be in for at least two days ideally.
Click to expand...
So having got a quote today from dealer at 1275, and no mention of bringing it in day before so it's cold, which the indie did, and for a lot less quoted i know which I will go for
MVT Poole
Though iridium get a few mentions, may call them too
 
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