Am I getting ripped off?

[SaoFeng]

hey all

yesterday my fiancee and I were driving to vegas from Southern CA.

Right past Primm, NV, our bmw died. 2002 325i

long story short, i missed all of our reservations and shows, since it took us about 4 hours to get a tow truck out there and towed to the nearest dealer.

The tow cost me $125 - we got it towed 40 miles to the dealer, hoping they can fix it today.

This morning we called them right when they opened, and they just finished diagnosing the issue.

The fuel pump died. This makes sense since the car was leaking fuel on the tow bed.

The dealer also said that the belts are about ready to snap and need to be replaced.

So the good news is that he has all parts in stock and can fix by today.

bad news is...he quoted me $1100 for parts and labor. (about $800 for the pump and labor, and $300 for the belts and labor)

I know i'm getting a big markup by taking it to the dealer, but at this point i just want to get the car fixed so we can go home tomorrow.

is that a crazy, insane price?

thanks all...off to try and win some car money now! haha

 

[exdeath]

Does BMW still use a in tank lift pump and an external pressure pump? An external pump is the only way it might leak if there was a problem with the pump. Make sure it wasn't misdiagnosed; if there is no fuel pressure at the engine and you're leaking fuel, it could be as simple as a busted line or filter connection. Such is rare, so when there is no fuel pressure, the pump itself is the immediate suspect.

If it's an external pump, then you're being way overcharged as it could be changed in less than an hour. If it's an internal pump, it takes about a day to drop the tank and get to it and put it all back, if it's not accessible from inside the car.

You're probably paying a premium for the name in the service and parts, just like a stainless exhaust costs more for a Corvette than a Camaro just because it's a Corvette. German vehicles aren't known for their low maintenance costs.

The fuel pump alone sounds reasonable, esp if the tank has to be dropped, as the pump itself can be anywhere from $200 to $500. But the belts are definately fat on the profit margin, skip that and stop by an Autozone or Checker on the way home. A belt shouldn't cost more than $20 each and shouldn't take more than 15 mins to install them even if you have a few things in the way. Belts are corded, they aren't going to snap without a lot of stress like pulling a supercharger.