Cost to replace thermostat ? WOW

[dl1018]

Taking a look at a E46 and the owner had a thermostat replaced due to a check engine light. Over $ 500 dollars labor and parts ( thermostat and coolant only).

Is this fair market price ? I am scared to think what a complete cooling overhaul is on a E46.

[Bacardi]

I'll do the job for 350 ... Lol it simple

[ch40t1c]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but it's like a $60 part, and a few bolts to get it out. Would take like 20minutes. So in short, no, it's not fair. Find a new independent.

[jdauria]

Taking a look at a E46 and the owner had a thermostat replaced due to a check engine light. Over $ 500 dollars labor and parts ( thermostat and coolant only).

Is this fair market price ? I am scared to think what a complete cooling overhaul is on a E46.

your get rippeddd

you can have the entire cooling system overhauled for less than that.

[ezbmr]

I had my radiator, expansion tank, & waterpump all replaced for about $500, it sounds like you were ripped off

[ezbmr]

I had my radiator, expansion tank, & waterpump all replaced for about $500, it sounds like you were ripped off

[danewilson77]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but it's like a $60 part, and a few bolts to get it out. Would take like 20minutes. So in short, no, it's not fair. Find a new independent.

Then you need to bleed the system. I can't imagine it being over 2 shop hours for this job. That price is wrong.

Sent from my Thunderbolt using BF.com

[dl1018]

Not my car....a car I am looking at by a BMW owner.

Another question for you. How long (hours) does it take to change the control arms bushings ? I saw the bill and wanted to cry.

[Sstroudwku]

I'm actually doing a full cooling system overhall now on mine. BMW Thermostat is actually $120, pump is $137, hoses are $35ea, Expansion tank is right at $100, 2 gallons of coolant are $23ea, plus the labor time is 2.6hours.... So if they had it done at a dealer then yes it's pretty spot on. For people who dont work for dealers and want to ramble what they think is "fair market value".... Well needless to say I have more money invested in my tools than you do in your car. I apologize if I sound harsh, but what most people fail to take into account is the cost of the equipment used to fix customer's cars. Our just the Euro software alone of the diagnostic machines so we can read the codes is over $1000... not to mention the $8000 in the machine for original cost.

The $500 cost would be 1hr of diagnostic time, 1.5hrs of book time for the Thermostat, bleeding the system, and coolant replacement. Average BMW dealer charges between 110-125/hr so factor in 2.5hrs of billed time + parts and you have the $500.

Anyway, if you want to save money learn to turn a wrench. If you dont want to pay the price to own a highly engineered vehicle get a honda. Otherwise, thank your mechanic for repairing your beloved car, pay for it, and create a fund for future expenditures.

FYI...
Actually time to do the labor and the time you are billed for are 2 different things. At a large majority of shops including Indie shops you will pay book time, book time is the time denoted by the manufacturing company to properly install the parts based on their engineers and techs.

[dl1018]

Sstroudwku,

What is your opinion on a 2001 525i (E39) with 16,000 miles ? Will there be a lot of issues with leaks from dried out seals and gaskets ?

Is a full cooling overhaul recommended ?


Thanks in advance.

[RoyL]

Um, I just replaced the expansion tank and thermostat. Tank cost $53, thermostat cost $78, no special tools, took about 2 hours total. This was on my 2002 325XiT.

[takeitez]

radiator was 100 thermostat 60 and coolant 26 for blue bmw..

[nathancarter]

I'm actually doing a full cooling system overhall now on mine. BMW Thermostat is actually $120, pump is $137, hoses are $35ea, Expansion tank is right at $100, 2 gallons of coolant are $23ea, plus the labor time is 2.6hours.... So if they had it done at a dealer then yes it's pretty spot on. For people who dont work for dealers and want to ramble what they think is "fair market value".... Well needless to say I have more money invested in my tools than you do in your car. I apologize if I sound harsh, but what most people fail to take into account is the cost of the equipment used to fix customer's cars. Our just the Euro software alone of the diagnostic machines so we can read the codes is over $1000... not to mention the $8000 in the machine for original cost.

The $500 cost would be 1hr of diagnostic time, 1.5hrs of book time for the Thermostat, bleeding the system, and coolant replacement. Average BMW dealer charges between 110-125/hr so factor in 2.5hrs of billed time + parts and you have the $500.

Those parts prices are marked up pretty significantly.

ECS Tuning has the BMW-branded thermostat for $82, and BMW coolant for $19. And you don't need two gallons of concentrate to fill a two-gallon cooling system; you need one gallon of concentrate and one gallon of distilled water.

Does it really take a full hour to diagnose a stuck-open thermostat? Five minutes to read the P0128 code with an OBDII reader, and fifty-five minutes to smoke a cigarette and eat a bag of Fritos. I guess you can plug in your $9000 machine which FOR THIS JOB is absolutely unnecessary... seems like the machine would pay for itself after a month or two, if you charge every customer an hour for diagnostics.

I'm not disputing the fact that the dealership will try to find a way to explain and justify the exorbitant cost. They've got to pay for the fancy showroom and free coffee somehow. My local dealer charges $158/hr, at least that was the case last time I went there four years ago. They billed an hour for diagnostic, 1.5 hours to change the thermostat, and another hour to change and bleed the coolant. Fortunately, it was paid for under warranty. When I looked at the invoice and saw the double-dip labor charges for coolant bleed and thermostat change, I swore I wouldn't be back. I'll do it myself for a hundred bucks in parts and an hour of my own time.


Still, I've gotta admit that I feel your pain. Lots of people feel the same way about photography. The camera, lighting, and processing gear ain't cheap - not to mention the training, skill, and talent to operate it all - yet people expect cheap or free photography services all the time.

[centdukesfan]

an hour to diagnose that? Are you kidding me? autozone will do it for free, or hell, i can do it via bluetooth.

[nathancarter]

Oh yeah, one more thing. In addition to the P0128 code, I was getting P0174 and P0171 lean condition codes, and the service advisor recommended the replacement thermostat and new coolant, saying those would probably take care of the other codes as well.

So much for the hour of diagnostics.

[nthunyalebea]

There is a problem with a mechanic who want to make a profit in one day. We will surely run away and find mechanics charging reasonable price. I have used my bimmer for almost 10 years and I have seen how dealers take advantage of customers who are glueless. The truth of matter $500 is a ridiculous price for such a small piece of work. I bought my pump and thermostat at $150 and $120 from the BMW. My reasonable mechanic replaced the parts at the labour cost of $100 for both parts. I had initially taken my car to another dealer where they charged $100 for booking $95 for diagnosis and $85 labour cost per hour. We need to appeal to mechanics that when they need to rip us off, they take into account that we know their tricks and that must come to stop.

I'm actually doing a full cooling system overhall now on mine. BMW Thermostat is actually $120, pump is $137, hoses are $35ea, Expansion tank is right at $100, 2 gallons of coolant are $23ea, plus the labor time is 2.6hours.... So if they had it done at a dealer then yes it's pretty spot on. For people who dont work for dealers and want to ramble what they think is "fair market value".... Well needless to say I have more money invested in my tools than you do in your car. I apologize if I sound harsh, but what most people fail to take into account is the cost of the equipment used to fix customer's cars. Our just the Euro software alone of the diagnostic machines so we can read the codes is over $1000... not to mention the $8000 in the machine for original cost.

The $500 cost would be 1hr of diagnostic time, 1.5hrs of book time for the Thermostat, bleeding the system, and coolant replacement. Average BMW dealer charges between 110-125/hr so factor in 2.5hrs of billed time + parts and you have the $500.

Anyway, if you want to save money learn to turn a wrench. If you dont want to pay the price to own a highly engineered vehicle get a honda. Otherwise, thank your mechanic for repairing your beloved car, pay for it, and create a fund for future expenditures.

FYI...
Actually time to do the labor and the time you are billed for are 2 different things. At a large majority of shops including Indie shops you will pay book time, book time is the time denoted by the manufacturing company to properly install the parts based on their engineers and techs.

[superj]

if you cannot do your own work, don't buy any European cars. even my old air-cooled vws would have been cost prohibitive to own had I not been able to work on them myself. but now days, even American cars are expensive if you have to pay someone else to fix them. its like Sstroudwku says, shops have to pay for those expensive tools and monthly fees from the manufacturer to use their software and diagnostic equipment

[MarcoZandrini]

OP, try www.bimrs.org to find a reputable shop in your area.

[charter21p5]

Genuine BMW thermostat is ~$100 tax included.

Genuine BMW coolant is $29 tax included.

So I guess you paid ~$350 in labor for a 1.5 to 2 hour job

I would bet that is very close to what a BMW dealership would charge you.

[ryunk]

I am not surprised at all of the price, especially if it was a dealership. The dealership has BMW behind them and will get it right. Take it to an indy and the cost may be less but the BMW experience and knowledge will vary depending on the shop (find a shop with a German name and lots of Bimmers parked around it). I do most of my own work to avoid high cost and get it done right.

[hakentt]

someone woke up 7 year old thread

[tc.co]

Not my car....a car I am looking at by a BMW owner.

Another question for you. How long (hours) does it take to change the control arms bushings ? I saw the bill and wanted to cry.

I had absolutely no experience with doing control arm bushings. i went to Autozone, bought the parts. and did it myself for about 90$ total and about 4 hours of labor... only because i didnt know how to get them back in... heres some advice, use dawn dish soap to get them it.

[legoman67]

$500 is high. I dont even charge that much in canadian dollars

Typically a thermostat is 1.5 hours shop time, plus the part and coolant. Usually works out to around $300 said and done. Diagnostic prior would depend on the complaint. I have a flat rate for fault reading and/or clearing. Leaks diagnostic is usually 0.5 hours. 9 times out of 10 ill waive the diagnostic if the customer tells me to go ahead and fix it.

Control arm bushings dont waste your time buying press in ones. Spend the extra few bucks and buy the complete assemblies. I charge 1 hour to install those.

[charter21p5]

someone woke up 7 year old thread

Yup this thread needs to go back in the archives. I missed the original date as apparently everyone else except you.

[Eaglesail]

Everybody here has an instant answer............