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Thread: Car went to shop today..!!!

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Car went to shop today..!!!

    Took my 1997 740iL to an independent shop here in Memphis with 3 areas of concern.
    Coolant leak
    check engine light
    50mph wobble
    They performed a 'courtesy check' for ' new customers' and when the lady called me this afternoon the first thing she said was:"do you have a few minutes to talk about the car"..........Oh St!
    First of all,she said that this is and 'old' car and do I want to spend(invest) any money in it?
    This is the 'courtesy check' results......sit down..I know I did!
    Water pump....
    something about a 'rail' in cooling system that is due replacement...
    check engine light requires me to invest 1 hour service time to determine what the problem might be....
    belts are cracked...
    Idler pullies are original and are overdue for replacement.
    bushings are shot on the front and the struts are leaking.The shop recommended replacing these before doing anything else.
    Rear suspension bushings are worn out and should be replaced.
    and last,rear brake lines are hardened and should be replaced soon.
    One interesting thing...the original quote for diagnosing the 'check engine light' was for two hours labor....It seems as though many of their customers of a car like this just tell them to" take it off the lift and I will pick it up"..so they never recover the service time spent on diagnosis.
    I am going ahead with the water pump replacement and will wait for the 'check engine light diagnosis.
    NOT a pretty picture...Im not a wealthy man and im sure there will be those on the forum that will say: what did you expect from a 15 year old car......
    Good point!
    I just cant believe a car that's this overdue for service still runs as good as it does.....
    I could spend $5000.00 in it and I couldn't buy anything close...I guess I shouldn't have gotten hooked..
    Last edited by Edwin NL; 03-08-2012 at 02:19 AM. Reason: profanity

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Lol, when it rains, it pours, I guess.

    I'm inherently skeptical, though, when a shop comes out with such a laundry list of things to replace. Did you happen to take a look around the engine for where your coolant could be leaking? You'd see it dripping from the water pump if that was the problem.

    Also, Autozone can pull the codes for your check engine light for you. Then post them up here.
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  3. #3
    Join Date
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    LOL, you have a coolant leak and they say the first thing to address is the suspension??? Find a new mechanic and start over.

  4. #4
    DUDMD's Avatar
    DUDMD is offline BMW Maniac Supporting Vendor
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1997 View Post
    LOL, you have a coolant leak and they say the first thing to address is the suspension??? Find a new mechanic and start over.
    LOL, engine overheats you can still slow down and pull off the road safely. You lose control of the car due to faulty suspension components, and you're putting innocent lives in danger, plus your own.
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  5. #5
    Join Date
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    I would run and find someone who can tell you where the coolant leak is coming from.

    Do the BELTS!!! if they snap you looking at 1k minimal on damage.

    Leave the struts, do the control arms and rear brake hoses.

    All standard stuff that needs replacement and we all have done.

    As for the CEL get codes first it can be as simple as a gas cap

    Have a technical question, don't send me a PM but post it on the board so others can benefit from it!

  6. #6
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    Sounds like you talked to Denise.

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    '00 z3 2.5L & '98 740iL
    i think the general consensus you're going to get from the forum is this:

    get the codes and determine the source of the coolant leak, if it's the pump and rail, you may not want to DIY, but i'm sure you can find a friend, or friend of a friend that'll do it.

    re the other items, they really are very good DIY targets.

    if you're up for a drive out to Little Rock (specifically Maumelle), then i can give you a pointer to a mechanic i just found that is great. great. great. i can't say enough about the impression i got from the guy and what he's done for a friend of mine. he's taking my 740 apart now for coolant, PS and oil leaks and his rates are better than any other mechanic around here. he knows his stuff.

    PM me if you want to know.

    either way, the car is worth more fixed than not. and the cost of investment is going to be less than a the cost of a car of comparable quality... at least in my opinion. but, i am biased.
    Cheers,
    Phil

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2007
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    You can trust Alpine. She may have been talking about your valley pan being original and being due for replacement. Also, she was probably referring to your timing chain guide rails when she said "rails." A lot of them are beginning to fail right about now. Mine is up there right now with my guide rails being replaced. It came without warning, but as soon as I heard that diesel sound, I shut the car off immediately and had it towed. Car was running perfect.

    Also, I can tell you that if you don't get that suspension work done you will be driving very dangerously, in addition to killing your tires really quickly. Go up there and talk to John and Denise directly.
    Last edited by 3pmg; 03-08-2012 at 09:18 AM.

  9. #9
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    Doh!! Yes a 15yr old car is going to have these issues. If your not a DIYer then you better have deep pockets because it's going to be expensive. But that's almost any used car. If you can wrench then most of this stuff can done for a reasonable cost.
    Last edited by toomann; 03-08-2012 at 09:33 AM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
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    Thank`s to all for your thoughts and comments.I didn't post to complain about the shop...only to share the pain...the REALITY of a 15 year old car that got a complete check-up.I have no choice at this time but to trust their expertise on the cooling system...Its got to be fixed! I am waiting for a call on the check engine light issue and after the cost of its fix I can then determine how much of my limited funds can be spent on the front suspension.It could be as little as the bushings..or as much as bushings and struts...

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