Anyone have a shop in or near the inland empire to recommend?

[e39525TSoCal]

Not sure if this is in the right spot sorry if it isn’t. Currently looking for a a shop to replace the two heater pipes below the intake manifold on a 03 Bmw 525i. I’m located in eastvale California. I’ve called around to about 5 Bmw repair shops and have gotten quotes from as low as 475 from A & D Automotive to as high as 1400 from Akbar automotive in upland California. Their Yelp reviews are good but I’ve been screwed over by shops with perfect Yelp reviews before. Curious if anyone has a shop to recommend or any recommendations on picking one.

Have no issues towing the car out to the OC. I have aaa with 100 mile tow

[MarcoZandrini]

Try www.bimrs.org to find a reputable indie shop that specializes in bimmers near you.

[RBNetEngr]

I replaced them myself. Taking out the intake manifold and associated components to gain access to the hoses was not that difficult.

It took quite awhile to finish the work, so I imagine that the $475 quote is from a shop that doesn’t understand what’s involved.

Also, when replacing the hoses, there are some o-rings that seal the hoses to the engine (#7 in the diagram), and I found them tricky to install. Ended up having to take it apart and replace one of them twice because it kept getting twisted or pinched and leaked.



The leaking of the original hoses happens because the plastic ends/fittings that insert into the engine end up deteriorating and falling apart. If they were free hanging hoses, they would just break and fall off. But there are clamps that hold them in place (especially the one that mounts along the side of the engine), so they can’t move. Another great example of crappy plastics used in the BMW cooling system.

-rb