[paradoxical3]

One of my best friends has a 2007 328xi that she bought at my recommendation. She loves the car so far and now has 67k on it. She took it to the BMW Store in Cincinnati, OH to get her headlight fixed, and they charged her $450 to fix it, inspect the car, and change the oil and filter.

Here's what seems fishy to me - they sent her home with a "BMW recommended service plan" that says she should do the following:

Perform Fuel Injector Cleaning Service ($194)
Perform Front and rear differential fluid change ($297)
Perform cooling system service ($168)

They are claiming that they found the diff fluid "dirty" and the coolant "diluted."

Is she getting totally ripped off by this dealer or is it reasonable?

Thanks so much!

[ENINTY]

The fluids are a bit pricey from the dealer, but the maintenance they recommend can be done by any decent independent auto shop. Not sure why you'd take the car to a BMW dealer for simple maintenance items like these.

[queensfield]

Fuel injector service is a ripoff if the car is running fine. Just throw in a $7 bottle of Techron in the fuel system, which would achieve approximately the same thing. Coolant is good to change but as ENINTY stated, it can be done much more cheaply at an indy or DIY. I am not sure of the differential fluid change at 67K miles- seems early to me. Transfer case fluid for XI might be important, but check with other fellow XI owners here.

[BKV122]

Like stated above, cars running fina, a bottle of Techron would do. The diff fluid bmw considers lifetime(100k) but deff a good maintenance. Those are all easy jobs that can be done at a regular mechanic probably for less.

[Bcube]

Originally Posted by paradoxical3

One of my best friends has a 2007 328xi that she bought at my recommendation. She loves the car so far and now has 67k on it. She took it to the BMW Store in Cincinnati, OH to get her headlight fixed, and they charged her $450 to fix it, inspect the car, and change the oil and filter.

Here's what seems fishy to me - they sent her home with a "BMW recommended service plan" that says she should do the following:

Perform Fuel Injector Cleaning Service ($194)
Perform Front and rear differential fluid change ($297)
Perform cooling system service ($168)

They are claiming that they found the diff fluid "dirty" and the coolant "diluted."

Is she getting totally ripped off by this dealer or is it reasonable?

Thanks so much!

BMW corporate does not recommend those services. These are dealership recommendations. Draw your own conclusions.

[onebadmofo]

I have a hard time picturing BMW tech opening drain plug on the diff. Also you have to suck out the fluid out, it doesn't actually drain on its own.

[Yvette]

driver is woman, ripping one off is easy for them.

[ale5six1]

Originally Posted by e90sexion

driver is woman, ripping one off is easy for them.

they dont only try to rip off woman. I recently took my g/f's car into a tire's plus to get a nail plugged that was about 2 inches from sidewall. and of course when they put it up on the lift to patch the tire they said "we tried to patch the tire but there are actually 2 nails in the tire and one cannot be patched b/c its too close to the sidewall. we would ahve to replace the tire and also one of your others tires is pretty low on tread so we recommend replacing that one too. total would be $170" I replied "oh really?? i didnt notice two nails, nevermind i didnt plan on spending that much money today" and drove home. put the car on a jack and spun the tire, of course only finding ONE nail. patched it myself using a $15 kit from auto parts store and called it a day. (i know its not a permenant solution, but it works for now. just going to go to a differnt shop eventually and have it internally patched)

[///M_Power]

Originally Posted by BKV122

Like stated above, cars running fina, a bottle of Techron would do. The diff fluid bmw considers lifetime(100k) but deff a good maintenance. Those are all easy jobs that can be done at a regular mechanic probably for less.

BMW sets there diff fluid change at 100k miles like stated above..

Honestly sounds like BS to me

[///M_Power]

Originally Posted by e90sexion

driver is woman, ripping one off is easy for them.

my g/f has an E82 that has had many problems. the head gasket blown at 20k, overheating issues, and now she is taking it in because the ground wire is malfunctioning ( disconnected ) causing a loud humming noise through all speakers, anytime the vehicle is on or even when you open the doors..

anyway, she doesnt take BS from anyone.. she was very proactive filing complaints with BMWNA because the dealer had the car for 30 days w/o any compensation, which i find very unacceptable. Here in NJ, we have Lemon laws, and 30 days in the shop qualifies you for a new car. the worst part is, the dealer is lieing to cover their asses and actually changed the amount of days they claim they had the car.

just wanted to convey that even though women are taken advantage all the time, you just need to use your head. if it seems too good to be true, then you should walk away, and at least ask someone who may have more info or better advice.

[username604]

Originally Posted by Bcube

BMW corporate does not recommend those services. These are dealership recommendations. Draw your own conclusions.

This.