[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by whyzee125

I think his labor estimate is about right, but the parts estimate is pretty high. I know shops get dealer parts and there is some markup but I think you can do better. $6800 is pretty high for a hit that didn't hurt the body. Best of luck.

I found about 15 or so used subframes for sale on the net anywhere from $175 to $350. Control arms and tierods are all well under $100 each on line, slightly more through a mechanic of course (he has to warranty the installation).

[e90yyc]

Originally Posted by byviolet

I'm usually in edmonton or calgary

What shop did you go to? I’m in Calgary as well.

[byviolet]

Originally Posted by e90yyc

What shop did you go to? I’m in Calgary as well.

I went to a place in Edmonton

So an update for anyone who might be interested... I went to a new mechanic and he told me the other guy was full of shit basically lol. He said the subframe has no damage, and he can do the job for $2700. I think that sounds a lot more reasonable, but he hasn't given me a quote/invoice or anything yet (might get it tomorrow when I go in?). Thoughts?

[e90yyc]

Originally Posted by byviolet

I went to a place in Edmonton

So an update for anyone who might be interested... I went to a new mechanic and he told me the other guy was full of shit basically lol. He said the subframe has no damage, and he can do the job for $2700. I think that sounds a lot more reasonable, but he hasn't given me a quote/invoice or anything yet (might get it tomorrow when I go in?). Thoughts?

The first mechanic was honeydicking you into selling him the car—there's no doubt about it...

Your new quote seems to be in line with the labor and parts estimates put forth in this thread. At just under one third of what the other guy quoted you, it seems "reasonable" by default. But still: it's worth waiting for others to chip in their opinions before you go ahead.

Here's my personal position on it:

If you aren't mechanically inclined and lack experience working on vehicles, this is absolutely not the time to make your wrench-turning debut. If on the other hand you have a friend/relative/partner who is experienced with this stuff—especially considering you no longer need a subframe—then it might be worth asking if they'd be willing to help (do it for you), and what consideration might be reasonable.

But in the end, even though this is a job I would feel comfortable doing, there would need to be a sizable spread between the cost of paying someone to do it for me, and the total cost (time, materials, sanity) of doing it myself. While the "shop vs. DIY" differential might be roughly the same as a percentage, as the actual dollar spread decreases, I personally become more and more inclined to just pay someone to do it. (This is assuming it isn't just a straightforward, in-and-out job.)

Best of luck getting it fixed. Glad you found someone who seems more honest than the first guy.

[Efthreeoh]

So, if the subframe is not damaged, it significantly reduces the labor cost. I've taken all those parts off my car at least once except the tierod (but have halfway). I'm not sure if your car is RWD or AWD. If it is RWD, then it is no more than 3 hours labor. To replace the strut, it is unbolted from the top of the wheel hub (steering knuckle). Most mechanics will drop at least 2 of the 3 ball joints for easier removal of the strut. In this case, since all parts touching the hub are being replaced, the mechanic can (1) remove the brake hardware and drop the ball joint on the tierod end; (2) drop the subframe-side of both the thrust arm (control arm no. 1) and lower control arm (control arm no. 2). (3) Then remove the swaybar link from the strut. (4) remove the wheel speed sensor. (5) the undo the 3 nuts holding the strut into the strut tower and the strut comes right off the car. That should take no longer than 1/2 an hour for a professional BMW technician with the car on a lift.

New parts require a little more work to completely remove the tierod by releasing the inner ball joint. Then it is build the new strut (or use a new "loaded" strut), bolt up the new new hub, attach the new link, tierod, and control arms. Reinstall the brake hardware and new wheel/tire, and throw it on the alignment rack.

The front suspension on an E9X comes apart very easily. The ball joints literally fall out of the hub. A1/4 drive hub splitter opens the hub up and the strut pulls right out. The subframe-side of the control arms literally take one minute each to bolt in.