[rallyegolf]

So I dropped my car off at the shop for 2 rear wheel bearings and they say my passenger side axle and hub are seized together and they have to cut the axle out of the car and replace the whole thing. This went from a $450 job to $1200 job. They are trying to use a torch to get the axle out and they said they had no luck. I told them to put it back together because I don't have the money right now and they said that they may not be able to get it back together at this point. WTF???????

[SpmnE9zero]

Originally Posted by rallyegolf

So I dropped my car off at the shop for 2 rear wheel bearings and they say my passenger side axle and hub are seized together and they have to cut the axle out of the car and replace the whole thing. This went from a $450 job to $1200 job. They are trying to use a torch to get the axle out and they said they had no luck. I told them to put it back together because I don't have the money right now and they said that they may not be able to get it back together at this point. WTF???????

OMG! Is this a BMW dealership?

[rallyegolf]

No, a BMW Specialist shop here in Salt Lake City.

[SpmnE9zero]

Originally Posted by rallyegolf

No, a BMW Specialist shop here in Salt Lake City.

Yikes! What are you gonna do?

[rallyegolf]

Freak the fuc out, then probably end up paying this on a credit card and never returning to this shop again. I don't really have any oprions.

[rallyegolf]

I think they are in a panic right now because the last thing I told them was I didn't have the money to fix it right now and they said "well let me see if my mechanic can put it back together. I'm not sure if we can at this point."

I believe they screwed something up that is irreversible, but me throwing out that I don't have the money to pay for it got their butts puckered.

I am waiting for the phone call. I bet they hit the axle trying to get the hub off and mushroomed the end of it so they cant get a nut on it or get it out of the hub.

[martinezjames]

well if it was seized that was probably the only way to remove it no joke! The error the shop made was that they didn't give you a call before they actually torched the axle off. There is no way they can put that back on and expect it to be safe!! you might be able to get them to give you a huge discount since they didn't notify you first.

[rallyegolf]

Originally Posted by martinezjames

well if it was seized that was probably the only way to remove it no joke! The error the shop made was that they didn't give you a call before they actually torched the axle off. There is no way they can put that back on and expect it to be safe!! you might be able to get them to give you a huge discount since they didn't notify you first.

They told me that they would only charge me for the parts. Well no shit. The labor is the same as if you had new or used parts going back on it. They said $491 for the rear right axle "output shaft" and $110 for the hub. REALOEM has the Output shaft for $413. Shouldn't that be the price or are they screwing me again?

[kevin@bavarianx]

Originally Posted by rallyegolf

They told me that they would only charge me for the parts. Well no shit. The labor is the same as if you had new or used parts going back on it. They said $491 for the rear right axle "output shaft" and $110 for the hub. REALOEM has the Output shaft for $413. Shouldn't that be the price or are they screwing me again?

RealOEM just have estimates of the cost of the part. Pricing of parts is up to the discretion of the dealer.

[Express]

do it yourself

[rallyegolf]

Originally Posted by express705

do it yourself

I tried, but I dont have the tools for the bearings. If they could get the car back together, I would take a crack at it, but right now it sounds like they are not able to get the car put together. That is why I am screwed.

[Express]

they have to be able to return the car to you, so they should figure out how to get it back together. you should go check it out and report back with pics so we can make a determination on what should be done

[Gavin@MMW]

Originally Posted by rallyegolf

They told me that they would only charge me for the parts. Well no shit. The labor is the same as if you had new or used parts going back on it. They said $491 for the rear right axle "output shaft" and $110 for the hub. REALOEM has the Output shaft for $413. Shouldn't that be the price or are they screwing me again?

Get the part#'s, order them from Getbmwparts.com and then make them do the labor.

[Hdarkace]

OMG what FUBAR..lawyer up man lawyer up. and then delete this post

[rallyegolf]

UPDATE: I was on the phone so I could not take the call but the shop left me a message. They said....

"Unfortunately with torching the axle and trying to get the hub to break loose we damage the axle beyond repair and it is not repairable. However, we don't expect you to come up with money that you don't have to pay for a new axle and hub so we have found a used axle and hub off of a lower mileage car that we will buy and replace yours with at no charge. Unfortunately we can not get these parts until tomorrow so we need the car one more day to get the parts and button everything up. I will call you as soon as it is done and call me with questions if you have any."

So, in a world of shitty repair shops and people getting screwed left and right, It is good to know that there are good people that know what customer service is all about.

As soon as I get the car and confirm everything is good to go, I will make a post about this shop in the regional section and give them props. They seem to be a shop that can be trusted and those are hard to find these days.

[Express]

thats my kind of shop. im glad you got it worked out!!!

Originally Posted by Hdarkace

OMG what FUBAR..lawyer up man lawyer up. and then delete this post

get the hell out of here. sue me.

[turugara]

Originally Posted by express705

thats my kind of shop. im glad you got it worked out!!!

Glad to hear worked out. It's good to see these kind of shops.

[HP Autosport]

Originally Posted by rallyegolf

So I dropped my car off at the shop for 2 rear wheel bearings and they say my passenger side axle and hub are seized together and they have to cut the axle out of the car and replace the whole thing. This went from a $450 job to $1200 job. They are trying to use a torch to get the axle out and they said they had no luck. I told them to put it back together because I don't have the money right now and they said that they may not be able to get it back together at this point. WTF???????

I have been a BMW tech for 13 years and I have seen my share of half shafts seized in the hub bearings. If heat and the use of a proper puller don't free them up, your tech will have to what it takes to get it out even if means cutting the half shaft or replace the hub itself.

QUOTE=Gavin@MMW;10502473]Get the part#'s, order them from Getbmwparts.com and then make them do the labor.[/QUOTE]

Most if not all shops will not warranty their labor if you were to bring in your own parts so be careful with that.

[rallyegolf]

Originally Posted by HP Autowerks

Most if not all shops will not warranty their labor if you were to bring in your own parts so be careful with that.

I purchased the bearings and axle nuts and took them to these guys to do the work anyways. I was going to do it all myself and ran out of time and energy so I decided to let them do this anyways. Lucky I did, or it would have been me screwing up the axle and the replacement would have came out of my pocket.

[jtian11]

In this case, you really should pay the shop with appreciation.
I am not a technician but I am an engineer with a Ph.D., and I work on my own car.

I run into this problem myself too.

You have no idea how easy it can be to make the shaft into an unrepairable condition during the process. I used a puller to do it myself, and before the shaft was removed less than 5 mm, the thread on the shaft was damaged already, so I cannot put the nut back on. It's just the car that has a major design flaw.

This shop you mentioned really did go above and beyond. You should write them a thank you card every thanksgiving.

[Emilime75]

We'll now he's got about 8-9 years of thank you cards to catch up on.

[juld0zer]

I guess the alternative is Nissan style axles that slide into hubs like a cock in a sock. Except they click clack every time you gas or coast. That is about the only good thing about these almost interference fit CV shafts/hubs.