Cost to replace oil pan? $1800?

Glopez5 · 09-11-2012, 08:10 AM

good question, i'm also wondering if alignment is included.

themyst · 09-11-2012, 06:52 PM

OP, I just repaired an oil leak on my car that quite resembled what you had gone through.

The oil was coming from the lower oil feed on the rear turbo, which means I lucked out in a big way. All that needed to come out were the downpipes and passenger motor mount and new oil / filter (which I needed anyway).

The gasket that sealed the lower oil feed to the turbo housing was pancaked and it was obvious where the leak came from. Cost of part? $1.09.

This would in no way, shape or form be an $1800 job if it's the same issue. I would guess $300-350 including oil change. I DIYed this job with a friend on his lift so thankfully it cost me nothing but the gasket and oil change. We also secured the rear intake pipe to prevent it from leaking as well. Since this fix, I have done 70-80 WOT pulls deep into 4th gear pushing 20 psi on RB turbos and haven't lost a drop of oil.

Now, if the leak is coming from the oil line leading to the front turbo, then you're kind of SOL and will need to drop the subframe which = labor = $$$$. Might as well throw some upgraded twins / single turbo in there if that is coming out as it would only add 1-2 hours to the labor cost.

I would seriously get a second opinion if you're coming out of pocket for this job.

themyst · 09-11-2012, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glopez5

good question, i'm also wondering if alignment is included.

I have dropped the subframe 3-4 times on various N54s doing turbo installs and never ONCE was an alignment needed. You are not tweaking the tie rod when the frame comes out so unless something was hit before, there should be no reason an alignment is necessary.

I have gotten a turbo install down to about 6 hours on a lift.

brianfitz99 · 12-05-2020, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by obert

Does someone know if the subframe has to be dropped to get the oil pan gasket replaced ?

not only that but the powersteering rack has to be removed

brianfitz99 · 12-05-2020, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by themyst

OP, I just repaired an oil leak on my car that quite resembled what you had gone through.

The oil was coming from the lower oil feed on the rear turbo, which means I lucked out in a big way. All that needed to come out were the downpipes and passenger motor mount and new oil / filter (which I needed anyway).

The gasket that sealed the lower oil feed to the turbo housing was pancaked and it was obvious where the leak came from. Cost of part? $1.09.

This would in no way, shape or form be an $1800 job if it's the same issue. I would guess $300-350 including oil change. I DIYed this job with a friend on his lift so thankfully it cost me nothing but the gasket and oil change. We also secured the rear intake pipe to prevent it from leaking as well. Since this fix, I have done 70-80 WOT pulls deep into 4th gear pushing 20 psi on RB turbos and haven't lost a drop of oil.

Now, if the leak is coming from the oil line leading to the front turbo, then you're kind of SOL and will need to drop the subframe which = labor = $$$$. Might as well throw some upgraded twins / single turbo in there if that is coming out as it would only add 1-2 hours to the labor cost.

I would seriously get a second opinion if you're coming out of pocket for this job.

tcphoto · 12-07-2020, 10:40 AM

brianfitz99, why bump an eight year old thread by contributing nothing?

relative4 · 12-08-2020, 10:34 PM

Also, that's completely wrong. There is no need to remove the rack.

iqraceworks · 12-13-2020, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by themyst

I have dropped the subframe 3-4 times on various N54s doing turbo installs and never ONCE was an alignment needed. You are not tweaking the tie rod when the frame comes out so unless something was hit before, there should be no reason an alignment is necessary.

I have gotten a turbo install down to about 6 hours on a lift.

I'm pretty sure that the front subframe locks into the main frame with allignment pins....just like the rear subframe does. As long as you don't adjust any of the tie rod ends, there is no reason to have to get an alignment (like said above).

MightyMouseTech · 12-13-2020, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions

Oil pan gasket fails on these cars on the higher mileage so I wouldnt sorry this is out of the ordinary. The dealer has "book time" which means hours that represent how long a job can take. The gasket is fairly cheap but the labor can cost a lot.

I dont know the book time on BMW's for oil pan gasket removal but $1800 does sound like a lot. If there labor rate is $125/hr that means they are charging 14 hours to change a gasket which sounds way too high, even transmissions are maybe 10-12 hours book time.

Replacing a transmission is half the work of doing an oil pan gasket. It is 1/3 the work of doing a pan gasket if the car is X-Drive.

MightyMouseTech · 12-13-2020, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iqraceworks

Quote:

Originally Posted by themyst

I have dropped the subframe 3-4 times on various N54s doing turbo installs and never ONCE was an alignment needed. You are not tweaking the tie rod when the frame comes out so unless something was hit before, there should be no reason an alignment is necessary.

I have gotten a turbo install down to about 6 hours on a lift.

I'm pretty sure that the front subframe locks into the main frame with allignment pins....just like the rear subframe does. As long as you don't adjust any of the tie rod ends, there is no reason to have to get an alignment (like said above).

Absolutely requires an alignment. Yes, it is on pins, but even a change of less than a mm and the toe will be significantly off. I have never done an alignment in a car where the front subframe was removed, and the the toe was not significantly off.

BMW says as soon as the inner bolts on the front wishbones are removed, an alignment is required.

iqraceworks · 12-13-2020, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

Absolutely requires an alignment. Yes, it is on pins, but even a change of less than a mm and the toe will be significantly off. I have never done an alignment in a car where the front subframe was removed, and the the toe was not significantly off.

BMW says as soon as the inner bolts on the front wishbones are removed, an alignment is required.

Total toe can be anywhere from .07 to .4 degrees....according to BMW. That's a pretty big tolerance. On a 19" wheel....that's a lot more than a mm in tolerance from one extreme of the tolerance to the other.

MightyMouseTech · 12-13-2020, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iqraceworks

Quote:

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

Absolutely requires an alignment. Yes, it is on pins, but even a change of less than a mm and the toe will be significantly off. I have never done an alignment in a car where the front subframe was removed, and the the toe was not significantly off.

BMW says as soon as the inner bolts on the front wishbones are removed, an alignment is required.

Total toe can be anywhere from .07 to .4 degrees....according to BMW. That's a pretty big tolerance. On a 19" wheel....that's a lot more than a mm in tolerance from one extreme of the tolerance to the other.

Yes, I am aware of the tolerances, I am the head align tech at our dealer. Most E90 call for only 4 minutes total toe in. Because of the lever ratio, 1mm of change at the lower wishbones will be significantly more at the tie rods.

ElliotsWagon · 10-27-2021, 08:49 AM

I've got a slowly leaking oil pan gasket in my N52-powered E91. What do you all think would be a reasonable cost/hours estimate for that job? Dealership quoted me $3k!

Thanks

iqraceworks · 10-27-2021, 08:55 PM

You should be able to knock that out in 4-6 hours, maybe less if you have done it a bunch of times. At $100 an hour....that's $400-$600. Add $100 for the gasket......so let's say $700-ish. Hell, round it up to $1,000 for the sake of argument.....

$3,000 is a rip off....get another quote.

09-11-2012, 08:10 AM	#23
Glopez5 First Lieutenant 18 Rep 380 Posts Drives: E92 335i Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Tampa, FL iTrader: (1)	good question, i'm also wondering if alignment is included. __________________ 07 E92 335i -BSM- Sport- iDrive- Premium- Cold Weather- Aero Lip- M3 Trunk Lip- Injen Dual Cone- Posi Quiet Ceramic Pads- R1 Premium Cross Drilled Rotors- H&R Sport -JB4+Ethonal- - Raceland DPs - Avant Garde M310- Alpine TypeR 10''- Alpine MRP-M500 Amp
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09-11-2012, 06:52 PM	#24
themyst Major General 177 Rep 6,631 Posts Drives: '16 MK7 GTI Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NYC iTrader: (8)	OP, I just repaired an oil leak on my car that quite resembled what you had gone through. The oil was coming from the lower oil feed on the rear turbo, which means I lucked out in a big way. All that needed to come out were the downpipes and passenger motor mount and new oil / filter (which I needed anyway). The gasket that sealed the lower oil feed to the turbo housing was pancaked and it was obvious where the leak came from. Cost of part? $1.09. This would in no way, shape or form be an $1800 job if it's the same issue. I would guess $300-350 including oil change. I DIYed this job with a friend on his lift so thankfully it cost me nothing but the gasket and oil change. We also secured the rear intake pipe to prevent it from leaking as well. Since this fix, I have done 70-80 WOT pulls deep into 4th gear pushing 20 psi on RB turbos and haven't lost a drop of oil. Now, if the leak is coming from the oil line leading to the front turbo, then you're kind of SOL and will need to drop the subframe which = labor = $$$$. Might as well throw some upgraded twins / single turbo in there if that is coming out as it would only add 1-2 hours to the labor cost. I would seriously get a second opinion if you're coming out of pocket for this job. __________________ E90 LCI N54 6AT
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12-07-2020, 10:40 AM	#28
tcphoto Brigadier General 3548 Rep 3,060 Posts Drives: E92 335i 6MT Coupe Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Nashville, TN iTrader: (1)	brianfitz99, why bump an eight year old thread by contributing nothing? __________________
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12-08-2020, 10:34 PM	#29
relative4 Major 612 Rep 1,272 Posts Drives: '08 335xi E90 MT stage 1+ Join Date: Feb 2019 Location: Denver, CO iTrader: (0)	Also, that's completely wrong. There is no need to remove the rack.
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10-27-2021, 08:49 AM	#35
ElliotsWagon Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: 2010 BMW E91 6spd Join Date: Oct 2021 Location: Maine iTrader: (0) Garage List 2010 328i Xdrive [0.00]	I've got a slowly leaking oil pan gasket in my N52-powered E91. What do you all think would be a reasonable cost/hours estimate for that job? Dealership quoted me $3k! Thanks
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10-27-2021, 08:55 PM	#36
iqraceworks Brigadier General 2002 Rep 3,731 Posts Drives: 2007 335i Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Missouri iTrader: (0)	You should be able to knock that out in 4-6 hours, maybe less if you have done it a bunch of times. At $100 an hour....that's $400-$600. Add $100 for the gasket......so let's say $700-ish. Hell, round it up to $1,000 for the sake of argument..... $3,000 is a rip off....get another quote.
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