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Yeah, OP, it's not that certain shops are "afraid" of certain cars, but that certain cars require enough special tooling and/or special knowledge that the shop in question just does not have. This is related to why a cardiologist won't treat your acne.
Buddy of mine has Alfas, specifically an 87 sedan with the V-6. Only one shop in town, and only one mechanic at that shop (one of the owners) will work on it. One reason is that my buddy owns the only such car in our relatively small market.
I have done many of my own repairs on my own BMW's and I can say that as far as the basics are concerned, they aren't too much different than other cars. In fact, the inline configuration of the engine gives you a little more room to work. It's when they start kicking out non OBDII error codes that things get a little beyond my abilities.
I have done many of my own repairs on my own BMW's and I can say that as far as the basics are concerned, they aren't too much different than other cars. In fact, the inline configuration of the engine gives you a little more room to work. It's when they start kicking out non OBDII error codes that things get a little beyond my abilities.
I've had an E36, two E46's and an E92 328i. I did not like the lack of a dipstick on the E92, even though they addressed a few of the design problems with E46 (relocated coolant overflow tank and added a bit more space to replace belts). I still have one E46 330ci. Could not find an E46 manual M3 in condition to my liking..
I've had an E36, two E46's and an E92 328i. I did not like the lack of a dipstick on the E92, even though they addressed a few of the design problems with E46 (relocated coolant overflow tank and added a bit more space to replace belts). I still have one E46 330ci. Could not find an E46 manual M3 in condition to my liking..
Good collection there.
My dad and I often reminisce about his old E32. And then the conversation turns to how my mom's F10 lease has put him off new BMWs altogether. lol
I have done many of my own repairs on my own BMW's and I can say that as far as the basics are concerned, they aren't too much different than other cars. In fact, the inline configuration of the engine gives you a little more room to work. It's when they start kicking out non OBDII error codes that things get a little beyond my abilities.
I agree. After about 2006 for 3 series, 2003 for 5 series, and 2001 for 7 series, they get difficult to work on for specialized electronics, though the basics are pretty much the same. I also do all my own work on my BMWs and have never had to deal with tools any more specialized than Torx head sockets and torx drivers. I have the $100 Peake code reader/reset tool that gives more information than the OBDII port readers. And I have the laptop software to plug in and recode a lot of stuff.
Parts prices for those years are low, and the cars are actually easy to work on when you need to.
With the internet communities, You Tube videos, and online parts sources, there's no reason the owner or a good indy can't work on most out-of-warranty BMWs. And if you join the BMWCCA you can get discounts on parts and service from a lot of shops, including dealers (which can bring down same day parts availability to online cost levels).
I agree. After about 2006 for 3 series, 2003 for 5 series, and 2001 for 7 series, they get difficult to work on for specialized electronics, though the basics are pretty much the same. I also do all my own work on my BMWs and have never had to deal with tools any more specialized than Torx head sockets and torx drivers. I have the $100 Peake code reader/reset tool that gives more information than the OBDII port readers. And I have the laptop software to plug in and recode a lot of stuff.
Parts prices for those years are low, and the cars are actually easy to work on when you need to.
With the internet communities, You Tube videos, and online parts sources, there's no reason the owner or a good indy can't work on most out-of-warranty BMWs. And if you join the BMWCCA you can get discounts on parts and service from a lot of shops, including dealers (which can bring down same day parts availability to online cost levels).
Not for the E39 5 series and E46 3 series, which stopped production in 2003 and 2006 respectively. I HAVE a late 2001 E38 7 series and have experience with these cars.
When you tell mechanic if they fix BMW, Audi, Mercedes they always tell customers to go the dealer. Why some mechanic are afraid fix those type of cars ?
some cars are known as "runaway" cars. that means every time they come into the shop, the mechanics runaway to lunch, or where ever.
these cars are usually hard to diagnose for what ever reason, require special handling of one form or another, or require you to work on more than one system to get the job done properly.
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