Within minutes of setting foot in Summit Automotive in Marina Del Rey, two things were apparent: The first is that these guys are real mechanics. From the dot-matrix printer to the yellowing CRT computer monitor to the desk-pad, covered in scribbles that, once examined, turned out to be fairly complex diagrams of automotive components, everything in the office was functional on a fundamental level. These guys are not salesmen and they certainly aren't showman. Nobody was wearing a suit and, even at the early hour we retrieved our M3, everyone had a little grease on their hands.
The second thing we realized was that, for the past two days, our M3 was in excellent hands and we wouldn't have to ban Desmolicious for his suggestion.
Follow the jump for the full results
Without question our M3 was the newest vehicle in their shop. By a decade. But our computers and fuel injection didn't scare them one bit. Our request that the car be back same-day also didn't bother them-- all of the parts and fluids were in stock and the day belonged to our M3.
If you'll remember from my previous post the list of things to be adressed in this service are are oil change, diff-fluid change, plugs, and a valve job.
The bad news came early: The shim set they thought they had for ann E46 M3 was no longer in stock. Like I said before, these guys aren't salesmen. It would take about a week to get their hands on a set and they could take care of that anytime in the future. The rest of the service would continue on as planned.
Our M3 was ready in the late afternoon that day. We opted to pick it up the following day to avoid the horrible rush hour traffic that defines Southern california.
The bill? $869.83 It's an M3 not a Camry, there has to be ONE downside to this car.
Parts came to $452.50. The highlights were $123 for spark plugs, $101 in specially formulated (83-22-2-282-583) gear oil, and $72 in engine oil. Filters and wipers made up the rest. Shop labor was a reasonable $380. The state of California made up the rest of the tab-- $37.33 in taxes.
We're still waiting on the valve job and we'll let you know how that goes. For now, though, we're happy with the service we recieved from Summit and wouldn't hesitate to recommend their shop.
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 60,613 miles.
skimmilk99 says:
09:39 PM, 09/ 2/08
I wish I hadn't seen that number. I was thinking about turning in my car to start looking for a similar era M3. I can't even think of a reasonable defense for what would happen when I brought home a bill that large for "routine" maintenance.
bankerdanny says:
09:49 PM, 09/ 2/08
In fairness, that wasn't an every 5,000 mile level of service. The car had to get to 30k before they needed all those things done.
Considering it took 6 years for the car to accumulate sufficient mileage to require this level of service, a $900 bill doesn't seem that excessive.
stovt001 says:
11:13 PM, 09/ 2/08
True, coming in under $900 for such a high-performance machine at this mileage really isn't all that bad. It certainly doesn't make this the poor man's performance car by any means, but you also don't have to be rich enough to afford a private jet either.
sabastian says:
04:53 AM, 09/ 3/08
"Indie Service Center Success"
"Success" is a relative term, I suppose. Nine hundred dollars would put a pretty big dent in my under-developed wallet. Then again, I don't have an M3 to play with.
edubya says:
08:15 AM, 09/ 3/08
Lesson 1: Good indie mechanics are worth their weight in gold.
Lesson 2: Used does not equal cheap.
joefrompa says:
08:40 AM, 09/ 3/08
I've seen plenty of dealerships, Honda, Subaru, and Saturn (the latest three makes I've owned) quote $500-600 services for a 60k service. So I don't think this is too unreasonable, considering the make of the car and the fact that it's a high performance model of that make.
Can't wait to hear about the valve adjustment. Try to make sure that the same person who drops off the car picks it up, as I expect you to notice an improvement in response and power (albeit probably a minor improvement).
By the way, I think I said $900-1200 for this service and I was right in the middle. Woo o:)
For those who think about owning this car themselves....you could probably cut down the cost substantially by simply doing your own oil changes, diff fluid changes, buyin your own filters, and if you are a moderate level mechanic change your own plugs.
For the middle-class man's M3, DIYing is a must and a pleasure.
Joe
phinneas519 says:
09:11 AM, 09/ 3/08
Out of curiousity, what would a quote for this service from a BMW dealership have been? I have a feeling I'm not the only one trying to figure out where these fall:
dealership service < independent service < DIY
joefrompa says:
09:29 AM, 09/ 3/08
I think they said 2k at the dealership for this service.
So probably ~$2k at dealership
~$1k at indy shop
~$500-600 DIY
As far as I can see....
Joe
blueguydotcom says:
09:54 AM, 09/ 3/08
"I called BMW of Beverly Hills to see what this service would run. North of 2-grand somewhere. I blacked out after I heard "two-thou...". After hearing the first portion of the price, Oldham made the executive decision "Let's go local." And so we did."
http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/Vehicles/2002BMWM3/
Even if the remaining work is $400, it's still a huge 30-40% savings over a dealership..
vvk says:
12:22 PM, 09/ 3/08
Doing regular maintenance on E46 BMWs is a real pleasure. Everything is very easy. Spark plugs are by far the easiest I have ever done -- love those easy to remove individual ignition coils. All filters a very easy to access and easy to change. Oil change is very easy. Coolant change -- once again, by far the easiest I have ever done. The only thing I would not do myself is brake fluid change because of special equipment needed to do it properly.
I hope people Edmunds know the intervals for cooland and brake fluid changes.... And don't forget the pollen filter.
subytrojan says:
12:52 PM, 09/ 3/08
Joe, your estimate was too low because of the valve adjustment. :o)
desmolicious says:
01:15 PM, 09/ 3/08
A long time ago when I had a 1992 (I think) BMW 318i, I just finished up an oil change myself. But I did not have the tool to reset the service light. The local BMW dealership wanted to charge me $50 to reset it (BMW Santa Monica). Summit did it for free.
dragonflight says:
02:55 PM, 09/ 3/08
Sounds like Edmunds is helping to shine a favorable light on this great Indie shop. Here's to hoping they get the business the deserve (especially from Edmunds readers), for being honest-to-god mechanics.
iancar says:
03:28 PM, 09/ 3/08
Nice 2002 there. Will you guys pick that up as the second used-car challenge?
sgude says:
03:47 AM, 09/ 4/08
Cool. Glad to see you took it to an indie, and a good one at that. I will never understand why people complain about servicing a car like this. For goodness sakes, it's a hand-built motor! It is marketed and has been proven to be a high-performance car; it's gonna cost. Do some of the work yourself if you want to defray some of the cost.
stingray454 says:
01:26 PM, 09/ 4/08
$123 for spark plugs??? That's $20 a plug! What kind of plugs are those??? I could buy German Bosch Platinums for $4 a plug at most auto parts stores.
I knew about that weird expensive diff oil, and the valve adjustment requirement.
One of the reasons I cancled my order for an M3 back in 2002 and bought a Z06 instead was because the maintenance and repair costs for the M3 was scaring me the more I researched it. The M3 is a high strung, high cost to operate machine. I prefer cars that are low maintenance, easy and inexpensive to repair.
I knew I made the right decision then in 2002, and 6 years later, Edmund's is confirming I still made the right decision. In 6 years and 42k miles, I've had almost no unscheduled repair costs ($40 for diff seals), just basic oil and filter changes (Mobil 1 all around, tranny and diff fluids changed at 30k), and the only wear items have been brake pads and tires. Brake pads were $200 for the set of 4 wheels (OEM), replaced at 40k - rotors were in perfect condition and did not need replacement. Biggest expense on the Z06 has been tires: $1,400 mounted and balanced for the set of 4, every 20k miles.
I still like the M3, but it is a wallet eater.
desmolicious says:
05:24 PM, 09/ 4/08
stingray, to be fair the BMW required the major 60K service. You are 'only' up to 42k miles on your Vette. Does the Vette need a major 60K service like the M3?
Just trying to compare like requirements.
stingray454 says:
06:42 AM, 09/ 5/08
The Z06 60k service is about the same as the 30k service, except for also replacing the serpentine belt (they say "inspect", I replace). So the 60k service is change tranny and diff fluids, replace air filter, PCV, and replace serpentine belt. That's it. Total parts and fluids are under $100.
The spark plugs are good for 100k miles, and the coolant is good for 150k miles.
There's no exotic differential fluid, no $25 spark plugs, no valve adjustments, etc.
sgude says:
09:27 AM, 09/ 5/08
The M3 and Z06 are apples and oranges. I'm glad you feel you made the right decision; for how the cars make me feel, the M3 is the right choice for me. I know going in that I'm going to spend more, but I'm going to get out of it what I want.
desmolicious says:
12:53 PM, 09/ 5/08
Thanks for the details stingray, but I agree with sgude, it is comparing apples to oranges.
The service may be cheaper on the Vette, but the M3 holds 4 peeps and it would be really really expensive to try and add another set of seats to the Vette! See, it all evens out!
;)
e46fanatics says:
10:23 PM, 09/ 5/08
I have a e46 330xi and this is the reason why I do all my stuff (DIY). It costs half as much as what they'd charge, it's just ridiculous, just because of the brand name. Well if you guys ever get tired of paying others to maintain your car, I highly recommend checking out e46fanatic.com. There's a lot of information on your m3 and DIY's.
m_thrizzle says:
10:51 PM, 09/ 8/08
Changing out the transmission fluid is part of Inspection II but I didn't see it on the list of services. The BMW LT2 fluid is pricey and only comes in large drums, so unless the shop has it on hand they will have to buy some from a dealer.
oldcarsmell says:
09:56 AM, 09/13/08
To Mike Magrath, the term "valve job" usually means removing and disassembling the cylinder head so the valves and valve seats can be resurfaced to restore diminished sealing ability. The people here are clearly more knowledgeable than those posting about the GT-R fuel tank situation, and have figured out you really mean "valve adjustment", which is a theoretically simple matter of measuring and changing out some shims.
stingray454 says:
02:09 PM, 09/15/08
"The service may be cheaper on the Vette, but the M3 holds 4 peeps and it would be really really expensive to try and add another set of seats to the Vette!"
On the flip side, I never realized 2 more seats would be so much more expensive to maintain!