How hard can it be to change a battery!?

[derin100]

Honestly!
So, circumstances dictated that I had to let my local dealership collect my CSL for some work this morning (would have liked to have got it to Murkett's but it's just too far at the moment).

The issues were as follows:

1) Broken nsr coil spring - which they've agreed to replace both sides under warranty.

2) Strange intermittent whirring from the CD player which then refuses to eject the CD but is cured by a gentle tap on the console next to the player - they're replacing the CD under warranty.

3) Car continously having a flat battery even despite having just been taken for a drive...so I was guessing the common faulty alternator problem?

Apparently not! Apparently a knackered battery (although the service history shows it's already had one replacement it was 5 years ago) and so obviously this isn't covered under warranty. Anyway...Ok, fair enough if that's what they say it is I have to go with that.

My wife is organising all of this over the phone for me whilst I'm at work but keeping me updated by texts.

So, they quote her £186.91 + VAT (i.e £224.29)for the battery. This seems a tad steep to me for a battery? So I ask her to check that if I buy a battery myself does this in anyway affect the warranty? Apparently not if I use BMW parts...and the price of the part is actually only £91 + VAT (£109.20). So, that's £115.09 to fit the battery?!

To me it looks like any other car battery to fit...or am I missing something here?!

Also (apparently), though I didn't ask them to look at them, I need new front discs and pads and rear pads. Although, I have to say none of them struck me as particularly low when I was under the wheel-arches cleaning up.

So, next they quote her £154.68 + VAT (£175) to replace the rear pads. Which after further enquiry on her part appears to be actually £63.54 + VAT for the pads and £14.50 + VAT for a wear sensor (total £93.64). So that's £82 to fit the rear pads? Ok, not as steep as 'fitting' a battery but whilst they've already got the rear wheels off to do the springs? How long can that take? Again this is something I'm prepared to do myself....or again am I missing something crucial about this job which in someway is going to make it difficult as it seems I can get them via Cooper BMW online including the sensor for £69.99 all in (unless someone knows where I can get an even better deal?).

Now...on to the front brakes: Quote = £504.02 + VAT (£604.82)....so same story here etc etc etc

I've worked on plenty of cars myself in the past...is this a job I could fairly easily tackle myself or am I missing something again?

If so, any suggestions where I can get the parts?

Many thanks in advance, as it seems just by doing the above I could save myself several £hundreds!?

[shimmy]

pads and battery are easy. even i can do them

[derin100]

Cheers Shimmy....that's what I figured too! How about the front discs? Anything difficult or tricky there?

Also any suggestions for parts sources on those?

I mean I'm not a trained mechanic or anything but I've done some fairly big 'projects' on cars myself in the past:

Before:

http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/gallery/index.php?spgmGal=cc_before>http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/gallery/index.php?spgmGal=cc_before


During:

http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/gallery/index.php?spgmGal=cc_during>http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/gallery/index.php?spgmGal=cc_during


After:

http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/gallery/index.php?spgmGal=m535>http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/gallery/index.php?spgmGal=m535


Cheers

[glendog74]

Welcome to the overpriced world of BMW - in particular CSL parts!

All jobs easily do-able

[outnumbered]

Looks like it'd be no problem for you at all. I was stymied on a brake pad change by a caliper bolt that I couldn't free up, but it's a piece of cake once you get the caliper off.

[derin100]

Originally Posted by glendog74

Welcome to the overpriced world of BMW - in particular CSL parts!

All jobs easily do-able

Thanks Glendog!

I'm no stranger to the BMW world as I've owned and worked on them for nearly 30 years...check the "Gallery" section on my website:

www.bmwclassics.co.uk

It's not even the parts prices that are a particular gripe...you wanna try restoring one of these like I did and see what prices Mercedes charge for the parts on these things! And they vary their prices according to stock levels! Stocks gone down...prices go up! £3K for a new grille when I was sdoing this car...local Indie Merc specialist told me he reckoned they'd be more like £4K now!

http://www.bmwclassics.co.uk/gallery...ercedes_Pagoda

It's just when my local dealership wants to try to charge me £115 labour just to bolt in a new battery that I get to thinking....."why can't I just do that myself and save myself £115 unless there is some secret about changing the battery on a CSL that's different and I just don't know about?"

I've asked them to order the battery and just put it in the boot when they bring the car back. That way I'm hoping it just be a case of lifting it a few centimetres to the right and dropping it in!

[derin100]

Originally Posted by outnumbered

Looks like it'd be no problem for you at all. I was stymied on a brake pad change by a caliper bolt that I couldn't free up, but it's a piece of cake once you get the caliper off.

Yeah, stuck nuts and bolts are always one of the biggest pains. But I'm hoping as this is the 'newest' car (almost...had an AMG C55 Estate that was marginally newer) I've ever worked on it should be as bad as some of the old rusty stuff I've encountered before?

How about changing front discs?

[sailorbaz]

Front Discs are easy enough too mate, again as long as calliper bolts play ball with you. Should be just a locating screw and nothing more iirc.

Battery, with discount can be had for about £70 inc VAT. pop to fit!

[derin100]

Originally Posted by sailorbaz

Front Discs are easy enough too mate, again as long as calliper bolts play ball with you. Should be just a locating screw and nothing more iirc.

Battery, with discount can be had for about £70 inc VAT. pop to fit!

Thanks Baz..I've succumbed to buying the battery off the maindealer, even if it does cost me a few quid extra at their, just so they can't argue with that.

I'll re-inspect the brakes myself when I get it back. Said dealership were guilty (many years ago) of trying to telling me 'mega-porkies' when I owned my E30 M3...so basically I don't trust'em!

Regarding the rear spring I had no option and as it was a warranty-covered item anyway I figured that was up to them anyway. At least they're doing the 'right thing' and replacing them as a pair.

Re the battery going flat all the time I also had no option as, even if I had the time, I'd couldn't have reliably got it to a CSL specialist with a good reputation like Murkett's anyway.

I won't ever cut corners but at the same time I know enough myself with near 30 years of BMW ownership under my belt to not let myself get blatantly 'fucked over'!

[phoenixcsl]

Changing front pads and discs are easy, shouldnt take more than a hour or so.

There is a pair of locating bolts which are hex heads on the disc, these are only meant to be tightened 'pinch' tight, this can be the sticking point of the whole change, they can be easily overtightened and they become a bitch to extract, if thats the case the head can round out, but you can drill them out if worse comes to worse.

DIY for changing discs is here (ok it's a normal m3 and not a CSL but the principle is the same)...

http://www.madrussian.net/m3/diy_fro...e_rotors.shtml