EXHAUST PRICE

[samytee]

Called locaL BMW dealer today as I thought id see how much a full exhaust would cost me for my 2.8.... well after talking to the parts agent russel for five minutes he dropped the big clanger!!!
£1532- and once my jaw had lifted I asked is that fitted and I was told no and that they would want my old exhaust- hmmmm
WERE DID I PUT THAT SCAFFOLDING POLE???

[Del]

£1532- and once my jaw had lifted I asked is that fitted and I was told no

Is that just for the rear section or the whole system including the Cat? - I suspect the former! Not to mention the £500 + VAT for fitting and new brackets.

[Robert T]

OEM exhausts are not cheap - around £500 for a back box alone - but that price does sound like it includes the cat, especially if they want the old exhaust in exchange, as that sounds like they will use it to make a re-manufactured cat.

Do you really need a complete system? The front section of mine is still sound after 14 years, but the rear box had to be replaced about a year ago. I'll be happy if I get 12+ years out of its replacement.

Cheers R.

Post redacted - you're not imagining things.

[TitanTim]

Mines still on its original exhaust and looks and sounds fine so it would probably outlast alot of the cheaper aftermarket exhaust out there

Tim.

[Mugs]

get a custom stainless steel one made. it will cost under 1/3 of that price and will never have to be replaced again....and you can specify tailpipes and loudness etc.
there are lots of places doing them, I normally go to longlife, they make great systems.

[TitanTim]

get a custom stainless steel one made. it will cost under 1/3 of that price and will never have to be replaced again....and you can specify tailpipes and loudness etc.
there are lots of places doing them, I normally go to longlife, they make great systems.

OEM is always the best IMHO

Tim.

[Southernboy]

OEM is a good bet...consider the service life of OEM...10+ years..as good as SS without the "tinny" sound...But if £'s is a consideration...well go SS...

[Mugs]

get a custom stainless steel one made. it will cost under 1/3 of that price and will never have to be replaced again....and you can specify tailpipes and loudness etc.
there are lots of places doing them, I normally go to longlife, they make great systems.

OEM is always the best IMHO

Tim.

agreed, but £1500 for cars that are at least 10 years old....... however much you love and cherish them, can the dealers really justify that price?

[Robert T]

agreed, but £1500 for cars that are at least 10 years old....... however much you love and cherish them, can the dealers really justify that price?

Whilst it might feel like we are being fleeced, you do need to ask the question the other way round - what is the benefit to the manufacturer to produce replacement exhaust systems which are unique to a car that has been out of production for at least 10 years? Whilst they had good stocks of such things, prices were fairly reasonable, but now they have to go and get smaller and smaller batches of the things made, the price is bound to creep up. Unless someone else comes along and produces a pattern parts for a reasonable price, I don't see how this situation can change. Some Z3 parts are still quite reasonable, but these tend to fit more than one model, and frequently other BMW ranges, so there is an economy of scale in producing such parts. I understand the frustration, believe me - I'm just pointing out the flip side of the coin.

Cheers R.

[Mugs]

yes, I understand what you are saying but if a lot of companies can build an aftermarket replacement or even a SS system for under £500 it makes you wonder what the dealer mark up is on a ms system?

[Robert T]

I don't think the dealers make very much on parts at all - the base price is set centrally, so there is very little variance between individual dealer prices, though a few do discount old stock that they want to get rid off - so the question is how much is BMW making on each one? It has certainly come to something when a new exhaust costs almost as much as the car is worth!

Cheers R.

[Del]

It isn’t just BMW that charges a lot for certain spares, OE parts from the likes of Vauxhall, Ford and Nissan etc. are just as bad.

The parts market is a bit of a jungle and so it’s no wonder some people feel more at ease buying just BMW branded parts. The internet is full of cheap unbranded and counterfeit parts. Personally, I feel happy buying from the big aftermarket suppliers like Euro Car Parts and GSF, as you can be sure that you are buying honest parts and their “premium” parts are often obviously made by the same company that supplies the OE. For example Sachs Super Touring shocks look identical to the Boge BMW OE ones – even the welds and joins - clearly made on the same machinery. Both Sachs and Boge are part of the same German ZF Group. Likewise do you really need BMW branded brake pads, brake fluid and grease?

Exhausts are a bit of a special case and you will struggle to buy an aftermarket, tailored system for the 2.8. The choice will therefore be OE or custom built SS.

[Southernboy]

Custom built does not automatically imply Stainless...It is as easy to have a custom system with mild steel boxes....it has become "fashionable" to go stainless...but IMO the mild steel produces a better sound throughout...BTW...I have a stainless sytem at the moment, but I'm shopping for mild...even if it means ordering them specially made to fit...which seems like it'll be the route I will go...only because I want the rear boxes to be "one in (60mm) and "two" out with chrome tips...At the moment I have stainless boxes with "one in and "one" out...with a "Y" chrome end piece to provide the 4 pipe view from the rear... The front box is easy enough and that is already mild steel...the pipes are all stainless which I am happy to retain.

[Del]

People don't behave consistently though Southernboy. I've seen people criticise SS but then go starry-eyed over makes like Eisenmann (100% SS). I think it must be a bit like those £1 tea-shirts made in China - print a silhouette of a bloke hitting a polo ball and the price goes up to £50.

[Robert T]

I'm very wary of aftermarket parts, particularly those advertised on ebay with no real reference as to who made them. I've had a number of bad experiences with parts bought for my Sprite (which of course is long out of production) - water taps that have a hole for the water to go in, but no hole on the other end for it to come out, dampers that don't damp, rotor arms that don't produce a reliable spark and so on. Where there is a choice between the cheap and cheerful and the premium part, it seems to pay to go for the premium version every time. However, I will say this for BMW parts - you can buy them confident in the knowledge that they will fit and do the job they were designed to do - get a price from BMW and if you don't like it, then go look elsewhere and see if you can do better - it is surprising how often BMW are actually cheaper than ebay by the time you have factored in the postage costs - however there are an increasing number of parts that the price seems to have rocketed on and some that just aren't available any more.

Cheers R.

[Southernboy]

....Eisenmann, Prada...whadda-whadda....you're right...they pay a huge premium for the label...even if it is well made...Frankly, I'm one of those people that likes to be present when the exhaust guys are making and fitting...If I don't like their level of workmanship, I tell them to do it properly...and that means to a level which I find acceptable...generally they don't like me hanging about looking over their shoulder, but I don't see the point in having to argue after the fact...with me it's get it right and I'm happy to pay you...get it wrong and I'll have you do it right at your expense...then I'll pay you...
At the moment I'm waiting on a quote for mild steel back boxes (2) which it seems have to be specially made..and if they're a bit more than off the shelf, so be it. Fortunately over here one can get a reputable producer who will go the extra to make up a special without going overboard with cost...
..and it is true...the cost of shipping is often more than half the cost of the item, plus the duties and VAT if it comes from a foreign source...