[pjs]

Asked my local dealer the following question via email, in that I'll need brakes soon, and just feeling the car getting a little worn (or perhaps my imagination), so maybe perf susp would do the job. Want to stay OEM cos I've got the extended warranty I want to keep in check. Result - Bloody Hell, cant beleive the cost of this stuff.

Please can you, or anyone else at Scothalls, give me a quote for the following. Car up to 82k now and needs brakes, front and rear very soon.

So how much for standard pads/discs for front and rear?

And potentially, the cost of the performance range equivalent?

Also, appreciate your views on the suspension longevity. I'll probably keep the car up to 130k miles, do you think it'll need anything replacing? If so, I understand there is a 'performance' kit, again costs would be appreciated


Reply as follows

In relation to your query regarding the above, i can confirm some
prices / information for you.

Firstly, there is not currently a BMW brakes performance upgrade for your
model, however the prices fully inclusive for standard brakes would be;

Frt pads / discs / sensor.....£416 inclusive
Rear pads / discs / sensor and hand brake shoes...£514. inclusive

Regarding the suspension query, there is a performance suspension upgrade
available. This consists of a kit which includes new shock absorbers, frt anti
roll bar and mountings. The 4 springs however are separate from the kit at an additional
cost. After fitting all the new suspension components, the car would need an alignment check and adjustment.

To replace the suspension, the approx cost would be in the region of £2393 inclusive.

The grand total for the above would be £3323 inclusive of parts and labour.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need any futher help or information


So not much for me to add, just thought a few of you might be interested in the cost and comments from the dealer. Was confident you could get performance brakes for a 330d??

[wrighty]

I spoke to lads at Evolve and they said the brakes do fit the 330d even though bmw dont list them. I have also seen the kit fitted by speed religion to a 330d. Not sure which kit you would order from the dealer though, I think they list one for the 325d maybe that fits.

[doughboy]

If you want to keep your warranty, then the BM perf stuff has to be:

1. listed for your vehicle
2. fitted by BMW
3. all adjustments (alignments etc) done by BMW

i.e hideously expensive... for £2300 you could have E92fans super duper switchable Bilstein full setup.

I'd go for quality 3rd party suspension fitted by people who know what day it is (i.e. not BMW dealer)

[pjs]

Originally Posted by doughboy

If you want to keep your warranty, then the BM perf stuff has to be:

1. listed for your vehicle
2. fitted by BMW
3. all adjustments (alignments etc) done by BMW

i.e hideously expensive... for £2300 you could have E92fans super duper switchable Bilstein full setup.

I'd go for quality 3rd party suspension fitted by people who know what day it is (i.e. not BMW dealer)

I'd agree with that, and I do love some or the perfermance stuff, I reckon they cost it that high to keep it pretty exclusive, and thus desirable

[pjs]

Originally Posted by wrighty

I spoke to lads at Evolve and they said the brakes do fit the 330d even though bmw dont list them. I have also seen the kit fitted by speed religion to a 330d. Not sure which kit you would order from the dealer though, I think they list one for the 325d maybe that fits.

Thanks for that, guess I need to do a bit more research. I have had great longevity our of my brakes, but dropping a grand on them at a stealer will hust.

[Ant Man]

Originally Posted by doughboy

If you want to keep your warranty, then the BM perf stuff has to be:

1. listed for your vehicle
2. fitted by BMW
3. all adjustments (alignments etc) done by BMW

Are you sure? No need to lose warranty with using an independent as long as approved parts are used. So don't see why using BMW cosmetic range would be any different.

[doughboy]

I raised this with the dealer, they said with the suspension kits you were modifying the vehicle and in order to keep a full warranty following these modifications the work had to be done by an authorised BMW dealer, and then aligned and checked too.

Maybe BS, but the warranty terms talk about 'no unauthorised mods' etc.... so they can set the requirements in order to give their 'authorisation' I suppose.

Maybe wrong, would be nice if an indy could do it..

[E92Fan]

Originally Posted by doughboy

I raised this with the dealer, they said with the suspension kits you were modifying the vehicle and in order to keep a full warranty following these modifications the work had to be done by an authorised BMW dealer, and then aligned and checked too.

Maybe BS, but the warranty terms talk about 'no unauthorised mods' etc.... so they can set the requirements in order to give their 'authorisation' I suppose.

Maybe wrong, would be nice if an indy could do it..

The dealer is spouting absolute rubbish about the work needing to be done at an authorised BMW centre. For instance, if you went to an independent for an oil service, but something later on went wrong with your car, your warranty is still intact if you can show that you have had the correct maintenance performed at the correct time. Nowhere in any warranty paperwork does it stipulate that ALL work and servicing MUST be done at an authorised BMW dealer for the warranty to remain intact. Car manufacturers are not allowed to restrict the boundaries of any implied warranty in terms of the use of an 'out-of-network' workshop for servicing, as this is anti-competitive.

The OP can quite rightly purchase the BMW Performance suspension and have it installed elsewhere. The parts are still under warranty, as is the rest of the car. The modification has been authorised by BMW because they are the ones selling it. Where you have the work done is entirely up to you, and they cannot force you to have it done at a BMW dealer.

The brakes are a slightly different issue - yes, the performance brakes fit a 330d, as indeed they fit a 335d. However in the facelift LCI 330d cars, the standard brakes have been upgraded to be the same size as the 335i/d cars. The pre-LCI models have smaller discs and calipers. If your car is a pre-LCI car, then the BMW BBK upgrade will be definitely worthwhile and is available on the BMW parts system under an old code. I will try and dig out the part number for that.

The BMW BBK is NOT officially available for the LCI 330d as BMW have deemed them a downgrade in terms of disc diameter and width. However, it does still 'fit'...! With this in mind then, BMW will NOT honour any warranty claims concerning the fitment and use of the BMW BBK on an LCI 330d.

The cost they are quoting however is crazy, especially for the suspension!!


You are better off spending that money on the following -

AP Racing 6pot front brakes
Bilstein B12 non-adjustable sport suspension (matched dampers and springs)

Total cost including fitting will probably be around £3500...

So what if you don't have the BMW warranty on those parts? You're not invalidating the rest of the warranty on your car... for instance, if the fuel pump fails, BMW still have to honour the warranty terms on that fuel pump, despite the fact you've got different brakes and suspension. These last two items have no bearing at all on the performance or failure of any other part of your car, the main ones being the gearbox and engine components.

When you change the suspension, you renew all the bushes in any case, so it essence you have brand new running gear. The replacement brakes are bomb-proof, and are fully warrantied in their own right anyway, as are the suspension springs and dampers.

Please don't be conned by your dealer into thinking that ALL your warranty will be void. If the dealer persists in saying that, please get it in writing from him and I'll gladly rip him two new holes with BMW UK and AG.....

[pjs]

Tony, you are the Guru. Thank you. What will you do when e92's et all are consigned to the chavs in 10 years, what will be next?

[Dr Dave]

All known as Block Exemption Rules.

[doughboy]

Originally Posted by pjs

Tony, you are the Guru. Thank you. What will you do when e92's et all are consigned to the chavs in 10 years, what will be next?

He'll be driving the latest E105 coupe with flux capacitor and 2.21 gigawatt fusion power drive.

Modded to run on disguarded big macs.

[1 AKY]

Originally Posted by E92Fan

The dealer is spouting absolute rubbish about the work needing to be done at an authorised BMW centre. For instance, if you went to an independent for an oil service, but something later on went wrong with your car, your warranty is still intact if you can show that you have had the correct maintenance performed at the correct time. Nowhere in any warranty paperwork does it stipulate that ALL work and servicing MUST be done at an authorised BMW dealer for the warranty to remain intact. Car manufacturers are not allowed to restrict the boundaries of any implied warranty in terms of the use of an 'out-of-network' workshop for servicing, as this is anti-competitive.

Tony - are you referring to the original manufacturers warranty, the extended BMW Insured Warranty or both?

FYI and to quote from the extended BMW Insured Warranty Handbook:

This BMW Insured Warranty is underwritten by ELVIA
Travel Insurance International N.V. (Netherlands) and is
administered in the UK by: Mondial Assistance (UK) Limited,
Registered in England No: 1710361

and

What must I do to keep the Warranty valid?
The terms and conditions of the warranty listed below must be adhered to. Failure to do so will result in the rejection of a claim or the termination of your BMW Insured Warranty. This does not affect your statutory rights.

1. When servicing your BMW, failure to comply with the service schedule recommended by BMW may invalidate this warranty. All service and warranty work must be carried out by an Authorised BMW Dealer or BMW Service Authorised Workshop using only Genuine BMW Parts.Your BMW Service Booklet should be stamped, dated and detailed with the correct
mileage at the time of service by the servicing dealer.

[E92Fan]

Originally Posted by 1 AKY

Tony - are you referring to the original manufacturers warranty, the extended BMW Insured Warranty or both?

FYI and to quote from the extended BMW Insured Warranty Handbook:

This BMW Insured Warranty is underwritten by ELVIA
Travel Insurance International N.V. (Netherlands) and is
administered in the UK by: Mondial Assistance (UK) Limited,
Registered in England No: 1710361

and

What must I do to keep the Warranty valid?
The terms and conditions of the warranty listed below must be adhered to. Failure to do so will result in the rejection of a claim or the termination of your BMW Insured Warranty. This does not affect your statutory rights.

1. When servicing your BMW, failure to comply with the service schedule recommended by BMW may invalidate this warranty. All service and warranty work must be carried out by an Authorised BMW Dealer or BMW Service Authorised Workshop using only Genuine BMW Parts.Your BMW Service Booklet should be stamped, dated and detailed with the correct
mileage at the time of service by the servicing dealer.

And you should note - BMW may invalidate your warranty. In practice, they are flouting EU policies regarding Block Exemption Rules if they choose to invalidate your warranty terms just because you went to an independent for servicing. In October 2003 the Block Exemption regarding car sales and manufacturers was changed so that car manufacturers no longer had the power to restrict the boundaries of warranty to within their own authorised dealer network for servicing. The change in the Block Exemption Rules now allows for independent servicing workshops and dealers to carry out maintenance on a vehicle without invalidating any applicable warranty. There is a caveat - the workshop must be able to demonstrate that it is capable and skilled of performing the work to the standards achieved at an authorised BMW dealer.


You must remember that BMW and their dealer network will tell you anything and everything to scare you into thinking that the only option is official BMW servicing. It is this scare tactic that keeps owners within the dealer network and makes people pay labour rates of £135 per hour or more. Couple this will the often totally shoddy and incompetent work that many BMW service workshops perform, and you have to wonder why anyone would want to stay within the dealer network!