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2006 R1200 RT repair estimate QUESTION

9

90101

New member
Oh My.
One morning (after a year-long hiatus) my RT would not start. Called the dealership and was told it was probably the fuel pump. So THANKS to MOA Platinum the bike was towed to the dealership.
Diagnosis: fuel pump. This will be my third fuel pump. And of course the fuel strip for the gauge. This will be number 6...
So I get a repair order from the BMW dealership: $283.50 for diagnosis and $927.29 for gasket, battery, fuel level sensor and fuel pump.
When I asked about the cost for the diagnose, if the repair is done at the same facility, I obviously pissed off the service guy. (Maybe I called it double-dipping).
So as a thank you I get a new repair order for a total of $2488.06. Of course all diagnosis cost are included. Just as an example: battery test: 67.50, replace battery labor: $20.25, battery: $193.77, battery tax $1.50, tax $19.81 That's $302.83 for an effing new battery. The fuel pump comes up to $636.00 and so on. Yes they added the oil change for 183.66. Gearbox oil, brake fluid, generator belt.
I never incurred such a traumatic repair order. So my question to my BMW MOA (I joined 21 years ago): Am I just ignorant and it is, what it is - or am I being taken for a monstrous ride.
Thank you folks!
Michael in Key Largo
 
90101 said:
Oh My.
One morning (after a year-long hiatus) my RT would not start. Called the dealership and was told it was probably the fuel pump. So THANKS to MOA Platinum the bike was towed to the dealership.
Diagnosis: fuel pump. This will be my third fuel pump. And of course the fuel strip for the gauge. This will be number 6...
So I get a repair order from the BMW dealership: $283.50 for diagnosis and $927.29 for gasket, battery, fuel level sensor and fuel pump.
When I asked about the cost for the diagnose, if the repair is done at the same facility, I obviously pissed off the service guy. (Maybe I called it double-dipping).
So as a thank you I get a new repair order for a total of $2488.06. Of course all diagnosis cost are included. Just as an example: battery test: 67.50, replace battery labor: $20.25, battery: $193.77, battery tax $1.50, tax $19.81 That's $302.83 for an effing new battery. The fuel pump comes up to $636.00 and so on. Yes they added the oil change for 183.66. Gearbox oil, brake fluid, generator belt.
I never incurred such a traumatic repair order. So my question to my BMW MOA (I joined 21 years ago): Am I just ignorant and it is, what it is - or am I being taken for a monstrous ride.
Thank you folks!
Michael in Key Largo
Click to expand...

That does not sound right to me. The first question is whether all of the work was authorized? Why for example was the alternator belt changed? Did you ask for a complete scheduled service?

So I would contact the BMW regional rep and see what he/she has to say. Probably will either defend the dealer or go "ho-hum."

What dealership is this?
 
That is a lot for a battery but I have paid about $600 for a fuel pump a few years ago while on the road for my 07RT.
 
Welcome to the forum!
If you had posed the question of the bike not starting, I would have suggested a battery check first.....Especially if it was an older battery.
Good luck with figuring the rest of the repair out. At least you should be good to go for riding season.
Gary
 
I think there are two ways to interpret these estimates, more particularly the second:

1. He's going to throw in all the work you might want, in the hope you'll pick out a couple of them to have done. Any service manager would want you to buy more, no? I've had the shop do upsell work they proposed because I didn't want to either do it myself, or bring the bike back before the next scheduled service.

2. You pissed him off, and he doesn't really want you as a customer.

Without being there, it's hard to discern the difference. There's nothing inherently unreasonable about the work proposed; presumably it's all right out of the maintenance schedule.

As to the diagnostic cost, is there anywhere that's free? Isn't that the most valuable part of the job?

(For the record, I would have gone to the battery first as well. But maybe his diagnostic skills are better than mine.)
 
I misread the OP. This was a repair order -in other words an estimate, not a bill. In which case my comments are wrong. Or as they say, never mind.
 
You can buy just the fuel pump for around $30, and an equivalent battery for around $60, but if that’s all the dealer charged they wouldn’t be able to afford a BMW dealership as they are required to be today and would soon go out of business.
 
OldCamper said:
You can buy just the fuel pump for around $30, and an equivalent battery for around $60, but if that’s all the dealer charged they wouldn’t be able to afford a BMW dealership as they are required to be today and would soon go out of business.
Click to expand...

I'm curious where you can find a $30 fuel pump for this bike?
 
I guess the moral of the story, Is don't piss off the service manager. All kidding aside that is a bit over the top and they are trying to take advantage of you. I second the battery check first as that is often the culprit. Hard to believe you would be on your 3 fuel pump. I think I'd find another dealer or independent to service your bike.
 
I wouldn't go riding with a $15 plastic fuel pump unless I had a couple of spares and a bag of tools. That thing looks like an aquarium pump to me. Just because something pumps something does not mean it belongs inside my fuel tank.

That said, the BMW dealership OEM price seems obscene to me. But Voni and I have had two bikes go over 370,00- miles on their original fuel pumps ('86 K75T and '94 R1100RS) so maybe the OEM pumps are worth it.:scratch
 
I wouldn’t be interested in a $15 pump from an unknown manufacturer, especially if it’s plastic. But OTOH it was/is common to substitute a Ford Mustang fuel pump for failed pumps on the early brick-k bikes. IIRC, OEM pumps for that bike were north of $200 and the Mustang pump was around $45 in local FLAPS at the time. Lots of Mustangs are still running around on their original pumps.

I’d suspect there are workable substitutions for a fair number of later models; it just takes someone spending the time and energy to track them down and publicize them.

Best,
DeVern
 
Battery had a full charge

Omega Man said:
Welcome to the forum!
If you had posed the question of the bike not starting, I would have suggested a battery check first.....Especially if it was an older battery.
Good luck with figuring the rest of the repair out. At least you should be good to go for riding season.
Gary
Click to expand...
The battery was on a trickle charger and it had a full 13.2 V, when I tested it. It turned the starter, but the fuel pump was not cooperating.
 
90101 said:
The battery was on a trickle charger and it had a full 13.2 V, when I tested it. It turned the starter, but the fuel pump was not cooperating.
Click to expand...

Batteries can have a voltage reading that is tap-dancing wonderful across the electrolyte.
Did it turn over?
OM
 
PGlaves said:
I wouldn't go riding with a $15 plastic fuel pump unless I had a couple of spares and a bag of tools. That thing looks like an aquarium pump to me. Just because something pumps something does not mean it belongs inside my fuel tank
Click to expand...

The oem pump i replaced in an f650 “scarver” looked even cheaper than the one on ebay.

Consider that every $6 BMW can save per bike amounts to about a cool $1 million each year in additional profit for them at current build levels. Do you suppose there is any incentive for them to spend anything extra to buy “lifetime” fuel pumps? Also consider the advantage of selling only the proprietary assembly rather than just the generic pump. With a million fuel injected bikes in the field, think of the potential profit there at even a 2% annual fallout rate.

BMW is not being evil, they are just very, very good at marketing.
 
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