Silver. Coupe, not a ragtop.

1.3 hours of labor, probably a checkout charge of .5, maybe an hour. Bmw list on that alternator is 639$ so 850 is right in the ballpark.

Thanks for the input, Jaywendland1981. I feel better now. One look at the location alone was enough for me to not want to touch it but it's nice to know they aren't robbing me blind.

I miss the days when they were hanging out in the open and it was a case of just removing two bolts and slapping in a $39 rebuilt from the local AID store.

P210-
As a fellow E46 330Ci owner who does his own car work...there are two items worth paying another human being to do on our cars: starter and alternator.
The starter is the worst of the two, as it is under the intake runners, pointing toward the rear of the car. I spent two days on it, and I've yanked engines/transmissions in an afternoon.
Here's to hoping you are reunited with your car, and soon.

quote:

Originally posted by VictimNoMore:
P210-
As a fellow E46 330Ci owner who does his own car work...there are two items worth paying another human being to do on our cars: starter and alternator.
The starter is the worst of the two, as it is under the intake runners, pointing toward the rear of the car. I spent two days on it, and I've yanked engines/transmissions in an afternoon.
Here's to hoping you are reunited with your car, and soon.

Thanks for the encouraging words. I passed on the brake job but went with a $100 brake fluid flush & replacement since it was overdue and why deal with the mess vs that price. The best part was the trust involved on both ends. They repaired my car and trusted me to pay and I gave them my car and trusted them to repair it properly without robbing me. We never did meet but we're both pleased with how things worked out.

Luckily I was able to catch a ride there from my much loved future SIL and also grab an early dinner with him at the local Ruth's Steakhouse around the corner from the shop before heading back to NY in das auto, which functioned superbly along the way back home.

My wife's 2001 Honda Accord has been passed down to my son. It is 1500 miles short of 300K miles. I'm a mechanic and spend as little to maintain cars as anyone, but I doubt I've spent $850 to maintain this car for the last 16 years not including oil changes. It has original clutch, rear brake shoes and radiator. I did put brushes in the alternator once. The starter has never been off.

I was formerly an automotive electrician, I'd likely have fixed that problem for myself for $50.

There are a lot of specialty shops in that area from back in the late 70's when that area was out in the boonies.