BMW parts are stupid
So I bought a used car. So far I like it, but as in any used car transaction the seller left out a few little details on things it needs. To be fair to him, he only owned it for a month, and I believe he bought it just to try and flip it for a profit. He was honest about it being mechanically sound at least.
There was one major issue the seller had in his listing, the dash cluster was a victim of age and had a problem that all of these cars seem to get eventually. You can't read the odometer or error screen...
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So I contacted a local BMW mechanic, who has no doubt of the fix, but it'll take a couple of days. What I don't understand is that any independent BMW mechanic should know what the fix is and get it done for a reasonable price. This is the one thing that you always look at when you get in the car, why not fix it? I'm betting he would have gotten more money for the car if he had.
In driving it for a few days, I found a couple of other issues. The door seals on both rear side doors are either falling off or missing. No problem, those parts are still being made, so I found them online and ordered up both the rubber parts and a bunch of the clips that hold them to the door. The parts cost a little bit, but nothing out of line for what they are. Then there's this thing...
The missing part (in the green circle) is just a little plastic label that says "AirBag". The same lable is in place on the passenger side, but it's missing from the driver's door. I dug around and it took me some time, but I eventually found it in an online parts listing. It's original price is $5.09. Every place I have found online that has it wants more than $59 for it. What the hell? It's literally a $5 piece of plastic, but because it's for a BMW I can't get a replacement shipped to me for less than $60. Once the cluster is fixed, and I have the door moldings in place I guess I'll be going to a pick-a-part yard to look for one...
There was one major issue the seller had in his listing, the dash cluster was a victim of age and had a problem that all of these cars seem to get eventually. You can't read the odometer or error screen...
So I contacted a local BMW mechanic, who has no doubt of the fix, but it'll take a couple of days. What I don't understand is that any independent BMW mechanic should know what the fix is and get it done for a reasonable price. This is the one thing that you always look at when you get in the car, why not fix it? I'm betting he would have gotten more money for the car if he had.
In driving it for a few days, I found a couple of other issues. The door seals on both rear side doors are either falling off or missing. No problem, those parts are still being made, so I found them online and ordered up both the rubber parts and a bunch of the clips that hold them to the door. The parts cost a little bit, but nothing out of line for what they are. Then there's this thing...
The missing part (in the green circle) is just a little plastic label that says "AirBag". The same lable is in place on the passenger side, but it's missing from the driver's door. I dug around and it took me some time, but I eventually found it in an online parts listing. It's original price is $5.09. Every place I have found online that has it wants more than $59 for it. What the hell? It's literally a $5 piece of plastic, but because it's for a BMW I can't get a replacement shipped to me for less than $60. Once the cluster is fixed, and I have the door moldings in place I guess I'll be going to a pick-a-part yard to look for one...