Question about repairs for my 1990 535i

[Henderson&co]

OK, i got my car from my cousin last year for 4k, it had 90k on it and now has around 102k. resently i needed an inspection sticker so i took it to my mechanic and he gave me a hefty list of things taht needed done.

first of all, my steering had been leaking for awhile. had it 'fixed' twice but didnt fix it.
second id been dreiving on a broken strut (god knows how i missed it) for a little while.
some other minor things
it all amounted to around $800
ok, i can do that with help from my parents.

heres the death blow. got a call saying my steering box is shot, needs to be rebuilt, trouble is aparently there are only two make years that match my car for this part.
so im looking around, my mechanic is too but no such luck. after all this is maine and BMW arnt too popular.

anyway, he says to fix it, since there is no kit for it, and no spare part laying around, he can send the box to the manufuhrer to be rebuilt for $1300.
total cost for this would be about $2000 and two weeks with no car.
(and its still way too cold to ride my suzuki to classes)


ok, so my point here is, is it worth it to pay so much for this. will my car last me any more years? and with me, along with my family and friends, knowing very little about hardcore mechanical business.

id like to hear what you think.

[genphreak]

Get the original stuff fixed, then diagnose the problem with us online. Use a camera to take pics of the steering box mount (yes you will have to remove a wheel, put the car on stands and actually get underneath it). There are basic things that can go wrong with these, I've never heard of a $1300 steering box- AFAIK the steering box on all e34s is the same (please someone correct me if I am wrong) the 535i is very common car- shares most parts with e32 (7-series) and others so this sould be weird of it is the case. Why anyone would charge $1300 to rebuild a steering box I don't know- its a basic job- unless the problem is really just the car taking up space at the shop whilst the box is away being rebuilt, once out it is hard to get the car out of the workshop and safely out of the way as one usually needs workspace to make money fixing other cars... are you really paying for this perhaps?

I've never seen a dead steering box on an e34, but I guess it can happen. Thing is, can you trust these guys??? I bet Artem (the guy parting out a 525 on this forum atm) will sell you his, and I bet it would fit. You need to look the parts up on the online ETK (http://www.realoem.com) and cross-reference the vehciles in questions to see if the part numbers are really different. Sometimes there is a replacement item due to a manufacturer change during production (or later on) so a substitute part number is introduced. Best of luck, :) Nick

[ArtemLepilov]

If the steering box is the same. Ill sell you one form a 1990 525I

Check the part #s

-Artem

[Kalevera]

102k is nothing for the car. If the body and interior are good, it's probably worth fixing (if that was even a question).

Most boxes are model specific, having a different gearing ratio. You might ask why the box needs to be rebuilt. Is it loose, leaking ?

My 535 has 232,000 miles on it. Presently has no drivetrain in it, but that's more my doing than its fault. These cars last a very long time, with excellent reliability, if cared for.

best, whit

[Henderson&co]

102k is nothing for the car. If the body and interior are good, it's probably worth fixing (if that was even a question).

Most boxes are model specific, having a different gearing ratio. You might ask why the box needs to be rebuilt. Is it loose, leaking ?

My 535 has 232,000 miles on it. Presently has no drivetrain in it, but that's more my doing than its fault. These cars last a very long time, with excellent reliability, if cared for.

best, whit


Its been leaking for awhile, had the 'power steering cooler' deal removed cause it ahd a small hole, didnt fix it though. it needed to be rebuilt because of no spare box (model specific like you said) but my mech. said he found a few cars in a remote junk yard that match. so now in stead of 1300 its down to $250

thank you all! il deffiently keep posting on this site.:)

[Kalevera]

He removed the power steering cooler?

Is this the only BMW that this particular mechanic works on?


Just curious.

best, whit

[Henderson&co]

differant mechanic, the one i dont go to anymore.
the trouble here is this is techniclly half my dads car, so when it gets worked on he gets asked the questions, and says yes to absolutly anything. for all intensive purposes the same mechanic that said 1700 just for a new steering box. tahts where is tepped in front of my dad and said piss off.

the guy its at now knows his ****, works on only saabs, VW and BMW's.

~Farley