Does this price quote sound OK?

[ron525]

First, should I do preventative maintenance because everything still works??? I have 1994 525 / 51K miles. I'm thinking about replacing original water pump, main radiator hoses, and engine accessory belts. I've had the thermostat/thermostat cover replaced 5 years ago due to leaking o-rings in cover. Since everything is apart, will replace these again too.

I received a quote from a indie BMW/foreign car shop for $308 labor, $332 parts. Does this sound like a good deal?

I also got a quote to replace the radiator at the same time: $369 part, $88 labor. I think I could do this repair on my own when/if it broke, but should I just have them do it at the same time?

[repenttokyo]

i think you could find a much cheaper radiator, where are you located?

[bmwpower]

All that stuff is right there in the same place. Easy to do on your own.

BTW, I quickly priced a radiator from bimmerzone and it's about $200. BMA will likely be cheaper.

[Chris'91'525i]

First, should I do preventative maintenance because everything still works???

Yes, thats the point of PM work !
You generally want to do the things covered in the BMW" level 1 & 2 " schedule to maintain the parts you mention.
Like flushing the brake and cooling system every 2 years, so all the associated parts last longer.
If you don't do regular services like these you may need to replace the water pump and radiator, as well as the brake master cylinder and calipers.
I personally would not replace them if regular level I & II services were performed until something shows wear.
After my water pump exploded with no warning, I do carry a spare with me now, since it is so fast and easy to replace on the road. That IMO has to be one of the weakest links on the M50 motor.
All the parts you want to replace are very easy to do yourself, so yes, the labor money you save could be used else where on the car !

[Ross]

Replacing all the rubber hoses would be a good idea at 14 years old.
The OE water pumps are weak, replace with one having a metal impeller. Radiator is also 14 trs old, so...
This is easy DIY stuff if you are so inclined. You can buy the parts cheaper but the mechanic may frown on installing "your" parts. $400 labor for all that seems, mmm, okay. If doing all this at once it can be done in a couple of hours so do the math yourself.

[ron525]

I'm in NYC, so the (labor) prices may be higher. I probably could do the water pump myself if I tried, but I'll rather have a mechanic do it. Everything is still running fine so I sort of don't want to take out good parts. I'll hold off on the radiator until it fails. The rad seems easy enough to replace on my own.

[Ross]

I don't understand what you mean about taking out good parts. The rubber and radiator are 14 years old, how good do you figure they are? That water pump is a time bomb as well.
If you are willing to get dirty enough to change a radiator and figure you can do the water pump too then you're done. Pretty much everything else has to come off to do the others.
The cooling systems on these cars are notorious and yours is old. You posted seeming wisely committed to having this done. Now that DIY has been suggested you seem cool to doing it now.
We are just promoting DIY because that's what most of us do.
Your idea to perform this service is a good one. BMs as a rule don't tolerate overheating well, waiting for a cooling system failure isn't wise.

[nizmainiac]

water pumps are easy to do, get some tools and get dirty