BMW repair cost

mariahussain

My car is 2019 with 22k mileage on it, I purchased the car from a used garage (not BMW) in Nov 22. I took the car in for a full service with BMW in Feb 23 and there were no issues. took car in again for MOT and vehicle check 2 weeks ago. Mot failed as the front brake caliper is leaking and they quoted me over 1k to replace it. 

my argument was that the calipers aren't a wear and tear item so queried what caused this issue. They said that the brake fluid service done in Feb 22 (before i purchased it) caused it. They then said they will check if the warranties team will cover it and after a lot of chasing - they refused it because i purchased outside of network and that the brake service was done outside of network.

it then transpired that the brake fluid service was done by BMW in Spain (previous owner took the car there) and the fault was caused by them. They said that they overtightened the bleed nipple into the aluminum thread so will need rethreading.

BMW then submitted a new claim based on this new information and they have just confirmed that they will offer 30% off the cost of replacement parts which is still £800. the other option is that they can send the caliper off to an external company to get it refurbed which will cost £150 for the refurb but with labour cost included that will be £450 which is still a significant cost. 

My issue is that when the car was serviced in Feb this year by them, the leak wasn't there so leak has appeared 20 months after the brake fluid service which they are blaming against. Any help or guidance would be appreciated on what to do next please? 

facade

I'd get the refurb'd calliper for £450.

Depending on how they repair it it may well last out the others, aluminium brake callipers are Bad News. They corrode with Winter salt and undoing the nipple on an old one usually brings the thread with it.

Even though it is a pre-existing fault at the time of purchase, it has taken over a year to show up, so the supplying dealer is off the hook.

Ganga

Try E Bay or Amazon ,will get a non genuine for a fraction of the cost of genuine.

NINJA59

If this is the blue M sport ones they are notorious for shearing bleed nipples and having issues. Personally I would snap their hand off at the refurb as some dealers are nown to simply quote for a new caliper instead....

400ixl

Go to a local BMW specialist and have them do it. No need for it to be done in the network on a 2019 car, you won't get any benefit for the extra cost.

Goudy

The repair of the caliper is actually cheap and easy.
The old hole is rethreaded with an insert and if done properly with a steel insert, it will be far better than it ever was as the nipple and threaded insert would both be steel, instead of one harder steel (the nipple) and one softer alloy (the caliper).

Your original problem is because the harder steel nipple has trumped the softer alloy when over tightening and stripped the threads on the alloy.
Whoever did that caused the problem.

The labour to remove, send off and refit the repaired caliper is a BMW dealer tax!
Ok, there would be some new brake fluid to factor in the costs, but it's very expensive labour.

I would ring a few local independent BMW specialists or even ask your local garage.
There could even be a local brake specialist or an automotive engineers near you that repair these on site that might be able to help as well.