[makrop]

How comfortable would you guys be having any regular old shop install new springs? I have been eyeing the Dinan springs and was surprised at them only being $275. But then I go and get a labor quote from dealer for $1100 and my excitement died quickly. And that didn't even include an alignment!

I have another quote from a performance shop that I would honestly probably trust even over the dealer for $575 + $230 for alignment. Dealer is actually cheaper on alignment at $160.

Is $575 a good price to get springs installed? Should I look to a more generic local place? I don't know a whole lot about suspension stuff at all, I've never upgraded or modified anything suspension related on any of my previous cars. I'm worried there may be lots of sensors or elements related to the adaptive suspension that I wouldn't want some average joe tinkering with, or is there nothing to worry about on that front you think?

I generally try to DIY as much as I can, but Dinan quotes 7.8 hours labor so I'd easily have to double that due to having no access to a lift, plus I lack the specialty tools needed, etc, it starts to get pretty daunting / not worth it.

I may just say screw it on the springs and get something else... I have about $900 left to spend from some "pocket money" I earned building a deck and want to get something fun! Other options being considered are M Performance diffuser or Dinan Mid pipe (already have m-performance exhaust, so I think that creates a headache installing the midpipe)

[dradernh]

This is likely an unhelpful data point, but in July, 2018 I paid $800 in labor to have coilovers and camber plates installed. That included having an alignment done. This was in central Ohio, and the labor rate was $100/hour. The shop I used specializes in BMWs.

[helloelectro]

5-600 is about right. Plus you need alignment. You shouldn't be paying more than 150 for that though.

Id use an indie shop that specializes in BMW though.

[TheSniper]

Make sure to check into the bump stops as well.

[makrop]

Originally Posted by TheSniper

Make sure to check into the bump stops as well.

Yeah I have those on the list. Forgot to mention. That was part of my buzz kill as well realizing that was another $150 or so lol.

[Liandri]

Unfortunately I think the labor hours are so high because by the book it says to drop the rear subframe. In actuality you just loosen the main bolts and take the control arm down on one side with a screwjack underneath, and they're super easy to install. The fronts are standard MacPhearson and just need to remove them from the car and put in a spring compressor. That being said I don't think 575 is a bad price for all 4 at all, but 230 for alignment is pretty high

[PeanuKeeyes]

Six months ago I had a local shop here in New Haven put the OEM springs and strut mounts back in place of the H&R’s that the previous owner had installed. They also replaced the brake pads. Took most of the day and $800.00 Including the alignment, pad installation and not including the price of parts. It seemed more than fair.

The Dinan springs and bump stops with labor being about $800 altogether sounds fair to me. I had tried to do this for months but there was a sales freeze on the springs due to a “squeaking issue” that Dinan was sorting out. — I believe I was quoted around $1,300.00 + for everything at the time before they informed me the springs were unavailable.

I just made an appointment to have Dinan shockware installed next week $300 for everything. I have heard this mod is especially worthwhile and it’s really affordable now. Just a thought

[makrop]

I haven't tried to order the springs yet but they are still listed on the website... has the squeaking issue you speak of been resolved? Was that recently? Seems like my labor quotes are in line with thr normal so I guess that's a good news / bad news deal lol.

[PeanuKeeyes]

Originally Posted by makrop

I haven't tried to order the springs yet but they are still listed on the website... has the squeaking issue you speak of been resolved? Was that recently? Seems like my labor quotes are in line with thr normal so I guess that's a good news / bad news deal lol.

I was looking into the Dinan springs last December and I opted for the stock springs after getting tired of waiting and realizing that stock height was more practical around New England anyway. I didn’t inquire with my certified Dinan dealer/shop after December so I have no idea if they fixed it or what. The problem was kind of vague to begin with but I do know it was centered around a noise issue.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by makrop

Seems like my labor quotes are in line with normal ...

In populated regions, I'm not sure that there is a "normal" when it comes to the final labor cost on an invoice.

My understanding is that hourly labor rates in this country presently range from less than $100/hour to over $200/hour (my thinking is that for BMWs it's in the $80-$250/hour range across the country).

Mind you, that's for the same quality of work, and it's important to know that's separate from the issue of the cost of living in those different places. It's always going to cost more in New York City and San Francisco, and less in the more rural and less expensive sorts of places.

When I lived in Southern New Hampshire, I had the choice of bringing my work down to Boston-area shops, or to my local shops, or to Vermont shops. The labor rates were significantly different from those differently-located and similarly-capable shops. The quality of the work was, of course, the same.

FWIW, over time I used all of them, and the difference was always the labor rate and cost.

Edit: if Tulsa area shops aren't meeting your needs – you're close enough to Fayetteville, so might it make sense to shop around over there to see if some of them might be a better fit? Just a thought.

[makrop]

Originally Posted by PeanuKeeyes

... I didn’t inquire with my certified Dinan dealer/shop after December so I have no idea if they fixed it or what. The problem was kind of vague to begin with but I do know it was centered around a noise issue....

I spoke with a sales rep this morning and he said that it was only an issue on a small batch of them and that it had been resolved. Looks like I'm going to go ahead and pull the trigger!

[XutvJet]

I have Dinan springs and their lift spacers plus the shorter bump stops on the rear only of my RWD M235. I only wanted the rear springs because I wanted 30% higher rate which I believe the M235 desperately needs. The ~0.7 rear drop gives the M235 a more classic BMW look with back end slightly lower than the front. There's about 2 finger gap in the front and bit over a 1 finger gap in the back. The front Dinan springs only add like 5% more rate and I didn't want the front any lower.

I'm always amused by how much shops charge for this work. On jack stands, it took me about 45 minutes to do one spring including removing the shock to add the shorter bump stop. It took me about 20 minutes to do the other side. The fronts are more complicated but still easy. You just need spring compressors, a hub $10 hub spreader tool, and a careful eye to put all the components back together, and make sure the spring is aligned in its perch. I can't imagine that taking me more than 1 to 1.5 hours. It would be even quicker if I was doing it on the lift.

A qualified mechanic should be able to do all springs in less than 1.5 hours for sure. BUT they live in the world of "book time". I can't blame them at all for that as its the industry standard, but it's also why I do most everything myself. Suspension and brakes have ultra high book times in comparison to how long it really takes most mechanics.

For the $575 install cost, I'd find a friend that knows cars, watch a ton of YouTube videos showing spring installs on F series BMWs (they're all the same), and buy yourself $575 worth of tools, jacks, and jack stands. That would be A LOT OF TOOLS too. You can do most DIY jobs on with these cars with the following tools (you don't need super expensive tools either):

1) Two jacks (Harborfreight), $150
2) Jack stands, $50
3) BMW jack pads (2), $30
4) 3/8" long and short metric socket set ($50)
5) 3/8" Torx socket set ($30)
6) 3/8" ratchet ($20)
7) 3/8" pass-through metric socket set ($30)
8) 18" breaker bar ($30)
9) Ratcheting metric box end wrenches ($50)
10) Hub spreader tool ($10)
11) Basic screwdriver set ($30)
12) Pick tool set ($10)
13) LED flashlights/shoplights (2), $100
14) 3/8" reverse Torx set ($30)
15) Spring compressors ($50)
16) Plastic trim removal tool set ($20)
17) Pry bar set ($30)
18) Various 3/8" socket extensions ($50)
19) 100-110 ft/lb torque wrench ($100)
20) Oil filter housing socket ($20)
21) Punch tool or Brembo caliper pin removal tool to remove brake pad spring pin ($20)

[makrop]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

I have Dinan springs and their lift spacers plus the shorter bump stops on the rear only of my RWD M235. I only wanted the rear springs because I wanted 30% higher rate which I believe the M235 desperately needs. The ~0.7 rear drop gives the M235 a more classic BMW look with back end slightly lower than the front. There's about 2 finger gap in the front and bit over a 1 finger gap in the back. The front Dinan springs only add like 5% more rate and I didn't want the front any lower.

I'm always amused by how much shops charge for this work. On jack stands, it took me about 45 minutes to do one spring including removing the shock to add the shorter bump stop. It took me about 20 minutes to do the other side. The fronts are more complicated but still easy. You just need spring compressors, a hub $10 hub spreader tool, and a careful eye to put all the components back together, and make sure the spring is aligned in its perch. I can't imagine that taking me more than 1 to 1.5 hours. It would be even quicker if I was doing it on the lift.

A qualified mechanic should be able to do all springs in less than 1.5 hours for sure. BUT they live in the world of "book time". I can't blame them at all for that as its the industry standard, but it's also why I do most everything myself. Suspension and brakes have ultra high book times in comparison to how long it really takes most mechanics.

For the $575 install cost, I'd find a friend that knows cars, watch a ton of YouTube videos showing spring installs on F series BMWs (they're all the same), and buy yourself $575 worth of tools, jacks, and jack stands.

I'm pretty confident I could probably figure it out eventually. Just not very quickly. And time is money. Also, if something were not right, I'd have to get in there and do it again. Whereas if someone else installed something incorrectly, or had issues, they would hopefully get in there and fix it on their dime. That is worth some money to me as well.

The fact that you only have them on the rears has given me an interesting idea though. I could probably tackle the rears myself and then get the fronts installed for maybe 2/3 the $575. I wasn't sure about driving around on what seemed to be a half completed job.

[makrop]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

You can do most DIY jobs on with these cars with the following tools (you don't need super expensive tools either):

1) Two jacks (Harborfreight), $150
2) Jack stands, $50
3) BMW jack pads (2), $30
4) 3/8" long and short metric socket set ($50)
5) 3/8" Torx socket set ($30)
6) 3/8" ratchet ($20)
7) 3/8" pass-through metric socket set ($30)
8) 18" breaker bar ($30)
9) Ratcheting metric box end wrenches ($50)
10) Hub spreader tool ($10)
11) Basic screwdriver set ($30)
12) Pick tool set ($10)
13) LED flashlights/shoplights (2), $100
14) 3/8" reverse Torx set ($30)
15) Spring compressors ($50)
16) Plastic trim removal tool set ($20)
17) Pry bar set ($30)
18) Various 3/8" socket extensions ($50)
19) 100-110 ft/lb torque wrench ($100)
20) Oil filter housing socket ($20)
21) Punch tool or Brembo caliper pin removal tool to remove brake pad spring pin ($20)

Yeah I already have most of these, just none of the ones specific to this DIY. I hadn't really thought about still saving a ton of money even if I bought all the tools needed. I found a pretty detailed DIY and it has got me feeling confident. I think I'll at least attempt them. Start with the rears and see how well those go and decide if I want to pay for the fronts. Looks like the specific tools are only used on the front anyways, so if it comes to wanting someone else to finish up the fronts, I can always return the tools.

Here is a great looking DIY for any interested parties that are following along https://www.2addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1412603

[XutvJet]

There's nothing special about the suspension on these cars. It's all pretty basic. Just be extra careful with unclipping sensors and the headlight leveling arm/socket (it's real tight) and paying attention to wire/harnesses while removing/installing components. Just take your time, don't force anything, don't cross thread bolts/nuts, don't hammer directly on bolts, and have all the right tools. Like brakes, it's hard to screw something up. You'll usually know if you assembled/installed something incorrectly as the tolerances are tight enough to let you know if something is off.

That DIY is good. There are also many Youtube videos.