Ten hours to remove a M10 Cylinder head?

[JOHN BOY]

Does anyone have a Labor time for a Head gasket R&R? 

My 1975 2002 has been in a shop for 9 Months. I took it in to have the Head gasket replaced.

After numerous calls and be lied to a dozen times The shop called and said they Need 900 cash

for the time it took to remove the head? This Guy is clearly a crook who wants to keep my car. I need an

actual labor time to take his ass to court.

Edited February 15, 2017 by JOHN BOY

[Stevenc22]

Is your car still assembled? If so dont leave the car with him. Once he pulls the engine apart you are never getting your car back. I dont have any official times, but its probably a 3-4 hour job.

[JOHN BOY]

Yes, he removed the head after an eight-month wait. He called and said He had to Heat the head bolts to get them off?

 

[Simeon]

pretty sure @JohnH may have some details from BMW dealers on the expected time to complete all tasks for warranty claims.

 

Plus @wegweiser did one in 2hours once. In a car park.

[adawil2002]

I could understand, close to $900 finished out the door with head and front cover milling if required. $900 for removing the head sounds excessive.

 

Yes, Paul Wegweiser & Ben Thonsai replaced a Tii head gasket in the Hawthorne Hotel parking lot in Winston Salem Saturday after The Vintage in  2 hours under flashlights & phones held by onlookers. They started between 9:30-10pm, May 26, 2012.  

 

 

JOHN BOY: Please put your location in under your name in the user control settings, it helps us help you.

[williamggruff]

A few notes and questions regarding estimates for head gasket replacement:

 

1. Does the estimate include the costs of gaskets, sealant, and other expendables?

 

2. Does the estimate include machining for the head, such as measuring flatness, milling the head flat, correcting line bore of a warped head, replacing worn valve guides, seals, etc, and replacement hardware?

 

3. As your 75 is presumably a carbed motor, it is far easier to replace the head gasket on your motor than it would be on a tii. Replacing a head gasket on a tii in a parking lot in 2 hours is several standard deviations outside the norm, as are both Paul and Ben who performed that magic act.

 

4. If the $900 is only for labor, and only for removing the head, that's absurd. Pulling the head from a carby 2002 should be a 60-90 minute operation, all issues included. If the $900 also includes machining the head and upper timing cover, parts and expendables, and labor to reassemble everything, that would be in the ballpark.

[JOHN BOY]

He wants 900 for removing the head. The total estament for the head gasket was 1300 bucks. He said he could only find a 1982 320i  m10 motor in the labor guide to go by to estimate the repair.

[kbmb02]

23 minutes ago, williamggruff said:

If the $900 also includes machining the head and upper timing cover, parts and expendables, and labor to reassemble everything, that would be in the ballpark.

 

I think I'll send my next cylinder head replacement job to you ... with oil-leak soaked parts, head cracks, bad valve guides, busted/stripped studs and bosses, stuck rocker shafts, incorrect rocker hardware, etc.  (yeah - it's worth keeping in mind not all cars / projects are alike, and the difference between a well-maintained car and one which hasn't seen maintenance in years can add hours to the job). -KB

[mac]

Get a lawyer.  Get a court order.  Show up at the shop with a tow truck and a few officers of the law AND GET YOUR CAR BACK! 

 

Find a honest mechanic.

 

mac.

[JOHN BOY]

 

kbmb02

I agree it could take time due to unseen problems. I was thinking maybe like an hour or so!!

 

[jireland2002]

If you are in California you can easily get your car back.  Check the laws for repair shops in what ever state you live in.

[Vicleonardo1]

Get your car the heck out of there! 

Grab a trailer, show up, Pay the guy (with a credit card). Get a receipt from him. Get your car and take it to another mechanic, document what was done.

Sue the first guy in small claims. 

 

Hope this works out. 

Edited February 15, 2017 by Vicleonardo1

[Mark92131]

4 hours ago, JOHN BOY said:

He called and said He had to Heat the head bolts to get them off?

 

If he put a torch to the head bolts, I would be worried about any heat related damage to the head (warping, valve seals).  Usually, the issue is the exhaust manifold nuts, they are hard to reach and are usually rusted on.

 

1 hour ago, JOHN BOY said:

He said he could only find a 1982 320i  m10 motor in the labor guide to go by to estimate the repair.

 

The 75 BMW 2002 Head R&R labor should be significantly less than a 1982 320i M10 with fuel injection and more smog related components.  Head removal is a 2 hour job without complications and a 4+ hour job if things don't go smoothly.  $1300 to R&R the head, machine it flat, replace the head gasket and re-assemble is reasonable, 8 months and $900 to remove the head is not.  I would try to renegotiate the $900 removal fee and tow it somewhere else for final repair, or hold them to their $1300 original estimate for delivering a running/driving/repaired car.

 

Good luck,

 

Mark92131

 

 

[rstclark]

I like the suggestion about paying with a credit card  getting the car and all parts out of the shop.

Then if that didn't go well, I would dispute the charge with the credit card company to stop payment until a reasonable price could be worked out.

 

[Arizona02]

replace cyl head gasket  Mitchell  Labor guide  estimate  approx 5 hours for all years and Tii is 6 hours. add for rusted  frozen  nuts  bolts ( typical on exhaust manifold bottom row of studs )  or  accumulation  of grime from years of oil leaks