97 bmw 528i?
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M's take funky 10W60 oil that's like $20/litre or so. They also call for valve adjustments with the Inspection 2. I'm around a grand cheaper than the dealer on M inspections.
Yes, that's 3M Scotchprint 1080.
As far as those repairs, I've listed the costs below, along with the actual time it takes to do the work. All of this is super-easy DIY stuff, and the most complicated part is not being afraid to dive in.
My shop labor rate is $100/hour.
DESCRIPTION: LIST PRICE FOR PART / MY COST ON PART / BOOK LABOR TIME / ACTUAL TIME IT TAKES ME
Valve cover gaskets: $46.50 / $20 / 1.8 / 15 minutes
You sometimes need to replace the grommets as well, they're my cost $0.82 each, retail is $2.21 each.
Oil pan gasket: $36.58 / $22.17 / 5.2 / 1.5 hours
VANOS oil line banjo bolt: $8.00 (two washers) / $2.00 / 1.5 / 3 minutes
CVCC: $175.13 / $127.04 / 3.8 / 45 minutes
Lower Control Arms (all 4 that go bad in the front): $868.99 / $388.08 / 8.0 including alignment / 1.5 hours including alignment
Expansion tank: $99.79 / $50.50 / 1.4 / 10 minutes
Power steering reservoir & reservoir hoses: $109.38 / $61.46 / 4.5 / 30 minutes - usually you can just get away with installing a screw-type clamp in place of the OEM earclamps; if it's been leaking for a while the hoses will be cracked and require replacement. I replaced mine anyways.
So there ya go, that's pretty much it. I usually sell parts at just above my cost, that way I can undercut the shit out of any other shop and the dealer, while still using OEM parts. You can get all these parts that I listed above from eBay or Rock Auto for sometimes even cheaper than my cost is on them; Rock Auto usually carries Meyle and Lemforder, who are acceptable substitutes for OEM (Meyle actually manufactures some OEM components for BMW and Mercedes).
Paint and bodywork, done at the standard that I do work at, would have cost a customer several thousand dollars; it could have been done 'cheaply' for well under a grand, including the cost of the bumper and headlight lenses. The audio stuff was just stuff that I shopped around online for and bought when I found what I wanted for the right price; same with the coilovers (I think I paid $115 from eBay for them); a lot of it was more elbow grease and 'time spent' rather than big dollars on expensive parts. You can find parts for these cars cheap ALL OVER the internet, it's just a matter of taking the time to look for 'em.
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There really should just be an "Ask Wil" section. Or maybe just a thread.
Wil and I have similar taste in cars it would seem... but I guess we knew that a while ago. 
Junk.
The 2.7t is the problem based on what I have heard from previous owners. True?
INJEN78
HS LEGEND
changing the thread name now.this could be pretty informational actually.
Agreed. I'd have a question or two, but I'd read it all like I did this thread. Don't even really like the 5-series, but I know more about them now.
The thing with VW's and Audis is, they fall apart if they aren't METICULOUSLY maintained. They're great cars when new, they're great cars when they're taken care of, but they require a lot more attention than most other cars. I actually don't particularly dislike the 2.7, they're incredibly easy motors to work on and they're actually pretty well designed, and they work well for the most part. I actually finished up a 500hp turbo build on one a few weeks ago that we had to go in and rebuild thanks to someone else assembling the whole thing with the incorrect type of silicone (adhesive instead of RTV gasket silicone), so they're pretty fresh in my memory.
Audi/VW electrical systems are garbage, too, though. I've seen nightmare electrical problems that turn out to be DME pins that weren't properly crimped from the factory, modules that -brand new out of the box- refuse to accept coding, even shit as minute and arbitrary as service reminder indicators that will not reset. I'm not talking about using aftermarket or DIY scanners/diagnostic computers/etc, this is with real-deal OEM factory equipment. As of now, I don't even have any factory VAG stuff anymore - all I keep for VW/Audi is aftermarket scanners (Snap-On Solus Ultra and Launch), because I try to avoid doing any in-depth work on these. It just isn't profitable or beneficial. Crazy thing is, a LOT of other European shops are that way - some of the places I've worked won't even let VW/Audis in the shop AT ALL.
I tell customers that they're good 'warranty cars' or 'lease cars' - but if they plan on keeping them past the factory warranty, they need to be prepared to stay well on top of their vehicles.
I will say though, that they very well could have improved in recent years, and that I'm not including anything pre-94 or so...I simply have not ever worked on a pre-early-nineties Audi or VW, nor do I have any experience with them. I've got a handful of customers with newer Audis, and I've done tons of builds and work on R8's, but the R8 is a little bit more well thought out and well built (well built is relative) than the rest of their line. Fun fact, if you don't get every single heat shield in the right place when doing exhaust on an R8, you'll literally melt the rear bumper. Hasn't happened to me, but I watched another tech do that - despite my telling him 'dude, you're about to fuck up a $2500 bumper'.
If you've got an Audi that you bought new, did all the maintenance and whatnot yourself, kept up on everything, and it's still running great to this day, good for you - you did it the right way. If you're looking to buy a used Audi/VW and it's NOT from someone who has METICULOUSLY maintained it, you should consider allowing a professional repair facility to do a prepurchase inspection on it for you, just so you have someone who doesn't give two shits about the car give an unbiased opinion of its condition.
Audi/VW electrical systems are garbage, too, though. I've seen nightmare electrical problems that turn out to be DME pins that weren't properly crimped from the factory, modules that -brand new out of the box- refuse to accept coding, even shit as minute and arbitrary as service reminder indicators that will not reset. I'm not talking about using aftermarket or DIY scanners/diagnostic computers/etc, this is with real-deal OEM factory equipment. As of now, I don't even have any factory VAG stuff anymore - all I keep for VW/Audi is aftermarket scanners (Snap-On Solus Ultra and Launch), because I try to avoid doing any in-depth work on these. It just isn't profitable or beneficial. Crazy thing is, a LOT of other European shops are that way - some of the places I've worked won't even let VW/Audis in the shop AT ALL.
I tell customers that they're good 'warranty cars' or 'lease cars' - but if they plan on keeping them past the factory warranty, they need to be prepared to stay well on top of their vehicles.
I will say though, that they very well could have improved in recent years, and that I'm not including anything pre-94 or so...I simply have not ever worked on a pre-early-nineties Audi or VW, nor do I have any experience with them. I've got a handful of customers with newer Audis, and I've done tons of builds and work on R8's, but the R8 is a little bit more well thought out and well built (well built is relative) than the rest of their line. Fun fact, if you don't get every single heat shield in the right place when doing exhaust on an R8, you'll literally melt the rear bumper. Hasn't happened to me, but I watched another tech do that - despite my telling him 'dude, you're about to fuck up a $2500 bumper'.
If you've got an Audi that you bought new, did all the maintenance and whatnot yourself, kept up on everything, and it's still running great to this day, good for you - you did it the right way. If you're looking to buy a used Audi/VW and it's NOT from someone who has METICULOUSLY maintained it, you should consider allowing a professional repair facility to do a prepurchase inspection on it for you, just so you have someone who doesn't give two shits about the car give an unbiased opinion of its condition.
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