Dawn2002 Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Hello We imported our BMW 325i last year, after nearly 4 years it has had it's first problem. It needs 2 new injectors. The garage advised us there were none in Australia and they needed to order them from Germany. Due to the cost and they advised we needed to make a down payment or we could leave the car with them. We can't drive it as apparently it can damage the valves which sounds even more expensive so we've left it with them. Just over 2 weeks later and they're still waiting for the parts..... So it's becoming increasingly annoying for us. I checked with BMW in Australia before we imported it regards the availability of parts (as it's a 3l and as far as I know the 325's here are 2.5) and they said there'd be no problem. I just wondered if anyone else had a similar experience with a European model that's slightly different to the Australian version. as the car gets older although it's been well maintained I expect things to go on it, just trying to know if I need to expect this every time so we can manage our expectations ! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thediggler Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 I'd ask the garage to confirm the part numbers they are waiting for and then contact a local BMW dealer to see whether there is a stock shortage. Your friendly mechanic may be trying to pull the wool over your eyes (or not perhaps if BMW confirm the parts are indeed out of stock). Might also be worth checking ebay (Oz and UK) in the future to see whether you can source any used or copy parts which might save you a fortune on any future repairs, even with the shipping costs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn2002 Posted July 15, 2014 Author Share Posted July 15, 2014 Thanks theDiggler, think I'll do that in future. I have just had a call from the garage, and apparently the parts are being held up in customs. They're hoping to get themThursday or Friday !! So fingers crossed we'll get it back for next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Try http://cdsa.net.au/ owned by an English mechanic who came across this problem alot on moving here and also discovered even parts that are available here they are very expensive. They cater for petrol and diesel (although mainly diesel) and cover most makes of vehicle. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn2002 Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 Thanks to you guys who replied, thought I'd let you know, the car will be ready finally tomorrow. So just over 3 weeks. I will almost certainly look at getting the parts myself next time. But hopefully that won't be for a very long time ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosseboy Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Yes we had a problem with our Renault Clio Sport but we have a local garage (Maddington Central) where one of the guys worked at a Renault dealer in the UK. They were the Perth agent for Iron Lady so they handled the car from the start. They had to import a coil and leads as the spec was different in Oz. So now we give them notice for the service so they can check if they need any parts to come from the UK. Actually we find things from the UK can get here quicker than things from "over East" and are often cheaper even with postage. The Clio needed a new exhaust. I dreaded the cost and delay. I went to the local Renault dealer who told me not to order through them as it would take 3 weeks and cost a lot. So he sent me to a custom exhaust maker who made the exhaust in a day and charged $660 with a long guarantee. So nobody in the UK told us there would be problems with parts. Then there is my Volvo, 2 years old and some of the electronics are "country specific" and once set for the UK cannot be changed. So the sat nav won't work and cannot be converted. On the other hand the warranty is worldwide and Volvo have given good service as has the local dealer Premier Motors. If you have a car without a spare wheel but with a compressor and can of gunge, buy an emergency spare before leaving the UK. I had a tear in a tyre and had to be recovered to the dealer by the RAC. If this had happened outside Perth, I could have been stranded for days sorting out a new wheel and tyre . Then (another thing they don't tell you) the tyres are different here and you can't mix them on one axle so I had to buy 2. The puncture with 2 tyres and buying the spare cost $2000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn2002 Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Fosseboy, you've had a bad run there, sorry about that. We had to have 4 new tyres when we imported the car, cost $1250 for Pirelli run flats and I thought that was a lot !! Particularly miffed as it had passed it's MOT only 2 months before leaving and only around 200 miles in that time. Luckily we don't have a sat nav, we bought a new instrument cluster before we left for £ 600, but haven't had it fitted yet. Incidentally the car is now back at the garage as it is still mucking about, but obviously not when we take it in to them!! The total bill so far including new spark plugs is $1250. Come to the conclusion that everything on Beamers is twice as much here !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwkl Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 BMW parts are expensive here, and if not in stock, they import them from Germany so there's a delay. For some garages, they will only use parts they have supplied as well. If you have a friendly dealer from the UK, you could ask them to ship parts out to you. I've done it a few times with Cotswold Gloucester and they've been great. Most of the time, even with shipping, it works out cheaper than here. Doesn't help with tyres though so best to get them replaced before leaving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn2002 Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 BMW parts are expensive here, and if not in stock, they import them from Germany so there's a delay. For some garages, they will only use parts they have supplied as well. If you have a friendly dealer from the UK, you could ask them to ship parts out to you. I've done it a few times with Cotswold Gloucester and they've been great. Most of the time, even with shipping, it works out cheaper than here. Doesn't help with tyres though so best to get them replaced before leaving. Pwkl, We've been told it now needs a new petrol pump, I'm waiting for a price from the BMW garage we bought it from in the UK. The garage doing the work here are going to get back to me Monday with a total cost for the job too. Just wondering, what's the go with customs charges/tax etc for the imported parts ? I was planning on getting my mum to pick the part up and send it over, so guess I'll have to pay VAT. Would that be advisable or should I just get the garage to send it ? Assuming they will do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwkl Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Like anything sent from overseas, there's a possibility you may get hit with tax when it arrives here but so far I haven't (this applies for any goods sent over, not just car parts). If you have the option of your mum bringing it over then go with that, otherwise I would just get it sent over. Sorry, I mis-read your post, I would just get the garage in UK to send over. Just check that the garage that will fix it for you will accept this though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Chef Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Unfortunately, the managers in the service centres at all European car dealers here wear Rolex watches for a reason. Best to avoid dealerships at all cost if you want to avoid astronomical bills. In every capital city there will be plenty of smaller mechanics who specialise in certain makes and models, especially if the cars are a bit older and hard to find parts for. I should point out that even cars sold new here have similar problems with parts availability, annoyingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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