[wonsungnabi]

Hey guys,

I knew dp installation is difficult for unexperienced noob like me so i took it to a local bodyshop today. Quoted 2.5hours to 3hours, $225~250 which i thought pretty reasonable. Turned out they took freaking 8hours total and the pipes were touching each other. Because the pipes were close enough to touch each other, they didn't match up to middle pipes. The shop had to bend the middle pipes sooooo hard to fit them and that's why it took so long. It's MS coated donwpipes. I was so pissed and tired of waiting.

Well.... the worst part is that it's leaking after 8hours of waiting! They are going to put more gaskets on Monday if possible and see how it goes.

What should i do at this point? I worry about stresses on the parts for long term as they are bent so hard. And the exhaust is leaking. Should i just take it to another shop? I already paid $400 and wasted my Saturday.

B-day gift to myself became a huge headache.






a pic added

[D335I]

Originally Posted by wonsungnabi

Hey guys,

I knew dp installation is difficult for unexperienced noob like me so i took it to a local bodyshop today. Quoted 2.5hours to 3hours, $225~250 which i thought pretty reasonable. Turned out they took freaking 8hours total and the pipes were touching each other. Because the pipes were close enough to touch each other, they didn't match up to middle pipes. The shop had to bend the middle pipes sooooo hard to fit them and that's why it took so long. It's MS coated donwpipes. I was so pissed and tired of waiting.

Well.... the worst part is that it's leaking after 8hours of waiting! They are going to put more gaskets on Monday if possible and see how it goes.

What should i do at this point? I worry about stresses on the parts for long term as they are bent so hard. And the exhaust is leaking. Should i just take it to another shop? I already paid $400 and wasted my Saturday.

B-day gift to myself became a huge headache.

Which pipes did you get, Im in the market for a set and would hate to go through what you just did.

Hope it all works out.

[wonsungnabi]

I doubt it's the pipes. Alough the shop i took my car has good reputation in the area, they didn't seem to have many experience with our cars.

Anyway, it's MS coated. It's known as one of the best along with ar. I picked coated MS for $670 shipped over $730 non coated ar.

[Forcefed3]

You should not have let them bend anything. Post pictures if you can, it would be easier to give advice.

[wonsungnabi]

Originally Posted by gbreeE90

You should not have let them bend anything. Post pictures if you can, it would be easier to give advice.

Yea, you're right. I shouldn't have let them... It was over 4 hours, i had no choice. Is it too late to fix it by someone else? I will try to get pics when i go back.

[Forcefed3]

Originally Posted by wonsungnabi

Yea, you're right. I shouldn't have let them... It was over 4 hours, i had no choice. Is it too late to fix it by someone else? I will try to get pics when i go back.

Its too hard to say without looking at it.

[cn555ic]

This is the first I heard of ms pipes not fitting. The shop most likely installed them and not lining them up correctly. 8 hour install is way too much time for a shop using a lift

[wonsungnabi]

I will try to get more clear pics later. Any words would be appreciated.

[Bimmer This]

sounds like to me that the shop did not take the time to assess the situation but rather took the easy way out by bending the mid-pipes. My first set of DP's came on an Xi and it took myself and a friend 3 hours with a lift. Usually when the pipes are touching, you just have to loosen the v-band clamp and rotate the pipe a little bit.

[IlChengis]

Dude, the shop is ripping you off. You should have NEVER agreed to pay extra after they quoted you 2/2.5hrs (which at their rate was already overly expensive).

I hope you paid with Credit Card. Have your car towed to another shop (or a local member's house that has done DP install before, ask in your regional forum). Call the CC company and cancel payment, they are rigging your Bimmer and you're paying double of what a typical, correct DP install should cost.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

-Walter

[cstavaru]

Wow, I'm in the market for a Macht Schnell coated too...

I am no expert but from the downpipes angle I think that the shop really messed up the downpipe placement. Such an angle is just too high to be corrected with gaskets.

I know Mr. 5 has Macht Schnell pipes too, maybe he can give some advice.

[Jonny550]

Wow total idiots. Why would you let them do that, and on top of that i would have told them here is $200 give me my car back. They told you 2 hours and it was 4 times that. BS!.

[AlpineG05]

First off you should have told them to simply rotate the pipes sometimes that'll do the trick. When I installed my dps, I had a problem in which they were rubbing on each other and the steering rack. So I threw the car back on my lift, rotated the pipes, and used a pry bar just to create some clearance. The trick worked and I haven't a probelm since, however, in your case I think the shop F*cked up when they tried bending your mid pipes that was obviously the wrong step to take. Good luck OP

btw $400 is ridiculously high for a dp install

[blisstik]

Get out of there ASAP and cancel the payment. The job was not done correctly and they possibly damaged your midpipes.

[wonsungnabi]

Jesus, i suggested them to rotate the driver side pipe and they told me they can't, saying something with angle wouldn't work.

I drove the car back home, they told me it's oaky to drive.

and.. I don't think i can get refunds as i paid it with debit card, can't I?

[Bimmer This]

With that, your going to have to check with your bank. I definitly would say something to them about having to bend the midpipes. What if you wanted to put your stock DP's back on and now they don't line up.

[cn555ic]

Looks to me like the mechanic has not done any work on a N54. You should have asked the forum members local to your area who and which mechanic did they have their dps installed by. I would only trust someone that had prior experience and not have my car subject to someone who THINKS they can change it

[wonsungnabi]

Thanks for the help guys. I am going to ask the shop to fix it at no additional charge or money back.

[cn555ic]

Originally Posted by wonsungnabi

Thanks for the help guys. I am going to ask the shop to fix it at no additional charge or money back.

They first need to somehow bend the pipes back to its original position and then try to go from there and re-adjust the dps to the point they don't touch each other and then try to re-connect the midpipes to the dps. Macht Dps should fit just as good as the Ar ones and I have not heard one set that had figment issues. Good luck but the mechanic at this point is going to try to avoid working on the car as it's a total loss for his service and also to him he has to be stressed out with the install especially since he has been working on them for 8 hours!!!!!!!

[AlpineG05]

Your car is fine to drive but what about when you want to switch back to the oem
dps? Your midpipes will no longer line up properly IMO.

[Forcefed3]

Originally Posted by wonsungnabi

I will try to get more clear pics later. Any words would be appreciated.

Ok, these people do not seem to know what they are doing. First off, go get your money back for the extra labor that was not necessary. Then make them pay or fix your exhaust so you can get the downpipes on.

[IlChengis]

Originally Posted by wonsungnabi

and.. I don't think i can get refunds as i paid it with debit card, can't I?

Did you put your pin or did you sign? If you signed, you used it as a CCard. Might not have the same protections as "true" credit cards, but it should be easier to stop payment than if you used your pin.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

-Walter