[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by KNS

Sorry for your problems but anybody who brings an out-of-warranty car to a dealership isn't thinking clearly. I've only bought one new car in my life and I refused to take it to the dealership even while it was under warranty, I did all the servicing (and still do) myself. Ten years and 167,000 miles later ('04 BMW 325i) it runs fantastic and I've never even seen a check engine light. I attribute that to dealership techs having never laid their hands on it.

I understand if some do not have the workspace or time/tools to do their own work. In that case find a good independent garage.

This. Dealerships normally are not the elite and experienced mechanics - seems like most of those guys jump ship after a few years and open their own shop. The average dealership mechanic is straight out of tech school and only knows how to swap parts based on the computer diagnostics, and doesn't apply any real troubleshooting logic to repairs. If he replaces the wrong part, why should the customer pay?

Definitely find a good indie to take care of you. You'll probably save 50% and get far better treatment.