Does it really cost $3,500 to change the coils on this car?

Tiny
CHRISTOPHER SA
  • MEMBER
  • 2016 BMW X1
  • 2.0L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 100,000 MILES
My girlfriend has this car and recently a check engine light came on. She took the car to her local BMW dealer, and they charged $250 for a diagnostic and seemed to get the check engine light sorted.

After collecting the car, the check engine light came on again a day later. So, she took the car back to the same dealership. This time they told her it could be the coils, or a new engine would be needed. She authorized them to change the coils, and it cost her $3,500.

That seemed to sort the check engine light issue for a week or so. Then it came back on again.

I am not sure what the heck is going on, but my concern is that the dealership is milking her for her money, as they can't seem to get the diagnoses right.

So my question to you is firstly does it really cost that much to have the coils changed? There are only 4 of them for heaven's sake!

My second question is do you have any idea what this issue (of the check engine light coming on) could be?

Researching online it seems that a new petrol cap may be needed as a poor petrol cap seal could be the issue.
Monday, March 31st, 2025 AT 2:33 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 15,240 POSTS
Without knowing the code(s) that are activating the light there is no good way to answer your question. There are hundreds of things that can turn on the CEL, especially on a BMW as they are extremely over engineered.
As for the coils, they are very easy to change out with a book time of 1 hour for all 4 and a US list price of $97.00. The part number is 12138643360 if you wish to look them up over there. However, unless they get an astronomical labor charge that job should be under $800.00 or so. You might want to try a different shop rather than that dealer. Maybe go with her as it sounds like they saw her as prey.
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Monday, March 31st, 2025 AT 2:50 AM
Tiny
CHRISTOPHER SA
  • MEMBER
  • 255 POSTS
Good god! That was fast! Thanks for the really fast and informative response. I will dig into this further and see what I can come up with.
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Monday, March 31st, 2025 AT 3:03 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 15,240 POSTS
You are welcome. I dislike shops that pull that sort of stuff as it gives the industry a bad name. I've know folks who have visited other dealers and shops, got their prices and then gone to corporate for overcharges like this. I wish you luck. You might want to look into getting at least a code reader that works with that car. There are a number of them out there that work with smart phones or are stand alone. That way you would at least have the code and if you post that and the symptoms it can help a lot.
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Monday, March 31st, 2025 AT 8:03 AM

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