Questionok, thanks for that information, that was very helpful. I went to the bmw dealer and they sell plugs fot the master cylinder but are out till next week so i will wait and then I am thinking I will buy those plugs and then take those along with my original master cylinder to a place to have it re-replaces. Is this a good idea?
I think the original one was fine as i only had 90k miles on it, but the car was in storage for a number of years and i know that the other rubber things on it wore out just sitting there, and the washers/plugs (are they the same thing) appear to be made of rubber. Also how good of a mechanic do i need to goto for this kind of job. I would like to goto a place that only charges $45.hour but they mainly work on Japanese cars. THere is a BMW specialist near me but he charges $90/hour. If you think it would pay off to goto him then i will. He gave me an estimate which includes some other things i need to have done ( replacing of Power Steering hoses and reservoir) of $315, which will probably actually be $350. This includes bleeding the brakes, etc.
The Japanese car expert will do it for $150. or $200 max.
He has low overhead. low rent place, etc. where as the bmw guy is in a prime area, which i think could be the main difference in the labor rate. which one should i goto?
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Followup To
Question -
Hi, 212-868-6878 mixymix@hotmail.com
I have brake fluid leak and I recently 6 months ago had the master cylinder replaced as was recommended, with a refurbished one, which may be my mistake. Well that did not solve the problem. but other pressing issues such as the lower ball joint assembly and control arms had to be replaced urgently and then the front struts collapsed and had to replace those too so the warranty time expired on the master cylinder so no i am tackling that problem. I am just driving around with bottles of brake fluid in my trunk and down shifting to slow down before i stop to not rely so much on the brakes but still dangerous. Well everywhere I goto they just say to replace the master cylinder with a new one but i am not convinced that that is the problem. I mean how can something made of solid steel be leaking? From close inspection the leak seems to be coming from where the master cylinder and the Brake fluid reservoir are connected. Could it be that all i have to do is replace those washers? One place suggested I replace the reservoir as well? Should I try just replacing those connectors? I mean I see that around the washer areas there is alot of moisture, like a faucet spout that if i could i would just tighten but i cannot get under there like a mechanic probably could? or do i need a special tool to tighten those things myself. Because the MC was used it did not come with new washers and the old ones were used which may have been a mistake. What should I do?
Answer -
Damn, you have bad luck!
It sounds like you are right about the seal however I don't know of a way to replace it though, you could try and see if A rebuild kit includes those washers. what i would recommend is getting one from a junkyard that has a warrenty or at least a good return polocy on defective units. rebuilt units are defective when they arrive at the place where they are rebuilt then they are rebuilt by childern or invalids whom do not replace every part whereas if you go to a junkyard your more likely to get one that previously was working well.
as for the controll arm ball joints, they are recomended to be replaced with the lower controll arm because of how they are pressed into the arm. you can get a set of new controll arms for about $150 or $75 each off ebay.
also keep in mind that brake fluid is highly corroseive and will eventually eat through paint, then metal.
Needless to say, the brakes are much more important than the front shocks or control arms. the cylinder does have more than one chamber so it's not likely you will ever be completely without brakes.
-cheers
AnswerIt all depends on how much you trust the mechanic. I'd say go to the cheaper mechanic with the understanding that should it not be fixed correctly it needs to be rectified. For $200 you could buy a reservoir hose and a decent master cylinder from a junkyard with a warranty (I know a few) and install it all yourself. I don't like messing with rebuilding master cylinders, I prefer to replace them. Chances are regardless of where you bring it, the reservoir will not be removed properly and it will leak afterwards (please excuse my mistrust in "speciality" mechanics 1/3 the questions i answer on this system are from dumb ass "bmw shops"). The repairs you are having done aren't terribly different than what you'd see on a Japanese or American car so for a repair like this I believe any general knowledgeable mechanic should be able to take care of.
-cheers
