OT: cost of 540i-6 clutch job

[markus]

long story short my friend is a valet at a club here and now he has to buy a new guy a clutch. how much does this typically run at a shop? I told him about $900.

car is a E39 540i-6 and not an E34 if that makes any difference.

[Jehu]

without the flywheel

[markus]

can it be resrufaced or no?

[Jehu]

I hear they sometimes can, that needs someone who knows what it needs to look like. Mine had about 160,000 miles on it and i was told it needed to be replaced. Doesn't seem like its any great deal additional work once you're in there but the part is around $700-800

[bbig119]

I can't imagine that it'll cost any less than an E34 clutch. The flywheel isn't cheap-- I paid $750 for a new flywheel. Entire clutch job cost $1800. So hope for your friend's sake that the flywheel can be salvaged.

[Paul in NZ]

i hope he hasnt been scammed for a clutch that was already toast

[RallyD]

unless your friend did something really stupid, he shouldnt pay for it. The valet company/club should bear the responsibility.

I'd just find a new job, easier than shelling out $1800

sounds like the owner's trying to scam a free clutch job.

How can the owner prove that your friend did the damage? Did your friend admit guilt?

[Ferret]

It's near impossible to break a clutch unless it's at the end of its life, something else has failed causing a chain of faults, or he did something /really/ stupid... scam?

EDIT : In fact the only thing I think would probably kill it is the effect of a J-turn - slamming it from reverse to first at high reverse speeds - and even then the anti-shock mechanism in the clutch's pressure plate, the 'clutch saver' and the guibo should all protect the clutch...

[markus]

he might just quit the job and tell them to go pound sand. i told him he shouldnt be the one responsible for paying. you cant predict or prevent a car from breaking.

[saluki540i]

Check clutchexpress.com I bought a new OEM/Sachs clutch kit & flywheel from them. I've purchased several clutches for different cars from them and they're very easy to deal with. I paid $779 for everything shipped. The only other thing I needed was the alignment tool, which was $10.00. If the flywheel has to be replaced and it's anything like the E34's, you'll need a long T-60 socket to reach the recessed bolts, along with an impact gun. The super long T-60 socket is not easy to find, BMW of course, has a proprietary tool for this. Using their tool avoids having to blink through the tears as you grind down expensive Snap-On sockets to fit the recess on the DM Flywheel.