Bearings from FCPGROTON?

[Dathaeus]

Hey all... i need my rear right bearing replaced, lot of squeaking and grinding, especially during acceleration and left turn, ie, more pressure, the more noise on the wheel.

Lot of people recommended fcpgroton.com for parts, and there is this one bearing part for $30, and my indy is telling me it cant be that cheap unless its a cheap Chinese piece of crap which he doesnt like to use... its MSRP is listed as $75.

Anyone have experience with parts there, do they really sell cheap Chinese parts? They have another one that seems to be the exact same model for $55... Then what about the ones listed for $60, are they different? They seem to have a black liner in the middle instead of tan. Here's the link to my search result:

Bearing (http://auto-parts.fcpgroton.com/bearing--make-BMW--model-3%252DSeries-1991%252D2000-%2528E36%2529)

And my indy said it will take about 2 hours labor and I think he charges $85/hr, so we are looking at about $170 for labor + part.

Thanks!

[mikell]

The problem is, you can't tell if a part is inferior until you have it in hand most of the time. I always go with a known quality part, even if it's a bit more expensive, because the cost of replacing a bad part - even if the vendor replaces it free - is the major cost. Not to mention being without the car for a while.
Have you shopped other sources? You don't need to go with a "Genuine BMW" part - you pay extra fior the box with the Roundel on it - places like BMAparts.com and autohausaz.com sell oem parts for alot less than dealers.
If you are a BMWCCA member, most dealers will give you a discount on parts of about 15%.
Godd luck.

[Dathaeus]

Ya I called and they said the cheaper one was an Asian version and the $50 is the OEM... so for just like $10 more I gave my indy the green light to just do his thing so he doesnt feel like he is putting in some off-brand part.

Result:
New OEM Rear wheel bearing: $60
Rear Hub: $89 (it was damaged, he said it needed to be replaced, showed me it was all scratched up in the contact with the bearing)
Labor: 2 hours (he never overcharges me on this): $170

Total (w/tax): $338

Just got my alignment and hopefully I will be set for a while... feels good and fast finally again, even though I am still getting slight vibration at certain speeds, but thats another thread, ugh!

[Ross]

"Rear Hub: $89 (it was damaged, he said it needed to be replaced, showed me it was all scratched up in the contact with the bearing)"

I'd be asking how it got that way.