What Coggin BMW charged me for an oil filter housing
The repair to my BMW required a genuine BMW oil filter housing. Before simply accepting the price on my repair estimate, I looked up the exact BMW part number myself. What I found surprised me.
BMW part number: 11-42-8-596-283 (also listed as 11428596283)
This wasn't an unknown BMW problem
BMW has documented oil filter housing failures in its own service bulletins since 2015, and is currently a defendant in a federal class action covering this exact component. See what BMW knew, and BMW of North America's response when I asked for goodwill assistance.
The exact same BMW part at other dealers
These are not aftermarket substitutes. Every price below is for the same genuine BMW part number: 11-42-8-596-283.
| BMW dealer / source | Price |
|---|---|
| Karl Knauz BMW / BMW Parts Now | $341.96 |
| BMW of Lincoln / BMW Direct Parts | $379.11 |
| BMW of South Atlanta | $394.28 |
| BMW of Stratham | $413.58 |
| BMW of Bloomfield | $459.53 |
| BMW MSRP | $459.53 |
| Coggin BMW Treasure Coast | $682.40 |
In other words, the price Coggin charged me was almost double the online price advertised through another authorized BMW dealership for the exact same genuine BMW part.
Coggin's price vs. each source
This isn't an aftermarket comparison
That's important. I'm not comparing Coggin's genuine BMW part with a cheap aftermarket replacement from Amazon, eBay, or an independent auto-parts store. I'm comparing BMW part #11-42-8-596-283 with BMW part #11-42-8-596-283 — the same genuine BMW part. The difference is the price.
I understand what "MSRP" means
MSRP means Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price. It's a suggested price, not necessarily a legally mandated maximum. Dealerships can set their own retail pricing, and online parts-department prices can differ from service-counter prices. That isn't the point of this comparison.
The question I think BMW customers should ask is: would you expect an authorized BMW dealership to charge you $682.40 for a BMW part with a $459.53 MSRP? I wouldn't have known there was a difference if I hadn't checked the part number myself.
And other authorized BMW dealer parts departments were advertising this exact genuine BMW part for less than MSRP.
Why this matters
A customer authorizing a major repair may naturally assume the price listed for a genuine BMW part bears some reasonable relationship to BMW's suggested retail price. I did. I wasn't told, "BMW MSRP for this part is $459.53, but our price is $682.40." I saw the price on the repair estimate. It wasn't until I researched the actual BMW part number myself that I discovered the difference. That's one reason I created this website.
Don't just look at the total repair bill
If you're given an expensive BMW repair estimate, ask for the actual BMW part numbers. Then check them. For every part, ask:
- What is the BMW part number?
- What is BMW's MSRP?
- What is this dealership charging me?
- What do other authorized BMW dealers charge for the same part?
The difference on just one part in my repair was $222.87 above MSRP. And this wasn't the first repair where I found parts priced above BMW MSRP — see the previous repair.
Verify it yourself
The part discussed on this page is:
Genuine BMW Oil Filter Housing
BMW part #11-42-8-596-283 / 11428596283
I encourage readers to search the part number themselves.
A note on pricing
Prices can change, and dealership online pricing may differ from in-store or service-department pricing. The prices shown on this page reflect what I documented when researching this part. I'm showing the comparison so BMW owners can make their own informed decisions.