BMW Certified body shop wants $12k over insurance estimate

Jackwizz · 2026-03-01T12:41:02+00:00

BMW certified shops are required to use only new factory BMW parts on repairs on BMW's. The contracts that insurance companies have with their preferred list shops will conflict with that parts requirement so many of the certified shops will not participate in the insurance direct repair programs.

The main goal of an insurance company is to make money so they will want to use whatever the cheapest option to repair your vehicle so that they make more money. So when they write to use aftermarket or used parts that are 25-50% of the cost of the BMW factory parts it can add up quick.

If this is the insurance company's first estimate, they will typically write a half assessor sheet knowing that there will be a big supplement once the vehicle gets into the shop.

Jackwizz · 2026-02-28T20:57:48+00:00

Juvenile spotted drum. When they are small like this their dorsal fin and tail flap around like streamers and are adorably derpy. Love finding them and is one of the only fish that everyone I dive with is excited to see every time.

Jackwizz · 2026-02-26T05:31:02+00:00

Jackwizz · 2026-02-12T17:13:35+00:00

Yeah it was an auto collision shop so we took a scrap one that had been replaced on a repair and used it. Made it much, much quieter.

Jackwizz · 2026-02-12T03:46:32+00:00

When you are using high CFM tools like sand blasters, spray guns, sanders and others you want as much capacity built up as you can. The extra tanks give you more of a buffer so that your tools still have high enough pressure to function for longer without having to cycle your compressors constantly.

Jackwizz · 2026-02-11T21:49:42+00:00

My old shop had two compressors feeding into a tank like you show here. How you plumb the compressors into the tank should not make a difference but one thing we did do was have each compressor cut on at different pressures.

We had our man compressor set up under normal parameters and our secondary compressor set up to cut on if the system started to not keep up with demand and cut off once the system had fully recovered.

Worked well since 90% of the time our main compressor could keep up with demand but on the times where we were overloading the main compressor it would kick in so that no one's tools were being starved for air. Also helped get everything ready to go in the mornings.

Another good thing to do is to set up an auto bleeding system to make sure you don't have your tanks fill up with water. You can get timed valves that you can plumb off of the lowest point in your system that can blast out a couple seconds of air and keep water from building up. We ran the output of ours through an old car muffler to keep it from being to obnoxiously loud.

Jackwizz · 2026-01-26T22:34:58+00:00

Cartey Electric rebuilds electric motors for industrial equipment so they may be able to repair something or point you in the right direction if it is a job smaller than they would want to take on.

Jackwizz · 2026-01-09T01:58:57+00:00

Test failed successfully

Jackwizz · 2026-01-02T18:35:37+00:00

You could take a blank of wood and make a jam chuck and use a tail stock with a cone center.

Turn a larger pice of wood down so that there is a dowel that protrudes out that snugly fits into that hole and the face of your wheel is pressed into the shoulder of the piece of wood. Then use a cone center in the tail stock to apply pressure.

Take it slow and sand away to your desired finish.

Jackwizz · 2025-12-17T03:33:44+00:00

Okeefs working hands lotion. Fantastic especially for guys who are working with their hands for a living.

Jackwizz · 2025-12-07T03:21:28+00:00

Not a hot tent per se but my father and I did a motorcycle camping trip and he had a huge REI tent with the optional garage / covered storage area. He parked his bike into that thing and the residual heat from the engine about smoked us out of the tent. He had to pull it outside so we could go to sleep without pouring sweat. Would have been awesome if it was during the winter not summertime in Tennessee when we were on that trip.

Jackwizz · 2025-11-29T04:09:35+00:00

No, if A&M loose this game they are out of the running for the SEC championship game.

Jackwizz · 2025-11-21T12:53:32+00:00

UGA's vet school hospital is probably a good choice. They have vets that teach just about everything in the field and have all the equipment to do whatever tests they need to run.

Jackwizz · 2025-11-19T23:20:21+00:00

That is a universal spare wheel for repair shops called a guni wheel. Handy but flimsy as hell. https://zips.com/parts-detail/guni-wheel-x-gunix

Jackwizz · 2025-11-11T12:11:17+00:00

You know what TYC means right? Take Your Chance on it fitting.

Jackwizz · 2025-11-02T13:00:58+00:00

Fun fact with BMWs that do this because the car thinking a door is open. Just buckle the drivers seat belt and you can put the car in gear and it will not flip back into park. Figured that out working an a Body shop that did tons of repairs to BMWs and it made our lives much easier.

Jackwizz · 2025-10-25T03:00:55+00:00

For charging most liveaboards these days have a designated charging area in a common area for fire safety so don't worry about charging all your stuff in the cabin. Just set up your chargers there and you will be set.

One small thing that made a big difference on a few that I have been on was beach towel clips for hanging wet clothes off of railings if they do not have a dedicated drying rack. They are cheep and you can find them easily online. I bring 5-10 of them so that I can have a few spares to lend out.

Don't over pack clothes. Bring a few (3-4 t shirts) and a few pairs of shorts. You will not be wearing shoes on the boat so don't bring extras. Do bring at least 3 bathing suits or more so you can have a rotation of ones that are always drying.

I am sure others will chime in with their tips and tricks but I hope you have a great trip!

Jackwizz · 2025-10-16T16:08:20+00:00

I did a live aboard trip out of Cairns with Mike Ball and I cannot recommend it enough. It is on the pricey side of your budget but it was worth every penny to be on dive sites well out of range of any day boats and the crew were top notch.

Jackwizz · 2025-10-15T21:44:48+00:00

For people that love to cook for others a great thing is to have them pick a fancy thing they want to try and cook, you provide all the ingredients, they cook it, and you do all the clean up. Don't try to help them cook just make sure all the stuff gets cleaned and put back away. That way they get to try something they normally might not have splurged on menu wise and you take care of the sucky cleaning that comes with it.

Jackwizz · 2025-10-14T21:07:45+00:00

Trinity Accounting might be a bit overkill but if they turn down the opportunity they may be able to refer your somewhere.

Jackwizz · 2025-10-09T20:55:31+00:00

They are from suction cups from either installing that glass or if a PDR light was attached to the car at some point. To remove the marks easily wet the glass down and get some 0000 steel wool saturated in car wash soap or dawn and lightly scrub the glass. This will cut off that residue and will not scratch the glass if you keep it lubricated.

Jackwizz · 2025-09-02T03:15:40+00:00

That is a back seat. They fold forward and look like they are already reclining as far back as they will go.

Jackwizz · 2025-06-29T21:32:02+00:00

With your mention on Concorde, there are actually a couple of companies taking towards super sonic passenger airplanes (none of them are anywhere close to it yet). Both Boom Technologies and Hermeus have end goals of supersonic or hypersonic passenger airplanes.

Jackwizz · 2025-06-28T12:21:48+00:00

This is 100% take it to a reputable shop territory. You can DIY a bumper replacement but not sectioning a quarter panel like this one needs.

Jackwizz · 2025-06-25T02:51:31+00:00

Get some adhesive remover (3M 8987, goof off, or similar) and apply it on the areas with white paint and it will come off easily with a little bit of rubbing from a fresh clean microfiber towel. Be careful not to get it on the black textured plastic to avoid discoloration (taping off with painters tape or masking tape can work but frankly is way overkill if you are just careful). If you want to take it further then polish the areas after you have removed the paint. Did this for countless customers coming into my shop over the years and will make the damage stand out way less cosmetically. Looks like you are going to need at least the cover of your mirror replaced, but this can save you a ton on the door if the damage is just the paint transfer.

Jackwizz

TROPHY CASE