Wow...I really appreciate your thoughts on the recent experience my friend had with his e32iL.
I agree that he paid he could have done some homework, ended up paying a premium price for a premium job, and it could have been worse (e.g., Zieg's experience). Ugh. My friend and I grew up wrenching on our father's GM cars (early 70s GM stuff) and eventually ended up driving Japanese and used BMWs that we never touched mechanically. I think he's ultimately OK with the $2800 bill because he has a solid car, loves the way it looks and drives, and did not have time to deal with doing research because he trusts the shop / owner with whom he deals. I do believe that the shop foreman &/or service writer could have communicated more effectively with him about the estimate (parts & labor) than they did. My friend clearly established that he did not want to spend even $1500 on the work at the moment (Christmastime) and opted to do only the 2 of the shocks. He was not aware that his car had the SLS system because it is an iL model not the i model. I wish he would have called me but...c'est la vie, eh? Again, thanks for letting me discuss this situation here...appreciate your insights, reactions, etc.
Tim