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Be careful, from memory they cant insist, but BMW will wriggle out of anything, so for such a small amount the risk just isn't worth it.
My 320D is coming up to 2 years old and 18k miles so is due it's first service. As it's still in the warranty period (1 year remaining) I was minded to have this done at a main dealer, I'm not sure why, it just feels right. I've had a company car for the last 30 years and this is the first time I've had to fund this myself. Got quite a shock when I went to book this online, it's £164 for what seems to be not much more than an oil change! Oh, and if they determine it also needs a new microfilter (whatever that is) then the cost rises to £224. Can't but help feel I'm being gouged. Is there any downside to using an independent garage for this service whilst the car is still in warranty?
Be careful, from memory they cant insist, but BMW will wriggle out of anything, so for such a small amount the risk just isn't worth it.
This - not worth the argument with BMW if you have a subsequent issue.Originally Posted by adrianw
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Go to the dealer, they will health check the car for you at the same time and should do a good valet job (inside and out) all inclusive. Plus, as said, peace of mind if anything goes pear shaped.
This
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Seems a no brainer if its in warranty...
Main Dealer - They can't claim it wasn't done properly if anything subsequently fails...
M
Thanks all for the replies, and we seem to have a consensus! Like I said in the OP, I was minded to go with the main dealer, was just a bit surprised at the price. I must be out of touch...
Main Dealer, this early, it's under warranty and they may find issues that need replacement parts, (under warranty), that you are not aware of
As I recall, so long as the car is serviced " in accordance with manufacturer's requirements" there should be no issue. The BMW service will be dearer than a specialist as the labour content will be about double. However, as it looks at though this will be the only service done while the car is under warranty , the extra few quid might be worth spending.
Your car hasn’t been serviced in 2 years & 18k miles? Wow.
(And yes, I’m aware that’s what the servicing schedule allows. But still...)
Well, you can thank "condition based servicing" for that...https://www.marshall.co.uk/bmw/servi...ce--explained/
In my case I bought the car 2nd hand (12 months old) from a BMW approved centre and it did have some kind of "health check" but not a service.
To be honest, that's not a complete mickey take. BMW's take a lot of good quality oil so even at an independent, it won't be much cheaper than this.
Where they'll get you is the additional work needed. Get it serviced, pay your money then take the , (likely very long), list of things needed to your local garage. Here, they'll probably tell you none of it needs doing.
£164 doesn't seem expensive for a 2 year service on what is considered a premium car. Servicing at a main dealer will also make it a more attractive buy for others when you come to sell.
If I were buying a car like that secondhand and saw the owner had gone independent for servicing when the car was only 2 years old, I would worry what else they are skimping on (rightly or wrongly)
That doesn’t seem a bad price but shop around. Deffo go to a main dealer for a car that new.
If you ever think you may rely on goodwill from BMW after the warranty expires, have it done a the stealer.
I think this is a microfilter/pollen filter
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-B...5/282843101423
And you could probably easily fit it yourself.
I'd always subscribed to that view BUT I think it depends how long you intend to keep the car. I would have thought that at, say, 5 years old, main dealer service vs independent service wouldn't make much different to the price.
Agreed - I struggle to keep a car longer than a year or maximum two :)
Cooper in Reading is shit for service don’t go there
You fork out big money for a first class motorcar. Changing oil needs about 5 litres. E.g. Castrol Edge costs about 15 euro/litre. About 75 euros. Given the fact that it's about a one-hour-job @ 100 euros/hr, you're looking at 175 euro. That's close to the 164 GBP.
100 euro/hr is high. But hey, that's what you can expect when you enter a BMW showroom!
One word of warning: only 18K in 2 yrs will shorten the actual life of the engine... The engine will not warm up properly. Diesels (and especially BMW's) are high mileage machines. These engines are so efficient that it takes ages for them to reach operating temperature. And heating a half bucket full of oil to heat up properly isn't done in 5 or 10 miles! Short distances can cause havoc under the valve covers! You should consider replacing it with a petrol or hybrid version.
Mrs T-7's X5 went in for it's first service at local BMW dealer (Dick Lovett BMW Bath) recently. Failed to refit a panel which had come adrift, I could see from my kitchen window that it hadn't been done. Came back with a fault which hadn't been present before the "service". Also had the windscreen washer fluid "low" warning come up 2 days after the car was returned, despite the washer fluid having been supposed to be topped up & no doubt charged. I went in & complained about the latter & the service manager sympathised & said that he would email Mrs T-7 & apologise. He did just that. Mrs T-7's response was "what good is that to me?" Had to fill up the washer fluid myself.
Nah, not in London and the Home Counties which will be double that.
A Volvo dealer near the south coast is £144/hr including the Vodka And Tonic.
Hahahaha....................BMW good will!
They won't be buying 1 litre bottles!
If they are like FIAT/Alfa Romeo/Jeep they charge the litre-bottle price even though they buy it in big drums.
They also specify Selenia lubricants - rare as hens teeth and expensive.
8 years ago an oil change was £135 on top of £370 for the "service" (i.e. the application of a greasy thumb print on the steering wheel and 10 minutes on the fault analyser).
Main dealer servicing is a rip off, and often less is covered than you’d get at an independent. It’s called the block exemption that means manufacturers cannot withold warranty due to servicing elsewhere, as long as the proper schedule is followed. That said, main dealer servicing is, without a doubt, beneficial come the time to sell.
Plus one for that. When I left the BMW network in early 2016 we charged £180 per hour for Labour in Centra London.
With those facts in mind, one could state that 164 gbp for a service is quite reasonable. And it put my wife's Honda dealer in a whole different perspective: she dropped the car off for a MoT and was handed the keys of a new Civic R. At the end of the day, she received a bill: 49 euros for the MoT (= including a Diesel particle test), no charge for the Civic, no charge for fuel.
Menno
£164 for a main dealer isn't a bad price tbh.
Think of it like this. You spend £25k on a Daytona, do you complain about a £500 service after a few years?
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Stick with the main dealer for the first three years at least. Do BMW still do the 4Plus scheme with discounted service rates for over four years old? In my opinion a full main dealer service history adds to the desirability and therefor the value of a car come sale time.
If the service interval is every 2 years because the mileage doesn’t warrant any more, then it’s only one service anyway
Main dealer up to its third year. My motorcycle's just had it's second service and they've replaced the headlamp due to fogging (£700 apparently!) and fitted a new centre stand due to slight paint corrosion on the tie brace. The service itself wasn't particularly cheap at £130 odd for what amounts to an engine oil and filter change and a final drive oil change but the fact they resolved the headlamp and centre stand issues made it a no brainer.
We paid for VW main dealer services on the wifes car up to the end of the warranty period. We had to do a 40 mile round trip, pay for insurance on the loan car and a hefty price for an oil and filter change. We stayed in the garage area visiting friends on the last service it had. The car was in the parking bay from when we left it until just after 4 pm, when it went into the workshop. We arrived back at the garage at 4.40 p.m. and the car was finished, washed and valeted. It was in the workshop for just under 15 minutes! Minor service £164 plus VAT plus loan car insurance ! Oil and filter cost me around £30 now. I wouldn't tackle some of the modern techy variable turbo/valve electronic doodahs but her Polo is safe with me!
I would take it to the dealer, also if there are other issues with now would be a good time to tell them to investigate and also get a health check. I put my f30 in 2 weeks ago and the dealer found loads of issues most of which where sorted under warranty.
Probably too late but they do service packages which might offer better value.
https://www.bmw.co.uk/bmw-ownership/...vice-inclusive
Haven't read it all but if transferable then might be a win-win.
I think they used to do 5 years so telling that it's now only 3!
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