540i end of warranty + servicing…
Discussion
My 540i will be three years old in June, roughly 36k miles done. Awesome car!
I called BMW to book in an end-of-warranty inspection - to make sure anything potentially problematic can be dealt with within the warranty period - and for the scheduled oil service, brake fluid change and MOT.
Outcomes:
- they don’t do end-of-warranty inspections any longer
- oil change & brake fluid service quoted at £978
No thank you. I’ll find an independent to do the fluid changes (using whatever BMW specifies) and MOT.
What about the end-of-warranty inspection though? I’m keen on this as I’m planning to keep the car. It’s obviously quite a complex vehicle and any work is expensive ( as evidenced by £1k for brake fluid & oil change..!) so I’d prefer a rigorous inspection before the warranty expires. I’m happy to pay for the inspection to be done.
I can’t be the first/only PH’er to contemplate this. Are there firms that provide this as a service? What I am looking for here? Surrey / Guildford area.
Any pointers gratefully received!
I called BMW to book in an end-of-warranty inspection - to make sure anything potentially problematic can be dealt with within the warranty period - and for the scheduled oil service, brake fluid change and MOT.
Outcomes:
- they don’t do end-of-warranty inspections any longer
- oil change & brake fluid service quoted at £978
No thank you. I’ll find an independent to do the fluid changes (using whatever BMW specifies) and MOT.
What about the end-of-warranty inspection though? I’m keen on this as I’m planning to keep the car. It’s obviously quite a complex vehicle and any work is expensive ( as evidenced by £1k for brake fluid & oil change..!) so I’d prefer a rigorous inspection before the warranty expires. I’m happy to pay for the inspection to be done.
I can’t be the first/only PH’er to contemplate this. Are there firms that provide this as a service? What I am looking for here? Surrey / Guildford area.
Any pointers gratefully received!
Edited by WindyCommon on Tuesday 30th April 15:39
JNW1 said:
WindyCommon said:
- oil change & brake fluid service quoted at £978.
That sounds absolutely outrageous for an oil service and brake fluid change - for the work involved I'd say half that would still be expensive!
d_a_n1979 said:
JNW1 said:
WindyCommon said:
- oil change & brake fluid service quoted at £978.
That sounds absolutely outrageous for an oil service and brake fluid change - for the work involved I'd say half that would still be expensive!
Pica-Pica said:
d_a_n1979 said:
JNW1 said:
WindyCommon said:
- oil change & brake fluid service quoted at £978.
That sounds absolutely outrageous for an oil service and brake fluid change - for the work involved I'd say half that would still be expensive!
We all know that main dealer servicing has become v expensive, but the quote from BMW is ridiculous.
Local established independent with a good reputation has quoted £365 for oil change (using Shell Helix), brake fluid and a thorough inspection. They’ll be getting the work.
Part me of hopes they find an expensive problem that I can force BMW to fix under the warranty…
WindyCommon said:
Deviation said:
So it’s not an oil change, it’s a full service with spark plugs and a comprehensive vehicle inspection
Yes - they’ve confirmed that the quote covers the replacement of the spark plugs and air filter too.Still looks v steep to me.
WindyCommon said:
Yes - they’ve confirmed that the quote covers the replacement of the spark plugs and air filter too.
Still looks v steep to me.
Sounds like it would be marked as 3 hours of labour and some BMW dealers in this country have been charging over £200+VAT per hour for a number of years now, so your quote sounds pretty normal for a London/South East dealer. Still looks v steep to me.
BMW clobber you on filters as they have enormous profit margins on them.
The last service 18K\24 month service I had done on my 330d last June at a dealer:
Microfilter - £64
Oil filter - £27
Air filter - £75
Fuel flter - £59
For those who are just as carp at maths as I am, that's £225 just in chunks pleated paper. Madness.
The last service 18K\24 month service I had done on my 330d last June at a dealer:
Microfilter - £64
Oil filter - £27
Air filter - £75
Fuel flter - £59
For those who are just as carp at maths as I am, that's £225 just in chunks pleated paper. Madness.
WindyCommon said:
Yes - they’ve confirmed that the quote covers the replacement of the spark plugs and air filter too.
Still looks v steep to me.
If the car was a few months older, the price is quite a bit cheaper. The timing of all of that is quite unfortunate - you appear to have every single service item due at the same time which is why the bill is so expensive. The £350 quote from elsewhere probably isn't comparable.Still looks v steep to me.
If your car was a March 2021 car instead, the BMW price for the same collection of services appears to quote at £740. Still expensive, but not quite as bad!
Edited by Fox- on Thursday 2nd May 12:35
MitchT said:
Read up on the B58 oil filter issue.
Renew the warranty.
"Renew the warranty" exactly this. I wouldn't run any modern BMW without extended warranty. These can throw up *big* bills. My F30 has had over £7k of work done under extended warranty in 18 months. I think BMW's warranty company will be very relieved when I sell it. Renew the warranty.
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