Is this good service history?

[ichbintk]

Been to see a car today (e46 330ci) with the following s/h at 52.5k miles:
03/04 13.3k oil/micro filter
06/05 24.6k Inspection 1/micro filter/body service (or something like that)
12/07 41.9k oil/micro filter

Is this regular enough? It's PDC was on 11/02. I want to go ahead with it but not sure about the history.
Thanks,
Tom

[kentmotorcompany]

There is every chance you have a service history looking like that if you only follow the service computer in the car. However the last one looks a bit late.

I would say the service history is good, of course not as good as one which has been serviced it every year regardless. Then there are lots of other things to consider as well as service history when buying a used car.

Don't write it off, if everything else is what you want.

[sparks_E39]

Personally I follow the computer on when it needs servicing, when I bought my E39 I made sure it had the big service straight away, and now I just do what the computer tells me, except for the yearly oil change. Mines getting another big service next month, last one when everything was done was two winters ago.

[phumy]

kentmotorcompany said:

There is every chance you have a service history looking like that if you only follow the service computer in the car. However the last one looks a bit late.

I would say the service history is good, of course not as good as one which has been serviced it every year regardless. Then there are lots of other things to consider as well as service history when buying a used car.

Don't write it off, if everything else is what you want.

Modern cars in this day and age do not necessarily require a service every twelve months, you are encouraged to use the onboard computer even by the manufacturers and dealers and as long as you follow that ruling then you wont go outside any warranty that may be present with the car..

[anonymous-user]

17k miles without an oil change, do some research on the web and read what people say about oil, 18 K miles for oil is a dream figure made up by car companies to get annual service for high mailage business cars, oil companies forced to go with it, there is loads on the web about oil companies not really supporting this.
Now I have four cars with over 100k on the clock and high milage does not wory me, but I would n't touch a car that I knew did not have an oil change for 17 K miles,

[Vee]

My old 330ci was service according to the computer for 7 years.
Absolutely no problems with it.

That one looks like it will be due an Insp2 shortly. Get a quote froma dealer inside the M25 and use that as a bargaining point. Obviously then get it serviced by a decent independent.
Is is a sport ? If so decent tyres are expensive, particularly the rears. Another possible bargaining point.

ETA : what about the coolant & brake fluid changes. Should have had a couple of each.

Edited by Vee on Friday 15th October 09:56

[phumy]

Berw said:

17k miles without an oil change, do some research on the web and read what people say about oil, 18 K miles for oil is a dream figure made up by car companies to get annual service for high mailage business cars, oil companies forced to go with it, there is loads on the web about oil companies not really supporting this.
Now I have four cars with over 100k on the clock and high milage does not wory me, but I would n't touch a car that I knew did not have an oil change for 17 K miles,

So you are willing to take your car to the main dealer every twelve months and tell them to service it, even if they say it does not require it? At the price of servicing at an all time high now, some at £100 to £120/hour you are throwing money away. If you take it to a independant to do the service you will lose the warranty on the car, so you really have only one choice and that is to follow the service indicator. Once out of its initial three year period then do what ever you want, but until then, unless money is no object you are tied to them.

I work in heavy industy and all of our machines are serviced on hours run and not time based and have been for years, hours run is the same as miles done.

[sparks_E39]

Cars can go further than 17k without an oil change, certainly cars in the past 15 years. Older cars maybe not so far.

[phumy]

I have a year 56 E90 and its just had its 3rd service and its showing 17500 to the next oil change, it did 18200 between this last change and the one before. Its on an extended warranty now, I can see no reason why should i service it more than BMW states.

[anonymous-user]

Yep Phumy you and I are in the same business I think, and I agree we run all our kit on hours run,and we build in huge safty margins, but the car makers do the caculation on what is needed to reach the end of the warranty, from what I've read, the Oil companies have only agreed to 18/20K oil changes under duress from the car maker, there was some interesting stuff on the Honest John colum of the Daily T about high mile company cars being serviced as per the makers recomendation, as compered to cars that had their oil changed every 5 K miles, the latter were much better buys, I also read somwhere that shell tried to limit oil changes to 14K but had to give up under pressure from car makers.
So I think the recomendation from GE on the service interval on a big engine running a gas compressor is Ok, but the car maker says what is needed to get to 70 K miles in 3 years, bhe has no interet in the sceond owner. My personnal opinion, is that regardless of what it says 'on the can' no oil I'd never run an oil for 18K, if I wanted to keep a car.

[M5Dave]

ichbintk said:

Been to see a car today (e46 330ci) with the following s/h at 52.5k miles:
03/04 13.3k oil/micro filter
06/05 24.6k Inspection 1/micro filter/body service (or something like that)
12/07 41.9k oil/micro filter

Is this regular enough? It's PDC was on 11/02. I want to go ahead with it but not sure about the history.
Thanks,
Tom

If the car does a low annual mileage, then I think BMW recommend a two year time limit between services.

Based on that the third service was about six months late, and it should have had an Inspection 2 service around December 2009.

[Mustard]

Its an 'ok' history

last service was late on time, and is overdue another on time and its an Inspection II

[Monkeylegend]

Berw said:

Yep Phu My you and I are in the same business I think, and I agree we run all our kit on hours run,and we build in huge safety margins, but the car makers do the calculation on what is needed to reach the end of the warranty, from what I've read, the Oil companies have only agreed to 18/20K oil changes under duress from the car maker, there was some interesting stuff on the Honest John colum of the Daily T about high mile company cars being serviced as per the makers recommendation, as compered to cars that had their oil changed every 5 K miles, the latter were much better buys, I also read somewhere that shell tried to limit oil changes to 14K but had to give up under pressure from car makers.
So I think the recommendation from GE on the service interval on a big engine running a gas compressor is Ok, but the car maker says what is needed to get to 70 K miles in 3 years, he has no interest in the second owner. My personal opinion, is that regardless of what it says 'on the can' no oil I'd never run an oil for 18K, if I wanted to keep a car.

My last car did 320k miles and was serviced every 17/18k miles with no problems. My current one has done 240k miles and has also been serviced every 18k miles or so with no problems. No point in getting them serviced unnecessarily.

Having said that it's a Merc so probably doesn't apply to a BMW

Edited by Monkeylegend on Friday 15th October 17:32