M3 E46 service cost
Discussion
gun12b said:
its due an inspection 2 service, just got a quote of over a £1000 from bmw in york. went to see a bmw independant,around £600. phoned bmw somewhere else,£760 inc vat. its a 2002,is it worth getting it done ???
Well when you cometo sell it not serviceing it correctly will probably cost you more, I wouldn't touch an M3 with a crap history.Specialist or Main dealer but it needs one,
You want the M3 fun you have the M bills
Get a price from a highly regarded Indy that uses genuine parts.
Check whether the prices are inclusive of any shims that may be required for the tappet adjustment.
Get it done before the end of December when the VAT goes up to 17.5%
My local Indy quotes just under £500 for the Inspection 2, inc 15% VAT, however excluding any shims that are required.
Check whether the prices are inclusive of any shims that may be required for the tappet adjustment.
Get it done before the end of December when the VAT goes up to 17.5%
My local Indy quotes just under £500 for the Inspection 2, inc 15% VAT, however excluding any shims that are required.
gun12b said:
its due an inspection 2 service, just got a quote of over a £1000 from bmw in york. went to see a bmw independant,around £600. phoned bmw somewhere else,£760 inc vat. its a 2002,is it worth getting it done ???
I'd try speaking with with BMW Stratsone in Harrogate. Bit of a treck but they will price match and they do look after you. I had a steap quote for my E92 M3 from the supplying dealer in Leeds, these guys were loads cheaper and easier to deal with. The guy I spoke with was Colin on the service desk. Get his first price then start asking for a better quote etc. He's a good chap.
Hope it helps and good luck.
Sods Law said:
gun12b said:
its due an inspection 2 service, just got a quote of over a £1000 from bmw in york. went to see a bmw independant,around £600. phoned bmw somewhere else,£760 inc vat. its a 2002,is it worth getting it done ???
Well when you cometo sell it not serviceing it correctly will probably cost you more, I wouldn't touch an M3 with a crap history.Specialist or Main dealer but it needs one,
You want the M3 fun you have the M bills
shoestring comes to mind.drivin_me_nuts said:
Last full services on the M5 came to less than £400 each. Just take it to a good solid independent. M car bills are huge - that's a delightful myth that BMW would have you swallow every time. It really doesn't have to be the case.
Yes and no.An indy can maintain an M for boggo 3 series main dealer rates, however the same indy could maintain the boggo 3 series for much less also.
An M will always be proportionately more to run than the standard models ... somewhere between 50% and 100% more as a guesstimate.
Despite the cost, it is always worth maintaining the cars to their best as cutting corners, or bodges, are false economy.
Plenty of people buy and run M cars because of the kudos/badge. That goes for cars of all ages. These owners are more likely to cut corners. I'd rather have an M with a few cosmetic scuffs that has been owned by a true enthusiast over a pampered polished "cruiser" that has been mechanically neglected.
mat205125 said:
drivin_me_nuts said:
Last full services on the M5 came to less than £400 each. Just take it to a good solid independent. M car bills are huge - that's a delightful myth that BMW would have you swallow every time. It really doesn't have to be the case.
Yes and no.An indy can maintain an M for boggo 3 series main dealer rates, however the same indy could maintain the boggo 3 series for much less also.
An M will always be proportionately more to run than the standard models ... somewhere between 50% and 100% more as a guesstimate.
Despite the cost, it is always worth maintaining the cars to their best as cutting corners, or bodges, are false economy.
Plenty of people buy and run M cars because of the kudos/badge. That goes for cars of all ages. These owners are more likely to cut corners. I'd rather have an M with a few cosmetic scuffs that has been owned by a true enthusiast over a pampered polished "cruiser" that has been mechanically neglected.
I'll sell you mine in 4 years time with 250k on the clock (but full Forza history!)
OK?
To the OP - did you not check the service costs rprior to buying? - do NOT be tempted to cut corners!
I'm more inclined to (and do) to go to a recognised indy due to
a) Cost
b) skill set and care *likely* to be higher than your average main dealer
Soovy said:
Pay for BMW to do it.
You'll knock more than the difference off the value of your car if you go Indy. I wouldn't touch an M3 without a BMw history.
Agree 100% if we are talking about a car that is only a few years old, however once the car hits its 5th or 6th birthday this no longer becomes the case. You'll knock more than the difference off the value of your car if you go Indy. I wouldn't touch an M3 without a BMw history.
I'd also trust my indy to do a better job on my car than a main dealer.
When we are saying Indy, do we mean local cornershop garage or BMW specialist.
With a car of 6 years old or so I would never discount it from a buying point of view just because it hasnt got Full MD BMW SH.
A BMW specialist will be just as good but probably better with regard to its maintainance/care at service time - and be half the price.
To the OP, dont be a tightfisted wally - get it done at a specialist and you will be looking at around £500 for the service; plus you will be actually able to sell it.
Oh, and with any M car aronud that age, there will be other things that need attention. Dont ignore them as they will all add up and you will be left with one dog of a car.
With a car of 6 years old or so I would never discount it from a buying point of view just because it hasnt got Full MD BMW SH.
A BMW specialist will be just as good but probably better with regard to its maintainance/care at service time - and be half the price.
To the OP, dont be a tightfisted wally - get it done at a specialist and you will be looking at around £500 for the service; plus you will be actually able to sell it.
Oh, and with any M car aronud that age, there will be other things that need attention. Dont ignore them as they will all add up and you will be left with one dog of a car.
All you have to think about is, Will you get alot more money when the time comes to sell it if it has FBMWSH. The answer is no! Most people will accept a "specialist" stamp & if they don't they will almost certainly find something not to there liking & offer you alot less anyway! If you have owned the car for more than a year you have to work out the cost saving in "specialist" or "main dealer" prices & work out if you would gain that extra money when selling. In my experience when selling my Z3M Roadster, it had FBMWSH up until the point i bought it. I then had it serviced & a couple of parts replaced by a "specialist" & i still sold it for a great price, hence the extra costs at a "main delear" wouldn't have given me anymore cash in my pocket once sold.
mat205125 said:
Soovy said:
Pay for BMW to do it.
You'll knock more than the difference off the value of your car if you go Indy. I wouldn't touch an M3 without a BMw history.
Agree 100% if we are talking about a car that is only a few years old, however once the car hits its 5th or 6th birthday this no longer becomes the case. You'll knock more than the difference off the value of your car if you go Indy. I wouldn't touch an M3 without a BMw history.
I'd also trust my indy to do a better job on my car than a main dealer.
Yeah I think a lot of this comes down to which independent specialist we're talking about.
There are many good specialists who have a far better track record with M Cars than main dealers do.
Sure if you've got a new E92 then you'd be daft not to keep it within the dealer network, but if you're talking about a 2002 E46 M3 I’d find yourself a good local specialist.
There are many good specialists who have a far better track record with M Cars than main dealers do.
Sure if you've got a new E92 then you'd be daft not to keep it within the dealer network, but if you're talking about a 2002 E46 M3 I’d find yourself a good local specialist.
gun12b said:
its due an inspection 2 service, just got a quote of over a £1000 from bmw in york. went to see a bmw independant,around £600. phoned bmw somewhere else,£760 inc vat. its a 2002,is it worth getting it done ???
I know it's knowhere near you but if you will go to a decent indy you will get much lower prices.I'm going here next time. http://www.a-ltuning.com/bmw/bmw-%20Service.html
And there are other places with siilar prices such as, http://www.forzawest.com/
It's a no brainer on an older car. Altough Cotswold BMW are reasonable. Maybe worth a weekend away if you can't find anyone cheap up near you.
Matt
GameOverMan! said:
gun12b said:
its due an inspection 2 service, just got a quote of over a £1000 from bmw in york. went to see a bmw independant,around £600. phoned bmw somewhere else,£760 inc vat. its a 2002,is it worth getting it done ???
I'd try speaking with with BMW Stratsone in Harrogate. Bit of a treck but they will price match and they do look after you. I had a steap quote for my E92 M3 from the supplying dealer in Leeds, these guys were loads cheaper and easier to deal with. The guy I spoke with was Colin on the service desk. Get his first price then start asking for a better quote etc. He's a good chap.
Hope it helps and good luck.
Stratstone Harrogate have done all the servicing on my E46 M3CS since I've had it and I've always found them pretty reasonable (and they will negotiate on price!). The charge from them for my last oil service was less than £100 (although you've got to add the cost of the oil to that which I supplied); even so, not much more than £150 all in which I don't think is too bad for an M3 from a main dealer!
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