[ga9213]

Seems BMW is keeping their maintenance schedule close to the chest these days.

Has anyone found inside info on what the true maintenance schedule is for us DIYers?

[chassis]

Oil seems to be on a “condition based” interval, eerily close to 10k miles.

Transmission is “sealed for life” as written in Newtis.com. Rubbish, but it’s there in black and white.

Axles and transfer case are usually easy enough to change the oil, 70k-100k miles is my rule of thumb.

Engine air filter my opinion is 50k miles.

Cabin air filters around every 20k-30k miles.

Spark plugs around 50k-60k miles.

Or do whatever you want. If you are a DIYer and have experience, you know when these things should be changed.

Carmakers and dealers are now in the business of working against consumers to extend the service life of vehicles. This is done by lack of repair procedure information, limited online parts catalogs and ordering capability, and dealers that outright refuse to do service work that is requested by the consumer, and the consumer has offered to pay for the service.

[ga9213]

You're right, for the most part I can apply out what I generally do for other vehicles.

I just wish they had something in writing. Thanks for the assistance.

[Jcbmally]

Here in the UK it is supposed to be variable 18k miles or 2yrs or in my case 13months old and 14k miles. What pishes me off the most though is the dealers in my area wont allow ME to supply genuine service parts but they will happily charge me the earth for them.
Even discovered that the dealer will charge you to connect the car to their diagnostics to ensure they are no faults WTF. I would have expected that to be done as a matter of fact, especially when it is still under warranty but they will not do the service unless you agree to the charge, wankers !!

[spangle1980]

Originally Posted by Jcbmally

Here in the UK it is supposed to be variable 18k miles or 2yrs or in my case 13months old and 14k miles. What pishes me off the most though is the dealers in my area wont allow ME to supply genuine service parts but they will happily charge me the earth for them.
Even discovered that the dealer will charge you to connect the car to their diagnostics to ensure they are no faults WTF. I would have expected that to be done as a matter of fact, especially when it is still under warranty but they will not do the service unless you agree to the charge, wankers !!

What he said - specifically the last part. I remember a couple of years back asking for a quote for before I bought the car how much each service is. Nope.

I then recall ringing up one day and asking for a price. I got something like £260. I called back the next day and it was £340. It appears to be random number generator.

[TheusBimmer]

This: Some well known bmw expert (don't recall his name) had put together a guide and this is a summary of it.

[ga9213]

Very nice, this is what I was hoping to see. So spark plugs are interesting...normally 60-100k miles I would assume. Not that these are difficult to get to compared to what I'm used to (Subarus, ugh)

Fuel filter is one I haven't checked for..on my ZHP there was an inline filter under the vehicle on a hard line..do we have the same somewhere up under all those trays or is it just the integrated filter in the fuel pump housing assembly?

What I'm really frustrated by is I got my vehicle certified, off lease, at 29k miles. If there are 30k service items like differential, transfer case, transmission, brake fluid, I am unable to get the service history for that...I've asked the dealership no less than 4 times now to provide me the records for what was done during the certification so I know if I need to do those items but so far they haven't provided it and seem very disinterested in doing so. All I can see is some generic service notes on the carfax.

Is there fluid for electric power steering? Assuming not..

[TheusBimmer]

Originally Posted by ga9213

Very nice, this is what I was hoping to see. So spark plugs are interesting...normally 60-100k miles I would assume. Not that these are difficult to get to compared to what I'm used to (Subarus, ugh)

Fuel filter is one I haven't checked for..on my ZHP there was an inline filter under the vehicle on a hard line..do we have the same somewhere up under all those trays or is it just the integrated filter in the fuel pump housing assembly?

What I'm really frustrated by is I got my vehicle certified, off lease, at 29k miles. If there are 30k service items like differential, transfer case, transmission, brake fluid, I am unable to get the service history for that...I've asked the dealership no less than 4 times now to provide me the records for what was done during the certification so I know if I need to do those items but so far they haven't provided it and seem very disinterested in doing so. All I can see is some generic service notes on the carfax.

Is there fluid for electric power steering? Assuming not..

To be clear, this is what an independent guy who had lots of experience with BMW recommends. This is not a BMW recommended list, so you will not get anything from the dealership unfortunately.

The guide is also recommended mostly for those who want to keep their cars for more than a decade, which seems like the minority of members on this forum.

EDIT: someone knows if X3s have a fuel filter?
sucks that some dealerships can be so non-collaborative... I would escalate to corporate BMW and highlighted the unsuccessful communication with the dealership. It's all about documentation these days... to Cover Your A**.

[chassis]

The list makes no sense. Coils are very high mileage replacement items.

Fuel filters are normally integral with the fuel pump which is immersed in the fuel tank. This means the fuel filter is generally unserviceable and does not need replacement. Is BMW different? It’s not a 1980s NA IDI 7.3L Ford Powerstroke.

Axle (differential) and transfer case oil change is also high mileage work, over 50k miles in my view.

Of course anyone with a passion to do these things are free to do them as often as desired, if that’s how a person enjoys spending their time and money. But this is not necessary.

I enjoy DIY but have owned and serviced enough vehicles over the years to know how often these things need done.

[kevinkay]

I got nervous seeing timing "belt" in this list, but it looks like it is a chain and 50k seems a LOT premature for a chain??

[chassis]

Disregard the list above.

Serpentine belts, or poly-v groove belts or fan belts, whatever you like to call them are an approx 75k mile replacement item. Most engines the belts are no drama to replace, you do need to know how to locate and release the tensioner. It’s a 10 minute easy job, from hood pop to hood slam including cleanup, if you know what you are doing.

[Alias1431]

Originally Posted by kevinkay

I got nervous seeing timing "belt" in this list, but it looks like it is a chain and 50k seems a LOT premature for a chain??

Yes, we have a timing chain. BMW says it's lifetime, but who knows what's considered lifetime by them. Honda defines it as 250k. I'm going to be very aggressive with my oil changes, because to replace the timing chain(s)/tensioner it's an engine-out job. I'm pretty DIY, but that's too much for me, and I certainly don't want to pay a shop to do it. If I can get a minimum of 150k out of it, I'll be satisfied.

[TheusBimmer]

Again, the list is a summary per the "Mike Millers Old School Maintenance SChedule" he was one of the main tech guys at bmw car club of america and has written in depth about service schedules. They are a decade old, so yea most likely certain items can be replaced later on as hopefully tech and material have gotten better.

Check the thread below:
https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=24577914

[Pete17]

Well mine is in on Saturday, done 6450 miles and it is 17 months old. Going to be charged £324.

[TheusBimmer]

Originally Posted by Pete17

Well mine is in on Saturday, done 6450 miles and it is 17 months old. Going to be charged £324.

What for? Sounds pricey at only 6.5k miles...

[chicagofan00]

Originally Posted by Pete17

Well mine is in on Saturday, done 6450 miles and it is 17 months old. Going to be charged £324.

Getting a bottle of lube as well with that service?

Why so much for a vehicle that has less than 7,000 miles on it?

[Pete17]

Just doubled checked and it is £324 includes oil, oil filter and a micro filter which is expensive. This is with Sytner's in Sheffield. No cafe or car cleaning available.

[TheusBimmer]

Originally Posted by Pete17

Just doubled checked and it is £324 includes oil, oil filter and a micro filter which is expensive. This is with Sytner's in Sheffield. No cafe or car cleaning available.

Yea no, that is highway robbery for what you are getting done. I replaced oil Liqui Moly Top Tech 6600 (EUR 65), oil filter mann filter (EUR 14), engine air filter mann filter (EUR 18), and cabin air filter mann freciousplus (EUR 50), for a total of EUR 150 approx. Job can get done in 1.5 hours max, and I am an amateur.

By micro filter I believe you mean cabin air filter. So effectively your stealership will charge you an extra EUR 200 approx in labor.

[chassis]

200 EUR/USD for BMW dealer labor is about the normal rate. Like it or not, it is what it is. The other options are:

- indy
- DIY
- don’t do the maintenance

[TheusBimmer]

Originally Posted by chassis

200 EUR/USD for BMW dealer labor is about the normal rate. Like it or not, it is what it is. The other options are:

- indy
- DIY
- don’t do the maintenance

Back in the States would have been way cheaper, given that same motor oil and filters are cheaper. I say for USD 100 bucks you could get all of the items I bought in Europe for EUR 150 (and I even searched for cheapest prices otherwise would have been even more expensive - in Europe, oil is just more expensive because of taxes).

Oil and filters change are fairly straightforward for DIY these days, with the help of Youtube videos and available car components over the internet.

[chassis]

TheusBimmer, yes, for the parts and materials.

200 USD/EUR per hour for dealer labor is typical.

[spangle1980]

Originally Posted by chicagofan00

Getting a bottle of lube as well with that service?

I trust your humour is as dark as mine, when I saw that what I was thinking