BMW Service costs!

[Spinnekop]

Wife has same year, model and mileage car. Replacing front discs with brakes at independent is R2600 i guess same is for rear. You need to replace spark plugs (every 100000Km) and that is around R600. Oil and other bits should not be more than R1500. My advice is find good independent mechanic and avoid stealers.

 

Have to agree on this one....if it is out of service plan or guarantee blah blah, go to the independent dudes. Reputable ones....not backyard mechanics.

 

Use to service the Audi for around R700 all inclusive.

Breaks quoted by dealer: R3800.

Fitted by Supa Quick: R680

[pastapouch]

Bring

Mechanic

With

 

Problem with modern cars is they often require specialised tooling to work on them. Back in the 90's my dad used to own a motor workshop and they specialised in Beemers. Even back then you needed special equipment... Even silly things like reseting the Service Warning lights needed an electronic gadget. Neat way of the manufacturers taking the home mechanic out of the loop.

and thats why GM and friends went down the drain...

[LazyTrailRider]

Have to agree on this one....if it is out of service plan or guarantee blah blah, go to the independent dudes. Reputable ones....not backyard mechanics.

 

Use to service the Audi for around R700 all inclusive.

Breaks quoted by dealer: R3800.

Fitted by Supa Quick: R680

 

Yep, there's no point in going to a dealer outside of maintenance/warranty. I previously had a Clio II, outside of warranty I had the front discs & pads replaced (genuine parts) independently for R900, then phoned Renault for a laugh, they quoted R2500. Hah!

[MariusL]

Sorry for the hi-jack, but just got to share this.

 

I was fortunate to get a good deal with extending the Volvo Motorplan from 100000 to 140000. I paid about R3500 for that.

 

What was really funny or maybe not was that at exactly 102000 the radiator went south. Phoned the dealership to come tow me and first thing they asked was how much on the clock. I said 102000 and they said "then you realise it is out of warranty, it is going to cost you to come fetch and repair". To which I said "whatever". To cut a long story short they also found a problem with the turbo, which did not exist 2000km prior at the 100000 service. I just said replace whatever you have to, do whatever is needed, make it 100% again. The bill was nasty at the end of the day, around R25000. So I said thank you very much and took the keys to drive off, but I was firmly grabbed by the arm by security. Sorry, had to pay first before I could leave. Informed them about the extended warranty and then it was all hustle and bustle behind the computer. They could find no trace of the extention, so I presented them with the warranty booklet. Back to computer and then they came back with the story that when I took out the warranty they forgot to enter it on the computer so it has expired now, I still had to pay. Which was ridiculous of course. Fortunately the dealer principal was on hand to resolve the issue.

 

The really funny thing was at the 120000 service it was a repeat of the whole story again. My being reminded that warranty is finished etc, cambelt must get replaced, spark plugs, battery etc etc. LOL. And let's not get started with the 140000 service story...

 

I had exactly the same problem with a VW extended motorplan... long story short some dumb@ss captured it on the system wrong, and then the excuse was it wasn't a VW error - I said ha, you sold it to me, sort it out dimwits!

 

Finally contacted the big knob of Barons WC - and the dealership who screwed up had to pay for everything, including the towing costs!!! They then had to sort it out with Barloworld (whom held the policy)...

 

Barloworld phoned me 2 months later asking if I want to extend my warrantee to which I duly replied: "I won't even take out a warrantee for my wheelbarrow with you people"...

 

They are all vlippin sharks... makes me miss my '82 Alfa Giulietta - did everything myself and new it was done properly...

[KABOUS]

No car dealers on this forum?

[Brett]

i had the 328...

serviced many things myself.

just took it down to local service oke to do the computer programming and fuel mix ratios every 10000km just to check evrything was ok with its "brain". luckily i never had to do the clutch...apparently that took my mate the entire weekend to do on his 328.lol.(drifting is fun, right?)

its really not that hard to change brake pads though....seriously.

[Azi]

Experience with 160,000km E Class Merc service - service was R2,600, brakes (front, rear pads and disks) R5,400 - done privately with parts purchased from Merc for less than half that. But the cherry on the cake was to replace two light bulbs - one was R9, the other about R80 - labour for that alone was R180!!! Air flow meter needed replacement at over R3,000, but the service manager told me to get it from Bosch for R800. Get the services done by the agents so they stamp your book (th services aredont cost a kidney), but get the rest done privately with OEM parts.

[AndreZA]

Iemand hier op die Hub is lief of the sin "julle kla met 'n wit brood onder die arm" te gebruik.

 

I had a major, major, major 130 000km service done on my Mazda 323 for R5000. The only thing they did not change or work on was the CD in the radio. The value of the car increased by 200% aswell. The car get's me to work, to races and the bikeshop. I don't need more.

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Rant on, people who are sensitive about having coughed up for a maintenance plan do not read...

 

You guys must be taking the pi$$ with a maintenance plan? How much does that work you out over your 100000km? Have you ever asked what you get for that plan? Piece of mind my hairy bum. They replace your air/fuel filters, maybe a sparkplug or 2 and your oil every now and again. Oh yes, and your wipers. This takes them at most half a day to do.. The expensive stuff that hurts all happens after the motor plan expires.. A german/japanese engineered car needs very little expensive maintenance for the first 100 000km, just replacing fluids/filters. Basically it comes down to financial planning/responsibility, take that money and manage it yourself and find a good mechanic that is not a dealer. Again, a fool and his money is soon parted.. or something like that..

 

Rant off..

 

Sometimes, sometimes not.

 

Turbo's, Aircon pumps, electronic computer boxes, to name a few are common replacement items under maintainance plans, replacing a blown turbo will knock you back 30k plus, a computer box 20k, aircon pump 12k - but yeah, maintainance plans are just insurance policies, and like any insurance policy you can pay and never claim value, but on the other side of the coin, if you need to claim - you are covered.

 

Personally, I dont buy cars without at least a 100.000 km maintainance plan, my Audi has a 120.000 km plan and its hassle free driving, I drop it off on its service schedule and its sorted, I dont have to even think about it.

[Headshot]

I have owned 4 high milage second hand BMWs and presently drive an E46 318i touring. The e30 and e36 were by far the most reliable and cheapest to operate. The E46 has given far more grief but I've never had a bill like that and I have had the brakes done by the agents. There is an independent BMW garage in CT I am going to try for next service and cam cover gasket replacement that is a repeat failure item on these motors.

 

If you think BMW is expensive go to Ford /mazda and ask for part prices on a 2002 Mazda MX5 which I also have - clutch R3400 (uk price 90 pounds)and so it goes. I got Koni Sports and springs ex UK for less than the agents wanted for OEM shocks alone. I order MX5 parts ex UK and think the same can be done for BMW and others - you just need a decent garage guy to fit the bits...

[Tieffels]

Sometimes, sometimes not.

 

Turbo's, Aircon pumps, electronic computer boxes, to name a few are common replacement items under maintainance plans, replacing a blown turbo will knock you back 30k plus, a computer box 20k, aircon pump 12k - but yeah, maintainance plans are just insurance policies, and like any insurance policy you can pay and never claim value, but on the other side of the coin, if you need to claim - you are covered.

 

Personally, I dont buy cars without at least a 100.000 km maintainance plan, my Audi has a 120.000 km plan and its hassle free driving, I drop it off on its service schedule and its sorted, I dont have to even think about it.

 

Agree, those are some big ticket items, the likes of which I said should start giving hassles 25km after the maintainance plan expired.. If a manufactured has known problems with these parts under 100 000km I wont touch them with a 18ft barge pole (maybe turbo's excluding..).

 

For now I'll stick to driving a VW and getting parts from Goldwagen, because my draw drops everytime a go there, stupid cheap..

Edited December 7, 2010 by chickenrun4me

[AndreZA]

I think the trick in servicing a BMW is not to accidently enabling the indicators to work. Once you do that, the warantee is void.

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Ok, to replace front and rear brake pads and discs, and a major service.

 

R11,661.00

 

WTF?!?!?!?!?

 

Just looking at that quote again Wayne, I think you have a Cambelt change included there in the major service, in which case then its pretty much in line.

 

An Audi's cambelt change is around 7.5k and usually done at around 120.000 - I am pretty sure BMW is similar, otherwise I cant see how they get to that price, I dont know what was quoted for but lets do a quick basic costing - Synthetic oil is about 500 bucks, oil filter 300 bucks, Air filter 300, tell them NOT to change the pollen filter, fuel filter 200 bucks, spark plugs around 90 bucks each, brake pads 1000 front, skim discs 500 for both, V belts - (if they need changing) 300 bucks, top up steering fluid, brakes, gearbox, diagnostic check and reset say another 600 bucks, 2 hours labour (excluding cam belt).... 1k.....so total, ex cam belt is roughly 5k, give or take, add a cambelt change and yeah, 12k.

 

If the cost is including a cam belt change, do the service now and the belt next month or vice versa, these belts are heavily overengineered so another month should not be an issue unless its already way overdue then do the cam belt first - but definately do the cam belt, dont ignore it, a break here and you are possibly looking at a new motor.

[Headshot]

The E46 318i and indeed all modern BMw engines run cam chains, not belts so it aint that which pushed the price up...

[Newest]

Iemand hier op die Hub is lief of the sin "julle kla met 'n wit brood onder die arm" te gebruik.

 

I had a major, major, major 130 000km service done on my Mazda 323 for R5000. The only thing they did not change or work on was the CD in the radio. The value of the car increased by 200% aswell. The car get's me to work, to races and the bikeshop. I don't need more.

So does my bottom of the range corolla. For R5000 I can get a new engine.

[GrumpyOldGuy]

The E46 318i and indeed all modern BMw engines run cam chains, not belts so it aint that which pushed the price up...

 

Indeed, I think you are correct.

 

I must have skimmed over the model in the OP's post, cos it never registered.

 

....then I dont know, theres something else there not usual thats been quoted for.