BMW Dealer Service Prices

666bxg

All my cars have full main dealer histories - I'm anal when keeping service records on my cars.

What I do to keep costs down is to ONLY have the oil changes/brake fluid changes/inspections done by BMW or Mercedes. All other jobs are done by independents or my friendly garages. This include brakes, tyres and other minor repairs. This won't be recorded in the service book anyway

I keep saying no to repeated persuasions like ".... sir, you will need new tyres with pads and discs all round plus the doors need changing...."

Believe you me, a lot of the times the parts THEY say need changing would be fine anyway. Frank Keane and Joe Duffy have done this to me a couple of times......... take the opportunity to have the dealer diagnose the problem and have your independent repair it a fraction of the cost!

Kafer

I never use a main dealer for servicing even when my cars are in warranty. I use genuine parts and keep the receipts and do the services at my friend's garage and get them to stamp the book. He gets a few quid for pints and everyone is happy

Having a diagnostic cable like VAG-COM helps with engine lights etc. I have discussed this with my main dealer and they are happy to honour the warranty even though the car is not main dealer serviced.

I don't think I have a problem come resale either as it wont make a huge difference to its value.

Bandara

eoin_s wrote: »

I, and a lot of other people here, recommend AC Car Sales as an independent BMW specialist. They're just off the South Circular Road.

Might be a bit of a stupid question but are they accredited by BMW?

what i mean is can they stamp my service book with a BMW stamp?

thanks

Stevie Dakota

Hammertime wrote: »

Might be a bit of a stupid question but are they accredited by BMW?

what i mean is can they stamp my service book with a BMW stamp?

thanks

No, they are an independent. But they will stamp your service book.

Ferris

E92 wrote: »

€1600 for that amount of work is an outrageous amount, BMW it may be but that is really taking the piss.

I knew there was a reason why my BMW is serviced by an independent garage and not a main dealer.

Our 520d is serviced by BMW because it's only coming up to 3 months old, and I know that not using a main dealer on a car for the first 4 or 5 years is suicidal when you want to sell a car on, which we will be doing since we racked up over 80k in under 2 1/2 years in the previous rolls.

I think that most people who are not mechanically minded or into their cares havent got the faintest clue of how easy it is to change the oil on a car or swap the brake pads. These cars are designed so that this is easy to do. A haynes manual will contain all the service shedules and checks if it is available. I have always serviced my own cars, it saves cash and I actually enjoy it. Mind you i've never had a brand new car.

Also aren't manufacturers obliged to honour warranty claims so long as the car is serviced at the specified intervals by a qualified mechanic?

Also anyone who gets the dealer to swap tyres on a car is an idiot, its so easy to get them from a tyre supplier and save the dealer markup and the labour for fitting the tyre. (Dont know if this applies to BMW runflats)

kenco

Definately steer clear of main dealers if the car is a few years old. I got stung with my first service of a second hand 520 with a well known dealership. The quoted a price to me and then when I went to collect they had upped by nearly 50%. I complained and was told that they made a mistake on the service type and that the quote was incorrect (even though they sold me the car and knew the history). I firmly believe the pricing for dealer servicing is way over the top.

Subsequent services have been with AC Car Sales and while they are not perfect they are reasonably priced and do follow up quickly on any issues.

Again on the service history stamp thing, if its older than say 3 years this is not a big deal and anyone who knows BMW will know of AC Car Sales and should be happy.

pator

Could anyone suggest a competent and realistically priced independent BMW garage (mechanic?) in North Cork?

E92

pator wrote: »

Could anyone suggest a competent and realistically priced independent BMW garage (mechanic?) in North Cork?

Neither a BMW specialist, nor based in North Cork, but Ardfallen Motors would be my recommendation.

mick.fr

Johnny Utah wrote: »

There are different types of service with BMW- oil service, Inspection 1, Inspection 2.

I recently got my car (e46 320 CD) serviced by Frank Keane. They charged over 1600euro, but did a lot of work for that.

The service included:
Inspection 1, replacing brake fluid, replacing wipers, brake pads, brake discs, brake shoe.

Overall, quite happy with the work done and customer service.

That is way too much mate, Inspection II for an M3 for example costs 1300 euro.

What they did to you is roughly exaclty what my car went through couple of months ago. It looks like you did get a few more break stuff replaced, but still...

Look at my Inspection I here

Mac 3

pator wrote: »

Could anyone suggest a competent and realistically priced independent BMW garage (mechanic?) in North Cork?

Depending on your location in Cork, Ger Collins in Abbeyfeale mightn't be a million miles away from you. Bavarian Autotech. He's been looking after my fleet for the last 4 years.

Johnny Utah

mick.fr wrote: »

That is way too much mate, Inspection II for an M3 for example costs 1300 euro.

What they did to you is roughly exaclty what my car went through couple of months ago. It looks like you did get a few more break stuff replaced, but still...

Look at my Inspection I here

The inspection 1 was around the 400 mark. Replacing brake pads/discs is the expensive part- I priced it afterwards with an independent garage and while it was cheaper, it wasn't a huge saving. Genuine BMW parts are expensive, so even if I went to an indy specialist I would still have to pay the same amount for replacement parts.


(Your pic isn't working.)

mick.fr

Johnny Utah wrote: »

The inspection 1 was around the 400 mark. Replacing brake pads/discs is the expensive part- I priced it afterwards with an independent garage and while it was cheaper, it wasn't a huge saving. Genuine BMW parts are expensive, so even if I went to an indy specialist I would still have to pay the same amount for replacement parts.


(Your pic isn't working.)

Well OEM parts are not always as expensive as we think. What is costly is the labor really.
See mine below, I had breaks changed on the rear wheels. Bill is less than 700 quids.

So there you go again for the pic