Gretch

Bring it up here. I will do it for a hunnert bucks and make a 50% margin!

bill d cat

+588

DIY, find a tame indy BMW shop or both. I thought that was covered in Furrin Cars 101.

(Yes I have a 328i wagon and I'm buying the extended warranty. The software that runs that thing scares the ******* out of me. Also, I have ZPPP, the "Poltergeist Package" in mine.)

But it's a BMW and it doesn't have a dipstick. You need to know how to count.

993Maineiac

Uh----this is an enthusiast web site. Doesn't anyone change their own oil?

Devildog2067

I actually find it easier to do brakes than to do oil. I live in a condo, finding a place to do an oil change is a pain in the ***.

Leon Speed

The Porsche yes, nobody can touch it but me. The BMW goes to the dealer for service if I want to trade it in.

streckfu's

1 pair of jackstands for the front.
1 oil container from AutoZone/Pep Boys with lid.

In the parking space (find a couple of open spaces if necessary), raise the car onto jackstands, and drain oil into Pep Boys container with lid. Remove filter.
Install filter and drain plug.
Add oil.
Drive to Pep Boys AutoZone and turn in used oil.

Devildog2067

11 friggin' quarts in a 986, my friend. I've never managed to do it without spilling some, and my condo association is hell on spilled fluids.

cab&coupe

Be thankful they didn't lube your ash tray

fast_freddy

Did you figure in the Bourbon?

Gretch

ooops..........

IXLR8

Now you know why they can afford fancy cars and live in nice mansions.

A local dealer I know was complaining that he wasn't making any money...as he is driving off in his A8, and his son, in a newer 911. Gosh, can I also make no money and drive nice machinery and live in a nice mansion with waterfront?

You have two choices, pays your bucks or do it yourself. Personally, I've made it a mission to keep my money in MY pocket, especially when it comes to any service as simple as automotive/motorcycle/aircraft maintenance.

George from MD

BMW service?? Anyone been to a Porsche dealer lately?

At 40K miles I took the X5 to the BMW dealer last week and had new tires installed, the blower motor regulator changed, new air filters, oil changed, brake fluid flushed, new brake pads, car scoped, new wiper inserts installed and an alignment done.

The cost was 0. That's right- zero. They didn't even charge to mount and balance the tires. They gave me my choice of loaners- a new 3 series convertible or an X5. As I'd already driven the convertible I took the X. My car was under warranty but they provide the same level of service and greatly discounted pricing (and a new car loaner) for my 2001 X5.

The Porsche dealer across the street, however charged me almost $800 for a 5,000 mile service- not much more than a scope and an oil change. I had to come back to get a faulty TPMS sensor replaced because they didn't even have one in stock. I could have had an Enterprise loaner if I wanted to wait an hour for one. The Porsche was under warranty too.

When the time comes to replace the X, do you think I'll buy a Cayenne from the Porsche dealer or another X5 from the BMW dealer?

tooloud10

Because while a BMW is made up of more expensive parts than a Honda Civic, it's exactly as hard to change the oil as on a Honda Civic?

My independent mechanic has a big sign in his office that says "Other than warranty and recall work, there is NO reason to take your car to a dealer." I can't say he's wrong about that, and he's always solved all of my problems.

Paul M

Understood. When I say "special," I was referring to the fact that most spark plug sockets are six sided.

Twin turbo, direct injection, 15k miles between oil changes, ****ty US gasoline. In Europe recommendation is maximum 100k kms/60k m. General concensus over here is 40-50k miles, so they're about due. Now that I think about it, I have noticed a lumpy idle backing out of the driveway in a mornng.

I just checked the invoice. $130 is what they quoted, actual charge was $104. 8 quarts of synthetic oil and a filter is $79.96, labor charge was $24.50. The last 30 days here have been over 100 degrees. It was worth paying $25 to not have 8 quarts of sweat running down the crack of my ****.

I also have Mike Callas change the oil on my 993. That usually costs between $150-200. I do that because I don't like dealing with 11 quarts of oil, and (as part of the service), Mike typically goes over the whole car and lets me know if anything else might be coming due.

And I have lovely soft hands.

Very little has to come off. You need to remove a cowliing at the firewall to access two allen screws on the engine cover that are tucked under there. Engine cover comes off, and the coils/plugs are right there.

These pictures are from a 3-series, but you get the idea.

LINK1

LINK2

boolala

Maintanence costs went up when service intervals lengthened about a decade ago. 3 and 6 month oil changes were eliminated and now 1 - 2 year oil changes are the norm. Dealer had to make up for the loss of volume by increasing prices proportionately. It sucks but they were not about to abandon this profitable part of their business.