Self-service for 1200 mile maintenance?

Fsarc · 09-30-2010, 04:25 PM

Getting my M3 soon and after reading a lot of disturbing 1200 mile service nightmare threads I'm a little worried to take it in when I reach that point.

Can I have the 1200 service performed by a BMW shop that isn't a dealer and pay for it myself? Don't mind paying if I know it will be done correctly. So long as everything is documented can BMW give me a hard time on any future scheduled maintenance or warranty issues?

I'd rather bring it to a trusted shop and know who's working on the car than just taking it to a dealer and get some random mechanic who might be having a bad day and not give a crap.

Any advice and comments welcome. Thanks.

askjeeves · 09-30-2010, 06:22 PM

an independent mechanic can also make a mistake. the difference is, if an independent mech makes the mistake bmw is not liable for any resulting damage. for every person that has a problem with service at a dealership, there are thousands that have no problems at all. just read some reviews to try and find the best possible local service dept, and minimize the risk.

Fsarc · 09-30-2010, 06:44 PM

Good points. I guess a lot of owners want to vent their bad experiences and we tend to read about them more often than all the services that go well.

JCtx · 09-30-2010, 07:46 PM

My take on this is either do it yourself or let a dealer do it. I'd do it myself since the beginning. I let dealer do mine, but wasn't happy with the job... or the almost 30 freaking miles they put on my car when I specifically left instructions NOT to drive the damn car out of the dealership

.

Anyway, there's a thread somewhere here saying BMW is not doing the 1,200-mile service anymore, so you know. Nothing has changed on the car, so they just want to save money. But to be honest, this is the first car ever that manufacturer calls for a 1,200 service. I'd still do at least the engine, but it's not a bad idea to do tranny (6MT) and diff as well, especially when you only need to buy 2 quarts/liters for each. Just DIY man. I did my first (low mileage annual) oil change myself, and took all the time in the world to fully drain the sumps, check everything, and even suck all dirty oil from the filter housing. Ended up adding 9.5L to bring level to full. Good luck.

09-30-2010, 04:25 PM	#1
Fsarc Lieutenant 56 Rep 420 Posts Drives: 2011.5 E92 M3 LMB Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: BC-Northern NJ iTrader: (3)	Self-service for 1200 mile maintenance? Getting my M3 soon and after reading a lot of disturbing 1200 mile service nightmare threads I'm a little worried to take it in when I reach that point. Can I have the 1200 service performed by a BMW shop that isn't a dealer and pay for it myself? Don't mind paying if I know it will be done correctly. So long as everything is documented can BMW give me a hard time on any future scheduled maintenance or warranty issues? I'd rather bring it to a trusted shop and know who's working on the car than just taking it to a dealer and get some random mechanic who might be having a bad day and not give a crap. Any advice and comments welcome. Thanks.
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09-30-2010, 06:22 PM	#2
askjeeves Captain 147 Rep 957 Posts Drives: e92 m3/spece30 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Miami, FL iTrader: (1)	an independent mechanic can also make a mistake. the difference is, if an independent mech makes the mistake bmw is not liable for any resulting damage. for every person that has a problem with service at a dealership, there are thousands that have no problems at all. just read some reviews to try and find the best possible local service dept, and minimize the risk. __________________ 2011 e92 ///m3 zcp - jzb/fr ED 6/29/10
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09-30-2010, 06:44 PM	#3
Fsarc Lieutenant 56 Rep 420 Posts Drives: 2011.5 E92 M3 LMB Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: BC-Northern NJ iTrader: (3)	Good points. I guess a lot of owners want to vent their bad experiences and we tend to read about them more often than all the services that go well.
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09-30-2010, 07:46 PM	#4
JCtx Major General 258 Rep 5,012 Posts Drives: No BMW yet Join Date: May 2008 Location: El Paso TX iTrader: (0)	My take on this is either do it yourself or let a dealer do it. I'd do it myself since the beginning. I let dealer do mine, but wasn't happy with the job... or the almost 30 freaking miles they put on my car when I specifically left instructions NOT to drive the damn car out of the dealership . Anyway, there's a thread somewhere here saying BMW is not doing the 1,200-mile service anymore, so you know. Nothing has changed on the car, so they just want to save money. But to be honest, this is the first car ever that manufacturer calls for a 1,200 service. I'd still do at least the engine, but it's not a bad idea to do tranny (6MT) and diff as well, especially when you only need to buy 2 quarts/liters for each. Just DIY man. I did my first (low mileage annual) oil change myself, and took all the time in the world to fully drain the sumps, check everything, and even suck all dirty oil from the filter housing. Ended up adding 9.5L to bring level to full. Good luck.
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