Dealer vs. Independent Shop Maintenance

[Steel City M3]

I recently got into the E92 M3 family when I purchased a 2013, 2 owner, 6MT ZCP. The carfax looked very good and personally I was very happy to see that it was always serviced at a BMW dealer. Now that it's mine (and I love it!), I'm weighing the options of paying a higher premium for service at an authorized dealer versus maintaining it through a smaller independent shop that specializes in BMW/Mini.

While I don't plan to sell the car any time soon, I still want to be conscious of keeping the service history and carfax looking as good as it can to keep the value up. More importantly, I also want to make sure that the car stays in top shape for a long time. I live in a city with few options, so I'll default to whoever I believe has more knowledge and better work, but I also wanted to get some opinions on what the general thought is on this and which route looks "better" when you're reviewing a Carfax.

Thanks in advance.

[Vedubin01]

Just keep receipts and document the work if you plan on doing any of it yourself. I keep a ledger and take photos. The next buyer and if needed the insurance company would weigh that heavily in any future value of the car. Welcome to the family!

[roastbeef]

depends. there are some buyers that want a book of every little thing that has been done as well as oil receipts. all of that has zero value to me- even the "always dealer serviced" cars. most dealer techs are a little sloppy and might not wipe oil drips or be careful with torque. i'm even skeptical they change the rubber rings on the oil filter housing to save 45 seconds. they probably don't let the oil pan drain for that extra 5 minutes to get that last drop of oil, and they certainly don't siphon the oil out of the bottom of the oil filter housing. see what i mean?
and it doesn't mean the car was neglected, i just prefer to buy the car based on the previous owner's attitude and knowledge of the car.

[timothy2001]

You've just got to go where you are comfortable. Keep good records and materially Dealer vs. Independent won't matter enough when you go to sell it as long as it has been maintained and most buyers subscribe to what roastbeef is saying above in his last sentence.

We recently relocated and I tried an independent shop specializing in German cars that twice misdiagnosed an engine noise (pulley) and ABS light (wheel speed sensor). Took it to a Dealer and while they took their time with it, they put me in a loaner and correctly repaired it.

Plenty of crappy Dealers out there and plenty of crappy Independents but in my experience it often has paid to go to a Dealer.

Now for the serious stuff; welcome to the forum and it's customary to post pictures of your car when you're new.

[LostPanda]

Honestly, like the guys above said. Whether its a dealer or indy, you're gonna have good and bad with either one by luck of the draw any day. I personally don't let either work on my car. I don't keep receipts, but keep a meticulous maintenance service. Things I can't do I have my close friends who owns a performance shop, at least that way I know I have people who cares about every little detail that goes into working on cars.

Indy can be cheaper without the pedigree. Dealer for sure is more expensive with the pedigree. In the end, people are people and majority of the time they only care about the numbers that pass through. Then there is you and the few who care about our vehicles.

When you sell it in the end, does pedigree or no pedigree service really matters to the person that is buying or will they think the car is clean and "holy shit I'm getting an E92 M3."

You can do what you want, but that's how I go about getting the car serviced.

[New2Roundel]

I wouldn't worry about what looks better to a future owner---people just want evidence that the car's been looked after. Do your research on good shops in your area and keep the receipts. One thing that's a consideration IMO is that as cars (of any brand) get older, there are fewer and fewer techs at the dealers with expertise to work on the car. As a dealer, you're really focused on the newer stuff since that's what the dealer sells. And inevitably, as cars go out of warranty owners either do their own work or go to a local shop instead. Our cars may not be quite old enough yet to where finding techs who know the platform and the specifics to the M3 is a big challenge, but we're not that far away either.

Personally, I would rather find a good indy shop in the area. Around me, I always see other e9X M3s when I drop my car off at two indy BMW shops I've used in my area.

[Steel City M3]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the feedback!

I think I'm going to try the independent shop first. A friend of mine has taken his E46 there and recommended his work. I also really agree with the point about dealers not being great with older cars, and probably not great with M cars if they don't see them very much.

Really enjoying the M3 and I want to keep it in as good of shape as possible!

[PYE46M3]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

depends. there are some buyers that want a book of every little thing that has been done as well as oil receipts. all of that has zero value to me- even the "always dealer serviced" cars. most dealer techs are a little sloppy and might not wipe oil drips or be careful with torque. i'm even skeptical they change the rubber rings on the oil filter housing to save 45 seconds. they probably don't let the oil pan drain for that extra 5 minutes to get that last drop of oil, and they certainly don't siphon the oil out of the bottom of the oil filter housing. see what i mean?
and it doesn't mean the car was neglected, i just prefer to buy the car based on the previous owner's attitude and knowledge of the car.

This...... dealer service history and receipts from an indy shop mean nothing to me. some of the most meticulously cared for cars are owned by enthusiast who do all the work themselves or get it done through other forum members and these kind of cars barely have any document history on carfax but they're exactly the kind of car you want to own.

[Three Pedal Steve]

My 2013 M3 @ 95,000 miles has always been serviced at the BMW dealership where I bought her new. I have done the oil service there every 5,000 miles religiously. The carfax on the car is like an encyclopedia; it just keeps scrolling. That said, my plan going forward is an indy shop where the owners both drive e9x M3's. And keep the service receipts of course.

In retrospective: The best thing about those nineteen visits to my dealership was the loaner cars they gave me. Often with less than 100 miles, I got to sample the entire BMW lineup. And confirm there are no modern BMW's to replace this M3.

[New2Roundel]

Originally Posted by Steel City M3

I think I'm going to try the independent shop first. A friend of mine has taken his E46 there and recommended his work.

It's also not uncommon to go to a shop and ask questions about their experience working on cars like yours before you bring it in. I've done that before---it gives me a chance to look around at their operation and get a feel for the folks working there.

[Ab28]

People tend to put too much emphasis on Dealers.

They have the highest prices (highest overhead) and sometimes the least well trained techs.

Sometimes it's like we forget that a person is still working on the car, not the establishment.

I always go to an Independent shop. Find one that specializes in a certain mark or two and stick with them.

FWIW in my experience buyers do not care about records being on the carfax vs a normal invoice from a shop. To illustrate this point: you more than likely wouldn't go to the dealer for a Rod Bearing job. But you would seek out an independent shop. The RB job wont be on the carfax, but you'll have photos and a bill from the shop. The next buyer will obviously like this. So who cares what's on the carfax? Oil changes and new wiper blades aren't exactly going to be the things that clinch a sale.

[br2wdc]

No question going the Independent shop route, especially when it comes from a recommendation is "Plan A".

Your car gives new meaning to the words "Mirror Shine" ... congrats!

Originally Posted by Steel City M3

I think I'm going to try the independent shop first. A friend of mine has taken his E46 there and recommended his work. I also really agree with the point about dealers not being great with older cars, and probably not great with M cars if they don't see them very much.

Really enjoying the M3 and I want to keep it in as good of shape as possible!

[neilum]

I interview and vet the prior owner as much as I do the service history. Nothing in and of itself tells me anything, it all adds up. Where specifically you serviced the car means little in the big picture.

[SoCalRPM]

This depends....

Dealer service means nothing to me. Comprehensive service records are another thing. Whether services come from the dealer or and indie shop, I like knowing exactly what was done and when - without having to take anyone's word for it.

Dealer mechanics aren't bad, they're just beholden to corporate decisions. Plenty of indie mechanics are former dealer mechanics or may even know more about these cars than some dealers do.

Heres an example: the dealer still recommends about 10k oil change intervals. I walked away from a car that was "exclusively" dealer serviced. Not because the car had been serviced by the dealer, but because the owner didn't know any better than 10k intervals and had never heard of rod bearings, throttle actuators, etc...

*Edit* It's worth also noting that these are just my e9x related opinions. My wife has an Audi Q5 that was bought from the dealer and was always serviced at the dealer. When the maintenance plane we had expired, I called around to a handful of indie shops and it ended up being cheaper to just continue servicing at Audi. Blew my mind. But I can imagine someone in the market for that kind of car in the future will appreciate "exclusively" dealer serviced.

[Scrippy]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

depends. there are some buyers that want a book of every little thing that has been done as well as oil receipts. all of that has zero value to me- even the "always dealer serviced" cars. most dealer techs are a little sloppy and might not wipe oil drips or be careful with torque. i'm even skeptical they change the rubber rings on the oil filter housing to save 45 seconds. they probably don't let the oil pan drain for that extra 5 minutes to get that last drop of oil, and they certainly don't siphon the oil out of the bottom of the oil filter housing. see what i mean?
and it doesn't mean the car was neglected, i just prefer to buy the car based on the previous owner's attitude and knowledge of the car.

100%

[Bemo]

I do independent at the dealer, best of both worlds!

Most important is to find a knowledgeable and meticulous tech and stick with him no matter where they work. Dealers/shops come and go and there are plenty of horror stories with both. For example, my local Porsche dealer did an oil change on a friend's car and forgot to put the oil cap back on. I leave the rest of the mess to your imagination...

[fs34]

As far as records go, When buying a car like ours any record is important. The more the better but I at least want to know the car has been maintained. I’d rather see DIY instead of jiffy lube receipts. I can usually sum up the owner based on the type of tires they bought. Skimp on that and you’re likely to cut in other areas as well.

I have an Indy I can use but he’s not a shop, it can take a week to get your car but he’s worth it. The dealership has a great tech that knows e9x m3s very well so I’m in good hands there if need be. I’m about 1.5 hours from specialty shops that handle cars like this exclusively. The local euro places here are terrible. They all claim to be great but do shoddy work.