[Jon TDI]

Just paid £370 for full service (oil & filter change, air filter change, micro filter change) plus brake fluid change at a local Indy.
All genuine BMW parts & Castrol Edge oil used.
Nice friendly service & a nice chat with the garage owner about remaps!

Idrive not updated, but…. I know the car was serviced & when it comes to sell the car, I can get the idrive updated in one fell swoop.

[MY340i]

Originally Posted by Jon TDI

Just paid £370 for full service (oil & filter change, air filter change, micro filter change) plus brake fluid change at a local Indy.
All genuine BMW parts & Castrol Edge oil used.
Nice friendly service & a nice chat with the garage owner about remaps!

Idrive not updated, but…. I know the car was serviced & when it comes to sell the car, I can get the idrive updated in one fell swoop.

Would have paid the extra £50 for the service history tbf.

[sensible]

Originally Posted by MY340i

Would have paid the extra £50 for the service history tbf.

That's not the full price when you go into the dealership.....
Plus Vehicle Check
Plus Standard Scope
Plus Enviromental charge

So add at least another £100.

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by MY340i

you'll end up with an amber against the service record instead of a green.

vehicle inspection service = mot

vehicle check service = visual inspection of the car that includes:

Check lighting system
Check horn, headlight flashers and hazard warning flashers
Check the windscreen wiper and the window washer system, top up washer fluid
Check air circulation and blower
Check the interior lighting
Check seat belts
Check the warning triangle, high-visibility jacket and first-aid kit
Check Mobility Set
Check tyres and TPMS
Checking the undercarriage and all visible components
Check brake lines and the brake line connections
Check the components of the steering
Topping up the coolant
Check the engine compartment for leakage from the top
Perform CBS reset
Road test

so yes looks like an MOT would cover the above and more (but no fluid top ups). seems excessive that BMW require it to be done else you'll get an amber service record.

Interesting. They failed to mention the low tone horn on mine isn't working during the inspection

I suspect most of that list is a quick "looks alright to me" cursory glance.

[Watsey]

I’m glad I drive sn older BMW and left the dealer network behind years ago.

I maintain the car myself and go to specialist BMW indys when I need to.

Oil, oil filter and cabin filter are replaced every 7K miles.

Brake fluid every 2-3 years.

Auto transmission fluid is replaced every 50K miles.

Vehicle checks (lights, horn, tyres, brake pads, suspension, chassis, fault codes, etc) are carried out suitably frequently.

Some parts are replaced when they need to be; others are in an elective basis (ie one rear wheel bearing starts to rumble = replace both).

The car passes it’s MOT each year and the indys tell me that the car is in good condition.

The car has done more than 100K miles and is modified, so a BMW insured warranty would effectively be useless.

A bill of >£900 for relatively simple servicing would really piss me off.

[Kendo67]

Originally Posted by Watsey

A bill of >£900 for relatively simple servicing would really piss me off.

Think £900 for a service is bad , I have just had a quote of £501 to replace the six spark plugs on the Cayenne 😭

K

[fuzzybunny]

My Diesel oil and filter service, inspection and standard scope after 2 years from new came to £397 from Westerly BMW in Yeovil.
That was my first service last year, they have been taken over by Vertu now, so that will put prices up.

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by Watsey

I’m glad I drive sn older BMW and left the dealer network behind years ago.

I maintain the car myself and go to specialist BMW indys when I need to.

Oil, oil filter and cabin filter are replaced every 7K miles.

Brake fluid every 2-3 years.

Auto transmission fluid is replaced every 50K miles.

Vehicle checks (lights, horn, tyres, brake pads, suspension, chassis, fault codes, etc) are carried out suitably frequently.

Some parts are replaced when they need to be; others are in an elective basis (ie one rear wheel bearing starts to rumble = replace both).

The car passes it’s MOT each year and the indys tell me that the car is in good condition.

The car has done more than 100K miles and is modified, so a BMW insured warranty would effectively be useless.

A bill of >£900 for relatively simple servicing would really piss me off.

That's definitely the way to go if you're not tied into a warranty and the service 'stamps' game, and you have the ability, tools and workspace.

All this crazy pricing stuff seems to be getting worse the newer cars get, plus all the subscription based nonsense to enable seat heating etc, so I agree, keep an older one going for as long as possible.

I bet yours is better condition than one that's always been dealer maintained.

DIY is a dying hobby now when it comes to cars though. Well, not even necessarily a hobby, just basic diligence and peace of mind the car is in good order. I live on a large estate and I never see a bonnet up, ever, let alone see people cleaning their cars

I suppose warning lights are partly to blame for that. People just wait until the dash moans about something rather than proactively keeping on top of things that are likely to fail if neglected.

[Ennoch]

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

DIY is a dying hobby now when it comes to cars though. Well, not even necessarily a hobby, just basic diligence and peace of mind the car is in good order. I live on a large estate and I never see a bonnet up, ever, let alone see people cleaning their cars

I'm with you on that, people round here don't even wash their cars. I actually had an interesting discussion with a newish neighbour last year when I was working on the Impreza. They didn't think I should be working on cars in the street as they said it brought the value of the area down because it looked like a council estate. I managed to stay polite, but they felt it was better to pay to a proper garage than to look like you can't afford to do that. They left in no uncertain terms as to my opinion on that POV! It's mental, people seem proud to be useless these days rather than embarrassed by it.

[Jon TDI]

Originally Posted by Ennoch

I'm with you on that, people round here don't even wash their cars. I actually had an interesting discussion with a newish neighbour last year when I was working on the Impreza. They didn't think I should be working on cars in the street as they said it brought the value of the area down because it looked like a council estate. I managed to stay polite, but they felt it was better to pay to a proper garage than to look like you can't afford to do that. They left in no uncertain terms as to my opinion on that POV! It's mental, people seem proud to be useless these days rather than embarrassed by it.

That’s absolutely ridiculous!
I’m actually proud to be able to work on my cars & if anyone was to tell me that I shouldn’t, then I would tell them it’s got nothing to do with them!

[Pentland]

Originally Posted by Ennoch

I'm with you on that, people round here don't even wash their cars. I actually had an interesting discussion with a newish neighbour last year when I was working on the Impreza. They didn't think I should be working on cars in the street as they said it brought the value of the area down because it looked like a council estate. I managed to stay polite, but they felt it was better to pay to a proper garage than to look like you can't afford to do that. They left in no uncertain terms as to my opinion on that POV! It's mental, people seem proud to be useless these days rather than embarrassed by it.

You could be on shaky ground there.
For example, I know within the the deeds to my house, there are rules on expected things like keeping continuity of house window style and colours, maintaining open planning of front gardens etc. but those rules also extend to things like not keeping commercial vehicles in the street and working on cars. I think you can do short term work but the idea is, as your neighbour mentioned, the area doesn’t end up with the theme of a “council estate”.

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by Ennoch

I'm with you on that, people round here don't even wash their cars. I actually had an interesting discussion with a newish neighbour last year when I was working on the Impreza. They didn't think I should be working on cars in the street as they said it brought the value of the area down because it looked like a council estate. I managed to stay polite, but they felt it was better to pay to a proper garage than to look like you can't afford to do that. They left in no uncertain terms as to my opinion on that POV! It's mental, people seem proud to be useless these days rather than embarrassed by it.

What an utter snob. Totally oblivious to the fact that it might not be anything to do with money and you actually enjoy working on your car

On car washing, I don't see it where I live either. People in my area just say "I take my car to the Polish people" I hate phrases like that.

Their indifference/apathy also extends to their house's kerb appeal in my area. They never weed, never paint their fences, never pick up the litter that blows around in the wind etc etc. Just no pride in anything. I get that such things aren't important to some people, but we all have eyes and share the same living space!

[Ennoch]

Originally Posted by Pentland

You could be on shaky ground there.
For example, I know within the the deeds to my house, there are rules on expected things like keeping continuity of house window style and colours, maintaining open planning of front gardens etc. but those rules also extend to things like not keeping commercial vehicles in the street and working on cars. I think you can do short term work but the idea is, as your neighbour mentioned, the area doesn’t end up with the theme of a “council estate”.

Thankfully there's nothing in the deeds for here about commercial vehicles, or working on cars etc. It's the last house I'll buy where that's anything like an estate anyway, I don't like people enough to be surrounded by them this closely, and I want to have a workshop to work in. The local housing association is just made up of other people on the estate but all they seem bothered about is which tree to chop down next. I don't think many people near me are bothered about how things look, they've all paved over their front gardens were it's possible to have parking spaces, and it looks terrible as a result.

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

What an utter snob. Totally oblivious to the fact that it might not be anything to do with money and you actually enjoy working on your car

On car washing, I don't see it where I live either. People in my area just say "I take my car to the Polish people" I hate phrases like that.

Their indifference/apathy also extends to their house's kerb appeal in my area. They never weed, never paint their fences, never pick up the litter that blows around in the wind etc etc. Just no pride in anything. I get that such things aren't important to some people, but we all have eyes and share the same living space!

Yup, that was my thought too. I think ignorance comes into it, and because they can't do something they don't want anyone else to do it either, all while thinking knowing how to do it is beneath them. The irony is this woman is an arse, her kids play loud music all the time, she parks three cars like a knob and wants to chop the trees down next to her house because she doesn't like them. Oh, and she's got a dog that won't stop barking. So many people will say they 'hate' cars yet spend money getting a new one every few years while doing the minimum to look after what they already own.

Most of my neighbours are actually pretty decent but there's an old one who never has anything nice to say to anyone. The first thing she said when I got the BMW? 'Well someone's come into some money', presumably because it was replacing a £500 Honda. But the reason I'd kept the Honda wasn't because I couldn't afford a more expensive car, but because it functioned perfectly fine for what I needed. It's funny how so many people judge others based on what car they drive and not how well they keep it. They'd look down on me for having an immaculate 20yr old, 200k car, and think I'm a better person for having the new car with herbed wheels and a hit on every corner,

The only one who washes his car around here, other than me, is a guy who has to have OCD. I can see him from my office window and he does it in such a particular way every time, turning the car around half way through (I wish I was joking) etc. His wife weeds the block paving once a week and washes everything on the front of the house weekly too. I think they've retired early, I think he's an ex copper, and they just don't seem to have any hobbies to fill their time. I've even seen him wash the car, take it out shopping with his wife on a dry day and then wash it as meticulously again when he got back. In contrast I'm not sure anyone else actually knows what a clean car looks like, inside or out!

[gippy]

Originally Posted by winther1

Microfilter service, oil top up, engine oil service, spark plugs, service "standard scope" - seems fair? I really didn't expect to pay close to 1k!
Not sure if it was feeling of guilt, but they gave me 15% off a new undertray and installed for free

looking at your related responses and considering how long you've had your car/been on this forum i'm amazed at how clueless you sound lol
i mean at the very least you could do such basic things like

- going into bmw service website select different dealers and it'll literally tell you how much they charge for what
- don't you even ask for a quote prior to the service being carried out?
- phoning independents for a quote, which if you're worried about warranty is still a perfectly valid place to get the car serviced.
- i can understand if you don't have a garage/space/tools to work on the car but things like changing a microfilter or airfilter is so insanely basic

but hey if you're happy to fork over almost £1k for a major service then it doesn't matter does it.

[330Stevie]

Just been quoted £620 for major service at main dealer on G20 M340i, so yeah you’ve been done! I’d guess you now that now OP looking at the pages of comments

[winther1]

Originally Posted by gippy

looking at your related responses and considering how long you've had your car/been on this forum i'm amazed at how clueless you sound lol
i mean at the very least you could do such basic things like

- going into bmw service website select different dealers and it'll literally tell you how much they charge for what
- don't you even ask for a quote prior to the service being carried out?
- phoning independents for a quote, which if you're worried about warranty is still a perfectly valid place to get the car serviced.
- i can understand if you don't have a garage/space/tools to work on the car but things like changing a microfilter or airfilter is so insanely basic

but hey if you're happy to fork over almost £1k for a major service then it doesn't matter does it.

Yes, I know
I was ok with them in the past for minor services - first time the car was in for a bigger service. Had a lot of things on my plate lately so wasn't really being vigilant. This was a wakeup call though. I told them to remove me from their customer list, and now with a cheap, reliable independent in Bexleyheath.

[Markos ZimZimma]

Just been quoted £987 for a major service on my 2015 335i by my local north London BMW dealer (oil and filter, air filter, cabin filter, 6 x sparks, vehicle check). Wasn't so long ago that was the price for an Inspection II on my s54-engined Z4M Coupe! Called some other main dealers who quoted £685, so I called the local dealership back and they offered a 10% discount (£880) but then said they'd match the £685 price of the others and look into why they'd quoted so high to begin with.

[MY340i]

Originally Posted by winther1

Yes, I know
I was ok with them in the past for minor services - first time the car was in for a bigger service. Had a lot of things on my plate lately so wasn't really being vigilant. This was a wakeup call though. I told them to remove me from their customer list, and now with a cheap, reliable independent in Bexleyheath.

do you have a copy of your brake fluid invoice too? curious to see how they broke down the price of that too

[Armaan]

Originally Posted by winther1

Yes, I know
I was ok with them in the past for minor services - first time the car was in for a bigger service. Had a lot of things on my plate lately so wasn't really being vigilant. This was a wakeup call though. I told them to remove me from their customer list, and now with a cheap, reliable independent in Bexleyheath.

We’ve all been there…when there’s a lot going on, it’s easy to take your eye off the ball and just go with the easiest option.

Lesson learnt, sometimes the hard way!

I’ve just got a quote from Halfords for a oil and oil filter service on a 2008 Yaris…£165! What on earth!

Armaan

[Watsey]

Originally Posted by Armaan

We’ve all been there…when there’s a lot going on, it’s easy to take your eye off the ball and just go with the easiest option.

Lesson learnt, sometimes the hard way!

I’ve just got a quote from Halfords for a oil and oil filter service on a 2008 Yaris…£165! What on earth!

Armaan

It's all too easy to compare DIY prices with business prices (especially in the context of the value of the car) and come to a 'rip off' conclusion.

But, £165 includes :

Oil
Filter
Performing the oil/filter change service
Responsible disposal of oil and filter
Salaries for other staff not involved with the oil/filter service (i.e. shop floor staff, head office staff, etc)
Staff employment benefits
Capital/depreciation costs (Halfords premises etc)
Repairs and maintenance
Insurances
Business rates
Facilities and utilities costs
Marketing & PR
Other SG&A costs
Business taxation

It's a long list, and the DIY costs only include the oil and the filter.

Businesses have to generate sufficient income to cover their operating costs and to make a sustainable profit, otherwise they will cease to exist.

The 'apples to apples' comparison should be Halfords versus Toyota main dealer versus indy garage.

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by Armaan

We’ve all been there…when there’s a lot going on, it’s easy to take your eye off the ball and just go with the easiest option.

Lesson learnt, sometimes the hard way!

I’ve just got a quote from Halfords for a oil and oil filter service on a 2008 Yaris…£165! What on earth!

Armaan

That is actually pretty reasonable in the current climate.

Irrespective of brand and work/parts required, pricing is only going in one direction.

[Kendo67]

Originally Posted by Armaan

I’ve just got a quote from Halfords for a oil and oil filter service on a 2008 Yaris…£165! What on earth!

You could DIY and save over £100 , must be one of the easiest to do.

K