The Great BMW Servicing swindle

[Angie4m]

So I need a service and yes I know I can use independents but with a warranty it's always adds a little more weight to any claims when you have been using BMW main dealers. It's shouldn't matter but we've seen that when you have a good relationship with the dealership it can help.

So I went online a few weeks back, got a oil service with micro filter (don't even start me on that! And the CBS) and a brake fluid. Jump forward to the last week and BMW seem to have updated the servicing page from offering the following:

Oil service and micro filter

Oil service no micro filter

Oil service, microfilter, air filter and spark plugs

Brake fluid

Vehicle check

Front pads

Front pads and discs

Rear pads

Rear discs and pads


Now the line up is

Oil service and micro filter

Oil service, micro filter, air filter and spark plugs

Spark plugs

Vehicle check

Front pads

Front pads and discs

Rear pads

Rear pads and discs

Both have the 'standard scope' at £19.80 to be tagged on when you make your choice.

So no brake fluid is avalible. So I make calls to the dealers who check the site but as that's gone they don't know the price. They then go away, take ages and come back with a price. Now three weeks ago it was £56. Today I've been quoted £66, £69 and £90! It's the £90 one I can't get my head round.

I've asked BMW why they've removed that option. They don't know. They've also suggested I just 'ring round' other dealerships but they don't get that none have the prices to hand and use this site. I also called Harry Fairbairn in Kirkaldy to get a price and some snippy cow told me they couldn't quite a price for a service becuase it's 'conditioning based servicing'.....well dear brake fluid isn't and neither is a oil service and according to some chump from BMW UK, they suggest changing items every 2 years regardless of mileage and they don't check the quality of the items before changing so actually CBS is bull but we all knew that anyway.

So tomorrow I'm going to call the local
Indepentent specialists to see what prices they are quoting.

It's almost like now BMW can't provide dealers with a price they are making it up as they go along.

[Nanu]

A couple of months ago I had an oil service and micro filter quotes from main dealers and they varied from £165 to £190. Both silly money

Instead I purchased my oil and filters from Europarts for £75 (and thats with 2 litres of top quality oil left over) I then rang round again to see how much labour charges were for service with me supplying the parts. Again it varied from £85 up to £105. When I asked for a break down of the charges I was told that fitting the micro filter was £20 and after checking that it didn't effect the warranty I got the service done for £65 and fitted the micro filter myself in 10 minutes.

Why do BMW dealers charge different prices for the same work to the same car???

[Worcester_spoon]

A couple of months ago I had an oil service and micro filter quotes from main dealers and they varied from £165 to £190. Both silly money

Instead I purchased my oil and filters from Europarts for £75 (and thats with 2 litres of top quality oil left over) I then rang round again to see how much labour charges were for service with me supplying the parts. Again it varied from £85 up to £105. When I asked for a break down of the charges I was told that fitting the micro filter was £20 and after checking that it didn't effect the warranty I got the service done for £65 and fitted the micro filter myself in 10 minutes.

Why do BMW dealers charge different prices for the same work to the same car???

Not sure it's the dealers issue, but BMW UK - the dealers will have a central BMW system that puts a set number of labour hours against a job and a set hourly rate - they'll just work off that I believe. Doesn't make it make any more sense however

[ZedFourM]

A couple of months ago I had an oil service and micro filter quotes from main dealers and they varied from £165 to £190. Both silly money

My E93 M3 has a service pack on it, but as it's going in to the dealer for a "Vehicle Inspection" next week, I thought that I might pay for an extra oil change myself.

The quote for an oil change and micro filter? £461.

[Angie4m]

Nanu, I tried that. I was quoted more than getting them to supply and service by £30!

I just can't believe that dealerships are using the online BMW servicing website and when the items are not on it they don't have a clue! It's a joke! BMW said it could be that it was a 'special offer'? Really so you no longer require brake fluid? Honestly they talk $hite!

And £461 for a oil change on the M3, ridiculous. I got crap service from all 3 dealerships I called today and BMW uk customer service were also crap. They actually never listened to my question and gave some stupid answer which when pointed out wasn't actually what I asked they just started stumbling.

It's just not good enough.

[Nanu]

A couple of months ago I had an oil service and micro filter quotes from main dealers and they varied from £165 to £190. Both silly money

My E93 M3 has a service pack on it, but as it's going in to the dealer for a "Vehicle Inspection" next week, I thought that I might pay for an extra oil change myself.

The quote for an oil change and micro filter? £461.

I am assuming you did not go ahead with that quote

[ZedFourM]

I am assuming you did not go ahead with that quote

You are correct in your assumption!

[Angie4m]

I got a call the following day from the dealership asking if I wanted to have a service with them. The oil service price was £381.75 plus vat and honestly I almost lost the plot with them.

Turns out if you phone them they use the BMW servicing site, but if they phone you they use their own systems which calculates everything separately and they hadn't checked the file from previous day to see I had already called and what i'd been quoted.