Time to book first service & would love some advice on how/where to go about it!

sallyjc · Post by **sallyjc** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 12:29 pm

Dear All

Even though there are 3 Service lights left on the dashboard I would like to get the car (2005 X5 3.0d) serviced. There are 2 stamps in the Service Booklet, one at 26,595 miles dated 28/4/2008 and one at 39,926 miles without a date. I spoke to the garage but they don't have a record of the registration number - maybe it had a Private Plate at the time?

I have asked BMW for the name of the previous owner in case the garage has use the information to find the car on their system. However looking at the service dates it must be due it's 2-year service by now. Also I am making a long trip next month and it would be nice to have peace of mind driving the car.

So, should I have it serviced at the dealership or maybe a local BMW specialist garage?

It has to be at least a BMW specialist garage to qualify for the AUC Warranty - I checked with Mondial who confirmed this. Apparently it used to be only at dealerships but they have relaxed the rules to include specialist garages. By the way the car is still under BMW AUC Warranty and has done less than 60,000 miles so hopefully any repairs won't be too expensive?

Thanks for any advice. I have never had a car serviced at a dealership before so am very new to these things!

Regards

Sally

pvr · Post by **pvr** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 12:51 pm

When the dealer plugs the car in, they can tell when it was serviced and at what interval etc.

I am afraid I am a sucker for dealer service for the reason that if anything goes wrong, they will fix it whilst with third parties you are often left holding the problem yourself when a replacement part breaks during the warranty period for example.

Don Coffey · Post by **Don Coffey** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 1:55 pm

I will only used main dealer for servicing while car is under warranty. Once the warranty is up I'm happy to use independents. I always insist on OEM parts and the guy I use for BMWs has years of experience and seems to know more about real mechanics than guys that have been main dealer mechanics from the start of their careers.

Don

graemeX5 · Post by **graemeX5** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 6:31 pm

Hi for my E53 i use a local indi Bosch specialist who sorted my BMW when I got it. Very thorough and also tried to help save money on the front sensor problem. And if your based in Hertfordshire can recommend them.

But I would say go to a garage on recommendation or you trust whether bmw or indi as wherever you go you want to be sure on the quality of the work their are carrying out.

If you bought your car from BMW then you may have to get it serviced with them to keep up a warranty, I had no such issue as bought car via my brother in law who trades.

X5Sport · Post by **X5Sport** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 6:58 pm

I used a main dealer during warranty, and a specialist after it expired - including the same (good) Bosch Indie Graeme mentions. The other indie I used (in Bletchley) gave more mixed results - due to them really knowing earlier generations than the E53 - and some investigation work took longer than expected, but the routine servicing was good. They also used OEM parts if requested. Labour rates were about half that of a Dealer, but their (IT) tools were not perhaps as up to date as might be in a main dealer.

As both of our current cars are still under warranty, they are only looked at by BMW Dealers.

Richard

AW8 · Post by **AW8** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 9:26 pm

Finding out the main dealer history really shouldn't be difficult...............Simply call BMW UK for info on specification, or information on the visits to a dealership on 0906 209 0001 (Calls are charged at £1 per minute). Lines are open 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday.

It may be helpful to provide the Vehicle Identification Number, (VIN). This should be in your service book & also on bottom of the windscreen to nearside of the vehicle.

You say that the last service in the book does not have a date..........Is there a dealer stamp ? If so then you could call that dealership. If no stamp or date I would go back to the supplying dealer if you told when bought that it has full history. (Edit Just trawled your old posts re buying & service stamps............unclear if you bought from dealer as I also saw you posted re sawpping with a friends X5 due to interior colour prefrence. Did you buy car you own now from dealer or swap your X5 with an X5 owning friend ??

Assuming all eventually seems in order than I would simply wait until the lights tell you a visit is required. This advice in context of your mention of using an independent possibly indicating a sensible eye on costs. Why pay for an early inspection or oil service if not needed ?

If keen to keep keep gaps shorter between services simply book it in as soon as you see the amber light or maybe just after 1 remains. Also if wanting to ensure car in fine form then IMO your efforts better spent regulary by checking oil level, & topping up as required, being gentle with revs when cold & maybe before switching off engine particularly after a long run when engine hottest. Other than that I would perhaps get an indepenent to change the oil breather as these can clog up.

Mine still goes to main dealer for oil services & inspections as due to age of car their rates for such are cheaper than local bmw independents. For other work needed I obtain a dealer quote sometimes but usually for amusement only.......work required not gaining a stamp in the book is either done myself or buy an independent.

If not done so already then roughly state where you so folk can recommend independents. always worth having contacts as back up as sometimes dealers can be booked up in advance ...... annnoying if you need a quick repair done.

You might also want to check mileages/dates of last coolant & brake fluid changes as these need doing at fixed intervals

Agendas vary but my aim is to have a well maintained car, a decent history & ideally not to waste money.

sallyjc · Post by **sallyjc** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 12:14 am

Thanks for the info!

Yes I bought it from a BMW dealership and it is a BMW AUC.

There are only 2 stamps in the book, the first is from a BMW garage but the second stamp isn't. And neither is the second stamp from a BMW Specialist. But strangely this didn't stop BMW from selling the car as a AUC. Maybe they don't have to?

I did speak to the garage today where the second service was carried out. They did tell me they used all BMW parts (e.g. Oil and Filter) for that service as the car's owner was and still is very fussy. So that is good news I suppose. Also after much searching on their computer system they managed to tell me that the car was serviced by themselves in May 2010. So that's a gap of 2 years and 6 months.

Since the last service in May 2010 the car has done 10,500 miles and I only drive 60 miles a week at the moment. There are still 3 green service lights on which I would have thought have gone off by now because shouldn't the car be serviced every 2 years or 18,000 miles?

Some other questions spring to mind. I bought the car last month. Shouldn't BMW have checked when the car was last serviced and if it was more than 2 years shouldn't they have serviced it themselves before selling or doesn't it work like that?

Also, both stamps in the Service Booklet are ticked 'Oil Service'. But shouldn't the 2nd service have been 'Inspection I'. When I spoke to the garage today they think they just changed the oil and a filter. They don't think they carried out an 'Inspection I'. Which begs another question, shouldn't BMW have checked this and if it looked like the previous service was wrong, shouldn't they have carried out an 'Inspection I' or doesn't it work like that?

I would like to know where I stand before I call the Dealership tomorrow demanding answers!

Thanks for any help and advice!

Sally

CondorX5 · Post by **CondorX5** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 9:17 am

Sally, I also bought my X as an AUC with low mileage and it only had two stamps- according to BMW the service light indicator is what you need to follow as it depends on all sorts of factors like driving style, time since last service etc. having said that, brake fluid should be changed at 2 yearly intervals separate to any other service item and tyres should be changed after 5 years or if sidewalls show signs of cracking, even if tread levels are legal. AUC are supposed to go through a 120 point check and any outstanding work carried out before the car is sold as an AUC, but this could mean that there are still one or two service lights on and BMW will not fall foul of the commitment for doing any outstanding work. If in any doubt I would have the car serviced even if there are still service lights on. I stick to main dealers for servicing and everything else as its an AUC and I have the Mondial extended warranty now that the initial warranty has run out. Its cheaper for the E53 now as it falls within their value servicing costs for older cars, and many, if not most, repairs to the car are done by the dealer under warranty anyway - just recently had the car back from main dealer following new alternator being fitted. While its under warranty I will go to main dealers for everything, its less hassle anyway and the servicing costs are competitive with indys given the age of the car.

CondorX5 · Post by **CondorX5** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 9:18 am

PS meant to say definitely question the main dealer you bought the car from, as the Service Record doesn't sound quite right!

sallyjc · Post by **sallyjc** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 12:40 pm

Thanks for the reply.

Am I therefore within my rights to ask the Dealership to change the brake fluid free of charge as when they sold the car to me, the brake fluid was well over 2 years old?

Thanks.

Don Coffey · Post by **Don Coffey** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 1:16 pm

[quote="sallyjc"]
Thanks for the reply.

Am I therefore within my rights to ask the Dealership to change the brake fluid free of charge as when they sold the car to me, the brake fluid was well over 2 years old?

Thanks.
[/quote]

Whether or not you are with in your rights is a legal question. That would need to be followed up with a solicitor if the dealer doesn't play ball. That said, there is a moral question here. BMW charge more than other dealers when selling like for like cars and for a reason. I personally feel that the dealer has cut corners with the perpetration of your car and questions should be asked as to why the service history is both patchy and possible over due!

Don

AW8 · Post by **AW8** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 2:16 pm

[quote="sallyjc"]

...............A friend of a friend is going to buy my current X5 and I have already bought another one this morning which has a 100% black interior................[/quote]

[quote="sallyjc"]

Yes I bought it from a BMW dealership and it is a BMW AUC. [/quote]

So you bought 2 X5's, first one sold to a friend & 2nd bought by you AUC from a main dealer.

If yours is a facelift 3.0d I think schedule is...............Oil Service followed by Insp 1 then repeat but at every 3rd Insp 1 it should have air filter & fuel filter.........(perhaps someone will confirm this)

As prior said I'd get breather changed, there was a change to the design but unsure what yours will have. Ideally you want the modified vortex item. It may make sense to have this changed at same time as having the air ifilter changed as due to location of parts it may reduce labour cost. Worth getting price from an indy for the breather change if nothing else to comapre to any dealer quote. This is not a scheduled change item so is never done as a part of an oil service or inspection..........it's an additional job.

I cannot see an online reference to all AUC's being sold with full and complete main agent or for that matter independent history. I cannot find a definitive list of the 120 points in the AUC check. I found a post on another forum where a member there said obtained a copy of the 120 point check list relating to their car. If your checklist states the servicing should be up to date including fluids then you arguably have a start point for complaining &/or negotiating some work free of charge......I'd start by asking for a copy of same , (perhaps a scan by email to save time if thats an issue).

Oh & as for the 2 yr thing on oil services &/or inspections. I personally wouldn't be overly worried if 2 yrs exceeded by a few weeks or months so long as car not sat unsued. The oil & associate filter arent suddenly going to fail on 2nd anniversary of each change, (though new oil & filter aalways better than old stuff).

Hope this helps

sallyjc · Post by **sallyjc** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 3:56 pm

I did change my mind a lot at the beginning!

Many thanks for the advice. I am not sure if the Dealership gave me a checklist. They did give me a leather wallet book with various forms and paper in it, I will check tonight if one of them is a checklist.

AW8 · Post by **AW8** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 4:30 pm

You will have to request it from the sales team at supplying dealer.

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