1st Non-Warranty Service (or, just got robbed at the dealer)

[William330]

What a jolt to the wallet today.

Went in to the dealer because the "Check Engine Soon" light came on last week
(and subsequently went off after tightening the gas cap, but I figured I'd get an
oil change, so kept the dealer appointment).

• At the dealer, asked about running a diagnostic to verify why the "Check Engine
  Soon" light came on. $125 just to run the diagnostic. No thanks, skipped that.

• Told them that since I was there, let's just change the oil. Bam: $105. Went with
  that, since the car needed it anyway. Got used to the free oil changes under warranty,
  and before then, the $39 oil changes at JiffyLube with my previous vehicle.

• Asked about a coolant flush and fill. Pow: $160. Went with that, since the car needed it.

• They suggested a brake fluid flush and fill, since my fluid was "dark." Boom: $160.

• They suggested a fuel injector flush costing, you guessed it, $160. Eyes swollen, and
  wallet thin, I passed on this, but will probably take the beating on this one in a few months.

Today's Smackdown Total: $460

For an oil change, coolant flush and fill, and brake fluid flush and fill.

 

[Big Daddy]

And now my friend you know why I do those things myself!

 

[Detrich]

LOL... sorry to hear about your fleecing. we've all been in ur shoes b4, so, u'r not alone. well, look at it this way. at least it was still UNDER $500, which ain't bad for a bmw dealership- as many fellow owners will tell you. HAHAHAHAHAHA..

the dealer does do a lot of preventative maintenance, which is a good thing. but, so much so, that it often becomes premature service. i mean, would u throw away a roll of toilet paper after only using just half of it so u don't run out- just to be "proactive?" LOL

well, some ppl will say it's worth the $ to them to go to the dealer for the peace of mind. and, it's true- there's no wrong or right- only what each person's comfort level is. and, the dealer is still THE authority for servicing your vehicle properly and correctly. don't get me wrong on that one.

but, for me, personally, after my 3 year free service period was up, i've never been back to the dealer for service. i have a reliable shop that i've been going to for over 15 years that's honest and charges much more reasonable prices... i get my oil changed every 7k miles and do a major inspection every 30k miles. so, by staying on top of things, i think i'm being proactive in a more economical way. (i mean, why go to the dealer for a brake job and make them sell u new rotors when the ones u have still have 15-20k miles wear on them left still.) my car's 94k miles and still runs great... <knock on wood> hopefully, many many more years to come...

 

[Kirby]

Yeah, it hurts a bit. Like Dan, I do alot of this myself. I realize that may not be something people can or want to do themselves. Just a few comments and suggestions:
- Check Engine Light - Buy the Peake Research tool for checking and resetting yourself. Easier than changing a toner cartridge in a printer! It pays for itself in "fees" after using it twice, maybe even once!
- Your $39 oil change at Jiffy wasn't synthetic oil. Jiffy would have cost you ~$75 for the same service, so they got you for "only" a $30 premium.
- BMW recommends brake fluid changes more frequently than I have ever seen. Yes, there is reason and value behind it (avoids rusted brake cylinders, requiring caliper replacement). But you can easily go 5 years with no worries. Heck, I have a 20 year old car that has never been changed! (I should do it though!) The tools required for a brake fluid change cost $25 - $150 plus $15 for GOOD fluid (not Prestone crap). A little more involved than changing your own oil.
- Fuel injector flush? Nah, not after a few years. Maybe 5 - 7 years if you have issues.

 

[gpiron]

What I find amazing is the difference in treatment :
If you have the maintenance plan, oil change is every 13000 miles...????
Amazing also that nothing was mentioned to you until after warranty ran out...

 

[William330]

Feel better that this is not a rare occurrence.

I'm not handy with cars, especially with something such as brakes,
where a mistake could mean heading off a cliff.

Kudos to those that can do vehicle maintenance themselves.

I was just shocked at the prices. $105 to change the oil? Isn't
an oil change typically a 'loss leader' to get customers into the
repair shop?

And I hope the radiator was actually flushed for that $160, because
the whole time this scam was on my mind:

http://mfile.akamai.com/12924/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2006/0503/9152183.200k.asx

An amazing video.

 

[Big Daddy]

I remember that being on the news! I change my own oil, Mobil 1, and use a Mahle filter. I figure it costs me about $40.00 to do it myself and that is using 7 qts. of oil.