[thechoson]

I've heard a lot that it costs a lot to maintain a BMW.

I was wondering how these costs compare to similar cars in its class, such as an Infiniti G37, Audi A4, Acura TL, Lexus IS, etc.

Are all these cars similarly expensive to maintain, or does BMW stand out?

[07E92TT]

well uh, bmws have free maint. up to 50k miles so i'd say bmw would probably be the cheapest...

[Oulixes]

Originally Posted by thechoson

I've heard a lot that it costs a lot to maintain a BMW.

I was wondering how these costs compare to similar cars in its class, such as an Infiniti G37, Audi A4, Acura TL, Lexus IS, etc.

Are all these cars similarly expensive to maintain, or does BMW stand out?

BMW strategy is to include the maintenance cost for the first few years of ownership into the purchasing cost of the car. You have to research out how the other companies you are interested in handle the problem.

[Quasimodem]

After your warranty expires, maintenance will cost you two appendages. The choice is yours, but I would stick to arms and legs, all your other appendages are too important.

[WWONG]

As weird as it sounds, anyone else wish that BMW would make the maintenance plan an option and lower the price of the cars by a little? I wouldn't mind...

[wj4]

Originally Posted by 07E92TT

well uh, bmws have free maint. up to 50k miles so i'd say bmw would probably be the cheapest...

No such thing as a free lunch, my friend.

[CollinsE90]

Originally Posted by wj4

No such thing as a free lunch, my friend.

+1, they get their money for maintenance from the cost of the car...also why they suggest oil change every 15k so they only do it 3 times. You can take it in sooner as most of us on here do, but the general public BMW owners dont know any better and do what the dealer says....

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by WWONG

As weird as it sounds, anyone else wish that BMW would make the maintenance plan an option and lower the price of the cars by a little? I wouldn't mind...

+1.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by CollinsE90

+1, they get their money for maintenance from the cost of the car...also why they suggest oil change every 15k so they only do it 3 times. You can take it in sooner as most of us on here do, but the general public BMW owners dont know any better and do what the dealer says....

I hate this argument because it is stupid. First off the CAR tells you when to change the oil, not the dealer. Secondly, if BMW had a shorter change interval, say at 7,500 miles instead of 15,000 miles, they'd just charge a little more for the base price of the car to cover the oil service costs. So if the going rate for an oil change is $100, they'd be adding $300 to the price of the car; think anybody would notice $300 extra price on a $40,000 car?

Whether you belive in the BMW CBS oil change interval or not is up to you as an individual choice, but to say "the general public BMW owners don't know any better and do what the dealer says" is a stupid statement. If the dealer wanted to make more money he'd recommend shorter oil change intervals and have the owner pay him for it.

[cotmfk]

I know the 335 has been cheaper than my B7 S4 to this point. That was a V8, though.

Originally Posted by ENINTY

Whether you belive in the BMW CBS oil change interval or not is up to you as an individual choice, but to say "the general public BMW owners don't know any better and do what the dealer says" is a stupid statement.

I agree with most of your statement, but disagree with this. At least in the US, a large portion of the general public has no idea what is going on with their cars. If it gets them from A to B, they are happy. So, if BMW tells them the car will tell them when it needs something, they won't bring the car in except for at those times.

[Ryan323i]

Originally Posted by Quasimodem

After your warranty expires, maintenance will cost you two appendages. The choice is yours, but I would stick to arms and legs, all your other appendages are too important.

Ha!

[Weaselboy]

Just another data point here. When I cross shopped Audi and Mercedes last fall both sold a maintenance package similar to what we get free from BMW. As I recall they were both $790.

[kurtural]

I don't understand why this oil change is such a big issue with the so called enthusiast community in the States. Even the Renault has a 18k/12 mo service interval, very similar to our E9Xs. There has been progress made in lubrication industry and it has effects on the auto industry. Some companies choose to integrate it in their new cars like the BMW so do not.

[cb1111]

Originally Posted by cotmfk

I agree with most of your statement, but disagree with this. At least in the US, a large portion of the general public has no idea what is going on with their cars. If it gets them from A to B, they are happy. So, if BMW tells them the car will tell them when it needs something, they won't bring the car in except for at those times.

These BMW conspiracy theories are absurd. BMW uses similar intervals throughout the world.

The fact is that only the US has this foolish obsession with frequent oil changes that is fostered by the "jiffy lube mentality." Manufacturers have a vested interest is keeping their cars running properly and skimping on a handful of oil changes.

Using the proper oil and following the manufacturer's maintenance recommendations is the best way to keep your car - and your wallet - running smoothly.

Aside from earlier oil sludge reports on Toyota/Lexus (caused by delayed maintenance) and VW/Audi there are no reports of oil issues. Issues were resolved when synthetic oil was used.

There are absolutely no reports of lubrication issues with BMW's - or - for that matter - any modern car that uses synthetic oil.

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

I hate this argument because it is stupid. First off the CAR tells you when to change the oil, not the dealer. Secondly, if BMW had a shorter change interval, say at 7,500 miles instead of 15,000 miles, they'd just charge a little more for the base price of the car to cover the oil service costs. So if the going rate for an oil change is $100, they'd be adding $300 to the price of the car; think anybody would notice $300 extra price on a $40,000 car?

Whether you belive in the BMW CBS oil change interval or not is up to you as an individual choice, but to say "the general public BMW owners don't know any better and do what the dealer says" is a stupid statement. If the dealer wanted to make more money he'd recommend shorter oil change intervals and have the owner pay him for it.

You have to relax. This is a discussion board, no need for name calling.
1) Who tells the car that the oil needs changing; its BMW.
2) The only reason I don't have 100% faith in BMW is because BMW also states that they have "lifetime" fluids. Meanwhile even a non-enthusiast knows that no oil lasts a lifetime. Because of their stupidity, it makes people doubt them.

[cb1111]

Now, back on topic.

Infiniti has the screwiest maintenance schedule where the owner can choose if they want to do services every 3500 or 7000 miles.

Audi has 10k service intervals in the US.

Acura uses a variable maintenance schedule. By personal experience I can tell you that maintenance is required every 8-10k miles or so.

One way to determine service costs is to buy a maintenance contract.

The Audi contract for 35k miles is about $800
The infiniti contract is about $2000 for 75k miles (3k schedule)
Acura doesn't have one but costs should be less than Infiniti
BMW has a service contract to 100k miles that covers costs between 50 and 100k for about $2k. Costs for 0-50k miles is less than that - a number you can subtract from the cost from the car (about $800)

[Chriztofor]

If you DIY, maintenance costs will be similar. Maybe the parts costing a little more. Its easy to find out. Look up the maintenance parts at rmeuropean or autohauz or one of the forum sponsors and price out maintenance parts ie: brakes, rotors, plugs, air, micron, oil filters, etc to see what they cost. If you don't DIY I hope you have a good INDY.

[oilfighter]

One thing I like about BMW's "free" (more like pre-paid) maintenance is that they won't push you for extra service.

[scottp999]

Read some of the dealer service and maintenance horror stories around here. Do your own work as much as possible. It's fun, you learn about your car, and get a feeling of accomplishment when finished. Buy the Bentley manual, the bavarian technique tool, and pick up tools along the way.

realoem.com to look up part numbers and getbmwparts.com for the cheapest bmw parts.

If you are just leasing for a few years then the dealer is fine, but if you are a long term owner, invest some time in learning how to fix the car yourself.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by WWONG

As weird as it sounds, anyone else wish that BMW would make the maintenance plan an option and lower the price of the cars by a little? I wouldn't mind...

You may want that now, but whenever the cost of maintaining a car is high enough that a manufacturer hides it by baking it into the price of the car so you can finance the maintenance cost, be wary of what you wish for...

Yes, I'm aware too that by "allowing" you to finance 4 years of maintenance cost, BMW also is able to earn interest on what otherwise would be a non-interest earning transaction...so there's more to it than just the cost itself being high.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

I hate this argument because it is stupid. First off the CAR tells you when to change the oil, not the dealer. Secondly, if BMW had a shorter change interval, say at 7,500 miles instead of 15,000 miles, they'd just charge a little more for the base price of the car to cover the oil service costs. So if the going rate for an oil change is $100, they'd be adding $300 to the price of the car; think anybody would notice $300 extra price on a $40,000 car?

Whether you belive in the BMW CBS oil change interval or not is up to you as an individual choice, but to say "the general public BMW owners don't know any better and do what the dealer says" is a stupid statement. If the dealer wanted to make more money he'd recommend shorter oil change intervals and have the owner pay him for it.

+1 for sound reasoning over sophistry and hyperbole.

[fruition3000]

Originally Posted by cb1111

These BMW conspiracy theories are absurd. BMW uses similar intervals throughout the world.

The fact is that only the US has this foolish obsession with frequent oil changes that is fostered by the "jiffy lube mentality." Manufacturers have a vested interest is keeping their cars running properly and skimping on a handful of oil changes.

Using the proper oil and following the manufacturer's maintenance recommendations is the best way to keep your car - and your wallet - running smoothly.

Aside from earlier oil sludge reports on Toyota/Lexus (caused by delayed maintenance) and VW/Audi there are no reports of oil issues. Issues were resolved when synthetic oil was used.

There are absolutely no reports of lubrication issues with BMW's - or - for that matter - any modern car that uses synthetic oil.

I don't know about you but i'm not leaving my oil filter in past 6k. The oil will be fine but not the oil filter