[miyamoto]

This past Saturday I took my 2006 325i to the dealership to have my summer tires put back on. While I was there I asked about what sorts of maintenence I should have done. I am currently @ 58,000 miles, and he suggested I have my brake/transmission fluid done, oil changed, alignment, and do the 60k brake checkup and car checkup (I appologize if I have any of this wrong; I'm pretty terrible with cars). After all was said and done he said it would be a bout $1,000. I understand that this stuff isn't cheap on these types of cars, but $1,000 for preventative maintenence on 325i?

That being said, where do you all get your work done? Is it worth my while to just find a good, cheap shop to provide the necessary maintenence? Like, what services are essential to have done at the dealership, and what services can I shop out to other providers?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Ryan323i]

If you are out of warranty you need a good Indy shop. I'm in Columbus too and I plan to take my car to this place called Best Motor Werks after my warranty expires. They only work on BMWs. I've never had my car serviced there but I've exchanged a few emails with them about maintenance questions and they seem very knowledgable. Here's the website. Give them a call and see what they would charge.

http://www.bestmotorwerks.com/

[Chewy734]

That's pricey and unnecessary as a preventative measure. Who quoted you that price? Kelly or MAG?

[miyamoto]

Originally Posted by DarkRyan323

If you are out of warranty you need a good Indy shop. I'm in Columbus too and I plan to take my car to this place called Best Motor Werks after my warranty expires. They only work on BMWs. I've never had my car serviced there but I've exchanged a few emails with them about maintenance questions and they seem very knowledgable. Here's the website. Give them a call and see what they would charge.

http://www.bestmotorwerks.com/

Thanks for the info! I will definitely check them out.

Originally Posted by Chewy734

That's pricey and unnecessary as a preventative measure. Who quoted you that price? Kelly or MAG?

Kelly BMW. In general, I have been very pleased with the service at Kelly. The biggest problem I have with it is that I bought the car from them CPO less than a year ago. How would it need all this work after only driving it for 11 months?

[Ryan323i]

-Brake fluid is only every 2 years, the car should tell you when you need it.
-Oil is whenever the car says or 1 year. Out of warranty you should do every 7,500 miles.
-Transmission fluid is recommended at 100k in the manual but many people do it sooner.
-Alignment: you should only need this when you get new tires I would think. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
-60k inspection: The car will call for this at 60k, an Indy shop should be able to do it cheaper though.

[742]

When it comes to service "good" and "cheap" do not go together. That does not mean that you have to pay dealer prices, but a car owner who is always shopping price will have a beater by 100,000 miles.

You might try http://www.bimrs.org/2008MapPage.html to find an independent BMW shop near you, after which you don't need to go to the dealer for anything. You could also just ask around, looking for a shop that is recommended by people who keep their cars in good condition. Look for older, well cared for BMWs in in the parking lot.

As for what should be done, that depends on how long you are going to keep the car along with your personal standards and expectations. You need to come up with a plan. Off the top my head the following items are preventative mtc on an E90 along with a general idea of the range where people seem to be having them done.

Oil and filer (7,500 miles or just follow the CBS)
Air filter every third oil change (or sooner)
Cabin filter (15,000 miles or follow the CBS)
Spark plugs (60,000 miles to just following the CBS)
Serpentine belt (60,000 to 100,000 miles)
Brake fluid flush every two years (this is important)
Transmission and differential fluid change (30,000 miles to never -- much debated topic)
Coolant change (every 3 years to never)

Alignment as required -- just watch your tire wear. Dealers like to sell this service.

Be aware that the car needs the proper fluids. Randomly buying things like oil, coolant and power steering fluid at a general auto parts store can lead to major damage. The car was made in Germany, not the United States, and it needs fluids that meet European specs.

I am sure that others will add too or adjust my list. IMO the important thing is for you to find a high quality independent BMW garage. Don't take the car someplace cheap that does not normally see BMWs.

[Chriztofor]

You need to learn some diy, it will save you thusands. Otherwise, I Agee with everyone else, find yourself a good Indy. Dealerships are the last place to go.

[noro]

Originally Posted by DarkRyan323

-Alignment: you should only need this when you get new tires I would think. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Alignment is like sex, too much of it won't hurt but you have to keep some perspective with it, In the past my car's have go through 4-5 years, few sets of tires and 60+K miles with no need for alignment.

Few items however DO require you do it. Any sort of suspension work, excluding maybe control arm bushings. Any noticeable "pull" while driving. Most BMWs have a pretty fixed front end when it comes to alignment, so if something doesn't feel right alignment alone isn't the right solution, it often means something is worn and needs to be replaced.

[ctuna]

You should google Mike Miller BMW to get the old school maintenance schedule.

[herro]

Originally Posted by noro

Few items however DO require you do it. Any sort of suspension work, excluding maybe control arm bushings. Any noticeable "pull" while driving. Most BMWs have a pretty fixed front end when it comes to alignment, so if something doesn't feel right alignment alone isn't the right solution, it often means something is worn and needs to be replaced.

+1

You do NOT necessarily need an alignment for getting new tires - it's usually only when you somehow knock your car off-alignment (ie: offroading, huge potholes, etc.) or when you have suspension work done (ie: installing new coilovers, dropping the car, etc.)

Save yourself some cash down the road and get the Firestone Lifetime Alignment package for $139.99 (free lifetime alignments)

[miyamoto]

Thanks for the great responses! I will look into some of the options in this thread and be sure to report back.

[UncleWede]

Every time I've gone to the local Firestone (I have lifetime alignment on all my other vehicles) they say they can't do it on the E90.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by 742

When it comes to service "good" and "cheap" do not go together. That does not mean that you have to pay dealer prices, but a car owner who is always shopping price will have a beater by 100,000 miles.

You might try http://www.bimrs.org/2008MapPage.html to find an independent BMW shop near you, after which you don't need to go to the dealer for anything. You could also just ask around, looking for a shop that is recommended by people who keep their cars in good condition. Look for older, well cared for BMWs in in the parking lot.

As for what should be done, that depends on how long you are going to keep the car along with your personal standards and expectations. You need to come up with a plan. Off the top my head the following items are preventative mtc on an E90 along with a general idea of the range where people seem to be having them done.

Oil and filer (7,500 miles or just follow the CBS)
Air filter every third oil change (or sooner)
Cabin filter (15,000 miles or follow the CBS)
Spark plugs (60,000 miles to just following the CBS)
Serpentine belt (60,000 to 100,000 miles)
Brake fluid flush every two years (this is important)
Transmission and differential fluid change (30,000 miles to never -- much debated topic)
Coolant change (every 3 years to never)

Alignment as required -- just watch your tire wear. Dealers like to sell this service.

Be aware that the car needs the proper fluids. Randomly buying things like oil, coolant and power steering fluid at a general auto parts store can lead to major damage. The car was made in Germany, not the United States, and it needs fluids that meet European specs.

I am sure that others will add too or adjust my list. IMO the important thing is for you to find a high quality independent BMW garage. Don't take the car someplace cheap that does not normally see BMWs.

This is good advice. I'm at 108,000 miles and my maintence schedule so far has been: I'm totally DIY.

Oil - I follow the CBS, about every 17,000 miles
Coolant - 75,000
Trans & Diff - 75,000
Plugs - 100,000
Belt - 100,000 - it was in good shape at 100K, but I changed it anyway.
Air filter - every third oil change (CBS interval)
Cabin Filter - CBS interval
Brake Fluid - every two years
Alignment - haven't done one yet
Brakes - CBS interval, mine went at 75,000
Tires - I use non-runflat high performance all seasons non-stag. and go about 35K between sets. Yokohama W4s

The 30,000 mile inspection is nothing more than reading fault codes.

Good luck. Use ONLY a BMW mechanic for service, anyone else will F-up your car.

[Shamim]

that is odd. I had my car for only 10 k miles and my coolant fault popped up. Why so soon? And is it covered under warranty?

[Bcube]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

This is good advice. I'm at 108,000 miles and my maintence schedule so far has been: I'm totally DIY.

Oil - I follow the CBS, about every 17,000 miles
Coolant - 75,000
Trans & Diff - 75,000
Plugs - 100,000
Belt - 100,000 - it was in good shape at 100K, but I changed it anyway.
Air filter - every third oil change (CBS interval)
Cabin Filter - CBS interval
Brake Fluid - every two years
Alignment - haven't done one yet
Brakes - CBS interval, mine went at 75,000
Tires - I use non-runflat high performance all seasons non-stag. and go about 35K between sets. Yokohama W4s

The 30,000 mile inspection is nothing more than reading fault codes.

Good luck. Use ONLY a BMW mechanic for service, anyone else will F-up your car.

Nice to see some high mileage cars, here is my past maintenance schedule for my 335i:

Oil - Every 10K
Coolant - DIY at 102K
Diff - DIY at 102K
PS fluid - DIY at 102K
Plugs - Past history has shown between 45K-50K best
Belt - Still original: My DIY 90K inspection showed that it was in good shape.
Air filter - every third oil change (CBS interval)
Cabin Filter - CBS interval
Brake Fluid - CBS interval
Alignment - Did one around 35k miles. I wish I hadn't. It was a waste of money.
Brakes - CBS interval. Original set went at 59K. Pads only, rotors were within spec. Car due new brakes soon.
Tires - I am all over the place but all have been summer performance.

[F32Fleet]

www.bimrs.org