The car is at 94k miles and runs great so far...but I would like to get my car 100k service done earlier than usual and feel little safer since we dont have the records when the last oil and brake oil changes happened...
Do anyone know what type checks and replacements should be done at 100k?
I called local dealer and they said they recommend replacing OC sensors (4x $170) wow! and changing engine oil/filter and flushing radiator/brake fluids.
Anything else?
like water pump, complete radiator etc...? I keep hearing 540i's have major issues with..
see if they offer a powersterring flush or a fule injection clean those can help keep the car running good. a company called BG sells them i'm not sure if all dealers offer them but if they do they are worth the money. O2 sensors are a good idea to replace. sooner or later you'll have to do it, be better to do it when you want to instead of when you have to becasue the car is running bad. also change the differential oil. i think that should be included in a 100K service along with spark plugs, air filter, and cabin air filters. nothin' worse than letting the cabin air filters get stinky and getting into the whoel car. that smell is tough to get rid of.
as far as the water pump and radiator there is little you can have done to check if they are about to fail. unless the rad. is already leaking or if the pump is leaking,or not making enough flow there is little you can do to check them. if you ahev the extra money it might not be bad to just go ahead and have both changed so you don't have to worry about when they will fail.
You can save some money by replacing the O2 sensers yourself or take it to an Independent shop. Brake fluid change is very important. About $100. at the dealer. (don't try this yourself) I had the dealer flush my coolant, during the coolant system pressure test they blew the radiator plasic tank gaskets. Then hit me up for $500 for a new one. To add to my anger they refilled the system with TAP WATER nice If you have a dealer flush it I would bring 3 gallons of distilled
you would be hard pressed to find a dealer that actually uses distilled water. there is nothing wrong with tap water. plus those expansion tank lines are so incredibly brittle after they get some miles on them i have actaully seen them bust when simply closing the hood.
I would leave the O2 sensors till the light comes on. Some cars are running past 100k miles and still using original O2 sensors. The car won't break down with bad 02 sensors, light comes on, poor gas mileage, rough idling...all symptoms allow enough time for service.
As for water pump, radiator etc...I wouldn't just go changing them just for peace of mind. They could have been replaced already. Water pump, you can hear the bearing when it's about to go, sounds like a "running train" in your idling. But, if you're not observant to the early signs, water pump could just break down and leave you stranded halfway somewhere...
Radiator...usually it's around the plastic neck area where the hose attaches. You can visually inspect for very fine hairline cracks, or run a pressure test.
A good and honest mechanic should be able to tell you what needs to be replaced or done. I wouldn't go to a dealership as they tend to recommend everything done! Just find a good independent BMW mechanic and perform a full Inspection 2.
I would do (and have done) a radiator flush to my own 97 E39. I would also do (as I will be doing) a transmission flush (not drain as some service bays do).
i can't speak for every dealership but i like to think that they are all honest. however i know that mine is. the only reason we/they recomend so much is becasue it does need it. i'm not saying that everything has the same urgency of getting fixed but we never quote things that aren't needed. besides noone is forcing you to buy all the stuff that is quoted to you. you bring your car in to have it checked and we are gonna check it. and if we don't quote something to you, even though what ever it maybe is in need of being fixed/replaced, then you roll down the road a coule miles then what ever we didn't quote breaks or fails. then your just going to come right back and complain how the technicion didn't do a good enough job checking your car. but then when the tech does try and sell everything that is wrong you complain becasue you think your car doesn't need all of what the tech quotes you.
p.s. we have bills to pay too, not to imply that we are not honest but we have to jump on every opportunity to make money.
I'd leave the o2 sensors alone. I have 151,000 on my 540 and they've never caused me a problem. I would have them check on whether or not you should replace the major hoses (i did) and that makes a difference. I've had everything done at the dealership from day one, and i think that's helped...
Originally posted by bryan1970@Mar 10 2005, 11:22 AM i can't speak for every dealership but i like to think that they are all honest. however i know that mine is. the only reason we/they recomend so much is becasue it does need it. i'm not saying that everything has the same urgency of getting fixed but we never quote things that aren't needed. besides noone is forcing you to buy all the stuff that is quoted to you. you bring your car in to have it checked and we are gonna check it. and if we don't quote something to you, even though what ever it maybe is in need of being fixed/replaced, then you roll down the road a coule miles then what ever we didn't quote breaks or fails. then your just going to come right back and complain how the technicion didn't do a good enough job checking your car. but then when the tech does try and sell everything that is wrong you complain becasue you think your car doesn't need all of what the tech quotes you.
p.s. we have bills to pay too, not to imply that we are not honest but we have to jump on every opportunity to make money.
With all due respect to you...it seems you work at a BMW dealership.
My personal experience with 2 local BMW dealerships, they will sell you anything like you are some stupid rich BMW owner. One incident, I HAD to take my car in to the dealer for an issue, besides what I originally took the car in for, they told me I needed all 4 brakes and rotors done, $1000. I said no, and went to my independent BMW mechanic. He checked it out, then told me the fronts were low but still okay, the rears were still 50% good! WTF!!!??? So I ended up driving for almost a year before replacing the fronts for under $400, and NEVER replaced the rears till the day I sold the car!
Of course there are several other stories...but I don't have the time to write an essay. :cheers
okay yeah in that situation unfortunatly it sounds like some one was trying to sell the brakes when they didn't really need them. which that is just really too bad becasue then you get the wrong impression that the dealership is a bad place to take your car. as i said i like to think that all the BMW dealerships are honset but it sounds here there is atleast one tech out there not being totally honest. but you also gotta think about other possibilities here. maybe the person that worked on your car was new. when your first starting out it can be a little difficult to judge a percentage of how much pad life is left.
and as far as trying to sell you things you didn't ask for. we pretty much have to. we are pressured to upsell by the shop managers. if they see that a car came in with 100K miles and all we did was an oil change then they are gonna be breathing down our necks about njot selling anything else. and if a car come sina nd all they want IS an oil change it is hard to make money, in the tech's stand point, off just an oil change so we try to upsell other things that the car DOES need. how ever everybody is diffrent. personally i understand that the customer would get frustrated if he brought, what he thought, his "flawless" car in to get an oil change and they give him a $1000 estimate onj repairs. thast why if i fell the customer either doesn't have the money, time, or would want to buy much more, i don't tka e a long time to inspect the car to try and sell a bunch of other things. however don't get it wrong i do look the car over just to make sure there isn't anything big that would need imediate attention. and i only recomaend brakes if either the rotor thickness is under spec or if the pad lining light sensor is beginning to rub on the rotor.
next time ask them why they recomend brakes.
and as i said before, while it can be frustrating when someone says you need a bunch of parts replaced, you don't have to buy them.
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