MarkW2005

I don't believe in these ads. Very skeptical over these things.

nthach

There's a reason why BMW has to give out free maintenance: the fluids in BMWs are not readily available aftermarket. With a Lexus, you can just go to Toyota and get an oil filter, and if you need oil, Costco, Wal-Mart, Kragen, AutoZone, or Pep Boys will have it. But in a BMW, their oil is a Euro-formula version of Castrol GTX that is no where close to what Castrol sells here. You put Wal-Mart SuperTech oil in a Bimmer, you can kiss your valvetrain and bearings goodbye. The same applies for hydraulic/brake fluids, tranny fluids and so on.

Also, like I tell my dad, smart people will go for Lexus, Toyota, Honda, and Acura. Dumb people will buy the BMW or Benz, based on "brand image".

MarkW2005

Interesting! What you pointed out is a dealer trick to make more $$$.

When I purchased my Lexus back in 2005, they offered me free oil change and maintenance 1st time around. In these last two years, I never used that "free" service. I do the oil change and general maintenance myself. They still call me nowadays reminding me to come back to their dealership. I said "thanks but no thanks."

newr

and I am surprised that your dad didn't smack you right in the head.

I buy both BMW and Benz, so I must be dumb and dumbER?

There is no need for that kind of language here kid. I hope that you are smarter than you sound.

JZA80MHU38

Sorry, but I have Toyota and Lexus for reliability, at the same time I also owned BMW for the driving dynamic and fun without giving up the practicality. Does it make me smart or dumb?

Oh, never mind, I don't care what you think.

Northern

LOL. I usually just like to read, but I couldn't help myself. MOST people are open minded and can see where a brands strengths are and can appreciate them for that, but some people just have their head WAY too far up their .... You'd almost think their life depended on THEIR brand being THE best, in all aspects, bar none.

doug_999

On the 3-series only - get over it.


You can buy an Audi where the maintenance program is optional.

As pointed out, BMW did not change their prices when they introduced this. However, there is still tiny flaw in your logic. Let’s say they did raise prices by $2K to cover this. Unless you drive the car into the ground, your logic does not fly. The $2K would have to be totally separate and gone by the end of the 4/50K period. The fact is, most BMWs are worth about 50% of their purchase price at the 4 year period. So even if it did cost you an extra $2K – you got $1K of it back when you sold the car at 4 years. Yes?

Anyway, it is important to note that MB and BMW Free maintenance was introduced because MB/BMW maintenance WAS expensive (and very thorough) and this was scaring some people away (you still see silly posts here on CL like "yea, but they are expensive to maintain"). The fact is, they are not - as long as they are in warranty - out of warranty however, and they are spendy, no more so than the comparable Lexus product however (talking maintenance here guys).

The downside of this "free" maintenance, as pointed out by Picus, is that the intervals of everything got much longer (my 540 with synthetic got two oil changes - one at 16,500 and one at 33,500). In fact many of the rear differentials are now "lifetime fill". This is not good for longevity IMHO. Fortunately, at least for the oil, they offer a yearly oil change even if the light has not decided to come on yet.

So in the end, it is not perfect, only benefits the owner for the first 4/50K, and becomes worthless if not detremental to the owner after the period. However, as pointed out, many people lease their BMWs (for the great residuals and BMW interest rate support) and they tend to be done with the car at the end of the lease and into a new one. Because of this, their only out of pocket expenses are gas, insurance, lease payment, and possibly tires. Not bad if you ask me!

geko29

I don't get where the "high maintenance cost" comes from. Over 7 years and 65k miles, my 323i has cost me a grand total of $1171 (barely more than the cost of one oil change according to one poster! ) in repairs and maintenance combined, even though I did vastly more than the manufacturer recommendations. This includes:

Tires
5 oil changes and one Used Oil Analysis (flying colors!)
Brakes (once), brake/clutch fluid (twice)
Plugs (early--scheduled at 100k)
Replacing ALL "Lifetime" fluids (transmission, differential, power steering, coolant)
Fuel filter, air and cabin air filters (twice each)
Wiper blades (twice)
Battery
Final Stage Resistor
brake lights

Those last three wer the only failure items I've had. By the time I get rid of it after 10-12 years of ownership, I expect to have spent a bit over $2,000 on it post-sale. A big improvement over my wife's former Chrysler, which cost a bit more than that every year.

nthach

By dumb, I meant the Paris Hilton/Lindsay Lohan type or rappers. My tutor owns a W211 E-Class. I shoulda stated that

spwolf

exactly... it is an anti-ad, since I thought 4 year maint. would be more than 1k...

JZA80MHU38

Awesome observation

picus

This is not correct. You can buy the same oil BMW uses in their cars locally; or you can buy better oil, which is probably a good idea since all manufacturer's tend to use bulk type synthetics at best. I put Redline in my 335i, it costs the same as Castrol Syntec and is a class V oil. It's the same stuff I put in my G35, and my SC400, etc... RE: brake fluid/tranny fluid - same deal, available everywhere you can buy brake/tranny fluid for any car. I am not sure why people think that because BMW gives you free maintenance you somehow can't perform your own.

AzNMpower

This has been argued over on the BMW boards as well, the topic of whether the longer service interval was implemented solely as a marketing ploy.

The answer to this is No. Think about it........the free maintenace is only free in the US. Canadians must purchase this extra, and those in Europe may not even have the maintenace plan. And yet their BMWs also have the same long service interval of about 15k miles or one year per oil change. And BMWs cost way more in other parts of the world outside the US.

Not true at all. Honestly, I wouldn't put cheap fluids in my Lexus either, even if it didnt harm the car. That's like saying I'll kill our BMW if some idiot put regular gas in our gas tank........which did happen at a NJ gas station I might add. Lot of BMW enthusiasts swear by Mobil 1, and I'm sure plenty of Lexus drivers here do that too. I do a mid-term (7,500mi) oil change in our BMW, and last time I put the Castrol Syntec 5W-30 found on most store shelves.........big deal. Of course I eventually found out it wasn't ideal (doesnt meant BMW LL-01 standards apparently), but no harm done.

I say the free maintenance plan is a great thing to have, even if some claim it is a marketing ploy. It goes beyond oil changes anyway........wiper blades, brake pads, rotors. The Inspection I service at 30k is a big one in terms of items covered. You can also extend the paid maintenance if you wish for another 2 years, effectively covering two more services and anything in between.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, and their type of rappers are far from dumb. The dumb ones are the people that are paying to see them on TV, magazines, etc. As they say, stupid commercials aren't made by stupid people, they are made for stupid people.

nthach

I know the parts stores here - NOT chain ones carry odd fluids for Euro cars, I've seen Jag hydraulic fluid, Mercedes ZH-M fluid, Esso LT71141(BMW and VW tranny fluid), and whole Lubro Moly/Pentosin line here. It's just that in this day and age of OEMs pulling warranties due to improper fluids...