[e92328i998]

Coming up on the first oil change since the warranty expired on our 2011 328i. At the dealer I can get the Value service for 79.95. The indy that everyone recommends around here is $110. Not sure that it is apples to apples though. We have always had the oil changed once a year as we don't hit 15k+ in a year so we get the safety inspection done at the same time. Its free at the BMW dealership we purchased the car from. What do you guys think? Use the dealer for oil changes and the indy for more expensive repair type services.

[Meeni]

Go to the place you trust. I usually use minor services to "test the waters", so that when something major comes, I know where I can go to get appropriate care and not get robbed.

[Phil325i]

If you're out of warranty, why not change it yourself? It's really not difficult on these cars. Lots of guides on here and on YouTube...

[e92328i998]

Originally Posted by Phil325i

If you're out of warranty, why not change it yourself? It's really not difficult on these cars. Lots of guides on here and on YouTube...

It's not that I can't. There are other things I would prefer to spend my precious spare time time doing.

[BavarianMWfan]

Stick with the dealer. Since you already have a history with them.

[Phil325i]

Originally Posted by e92328i998

It's not that I can't. There are other things I would prefer to spend my precious spare time time doing.

Only suggested it because you seemed to be looking for good value for money...

[Efthreeoh]

It's good that the dealership offers the oil service at $80, because that is a good deal. However, you'll find that your car will be returned with a list of "recommended" services. Take all of them with a grain of salt. Keep track of you maintenance in a book in the glove box so that you know when what service was done. The CBS keeps track of most of them for you too.

[Delta0311]

$79.99 is the option I tend to go with when I don't feel like doing an oil change myself. The price is pretty good given the fact that a BMW oil change kit is about $70 itself. The $110 indy shop deal is a huge rip off. They are basically charging you $40 for a 10min job.

[bvanlieu]

Originally Posted by Delta0311

$79.99 is the option I tend to go with when I don't feel like doing an oil change myself. The price is pretty good given the fact that a BMW oil change kit is about $70 itself. The $110 indy shop deal is a huge rip off. They are basically charging you $40 for a 10min job.

I challenge anyone here to change their oil and filter, start to finish, in 10m. Not it takes 10m once I have it up on jackstands/ramps and have my stuff laid out, full start to finish.

From pull in to pull out of a bay, 30m doing things correctly is very reasonable.

$40-60 for 30m work in a professional shop, also very reasonable. Skilled labor, business costs, this isn't a $10/hr job folks.

$150-200 for the same oil change is a *huge* ripoff. $100-120, in the ball park. $80 specials are the dealer taking a very low margin for the change, and often giving it to less skilled techs to do. Its incentive based service to keep you coming in.

So: who would you rather have working on your car, skilled professional or votech dropout? Is it worth it to save $30?

- b

[Delta0311]

Originally Posted by bvanlieu

I challenge anyone here to change their oil and filter, start to finish, in 10m. Not it takes 10m once I have it up on jackstands/ramps and have my stuff laid out, full start to finish.

From pull in to pull out of a bay, 30m doing things correctly is very reasonable.

$40-60 for 30m work in a professional shop, also very reasonable. Skilled labor, business costs, this isn't a $10/hr job folks.

$150-200 for the same oil change is a *huge* ripoff. $100-120, in the ball park. $80 specials are the dealer taking a very low margin for the change, and often giving it to less skilled techs to do. Its incentive based service to keep you coming in.

So: who would you rather have working on your car, skilled professional or votech dropout? Is it worth it to save $30?

- b

It takes a shop a little over 10min-15min to do an oil change. A shop either has a pit or a lift that they do this on.
So lets go through the process:
Takes about a minute to pull the car in and get it lifted or pulled over the pit.
Next you open the cover, unscrew the plug, and let the oil drain out.
Put the new gasket on the drain plug, screw it back in, and close the cover.
Unscrew the old oil filter and clean out the housing.
Replace oil filter, gaskets, and screw the new filter back in.
Add about 7 quarts of oil.
Start car and drive out
Have a beer and call it a day.

Going to a "top mechanic" to do your oil change is like seeking the aid of world renowned surgeon because you got a paper cut. You can train a monkey to do an oil change on a BMW; that is the one thing BMW has made ridiculously easy to do. Yes BMW will use a fresh tech to do your oil change simply because it is a quick and easy job; using a skilled tech to do this would be overkill. And their new tech will be accredited, BMW will not hire a votech drop out. Same cannot be said about a mom and pop shop. Even if you do take your car for your $120 oil change at a "skilled" shop do you honestly think that they will use a seasoned mechanic to do it. Fuck no, you will be getting the new guy who does the oil changes and tire balances. With that said, no I would never let Walmart do my oil change but I got no issues taking it to BMW for a $80 job.

[bvanlieu]

Finish your analogy. You go to the doctor for that laceration and they happen to notice an irregular skin coloring on your noggin because you don't use sunscreen from all that golf, beach and beer time.

Is it worth it to you now?

Same deal with a skilled mechanic. They will be quick but methodical and they can look under the car, check things out while the oil is draining (and yes you can let it drain an extra few minutes to get that last .25 qt out of it).

This isn't a $10/hr job where minimal wage will get you minimal effort. A professionals time is worth something. I demand it of my time so why should I not pay the same respect to others?

I've wrenched cars for over 20 years, and yes...it takes more then 60 seconds to drive a car onto a 4 post lift, correctly position the lift pads, lift the car into a secure position etc...

Its not a pit stop. I'm not saying it can't be done in 10m, but a 10m job will mean you don't have time to do other things, and potentially *miss* things by rushing.
A little over 15? 18M. 20M? OK, round up to 1/2 hr labor and call it a day.

Which is why I said 30m is very reasonable.

- b

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by bvanlieu

Finish your analogy. You go to the doctor for that laceration and they happen to notice an irregular skin coloring on your noggin because you don't use sunscreen from all that golf, beach and beer time.

Is it worth it to you now?

Same deal with a skilled mechanic. They will be quick but methodical and they can look under the car, check things out while the oil is draining (and yes you can let it drain an extra few minutes to get that last .25 qt out of it).

This isn't a $10/hr job where minimal wage will get you minimal effort. A professionals time is worth something. I demand it of my time so why should I not pay the same respect to others?

I've wrenched cars for over 20 years, and yes...it takes more then 60 seconds to drive a car onto a 4 post lift, correctly position the lift pads, lift the car into a secure position etc...

Its not a pit stop. I'm not saying it can't be done in 10m, but a 10m job will mean you don't have time to do other things, and potentially *miss* things by rushing.
A little over 15? 18M. 20M? OK, round up to 1/2 hr labor and call it a day.

Which is why I said 30m is very reasonable.

- b

I have a 2-post lift. It takes about 5 minutes to lift the car, including positioning it correctly, getting the lift arms/pads correctly positioned, and the actual lift time. BTY, most commercial lifts are spec'd at 45 seconds for a full 6-foot lift. And most mechanics stop the lift part way and juggle the car to make sure it is secure (this is what the lift instructions say to do). Mechanics do not rush this part of the job since their life depends on it and the need to avoid property damage to the vehicle if it falls. And then a few minutes to undress the car from the lift once you've set it down (about 30 sec. to lower it).

And I agree with the rest of your points. It takes 5 minutes to just refill the engine with 7 quarts of oil. Check for leaks on restart, reset the CBS, and throw in the paper work, and you're at 30 minutes easy.

I'd like to see Delta0311 use a tire machine and balancer without ripping off a few fingers, it does take some skill to operate such machinery... Far beyond the capability of a monkey. You could teach a monkey to listen to your heart too, but...

[waterchange]

I think the $79.99 oil change specials at my dealer are just a way to get my car in for them to find the next $$$ repair that's needed. It's rare that my car doesn't need something else fixed (2007 E90) when I take it in just for an oil change. So in my mind, it's a loss leader (or low-profit leader) for them to reel you in for the more expensive repairs.

[e92328i998]

Going to take it to the dealer. Turns out we need to get new front brakes and the dealer is cheaper again at 400 vs 600.

[bvanlieu]

Thanks for chiming in LukeG.

There is a local Indy I am going to start to use where I can. I just am concerned they may see my M57 and run for the hills....wish we had more of them so folks could get very used to problems with them

Although I am capable of a few services, rather give it to someone with a lift and tools.
ZF Transmission fluid for example: bit of a PITA job on jack stands, plus reset adaptations (tool/sw required). Money well spent giving to a pro.

- b

[HP_HOUND]

Find the right Indie. I found a Mechanic that used to work at the Dealer and has been trained by the factory to work on BMW. He specializes in German cars. Mostly BMW & Porsche, but also services Lambos. He saved me a lot of money on a HPFP and other routine maintenance.

The dealership is going to have much more overhead, so they will probably charge you more. I know the one I'm my town does.

Just do your research and find the right indie. In my case, I'm getting a factory trained mechanic so the only difference in my mind is the savings.

I would be reluctant to go to a shop that repairs any make and model though. I think it is important to know the cars and specialize in one or two brands.

I wouldn't want just any mechanic working on my vanos system in my direct injected inline 6 with valvetronics. Just saying their are certain procedures that should be followed, etc.

[chris82]

If you've never had issues with the dealer, why not go to them and save $30?

[UncleWede]

The oil change special is what's call a loss-leader. Once they get you in the door and the car on the lift, they ALWAYS find something else that is a lot more expensive that your car MUST have before they can safely give you the car back.

Or something like that. . .

[Breach]

It always comes down to people, so completely agree with whoever said "go to whomever you trust more". It's not like I didn't take my care to the dealer for an oil change and they overfilled by 1L, QC checklist all duly completed and all...