[landau88]

So my factory warranty is about to expire the first week of July. I'm due for an oil change, new spark plugs, and a new air filter in about 3,000 miles. If I hit the 3,000 before first week of July, everything will be covered. If I hit 3,000 miles after the first week of July, all maintenance will be paid out of pocket, which I was told will cost around $550.

Trying to decide if it will be worth it to do some extra joy-riding over next 2 weeks to hit this number. I'll be putting around 1,200 miles on my car if I drive it as I normally would. This means I'll have to put an extra 1,700 on it to get new spark plugs, new air filter, and an oil change for free. Without gas included, it is definitely worth it to me because the extra 1700 miles will do little depreciation and I most definitely don't mind extra joy-riding (maybe I'll plan a road trip). What would you guys do if you were in my situation?


BTW, I just calculated how much extra I'll spend on gas by driving the extra mileage and it comes out to around $300-350 (5-6 fill ups bc I don't think I'll be driving "fuel-efficiently" the whole time). This means I'll be saving around $250 by doing a shit ton of driving over the next few weeks.

[Chriztofor]

+1 Plan a road trip. 1) You will have a great time; 2) It will be on BMW's dime; and 3) If something goes wrong on your road trip it is covered. Better to know now then doing a road trip in August and then having to pay for plugs, oil/filter, air filter, and ????. Enjoy!

[FVM3]

if i were you i wouldnt spent that much time to save that $200. You gotta spend mayve 2 full days to get the 1700 miles done, which is a pain to your ass

[Potty_Pants]

if the rear wheels are jacked up and supported.... putting car in 6th gear will the odometer increment ?

ppp

[RX7guy]

spark plugs, oil change and air filter are at most $200 .. only worth it if you have a destination in mind and dont mind driving for 4 days straight

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by RX7guy

spark plugs, oil change and air filter are at most $200 .. only worth it if you have a destination in mind and dont mind driving for 4 days straight

Not at a dealer.

[landau88]

Originally Posted by RX7guy

spark plugs, oil change and air filter are at most $200 .. only worth it if you have a destination in mind and dont mind driving for 4 days straight

OEM oil change is $120-160 (depending on dealership) OEM spark plugs are about $100 for parts. Not sure how much OEM oil filter is. Then add in service hours. Still a rip off, but thats BMW dealership prices for ya.

Also, I have a good relationship with my SA so this maintenance visit will also serve as an opportunity for me to ask him to check everything before my factory warranty expires while the car is in for the maintenance.

[waxfree]

save the miles and do the work yourself. those are all very simple DIYs.

plugs - $60-70
oil - $60-70
airfilter - $30-$40

$180-200 tops to diy.

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by waxfree

save the miles and do the work yourself. those are all very simple DIYs.

plugs - $60-70
oil - $60-70
airfilter - $30-$40

$180-200 tops to diy.

If the OP knew how to DIY he probably wouldn't have started this thread. (Not everyone is mechanically inclined or have tools.)

[Bobble]

If you do this out of pocket the oil change kit is $69 filter wrench is $20/drip pan $10, you can get plugs all day on the internet for $7 to $8 per plug and the socket is $15, air filter is a no brainer. Also you fail to mention the cabin filter which is due at the thrid oil service(@45K) thats $40 dollars no deals on that one. So my math has it at $194 for parts sourced at the cheapest prices, $45 for the tools required if you don't have them and your time. So if it's going to cost you $350 to drive the miles to get it done that's approximately $100 more than DIY and your time as well to drive for 4 days. Now if you have someplace you really want to go to and that will reach the mileage/dealer alternative than that's a go but otherwise the DIY aspect is cheaper and those are the simplest maintenance items you can do and to steal a tag line the gratification of maintaining your car is priceless!

[Chriztofor]

People should not assume that everyone knows how to DIY. If someone never worked on a car before would you let them do a spark plug replacement project? If you say yes, then I will give my brother some tools and let him change your plugs for FREE! http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...iy+spark+plugs

[landau88]

Originally Posted by Bobble

If you do this out of pocket the oil change kit is $69 filter wrench is $20/drip pan $10, you can get plugs all day on the internet for $7 to $8 per plug and the socket is $15, air filter is a no brainer. Also you fail to mention the cabin filter which is due at the thrid oil service(@45K) thats $40 dollars no deals on that one. So my math has it at $194 for parts sourced at the cheapest prices, $45 for the tools required if you don't have them and your time. So if it's going to cost you $350 to drive the miles to get it done that's approximately $100 more than DIY and your time as well to drive for 4 days. Now if you have someplace you really want to go to and that will reach the mileage/dealer alternative than that's a go but otherwise the DIY aspect is cheaper and those are the simplest maintenance items you can do and to steal a tag line the gratification of maintaining your car is priceless!

Do these prices include shipping? I also would need to buy a jack, no? I've never done a single maintenance item on an automobile, but am not opposed to by any means. I do, however, place a high value on my time because I work very long hours and usually visit the GF on weekends so I really don't have much time at all to learn and complete a DIY. After my factory warranty expires, I 100% plan on becoming a DIYer, but I figured I would tackle that once my free maintenance plan is up...

[Chriztofor]

Since you are starting out, I would ask a friend (that knows what he is doing) to help you with an oil/filter change. You both should review the DIY's on here and on Youtube.

You would need to buy a jack, jack stands (don't kill yourself), and a set of tools, including a strap wrench for the oil filter housing (Craftsman tools http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...u=00935154000P strap wrench http://www.binbin.net/compare/BOA-So...rap-Wrench.htm)

You will also need to buy a torque wrench. I personally don't use it, but you don't want to over-tighten or under tighten anything.

OR you can just take the car for a drive.

[BTTGMan]

Originally Posted by landau88

Also, I have a good relationship with my SA so this maintenance visit will also serve as an opportunity for me to ask him to check everything before my factory warranty expires while the car is in for the maintenance.

THIS. i would absolutely put the miles on and get it in under warranty for a full inspection. if they miss anything that goes in the near future, you can come back at them. they aren't going to be thrilled to just bring you in otherewise, with no known problems to be looking for.

[waxfree]

Originally Posted by landau88

Do these prices include shipping? I also would need to buy a jack, no? I've never done a single maintenance item on an automobile, but am not opposed to by any means. I do, however, place a high value on my time because I work very long hours and usually visit the GF on weekends so I really don't have much time at all to learn and complete a DIY. After my factory warranty expires, I 100% plan on becoming a DIYer, but I figured I would tackle that once my free maintenance plan is up...

if you have never turned a wrench, i pull my recommendation of DIY. not hard, but not the car to learn on.

[hipnotic]

just drive the car a lot and get this covered under warranty rather than paying this out of your pocket

[Thumperx]

Maybe this a dealership specific policy, couple months ago, I asked my SA informed me this particular dealership has a "within" 4k of schedule maintenance policy, then it's ok for the SA to order the service work.

My warranty expires this month, but I had all replacement work done (spark plugs, cabin filter, brake rotor and pads, and oil change) before my 50k mark. The car just turned 47k on the clock.

Can you ask your SA if you can have the work done now?

[Outlaw 06]

Originally Posted by landau88

So my factory warranty is about to expire the first week of July. I'm due for an oil change, new spark plugs, and a new air filter in about 3,000 miles. If I hit the 3,000 before first week of July, everything will be covered. If I hit 3,000 miles after the first week of July, all maintenance will be paid out of pocket, which I was told will cost around $550.

Trying to decide if it will be worth it to do some extra joy-riding over next 2 weeks to hit this number. I'll be putting around 1,200 miles on my car if I drive it as I normally would. This means I'll have to put an extra 1,700 on it to get new spark plugs, new air filter, and an oil change for free. Without gas included, it is definitely worth it to me because the extra 1700 miles will do little depreciation and I most definitely don't mind extra joy-riding (maybe I'll plan a road trip). What would you guys do if you were in my situation?


BTW, I just calculated how much extra I'll spend on gas by driving the extra mileage and it comes out to around $300-350 (5-6 fill ups bc I don't think I'll be driving "fuel-efficiently" the whole time). This means I'll be saving around $250 by doing a shit ton of driving over the next few weeks.

The standard IRS mileage rate for 2011 is 51 cents per mile x 1,700 miles = $867, so your plan will actually end up costing you an extra $317.

Anyway, if I was willing to waste all that time and effort just to "save" $250 (by your calculations), then I probably bought the wrong car...

[MikesBMW]

also those count down numbers are bull sh*t, mine said 9k miles till my next oil change for a full 10k miles of driving, wtf, it never counted down during that time, you might put 3k miles on it and it might still say 3k more miles

[landau88]

Originally Posted by TJDiCandido

The standard IRS mileage rate for 2011 is 51 cents per mile x 1,700 miles = $867, so your plan will actually end up costing you an extra $317.

Anyway, if I was willing to waste all that time and effort just to "save" $250 (by your calculations), then I probably bought the wrong car...

I believe that IRS mileage rate assumes long-term ownership and therefore has maintenance and repair costs built into the 51 cent/mile value. I will be selling/trading in my vehicle at the end of my CPO Warranty so repair costs need to be removed from the valuation since they will be covered under CPO. I think I should only be accounting for the depreciation and routine maintenance associated with 1700 more miles at the end of my ownership, which I doubt add up to $867, although I have no idea what it would add up to (is an 77,500 mile car really worth any more than an 78,800 mile car?).

Either way, I just found out that my Factory Warranty doesn't expire until July 23rd so I will likely hit the necessary miles just by normal, routine driving. I drive 90 miles/day for my work commute and often drive to the beach (100miles) or to my girlfriend's house (150 miles) on the weekends.

[Outlaw 06]

Originally Posted by landau88

I believe that IRS mileage rate assumes long-term ownership and therefore has maintenance and repair costs built into the 51 cent/mile value. I will be selling/trading in my vehicle at the end of my CPO Warranty so repair costs need to be removed from the valuation since they will be covered under CPO. I think I should only be accounting for the depreciation and routine maintenance associated with 1700 more miles at the end of my ownership, which I doubt add up to $867, although I have no idea what it would add up to (is an 77,500 mile car really worth any more than an 78,800 mile car?).

Either way, I just found out that my Factory Warranty doesn't expire until July 23rd so I will likely hit the necessary miles just by normal, routine driving. I drive 90 miles/day for my work commute and often drive to the beach (100miles) or to my girlfriend's house (150 miles) on the weekends.

I agree that your car will only be worth about 15 cents less for each extra mile when you sell it in 2013. Adding this 15 cents per mile depreciation to the 20 cents per mile cost of gas equals a mileage rate of 35 cents per mile (not including long-term consumables like tires, etc.). 35 cents x 1,700 miles = $595, which means you’re plan still doesn’t add up.

[apc3libras]

Drive. Drive. Drive.