Home servicing

R

RayM

Member
 Cheltenham
Morning all

I apologise in advance for the length of this post and any stupid questions.

My recently obtained 2003 E85 3.0 had a BMW SH up to 60K and is now at 72K but the last official service took place 4 years ago. The guy I bought it from has been doing the servicing him self yearly since he bought it 4 years ago, and I have receipts for oil, filters, belts etc.

The last BMW service at 60K was an inspection 2 so officially its now due an Inspection 1 and a brake fluid change.

The car is 12 years old so in my mind is it really worth paying a BMW dealer around £270 to change the oil and check a few things to get the official stamp on a car of this age? I was thinking of getting my neighbour who is a freelance mechanic to do a service for me and just keep the receipts for the parts used instead. I'm inclined to think he would do a better job from what I have read.

This leads me to my next question on parts:- Ive looked on Euro parts and I can get a full set of Brembo Discs & pads front and rear for £185.00 all in whereas the Pagid equivalent only work out £9 cheaper. Are there pros and cons for each brand? longevity? stopping power etc?

I was also going to change the oil and filters and the last owner kindly gave me about 4 litres of Millers XF 5W30 Euro IV Fully synth BMW approved LL04 oil left over from the last change. I only need to buy a litre of the same if this oil is any good ? (Its an Opie product I believe)

Any recommendations on which make of oil & Pollen filters to fit would be helpful as there's loads of different brands starting at £5.

It is my intention to keep the car for a while so I would be interested to hear peoples ideas on what other work may need to be undertaken given the mileage? I was going to get the plugs out and checked at the same time.

All help gratefully received :)
 
I also do the home servicing option as I know the work is done properly. I would recommend using genuine bmw oil filter and air filter which aren't actually that expensive. I know the facelift 3.0si is 6.5 litres of oil so assume the 3.0 that you have will be the same so you may need another 2.5 litres. I always use Mobil 1 oil and normally good deals from opie oils but it's worth shopping around as every now and again halfords come up trumps on price. Check the front lower control arm bushes but this is normally picked up at MOT time anyway.
 
Yep you will need 6.5 litres of oil :) Try and keep the brands the same if possible.

I agree OEM filters is the way to go, but If not I think BMW use Mann filters

Also worth changing the pollen filter as well whilst at it.

Have you looked into the price at a specialist?

My Specialist only changes £60 PH and does I great job and the stamp alone for me is worth it (I supply my own oil to keep costs down as well), they see these cars often too so can check for potential known issues and wear and tear which is harder to do on your driveway.
 
I've always serviced mine.

The way i see it, no one will look after it like I would, especially hearing some of the dealer/indie horror stories. Oil and filter changes are easy, I always keep the invoices for the oil and filters and I update the service book accordingly.
 
I service mine too these days ,like others have said i know its done properly and i dont do anything on the cheap ,proper oil & filters etc

I do the oil every 6 months even though the car only done 3500 miles last year maybe over kill but hey ho
i do the air filter every year
I do the plugs every 2 years
Aux belts just done
rear wishbone bushes just done
new break pads discs on front & new caliper recent done by an indy as i didnt have time to do myself

My car is now 10 years old and i plan to keep it so i figure service history isnt an issue for me
 
Another home service fan here.
I would think as said above most enthusiast cars will be over serviced I know mine is.
Last winter I did my discs and pads all round and used Brembo, I can't compare with other brakes but I liked using Brembo on my bikes and like the brand.
I also changed the handbrake shoes and springs but can't remember what make they were.

I haven't used my car much this year but even if it's only done 1k it will get its annual Castrol edge and filter as said above 6.5 litre on the dot for oil and filter.

The only thing I have had the garage to do was my 1st mot I got him to change the coolant fluid and brake fluid.
This spring will be my 3rd mot with my Z and although low mileage in that time , I'll get them to do the coolant and brake fluid again. Just to give the garage a bit of work and keep them sweet.
 
Thanks for the input guys.

I have looked at my nearest Indy but he's not much cheaper than the main dealer (20 mile round trip). From memory he wanted around £200 and then there's the hassle factor getting the car to and from etc.

I was going to get the brake fluid changed too when I get the work done and the coolant was only changed recently when the last owner had a new thermostat housing.

Do I have to buy BMW OEM parts direct from them? or is there another source of supply? I have seen the mann filters on euro spares

Its not really a cost cutting exercise for me I just want it done properly and without to much hassle.

Cheers
 
Grumpyowl said:
Another home service fan here.
I would think as said above most enthusiast cars will be over serviced I know mine is.
Last winter I did my discs and pads all round and used Brembo, I can't compare with other brakes but I liked using Brembo on my bikes and like the brand.
I also changed the handbrake shoes and springs but can't remember what make they were.

I haven't used my car much this year but even if it's only done 1k it will get its annual Castrol edge and filter as said above 6.5 litre on the dot for oil and filter.

The only thing I have had the garage to do was my 1st mot I got him to change the coolant fluid and brake fluid.
This spring will be my 3rd mot with my Z and although low mileage in that time , I'll get them to do the coolant and brake fluid again. Just to give the garage a bit of work and keep them sweet.
Click to expand...

Will I need to replace the wear sensors if I replace the pads and discs for the Brembo items?
 
RayM said:
Grumpyowl said:
Another home service fan here.
I would think as said above most enthusiast cars will be over serviced I know mine is.
Last winter I did my discs and pads all round and used Brembo, I can't compare with other brakes but I liked using Brembo on my bikes and like the brand.
I also changed the handbrake shoes and springs but can't remember what make they were.

I haven't used my car much this year but even if it's only done 1k it will get its annual Castrol edge and filter as said above 6.5 litre on the dot for oil and filter.

The only thing I have had the garage to do was my 1st mot I got him to change the coolant fluid and brake fluid.
This spring will be my 3rd mot with my Z and although low mileage in that time , I'll get them to do the coolant and brake fluid again. Just to give the garage a bit of work and keep them sweet.
Click to expand...


Will I need to replace the wear sensors if I replace the pads and discs for the Brembo items?
Click to expand...

There not expensive, I didn't as mine had not been activated and looked in good condition so I made the decision not to, but mindful if there was a problem I would.
They have been fine so in my case it wasn't required.
 
Oil and filters I buy from euro car parts. Just make sure you get the right oil. I believe OEM filters are Bosch and that's all I've ever used.

The Bosch oil filter comes with a new seal for the oil filter housing and a copper washer for the sump bolt. I always buy a new sump bolt from a dealer too (it's a couple of £)

Brake fluid I bought from BMW, but it was cheap enough, same for coolant when I did that.
 
Have had OE with MANN stamped on, so I'm happy with either MANN or Bosch. BMW coolant is £10 for 1.5 litres which makes 3 once diluted. You can get better brake fluid if you track but don't just go for 5.1 over 4 as some DOT 4 fluids outperform more expensive DOT 5.1.
 
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