How to tell if your Inspection 1 has been done?

[///M Good]

Hi Guys,

Newbie to the forum but a second time owner of a Z4M, missed it that much I had to get it back again!!!

I've been trawling through the forums to try and find a post that showed pictures of what to look for (evidence) to see if your inspection 1 had been done? I can't find the post anywhere. Its typical, when your not looking for something you find it...

I bought my Zed 2 months ago and was told it had a full BMWSH complete with a little certificate, only to find the Inspection 1 box in the service booklet stamped with an indy garage. So after a little investigation I found out that the garage was clueless in how to perform the inspection so I presented this to the stealer I bought it from. To my surprise they happily said they would correct this at my local BMW dealer (bought the car in Birmingham and I live in Aberdeen). So I was called by my local dealer to arrange an inspection 1, unfortunately I also work abroad so I had the girlfriend deal with it. I arrive home yester to find that my service indicator reading was reading 12500m...

Surely this should read 15-16k after its reset? The girlfriend has only driven 170miles since the inspection and she drives like Miss Daisy (thank god). It was this that got me thinking... The gasket seals are black (in the post I'm looking for they were blue?) but dont look new and there's not a scratch on the bolts, my invoice shows 'Carried out Inspection 1' and £0.00 (not very often you see that) no shims report or break down of the work. Like I said it was the girlfriend that picked it up so she would none the wiser.

I'm starting to think I've had the wool pulled over my eyes? Can anyone shed some light or am I just being paranoid?

I'm phoning the dealer this morning to find out why my service indicator hasn't been reset?

Cheers

///M Good

 

[monzon]

Good question, unfortunatly I can't help but welcome back!
I would like to know the answer to that question, but swap inspection 1 with inspection 2.

Rob

 

[Aliv6]

Did John Clark in Altens do it mate?

 

[AlanJ]

M Good, Welcome to the Forum.

I'm not sure what you are trying to look for? The link below takes you to a site that lists what you can expect from an Inspection 1 and 2. What gaskets are you looking for, why should bolts be scratched?

http://www.euroteknik.com/forum/bmw-service-maintenance-modification/2101-bmw-vehicle-inspection-form.html

Begs the question as to why you didn't check the service record yourself before handing over your cash........!

 

[pvr]

Well Alan, to be honest I did not check the service book either when I bought my 740i used from the dealer (only 15k miles). It was the original supplying dealer so I suppose as it stated it had FBMWSH then you (wrongly) would trust them with that.

I must say I am surprised that anyone with an M has an indy Insp I service though which must devalue the car a bit (cue mmm-Five ).

 

[mmm-five]

There's not much visible evidence for an inspection 1, unless you've marked the parts with a UV/permanent pen, scratch, paint blob or intentional damage before the car goes in.

I've known various people to do the following to help them prove the car has not been serviced properly or that they're trying to screw you for replacing parts that don't need replacing (i.e. tyres, pads, discs, bushes):

• remove bolt from cam cover to see if it's mentioned or replaced (and take photos) - should be mentioned or charged for when the car is picked up;
• remove cam cover and intentially damage the gasket (i.e. cut some material away in specific places and take photos) - simple enough to check in the garage's car park;
• write a funny message on the air filter and/or pollen filter - either they replace it and mention when you pick up the car, or they don't and you have the before & after photos to prove it;
• find something else that is specifically checked in the inspection and either mark it, or damage it so that it needs to be replace - can be expensive if you go about intentionally damaging stuff that was fine;
• add small amount of UV dye in the oil just before it's dropped off - won't do any damage, but will show up easily, and a full oil change will remove 75% of the UV intensity when checked;
• do a before & after oil analysis - can be time consuming and expensive.

The most extreme example of mistrust I've seen is when an e34 M5 guy had two valve clearances done in the same week and the second claimed to need 18 shims whilst the first said they were all fine (but neither could produce the measurements) - then the specialist said they only needed 6 swapping and no new ones (and provided a sheet with the 24 before & after measurements).

I must say I am surprised that anyone with an M has an indy Insp I service though which must devalue the car a bit (cue mmm-Five ).

Can't take mine to an indy whilst it's under the extended BMW warranty - and was one of the choices I had to make when deciding whether to go for a BMW warranty, an aftermarket one, or none.

I do interim (i.e. 6000-7000) myself and the indicated oil services are done by whichever dealer I'm closest to.

The new engine at 22,500 (including everything & more you'd get in an inspection 1 service) meant that it didn't have an inspection 1 at the usual 24,000 miles (it had another running in service instead), and it's due for another oil service in about 1,500 miles (at about 35,000). The first inspection 1 it will have will be at about 48,000 miles if my schedule so far is anything to go by.

Whilst I wouldn't normally recommend anyone go to a dealer for servicing, for some there is no choice due to location or warranty like me. For everything else I take mine to a specialist - although it's not needed anything other than servicing yet.

In the pre e9x M3 and e6x M5/M6 world you'd not notice any difference in selling price for a car if it didn't have full BMW service history as they tend to be sold on current condition and usually an independent specialist inspection. However if it's got stamps/history from one of the well-known (and reputable) ///M-power guys (CPC Performance Engineering, NCB Autokraft, Darjac, Moseley Motorsport, et al), rather than a Kwik-Fit or Munich Legends stamp (who are a bit 'marmite' - i.e. I'd run away from a car with their stamp in, but others would be reassured by it), then that lends a bit of credibility to the owner being an enthusiast and knowing who to take the car to for specialist, honest, experienced & value-for-money work.

Unfortunately, not all specialists stamp the service history, so it's important to keep a file of invoices for the prospective buyer to view.

 

[Aliv6]

I painted the strutbrace bolts on mine to make sure they had done the work...I just don't trust people in the motortrade any more. Sad but true.

Ali

 

[toplad]

Whilst I wouldn't normally recommend anyone go to a dealer for servicing, for some there is no choice due to.....or warranty like me..

It isn't true that, if you have an extended warranty BMW main dealers have to service your car to keep the warranty. It's against European law to do such a thing.

How do I know?

I recently asked Scott Hall BMW in Leeds and as long as the indie use genuine BMW parts your extended warranty and original warranty remain intact, that's straight from the services managers’ mouth too btw.

I've just had inspection 1 done at BMW Care, I simply trust them more the my local main dealer, every time I use BMW at Scott Hall, I have to go back down and carry on for something or other. Wouldn't trust the main dealers as far as I could throw them.

 

[AlanJ]

I Wouldn't trust the main dealers as far as I could throw them.

What a stupid comment when you have only probably tried one main dealer! As I have said several times on here my local dealer, Malton BMW in North Yorks, is excellent. Good service and helpful. Had the same good service from BMW Park Lane in London. It's also too easy to have one bad experience with a main dealer and then believe the rest are the same and bad experiences are normally down to one individual in a companty and not the whole organisation.

 

[toplad]

I Wouldn't trust the main dealers as far as I could throw them.

What a stupid comment when you have only probably tried one main dealer! As I have said several times on here my local dealer, Malton BMW in North Yorks, is excellent. Good service and helpful. Had the same good service from BMW Park Lane in London. It's also too easy to have one bad experience with a main dealer and then believe the rest are the same and bad experiences are normally down to one individual in a companty and not the whole organisation.

With all due respect, how do you know how main dealers I've tried?

I've used loads of BMW main dealers and in my experience there shite on the mechanical side.

Sorry for having an experienced and valid opinion btw

 

[mmm-five]

It isn't true that, if you have an extended warranty BMW main dealers have to service your car to keep the warranty. It's against European law to do such a thing.

How do I know?

I recently asked Scott Hall BMW in Leeds and as long as the indie use genuine BMW parts your extended warranty and original warranty remain intact, that's straight from the services managers’ mouth too btw.

The block exemption only applies to new & used manufacturer/dealer warranties as you have no choice about who supplies it and thus can't make an informed decision on specific terms & conditions. Therefore they can't force you into using their own servicing departments whilst it's under the original or AUC warranty.

HOWEVER, any aftermarket warranty — be it the BMW Insured one through Mondial, a WarrantyDirect , or a Nuttherwarranty one — doesn't have this restriction because you have a free choice in which (if any) warranty's terms and conditions suit you and then you enter a contract to abide by these terms.

You might want to read the terms & conditions of your Insured Warranty:

What must I do to keep the Warranty valid?
The terms and conditions of the warranty listed below must be adhered to. Failure to do so will result in the rejection of your claim or the termination of your BMW Insured Warranty. This does not affect your statutory rights.

1. When servicing your BMW, failure to comply with the service schedule recommended by BMW may invalidate your warranty. All service and warranty work must be carried out by an Authorised BMW Dealer or BMW Service Authorised Workshop using only Genuine BMW Parts. Your BMW Service Booklet should be stamped, dated and detailed with the correct mileage at the tim of service by the servicing dealer.

So unless your indie is a BMW Service Authorised Workshop (and they'll have a sign outside the building and on their stamp to prove it), then don't be surprised if Mondial tell you to 'go away' when you come to them with a claim for a new engine.

BTW, when they say 'genuine parts' they can be really pedantic and claim you're even supposed to buy everything from a BMW parts department to avoid the risk of fakes - including the oil - and I know one BMW Dealer who said they refuse to stamp the service history if you forced them to use your own oil to get a discount (no, I didn't use them).

 

[dgm]

I'll back up toplad on his opinion of BMW dealers. I've tried plenty of them in this country over many years and one in France. Their performance has been mediocre to dreadful and is getting worse in my opinion so maybe not such a stupid comment in my experience.

 

[AlanJ]

Sorry for having an experienced and valid opinion btw

You apology graciously accepted......... :rofl: oke:

Oh and 130 BMW dealers in the UK so you've got some way to go before you can condemn them all :fuelfire:

 

[mmm-five]

I'll not bother reiterating my opinion of some of the dealers in the North West - although I've found one I'm quite happy with now (David Holmes BMW, Stockport).

 

[sammyz]

I suppose the first question must be 'how long did the dealer have the car for?' If your girlfriend dropped off and picked up the same day then it's possible that it's not a proper job as the engine needs to be stone cold for shims inspection and should be left the night before.

 

[///M Good]

Did John Clark in Altens do it mate?

Aliv6, yeah it was done at John Clarks. I went up to see them the other day to ask the question and spoke to the M tech. I asked why there was no breakdown of service on my invoice and I asked about a shims report. The service advisor said it was due to it being FOC and being paid by another garage. As for the break down of service and shims report, the service Tech said he would happily get the shims report as everything is documented just not presented, as most people would be confused with a shims report.

Fair enough... The more I thought about it, the amount of E46 M engines in aberdeen, I can't see JC's trying to pull a fast one as it would be bad for business!

 

[///M Good]

M Good, Welcome to the Forum.

I'm not sure what you are trying to look for? The link below takes you to a site that lists what you can expect from an Inspection 1 and 2. What gaskets are you looking for, why should bolts be scratched?

http://www.euroteknik.com/forum/bmw-service-maintenance-modification/2101-bmw-vehicle-inspection-form.html

Begs the question as to why you didn't check the service record yourself before handing over your cash........!

Cheers and yes you have a valid point about not checking the service booklet straight away. I took it to be an assumption (and we all know what assuming makes of us) as it was advertised as FBMWSH along with a certificate of poof. An oversight on my part for sure!