Insp II

S

stevemase

Member
I've got the countdown on the dash dropping into 3 figures now, so I'm looking into prices for the Insp II on my Z4M. Just trying to gauge opinion as to whether I should go to an Indy or main dealer for this service?

Part of me wants to go to a well respected Indy, as I'd like to think they'd take more care over it, especially when I compare some past experiences of main dealer service! Part of me then wonders if this would de-value the car somewhat come re-sale?

I would greatly appreciate your opinions on this, as I'll need to get something sorted once the winter is over.

Many Thanks

Steve
 
I paid 820 for an inspection 2 a year ago in Hampshire area

Give a few a call and compare to indi prices, not sure how much they'll be though
 
Unless my local dealer will price match or be very near I shall be looking at Indies such as ETA near Brands or Bartley over in Southampton.
 
Would go for FBMWSH keeps buyers happy and if there is any major issues later BMW will be more willing to help.

Go to good ///M dealer many aren't ///M dealers. Batemans in grange near Kendal were up and beyond my non m dealer in carlisle so careful went through everything with me showed me under the car etc was the best experience I've had.
 
I'd hazard a guess that a significant number of ///Ms are purchased by enthusiasts. As such, I don't getting a service from a reputable Indy will be a huge put off, most enthusiasts will appreciate that Indy's will often provide a greater level of service.

A reputable Indy could have 20+ years experience of working on ///M cars. You get to know who will be working on your car. At BMW you could well have an apprentice with nothing but an instruction manual costing you £900.
 
StevenH72 said:
I'd hazard a guess that a significant number of ///Ms are purchased by enthusiasts. As such, I don't getting a service from a reputable Indy will be a huge put off, most enthusiasts will appreciate that Indy's will often provide a greater level of service.

A reputable Indy could have 20+ years experience of working on ///M cars. You get to know who will be working on your car. At BMW you could well have an apprentice with nothing but an instruction manual costing you £900.
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Seriously the most true post I've read in ages .....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Echoing what StevenH72 has said.

I know they're different cars, but one independent Smart garage regularly has customers over from France just to have their cars worked on by him.
 
tomscott said:
if there is any major issues later BMW will be more willing to help.
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Tom does make a good point, one of the benefits of keeping the car serviced within the BMW network is that they may be more willing to offer a "good will gesture" should anything catastrophic occur. Although these cars are relatively bombproof, evidenced by the E46 M3's that are ploughing through 000k's of miles.
 
Get your baseline price using maindealerdiscount site first
Price up your own oil

And then ring round your local dealers asking for their prices with and without oil and compare.

I paid 799 last year from a dealer and supplied my own approved oil
 
jamiez said:
Get your baseline price using maindealerdiscount site first
Price up your own oil

And then ring round your local dealers asking for their prices with and without oil and compare.

I paid 799 last year from a dealer and supplied my own approved oil
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What were the standard prices from maindealerdiscount? I've been looking lately as I'm about 1200 miles from needing an Insp 2, I can pay £740.10 in Bradford or £730.99 in Wakefield. I'll get some indy prices and see if the difference is worth it at the time, probably a few months off yet.
 
StevenH72 said:
tomscott said:
if there is any major issues later BMW will be more willing to help.
Click to expand...

Tom does make a good point, one of the benefits of keeping the car serviced within the BMW network is that they may be more willing to offer a "good will gesture" should anything catastrophic occur. Although these cars are relatively bombproof, evidenced by the E46 M3's that are ploughing through 000k's of miles.
Click to expand...

But these cars are getting past the point where BMW are likely to offer goodwill unless you have a warranty.

A reputable indi that is known for working on ///M cars is probably your best choice.
 
StevenH72 said:
A reputable Indy could have 20+ years experience of working on ///M cars. You get to know who will be working on your car. At BMW you could well have an apprentice with nothing but an instruction manual costing you £900.
Click to expand...

That is my main concern to be honest, having had a 1 series serviced at a main dealer where they couldn't even re-fit the engine cover or reset the service counter properly!

I'm based in the Midlands (Derby), so could anyone recommend an Indy in and around the Midlands? I'm quite willing to travel a sensible amount if they come highly recommended, too far and I'd have to factor in the fuel and other transport costs in!
 
I know it's not for a M but I have just enquired about an Inspection 2 at my local Indy for a 3.0si Coupe and was quoted a reasonable £295? they are BMW specific and use BMW OEM parts, I thought that was a good price ?
 
Breadvan said:
I know it's not for a M but I have just enquired about an Inspection 2 at my local Indy for a 3.0si Coupe and was quoted a reasonable £295? they are BMW specific and use BMW OEM parts, I thought that was a good price ?
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It is.
 
That is my main concern to be honest, having had a 1 series serviced at a main dealer where they couldn't even re-fit the engine cover or reset the service counter properly!

I'm based in the Midlands (Derby), so could anyone recommend an Indy in and around the Midlands? I'm quite willing to travel a sensible amount if they come highly recommended, too far and I'd have to factor in the fuel and other transport costs in!

Try Hughes Brothers BMW in Derby. Not used them but they've been recommended to me several times. (I work in Derby)
 
Mrbodger said:
That is my main concern to be honest, having had a 1 series serviced at a main dealer where they couldn't even re-fit the engine cover or reset the service counter properly!

I'm based in the Midlands (Derby), so could anyone recommend an Indy in and around the Midlands? I'm quite willing to travel a sensible amount if they come highly recommended, too far and I'd have to factor in the fuel and other transport costs in!

Try Hughes Brothers BMW in Derby. Not used them but they've been recommended to me several times. (I work in Derby)
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I'm going to use Mark Stoneley Rob for mine, as you know he works on a variety of makes, he's done his own M3 ins2, amongst others, and I'm more than confident he has the skill to do mine, I understand yours is lower mileage to mine, I've still got 9000 miles to go before ins2, about 3 yrs for me, so you may want to go BMW Indy to wean away from the main dealer network :thumbsup:
 
I had the same dilemma but following the personal experience of a forum member I had my inspection 2 carried out by an independent specialist.

The attention to detail and number of little things that were spotted/addressed as part of the service was impeccable (photos of the engine apart during shimming, detailed shimming report before and after, zeroing the TPS after I had just thrown them on not realising they should be indexed) and a geometry alignment which has made a big improvement to the front end push.

If your anywhere near to Halstead - Essex it would be worth speaking with Darren @ Darjac racing, not cheap but done properly and a very nice chap too! :driving:
 
I find these threads on Ins2 really interesting. Our cars are now at a point where I think either dealer or Indy is acceptable. Some people swear by dealer for resale etc, some Indy for value and service.

I'm really still not sure what to do. Mine is coming up for first Insp 2 soon (3.5k miles or Aug 2014) and I'm not sure what to do. Full BMW so far!!

It seems some of the BMW garages are good. I read on the Internet that some of the CSL guys swear by some dealers (or technicians at particular dealers) to look after their cars!
 
StevenH72 said:
How much was your Insp 2 Adam D?
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If I recall correctly not far short of £1200 all in with the custom ballasted alignment and coolant change added onto the job; there was a fair amount of fixed parts costs in addition to many hours labour to do the service properly but it really quietened the engine down and made it peppy to pick up - very pleased and would use again.

Inspection 2 included:

Initial test drive
Diagnostics/fault code read
Oil and filter change
Air filter
Cabin filter
Gearbox oil change (expensive oem fluid)
Diff oil change (also expensive oem FM fluid)
New spark plugs
Checked inlet and exhaust valve tolerances and re shimmed 13 of them with report (shims and gaskets)
Reset TPS correctly
Checked suspension bushings for wear at my request
Engine bay cleaned.
Test drive to check all was well
 
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