Oil Service Costs - £800?!!

Street

Street

Senior member
 Newcastle
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I'm up for the first service of my MC. Following the cycle 'Oil > Insp 1 > Oil > Insp 2' I'm ready for an oil service.
However online the price is £664 and phoning Vertu Sunderland it was £800+ (I dont remember exactly as I was frowning too much)

The car has full BMW main dealer servcie history and I'd love to keep it that way but is that price normal??
 
That seems like ///M Insp1 money to me, but its been a few years since I owned one so may be the way now.

I'd shop around if you want to keep it main dealer. There used to be a comparison website years go, but probably disappeared now. Call a few within distance to you and see what the differences are.
 
That sounds a bit excessive to me. :o

Ross at RBM did an oil service, brake fluid and microfilter change on mine last September for £167.20, although I did supply the oil.

Those main dealer stamps don't come cheap. :!:
 
^this
Maybe it's time to go reputable / recommended specialist dealer, Street. Help pay for next years road tax.
 
Exactly that guys.. It's a shame really as that main dealer stamp is feeling less valuable now.

I really like my local BMW dealership and we get on well but my ex-BMW tech's know these cars so much better being their generation. Probably another reason why main BMW dont want to know. They are a business at the end of the day.
 
It seems a shame not to keep up BMW SH, but when they quote silly prices you have to wonder if it is worth it.

Mine didn't have full BMW history so taking it to Ross was a no-brainer, especially as he worked on BMWs of this era when he was at Sytner.

Good luck whatever you decide OP. :thumbsup:
 
Same as Mr Tidy. My cars tend to have had mixed servicing stamps, but I found a local specialist and haven't looked back since with any of my Beemers; M or otherwise.

I did once take my old Breadvan to the local BMW M dealer in Sidcup for an MOT once and was told it needed a lot of work I knew it really didn't need. Left a sour taste.
 
Performance Centre in Sunderland is a BMW service centre…there prices will be about 1/2 to 2/3 of a BMW main dealer..

My neighbour is taking his 3 year old 740i there next week :thumbsup:
 
Both BMW 'specialists' near me charge exactly 10% less than either of the two local BMW franchises. One is quite big outfit, the other is a one-man-band. Seems a lot of them who have 'ex-BMW' mechanics (sorry technicians nowadays) and the full BMW software are making quite a good living by being only very slightly cheaper.

Personally don't see any added value in a BMW stamp anymore, as there are so many decent specialist indies around.
 
Thanks all. The more I listen to you guys the more comfortable I feel about breaking the main dealer cycle.
Although even at 10% cheaper than main dealer.. a £600-800 price tag for an oil service is eye watering. Especially when I would happily do it myself. Ce la vie.. the cost of 'maintaining' a performance car.
 
My X5M small service was £1600 :o

That was after haggling, the comparison site has gone and all dealers use the same quotation tool online.
 
The last car I traded in to Sytner had some none main dealer stamps which I pointed out. The reaction was that they couldn't care less as long as genuine BMW approved parts were used, which they were.

I wouldn't touch Vertu Sunderland anyway but that's for other reasons.
 
pvr said:
My X5M small service was £1600
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Do these 'M' cars have liquid gold dissolved into the oil? Are the air filters made from rarified materials 'off the space shuttle'?
Or is it just a blatant case of profiteering: "you got an expensive car, you pay expensive prices for the work"?

I bet a pollen filter is three times the price of a normal one!
 
Nanu said:
The last car I traded in to Sytner had some none main dealer stamps which I pointed out. The reaction was that they couldn't care less as long as genuine BMW approved parts were used, which they were.

I wouldn't touch Vertu Sunderland anyway but that's for other reasons.
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Well that side tracked me. They were the biggest jokers going under Cooper, I had two terrible experiences with Sales and Service.
It feels like things have changed under Vertu though or is your experience more recent?
 
It is nice to have main dealer-only servicing, but it does not really matter who did the servicing as long as it was done on schedule. The MOT history is also a good indicator of the level of care lavished on a car.
 
Street said:
Especially when I would happily do it myself.
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You have to ask yourself the question, “will it devalue the car by £500 by doing an oil service myself”. Even in the rarified strata of M ownership, I doubt it.
 
Zedebee said:
Street said:
Especially when I would happily do it myself.
Click to expand...
You have to ask yourself the question, “will it devalue the car by £500 by doing an oil service myself”. Even in the rarified strata of M ownership, I doubt it.
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Totally agree. As an ex aircraft mechanic I’m happy to service my cars myself. I don’t believe a BMW tech can do a better or different job to me! I always use genuine parts and I take pictures when I do any work so it’s documented. I get the main dealer stamp but I’d rather spend the £500 saved by self servicing on the car! If you are not inclined to do it yourself then I’d go reputable Indy of BMW.
 
Back in 2021, I got a quote of £600 from Sytner BMW in London for an oil service.

So I took to the BMW dealer in Milton Keynes, done for £200 including a brake fluid change. I supplied the oil.
 
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