[JM85]

So my car is coming up due for a service, currently is is full BMW service history from the same Dealer as i thought this would look good come sale time, now the car is coming up on 100k how important is it to keep full BMSH??

Would it put people off if the next stamp was a independent?? My thoughts are that at 100k people won't be as fussed??

[Somerset Jim]

Whenever I have bought a BMW in the past I have all was used the local Indy primarily because every time I buy a car it is out of any warrantee period and because the local dealers are 30mins or more away. I also think my Indy (grants Of wellington) look after the car better and take a bit more pride in their work vs the nearest dealer. Personally I wouldn't suggest having the car serviced anywhere other than a BMW Indy or your local dealer unless you are going to run the car into the ground.

[pmmcbl]

All depends to be fair. Are you a going to sell the car soon? What isn't e price difference between the main dealer and the local garage? Are they using original parts for the service? You won't get more money for having a car with full BMW service but you could put some odd people off buying it. If the car is in mint condition I would prefer to see it with BMW servicing, if average then it doesn't matter.

[JM85]

Car is in very good condition for the age but based on the millage it would be at the bottom end of the price bracket for year

Spec is relatively low but it has been well looked after

So you don't think that all BMW stamps make much difference re price??

[JM85]

Not that the price is really a issue but out of interest i look at what the costs would be

[pmmcbl]

The cheaper service is for sure great value when ou compare with other garages. £121 is cheap for a main dealer. The others I don't know to be fair since I don't know how much the parts cost. I have a service pack so don't have to worry about it. If you need a basic service go to BMW.

[IanS100]

When you consider that Halfords want £79 plus a premium for the synthetic oil when doing a simple oil /Filter service £121 isn't too bad, but BMW exorbitant labour rates really kick in with the Oil & filters service at £328, which seems like daylight robbery to me!

[Rich_D]

At this sort of age & mileage, full BMW history is not essential in my opinion, there are plenty of good independent specialists out there

[makkan00]

Originally Posted by Rich_D

At this sort of age & mileage, full BMW history is not essential in my opinion, there are plenty of good independent specialists out there

^^^
Follow that.

[JM85]

Im tempted to take it to BMW for the oil service & the stamp but then onto my local indie for the rest

Like you guys i think that £330 for a service is a bit step especially as the car is knocking on for 100k i feel most wont be too worried about the stamps at this age & millage

[Dace64]

£121 for an oil service is good. I've just punched in the details and mine is coming in at£168!

[JM85]

Originally Posted by Dace64

£121 for an oil service is good. I've just punched in the details and mine is coming in at£168!

Mine is only a 2 ltr that might be why?

[Dace64]

Ah that's why then. Mines still under warranty so might opt for main dealer stamp at that price

[MattOz]

Interestingly ( or not ) my 335i was Indy serviced from day one and only has a main dealer stamp in the book for the last service. It's still under BMW warranty, so clearly Mondial themselves aren't too fussed about who carries out the servicing. Provided it's done on time and using OEM parts etc.

[pmmcbl]

I agree with the above. But have you taken the car into a main dealer to have the body checked? If you haven't then you won't have a case for any claim for any rust that may appear in the car. On my old the previous dealers didn't tick or stamp the body check. I had a claim and VW was keen to reject it. I said the car was services at main dealers on the due dates, so it was their fault. With that VW paid in full.

[MattOz]

Originally Posted by pmmcbl

I agree with the above. But have you taken the car into a main dealer to have the body checked? If you haven't then you won't have a case for any claim for any rust that may appear in the car. On my old the previous dealers didn't tick or stamp the body check. I had a claim and VW was keen to reject it. I said the car was services at main dealers on the due dates, so it was their fault. With that VW paid in full.

I had the tailgate sorted under the 12 year bodywork warranty as there were a couple of rust spots appearing. The body checks weren't stamped in the book, but they honoured it anyway as it was only 5.5 years old and the paint was factory.

[imy]

Originally Posted by MattOz

Interestingly ( or not ) my 335i was Indy serviced from day one and only has a main dealer stamp in the book for the last service. It's still under BMW warranty, so clearly Mondial themselves aren't too fussed about who carries out the servicing. Provided it's done on time and using OEM parts etc.

EU regs stopped this. New regs state your allowed to get it serviced anywhere but it must be in accordance to the manufacturer service schedule, and the warranty still sticks

[ahmedb]

Originally Posted by JM85

Im tempted to take it to BMW for the oil service & the stamp but then onto my local indie for the rest

Like you guys i think that £330 for a service is a bit step especially as the car is knocking on for 100k i feel most wont be too worried about the stamps at this age & millage

I too had the same quandary a few months ago but I knew I would be selling up soon so I decided to maintain the FBMWSH.

I took advantage of the cheaper oil and microfilter service package and the rest (fuel and air filters) would be done at an indy. That way, the FBMWSH is maintained and I didn't get ripped off for the price of a full service.

TBH, even though my car has FBMWSH and is a clean example, it's not a great market at the moment. I thought an LCI 184bhp 320d M Sport would get bags of attention for sub £8k.

[singh21]

Services from an indy wouldnt put me off buying a car as long as they were decent. BMW garages in my experience have been poor in what they do compared to some specialists

[BoondogUK]

I decided to go indy from 85k miles, mainly because the local indy here was the ex master mechanic for Cotswold BMW and the labour rates were about £50 an hour cheaper. He has been fantastic, always recommending what needs/should be OEM or when an alternative in reality is the best option (Failed AC unit that needed replacing).

IMHO having stamps in the book is the first thing, having BMW or a BMW specialist is the ideal. FBMSW for cars sub 50k miles and under warranty would be essential.

[Dann]

Indy servicing is fine in my eyes too, especially after 100k.
The Indy BMW specialist I use is one of the best in the country (Iridium Engineering).

My 335i is coming up to 60k and will be going to an independent specialist from now on.