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BMW 5-Series Sedans
12737 messages, Last post on Feb 16, 2013 at 11:05 PM
You are in the BMW 5-Series Forum.What is this discussion about? BMW 5 Series, Sedan
#11401 of 12737 Re: Maintenance - does 5 series cost more? [330blast] by srfast
May 21, 2006 (6:10 am)
Replying to: 330blast (May 20, 2006 11:55 pm)
Is your car CPO? Is your car still covered under the full maintenance program? Assuming it's not, IMO the expense of BMW maintenance is dependent on your approach. If you believe the car needs to be maintanined by the dealership's service dept., be prepared to pay premium prices for parts and labor. If you use a reliable indy shop and you are a regular customer, maintenance is a few dollars more that a high end American car. If you perform basic maintenance yourself and only go to a "specialist" when the repair is beyond your skills or resources, maintenance costs car low. I fall into the latter group so I don't think BMW maintenance is high. If you take care of your car, the only work done by a shop are the "major repairs" and only because they have the proper resources to address the problem. As for the BMW Inspection I & II, I don't bother. There is nothing they do during those costly inspections I can't do myself. Just my opinion & mind set regarding auto maintenance. I've owned three new BMWs since 1992 including a 2003 530i and have never had a problem doing it this way.
Hope this helps...JL
#11402 of 12737 Advice on Wheels by monacobmw
May 21, 2006 (7:20 am)
Hello,Due to the lack of 530i's in stock due to the close of the model year, I had to order a 2007 from Germany last month. The car just arrived. I made a dumb mistake in not ordering the sport package, but I wanted a more comfortable and quiet ride (coming from a Mercedes), and I heard that the run flat tires were very noisy. My views have now changed a little.
Now I have a set of ugly "17" wheels (OEM 530i). They look like my kitchen mixer blades.
I want to buy a new set of replica OEM #124 wheels (and/or tires). The #124's are the sport package wheels on the 550i. The irony is that (because I am leasing my 530i) my cost for the new wheels and tires ($1400) will actually be higher than had I just ordered the sport package, and I am not even getting the shadow trim or 20-way seat. No use crying over spilled milk.
Does anyone have any recommendations on tire size (starting with the base model suspension)? The 18" wheels look much better. Should I try to replicate the staggered sizes for the 550i sport package? Stay with 17"? Most replica wheels come in 17 x 8 sizes, which means that I could salvage the 225/50R17 tires (just barely). These tires cost $800 to replace in 18" sizes.
If I want to go further, can I change the springs to lower the car 1" to even better match the sport package.
I learned my lesson when not ordering the sport package, but if I can get the 550i sport wheels rather than the 530i sport wheels, I think that I will still have an upgrade.
What is the consensus for how to go here?
Best regards,
Richard
#11403 of 12737 Re: Maintenance - does 5 series cost more? [330blast] by 530ir1150r
May 21, 2006 (9:34 am)
Replying to: 330blast (May 20, 2006 11:55 pm)
Yes, and CPO is prepaid maintenance. There is no such thing as "free maintenance". Kipplinger's auto issue lists average maintenance costs for the first 5 years of ownership. 3 Series run $2000-$2500, 5 Series run $3000-$3500. You are 3 years into the first 5 years and maintenance costs go up as cars age. There are ways to save money, but a 5 does cost more to maintain than a 3.
#11404 of 12737 Re: Maintenance - does 5 series cost more? by 330blast
May 21, 2006 (4:04 pm)
Thanks for all the response. Yes, mine is CPO and since I am not a handy man,Anyway, I actually bought the ext. maintenance program for $1,395 because my projected budget for a 3 series for the 2 years that CPO covers was about $2,000, now that it seems a 5 seires will cost more. So I figured that it should save me some money there.
BTW, when I was with the dealer finance dept, I was told that the ext. maintenance plan for a 5 series cost $1,595. I questioned it and they quickly dropped it to $1,395. That number sound about right because I have read it in some forum. The good part is that I finance it as well with the low APR">
#11405 of 12737 Re: Straight Sixes, V8s, & Our Roads [nyccarguy] by erickpl
May 22, 2006 (6:12 am)
Replying to: nyccarguy (May 18, 2006 8:44 pm)
The V8's by BMW are incredible. Exhaust note is perfect! So are the V10's.
But the inline 6's are their bread and butter and they are excellent too.
-Paul
#11406 of 12737 Re: 25K vs 50K [markcincinnati] by bdkinnh
May 22, 2006 (6:36 am)
Replying to: markcincinnati (May 20, 2006 8:10 am)
>"I plan to take a nice long test drive of an 07 530xi" I'd be very interested to hear about your opinions after your test drive.
#11408 of 12737 Re: Maintenance - does 5 series cost more? [330blast] by jabrolta
May 23, 2006 (7:05 am)
Replying to: 330blast (May 21, 2006 4:04 pm)
Congrats on the your purchase. About a month ago, I got a 2005 545i. I knew I was going to keep this car for a while so I was inquiring about the ext. maintenance warranty. I email all the dealers in the MD area and they quoted me around $1395 to $1795. I pressured them and I got VOB BMW to sell it to me for $1200. Dealers usually can drop their warranty prices between $200-500. Prior to purchasing the ext. maintenance warranty, I asked my SA what services would be needed after 50k? He said at 60k I would need brake pads, rotors, and some other things. He said it would cost around $1500 - $2000. So it seemed to both of us that buying the ext. maintenance warranty will save me money. All I did was lock in the price today (which is lower than the service), for services in the future, which mostly likely increase.
#11409 of 12737 Still tooling around in 530iA with sport pkg (2001) by dabimmer
May 23, 2006 (11:22 am)
and still enjoying it immensely. I put new Michelin PS2 all around after 34K on Primacys that were OEM. All the comments that I have made in the past still apply and this is really a great car even withn the Steptronic Auto. The new tires are just the icing on the cake and what a cake ! Nice to see that quite a few regulars are still here. And as for Shipo belatedly a happy, happy. I quit having those a few years ago.
- manybmws (Jun 17, 2006 5:24 pm)
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#11410 of 12737 Re: Maintenance - does 5 series cost more? [jabrolta] by stl540
May 23, 2006 (5:45 pm)
Replying to: jabrolta (May 23, 2006 7:05 am)
I have a 2002 540i with 60K miles. Took it to an independent shop in St. Louis called Bimmers R Us who specializes in BMWs for the Inspection II plus to replace the front brakes. They claim to be 20% cheaper than the dealer. To make a long story short, it was a huge mistake. 
I asked for the Inspection II service and they said they understood what that entailed. Well....they replaced the spark plugs, rear differential fluid, and fuel filter, none of which are recommended by BMW at 60K. BUT...they did not flush the radiator or replace the brake fluid which is recommended. I then realized they replaced the oil with Castrol Syntec Blend rather that full Castrol Synthetic. They also put the cheapest spark plugs in the car (Plat+4), but charged me for the high-end plugs. The list price for a Plat+4 for a single plug is $6.50...they charged me $16.39 EACH. I called BimmersRUs and explained the situation. At first the owner, Greg, said the put the full synthetic oil in the car. He said they made a mistake when keying it on the ticket. After additional pressure, he changed his mind and he changed the oil again, putting full synthetic in. He also changed the plugs to the Bosch FGR7DQP which are the ones I initially paid for. I also had the antifreeze and brake fluid changed when I took it back. He split the cost on the work.
They recommended that I replace the AC belt and the centerlink (tierod) including a 4-wheel alignment.
One week after I get the car home, the belts are squealing and I notice that the belt sounds like it is slipping when I put the car in gear. I also noticed that the plastic cover under the car behind the front wheels were pulled off during the service, but was not put back on correctly. I now have the plastic pieces hanging down.
Needless to say, I did not have a good experience using an independent shop. I learned my lesson. It may cost a little more to have a dealer perform the service, but I have a lot more trust in them. Plaza Motors is the dealer I used for the past 4 years with huge satisfaction and I will be back for all future service needs. I spent $2100 with Bimmers R Us. If I paid $400 more for to a dealer, it would be worth it. Less hassle, plus I can trust the parts they are putting in the car are genuine.
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