SmithsonGA

Everyone

I searched and didnt see this discussed, which I was surprised.

Now that my 550i is past 50k miles, I plan on doing some DIY maintenance. Mainly oil changes for cost and time savings. I plan on changing every 7500 miles.

Given this and the purpose of this sub-forum, what is the experience with BMW challenging warranty claims (CPO in my case) when DIY maintenance was performed?

A dealer receipt for an oil change (and in their system) would be best, certified indy shop would probably be ok, but what about just receipts for oil and filter?

Does BMW ever question this? Hopefully there will be no issues but I wanted to discuss it.

Does anyone have specific experiences or have solid information from BMW regarding DIY?

krusir

As long as you install "BMW oil filter" .... who will know you did an extra oil change? For the oil of choice, I don't think dealer will question you and I don't think it will be easy to identify the "used oil" is BMW or not....

I did my own oil change between ... Never get questioned about warranty work.

SmithsonGA

I had thought to just add the in-between DIY oil change, but go to the dealer for the scheduled oil change.

Obviously, more time and money is saved if I do all the oil changes.

tooltec

I told my supplying dealer that I would be carrying out interim oil and filter changes.Since then I have decided to do them all so I retain receipts for all the service items used and keep a record of dates and mileage in case I need any work under warranty.To date I have not required any warranty work other than a replacement of my spare remote control.I have done the same with many other brands for over 40 years and have never had a problem regarding warranty work.However,in the past ,other manufacturers have provided detailed maintenance procedures which you could work to,but like BMW this is not common practice any longer.I think that we sometimes forget that dealer maintenance helps to keep a dealership in business,it is unlikely that they can rely solely on vehicle sales.

SmithsonGA

It appears there is little response to DIY oil changes regarding warranty. For safety purposes, I will be making DIY oil changes in between the scheduled oil changes..and get those scheduled changes done at the dealer.

tooltec

Although the DIY oil changes will be interim ,use the specfied oil for your own protection should any engine problems occur whilst under warranty.
Likewise,if you change the filter and don't want to pay over the odds for a BMW item,only use a quality brand (e.g. Mahle) which is to O.E.M specification.

SmithsonGA

Yes, I was planning on using Mobil 1 0w40 per the BMW website recommendation. And get a BMW oil filter kit online.

thx

530inOK

That is my plan for the remaining 30K of my CPO. Buy BMW parts, keep receipts, record mileage, and hope for the best

z06bigbird

Why not call a couple of service mgrs at various BMW shops about 300 miles away? Then call your local BMW service mgr with same questions. If any discrepancies in the answers, then you need to regroup.

Most of us on the forum are not really as dumb as we look, but I vote to "Go to the source."