Toad Service ??

I think we've gone as far as we can go in an RV forum, not a beemer forum.

Best of luck and happy trails.

It's all about the scanners they want you to use to reset these things... The car manufactures have you by the ??? for some of this stuff now.

It's all controlled by the computer.. They let the owner set some things and some things need a special scanner..

Heck, even my F150 can only be scanned for transmission issues with a special scanner.. An off the shelf ODBII scanner won't even touch those trans codes..

Caulk it up to technology and businesses that know how to take advantage of it, and with most folks not even knowing how to change a flat tire, they can set the hook pretty easy.

Good luck! Mitch

A $15 reader won't do a battery reset but some $150 ones will. You can put in a lead acid battery if you get the right one and tell the car what battery you put in.

Tyler0215 wrote:
Not as snarky remark: but service for a a BMW is expensive. Just like the car. A local mechanic should be able to do the simple things like oil and batteries. Aren't you glad you got the prices first?

Yes, of course, price first, as always no matter what you buy. But when I tried to understand why an oil change was triple normal, I got no satisfactory answers. We know BMW - more to buy, more to service - we got a very good deal on an off-lease vehicle a few years ago. Just like to know what we get for that expensive oil change ... and no one is willing to detail what it includes. At first, we just tried to get an appointment, then a buncha rude runaround comments.

When we asked the fee, just so we know, common question, right? The response instead was: Do you want us to book a time. Which set off an alarm in my brain. My truck, a 2500HD 6.0L costs $52 last time ... so why is a 2.0L engine triple that - and when I ask what else is included, got deflected. She even said, we check the fluids, but if it needs fluid, we charge extra for that. What we didn't want was, oil change $150, filter add $35, air filters $50 more ... just want to know what it includes and what might be extra, and could not get an answer.

What? A cup of windshield washer $50 extra, check the air in tires, another $50, or what? Would just like real answers, not deflections. The discussion got pretty weird, so got off the line. Thought someone here might explain what the dealer would not.

Thanks for your comments ... M44 :) Happy camping ya'all, when we can safely.

Not being snarky, speaking from experience. They charge it because they can and BMW owners will pay it. Our Porche is $500 for an oil/air filter. Part of the issue with ours is it's a mid-engine vehicle and a little harder to work on but it doesn't excuse the ridiculous price. There are other garages that specialize in high-end foreign vehicles that will be less expensive.

Do a little google search. Looks like you need a scanner to register the battery, but you can replace it and it will be fine until you register it.
Oil change? Bout the same as the Zippy Lubes charge for my 1/2 ton or car.
But yeah you could do it yourself for probably $40 if you were inclined or able.
First time getting an oil change priced out or??
Cars are expensive to keep up if the owners aren’t willing or able to do basic functions and services to them.

Dealers set their own pricing, but I'd call back and ask them to itemize the expenses. Then call another area dealer- if an extra 30 minutes saves a hundred bucks, that's good enough for me.

Our mercedes uses 8 quarts of synthetic and a premium filter meant for 15k miles, but (x2) the local mechanic is still much cheaper than the dealer.

Not as snarky remark: but service for a a BMW is expensive. Just like the car. A local mechanic should be able to do the simple things like oil and batteries. Aren't you glad you got the prices first?

Was just trying to find out why this service was more than a regular oil change. If so, what is extra? We're not cheap, and we don't mind paying the cost, as long as it's not a fifty buck oil change for a hundred fifty bucks.

Plus, a two-hour drive ...

Not much DYI info in the manual, just tells us 'go to your dealer'

Also a little more time on the phone tells me the battery itself is $240 AGM, which is reasonable, but BMW wants $200 more just to install it, and it's right in the boot, very accessible. U-tube guy replaced battery and reset it - took twenty minutes and he did it outside in the snow, with frosty breath -- thought that was funny ... maybe he was filming it in Alaska - he had the BMW reset device, but am not sure it's any different.

Don't have the OBD-11, but might make sense to buy one. Does that tool do the battery reset as well??? If you know ... thanks ...

We're thinking we're getting a bit to old and crickety for all the maintenance at this age, so, yep, very surprised at the cost when we called. Our last oil change at BMW was fifty-five bucks. So, where'd that hundred extra come in?

Thought this would be a simple Q & A ... like something special and expensive, but it looks like those dealers just want premium dollars for simple services.