[David1]

I can care less about the Carfax history for service. Wont matter if you trade or the car gets to be close to 10 years old. I keep my own records and sell privately so I can show if need to. Very rarely has anyone asked for history and I have sold or traded over 20 cars.

[DanG]

Originally Posted by ESB

Uh Oh. I guess I'll find out what BMW Seattle wants to charge on Monday. I'll report back.

I know that dealers always charge more but I was thinking I'd pay a small premium to have this service appear in carfax as this instance I'm basically planning to combine the 30k + 4yr items.

But if they quote me $1,800 I'll take the business elsewhere. That's ridiculous. I looked at a DIY video and I think its a bit too involved for what I'm comfortable with, but there's some independent shops I trust which I could go to instead.

Hmm. At the three year service they should have given you new spark plugs under the maintenance contract. Are you sure it wasnt done?

[ESB]

Originally Posted by DanG

Hmm. At the three year service they should have given you new spark plugs under the maintenance contract. Are you sure it wasnt done?

Receipts don’t show it being done.

I read on the forum that since spark plugs aren’t til 30k miles, often times they don’t naturally happen within the free maintenance contract unless you’re smart enough to ask for it and get ahead of it before you start to pay (I wasn’t)

[DanG]

Originally Posted by ESB

Receipts don’t show it being done.

I read on the forum that since spark plugs aren’t til 30k miles, often times they don’t naturally happen within the free maintenance contract unless you’re smart enough to ask for it and get ahead of it before you start to pay (I wasn’t)

Hmm. My service advisor made sure it was done. He even brought it up at my 6 year service. My service advisor was Nathan Morrisette.

[ESB]

I don't know what metaphor to use but yeah I just opened up my wallet to BMW Seattle in a way I don't think I'll do again. Luckily won't really have to think about this for another 30k/4 years.

$1450 for spark plugs. $220 for parts (6 x 36.83) and $1230 for labor.

And then another $898 for transmission + diff fluids.

I know I said earlier that the DIY video felt like too much for my comfort but this has been a good motivator to get over it

FWIW my advisor (Alex) said that he was surprised the spark plug service was never done since he sees most cars get it at around 20-25k. I asked if I could get it done for free / grandfathered and he said no. I didn't care to fight it. He mentioned something about the "car not asking for it" but the service manual I read said it was not a CBS item. I didn't get into it with him.

[DanG]

Originally Posted by ESB

I don't know what metaphor to use but yeah I just opened up my wallet to BMW Seattle in a way I don't think I'll do again. Luckily won't really have to think about this for another 30k/4 years.

$1450 for spark plugs. $220 for parts (6 x 36.83) and $1230 for labor.

And then another $898 for transmission + diff fluids.

I know I said earlier that the DIY video felt like too much for my comfort but this has been a good motivator to get over it

FWIW my advisor (Alex) said that he was surprised the spark plug service was never done since he sees most cars get it at around 20-25k. I asked if I could get it done for free / grandfathered and he said no. I didn't care to fight it. He mentioned something about the "car not asking for it" but the service manual I read said it was not a CBS item. I didn't get into it with him.

Who ever was your service advisor on the previous service blew it. BMW recommends new spark plugs on every third oil change interval. My advisor at BMW Seattle knew that and they were changed at year three under the free maintenance. Alex is normally a very good advisor and gets lots of M cars. If my advisor in not available I use Alex.

Remember they bill BMW for services under the maintenance period. So I am not surprised that they didn’t comp you. It may be worth a call to BMWUSA to see if they will reimburse you since it was a missed service. If you are a BMWCCA member they will also help you.

By the way I had 12,400 mile on my M2 when they replaced my spark plugs. (Third oil change).

[ESB]

Originally Posted by DanG

Who ever was your service advisor on the previous service blew it. BMW recommends new spark plugs on every third oil change interval. My advisor at BMW Seattle knew that and they were changed at year three under the free maintenance. Alex is normally a very good advisor and gets lots of M cars. If my advisor in not available I use Alex.

Remember they bill BMW for services under the maintenance period. So I am not surprised that they didn’t comp you. It may be worth a call to BMWUSA to see if they will reimburse you since it was a missed service. If you are a BMWCCA member they will also help you.

By the way I had 12,400 mile on my M2 when they replaced my spark plugs. (Third oil change).

My understanding was the dealership only does the free oil changes based on CBS / 10k miles. I wanted oil changes done every 5k miles so I was alternating between dealer and independent shops.

Dealer did oil changes at 10k, 22k and 27k. They also did brake fluid at 25k. It’s third dealer oil change (27k) was a few days after the free service period ended. So I only got 2 comp’d .. not sure if that partially explains this.

I’m fairly sure the way I was doing this was I’d have the dealership reset the CBS’s oil interval (make car ask for it in 10k miles) and ask the independent shops to NOT reset it.

Idk if somewhere along the line CBS got confused and was a contributing factor to spark plugs not getting done.

Still, I agree this was a miss that nobody double checked as the car was approaching 30k and about to end its free service period. But I include myself in that too. I’ve kept all of my receipts with service advisor names attached. I agree Alex gives me a good impression, though he was my advisor when I took it in for brake fluid at 25k.

I’ll call BMWUSA I guess. Thanks for the idea. Can’t hurt. And yep I’m a CCA member and got a slight discount because of it (thanks for the tip).

[DanG]

Originally Posted by ESB

My understanding was the dealership only does the free oil changes based on CBS / 10k miles. I wanted oil changes done every 5k miles so I was alternating between dealer and independent shops.

Dealer did oil changes at 10k, 22k and 27k. They also did brake fluid at 25k. It’s third dealer oil change (27k) was a few days after the free service period ended. So I only got 2 comp’d .. not sure if that partially explains this.

I’m fairly sure the way I was doing this was I’d have the dealership reset the CBS’s oil interval (make car ask for it in 10k miles) and ask the independent shops to NOT reset it.

Idk if somewhere along the line CBS got confused and was a contributing factor to spark plugs not getting done.

Still, I agree this was a miss that nobody double checked as the car was approaching 30k and about to end its free service period. But I include myself in that too. I’ve kept all of my receipts with service advisor names attached. I agree Alex gives me a good impression, though he was my advisor when I took it in for brake fluid at 25k.

I’ll call BMWUSA I guess. Thanks for the idea. Can’t hurt. And yep I’m a CCA member and got a slight discount because of it (thanks for the tip).

BMWCCA has an omnibusman to help with service issues. That is why I included them.

And yes I had my third oil service done before my maintenance expired.

[Backroads Bimmer]

I went to bmw for my last oil change under warranty and they quoted me $1600 for spark plugs and air filters. I went diy for both and I am very happy I did. While the spark plug change requires many parts to be removed to get to the plugs it is easy. The parts that have to come off are mostly plastic fasteners aside from the bracing in the engine bay, intakes and charge pipes. In ten years I would be worried about all the plastic that may break but while the car is relatively fresh the work is no problem. The worst part of taking my car apart was finding that bmw lost a bunch of the plastic fasteners when they replaced my intercooler under warranty.

[blkonblk]

Dealer should have changed your plugs. On my last oil change with the end of 3-year free maintenance, the dealer changed the oil, cabin filters, flushed brake fluid, and replaced spark plugs.

[brugada_thug]

Originally Posted by blkonblk

Dealer should have changed your plugs. On my last oil change with the end of 3-year free maintenance, the dealer changed the oil, cabin filters, flushed brake fluid, and replaced spark plugs.

I’m going in Monday for my end of 3 year maintenance and will ask them! TY

[chmura]

Originally Posted by Backroads Bimmer

The worst part of taking my car apart was finding that bmw lost a bunch of the plastic fasteners when they replaced my intercooler under warranty.

Good job doing the work yourserlf. This is why its better to do the work yourself. People on here think Dealer Service is the best but its actually the worst. I would rather do all the work myself and skip the dealer.

[jefe2000]

Originally Posted by ESB

$1450 for spark plugs. $220 for parts (6 x 36.83) and $1230 for labor.

That is an eye-watering price! Wow.

Genuine BMW spark plugs (each ~$25) should run you a total of ~$150. OE Bosch spark plugs are more in the $9/plug range.

The four one-time use bolts (each $4–$7) for the strut brace should run you a total of ~$22.

So parts total is more like ~$172 without dealer markup.

And this is definitely a DIY-friendly job. You don’t even need to get the car on a lift for this one. You’d need specific tools for sure, but they’d cost nowhere near the $1230 labor costs that the dealer service dept charged. And, for a couple hours of your time — and maybe some after-finishing-the-job beers to entice a BMWCCA buddy to come help — you’d spend far less overall.

I’m thinking you could be all in for a couple weekend hours and $400–$500 with parts and brand new tools for the spark plug job. And then you’d be set up to replace ‘em again in another 30K miles.

Originally Posted by ESB

And then another $898 for transmission + diff fluids.

If you have the 6MT, these two jobs are similarly approachable — the DCT is far more involved for both parts and labor. You do need to lift up the car for these, though. Fluids should cost no more than $100 max (and that’s probably high). Replacement drain/fill plug cost is minimal.

[hihowareyougood]

Originally Posted by jefe2000

The four one-time use bolts (each $4–$7) for the strut brace should run you a total of ~$22.

Do you mind sharing the part number for these one-time use strut brace bolts? I've been looking for a while now and can't seem to identify the correct parts.

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...81#51617378711

I don't know if I'm reading the realoem guide correctly - looks like we need two #2 (ASA M10X20) and two #30 (M10X25-10.9)?

[jefe2000]

Originally Posted by hihowareyougood

Do you mind sharing the part number for these one-time use strut brace bolts? I've been looking for a while now and can't seem to identify the correct parts.

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...81#51617378711

I don't know if I'm reading the realoem guide correctly - looks like we need two #2 (ASA M10X20) and two #30 (M10X25-10.9)?

Yes, parts #2 (07147270121) and #30 (31106854219) on that RealOEM diagram.

I got these part numbers from the video that TheHunterHofman uploaded on the spark plug install process:
https://youtu.be/ccwRWsjpJ-0?feature=shared

In particular, he lists in the bolt part numbers in the comment section on that video.

[hihowareyougood]

Originally Posted by jefe2000

Yes, parts #2 (07147270121) and #30 (31106854219) on that RealOEM diagram.

I got these part numbers from the video that TheHunterHofman uploaded on the spark plug install process:
https://youtu.be/ccwRWsjpJ-0?feature=shared

In particular, he lists in the bolt part numbers in the comment section on that video.

Much appreciated; thank you both! Just hit 32k on the odo, so I'm a bit overdue for spark plugs. The strut bolts were the only thing holding me back, but not anymore

[chmura]

I reused the strut brace bolts many times. Kind of silly to get new bolts everytime IMO.

Even reused the engine drain plug like 4 oil changes I did myself. No issues..

[David1]

Originally Posted by chmura

I reused the strut brace bolts many times. Kind of silly to get new bolts everytime IMO.

Even reused the engine drain plug like 4 oil changes I did myself. No issues..

Correct. No need to change them.

[jefe2000]

Originally Posted by David1

Correct. No need to change them.

Aren’t they torque-to-yield (TTY) bolts? My understanding is that TTY bolts are one-time-use:
https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...4#post30894314

And also:
https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1807238

Reusing TTY bolts might be fine (or it might bite ya). It might be fine for several uses. Until it isn’t.

For me, the $4–$7 per bolt is a small price to pay to be sure.

[David1]

The two up against the firewall may be TTY bolts but they are not that tight to begin with.

[TheHaze]

All 4 strut brace bolts are torque-to-yield and therefore single use. They're cheap, replace them. Buy them from FCP and they'll be free for life.

[///MPhatic]

Originally Posted by TheHaze

All 4 strut brace bolts are torque-to-yield and therefore single use. They're cheap, replace them. Buy them from FCP and they'll be free for life.

The real questions (IMO) are; does it makes any real-world difference (extremely unlikely), and is it a safety issue if they aren't replaced (also extremely unlikely).

BMW can keep their TTY bolts, I won't replace them unless I consider them to be a safety issue.