My 2004 530D needs an oil change every 18k miles or so, it's currently sitting at 12k miles until the next one's required. Pretty much any knowledgeable person I have talked to has advised against this and said it should be something between 9k and 12k to really keep the engine & turbo in top condition, and I'm sure most of you here would agree.
So in another 2k miles I wouldn't mind changing it, but don't see the point in paying a ****** dealer £200 for something a local garage can do - I've a couple of people who know reliable guys for changing it who own VAT-registered garages, can reset the oil service indicator and 'stamp the book.' Then when the next oil change is done, I'll take it to the dealer for a full check, which is when the next proper service was due anyway.
I'm not too concerned about the warranty as a) there's only 4 months left and b) afaik if I use a VAT-registered garage (and genuine parts) the warranty remains intact. But it's more to do with later down the line - is it bad looking if on the service book I have stamps from an independent dealer in between official BMW dealer services, even though it was only an oil change? And does it remove the 'FBMWSH' that some people like to swear by, even though in actual fact the car's been better serviced than normal?
So in another 2k miles I wouldn't mind changing it, but don't see the point in paying a ****** dealer £200 for something a local garage can do - I've a couple of people who know reliable guys for changing it who own VAT-registered garages, can reset the oil service indicator and 'stamp the book.' Then when the next oil change is done, I'll take it to the dealer for a full check, which is when the next proper service was due anyway.
I'm not too concerned about the warranty as a) there's only 4 months left and b) afaik if I use a VAT-registered garage (and genuine parts) the warranty remains intact. But it's more to do with later down the line - is it bad looking if on the service book I have stamps from an independent dealer in between official BMW dealer services, even though it was only an oil change? And does it remove the 'FBMWSH' that some people like to swear by, even though in actual fact the car's been better serviced than normal?