Servicing Advice

According to the sticker I have another 2000 Ks before my next service is due, However on the screen it shows 5000 ks before my next service. Which one should I follow?

P.S. Does anyone know any good places that they would recommend in Perth (WA, Australia)?

Not sure who put your sticker on but it's probably better than what the car (screen) says....IMO

What kind of "service" are we talking about here? The car is 11 years old. At this point, I would forget about what stickers and computers tell you and replace things according to common sense. Are you just talking about an oil change? When was the oil last changed if that's the case?

+1 forget about that inspection counter. Change what breaks or what needs to be changed for preventative maintenance. Do as much work yourself as you can.

So your car is telling you ~3000 miles until oil change, but the sticker says 1200?

Who did you take it to for service? If they put in dino oil, I would change it in a few hundreds miles and use a proper synthetic.

I am not quite sure, Last time (roughly 7 months ago) I did a major service, changed the breaks etc. According to the sticker that the mechanic has put on, I am due for another round in another 2000 Ks. I do not think anything will be required other than the routine oil, air filter, etc change.

Having said that Originally when i bought the car (2 years ago) the car was leaking oil and the mechanic supposedly fixed it (said something about Vanos) and then it was still leaking so i went back and this time he said there was a crack line in some pipe and he fixed that a swell. Long story short, I have been to the mechanics a few times for the oil leak but it is still leaking or burning oil somehow. So i have given up and i just add a liter of oil on top every few months. I don't know if that is normal or not but I have ran out of money to spend on the car. I would have changed the oil myself but i hear you need special tools.

1. You can change the oil yourself. The only supplies you need are the 7 quarts of oil, appropriate filter (which should come with a crush washer and oil filter housing o-ring). The only tools, a 17mm wrench or socket and a 36mm socket for the filter cap. EDIT: Do a search to find out how to reset the oil service indicator through the cluster.
2. Your mech should be able to handle an oil leak after "a few times." That's not a good sign.

I would call the mech, ask what kind of oil he put in, then find a different mech that specializes in BMWs or european cars at a minimum. Change the oil yourself with a high-quality synthetic--appropriate selections can be found by searching this forum.

Originally Posted by amirmehrabi

...I would have changed the oil myself but i hear you need special tools.

You hear wrong. You just need a wrench and two sockets. The tools would be paid for on your first oil change.

He does euro cars only (BMW, AUDi etc), a bit of a dodgy guy though. I have changed mechanics since then.

Thank you very much guys, I will search the DIY forums and try and change the oil, air filter myself.


Edit: I found a DYI for oil change but non for air filter change, Could someone please link me?

Originally Posted by amirmehrabi

He does euro cars only (BMW, AUDi etc), a bit of a dodgy guy though. I have changed mechanics since then.

Thank you very much guys, I will search the DIY forums and try and change the oil, air filter myself.


Edit: I found a DYI for oil change but non for air filter change, Could someone please link me?

Dude, who did you take your car to? AutoMasters? AutoBahn? Ultratune? Lubemobil? Pretty much anyone that puts those old school service stickers on your windscreen shouldn't be servicing your BMW. All those guys don't even have GT-1 scanner or any BMW OBDII scanner hence can't even look for or diagnose any stored faults. PS they put any kind of oil/filter in it instead of the recommended one. Oh and if they do replace stuff, it'll be most likely after market crap and not the OEM BMW since AutoClassic would be way too expensive for them to make a profit.

Even 3MW which should be one of the better independent BMW service places uses aftermarket parts. I made the mistake of taking my car there once, they replaced the parts with the after market ones and didn't even tell me about it; took it back to AutoClassic and got them replaced with the OEM ones. They also did the brake fluid bleed, I had shocking air bubbles in the brake pedal afterwards, took it back and they told me it's all normal. I had enough of their bullsh!t, took the car back to AutoClassic and re-did the brake fluid bleed, the brakes have been excellent ever since since then.

Bite the bullet and take your car to AutoClassic if you want your BMW to perform at it's best. It is expensive, but that's the price you pay if you want a good BMW

The place that i took the car to originally and kept going back and forth was AutoClassic (the one near great eastern hwy), they did not manage to fix the oil leak after all the money they charged me and once, after i got the car back all of a sudden the alternator stopped working as well which they refused to take responsibility for, that is why stopped going there, the guy who serviced my car last and has put that sticker is an independent mechanic.

I have had a look at the DIY forums and changing the oil, oil filter and air filter seems very easy and i will get the parts from BMW so it is all good now. I might take it to a mechanic when it is due for another major service.

Changing the oil in an E46 - vacuum method



Replace spark plugs



Replace brake pads

Thanks Guys.