Re: Oil change, Break Fluid change and Ful injectors.

[alex.fadeev@xxxxxxxxxxx]

"C. Overman" <coverman@domain.elided> wrote:
> Hey Ed,
>
> My 93 E36 went 155k miles before any brake work needed to be done and
> then they (the dealership) only changed the pads.  Said the rotors
> still had some life in them.  I'm at 191k+ and still haven't had to
> have anything more done.

CO,
I'll bet you anything your rotors and pads had been replaced in that 155K
mile interval.
Depending on the driving style the rotors may in fact last around 100K
miles, but very few pads will last 1/2 that long. Certainly not 150+K.

> I thought it was pretty weird myself, but I think the BMW engineering
> is such that if you perform regular preventive maintenance checks and
> services, the vehicle can run indefinitely.

That's certainly true for many BMW components, but brakes, rotors, tires
and such are disposable by design. Regardless of the amount of engineering
involved, brakes still have to stop a 3000+ pound vehicle. Their wear will
correspond directly to the to the amount of kinetic energy they will be
asked to absorb and convert to heat: KE = 1/2 mv2. Unless you've massively
lightened your car, the brake components wear will depend on the square of
the speed. If you drive like a grandma and practice impact braking I can
see the pads maybe lasting that long, but still unlikely.

"Eduardo E. Silva" wrote:
>
> Today my car's had oil service (in-between, two green leds left) with
> synth oil, brake fluid drain and fuel injectors cleanned. I had asked the
> BMW service rep. to check my break pads and do a safety inspection. I
told
> him that I still had the original pads, calipers, rotors etc -- Although
> the OBC has not lit, letting me know that pads needed replacement.

Eduardo,
What car do you drive and how many miles does it have?

> To my surprised they didn't change them!! Why?? He said because I still
> have 4mm left on the rear and 6mm left on the front!! Also the rotors a
in
> good shape! I said ARE you sure??? He went back, since the mech. was
still
> working on it. He said YES!! DANG!!
>
> Is this weird or what ?

Don't know, depends entirely on the car, milage and type of driving
involved.

> Also, my original Michelin MMX, lasted almost 20k miles???

May well be normal.
I've never driven MMX tires or even heard of Michelin MMX tires.
Michelin does have a touring MXM rubber that is probably very long lasting
as are most touring OE tires.

> I don't drive like I am chasing Fittipaldi, but I do drive close to it
> when ever I have a chance. I live in southern cal, and during
> morning/afternoon rush hours EVERYBODY must stop (break) and go. Most of
> the time I downshift a lot, including on the freeway. The clutch is in
> good condition also.

Did you have any reason to expect a clutch failure?

> By the way I paid $323.78 for the above work. Would this have been
cheaper
> at a NON-BMW dealer?

Since you are still on OE tires I assume you are under service warranty.
Thus it is very surprising that you were billed for the service in the
first place.
A non-BMW dealer (like a Chevy or GM one?) would likely not touch your car
at all. A BMW independent will, and 9 out of 10 times will do it for less
than the dealer.

> If so, by how much ? a Non-BMW shop, asked $70
> dollars for an oil service -- dealers ask $50.

My best advice to you is to join BMW CCA (www.bmwcca.org) and check with
local club members where they take their cars for service. Either $50 or
$70 for an oil change sounds a bit excessive, though may be in line with
West Coast pricing (where do YOU live?).

alex f

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