[wjjkoevoets]

Hi all,

I am not sure which maintenance I should perform on my car to keep it in optimal condition. I have a background in IT and I am definitely not a mechanic! My idea is to have regular oil and filter refreshing done by a local shop and the serious stuff by my local dealer. Right now, I'm not exactly sure what I should do.

Model: M235i
MY: 2014
Milage: ~27,000 miles

Previous maintenance:
7,700 miles - Oil refresh, oil/interior filter replacement - BMW dealership (by previous owner)
8,800 miles - Minor service - Local shop
18,600 miles - Oil refresh, oil/interior filter replacement - Local Shop

Considering the car has roughly 27,000 miles on it, I was thinking it was time for service within the next 1,100 miles. The problem is that I have no idea what would be a good idea. I was thinking of:
- Oil refresh
- Oil/interior filter replacement
- Brake Pads Front (CBS says in 1,500 miles)
- Brake Pads Rear (CBS says in 3,000 miles)
- Brake Fluid (CBS says at 01/2017)
- Airconditioning service

I am also wondering if I am better off just ordering OEM components online as opposed to having the dealer order them. They're probably going to charge a fortune for both parts and labour.

Any tips, hints or suggestions would be much appreciated!

[123Britt]

WOW! Are you not interested in like say Cool Carbon Pads and some OEM rotors from Zimmerman . Way cheaper than the dealer. Less Dust and excellent Daily Driver pads.
.
DIY and bond with your car! Get the AC service by and independent and DIY on the rest.
.
.

[overcoil]

If you can't work on the car yourself find the most reliable BMW specific mechanic.

Oil change is a must, with the correct viscosity and certified oils.

Brake fluid change - along with front brake pads is coming due - the brake pads should be visually inspected for remaining life and the rotor thickness measured to confirm they have remaining life.

Have your engine filter removed and inspected, then either hand cleaned by knocking against palm or replaced along with visually inspecting air filter housing and vacuuming out housing.

Clean debris from base of windshield and around trunk drains. Replace windshield wipers.

Visually inspect battery and surrounding area for leaks or corrosion and test charge.

While car up on rack visually inspect front ball joint and with 12/6 grip push/pull for play, hand rotate wheel listening for bearing noise. Rear half-shafts inner and outter rubber boots inspected for tears. Front steering rack boots inspected for tears.
Drive shaft and control arms push/pulled for play. Exhaust inspected for whispy build-up from manifold to silencer looking for leaks.

Tire's felt for cupping, tears and nails.

So those are all the vital things to do.

After that as you approach 40-50k miles coolant, rear differential and transmission fluid.

It may not be cheap but it's worth doing things right.

[wjjkoevoets]

Originally Posted by 123Britt

WOW! Are you not interested in like say Cool Carbon Pads and some OEM rotors from Zimmerman . Way cheaper than the dealer. Less Dust and excellent Daily Driver pads.
.
DIY and bond with your car! Get the AC service by and independent and DIY on the rest.
.
.

If I do any bonding like that with my car, I'll be going to the shop for major repairs, not maintenance

Not sure about the brake pads, never given it much thought as they perform OK for me. If the rotors need to be replaced I will likely be going for the M Performance rotors (vented/dimpled ones):

Size is equal, they just look more fancy (no benefit otherwise AFAIK).

Originally Posted by ScottSinger

If you can't work on the car yourself find the most reliable BMW specific mechanic.

Oil change is a must, with the correct viscosity and certified oils.

Brake fluid change - along with front brake pads is coming due - the brake pads should be visually inspected for remaining life and the rotor thickness measured to confirm they have remaining life.

Have your engine filter removed and inspected, then either hand cleaned by knocking against palm or replaced along with visually inspecting air filter housing and vacuuming out housing.

Clean debris from base of windshield and around trunk drains. Replace windshield wipers.

Visually inspect battery and surrounding area for leaks or corrosion and test charge.

While car up on rack visually inspect front ball joint and with 12/6 grip push/pull for play, hand rotate wheel listening for bearing noise. Rear half-shafts inner and outter rubber boots inspected for tears. Front steering rack boots inspected for tears.
Drive shaft and control arms push/pulled for play. Exhaust inspected for whispy build-up from manifold to silencer looking for leaks.

Tire's felt for cupping, tears and nails.

So those are all the vital things to do.

After that as you approach 40-50k miles coolant, rear differential and transmission fluid.

It may not be cheap but it's worth doing things right.

Thanks! I just asked my local shop and dealer to provide me with a quote for:
- Oil refresh + oil filter replacement;
- Front brake pad replacement;
- Rear brake pad replacement;
- Brake fluid replacement;
- Measure brake rotors thickness (replace with 34106797602 front or 34206797598 rear if thickness not OK);
- Windshield wiper replacement;
- All-round check (V-belt, engine filter, coolant, anti-freeze, windows, lighting, (transmission) leaks, rubbers, windshield washers, battery, tires, heater, micro/interior filter, checking for play);
- Air-conditioning service.

Yeah, it probably will cost a pretty penny, but I'd rather pay some more now in an attempt to prevent any serious issues arising later on. The car feels very reliable and I want to keep it this way. I don't track the car or anything, but I am rather paranoid about maintenance.

Besides, if I ever decide to sell the car, the new owner can be sure he/she is not buying a barely-maintained abused car.

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by wjjkoevoets

Size is equal, they just look more fancy (no benefit otherwise AFAIK).

They are different sized actually

M-sport: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=34_1949
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=34_1970

M-perf:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=03_0103
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=03_0104

345 and 370 instead of 340 and 345

[wjjkoevoets]

Originally Posted by pikcachu

They are different sized actually

M-sport: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=34_1949
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=34_1970

M-perf:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=03_0103
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=03_0104

345 and 370 instead of 340 and 345

Yes, sorry, my bad. BMW and their marketing terms.

I mean the alternative M Sport dimpled/slotted/vented rotors instead of the vented blank ones. So I'm guessing there is very little braking performance benefit, but I do think they will look nicer.

Factory replacement: 34116792223 (340x30):


"Performance" alternative: 34106797602 (340x30)

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by wjjkoevoets

Yes, sorry, my bad. BMW and their marketing terms.

I mean the alternative M Sport dimpled/slotted/vented rotors instead of the vented blank ones. So I'm guessing there is very little braking performance benefit, but I do think they will look nicer.

Factory replacement: 34116792223 (340x30):


"Performance" alternative: 34106797602 (340x30)

Yes they make them on the same size and dimpled but they are smaller than the m-perf

I think there is actually no benefit at all performance wise you actually losing some material to the dimples but probably insignificant

[wjjkoevoets]

Originally Posted by pikcachu

Yes they make them on the same size and dimpled but they are smaller than the m-perf

I think there is actually no benefit at all performance wise you actually losing some material to the dimples but probably insignificant

Yeah I know they're smaller, I made the mistake of saying "M Performance", that's all.

The M Performance brake set is way overkill for my car

[pikcachu]

Originally Posted by wjjkoevoets

Yeah I know they're smaller, I made the mistake of saying "M Performance", that's all.

The M Performance brake set is way overkill for my car

I wonder what's the price difference between the stock and the dimpled one. Do you know?

[wjjkoevoets]

Originally Posted by pikcachu

I wonder what's the price difference between the stock and the dimpled one. Do you know?

According to a dealership in the Netherlands, the price differences are fairly minimal.

Front rotor: €255, blank ones €229
Rear rotor: €204, blank ones €189

ECS tuning has a pair of alternative rotors at $527 and a pair of regular blank ones at $327.

Front rotor
Rear rotor