Maintenance Program Upgrade for CPO

[z306231]

I am considering purchasing the Maintenance Program Upgrade for a 2006 325xi certified preowned. Can anyone give me some info on their experience with this program and whether they feel it is worth the money they paid?

[K330i]

i don't have it but like you i am leaning toward it. with all the 'maintenance' items needed between 50-100k miles it looks like it would be worth it (quoted $1500).
because @ $100 per hr labor all that stuff could add up quickly....

[BenH]

I opt'd out of extending maintenance coverage beyond the initial 4 years. 15k in between oil changes is really... umm like Randy Forbes have posted on the Z3 page:

regular 4500mi oil change S54B32 engine
http://www.rfdm.com/Randy/BMW/pics/projects/Inspection%20One/insp1h.JPG

15k oil change intervals
http://www.rfdm.com/albums/album91/bdr_013.jpg

We just got our E91 and I plan on changing my oil like my M coupe every 5k miles or 12 months, which ever is first. And on the 15th I'll take it to the dealer. Also if you plan on keeping the car after 50k miles, it really pays to pick up a Bentley manual and do the basic maintenance yourself... ie fluids, filters and brakes/rotors. Savings and satisfaction come to mind first.

[K330i]

Also if you plan on keeping the car after 50k miles, it really pays to pick up a Bentley manual and do the basic maintenance yourself... ie fluids, filters and brakes/rotors. Savings and satisfaction come to mind first.

i spent the last 8yrs over the fender and under a chevy doing it myself. :rolleyes

i don't look forward to doing that again. for $1500 i'll let someone else do all that for me. granted i will be changing my oil @ 7500. but the rest of those items due after 50k (plugs come to mind) just don't look like any fun at all. :nono

[BenH]

i spent the last 8yrs over the fender and under a chevy doing it myself. :rolleyes

i don't look forward to doing that again. for $1500 i'll let someone else do all that for me. granted i will be changing my oil @ 7500. but the rest of those items due after 50k (plugs come to mind) just don't look like any fun at all. :nono

Huh so after 8yrs over the fender and under a Chevy and you think plugs are a pain? I didn't mean to jest anyone with my initial post. My point earlier was to highlight that 15k oil change intervals mandated by the CPO maintenance program isn't enough according to those pictures. And I have a hard time trusting a dealer to look after my car between 50k-100k. Their goal is to get your car in and out as fast as possible. I'll side with a good indy any day.

[Bandit335]

I opt'd out of extending maintenance coverage beyond the initial 4 years. 15k in between oil changes is really... umm like Randy Forbes have posted on the Z3 page:

regular 4500mi oil change S54B32 engine
http://www.rfdm.com/Randy/BMW/pics/projects/Inspection%20One/insp1h.JPG

15k oil change intervals
http://www.rfdm.com/albums/album91/bdr_013.jpg

We just got our E91 and I plan on changing my oil like my M coupe every 5k miles or 12 months, which ever is first. And on the 15th I'll take it to the dealer. Also if you plan on keeping the car after 50k miles, it really pays to pick up a Bentley manual and do the basic maintenance yourself... ie fluids, filters and brakes/rotors. Savings and satisfaction come to mind first.

This topic has been covered hundreds of times. The oil need not be changed more often than 15k miles with these synthetic oils. The pictures above don't really make a strong argument for earlier changes IMO. The first picture doesn't show a whole lot of oil in the first place. All that the second picture shows is that with mileage your oil changes to a darker color. I have talked to taxi drivers about this as they have the most experience with this and put thousands of miles a month. Many of them had 300k miles on their cars while changing the oil every 15k or 20k miles.


As far as the maintenace program I guess it's only worth doing if you plan on doing all the scheduled inspections. This can be skipped by simply resetting the code and paying the dealer $65 for the oil changes.

[BenH]

This topic has been covered hundreds of times. The oil need not be changed more often than 15k miles with these synthetic oils. The pictures above don't really make a strong argument for earlier changes IMO. The first picture doesn't show a whole lot of oil in the first place. All that the second picture shows is that with mileage your oil changes to a darker color. I have talked to taxi drivers about this as they have the most experience with this and put thousands of miles a month. Many of them had 300k miles on their cars while changing the oil every 15k or 20k miles.


As far as the maintenace program I guess it's only worth doing if you plan on doing all the scheduled inspections. This can be skipped by simply resetting the code and paying the dealer $65 for the oil changes.

Really?

I'll accept advice from a well regarded BMW mechanic like Randy Forbes that repairs S54 bearing issues over a Chicago hack any day. 300k miles is about when a hack has been mandated to retire his Crown Vic. Besides BMW recommends Castrol Syntec, which is fine, except it's not a full synthetic. It's petroleum based to lower cost.

[SeanMpower]

15k oil changes are nutz.....that is why i look for maint records when i buy a used BMW to see if the owner changed their oil/filter more more often ...yikes!!!:eek:

BMW engineers are great but its not solely up to them as the final say to when the oil is to be changed...it boils down to BMWs bottom line. Im sure if you talk to one of those engine engineers they would tell you it would be much better to change your oil much sooner then 15k.

[Kevlar]

My opinion... FWIW, if you are concerned, drain the oil and send it out for an oil analysis.

Having put almost 100k on every M3 I have owned following BMWs recommended service intervals which may start out at 15k but in reality by the time the compute recalculates is around 9-11k. I had the oil analyzed and each time the oil came back in great condition. The short fall was the filter... it was starting to look a little ragged.

I will continue to run the 10-12k oil intervals because they work and oil analysis confirms that information. No point in wasting the money or time/effort to change something that is in good working condition.

Expanding on the BMW Extended Maintanence program. I purchased it for my last car and it paid for itself the first time Inspection I/II came around. I had 3 inspections done under the extended service plan. So that right there paid for itself. When you add into the mix things like brake pads, rotors, wipers, (some) fluids... if you drive hard or often, it is well worth it.

If you drive like grandma and it is more likely to expire due to time rather than mileage... it's not so worth it. However, it only takes one major service (inspection, brakes etc.) to pay for itself.