Maintenance Plan Questions

[1040farms]

My question is what to expect with the BMW maintenance plan. I have a 2008 535xi CPO. It has 42k miles but has been in service for 4.5 years so it is out of the original factory warranty. I have the extended warranty and maintenance for 6 years or 100k.

My "add oil" light came on so I took the car to the dealer to get the oil topped off. I was a bit shocked when the dealer made me purchase a quart of oil for $8 instead on just topping it off.

I figured since I had the maintenance plan the top off would be covered. I realize that it is only $8 but isn't this a maintenance item?

My question is have any of you run into this as well? Do you think I'm off base about having to purchase top off oil? My local dealer said it was a BMW policy and not a dealer policy. Do any other dealers include the top off oil for free as a customer service?

[mryakan]

top offs are not part of the maintenance plan, instead they are usually offered as courtesy by the dealer and not reimbursed by BMW.

[mattjw916]

Which dealer did you go to? Murray Motors even tops off cars that don't even have a CPO or maintenance plan in effect.

I've even driven in there randomly and asked them to top off my washer fluid and they did no questions asked.

[Critter7r]

top offs are not part of the maintenance plan, instead they are usually offered as courtesy by the dealer and not reimbursed by BMW.

This.

BMW specifically states in the Maint Prog manual that any fluids needed for "top-off" in between regularly scheduled services are the responibility of the owner. This includes oil, washer fluids, coolant and DEF. However, many dealers (ourselves included) spend hundreds of dollars per month topping off customers' oil for free.

P.S. if you didn't buy your vehicle from us, we point you to the Parts counter to purchase a quart of oil that we will then install for you if you'd like.

[GunnerNell]

OP, don't miss the larger point here -- that your car needed oil. I have an '08, too, and if it starts needing oil between changes, I'm going to want to know why. Not trying to cause panic, and I don't know how many miles it took for your car to need the top-off, I'm just sayin'.

[Critter7r]

OP, don't miss the larger point here -- that your car needed oil. I have an '08, too, and if it starts needing oil between changes, I'm going to want to know why. Not trying to cause panic, and I don't know how many miles it took for your car to need the top-off, I'm just sayin'.

Most cars need a top-off between oil services if you're running it at the suggested 15k mile intervals. Oil is a consumable. In any engine, some oil is consumed each time the vehicle is driven. Some engines more than others. Driving patterns and styles also have an effect on oil consumption.

If the car needs a quart of oil every 800 miles, worry about it. If it's every 5,000 - it's a non-issue.

[1040farms]

This does seem to be a case of YMMV. I understand that it is not an item that BMW reimburses the dealers for. I also did not purchase the car from my local dealer. I am however having it serviced at that dealer and they are handling the warranty items both of which BMW is paying them for. If I decide to drive an extra 30 minutes to go to a more customer service minded dealer in Denver then my local dealer gets nothing. Losing my business totally seems like a high price to pay for a quart of oil that the dealer probably had to pay $4 for.

[GunnerNell]

Most cars need a top-off between oil services if you're running it at the suggested 15k mile intervals. Oil is a consumable. In any engine, some oil is consumed each time the vehicle is driven. Some engines more than others. Driving patterns and styles also have an effect on oil consumption.

If the car needs a quart of oil every 800 miles, worry about it. If it's every 5,000 - it's a non-issue.

I understand that, but not knowing how long the OP's interval has been, and not knowing how experienced a driver he is or his driving habits, I thought it was worth mentioning that a 2008 with 42k miles shouldn't be using much oil, IMO. In fact, my '08 has about 42k miles on it, and if it starts needing oil between my 7,500 mile changes, I'm going to be upset. I do admit to having a bit of OCD about this.

[Critter7r]

I also don't know what kind of mileage he's at, but since he says he's on the Maintenance Plan, I assume he's following BMW's 15K intervals, so I said what I said.

And if you allow your car to go BMW's recommended 15k between oil changes, you can be reasonably sure that it WILL start needing oil top-offs between changes.

[GunnerNell]

And if you allow your car to go BMW's recommended 15k between oil changes, you can be reasonably sure that it WILL start needing oil top-offs between changes.

Mebbe so, but as I'm never gonna let it go that long, we'll never know. Even so, I'd be a little perturbed if it started happening at anything less than about 60k miles.

[Critter7r]

i hear ya ... I do 10k oil changes and always need to add a quart around the 5k mark. My car is at 120k, though.