Call me Sceptical....

[swebb]

Call me Sceptical, but i've been reading more and more, and thinking more and more about this whole "annual service" on top of your mileage service...

Can somebody explain just how this works, and just how essential is it?

For someone who rides say 12000 miles a year, it seems crazy that you're expected to have the damn bike serviced 3 times, a 6k, 12k and an annual?

Surely the work should be carried out as part of the standard 6k, 12k services????

It all seems rather to me!!!

 

[Mouse]

If you do any significant mileage then I think you can easily have the annual service incorporated into a 6k or 12k one. If you only did 2k miles a year, then you'd have to get it done seperately. I don't see why it has to be exactly every year, a month or two either way shouldn't matter.

Some things on a bike (main example is the brake fluid) do degrade with time (as well as mileage) though.

 

[Engineer]

Call me Sceptical, but i've been reading more and more, and thinking more and more about this whole "annual service" on top of your mileage service...

Can somebody explain just how this works, and just how essential is it?

For someone who rides say 12000 miles a year, it seems crazy that you're expected to have the damn bike serviced 3 times, a 6k, 12k and an annual?

Surely the work should be carried out as part of the standard 6k, 12k services????

It all seems rather to me!!!

I suppose the point is that if your bike is sitting around doing nothing for a year - it still ought to be checked out to make sure that nothing has deterioted.

It is best if you can coincide the two, i.e. the service and the annual inspection - then they are more or less one and the same thing.

 

[TheJoker]

Hey Sceptical!

 

[Mr K]

Hey Sceptical!

Beat me to it

 

[motozen]

You don't need to do the annual service, if you ride as many miles as you do. it's for those who put very few miles on their bikes, so they'd need an annual brake fluid replacement, that sort of thing..

 

[swebb]

You don't need to do the annual service, if you ride as many miles as you do. it's for those who put very few miles on their bikes, so they'd need an annual brake fluid replacement, that sort of thing..

Just seems odd that given the "BMW legendary engineering" that they seem to require a brake fluid change every year, (as an extra to normal service) when all other bikes i'm aware of, and indeed cars, don't require change until the 2 year point. I seem to recall something about the change is largely only required in case of any damp getting into the fluid etc... so BMW are readily admitting that they're system is 50% worse than everyone elses????

I think not, it seems more like they've decided by adding a couple of lines to their handbook and guarantee, they can make a killing on their revenues at the expense of the likes of us!

So the bike is more expensive to buy, and apparently less robust than other standard road bikes, and this is supposed to be a "go almost anywhere" bike... pah!

BMW charge enough for the bike and regular servicing, without needing to add these extra's in.

It's good enough for all other manufacturers to quote servicing to be completed at certain mileage intervals OR annually, whichever comes sooner, BMW have to go one stage further and stipulate BOTH no matter what!!!!

I can't believe i'm the only one that finds this both absurd and disgusting!!

-Rant Over (i think)

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

go look at new car service intervals - that have been purposely extended to reduce ownership costs to sell more cars.

then look at bike service intervals ( and costs ) and be prepared for a shock

bikes are superfluous leisure vehicles that owners don't factor cost to run into.

cars are biased towards fleet ownership and the cost per mile to run

If you run your bike on car service schedules you'd be fine.

if you did your own servicing at car intervals - you'd be fine.

 

[swebb]

go look at new car service intervals - that have been purposely extended to reduce ownership costs to sell more cars.

then look at bike service intervals ( and costs ) and be prepared for a shock

bikes are superfluous leisure vehicles that owners don't factor cost to run into.

cars are biased towards fleet ownership and the cost per mile to run

If you run your bike on car service schedules you'd be fine.

if you did your own servicing at car intervals - you'd be fine.

And here in lies my beef! I totally agree that what you're saying is correct, therefore the only reason to print the bike schedule, is to drag more money out of us! And my point is, as far as i can see BMW are doing it even more so than the other manufacturers... and yet they do, to some degree have us over a barrel, if we buy new, they know we don't want to void our warranties etc! Should have realised the salesman was wearing a mask, riding a horse and and was carrying a swag bag!!!! Aaaaarghhhh

Don't get me wrong, i love my bike, i've had none of the troubles that many of here have (yet) and if it died, i'd want another.... but that doesn't stop me from being bitter about the daylight robbery!!

 

[Karn-Evil]

Don't forget another reason why BMW like you to have more services,they do warranty recalls on the sly to make there bikes look reliable.You never really know whats been done to your bike at the dealer do you?

 

[Mouse]

On the subject of brake fluid, the fluid in ABS systems does need changing more regularly than that in normal systems. This is because the ABS pump circulates the fluid around the system, carrying contaminants with it. Whereas in a normal brake system the contaminants stay pretty much where they are.

I would change the brake fluid in all my bikes every year, ABS or no ABS, it only costs a couple of quid and it's preventative maintenance, not to mention safety related. If you don't want to pay BMW to do it, do it yourself

 

[birdseye]

No wonder we're called winging Poms. What a bunch.

The reason you have a mileage and time based maintenance schedule is that some things deteriorate by time (brake fluid picking up water for example) and others by mileage (engine oil) If the 6000 mile co-incides near enough with the 12 months, then the dealer should do both services together. But serivice staff being as bright as they are, you will most likely have to request it.

As far as I know, BMW dont make money out of the servicing other than on parts. But their dealers do. So why should BMW increase servicing unnecessarily to line the pockets of bike dealers and not do that on their cars?

The reason your service bills are high for your 1200 is that they are overcomplicated and BMW are pushing the configuration (ie 2 cyl air cooled ) to its practical limits. If they stuffed a water cooled V4 like the Pan into the 1200, junked the fancy electronics and servo brakes, then you could have much cheaper servicing. But would you buy the bike? Thats the problem with bikes - apart from being made in penny numbers, they are also made to a higher basic standard than cars, are more exposed to the elements and require more looking after.

But as people have said, its an expensive toy. If you cant afford to run it you shouldnt have bought it. Simple.

 

[gsmilleduecento]

I don't think that bikes are expensive toys at all.
Look at the GS
Accelerate faster than a Lotus, is cool as a Ferrari, goes everywhere as an SUV, consume like a Fiat Punto, save me half of the time to trip to work, is fun as nothing else and it cost less than a boring VW golf.
Expensive?

 

[Mr K]

No wonder we're called winging Poms. What a bunch.

The reason you have a mileage and time based maintenance schedule is that some things deteriorate by time (brake fluid picking up water for example) and others by mileage (engine oil) If the 6000 mile co-incides near enough with the 12 months, then the dealer should do both services together. But serivice staff being as bright as they are, you will most likely have to request it.

As far as I know, BMW dont make money out of the servicing other than on parts. But their dealers do. So why should BMW increase servicing unnecessarily to line the pockets of bike dealers and not do that on their cars?

The reason your service bills are high for your 1200 is that they are overcomplicated and BMW are pushing the configuration (ie 2 cyl air cooled ) to its practical limits. If they stuffed a water cooled V4 like the Pan into the 1200, junked the fancy electronics and servo brakes, then you could have much cheaper servicing. But would you buy the bike? Thats the problem with bikes - apart from being made in penny numbers, they are also made to a higher basic standard than cars, are more exposed to the elements and require more looking after.

But as people have said, its an expensive toy. If you cant afford to run it you shouldnt have bought it. Simple.

 

[stephenm]

Don't forget another reason why BMW like you to have more services,they do warranty recalls on the sly to make there bikes look reliable.You never really know whats been done to your bike at the dealer do you?

Except for the "Recall" stickers they place under the seat. Bit of a giveaway.

Stephen

 

[Paul Wakefield]

You never really know whats been done to your bike at the dealer do you?

Well I ask mine and trust his answers.

Carcher2k NOT to respond to this.

Paul

 

[BBB61]

The reason your service bills are high for your 1200 is that they are overcomplicated and BMW are pushing the configuration (ie 2 cyl air cooled ) to its practical limits. If they stuffed a water cooled V4 like the Pan into the 1200, junked the fancy electronics and servo brakes, then you could have much cheaper servicing. .

So how come Honda service intervals are every 4000 miles on the new watercooled V4 1300 Pan if it is a more sophisticated and user friendly engine?

 

[Karn-Evil]

Except for the "Recall" stickers they place under the seat. Bit of a giveaway.

Stephen

mines been back about 8 times no stickers,may be there is a problem with the glue

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

BMW dont make money out of the servicing ......But their dealers do. So why should BMW increase servicing unnecessarily to line the pockets of bike dealers

BMW car dealerships shift a lot more 'units' hence overall profit is a certain amount.

Bike dealers shift less - so each 'unit' costs more to increase the average profit to a similar amount.

Ask yourself why some car / bike dealerships have changed to car only ?

On the subject of brake fluid, the fluid in ABS systems does need changing more regularly than that in normal systems. This is because the ABS pump circulates the fluid around the system, carrying contaminants with it. Whereas in a normal brake system the contaminants stay pretty much where they are.

plain wrong - service intervals for a car with ABS are the same as without - why is a bike different ? you only change brake fluid due to its ability to absorb moisture - its hygroscopic. - when was the last time you used the ABS by the way ? its only a pump that emulates a master cylinder - albeit faster.