Dealer servicing and not being able to select your own oil?

SonicTheHedgehog

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Hello. Yes, it's an oil thread, sort of.

Just tried to get my annual service booked at Clarks Birmingham, only to be told that they will -only- fill my GS with 10W50, and they will not be able do the service work if I insist on using 10W40, nor provide any warranty coverage.

Now... what the hell?
I'm pretty sure the manual allows it, but beyond that - are they talking rubbish or just being awkward for the sake of it?

I'm already thinking they've done themselves out of £300 servicing and a warranty renewal, and probably need to find a mechanic who isn't bound and determined to be an idiot...
 
WALOB they are taking the piss .... I would suggest you find another dealer who isn't such an arsehole

I've always supplied my own oil come service time and never had an issue with this from NOG :thumb2
 
I think they are talking crap.

Castrol recommended oils for the 1200 from 2004 to 2008 are either the Power 1 10w/50 or the 20w/50 Act Evo 4T. In the notes Castrol add the following manufacturer recommendations which relate to the temperature the bike will be used in:-

-10 C to 30 C - 20w/50
-15 C to 30 C - 15w/40
-20 c to 20 C - 10w/40
-20 C to 10 C - 10w/30

For the 2009 onwards the manufacturers recommendation is Power 1 racing 4T 10w/50.

Power 1 10w/50 has a API classification of SL.

Act Evo has a API classification of SG.

The owners handbook for my 2010 1200RT states that engine oils of API classification of SF or better should be used.

In short, if you use a SF or better oil with a grade which is appropriate for the temperatures that you will encounter then any talk of invalidating the warranty are bollocks.
 
Nice 'n' Fat said:
WALOB they are taking the piss .... I would suggest you find another dealer who isn't such an arsehole
Click to expand...

Good dealers are getting pretty thin on the ground these days, I suspect they just did not want to lose out on making £40 profit on a few litres of oil.
 
it's a bmw dealer wanting to use the oil bmw and castrol currently recommend for all the GS range AFAIK.

go somewhere else? do it yourself?
 
Not wanting to poke the nest so to speak but I've been told one or two 1100/1150 owners have had Power1 10/50 put in their bikes at service:jes:jes. They were'nt right chuffed.
 
SonicTheHedgehog said:
Hello. Yes, it's an oil thread, sort of.

Just tried to get my annual service booked at Clarks Birmingham, only to be told that they will -only- fill my GS with 10W50, and they will not be able do the service work if I insist on using 10W40, nor provide any warranty coverage.

Now... what the hell?
I'm pretty sure the manual allows it, but beyond that - are they talking rubbish or just being awkward for the sake of it?

I'm already thinking they've done themselves out of £300 servicing and a warranty renewal, and probably need to find a mechanic who isn't bound and determined to be an idiot...
Click to expand...

Give Jonno a shout at Adventure Bike Warehouse. You'll get your bike serviced properly at a proper price:thumb

Well worth the trip to salford:thumb
 
Find another dealer or do it your self but they aren't breaking the law. BMW by law have to let you use any oil you like so long as it is the correct spec but they or their dealers don't have to supply it. Some dealers give you a choice of oil, some will even let you supply your own but with this one it would seem its their way or the highway. There isn't much you can do about it except take your money elsewhere.
 
Interestingly BMW specify 20/50 non synthetic oil in Greece ( but oil change at every 5000k roughly 3000 miles.) They do not use synthetic or semi-synthetic oil. (the reason being clearly conveyed by the mechanic making a slurping noise)
 
I brought a litre of Power 1 racing 10w/50 from Rainbows today when passing @ £18 :eek: i asked why there price was more expensive than pidcocks as they sell it @ £15, i was told BMW set the price :confused:

Whilst at rainbow's i also asked the cost of a yearly annual service, bikes only done 3k but the service light has just come on being 12 months old is on i was told they need to plug it into the computer to see what it wants doing and could not give me a price !!
 
It's not the price, more preference and principle.

I've had problems with it getting rattly on me under 10W50, and not under 10W40 - I'm not a fluid dynamicist so I can't say why, but It Works For Me, the book says I'm good, and I'm not about to pay 'em to fill it full of something I don't want just so I can flush it out again.

Independents here we go, I s'pose - thanks for the suggestions.
 
DING-DONG said:
I brought a litre of Power 1 racing 10w/50 from Rainbows today when passing @ £18 :eek: i asked why there price was more expensive than pidcocks as they sell it @ £15, i was told BMW set the price :confused:

Whilst at rainbow's i also asked the cost of a yearly annual service, bikes only done 3k but the service light has just come on being 12 months old is on i was told they need to plug it into the computer to see what it wants doing and could not give me a price !!
Click to expand...


£18 a ltr shit they got the price on that :eek:
 
SonicTheHedgehog said:
Hello. Yes, it's an oil thread, sort of.

Just tried to get my annual service booked at Clarks Birmingham, only to be told that they will -only- fill my GS with 10W50, and they will not be able do the service work if I insist on using 10W40, nor provide any warranty coverage.

Now... what the hell?
I'm pretty sure the manual allows it, but beyond that - are they talking rubbish or just being awkward for the sake of it?

I'm already thinking they've done themselves out of £300 servicing and a warranty renewal, and probably need to find a mechanic who isn't bound and determined to be an idiot...
Click to expand...

So long as the oil you are asking them to put in meets or exceeds the specifications as per the owners manual, then you'll be fine. Point this out to them. They are talking complete and utter crap.
 
... But this is nothing new - I remember a friend buying a Ducati 900 Superlight from a dealer here in Kent (Aye Gees) back in, ummmmmm, 89?90? And then he was moaning that he'd been told if he put in a different oil in the bike, the dealership would invalidate his warranty ..... :thumb
 
DING-DONG said:
I brought a litre of Power 1 racing 10w/50 from Rainbows today when passing @ £18 :eek: i asked why there price was more expensive than pidcocks as they sell it @ £15, i was told BMW set the price :confused:

So did you buy your oil from Pidcocks in the end ??
How old is your bike ? Rainbow are usually pretty good with prices.Piddy's must buy more oil off Castrol to get a better deal or they sell it at a slight loss:eek: If Rainbow buy their oil from BMW then that would explain the price difference as Power1 is only available in litre bottles.
Click to expand...
 
skywalker said:
So did you buy your oil from Pidcocks in the end ??
How old is your bike ? Rainbow are usually pretty good with prices.Piddy's must buy more oil off Castrol to get a better deal or they sell it at a slight loss:eek: If Rainbow buy their oil from BMW then that would explain the price difference as Power1 is only available in litre bottles.
Click to expand...


Power 1 is only available in 1 litre bottle ?? Do you mean just from bmw or everyone :thumb2
 
skywalker said:
[QUOTE
So did you buy your oil from Pidcocks in the end ??
How old is your bike ? Rainbow are usually pretty good with prices.Piddy's must buy more oil off Castrol to get a better deal or they sell it at a slight loss:eek: If Rainbow buy their oil from BMW then that would explain the price difference as Power1 is only available in litre bottles.
Click to expand...

No i brought 1 litre of oil from rainbow as i was passing at the time, and it was convenient, as im not able to get to piddy's nxt week and the bike is a 2010 gs.

@ £18 you would have thought the coffee was free :blast
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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