Does it really need a service every 6k?

[Hartley]

Firstly, I know it does for the warranty but should the GS really only have a 6k service interval?
By today’s standards that’s very short and I have to say that with the release of the 1300 I’d have thought that it may have gone up to at least 8 or maybe 10k. Is it just a ploy to get more of your hard earned into the dealers coffers or is it an engineering decision?

 

[leadfarmer]

Technically I don’t know if it would really need a service every 6000 miles or not, but just to make sure, BMW require an annual service anyway regardless of mileage

Yes this is for commercial reasons not technical

 

[Hann]

It`s not even 6k but every 12 months if you want to keep it within the warranty conditions.
My 1250 will be 3 years old in a couple of weeks, up to now i`ve had the 600 mile and 6 and 12K done at the dealers (to keep the warranty conditions) but i think that`s it now, i`ll be doing my own servicing going forward. Both services were done about ~1500 miles early, too. From now on it`ll be by mileage, not yearly.
My bike has been totally reliable with no claims or anything and i`ve just had the letter from BMW about the extended warranty at 400+ quid a year.
Perhaps i`ve been Lolled into a false sense of security but i think i`ll pass.

As you say, it`s a short service schedule and they must make an awful lot of money from these `sevices` (an oil change and look-over) with their fully-booked-up-for-months 10-bay workshops ...

 

[Santa-2512]

I never reached 6k a year, but had the relevant service carried out annually

Made no difference TBH, the bike still broke down repeatedly and had over 3K's worth of parts fitted ( only thing the extended warranty was good for)

Pre LC single cam -

Home serviced,
Breakdowns - yes (new starter /battery) -
Extended warranty - no

LC Twin cam -

Dealer serviced,
Breakdowns - yes (new fuel filler assy/ battery/ LH switch cluster/throttle grip/ throttle grip wiring/ cam sensor/ecu/ fuel pressure reg/ RH throttle body ) & a rear shock part goodwill
Extended warranty - yes

Twincam
Indy serviced
Breakdowns not yet
Extended warranty- no

 

[EPG_19]

Awaits the vat registered garage posts from some eejit

 

[fatbaldbob]

6k is short but more than many other marques. I have Indians (bikes not people) they specify 5k or annually. One is less than a year old and I recently done the 10k service myself. The other I have done all the servicing myself annually regardless of mileage. Part of this is due to their being no dealer in Scotland, but also there is really not much to do and they are easy to work on, you can even do the service reset yourself.

Of the GSs I’ve owned, like many others I was lulled into the dealer servicing con until the warranty was up, there after I would still stick to the same schedule but do it myself or use an Indy if something was outside of my scope. My local Indy is also happy to reset the service light for a small fee even if they did not do the service.

 

[fatbaldbob]

Awaits the vat registered garage posts from some eejit

Yep, I looked into this recently too and it does not apply to anything with two wheels, trikes and bikes with three wheels yes but normal motor bikes is a no. Bizarre

 

[owl]

The only thing I would add to this, is that if you only do small mileages I would change the oil yearly, regardless. You really don't want oil adulterated with water from condensation flowing round your engine.

 

[wessie]

The only thing I would add to this, is that if you only do small mileages I would change the oil yearly, regardless. You really don't want oil adulterated with water from condensation flowing round your engine.

if you are not running the bike, where does the condensation come from?

If you don't use the bike, don't run the engine. Those that "warm up" the bike in the garage every few weeks over winter are more likely to have condensation problems as they won't get the engine up to proper operational temperature for long enough to evaporate all of the water lurking in the sump from the last time they ran it for 10 minutes.

 

[owl]

The same way you get condensation on your house windows or the inside of a metal petrol tank. Cold outside, warm inside (the garage). Repeat over & over again.
It won't be as bad as in the circumstances you outline (i.e. starting the engine periodically) but I personally still wouldn't want to risk it.

 

[wessie]

The same way you get condensation on your house windows or the inside of a metal petrol tank. Cold outside, warm inside (the garage). Repeat over & over again.
It won't be as bad as in the circumstances you outline (i.e. starting the engine periodically) but I personally still wouldn't want to risk it.

where is the point of entry? The moisture is in the air. How is new air entering the engine in any significant quantity?

 

[MacJ]

I recently had my F900 xr serviced by an independent at 23K miles. It has always been serviced by BMW previously to comply with the warranty. I asked for the scheduled BMW 12K service , i.e. oil, filter, plus plugs and air filter etc.

When I collected it he showed me the result of BMW's previous servicing, inner oil drain plug trashed and difficult to remove and fuel line connectors damaged needing new seals. In his opinion the oil had not been changed for a considerable time judging by the its condition. He guessed that the drain plug socket (5mm Hex) had been stripped, probably by someone forcing a Torx into it so they could not fully drain the oil, so they just topped the remaining oil up and sent it out (whilst still charging for the full oil change of course).

He also showed me the old spark plugs and air filter with 12K on them which were all perfect and should not need replacement if it had not been called for by the schedule. He recommended I leave them for 18K next time.

The moral of this, (1) BMW servicing is pretty poor quality and not to be relied on and (2) it's more about making money by the unnecessary replacement of parts at huge cost rather than relying on the judgment of mechanics as to the condition of components thus increasing service life (replacement could of course still be the best plan in view of point 1!)

 

[Spook1969]

There are very few mechanics in BMW dealers, most are just fitters.

 

[siddo]

It`s not even 6k but every 12 months if you want to keep it within the warranty conditions.
My 1250 will be 3 years old in a couple of weeks, up to now i`ve had the 600 mile and 6 and 12K done at the dealers (to keep the warranty conditions) but i think that`s it now, i`ll be doing my own servicing going forward. Both services were done about ~1500 miles early, too. From now on it`ll be by mileage, not yearly.
My bike has been totally reliable with no claims or anything and i`ve just had the letter from BMW about the extended warranty at 400+ quid a year.
Perhaps i`ve been Lolled into a false sense of security but i think i`ll pass.

As you say, it`s a short service schedule and they must make an awful lot of money from these `sevices` (an oil change and look-over) with their fully-booked-up-for-months 10-bay workshops ...

I was over by 800 miles and they didn't extend the mileage for the next service. As soon as my warranty is up, it'll be getting serviced elsewhere.

 

[Deleted account 250722001]

There are very few mechanics in BMW dealers, most are just fitters.

HA! they can' t even get the work to start due to a tool missing...
When a company such as the BMW mothership in Deutschland takes ELEVEN MONTHS to send a tiny tool to a dealership for recall work to be done...
it says it all.
They're def. not practicing 'Kaizen' - come to think of it, they probably don't even know the meaning of that word.

 

[EVskiy]

One of the reasons I went for KTM, 9k mile service intervals. Not that I do 9k miles nowadays in a year.

 

[DJ123]

It all comes down to Oil. They have to set a service interval that covers most situations - whether that's someone using the Bike as a daily commuter, or someone who every few months takes it on a long tour.
The more the oil breaks down, the more damage that could occur during engine running time. Oil health will depend on how a vehicle is used as to how long it can last whilst still providing the lubricating, cooling and protective properties to prevent engine wear/damage.

As a reference, look at any CBS (conditioning based Servicing) in cars - and you will see how the service interval changes depending on how you are using it.

FWIW, i'd prefer to have a short Oil service interval and keep it in good health, than extend it for saving a few £ up front for engine wear to occur.

 

[Santa-2512]

HA! they can' t even get the work to start due to a tool missing...
When a company such as the BMW mothership in Deutschland takes ELEVEN MONTHS to send a tiny tool to a dealership for recall work to be done...
it says it all.
They're def. not practicing 'Kaizen' - come to think of it, they probably don't even know the meaning of that word.

Clearly you have zero understanding of the concept either !

 

[Neil W]

Fully agree with 6000 miles and or annual service just because I do not trust extended oil services and the ability of oil to last two or three years plus, I bought a used Audi A3 2.0 tdi with 45,000 miles on the clock that had a full Audi service history .

It had in that period of time 2 oil changes and guess what (despite doing an oil and filter change ) it suffered turbo failure due to previous lubrication issues within a few months .

My 1250 is 3 years old and is only staying BMW serviced to keep the Insured Warranty as I would not own a newer BMW without some sort of warranty in place , whether it be original BMW 3 year , 2 year Approved Used BMW or BMW Insured Warranty. just because with all my previous LC's I have had too many issues .

 

[Golf Sierra]

#12 MacJ
“The moral of this, (1) BMW servicing is pretty poor quality and not to be relied on….”

Just a sweeping statement or based on extensive research?