Questions: Servicing
- Thread starter doggie
- Start date
Re: Questions: Servicing
I was wondering instead of doing it at PML, can I just bring the parts list over to other reputable BMW workshops and have it done at a cheaper price? I just got the newly updated list. It includes Air Conditioning Unit, Gearbox, DSC control unit, engine bushings, o rings and an assortment of numerous small parts. I think its way too crazy! The things is, these are the parts that PML has suggested changing due to long term wear and tear.
I was wondering instead of doing it at PML, can I just bring the parts list over to other reputable BMW workshops and have it done at a cheaper price? I just got the newly updated list. It includes Air Conditioning Unit, Gearbox, DSC control unit, engine bushings, o rings and an assortment of numerous small parts. I think its way too crazy! The things is, these are the parts that PML has suggested changing due to long term wear and tear.
Re: Questions: Servicing
PML are well expensive. They quoted 8K to do a full service of my E36 320 and 1K just for an inspection. When I questioned them as to what I got for 8K it seemed like a few hoses and belts, oil etc anything significant would be extra. I am gradually doing it all myself, I did a thorough inspection and I have ordered all the parts. The Condo management are getting a bit upset with me though. I imagine I am going to get it big time when I replace the auto tranny with a manual one....Ha Ha. I reckon that I will be able to get an absolutely top car for about 20K - 25K in parts compared to 100K plus for a new 1. That includes a rebuilt manual tranny, Custom DME, Bilstein PS9/10, rebuilding or replacement of the engine, upgraded brakes and replacement of all the worn parts.
Who needs new cars, that come with lousy stock performance. I'd rather keep buying older cars and do them up.
PML are well expensive. They quoted 8K to do a full service of my E36 320 and 1K just for an inspection. When I questioned them as to what I got for 8K it seemed like a few hoses and belts, oil etc anything significant would be extra. I am gradually doing it all myself, I did a thorough inspection and I have ordered all the parts. The Condo management are getting a bit upset with me though. I imagine I am going to get it big time when I replace the auto tranny with a manual one....Ha Ha. I reckon that I will be able to get an absolutely top car for about 20K - 25K in parts compared to 100K plus for a new 1. That includes a rebuilt manual tranny, Custom DME, Bilstein PS9/10, rebuilding or replacement of the engine, upgraded brakes and replacement of all the worn parts.
Who needs new cars, that come with lousy stock performance. I'd rather keep buying older cars and do them up.
jvhuiz
Well-Known Member
Re: Questions: Servicing
hi doggie,
got my car in march and changed my oil around 7k with Dr Rod at R2D. but didn't reset the service interval. give him a tinkle in the evening and he'll inform you that oil change at 2k for new car is optimal.
IMHO for specified servicing interval within warranty period go to PML. keeps your warranty valid. (read it in the booklets supplied with the car). another advantage is the car's ECU and computers would be upgraded during these servicing with PML when necessary.
any earlier servicing like oil change and oil filter can be performed by Dr ROD and cheaper.
anywways, bmw just shifted their 25k service interval to 12k!! even they think 25k is too long!!
raymond
hi doggie,
got my car in march and changed my oil around 7k with Dr Rod at R2D. but didn't reset the service interval. give him a tinkle in the evening and he'll inform you that oil change at 2k for new car is optimal.
IMHO for specified servicing interval within warranty period go to PML. keeps your warranty valid. (read it in the booklets supplied with the car). another advantage is the car's ECU and computers would be upgraded during these servicing with PML when necessary.
any earlier servicing like oil change and oil filter can be performed by Dr ROD and cheaper.
anywways, bmw just shifted their 25k service interval to 12k!! even they think 25k is too long!!
raymond
replicawatches
New Member
Re: Questions: Servicing
read some thread it says 5k . Pls. help .. very confused . Just got my ride last month now already 2k . My 1st time buy new car. from mw knowledge Jap car 2k 1st servicing.. So when should i go ? Should i bring down my own 5 L Mobil Fully Syn to PML ? what rating is advisable?
read some thread it says 5k . Pls. help .. very confused . Just got my ride last month now already 2k . My 1st time buy new car. from mw knowledge Jap car 2k 1st servicing.. So when should i go ? Should i bring down my own 5 L Mobil Fully Syn to PML ? what rating is advisable?
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astrid
Well-Known Member
Re: Questions: Servicing
The old setting of 25K km is not questionable. It was good for the previous non-Valvetronic M-52, N-42 and earlier engines - which were more resilient, from the engine design standpoint.
Current Valvetronic engines (N-52, N-46 and so on) have recently got their oil change intervals revised downward of 25K km, by BMW AG, due to oil sludge formation problems in the newer engines worldwide. :errrrrrr:
jojosnr;378739 said:
The old setting of 25K km is not questionable. It was good for the previous non-Valvetronic M-52, N-42 and earlier engines - which were more resilient, from the engine design standpoint.
Current Valvetronic engines (N-52, N-46 and so on) have recently got their oil change intervals revised downward of 25K km, by BMW AG, due to oil sludge formation problems in the newer engines worldwide. :errrrrrr:
astrid
Well-Known Member
Re: Questions: Servicing
Not just the N46, your N52 engine too.
Valvetronic engines operate at a much higher thermodynamic enthalpy level, than the previous (IMHO, more reliable) non-Valvetronic BMW engines.
There are many websites that you could visit, with discussion forums on this topic.
Slater;453545 said:
Not just the N46, your N52 engine too.
Valvetronic engines operate at a much higher thermodynamic enthalpy level, than the previous (IMHO, more reliable) non-Valvetronic BMW engines.
There are many websites that you could visit, with discussion forums on this topic.
Re: Questions: Servicing
Sorry, my knowledge is very poor.
From your sentence it seems to suggest that previous non-Valvetronic BMW engines are considered more reliable?
Did I get you correctly?
If so, what is the logic of making new engines that are "less reliable?" Can anyone help, here?
I hope that I got the info, correct...
Sorry, my knowledge is very poor.
From your sentence it seems to suggest that previous non-Valvetronic BMW engines are considered more reliable?
Did I get you correctly?
If so, what is the logic of making new engines that are "less reliable?" Can anyone help, here?
I hope that I got the info, correct...
astrid;453561 said:
astrid
Well-Known Member
Re: Questions: Servicing
Yes, you are right.
Ever since BMW introduced that concept, by slapping a conjoined electric stepper motor on top of the engine block, to control the valve lift by a variable cam profile ..... and not because of the sludge issue (which only became a problem for BMW AG later on in the game).
A DC stepper motor (like those in dot-matrix printer) used in a very hot engine environment is one negative thing. Another is the motor's rotational frequency cannot be 100% constant always and will subject the valve lift duration to vary over an infinite time duration.
Read this: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=346293&highlight=valvetronic
Go talk to the PML mechanics and you will understand that in the current engine diagnostics tool, the thing that goes out of 'tolerance' is usually Valvetronic time-domain related. I have seen a printout of the diagnostics myself. The mechanics would usually ignore that when the tolerance deviations are deemed insignificant, but you sure can feel it in the form of engine vibrations (to different extents - depending on how much the tolerance errors are off by).
BMW sure has a hard time in their Valvetronic implementions on the larger 2-banked V8 engines. Just imagine the engineering problems in synchronizing the time-constants of two paired Valvetronic electric motors, one for each V8 bank. Even if its tuned at the factory, they will go out of sync in no time. There are not many V8 BMWs in Singapore, but if you go to the USA and European websites, they have one hell of a shit headache re maintainance of Valvetronic V8s there.
I am not surprised if BMW were to move away from Valvetronic technology in future. Currently their new TC engines are twinned with FSI technology, already without Valvetronic. I believe that is the prudent way to go from here (IMHO).
IMHO, Honda's VTEC is a much better implementation of variable valve timing and lift (from the engineering standpoint). That uses rocker arm locking pins to change the valve timing, driving dual-lobed (or triple-lobed) cams to vary the valve lift. Purely mechanical. I like.
Slater;453570 said:
Yes, you are right.
Ever since BMW introduced that concept, by slapping a conjoined electric stepper motor on top of the engine block, to control the valve lift by a variable cam profile ..... and not because of the sludge issue (which only became a problem for BMW AG later on in the game).
A DC stepper motor (like those in dot-matrix printer) used in a very hot engine environment is one negative thing. Another is the motor's rotational frequency cannot be 100% constant always and will subject the valve lift duration to vary over an infinite time duration.
Read this: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=346293&highlight=valvetronic
Go talk to the PML mechanics and you will understand that in the current engine diagnostics tool, the thing that goes out of 'tolerance' is usually Valvetronic time-domain related. I have seen a printout of the diagnostics myself. The mechanics would usually ignore that when the tolerance deviations are deemed insignificant, but you sure can feel it in the form of engine vibrations (to different extents - depending on how much the tolerance errors are off by).
BMW sure has a hard time in their Valvetronic implementions on the larger 2-banked V8 engines. Just imagine the engineering problems in synchronizing the time-constants of two paired Valvetronic electric motors, one for each V8 bank. Even if its tuned at the factory, they will go out of sync in no time. There are not many V8 BMWs in Singapore, but if you go to the USA and European websites, they have one hell of a shit headache re maintainance of Valvetronic V8s there.
I am not surprised if BMW were to move away from Valvetronic technology in future. Currently their new TC engines are twinned with FSI technology, already without Valvetronic. I believe that is the prudent way to go from here (IMHO).
IMHO, Honda's VTEC is a much better implementation of variable valve timing and lift (from the engineering standpoint). That uses rocker arm locking pins to change the valve timing, driving dual-lobed (or triple-lobed) cams to vary the valve lift. Purely mechanical. I like.
astrid
Well-Known Member
Re: Questions: Servicing
The same question as to why VW went to turbo-charged or twin-charged (turbo + supercharger) engines.
Its all about the chase for higher BHP / torque, while keeping the engine capacity constant, or better still, smaller. The more stringent European air emission regulatory standards (and clean fuels) are also the other major push.
But with that, engine reliability of TC and/or SC engines are also generally lower than standard NA engines of like capacity.
As with anything else in this world, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
You want more engine power squeezed out per cc, you'd need to incur lower reliability ... generally speaking. That's basic engineering.
Ah Lian;453596 said:
The same question as to why VW went to turbo-charged or twin-charged (turbo + supercharger) engines.
Its all about the chase for higher BHP / torque, while keeping the engine capacity constant, or better still, smaller. The more stringent European air emission regulatory standards (and clean fuels) are also the other major push.
But with that, engine reliability of TC and/or SC engines are also generally lower than standard NA engines of like capacity.
As with anything else in this world, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
You want more engine power squeezed out per cc, you'd need to incur lower reliability ... generally speaking. That's basic engineering.
Re: Questions: Servicing
Thanks for the insight...
I believe, based on what you had clearly described; the word "reliability" should not be used, here.
Can anyone say what so unreliable about trying to squeeze out more torque rite? If the turb0-charger is well built or certain of such contraption are of good quality, where is the "unreliable" issue, here?
It is like, PML say to me " Now adays... cars need programming.. not like in the past". So it is illogical to say that just because, modern cars have micro chips and in the past no micro chips; Cannot today say that older cars without such chips are more reliable. We have to live with the times. It is a different level of "technology". If all cars nowadays are into turbo.. then so be it...
Thus, I don't follow the logic, here. If there is sufficient quality........hahahha.. so I "protest" with using such a hot or cold word on a continuum ... such as reliable and unreliable... does not gel for a little girl like me...
Thanks for the insight...
I believe, based on what you had clearly described; the word "reliability" should not be used, here.
Can anyone say what so unreliable about trying to squeeze out more torque rite? If the turb0-charger is well built or certain of such contraption are of good quality, where is the "unreliable" issue, here?
It is like, PML say to me " Now adays... cars need programming.. not like in the past". So it is illogical to say that just because, modern cars have micro chips and in the past no micro chips; Cannot today say that older cars without such chips are more reliable. We have to live with the times. It is a different level of "technology". If all cars nowadays are into turbo.. then so be it...
Thus, I don't follow the logic, here. If there is sufficient quality........hahahha.. so I "protest" with using such a hot or cold word on a continuum ... such as reliable and unreliable... does not gel for a little girl like me...
astrid;453600 said:
