BMW Oil Changes?

ST Gui

ST Gui

240Robert
Joined
Sep 12, 2011
Messages
8,252
Location
SF-Oakland CA
Bike
ST1300, 2010
Ok my buddy found out how expensive BMW maintenance is (at least at San Jose BMW) for his R1200GS Adventure:

valve cover gaskets - $149 x 2
oil change - $300
drain plug crush Washer - $9
Replace crush washer very oil change and washer and drain plug every other oil change. WTW??

He had a 6000 or 12,000mi service that was a little steep. I don't remember which.

I will say this— SJBMW does a nice job of itemizing the parts and labor. It's just like a hospital stay. Ouch.

My question— anybody with a similar model change their own oil? He's always changed the oil on all his bikes and still does on his ST. Aside from removing the skid plate, are there any hints or kinks he should be aware of?
 
Of course people do, have a friend that had almost 200k on his gs ADV and did all his own reg maint.
 
I ride with a local BMW club. Not only do some of the guys do their own oil changes, but all of the maintenance! One of the ride leaders recently pulled his forks for a front end overhaul.
 
Yes, it is quite practical to do all one's own maintenance on a BMW--the parts and tools are available online, and the factory service manual is available via DVD.

I purchased a HEXCODE GS-911 and the service manual and so can/will do all factory services myself. I can also reset or change any settings that a BMW shop can do.

The only thing I need a BMW shop for is any warranty issues that I may choose not to do myself, or to upgrade the bike's firmware.
 
To be fair if they charged for valve cover gaskets it was more than an oil change, they at least also checked the valve clearance.
On my RT the oil change is easier than it was on my ST, the oil filter is recessed in the oil pan under the bike and accessed without removing any plastic, on a GS you would have to remove a skid plate. From people that do their own valve checks they say it is easier than most bikes because the cylinder heads are so accessible.
Mine needed new shims for the first time at it's last service which happened around 95,000 km (60,000 miles) so it isn't like they go out of spec very often. Mine needed front brake pads, had the brake fluid changed, needed two new tires, new spark pugs, final drive oil changed, and there might have been a couple of other things done in about 5 hours. They give you bike to ride while they do the service and review what was done and if there are any issues that need to kept an eye on, i.e. he said that the rotors are getting close to minimum thickness.

Gerhard
 
How Much. At least Dick Turpin wore a mask! (For over the pond readers he was a bit like Billy the Kid)
$9.00 for a washer, gold perhaps.
I suppose they charge what people are willing to pay and over here you can buy service packages up front.
Re the oil, because my BMW SUV is under warranty I use their oil just in case something goes bang, first time I bought a litre about £6.00, not bad I thought, about 12 months later the same bottle was £20.00, now that's inflation for you. Bring on Brexit.
The ironic part is that I bought a litre of Motul to keep the ST topped up and three years later it lies covered in dust unopened on the shelf in the garage.
Upt'North.
 
Bobs BMW shows valve cover gasket kit for $106, savings of almost $90 right there.
Sounds like San Jose is pretty proud of themselves....and if people will pay there fee....that's what they will charge.
 
Beemer Bone Yard. Tell your friend.
The beemer=my R1200RT is easier to change oil than my ST1300. Filters & oil purchased from the Bone Yard.
I have to agree with Gerhard, Valve gaskets? more than a oil change for sure. Again, valve gaskets come with a kit from Bone Yard to do the complete service.
Let Your friend know they sell Liquid Moly Oil. it is what I use in the RT 1200. #1 oil in Europe.
Valve check is simple, as in both cylinder are hanging out there, 3 bolts an your into checking clearance already.
 
After owning more than a dozen BMW's over the years, I always did my own service work and rebuilds (400 K on an old R75/7). I owned and enjoyed the Airheads, however, I started loosing interest in the then new Oilhead versions.
My R80GS Basic had over 300 thousand miles on it with no major issues, as did my R75/7 and a R65LS. My R1150GS was nowhere near as reliable or enjoyable as the older bikes. I enjoyed my F650 Funduro when they still had carbs on them, however, when BMW started copying the Rotax Motor / Aprilla framed F650's with their own version, Fuel injection sucked (pun intended) and the dealerships started being all about $$$$ and no longer about riding.
I believe I read a consumer news report that said BMW is the #1 bike for problems with service issues now. Does not surprise me.
They build these things now so only their tools work, they don't sell parts, and its become a Hipster/fad lifestyle bike now. The R Nine T for example, first the stripped version, then a new tank, new model, then a fairing, new model, GS copy new model, they are simply parts bin bikes now.
The only thing I like about BMW's anymore are their grips :rofl1:
They have had problems/issues with their brake lines and ABS systems since the K model bikes, and don't get me started on the Bleeding procedure that needs to be hooked up to their computer etc.
Think I'll keep my outdated Honda for now.
Seems BMW is going to go the way Ducati did with their service manuals. Ducati wants $500 + for a service manual for any of their new bikes, plus whatever mark up the dealer adds to that price.
 
+1 with Igofar.
The old Airheads were soooooo easy. The new ones not so. Your average mechanic never mind owner will need a shed full of "Special Tools" to do non special things. It's the way of the world apparently. For more detailed work it's back to the dealer for the computer link up to Bavaria. I think I'll keep my 11.
Upt'North.
 
BMW is also forcing folks to purchase an entire assembly instead if providing parts, I needed a simple 6 mm bolt for the foot peg and was told I would have to purchase the entire assembly including the peg and bracket just to get the bolt! They said it was because the way the computer was set up, they were unable to sell the bolts even though they had a bin full of them, because the parts diagram only would let them price and sell it as an assembly BS! A lot of folks on adv rider are upset when traveling to places like Alaska, and carrying spare tires with them, BMW dealerships along the way refuse to mount them unless they purchase tires from them. It's all about the Benjamin's now a days.
 
Igofar said:
A lot of folks on adv rider are upset when traveling to places like Alaska, and carrying spare tires with them, BMW dealerships along the way refuse to mount them unless they purchase tires from them. It's all about the Benjamin's now a days.
Click to expand...

Ahhh Hah! A growth industry. Develop and market a pocket sized tire changer.
 
acedantinne said:
Beemer Bone Yard. Tell your friend.
The beemer=my R1200RT is easier to change oil than my ST1300. Filters & oil purchased from the Bone Yard.
I have to agree with Gerhard, Valve gaskets? more than a oil change for sure. Again, valve gaskets come with a kit from Bone Yard to do the complete service.
Let Your friend know they sell Liquid Moly Oil. it is what I use in the RT 1200. #1 oil in Europe.
Valve check is simple, as in both cylinder are hanging out there, 3 bolts an your into checking clearance already.
Click to expand...
I bought my oil and filter from Beemerboneyard.com, I agree!, the RT is the easiest bike I have ever change oil on. I do plan on bringing the bike in for the 12,000 mile service, I got quote around $700+ or - yes, it is a lot but they also do a lot. I really do not have any desire to check the valves myself so I will let the dealer do it. And gonna let them do the brake fluid too. After that I will do my own oil changes. Oil goes 600o mile interval on the RT.

Sent from my LG G6 using Tapatalk
 
I helped do the first minor service and install a Clearwater Can Opener with aux lights on my buddy's water boxer R1200GS. It was probably easier to do these tasks on the GS than my ST.
 
dduelin said:
I helped do the first minor service and install a Clearwater Can Opener with aux lights on my buddy's water boxer R1200GS. It was probably easier to do these tasks on the GS than my ST.
Click to expand...
I agree! I also installed Clearwater Darla and Erica with their can opener plus iliumworks crash bars and lunderwich pannier....Everything was so easy, basically plug n play!

Sent from my LG G6 using Tapatalk
 
ST Gui said:
Ok my buddy found out how expensive BMW maintenance is (at least at San Jose BMW) for his R1200GS Adventure:

valve cover gaskets - $149 x 2
oil change - $300
drain plug crush Washer - $9
Replace crush washer very oil change and washer and drain plug every other oil change. WTW??

He had a 6000 or 12,000mi service that was a little steep. I don't remember which.

I will say this— SJBMW does a nice job of itemizing the parts and labor. It's just like a hospital stay. Ouch.

My question— anybody with a similar model change their own oil? He's always changed the oil on all his bikes and still does on his ST. Aside from removing the skid plate, are there any hints or kinks he should be aware of?
Click to expand...

That is amazing. I have a 2011 R1200 GS which is my first and only BMW and not only do I change my own oil (nothing tricky about it) I just performed the 24K service on it myself which included valve check, oil change w/filter, new plugs, new air filter, new alternator belt and throttle body sync. I got all the parts I needed from Beemer Boneyard for $120 including shipping. If it hadn't been due for an alternator belt it would have been $20 less for parts. The parts list include new plugs (4), alternator belt (which is due every 24K), oil filter, air filter, crush ring for oil pan drain bolt and all required O-rings/crush rings for the trans fill and drain and the final drive fill and drain. I have never replaced the valve cover gaskets, just reuse them. Not to say that eventually one or both of them may need to be replaced if they ever do leak but generally speaking they are reusable.

The bike had less than 5,000 miles on it when I bought it from the original purchaser. Since I have owned it my GS has not been back to the dealer for anything with the exception of the 6K service and a couple of recall items. The only reason I took it in for the 6K service was because it was still under warranty at the time. It wasn't a requirement that the 6K service be done at the dealer but I wanted the peace of mind if that if there should happen to be any issues it would be discovered by the dealer, especially since I was still getting to the know the bike and it might be easy to miss something. And as for the valve cover gaskets, when I took it in for the 6K service the dealer reused them because they certainly didn't charge me for new ones.

You didnt say what year model your buddy's GSA is but mine is a 2011 'Camhead'. It is incredibly easy to work on as I believe most boxer motors are. I have a maintenance video produced by a guy named Jim Von Baden that includes most common scheduled maintenance items. He has them for several versions of the boxer motors (oilhead, hexhead, camhead and wethead) and they are very economical to purchase. If your buddy is into wrenching on his bike tell him to check out jimvonbaden.com for the maintenance DVD's. Jim also has a lot of helpful maintenance info on his site that can be viewed. Im not knocking San Jose BMW but I would think he could do better on his own for a lot of the maintenance on his bike.
 
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You don't need to replace cover gaskets at an oil change, unless they need replacing. $300 for oil is way over the top. They are aluminium style crush washers that don't really need to be changed at every oil change... and replacing the drain plug, never... BMW parts are reasonably priced, but in my view he's been ripped off...

However, in saying that, if you take your bike to a BMW service centre, they are going to hobby the book... no exceptions...
 
Gerhard said:
To be fair if they charged for valve cover gaskets it was more than an oil change
Click to expand...

I did say it was a 6000 or 12,000mi service and not just an 'oil change'. But the oil change was itemized at $300. He erred when he told me the price of the gaskets- it was $149 for the pair not each. The other prices were accurate.

He's always changed his own oil on all his bikes since his very first and will be happy to hear about the beemerboneyard. Having more money than time a dealer will probably be doing most anything heavier than the oil. He knew it would be pricey but entering the BMW world was a bit of a culture shock.


BakerBoy said:
I purchased a HEXCODE GS-911 and the service manual and so can/will do all factory services myself. I can also reset or change any settings that a BMW shop can do.
Click to expand...

Amazon has that for $395. He'd balk at that initially but future services could change is his mind. Any specialized tool(s) needed specifically for a BMW or his Adventure for an oil change?

It's a 2015 R1200GS NOS from SJBMW. While it's got lots of OEM goodness including headed grips it does not have the very comfortable ribbed grips that should be OEM for the ST. Still he enjoys riding it as a break from his Wing. We're planning a ride to Hoover Dam in a few weeks and he hasn't mention which bike he'll take.

I appreciate all the input and know he will too.
 
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