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Originally Posted by X5 in AK
A simple look at the timing of when exactly BMW changed their recommened service intervals tells a lot:
-Prior to BMW's 'free maintenance program', they said change your oil every 7500, change your diffy fluid every 30k, change your tranny fluid every 30k-60k depending on type, flush your coolant and brake fluid every few years, etc, etc.
-After implementation of BMW's 'free maintenance' program, they say change your oil every 15k, and never change any of the other fluid in the car, because now they are paying for it.
coincedence? I think not.  These decisions are not driven by engineering, they are driven by marketing, with the engineer's input limited to 'yeah, most of the cars will make it thru the warranty period without grenading.' |
You have a US-centric view of the world IMO. BMWNA's free maintenance is only in the US, not in the rest of the world. BMW of Canada does do scheduled maintenance, but elsewhere, it is on the owner's ticket. In the rest of the world, the fluid change recommendations changed despite BMW not being the benefactor.
With or without the free maintenance program, there is still a recommendation to change two other critical fluids, brake fluid and coolant. That is because those fluids do need changing, they wear due to time and not mileage.
So, yes, it is a coincidence that BMWNA introduced free maintenance at the same time as the engineers were specifying better long-life fluids.
If it was a conspiracy, how do you explain that BMW Financial Services holds the residuals (and thus the risk) on most leased BMWs?
Anyway, change your oil when you like, it is cheap, and besides the world has an unlimited supply (not).
