Guide To BMW Servicing: Tips, Tricks, And Essential Maintenance
BMW gets a bad wrap, all it takes is a quick glimpse of any social media to get overwhelmed with memes and jokes about why BMWs are unreliable and as sure as the sun will rise, a BMW will break. The reality is that with the proper care, maintenance, and a fixed service schedule, your BMW can be as reliable as any other high-performance brand. Let’s look at how a BMW Service can get the most out of your ride
BMW Services and Poor Reliability
Most of the BMWs on the road consist of a winning formula. A high-performance engine and rear-wheel drive perfectly combined with equal parts luxury interior and race car chic have enticed many car enthusiasts into a BMW. Unfortunately, BMW spares carry a premium price, and not every BMW owner is willing to pay the “German Tax,” which leads to plenty of BMWs on the road that aren’t properly maintained or serviced
Combine this with the fact that BMW engines tend to be very high-strung with very small tolerances as BMW engineers continue to squeeze out every possible bit of performance, and you can see why we see so many BMWs break down.
Important Services To Keep Your BMW On The Road
The most obvious answer to this is to keep up to date with BMW’s recommended factory service schedule. While this will help prevent most issues from arising in your BMW, there are a few major services that are vital in increasing the longevity of your car.
VANOS Seals Service
VANOS is a variable valve time technology developed by BMW. In order to improve both fuel economy and performance, VANOS measures the engine’s RPMs and uses solenoids to push oil that moves a helical gear between the camshaft and cam gear, in turn adjusting the timing of the engine.
VANOS systems go bad when dirty oil causes the solenoids to get blocked or when the rubber seals on the solenoids degrade with age. To keep your VANOS solenoids happy, we recommend you change your oil every 10,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first. The O-ring seals on the solenoids need to be replaced every 50,000 miles.
Engine Rod Bearings
If you ever owned or were interested in owning an e9x V8 M3 or the v10 e6x M5 or M6, you have undoubtedly heard of the dreaded rod bearing failure. BMW’s S85 and S65 engines were the first BMW engines to experience this issue en masse, but many M-cars.
The short version of the story is that the tolerances between the crankshaft and a properly torqued connecting rod are so tight it often does not leave enough room for oil to keep the bearings well lubricated, which causes the bearings to wear out prematurely.
BMW recommends you have your bearings replaced every 75,000 miles, but as BMW specialists, we personally recommend you have them replaced every 50, 000 miles, and run a more viscous oil than BMW recommends, such as a 10-w60.
BMW Service Center In Pompano Beach
Foreign Affairs Motorwerks has a rich history of maintaining, modifying, and racing German cars, so when it comes to looking for the best place to have your BMW serviced, look no further! Our world-class facilities and team of ASE-certified mechanics will make sure your BMW keeps running like the day it left the factory floor. So what are you waiting for? Reserve your BMW spot today by calling us at (954) 746-0488.