dealer gave me 5 days of loaner for the free yearly oil change. should I go somewhere

[DavyNM]

so.... my dealer gave me 5 days of loaner for the free yearly oil change. this is free oil change 3 of 3 paid for by BMW.

I am not really sure why it takes that long. I also don't want to call the service advisor and ask. Last year's oil change(2 of 3) ended up with me driving the BMW loaner for 3 full days. They do perform an excellent job. I checked the oil level via the screen menu after I got home. The engine and everything under the hood got cleaned very well. Declined the free wash and wax because I don't like their automatic carwash.

My next oil change will no longer be free. This BMW dealer charges $160 for 4-cylinder oil changes.(but they always have a $30 coupon for anything over $150, so the cost will be $130 plus tax)

but I'm somewhat worried. should I go somewhere else for service. I just don't understand why oil changes can possibly take that long. (not to mention the fact I had to wait 4 weeks for an appointment) They supposedly have the most BMW Master Techs in my state.

[maticCRO]

I have a single bmw official dealer in my city (population 900 000), and they are always super busy, but my oil and filters are changed in max 3-4h that i leave the car with them...

[///Joost]

Pardon for being Capt. Obvious, but why don't you ask them exactly what you posted here? Seems a very reasonable request to have a simple oil change completed same day.

I wouldn't be happy leaving my car at the dealer for multiple days, just for an oil change.

[jkoral]

I always wait for my oil and filter change at my dealer. They tell me 2 hours, usually done ~90 minutes. I also decline wash.

[John in VA]

We get a free loaner if we schedule work in advance, as we did for the water pump connector cover recall. That time they had a limit on the number of miles per day we could drive without add'l cost. They'll tell you the job will take x, but they don't say when the job will start, thus the loaner to avoid spending the day at the dealership. Warranty is long over so I do the oil changes!

[John in VA]

Originally Posted by DavyNM

but I'm somewhat worried. should I go somewhere else for service. I just don't understand why oil changes can possibly take that long. (not to mention the fact I had to wait 4 weeks for an appointment) They supposedly have the most BMW Master Techs in my state.

You need to survey local independent shops with good reputations that work on Euro cars to find out the cost. Master techs are not usually the staff performing oil changes!

https://www.bimmershops.com/

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by DavyNM

my dealer gave me 5 days of loaner for the free yearly oil change. [...]Last year's oil change(2 of 3) ended up with me driving the BMW loaner for 3 full days. [...]I am not really sure why it takes that long.

It doesn't.
They just slot the job into "when tech is available from other jobs" category.
In other words, the dealer is not very good at managing workflow in their service department.

Originally Posted by DavyNM

My next oil change will no longer be free. This BMW dealer charges $160 for 4-cylinder oil changes.(but they always have a $30 coupon for anything over $150, so the cost will be $130 plus tax)
[...]should I go somewhere else for service.

Oil service is the easiest DIY thing you can do for your car.
For me, it's all about the time wasted, not the money. It take me ~30 minutes (and ~$60 in parts) to change oil and filter in any of my cars. The drive to/from dealer takes 25 minutes, so it takes me longer to drive to the dealer for oil service (never mind the time it take them to do it) then to do it myself in my driveway.

Originally Posted by DavyNM

They supposedly have the most BMW Master Techs in my state.

Alas, they don't seam to know how to put them to work expediently.
Like I said, it's a waste of my time to drive the car to a dealer for oil service, thus I do my own oil changes. I recommend you do the same.

HTH,
a

[pbonsalb]

Or, for those who do not DIY, find a convenient independent shop. I am a DIYer and maintain and repair 7 or 8 cars, but enjoy it and have pretty much the equivalent of a small automotive shop in my garage, but understand people like to get their hands dirty in different ways and some do not like to get their hands dirty at all. I struggle with computer software and pay people who understand it for help.

[BMWTennis]

Originally Posted by DavyNM

so.... my dealer gave me 5 days of loaner for the free yearly oil change. this is free oil change 3 of 3 paid for by BMW.

I am not really sure why it takes that long. I also don't want to call the service advisor and ask. Last year's oil change(2 of 3) ended up with me driving the BMW loaner for 3 full days. They do perform an excellent job. I checked the oil level via the screen menu after I got home. The engine and everything under the hood got cleaned very well. Declined the free wash and wax because I don't like their automatic carwash.

My next oil change will no longer be free. This BMW dealer charges $160 for 4-cylinder oil changes.(but they always have a $30 coupon for anything over $150, so the cost will be $130 plus tax)

but I'm somewhat worried. should I go somewhere else for service. I just don't understand why oil changes can possibly take that long. (not to mention the fact I had to wait 4 weeks for an appointment) They supposedly have the most BMW Master Techs in my state.

In the DFW area we have 6 BMW dealers and I used them all (but FW one) at one point for the scheduled services.
They always ask me if I will be waiting or need transportation / loaner. I always waited when performing scheduled services and they lasted between less than 90 minutes (last one, it was Tuesday morning) to about 2.5 hours (Friday mornings). I have always scheduled them on-line, at least 2-3 weeks in advance.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by jkoral

I always wait for my oil and filter change at my dealer. They tell me 2 hours, usually done ~90 minutes. I also decline wash.

The same for me, I book the appointment and relax in the service center's lounge drinking some of their coffee and helping myself to some snacks.

One thing is for sure, it takes me approximately 25-30 minutes to drive each way to my dealer and it wouldn't be a wise investment of my time to drop off my car and take a loaner for an oil change when it only takes them about 90 minutes to perform.

[Emily172013]

Originally Posted by jkoral

I always wait for my oil and filter change at my dealer. They tell me 2 hours, usually done ~90 minutes. I also decline wash.

My experience is the same. No wash.

[peterfromsd]

My dealer service situation: drop the car off at the dealer at 8am, get a shuttle to work less than 10min away, and schedule a ride back to dealer from work to pickup vehicle around 2pm.

Alternative at indy mechanic: in and out in less than an hour.

[FrankL]

Originally Posted by Emily172013

My experience is the same. No wash.

I am curious. Do you guys wash your own vehicles and detail or do you take it to a detailer.

My local allows your to make an appointment and you can sit there drinking coffee or soda. I think they like people wandering around looking at the new vehicles. My dealer have a 4 series four door in this matte silver color. Beautiful car but there were a bunch of others there to like an M3 CS.

[DavyNM]

Originally Posted by FrankL

I am curious. Do you guys wash your own vehicles and detail or do you take it to a detailer.

My local allows your to make an appointment and you can sit there drinking coffee or soda. I think they like people wandering around looking at the new vehicles. My dealer have a 4 series four door in this matte silver color. Beautiful car but there were a bunch of others there to like an M3 CS.

it really depends.

I used to have a detailer who did an amazing job at a very reasonable price. He took care of all the cars in my family for over 10 years. Then I moved to a different city 5 hours away. After a couple of years, I still have not been find a detailer as good as my former detailer. So now I do everything myself whenever possible. I actually learned quite a lot from my old detailer, so I just wash and polish my cars like how he did it. Even bought the same pressure washer and other supplies.

[zx10guy]

A while ago when my car was still under warranty, I would take it to one dealership that usually offered oil change specials. I only took my car to my actual dealer when I needed warranty work or the included "free" maintenance. The other dealership has an online scheduler. So I would book my appointment time and wait for the oil change to be done. Never had an issue getting my car back within a couple of hours or so. The setup at that dealership was different where the service department is in a totally separate building a couple of blocks down from the actual sales building. What they did have which was pretty nice was a BMW merch store. Other than that, there was the waiting room with snacks and drinks.

My actual dealership also had the service department in a separate building a couple blocks down from the sales floor. They went through an overhaul/remodel where now the service and sales department are in the same building.

As to not having the wash my car, yes, I always tell them to note in the RO to not wash my car. I hand wash all of my cars.

[DanG]

I wait at the dealership for all my service. Never been more than a few hours. About a 45 minute drive in each direction from my house to the dealership.

No excuse for an oil change to last several days.

[25 V8 IS]

Originally Posted by DanG

I wait at the dealership for all my service. Never been more than a few hours. About a 45 minute drive in each direction from my house to the dealership.

No excuse for an oil change to last several days.

Same. There is no way I'm leaving my IS 500 at a dealership for anything. Only if it came to something serious that had to be fixed under warranty would I do that.

Anything else I can wait on.

[STi from DSM]

5 days for an oil change? Time to find another dealer. Unless you like the free loaner. Which won't be free after the warranty runs out. (Or the maintenance runs out can't remember which)
I have always had terrible loaners from the dealer. I am always super excited to get my car back.

[TimmyTurbos]

1 - oil change shouldn't take longer than 2hr. 4 if they're stupid busy...It's a half hr job.
2 - NEVER let them wash your car! Go even as far as hanging a sign from the rearview or popping one on the dash. Sometimes things get missunderstood between the front and back of house. Cover your own bases.

[DavyNM]

Originally Posted by TimmyTurbos

1 - oil change shouldn't take longer than 2hr. 4 if they're stupid busy...It's a half hr job.
2 - NEVER let them wash your car! Go even as far as hanging a sign from the rearview or popping one on the dash. Sometimes things get missunderstood between the front and back of house. Cover your own bases.

my BMW dealer no longer washes the cars after service, unless the customer specifically requests it. they have their own automatic carwashes with those giant cloth/fabric strips. it is shared with their sister dealerships next door(Porsche and Mercedes)

[learntocode]

Originally Posted by DavyNM

so.... my dealer gave me 5 days of loaner for the free yearly oil change. this is free oil change 3 of 3 paid for by BMW.

I am not really sure why it takes that long. I also don't want to call the service advisor and ask. Last year's oil change(2 of 3) ended up with me driving the BMW loaner for 3 full days. They do perform an excellent job. I checked the oil level via the screen menu after I got home. The engine and everything under the hood got cleaned very well. Declined the free wash and wax because I don't like their automatic carwash.

My next oil change will no longer be free. This BMW dealer charges $160 for 4-cylinder oil changes.(but they always have a $30 coupon for anything over $150, so the cost will be $130 plus tax)

but I'm somewhat worried. should I go somewhere else for service. I just don't understand why oil changes can possibly take that long. (not to mention the fact I had to wait 4 weeks for an appointment) They supposedly have the most BMW Master Techs in my state.

I would not worry, unless the vehicle came back with an issue.

Nobody knows why your BMW dealership takes that long for an oil change, need to ask them directly.

[DavyNM]

Originally Posted by learntocode

I would not worry, unless the vehicle came back with an issue.

Nobody knows why your BMW dealership takes that long for an oil change, need to ask them directly.

my dashcam didn't show anything abnormal. (other than the tech driving around the dealership for a short 5-minute test drive) The odometer only added 1.3 miles. Unfortunately, I didn't enable parking mode, so the dashcam didn't record what else was going on. (although the non-BMW GPS tracker in my car recorded it as being inside the service department during the entire 4.5 days)