[Question] How much should I expect to pay for BMW service?

[luca]

Hello Friends

Before the question, let me explain my situation

I'm 22 years old now and have moved to malaysia for nearly 5 years. Recently my dad decided to ship our family's old BMW 318i (year 2000) to Malaysia from my home country.

And worst case scenario, 'seems that' he expect me to pay for the maintenance of the car and other annual payment which I've no idea how much as I'm not malaysian and never drive before.. My salary is 5000 ringgit and I don't know with that salary I would be able to maintain BMW car.. So before he shipped it over here , I need to make sure I can at least afford the maintenance and other payment fee.

Car details:
BMW 318i, Year 2000 , 1895cc , Mileage 65000 (never use that's why my dad want to ship it over here)

Question:
1. Roughly how much I need to pay per Service/Maintenance?
2. How many times I need to service in a year ? is it per 5000 km ? or 10000 km ?
3. What is the service normally doing ?
4. What other 'hidden cost' I expect to pay per year ? (i've calculated the road tax and insurance to be around 1500 , correct me if i'm wrong)

Basically I just want to know with my current salary, i'll be able to handle that car or not haha.. Thanks a lot.

 

[crusher]

since you are not Malaysian, I dont think its cheap to ship the car here. You need an Approved Permit, plus customs tax and all that. I maybe wrong hopefully more knowledgeable sifus will come in. But in my opinion not worth it since this car you can buy used one here at most around RM35,000.00 or less.

 

[luca]

since you are not Malaysian, I dont think its cheap to ship the car here. You need an Approved Permit, plus customs tax and all that. I maybe wrong hopefully more knowledgeable sifus will come in. But in my opinion not worth it since this car you can buy used one here at most around RM35,000.00 or less.

Thanks for reply crusher, and My dad has handled the shipping issue.. All the letter has been approved by the government. So it's fine for now.

The problem is once the car is here , I'm expected to pay for the maintenance and i'm not sure how much that'll cost me annually or maybe monthly.

Thanks in advance

 

[gendong]

Welcome to the forum luca.

For starters, ur car is already 14 years old. Assuming proper maintenance has been performed rigorously while its in ur family's care, then less hassle/headache for u.

Once the car is here, and based on ur questions:

1. Normal service normally is around RM250-350, depending on the type of engine oil that you choose and labour inclusive. Other minor/major maintenance cost would depend very much on the parts involved and the effort. My advise is for you to find a trusted mechanic, and be his next best friend.

2. As a guide, 10,000km is the recommended if ur on synthetic oil, while 5,000km if ur on mineral oil. Most members on synthetic oil would change earlier (very early) before it reaches the 10k km mark, to maintain a smooth running engine.

3. Normal service normally include a change of engine oil and filter, some degree of 'easy' troubleshoot (if any). All done within 30 to 60 minutes.

4. 'Hidden cost' is mostly associated with the maintenance/upkeep of the car to have it smooth running. Cost varies to the parts associated with the maintenance/repairs done. Road tax and insurance would be around the figure you have quoted. Also, bear in mind that ur car is already 14 years old, those wear and tear parts (assuming u hv not changed them) have to be changed.

If you have time, do go through these threads to understand whats associated and the cost of maintenance on the e46:
1. http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/newforums/index.php?/topic/9306-e46-part-and-service-cost-ii/page-49
2. http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/newforums/index.php?/topic/56-e46-parts-maintenance/page-74

Good luck!

 

[luca]

Welcome to the forum luca.

For starters, ur car is already 14 years old. Assuming proper maintenance has been performed rigorously while its in ur family's care, then less hassle/headache for u.

Once the car is here, and based on ur questions:

1. Normal service normally is around RM250-350, depending on the type of engine oil that you choose and labour inclusive. Other minor/major maintenance cost would depend very much on the parts involved and the effort. My advise is for you to find a trusted mechanic, and be his next best friend.

2. As a guide, 10,000km is the recommended if ur on synthetic oil, while 5,000km if ur on mineral oil. Most members on synthetic oil would change earlier (very early) before it reaches the 10k km mark, to maintain a smooth running engine.

3. Normal service normally include a change of engine oil and filter, some degree of 'easy' troubleshoot (if any). All done within 30 to 60 minutes.

4. 'Hidden cost' is mostly associated with the maintenance/upkeep of the car to have it smooth running. Cost varies to the parts associated with the maintenance/repairs done. Road tax and insurance would be around the figure you have quoted. Also, bear in mind that ur car is already 14 years old, those wear and tear parts (assuming u hv not changed them) have to be changed.

If you have time, do go through these threads to understand whats associated and the cost of maintenance on the e46:
1. http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/newforums/index.php?/topic/9306-e46-part-and-service-cost-ii/page-49
2. http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/newforums/index.php?/topic/56-e46-parts-maintenance/page-74

Good luck!

Thanks a lot Gendong for reply.

That really clears up my doubt and assumption. and thanks for the link too. I'll check it up.

 

[anxious]

To own a 2nd hand BMW ie more than 5 years old, you must budget/set aside average RM10k for service, wear and tear and repairs.

I personally make it a point to change engine oil every 6 months as I only do about 15k km per year. I am on Mobil 1 0W-40 purchased from Tesco during promos at RM139-149 per bottle.

 

[DanzE90]

hi luca,
an average servicing for your beemer compromises or 5L fully synthetic engine oil + OEM oil filter + workmanship will set u back at around RM300 at least.
alternatively u could purchase your own oil from TESCO / Castrol Edge or Mobil 1, then bring it to your preferred workshop & just pay Rm55-60 for oil filter & Rm50-60 for workmanship.
that does not include other wear & tear parts that require changing, for example the oil sump nut RM55.

ATF change could costs u around rm800-1k (7L of ATF + oil pan + gasket + workmanship) that requires to be changed every 75k kms.