BMW motorcycle shop here in town

[bigbore2]

As I know some of you have and ride BMW bikes, Ill try to keep this under control.

A friend has a 2004 BMW RT1150 twin. He went to the local shop here in Albuquerque for an oil and filter change.
They quoted him $200 for doing that.  I told him to bring it by and I would do it for nothing, he bring the parts.
Remove a fairing panel, drain the oil, fill with oil, twist off the filter, screw a new one back on.  Nothing complicated here at all.

How do they get $200 for that??    Oh, by the way, Special BMW oil, a 50% synthetic blend formula, is $16/qt.

See, even rich people are getting screwed, which should make us less affluent at least crack a smile.

[ribbert]

I don't know all the circumstances in this instance but if the shop was a dealership, there is no such thing as "just" an oil and filter change on a BMW service schedule.
You are also paying for factory trained mechanics (with qualifications), genuine parts, factory tools and information and experience that will see, hear and feel things yonks before the rider is likely to and before a problem becomes dangerous, more expensive or a reliability issue.
For this you are paying top hourly rate. Here, that could be $150 -$200/hour.

I am not defending them nor would I ever use the services of such a place, but it's not always quite as black and white as it seems.

My brother gets his GS serviced at a BMW specialist workshop and a service usually ends up costing $500-$1000 with a few bits thrown in.

BMW special oils are Castrol. Gearbox and final drive oil can be bought through any Land Rover dealer as a spare part if Castrol is unavailable.

Of course, the need for "special" lubricants in BMW's exists entirely in the minds of their anal owners (IMO), they are just engines and gears. 

Noel

[Old Rider]

Talking about not so cheap her in Norway i asked the dealer how much for a oil change on my transmission  the price : 1557 usd!!!

[RPM - Robert]

Talking about not so cheap her in Norway i asked the dealer how much for a oil change on my transmission  the price : 1557 usd!!!

That must be where the acronym, Busted My Wallet, comes from.  

[Old Rider]

Also they sayd that the transmission oil is not supposed to be changed it last for ever until the car is out of service .Also heard that if not using the orginal bmw longlife oil on engine you lose the warranty.

[bigbore2]

Yes, that shop is a dealership.  thanx for that info, Noel.  Castrol is good to know about for next time.   yup, engines and gears.

He bought this bike from them.  It has the ABS brake system on it so a rider can just use the back brake all the time and it will also engage the front automatically.  I guess from a marketing standpoint, a bike like this can be sold to someone who doesn't know how to properly brake a bike and in my opinion, shouldn't even be riding. I had to pick him up off the highway because the front brake was  locking up going down the freeway.  It had 60.000 miles on it when he got it but the brake fluid did not look like it had ever been changed. Very nice Brembo calipers.  He told me as of this year BMW is discontinueing the ABS system. I guess after 14+ years they could not get it to work the way they wanted it to.

bust my wallet.  Lol

[FJ_Hooligan]

They've "fixed" the ABS logic.

On mine, the REAR brake pedal only activates the REAR caliper.

The FRONT brake lever activates both the FRONT and REAR calipers.

When I grab the front, I can feel the rear pedal twitching.  Also, the integrated GPS (Garmin POS) counts gear changes and front/rear brake applications (among other statistics).  The rear brake always shows more use than the front.

[ribbert]

They've "fixed" the ABS logic.

No one's probably reading this except the three of us so it probably doesn't matter but you are both referring to the linked brakes as "ABS". Makes for confusing reading if anyone is trying to understand.

ABS is anti lock and linked brakes operate brakes on both wheels from a single lever. (can't vouch for Bigbore but I know Hooli knows the difference and I assume it's a typo)

Frank (Flynt) loves his linked brakes.

Noel

[Flynt]

Frank (Flynt) loves his linked brakes.

Love is a strong word, but I do appreciate the front lever actuating both brakes on corner entry...  here's a quick why...

On Wizard ('92 FJ) I usually brake on both ends entering a corner, then release the front and stay on the back through turn-in.  This trail braking turns the bike into the corner a little faster, but its not without risk...  too much rear brake too late and you're practicing some pretty advanced skills to stay on the bike.

The linked brakes are F/R balanced as well, so they eliminate the tricky modulation of rear pedal as your laying into the front brake.  That "pucker moment" when your rear tire tries to pass your front as your coming into a corner hot and the rear is on the edge of lockup (and your looking for where the coming high-side is about to launch you)...  gone with linked brakes (at least the BMW version).

And ultimate braking power, at least on a solid surface, is a death grip on front brake which gives you full ABS at both ends...  better make sure your dentures are glued in good!

Frank

PS - Yes BMWs are expensive to maintain via the dealership, but they're pretty consistent with European vehicles in the US.  Perceived benefits of German engineering drives a higher place on the supply/demand curve.  Fortunately nobody is forced to buy one...

[Flynt]

He told me as of this year BMW is discontinueing the ABS system.

I was just shopping BMWs again and I can't believe this statement.  The latest ABS they offer is even lean angle sensitive and catches side slips...  Between the advanced ABS and the "magic" traction control systems, I think their technological advances are continuing to progress.  Maybe they're going to change the name?  I'll ask my local dealer if he's heard anything like this.

As far back as 2006 at least (my first K1200S), the integrated brakes have always been actuated by the front brake lever and the rear pedal has been dedicated to the rear.  Rear only braking is important for most types of riding and they knew that.

Frank

PS again - you can also easily disable both the linked brakes and the ABS...  simple button on the left handlebar.  Similarly the traction control can be set for various levels of intervention including none if you prefer.

[FJ_Hooligan]

You're right Noel.

My bad for lumping in linked braking as ABS.

I do like the linked brakes and the Dynamic ABS though.  So far I haven't had to use the ABS yet.

[FJ_Hooligan]

My 1982 Yamaha XJ1100JR Maxim had brakes linked as BB2 described. 

Press the rear pedal and it would also operate the left front caliper.  Not sure if the front got all the pressure of the rear.  Never really cared for that linked setup.

I didn't keep that bike long enough to even change brake pads.  I also didn't care for the "custom/cruiser" styling of that bike. 

A short 2 1/2 years later my brother was riding the XJ to his house as I rode my new '85 FJ home from the dealer.

[bigbore2]

Thanx Ribbert for clarifying that.  They are pretty different functions. Can't believe I didn't catch that. Oh well.