BMW service intervals and indicator lights

A good move if you have a decent specialist.

It's a *very* stupid, servicing by mileage, as the way the car is used/driven determines this. For example a car which does lots of short town journeys needs servicing at a lower mileage than one which is cruised down deserted highways. This has been known for many a year, but leaving the decision to the owner wouldn't work so an average was used instead. However, when computers became practical for car use, it's easy enough to determine how the car is driven and therefore when it needs a service.

It tells you a number of things - read the handbook for details. Basically, two groups of things - those which relate to how the car is driven like oil changes and those which don't like coolant and brake fluid changes.

Same as any car since replacement of pads is never a mileage thing. And cars have had warnings for worn pads for many a year.

However, BMW services are called inspections. Which means things like brake pads will be checked. And reported on if they're likely to need changing before the next inspection. However, many will get 15,000 miles between oil services which could only be the life of brake pads anyway. So perhaps like tyres you would treat them as a separate item and just change when needed - it's an easy and quick job.

Depending on the age of the car they measure it in different ways - and I'm sure changes will be made to new models. But yes, it does take into account how the car is driven.

Well, the recommended fluids are all long life ones so expensive. Changing early sort of defeats their purpose in life. But plenty seem to. But there is no hard evidence that changing engine oil etc before the service indicator says so has any beneficial effect on engine life or performance.

"AlanF" wrote

Depends on the component. When it comes to engine oil, the previous

5-series (e39) measured the amount of fuel burned to determine when the next oil change should be. Not sure if and how it changed for the e60.

As for brake pads... these are just sensors that go off when the pad reaches certain minimum thickness level.

As for brake fluid... this needs to be changed every 2 year according to BMW, regardless of miles, so that's when you might get a notification on the dashboard.

I have a '03 530 with about 61k mi. The original rakes are still going strong, and I've had absolutely NO indicator lights for anything else than the regular, scheduled service. I check levels, etc periodically, & everything holds tight in-between services.

The only reason that I take my car to the dealer for service is that they provide free loaners. I haven't found an independent that will do that around here. Heck .. even some of the DEALERS don't do that. San Diego BMW is good in that respect.

The E60 service indicator is quite similar to my E39, so you can just keep checking the little lights on startup. Enjoy the lights & save your $ as Dave suggests.

If the air filter needs replacing, it's likely the cabin air filter, not the filter for the engine. The filter on the engine is replaced at each Service Interval I or II, which is different than the Oil Change Interval -- each service interval should be either 3 or 4 oil change intervals, but whatever it is, it is when they change the engine's air filter. The cabin filter needs changing when the car decides the air flow is not what is expected. You can replace this filter easily enough, and it is available outside of the dealer service channel.

Brakes are checked at Service Interval I and II, and replaced if needed. If they are not checked, or not replaced if they are checked, and they wear out, there is a sensor on the brake rotors (left front and right rear) to tell you that the pads have worn down. If the Worn Brake Indicator comes up, you need brake service very soon. The wear indicator says that there is about 2mm of brake pad material remaining, which is not much. Brake pad material is an excellent heat sink, by the way, and if the material wears down, the heat sinking ability of the brake pads is diminished, which means the brake rotors get hot and stay hot, which can lead to rotors becomming warped, which you feel in the steering wheel as a wobble -- steering wheel shakes, sometimes violently, from side to side -- when the brakes are applied.

The Service Interval and Oil Change Interval lights are determined by the types of trips you make. If the car makes lots of short trips, then the oil will need to be replaced sooner in the interval, if you make long trips then the oil will give longer life in terms of miles. A long trip of steady driving presents less wear and tear than trips where the car is turned off before it gets fully warmed up, is driven in stop-n-go traffic, is driven in an urban environment, those sorts of things.