What do you guys pay for service for your Z4M?

[dekaliber]

Having generally done most of the periodic maintenance on my Z4M myself I actually don't have a great sense of what is reasonable to pay an indie shop for these kinds of things. Unfortunately I now live in a condo building so self-service is much less practical. Would love to get folks to chime in so I (and anyone else in my shoes) can calibrate expectations on these items:

- S54 oil & filter change
- Brake fluid flush
- Engine coolant service
- Power steering fluid change
- Manual gear box oil change
- Differential oil change
- Brake pad / rotor replacement
- Tire mount & balance*
- 4-wheel alignment*

*OK, these last two aren't self-service items but I'm curious what y'all pay for these.

Sidebar: If anyone who lives in SoCal has a recommendations for an indie shop they've had good experience with, I'd love to hear them. (I live near Downtown LA and work in El Segundo/Manhattan Beach. Willing to drive 10-15 miles from either of these locations but not much further...)

[ZStig]

$120/hour

[Twixboy]

I'm in the Boston area. I don't have specifics on the Z4 M, but the shop I used (Turner Motorsports) to do my Inspection II charges $100/hour. Brake fluid flush was included in the inspection II so I don't know what the breakout was, but I know my local dealer charges $120 a la carte for this service.

For alignment I just use any national tire shop. The last one I got done for my other car was at NTB and it cost $79 for alignment and $11.25 per tire mount with lifetime balancing.

[KevinC]

My indy's labor rate is $90/hour, and he's VERY conservative in what he bills. Really glad I found him a few years ago, he's awesome.

As for oil changes, I buy Liqui Moly 10W-60 from Amazon in 5-liter jugs.. I see that they now even have a "value pack" that includes a 5-liter and 2x1-liter bottles for $67, free shipping. That's one more than you need for an S54 change. Also buy Mann or Mahle filters from Amazon, then I pay my local oil dude $20 labor to do the deed and dispose of the old oil.

[Nate4641]

European Auto Source (EAS) is out in Anaheim. I don't know if that is too far, but they seem to have good knowledge of these cars and even race one.

https://europeanautosource.com/services

[dekaliber]

Thanks guys. What I was actually looking for was a total bill and not an hourly rate. For example, I got a quote from a local shop for $175 for an oil & filter change and $127 for a brake fluid flush. Does that seem reasonable?

Originally Posted by Nate4641

European Auto Source (EAS) is out in Anaheim. I don't know if that is too far, but they seem to have good knowledge of these cars and even race one.

https://europeanautosource.com/services

I actually had EAS install my Stromung exhaust but it's a bit of a drive for routine maintenance. I can vouch for their shop though -- they did a great job with the exhaust and are generally a group of good dudes.

[XMetal]

Originally Posted by dekaliber

Thanks guys. What I was actually looking for was a total bill and not an hourly rate. For example, I got a quote from a local shop for $175 for an oil & filter change and $127 for a brake fluid flush. Does that seem reasonable?

Sounds reasonable to me

[Twixboy]

Originally Posted by dekaliber

Thanks guys. What I was actually looking for was a total bill and not an hourly rate. For example, I got a quote from a local shop for $175 for an oil & filter change and $127 for a brake fluid flush. Does that seem reasonable?

And I thought $99 was a lot for an oil change for the regular Z4 (compared to the $25 I pay for my pickup truck). I feel sorry for you M guys. Gotta pay to play I guess. Call your local dealer to get benchmark pricing.

[XMetal]

Originally Posted by Twixboy

And I thought $99 was a lot for an oil change for the regular Z4 (compared to the $25 I pay for my pickup truck). I feel sorry for you M guys. Gotta pay to play I guess. Call your local dealer to get benchmark pricing.

For the Z4M, it usually cost me roughly $85 in materials (6L of TWS/Filter) if I do it myself. For my M54 X5, it runs around $50 in materials (8Q of Mobil1/Filter). I only do an oil/filter change once a year...So, all in all, not too bad if you DIY.

At a shop, they will up-charge you for the materials as well as 1/2 hour to an hour of labor...so $175 is reasonable in SoCal. I've dealers quoting me as much as $250 for an oil change for the M and that was their "special" price

[David70]

Originally Posted by dekaliber

Thanks guys. What I was actually looking for was a total bill and not an hourly rate. For example, I got a quote from a local shop for $175 for an oil & filter change and $127 for a brake fluid flush. Does that seem reasonable?

Also sounds reasonable to me.

When looking at oil change prices it is a very small part of owning any car, I wouldn't worry too much about trying to find the cheapest place, reasonable would be good for me. An extra $50-$100 a year is nothing compared to the overall maintenance, repair, depreciation, insurance and gas.

Probably costs the average owner at least a $1k - $2k a year to drive an M version?

[inTgr8r]

Originally Posted by Twixboy

.....

For alignment I just use any national tire shop. The last one I got done for my other car was at NTB and it cost $79 for alignment and $11.25 per tire mount with lifetime balancing.

Did that include reset of steering angle sensor? (SAS)

[Twixboy]

Originally Posted by inTgr8r

Did that include reset of angle sensor?

No, my Honda doesn't have one - it just needs a regular 4 wheel alignment. My Audi on the other hand needs the alignment done at the dealer because they also align the backup camera parking overlay which the national shops can't do.

Are you saying BMWs need to alignments performed at the dealer with special equipment? This is good information to know since we all get alignments, but most of us just bring it to an indy shop to get it done.

[inTgr8r]

I'm most familiar with the M which definitely requires the SAS to be reset after an alignment.
Maybe someone else can chime in re the non-M SAS

The SAS settings will impact DSC behavior on the car.
Some alignment shops have the software to reset it, others do not.