BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

I enquired about warranty problems and M.Kendrick assured me his work no way interferes with your warranty , will follow this up when i ring him next week  .

Just to be clear, I'm not doubting Mick's ability or quality of workmanship. In the past, I have used him myself when my bike did not have any warranty cover.

To maintain the T&C's of any BMW warranty, the bike must be serviced at a BMW dealer or VAT registered independent.

Mick may have become VAT registered since I last used him, it would be good to know if this is the case or not, thank you.

David. wrote: For a Camhead BMW Service which includes an oil & filter change, the time allowed is 35 mins. Each hour is divided into 12ths (5 mins) where 7 x 5 = 35 mins. See the AW for each task on the invoice.

Providing your own oil & filter reduces the parts cost by approx. half.

Interesting but there is more to the service than oil and filter. I'm sure BMW charge labour for plugging in the computer for diagnostic checks and software updates etc. However my 1:30 was a guess. My last service at a dealer was the 620 mile running in service 7 years ago so I'm a bit out of date.


However my point about moaning about someone servicing your bike at a high price main dealer is it costs in labour so accept it. The real issue is the warranty one here in UK. If we are being ripped off it is the T&C around warranty. Here our friends across the pond are lucky.

The BMW service costs are all driven by the age of and mileage on the bike. The service receptionist just types this info. into the computer and it spits out what they think needs to be done. The dealer cannot see what work may have been completed by a.n.other. I was quoted for a brake fluid change and generator drive belt which were only done by BMW last year and therefore not necessary. Then there is the work I've done or do myself.

The service items all have codes and associated AW times. The BMW service which includes diagnostic checks and service light reset etc. is AW 5.00 and the oil & filter change is 2.00. This is the minimum BMW will do to put a stamp in the service book.

David. wrote:Mick may have become VAT registered since I last used him, it would be good to know if this is the case or not.

Spoke to someone today from the local NE Section of The BMW Club, he confirmed that Mick is not VAT registered.

David. wrote: Spoke to someone today from the local NE Section of The BMW Club, he confirmed that Mick is not VAT registered.

It's all Bull manure - what has VAT registration got to do with a) using the right "stuff" , and b) doing it the correct way ??  (Answer - ZERO !!)  World continues to go mad.
I bought a new (to me) bike last year - 3 year manufacturers warranty  .... I will do my servicing and argue my case if anyone "objects" come a warranty claim !

Cortina wrote: It's all Bull manure - what has VAT registration got to do with a) using the right "stuff" , and b) doing it the correct way ??  (Answer - ZERO !!)  World continues to go mad.
I bought a new (to me) bike last year - 3 year manufacturers warranty  .... I will do my servicing and argue my case if anyone "objects" come a warranty claim !

Like you I did the same back in 2014. Serviced the bike myself ready for a big argument. But I was lucky the bike has been faultless. I covered every base I could by using all the correct BMW parts including filters. Took photos of the servicing and kept all receipts. Now I use Hiflo air and oil filters and Motul oil but back then kept to the BMW specified parts with correct part numbers. I even went to BMW and paid for the diagnostic check and software updates and got the print out. Gave up all of that after the warranty expired.

It's now 7 years ago (2014) since I had some correspondence with BMW Insured Warranty Services. I've kept a copy of the email which says, "under the terms of the policy you may have your motorcycle serviced by any VAT registered garage".

I've chosen to do some servicing myself, e.g. oil change rear wheel drive, checking valve clearances, gearbox oil change, replace spark plugs and air filter. I get the dealers to do the minimum I think I can get away with, which is basically an engine oil & filter change. I also get them to change the brake fluid every 2 years. This approach has proved successful to date, having both handlebar combination switches changed and a pair of new front calipers under warranty. If I hadn't had the brake fluid changed, the caliper replacement may have been rejected.

I also supply the BMW dealers with a Hiflo oil filter and Motul oil. Both these items have been confirmed in writing as acceptable to be used as they meet or exceed the OEM specification.

Looks like i started a good thread here anyway all the comments are welcome i will see what me "independent"dealer says and keep you all informed .

I get a bit lost in these how much does a service cost threads.  If you buy a 20k bike then why quibble over a 200 quid service?  It's just part of the package. The depreciation is more of an issue than the maintenance costs.
I'd love to be able to be able to service it myself but I can't so leave it to BMW.  The dealers generally provide a good customer experience in my opinion. 

If I want to pay the BMW rates for labour and parts I can but choose not to. There are independents out there that charge around half the hourly rate of the dealers. Likewise, oils & parts etc. which meet the OEM specs. are cheaper elsewhere. Plus, you are not tied in to the dealer network for servicing to maintain the T&C's of a warranty.

Hammo has been quoted £300 by the BMW dealer or £160 by Mick Kendrick an independent.

I’m okay having the dealer perform work that I’m not prepared to perform myself, but the real rip-off is being forced to use a “VAT-approved technician” and/or factory OEM spare parts to keep your warranty intact. We don’t have any such requirements in the U.S. nor do I think anyone here would stand for it.

emlevy wrote:The real rip-off is being forced to use factory OEM spare parts to keep your warranty intact.

For servicing, non-OEM parts e.g. oil/air filters and spark plugs can be used providing they are of equivalent specification. The same applies to oils.

For repair work done under warranty, OEM parts must be used but then you are not paying for them.

Hi this is from the warranty terms and conditions booklet "We believe that Authorised BMW Retailers are best equipped to meet your service and maintenance requirements. However, your Retailer warranty will not be affected should you decide to have servicing carried out by a non-BMW authorised workshop .If servicing has been carried out by a non-BMW Authorised Retailer then the Retailer reserves the right to reject any claim where it is felt that the cause of the defect is due to the use of a non-genuine BMW part or inadequate servicing or repair by the non-approved Retailer .

hammo wrote:Your Retailer warranty will not be affected should you decide to have servicing carried out by a non-BMW authorised workshop.

Does the non-BMW authorised workshop need to be VAT registered or not.