Service question

Service question

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Discussion

riz

Original Poster:

5 posts

234 months

Friday 23rd June 2006
quotequote all
hi all this is my 1st post

my friend has got an m3 evo convertible on a s reg wiv about 90k n it needs an inspection 2 service, he was going to purchase some brake discs called textar has anyone heard of these n are they any good? they from www.eurocarparts.com

he wants to change the gear box oil what would u guys recommend? n also he wants to change to the rear diff oil wat oil would u recommend? n wat oil would u recommend to service it?

wats needs to b changed in the inspection 2 service? please could you guys help

thank you soo much for helpin me out n all you guys are doing a great job on this site keep the hard work up

stockhatcher

4,638 posts

229 months

Friday 23rd June 2006
quotequote all
i take it your mate is going to service the car himself?

the most important thing that he needs to do first and foremost is change the diff oil.

you'll need a glasshammer and a skyhook, get the car on the ramp, and look for the little plastic cover in the rear diff, use the skyhook to pull the cover off, then hit the diff with the glasshammer, when all the oil has spewed out, replace with castrol vxr1000 lsd oil, which is specially formulated to reduce friction in the diff, and gives the equivalent of 3 hp.

after that, you 'll need a special tool to access the brakes to fit your textar discs, make sure you dont fit them on upside down ( very easy to do ).

you'll need to replace the spark plugs with some halford ones ( get the cheapest you can afford).

other things you'll need to do, is change the brake fluid, but you can save some money by using a mixture of used power steering fluid and coolant.

you'll also need to reset the service lights after the service, this can be done bp turning the ignition to point 3, with your foot on the brake, then engaging and disengaging the clutch four times. then turn the ignition on, and hold the revs for 10 secs at 2000 rpm, then switch off. then start back up again and the lights should be reset

hth.

r5gttgaz

7,897 posts

226 months

Friday 23rd June 2006
quotequote all
Do you write out those dodgy Nigerian e-mails in your spare time?

mondeoman

11,430 posts

272 months

Friday 23rd June 2006
quotequote all
stockhatcher said:
i take it your mate is going to service the car himself?

the most important thing that he needs to do first and foremost is change the diff oil.

you'll need a glasshammer and a skyhook, get the car on the ramp, and look for the little plastic cover in the rear diff, use the skyhook to pull the cover off, then hit the diff with the glasshammer, when all the oil has spewed out, replace with castrol vxr1000 lsd oil, which is specially formulated to reduce friction in the diff, and gives the equivalent of 3 hp.

after that, you 'll need a special tool to access the brakes to fit your textar discs, make sure you dont fit them on upside down ( very easy to do ).

you'll need to replace the spark plugs with some halford ones ( get the cheapest you can afford).

other things you'll need to do, is change the brake fluid, but you can save some money by using a mixture of used power steering fluid and coolant.

you'll also need to reset the service lights after the service, this can be done bp turning the ignition to point 3, with your foot on the brake, then engaging and disengaging the clutch four times. then turn the ignition on, and hold the revs for 10 secs at 2000 rpm, then switch off. then start back up again and the lights should be reset

hth.


lighten up ffs - everyone has to ask a first question. jeeeeeez

I'll bet you know the answer to everything don't you?

oola

2,546 posts

229 months

Monday 26th June 2006
quotequote all
Riz - To be honest, if your mate is asking these questions, then it is clear he really shouldn't be attempting to give this car an Inspection 2. And if he's trying to do a DIY job to save a few quid, tell him to sell the car and get something which is cheaper to run.

As part of this service, the valve clearances need to be checked which requires the car to be left cold for a full 12 hours and this is only a small part of this service which is a major service.

Your mate needs to realise that at new, this car cost between £40 and £45k and so the associated running costs with a car of that price still apply. Even a recent inspection 1 cost me £1100 at a main dealer ... thats another £700 in parts above the £400 basic service ... inspection 2's are £800 without parts.

riz

Original Poster:

5 posts

234 months

Tuesday 27th June 2006
quotequote all
thanks all for the reply, sorry i didnt make it clear that he doesnt want to do the job himself. he heard that if he buys all the parts for the service then gives it to the main dealer it'll be alot cheaper for him so thats why he wanted to know what parts are required for this service

thanks

oola

2,546 posts

229 months

Tuesday 27th June 2006
quotequote all
Riz - If he's looking to save a few quid and is not bothered about keeping the main dealer history, I'd find out who the best independant bmw specialist is on your area and take it there. The main portion of the service costs are labour rates.

Some independants have done there time with main dealers on the tools and really have to work hard to build a good reputation. To give you an example, my local indy (who I will be trying shortly) used to work at the local main dealers and has all the equipment to service the full range of BMW's and his labour rates are half of the main dealers. Its also much cheaper for him to do regular work such as oil changes, pad/disk changes.