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2011 R1200RT 12K Service Cost

radrider

RadRider
Heading to the rally from South Florida via Dallas TX and I had my 12K service done at the BMW Motorcycles in Plano TX. I was a bit surprised that the bill was $796. Is this reasonable for the Camheads?
 
Depends what was done:

Brake fluid flush front & rear
Throttle body sync
Transmission oil change
Rear diff oil change
spline lube
New spark plugs
New brake pads
Alternator belt change
Oil/Filter
Valves
New tires?

-JT
 
Yes that is high for just the "called for" 12,000 mile service. Even if you did had the brake fluid flush completed, given the 2+ years interval, it would still be high. What all was done outside the routine 12k service?
 
Oil change
Spark plugs
Final drive oil change
Air filter
Valve clearance
Gearbox oil change
Brake fluid change
12K inspection

$223 parts
$541 labor for 5.7 hours
 
It is a good group of folks over at the Plano BMW store but they are pricey. The only other choice would have been the Fort Worth dealer and I am not sure they would be much less. It is the cost of entry into the BMW world. You either pay up, change brand or do it yourself. I have resigned to simply paying up. And take my business to both dealers based on conveince. Best thing to do is not dwell on it. You paid, it is done, the bike is good for another 6000 miles so ride.
 
FWIW, I paid about the same for the 24K service at San Jose BMW (again while on a trip). At that service, they also replaced the alternator belt. Mine was more because I have Wunderlich covers over the cylinder heads.
 
$582.64 for my service at BMW of Baton Rouge. I supplied my own Amsoil engine and gear lubes. The rear brake pads were changed, and the BMW OEM's are expensive !

Anybody have an idea why BMW is calling for plug change at 12K miles ? Strange.
 
$582.64 for my service at BMW of Baton Rouge. I supplied my own Amsoil engine and gear lubes. The rear brake pads were changed, and the BMW OEM's are expensive !

Anybody have an idea why BMW is calling for plug change at 12K miles ? Strange.

Because the German's are known for maintaining vehicles. BMW makes a big deal out of maintenance and the Japanese almost act as if it doesn't exist.
 
Plug change interval is significantly reduced (halved) from what it was for hexheads.

Camheads plugs are really small.
 
Plugs gap increased in 12K

At my first 12K service my plug gaps measured very close to .9mm across the board for the 4 plugs. Assuming they were newly installed with a factory gap @ .8mm I changed them out since they were now out of spec. I did not notice ANY change in running behavior.

I may try to go an extra 6K on these plugs if they look decent at my next 24K service.

Yes these bikes are very expensive to maintain. The good thing is they are fairly easy (and much cheaper) to maintain for the first 100K with a few select tools.

Manual: Spark plugs
Spark plugs, manufacturer and designation NGK MAR8B-JDS
Electrode gap of spark plug 0.03?0.01 in (0.8?0.1 mm)
 
Because the German's are known for maintaining vehicles. BMW makes a big deal out of maintenance and the Japanese almost act as if it doesn't exist.


Not so with their cars. Take it in every 16,000 or so (when the computer says it is time) for a basic oil change and "look over" for the first 50,000 miles of "FREE" SERVICE. Prior to their "free service" marketing (currently for first 4 years or 50,000 miles), BMW was quite adamant about maintenance on very regular and at much more frequent intervals, but that's when the customer paid through the nose for it. Of course it does help that BMW picks up the cost of those first three oil changes, since that's about $500!
 
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I have had an '05 R12RT, '10 R12R and now the '11 R12RT all serviced by BMW dealers in South Florida and Daytona with a variety of service intervals and the cost has been significantly less for similar work. That's why I was a bit surprised at their cost and I let them know. Their response was that the camhead engines are more costly to maintain especially at the 12K intervals. I will check with my local dealer back home in Florida once I get back.
 
I have had an '05 R12RT, '10 R12R and now the '11 R12RT all serviced by BMW dealers in South Florida and Daytona with a variety of service intervals and the cost has been significantly less for similar work. That's why I was a bit surprised at their cost and I let them know. Their response was that the camhead engines are more costly to maintain especially at the 12K intervals. I will check with my local dealer back home in Florida once I get back.

Guess it comes down to riding the hell out of that machine, to obtain the value for your price of admission....when we are sitting in the nursing home or six feet under, none of this will matter. Enjoy your trip.
 
BMW NA is trying every way they can to keep its dealer network solvent. They figure once we're hooked they have a license to make all they can from us. This is why I do all my own work excluding clutches. One day I'll decide to tackle breaking my RT in half to do a spline lube but I'm in no hurry.
 
Guess it comes down to riding the hell out of that machine, to obtain the value for your price of admission....when we are sitting in the nursing home or six feet under, none of this will matter. Enjoy your trip.

Ride it hard I will! Should be ready for the 18K service when I get back home.:thumb
 
BMW NA is trying every way they can to keep its dealer network solvent. They figure once we're hooked they have a license to make all they can from us. This is why I do all my own work excluding clutches. One day I'll decide to tackle breaking my RT in half to do a spline lube but I'm in no hurry.

Don't you just love conspiracy theories?
 
I have had an '05 R12RT, '10 R12R and now the '11 R12RT all serviced by BMW dealers in South Florida and Daytona with a variety of service intervals and the cost has been significantly less for similar work. That's why I was a bit surprised at their cost and I let them know. Their response was that the camhead engines are more costly to maintain especially at the 12K intervals. I will check with my local dealer back home in Florida once I get back.

It's not any more difficult to check valve clearances on a camhead versus a hexhead.

It is for sure more difficult to adjust valve clearances (if required) and this includes new parts. Much different than hexhead and more costly obviously if required.

It's not any more difficult to change 4 sparkplugs on a camhead than it is on a hexhead, only thing is it's done twice as often, so not at all at 12K on a hexhead.

I'd bet it's way more than 50/50 that your valve clearances did NOT need adjustment.

So, "much more costly" meant they had to change sparkplugs.
 
To everyone complaining about service costs (and personally I don't find the charge mentioned exorbitant) - there are several simple answers:

1 - DO IT YOURSELF, we have a nice subforum here that offers step by step guidance to many of the normal maintenance procedures. You'll find satisfaction in both saving money, and knowing you did the job yourself - and correctly. There are DVDs available and aftermarket manuals if you need additional information.

2 - FIND A GOOD INDEPENDENT. That's the great thing about the law of supply/demand. If something is in demand (like lower cost service), someone will usually pop up to fill the demand. Typically you'll save money. In some cases you'll also be allowed to bring your own parts offering an additional savings.

3 - IGNORE THE SERVICE. Short view it will save you money. Long term - it will cost you a bunch of money. I don't actually suggest you do this, but I do know people who do. They tend to sell their bikes when they go out of warranty.

IMHO - what you shouldn't do is whine about it here. The whining may help you feel better, but it really has no effect on the price you're going to pay. If you're unhappy with the price - talk to a dealer principal (someone with their money in the business) and express that dissatisfaction to them. If you decide to take option 1 or 2 - that will have a negative effect on the dealers bottom line.

As to why I think the price isn't exorbitant - the price for parts is going to be list price. That's what you pay if you bought them over the counter from the dealer. OE Parts is OE Parts, and the prices are pretty uniform no matter where you get them. The dealer is not going to use aftermarket (less expensive parts) since they can't warranty the parts (and labor to install them) for parts you bring in. With factory BMW parts - there is a 2 year warranty on the parts AND the labor to install them IF you use factory parts and a dealer mechanic to install them. And the dealer knows the quality of the parts. I'm sure BMW also factors in the warranty costs for parts into the price of the parts. Genuine BMW parts are not cheap, but neither are the bikes they fit on.

The cost of labor isn't just for the mechanic's pay. It has to include the shop space cost (insurance, heat, air-conditioning, power, fixed tool costs, special tool costs, diagnostics tool costs, etc, etc.) It also has to include the salary of the service writer who schedules your service appointment, and the perhaps free coffee you drink while waiting for your bike to be done. If the dealership provides loaners (somewhat rare now, but a number of dealerships do) the cost of the loaner (and insurance on it) all get factored in. Plus taxes, lights for the dealership, advertising costs and perhaps a tiny bit of profit for the dealership.

I've never met a rich dealership owner. I've met some successful ones who make a decent living providing the service, and I've talked to quite a few who lost money running a dealership. The hours given and labor charge for those hours do not seem excessive to me for the 12k service. The costs may vary depending on the size of the shop, and the location (mechanics may get paid more or less, locations may be more or less expensive.) Shop cost in the middle of Manhattan can be expected to be high. In the boonies of the midwest - perhaps less.

If you feel otherwise - the options are above.

YMMV - but bet it won't.
 
I'd bet it's way more than 50/50 that your valve clearances did NOT need adjustment.

So, "much more costly" meant they had to change sparkplugs.

Actually - I suspect the 12k service may see some valve clearances that need adjustment. After that - probably not so much. The valve design is much like the BMW S54 engine valve train design, and after an initial adjustment, they clearances can usually go a long time without being adjusted, but it is fairly common to see some change early in the engines life.

BTW - I believe you added "much" to your quote. Unless I've misread it - the dealer was quoted as saying in the post you're quoting "more costly" not "much more costly"..
 
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