M5 Touring bought "BMW Approved Used" @ 2,500 miles, car now 5,100 miles showing brake fluid needed - Page 2

bighead · 21st April 2009, 02:06

its 2yrs for brake fluid change ...thats is standard on every car

willbrocklebank · 21st April 2009, 16:44

I spoke with very useful service technician at Blue Bell (Kenny) from which I bought the car - he told me it was unusual and to have the message reset by my local dealer. (He also told me that if there was to be a charge he would sort it out with the local dealer - which was impressive.)

So I then called BMW in Battersea (who are the service outfit for central London and I think are AWFUL) and they said it couldn't be reset without all my data being lost from the car. They told me to bring in my key and they would tell me when my servicing is due.

This is not very helpful as I know when the servicing is - I'm being told about it every time I start the car!

I am going to call another BMW dealer.

Does anyone have any recommendations for sensible and efficient dealers in the south east of UK?

willbrocklebank · 23rd April 2009, 18:03

So today my car was collected from my office and returned 4 hours later no more servicing message, bright and clean and no invoice!

It turns out that the system timings had not been reset from the day it left the factory (which suggests a build date for my car of April '07) rather than when it was registered and first driven (June '08). As such the clock had been ticking for more than a year when the car wasn't actually being used.

I received an excellent service from Berry's BMW in Chiswick, London, and never again will I go near Park Lane/Battersea BMW who were typically rapacious in their quote and generally unhelpful (and of course they did not offer to collect and deliver).

So all is well and good. Thanks for all of your help.

Cosmos · 23rd April 2009, 23:22

So the dealer just reset the light?? That is the most amateur idiotic thing I have ever heard!! Brake fluid is NOT the same as oil fluid where it is mileage based. Brake fluid is Hygroscopic and needs to be changed at a minimum every two years from build date, NOT registration or in service date. I would make sure they bled the system and changed the fluid. It is a very long process as the car needs to be connected to the DCS and the ABS pump along with the SMG pump needs to be activated to make sure all the fluid is out of the system.

If they just reset the light, then you will be very over due the next time the computer says you need to change the brake fluid. And if this dealer says otherwise they are a bunch of ignorant buffoons and you need to phone elsewhere.

Bottom line is make sure they changed the fluid and get proof of this from the dealer print out.