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6,000 mile service

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BER18 100 said:
Whew, $881 is a steep price. May not go back again.
Ouch.
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I have read several 6k services charged in that price range in €uros even and yes it is steep.

In the manual it says engine oil & filter, air filter, valve adjustment and general check.

Can you specify/share the bill?
 
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Petrus said:
There are several arguments/reasons why not.
It starts with needing a stand and tools. Not cheap either.
Next the bike can be in warranty.
Lastly not all can or want to.
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My local dealer closed shop 9 months after selling me the bike (not unexpected ...so no blame here) now a shop visit is a 350 mile round trip ... hell no! ... and as per tools ... the only 'Specialty' tool that I bought so far is the GS-911 ... and that one is just worth every Penny (IMO) ... all else I use all the tools that I already own. Another thing was the oil filter ... it needed a BMW socket for it, so I punched a screwdriver in it .. spun it out and used a K&N with a hex connector from there on out.
There is hardly anything to service on these bikes, oil/filter, air filter. spark plugs, clutch and brake fluids, gear box and final drive fluids, tires and brakes ... and that is about it and for all of that you just need some good tools and helpful folks from the Forum, if you get stuck somewhere ;)

... but that might be just my 2¢ 😁
 
Rational for 6000 mile service:

My R18 had a bad oil leak coming from the final drive. Rode 360 miles round trip so they could replace seal.
The leak continued so drove another 360 miles. This time they replaced the entire drive unit and that fixed it.
None of the service cost me due to warranty.
So I got to thinking that maybe I ought to have dealer do both the 500 mile and 6000 service to prevent a protest in case I need more warranty work.

Well, never again. I’m thinking like Ulrich now.

The labor cost was $199 per hour and listed as a 3 hour job. Parts for air filter, oil filter, was near $200. Sales tax put it at $881.
Then get this….there was a 3.5% fee for using a debit card.

I PAID $913 !
 
BER18 100 said:
Rational for 6000 mile service:

My R18 had a bad oil leak coming from the final drive. Rode 360 miles round trip so they could replace seal.
The leak continued so drove another 360 miles. This time they replaced the entire drive unit and that fixed it.
None of the service cost me due to warranty.
So I got to thinking that maybe I ought to have dealer do both the 500 mile and 6000 service to prevent a protest in case I need more warranty work.

Well, never again. I’m thinking like Ulrich now.

The labor cost was $199 per hour and listed as a 3 hour job. Parts for air filter, oil filter, was near $200. Sales tax put it at $881.
Then get this….there was a 3.5% fee for using a debit card.

I PAID $913 !
Click to expand...
Oooof ... IMO you could have spent that ... almost ... Grand ... on a nice HexCode 911 and a proper set of Metric hand tools and done that yourself using whatever good quality oil you want ... These bikes are engineered very solid ... there is a long heritage of boxer/shaft drive knowledge at BMW engineering ... after all they have been doing that for @100years (!!!) that is a very long time in my book .... but maybe that is just me ;)
 
BER18 100 said:
The labor cost was $199 per hour and listed as a 3 hour job. Parts for air filter, oil filter, was near $200. Sales tax put it at $881.
Then get this….there was a 3.5% fee for using a debit card.

I PAID $913 !
Click to expand...

$199/hour....

Over here at my independent garage at 100 meters down the road I pay €15/hour incl. the bridge and for little things like reading/erasing code he does not charge.
Then there is another 500 meters úp the road who does mostly the older vehicles in the village. He will tackle ánything and despite being in his twenties grew up adjusting tappets.

Either will no doubt do the R18 service if I ask but prefer to do it myself because I líke doing it. Adjusting valve tappet is oddly satifying. Waiting for the Kern-Stabi rear lift to come back in stock. If it needs service before that will do it on the side stand.

Jan Put (Putoline) has the 4 l. dry clutch boxer engine oil for 45€ shipped. Oil filter a tenner. The only costly thing is a Sprint dry sports filter. A paper filter would keep total cost incl. fliter tool under €100.

But... again, not all riders can or want to do it. Since the R18 maintenance is straight forward I would suggest they go to a local independent mechanic/garage. Any car garage may do it.
 
Mrs. Star-Lord wouldn't be too happy if my "hobby" cost $1,000 every 6,000 miles...

I agree 💯 regarding the GS-911, almost every BMW owner should have one..

I'm also a bike fan of the KERN-STABI X-518 R18 stand; it definitely gets lots of use in my garage, cleaning the bike and performing DIY maintenance...

For me... this is a hobby that provides wind therapy, an activity with friends and a sense of accomplishment in doing the annual preventative maintenance; which, is the best part of R18 ownership, everything is pretty simple to do and there's lots of good video and knowledgeable folks on the forum to help...
 
Star-Lord said:
I agree 💯 regarding the GS-911, almost every BMW owner should have one..
Click to expand...

At less cost the OBDlink LX does enough for me ;)
I was rather surprised/displeased that my old €15 U480 did not work with the BMW software. It works with Toyota and SsangYong which are known for being ´specific´.

And in case nothing works I will go the the bloke 100 meters away as he has BMW software for the M4 cars.
 
Star-Lord said:
Mrs. Star-Lord wouldn't be too happy if my "hobby" cost $1,000 every 6,000 miles...

I agree 💯 regarding the GS-911, almost every BMW owner should have one..

I'm also a bike fan of the KERN-STABI X-518 R18 stand; it definitely gets lots of use in my garage, cleaning the bike and performing DIY maintenance...

For me... this is a hobby that provides wind therapy, an activity with friends and a sense of accomplishment in doing the annual preventative maintenance; which, is the best part of R18 ownership, everything is pretty simple to do and there's lots of good video and knowledgeable folks on the forum to help...
Click to expand...
In addition to saving money, you also have the peace of mind that it is getting done right. It seems like people's "give a sh*t" is gone. I have not been impressed with my last few dealer visits. During my last dealer visit on my 1200RS the tech over filled the oil by +1/2 quart and forgot to fasten a bracket on the front brake caliper. Luckily I found it in time before it chewed my front shock apart. The tools you need to obtain pay for themselves after the first service. And yes the GS-911 is worth it weight if you are a BMW fan.
 
I posted this a long while back; but it iterates Ulrich's point, doing it yourself insures it was done properly... I've received my bike back from my service shop, missing screws and such.. very frustrating...

Below is my wife's Cherokee after warranty work was performed (replaced water pump)..

Screenshot_20250907-080341.png


Post in thread 'New 2022 R18 TC, Southeast Arizona' https://www.r18forums.com/threads/new-2022-r18-tc-southeast-arizona.1568/post-23436

Funny reading this; it seems like there is a level of incompetence that is creeping into all aspects of our lives... i.e. This past Sunday my wife's Jeep Cherokee threw the serpentine belt which caused a $h!# ton of damage; wife picked up the Jeep yesterday and I inspected the work once I got home from work...
The attached picture says it all, this is the newly replaced water pump; I was able to back the entire bolt out with my finger tips. (Anyone know the torque set point for a 2018 Grand Cherokee V8???)
 
Thats crazy pricing over here in the UK dealerships are steep, i paid £350 for my 12000 service on my 2022 Classic at an independent garage , local dealership wanted £450 its not the price but the principal you pay a lot for these machines and dealerships want to rip you for some more , i agree with the comment not everyone has the tools and confidence to carry out your own servicing .
 
Sorry folks .. reading through this is like comparing Apples to Pears ... some of you speak of reasonably charging'Indy' shops ... that is correct and also has been my experience, but there is no guarantee that BMW accepts their work as satisfactory for a warranty call, hell they won't even sell parts to them or let them access their update network, but in order to guarantee your warranty (as far as I know) BMW insists that you go to one of their dealer shops ... and that is where the prices go sky-high ... also in my experience ... so I am back to DIY ... ;)
 
Ulrich said:
Sorry folks .. reading through this is like comparing Apples to Pears ... some of you speak of reasonably charging'Indy' shops ... that is correct and also has been my experience, but there is no guarantee that BMW accepts their work as satisfactory for a warranty call, hell they won't even sell parts to them or let them access their update network, but in order to guarantee your warranty (as far as I know) BMW insists that you go to one of their dealer shops ... and that is where the prices go sky-high ... also in my experience ... so I am back to DIY ... ;)
Click to expand...

Once warranty is not an issue, those who are not apt at or willing to DIY can get their service done at reasonably priced independents.
Within warranty DIY is no option either.
 
oil +oil filter
air filter
valve clearance
brake fluid front and rear brakes
paid £477 BMW dealer in UK
 
I have heard horror stories about service shops providing shoddy service. Nightmare stuff.
 
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