helloha

For Beemer
---------------
Full Maintenance Program covers all factory-recommended maintenance for 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. Even includes items that need replacement due to normal wear and tear.
-------------
In Average, if you pop one tire a year (performance tire) $280+
old change every 3m/3000 mile ~4 times a year $100
1 7500 or 10000 major service ~ $300 +
Some minor wear and tear $300~$500
I average, you can save 4000 over 4 years if you pick beemer.

I average spend 1500 in my current Acura for maintence per year.
What you do think?

TfD

Acura oil change interval is 5000-10000 miles, so less per 4 years
Does Acura even have service scheduled in first 110000 miles
Tires are covered under tire warranty, not car
minor wear and tear? Examples?

$4000 soon becomes $1500

...and who pops a tire a year?

ssm_tsx

I don't know where he's getting $280 per tire either. The stock ones are $176 through TireRack.

biker

The maintenance numbers for the beemer are way high. The service interval for it is 15000 miles so your "free" maintenace is worth about three services. Just FYI, although virtually no one can get this, the optional free maintenance for 4 years or 100,000km on the new 5 series is listed at 800 euro (just under $1000) on the diplomatic price list. If the dealer spends more than this he's probably loosing money. Of course this is just maintenance, the dealer could always claim the work as warranty and get more money back from BMW.

jcg878

Yeah, they only use synthetic oil in them. I though it was like every 12k (?) but I'm sure they won't pay for it if you bring the car in earlier.

Maintenance costs for the Bimmer are less for 4 yrs or 50k, but I would count on them skyrocketing after that.

biker

The 3,000 miles oil interval change has been so ingrained into everyones mind that any deviation from it seems like sacrilage. But as all users manuals will tell you that's not needed especially on beemers. Actually the newest beemers' service actually is based on real use (neither milage nor time only but a complex formula involving many variables). If you were to use synthetic and drove mostly highway miles you could also have serivce on the typical Honda at BMW intervals.

justinjsw

Pop a tire???...tires are never under the vehicle warranty program. Its covered by the tire company. And the full maint program by BMW is not for whenever you feel like its time for an oil change...its based on what the factory recommends. Believe me BMW do not recommend an oil change every 3000 miles.

Though the TSX service is not free...oil changes are recommended at 10,000 miles for normal driving conditions and services at 15,000miles/once per year. I think Acura should just step up to the plate and offer it for free like everybody else.

darth62

If you just do the maintenence Acura recommends, and not what the dealers (who oversell services to jack up profits) suggest, the actual maintence on an Acura is remarkably inexpensive. In the first four years, you're looking at four or five oil changes, replaced filters, perhaps a brake job, and tire rotations. I think you could get away spending about $500 - $700. Maybe $1000.

The post at the top is completely senseless, as many of you noted. BMW's program does not cover tires. If you "pop" one tire a year (meaning that you are very dumb driver who slams into curbs and drives into potholes) you ought to get yourself a good tire hazzard program, otherwise the money comes out of your pocket. BMW's program provides one oil change a year, not four. I'm not sure what $300+ servicing at 7,500 miles he is talking about, since Acura doesn't recommend any service until 10,000 miles. Also, what basic wear and tear is he talking about, and how is that covered by BMW's program?

Basically, if you are really spending $1500 a year to maintain your Acura you are either beating the hell out of your car or you are an idiot who is being taken advantage of by a ruthless dealer. I put 80,000 miles on each of my last two Accords and I didn't spend that over the entire lifetime of either vehicle.

frainc

WOW, I can't understand how anyone spends $1,500 a year on maintenance for an Acura!!!!!

I drive about 15,000 miles a year and get a FREE OIL change every 6,000 miles or so. Thats it, forget about what the dealer wants you to get, as noted, they are looking to make money and I'm looking not to spend it!.

I have a 2003 TLS and a 94 Legend with 165,000 miles and going great.

Hey Helloha, you are throwing away money if you spend that a year.

Lung Fu Mo Shi

So far my maintenance consists of the following:

- 2 Car washes (yes it's a dirty TSX) = $8
- One oil change = $35

For 7500 miles so far since May. Even if I tripled my costs = $130/year.

briny319

I considered that when I was car shopping. I also considered that the maintenance and repairs after 50k would be so much more on a BMW. Not to mention the tsx is so so so much cheaper to begin with. Comparably equipped its about 7k cheaper.

briny319

I've got +14k miles and I've had 3 oil changes (3,000 makes me sleep better) at $25, tire rotation, and paid the dealership to check this that and the other thing (10k service). I've spent about $200 total.

biker

The free service offered by some luxury makes are just marketing gimicks. Since everyone has this pre-conceived notion that maintenance on a luxury vehicle costs an arm and a leg, the makers said "Hey we'll throw it in free with the purchase of the car, make more money and have more sales". I'm a DIY kind of person that can do without the "free" maintenance service and hope Honda/Acura keeps it that way. And as was said in other threads it's not the maintenance/repairs themsleves that are more expensive on a BMW it's just that they happen more often.

fuque

They have this notion because it's true. The last "Inspection II" on my wife's Z3 cost me over $700!

BTW, the maintenance service is not free - the customer pays for every penny of it in the jacked-up price of the car (at inflated dealership rates, no less).

helloha

I have a 97 CL Acura right now with 130k miles now. Thinking to trade in for new one
----------------------
Heard graining noise on brake in April.
Dealers told me that rotor is bad, need to replace + other parts to make it work.. the charge will be $2500 (LOL) the car is worth around 5k in KBB.....
My Starter Died yesterday.. Dealer wants $500 + labor...
Went to local mechanic for that....
My Michelin tire gets goose bump once a while and I have to drive on the highway. So I have to replace one every year..I know TireRack cost $141 for one tire, but dealer wants $280..... This is how Acura operates...
The Average 7500k maintenance service at my Acura Dealer is $250...I think I might get ripped off for years...
That is why I am thinking for the Beemer/Benz for 4year free maintenance plan. And what is covered in this "free" maintenance?

biker

Like I mentioned before BMW's cost for the "free" service is around $1000. The service interval is 15000 miles so in the 50K you get about three service trips. The service depends on the model but figure that on the second or third trip they might do more than just the routine oil change like brakes and other less often maintaned parts.
You can't really compare apples-to-apples here but roughly figure that a typical BMW sticker price includes about $1K worth of maintenance (then marked up accordingly by BMW and the dealer). Anytime you have anything more than something trivial being done to your car you should always shop around or better yet come here and ask. Isn't the Internet great...

KavexTrax

My car is 3 years old by tomorrow.

total maintenance expenses plus cosmetic expenses to date:
$300

divide that by 3 years = $100/yr.

not bad.

There's a different incentive bonus in owning an Acura:
valued priced = low maintenance - no maintenance fee upfront.

Euro luxuries:
high priced = high maintenance + maintenance fee upfront

gilboman

you dont drive much do you?

achchan

First 3 yrs of BMW maintaince is covered by the car's warranty. You don't need to pay a penny to get your car service. The only thing you need to give up is your time. In return, you get a courtesy vehicle that's in your vehicle's class or lower.

I've owned both Honda cars and BMWs, you just can't compare the two. Though they are both just 4 wheels taking ppl around, the reason behind buying the two cars are usually different.

Japanese
- reliable, good driving experience
- best price/performance


European
- prestige, ultimate driving (BMW)

if price wasn't a concern, the choice is always obvious.

95gt

"if price wasn't a concern, the choice is obvious"

is to me. Japanese all the way from your above notes. But price not a concern i think most would opt for the european.

biker

I thought I'd put this tid bit onto this rather old thread.

If you belive Autospies, MB will discontinue the free maintenance starting with the MY2005 cars.

MB maintenance

I wonder if this true and if the others will follow.
How many MB buyers would be affected by this? There must be a good marketing spin behind this.

Speedy_RENAMED

FYI:

Beemer is a BMW motorcycle.
Bimmer is a BMW car.