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Receive our e-newsletter for discounts, trackdays and more. 24/04/2008 24/04/2008 |
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Here at Bexley Motor Works we are able to service all BMW and Mini cars to the same high level as you would expect from a main dealer. By following the BMW guidelines, employing BMW trained staff, using genuine BMW parts and oils your factory warranty is upheld and the service history is maintained. For example, as part of a typical inspection service at Bexley Motor Works, M-Power cars that have adjustable valve clearances (not all do, i.e. E39 M5 does not) will require an overnight stay in our workshop. This is so that we can do the valve clearances when the engine is stone cold; allowing accurate measurement and optimised adjustment. This is an important part of the service and can vastly improve your driving pleasure when they are set correctly. On a further note about servicing, BMW in their wisdom choose to use "lifetime oil" in their gearboxes and differentials. Of course, this reduces cost of ownership for the first owner; coupled with the extended service intervals it's possible to buy a brand new BMW, keep it for 3 years, keep the mileage down: and you'll never need to visit a BMW dealer again until you come to trade it in. However, even the most hardy of oils are subject to fatigue over their working lifetime; meaning their lubrication effectiveness can decrease dramatically. We do not believe these oils last the life time of the car and recommend you should plan to have it changed approximately every 50,000 miles. Being mechanically sympathetic every now and then will prolong the lifetime of your BMW, as well as giving you that extra bargaining chip to play with if/when you decide to sell. It’s important to get your car serviced by a reputable and knowledgeable specialist. Some vehicles require not only an oil and filter change, maybe a set of spark plugs or other ‘consumable’ parts, but require extras which are not on the *standard service list. For example, the E36 M3 Evolution requires a new vanos filter and throttle switch on the Inspection II service, which all too often gets over looked. Our labour rate is £60+VAT which is less than half which our local BMW main dealer charges; a staggering £136+VAT. Please contact us to book your BMW in for a service. Engine Diagnostics With our dealer level diagnostic computer, oscilloscope, rolling road facilities and a great deal of experience (BMW trained and nearly 60 years combined) we are able to diagnose the majority of problems in a short period of time. We also have in our armoury of diagnostic equipment a new smoke machine, not the disco/party type, but an automotive tool that we couple up to the engine, induction system, exhaust etc and in no time at all we are able to visibly see if you have an air leak of some description. This may sound a bit overkill and unnecessary, as the old method (and currently used by many garages), was to spray a combustible fluid over the inlet track; if there was an air leak then the engine note and speed would change; thus indicating a leak. The problem with this method on the current generation and onwards of BMWs is that the engine’s management systems tend to compensate so fast that only the largest of air leaks can be found by this method. Usually an air leak this large can be audible as a loud hiss. Quite often a car will come in to us with the engine fault light on. The diagnostic report will say something like, “Lambda correction out of range, running too lean”. This is generally caused by a very slight air leak over a period of time which can only be pinpointed with a smoke machine. Please contact us to book your BMW in for a diagnostic check. Driving Diagnostics As you may or may not know, it’s not only the engine that suffers from the occasional fault. It could be gearbox, differential, wheel bearing; perhaps a strange noise or vibration has brought itself to your attention. Is your car perhaps pulling to the left or right? We have a great deal of BMW driving experience and have been lucky enough to drive almost all of the BMW range on repeatable occasions, so we’re very well versed in how your car should and should not drive. If it doesn’t drive as it should then we'll be able to explain why and explain a remedy. Please contact us to book your BMW in for a diagnostic check. Braking Diagnostics We can diagnose your braking problems too. Quite often brakes are misdiagnosed, i.e. wheel vibration. This is normally caused by a wheel balance issue, but if this has been eliminated, then there is a possibly that a brake calliper is sticking on; as the heat increases the brake disc will deform out of shape (warp) and cause vibration through to the cabin and it’s input devises (the pedals and steering wheel etc). Brake disc wear and warping are a major issue since asbestos brake pads were abolished. The replacement material is much harsher to the disc. Although the materials are improving the discs still get a much harder life. On average a brake disc will need replacing every second set of brake pads. If your brake discs have not worn too much but are causing a vibration then we can skim the discs (while on the car) with a Brake Lathe. This impressive piece of kit machines both sides of the brake discs at the same time; thus making them true to the hub. The result: all vibrations are eliminated and brake-pedal feel is restored. Often overlooked is the brake fluid. It sits unassumingly in its little reservoir under the bonnet doing, the often un-thanked, arduous task of transferring pressure from the brake pedal down to the brakes; allowing the brake pads and discs do their job, at this end the fluid is subject to some very high temperatures. The fluid itself is hydroscopic, which means it absorbs moisture from the air. Unfortunately this means that the “wetter” the fluid gets the less capable it is of doing its job properly. On this note the brake fluid should be changed annually on all M Power cars and bi-annually on all other cars. Please contact us to book your BMW in for a diagnostic check. Air Conditioning The air conditioning in your BMW works hard all year to keep the driver and passengers comfortable. It is an easily overlooked and taken for granted system. Here at Bexley Motor Works, we can give your air conditioning system the service it needs. If you have an unpleasant musty odour when you first start up your car, you’ll require a disinfecting of the evaporator and vents, as the smell is caused by a build up of bacteria in this area. If the blower struggles to push out any air then you might have a blocked micro filter. This filter removes up to 80% of dust and pollen, making the cabin a more pleasant place to be. If your car is struggling to keep you cool in the summer or struggling to demist the windscreen in the winter then you will need the air-conditioning gas checked. When doing this we’ll check for leaks, put in the correct amount of gas for the vehicle in along with fresh oil for the pump and a dye which will help trace a leak should the unfortunate happen. Please contact us to book your BMW in for a air conditioning service. 4 Wheel Alignment Often over looked, very often confused with “tracking” and all too often done incorrectly. Wheel alignment is the direction your wheels are pointing in relative to the centre line of the car. Why is it important? There are many reasons to have it checked and made sure its all correctly adjusted. Firstly: safety. If the alignment is not correct, the cars handling can be adversely affected, quite often the ASC/DSC (Automatic Stability Control / Dynamic Stability Control) light will flash on much more often than it should. Fuel economy: with the tyres out of alignment they will be fighting to go in any direction except in the direction you want. This will cause greater fuel consumption, almost like driving with your foot rested on the brake pedal. The obvious one, tyre wear: With a set of tyres costing from £400 to sums in excess of £1000 for a set it makes economical sense to make sure your alignment is correct to minimise tyre wear and prolong tyre life. Gone are the days where you can place a pair of tracking
gauges to the front wheels of the car, have the toe adjusted and consider
it done. Doing that will only set the front wheels correct with each other
and will have no bearing in relation to the back wheels or the centre line
of the vehicle. To do it correctly the car needs to have the ride height
set to manufacturer’s specification; this is normally done by adding
weight to the car until the car sits correctly. The targets are then
carefully attached to the wheels and the alignment process begins. Please contact us to book your BMW in for alignment. *We use the words standard service list in the context of a general
service you would get from a general servicing garage, i.e. oil, air, pollen
filters, plugs etc. |
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