I am Bob Wood a customer of Bavarian Motor Experts of Hawaii.

I learned some very interesting things when I brought my BMW X5 into BME the other day and they asked me to share with you what I learned on this video clip. My Factory Warranty has expired on the BMW and in fact the Extended warranty as expired as well.
Because of the high cost of maintenance and repair of BMWs no longer under warranty, I sometimes bring our X5 into Jiffy Lube to have the oil changed and I sometimes have the local 76 station do some basic work on the car when I need it.

What I learned from talking to the guys at BME is that a Specialty Shop is a better than Jiffy Lube or my local general auto repair shop for several reasons:

1. BMW’s require Synthetic Oil which BME tells me last for 1 full year without the need to change it. Jiffy Lube uses synthetic oils because they are required to, but they put that sticker on your window that is a reminder to change the oil again in 3 months or 3000 miles. BME says this is completely unnecessary. The Jiffy Lube synthetic oil lasts for 1 year as well, but they don’t want you to know that, so they will encourage to change your oil every 3 months or 3000 miles no matter what kind of oil is used. You would think that a specialty shop for BMW’s like BME would be more expensive than Jiffy Lube, but they are not, especially when you need to pay for 4 oil changes a year at Jiffy Lube to 1 at BME.

2. Garages like Jiffy Lube and other non-specialty garages like my local 76 station do not have the capability to reset the BMW counters for service. These cars are so sophisticated these days and it is important for the car to communicate to the mechanics when different services are needed etc. BME has the capability to reset the counters.

3. BME has a very sophisticated diagnostics machine that is very expensive and exclusive to authorized BMW service and repair shops. They have BMW software that runs the equipment and helps mechanics troubleshoot problems with your BMW or MINI. General Auto Repair shops do not have this level of sophistication and expertise to diagnose and repair quickly and accurately.

4. BME and has all the special BMW and MINI tools that are required for repair and maintenance of all model BMWs and MINIs. Quick Oil change shops and general repair shops do not normally have specialty tools and therefore they can damage parts by using the wrong tools. Having the proper tools also makes the job go along much quicker so there is time savings and cost savings involved with a specialty shop as well.

5. Finally, you always know you are getting genuine BMW parts for any repairs to your BMW or MINI at BME when other shops may use 3rd party aftermarket parts or rebuilt parts.

To me, it makes a lot more sense and saves money and time by using a BMW specialty shop like BME.