M3 Servicing

I live in Canada and am very close to buying a new M3 from a US dealership and shipping up here but have a question about the servicing needs during the break in period and thereafter. The reason for buying from the US versus a local Canadian dealership is cost. The base MSRP in Canada for the M3 is approximately USD 65,000 - albeit the base model in Canada is fairly loaded up and includes what in the US is sold as the premium package, cold weather package, xenon's and the HK sound. Having said all that, including shipping, Canadian duty and comparing like cars to like, I can save around USD 7-8,000 buying from the US.

Now the Canadian dealerships all know this but apparently BMW USA and BMW Canada have agreement to prevent selling into each others turf and therefore what I am doing is "frowned upon" by BMW Canada - boohoo.

One wrinkle is that the Canadian dealerships will not honor the servicing that is normally included with the purchase of a new BMW. Therefore my question is - how extensive and expensive are the servicing needs of a new M3? What is the break in process and how extensive, if any, is the dealer servicing during the break in.

I have not owned BMW before and any assistance would be appreciated. Thanks.

At 1,200 miles -- engine oil change, transmission oil change, rear axle oil change

Thereafter, per the service interval indicator -- oil change at 15,000 miles, inspection I at 30,000, another oil change at 45,000 and inspection II at 60,000, etc. (mileages approximate)

But -- If you drive the car less than 15,000 miles per year, minimum service interval at one year. So if you've only driven the car 5,000 miles at the one year point, BMWNA will change the oil for you. And a year later, at 10,000 miles, again. Then at the 3 year mark you would presumably have 15,000 miles and it would be time for the first oil service per the indicator.

But...aren't there other issues? You would need to take the car to a US dealer for any warranty work, including potentially flatbedding it in the event of a serious problem if the car could not be driven.

It's expensive.

Thanks for the info. Servicing doesn't sound onerous. Regarding warranty issues, what I understand is that there is no problem with the manufacturer warranty and obtaining warranty service from the Canadian dealerships, its only the servicing costs that aren't covered. I assume the costs for warranty work goes back to the BMW mothership but servicing costs are borne by the national arms.

I agree though that if the warranty didn't transfer, it would all be a dumb idea.