$118 for an Oil Change?

Sorry I am new to BMWs so sorry if this is a stupid question. This is my first oil change on a BMW.

I am totally not a DIY person as I am a girl and would rather pay a bit more to get things done. So I live in Los Angeles and an Indy wants to charge me $118 for an oil change on my 2001 530i. Does the price seem right?

Thats overpriced if you ask me.. But you did mention you like pay more to get things done so idk...

Sounds high, but might be about right for L.A. The synthetic oil costs around $40, the filter $15. One hour of labor and you have ~$118.
If you're concerned about this price, call your local BMW dealer and ask what they would charge.

If that price includes oil, (Mobil 0w40) and filter kit, it's a fair price.

Just my opinion based on prices here in Australia.

Originally Posted by airplanelover

I am totally not a DIY person as I am a girl and would rather pay a bit more to get things done. So I live in Los Angeles and an Indy wants to charge me $118 for an oil change on my 2001 530i. Does the price seem right?

It's cheap.

Severe, one hour of labor is more than that in CA my friend. My shop is 140/hr. But any shop that bills an hour of labor for an oil change should be reprimanded.

OP, it's about what an oil change costs these days. It's pricey, but it is what it is.

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Cheap.
You can be sure Dealers charges twice as much.
The thing you got to realize is that BMW and most other European car's oil change last 5 times as long as regular(Japanese) cars.

Originally Posted by E36 Phantom

Severe, one hour of labor is more than that in CA my friend. My shop is 140/hr. But any shop that bills an hour of labor for an oil change should be reprimanded.

OP, it's about what an oil change costs these days. It's pricey, but it is what it is.

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Wow, we're about half that here in PA. Most indies are $70-$80.

i pay 40 for oil, 10 for OEM filter, and $22 for labor. Usually about $75 total. That's buying all the materials myself and just going to my local oil change spot. I basically just get the $22 oil change but I tell them I don't want their oil & filter, I want them to use MY oil & filter and i'll still be glad to pay the full amount. One time I had a place tell me "its $22 if we use our cheap oil but its $45 if you bring in your own oil" (snot nosed kid who obviously knows nothing about business) I told them to kick rocks

last time I checked my local BMW dealer and Mini dealer wanted $169. I'd try maybe buying your own oil and filter and paying them like $40 or $50 labor. But if you're not a DIY... why are you within 10' of a E39? That's a good way to end up in the poor house.

u should have asked him if he wanted u to bend over and spread your cheeks cause that price is ridiculous

In MD indy is around $80 with Mobil1 5w30 & Mann filter. Your quoted sum sounds high to me personally but may be cheap or ok in your area. I get my 7 quarts of 0w40 Mobil1 at Walmart for $6.97/quart and Mann filter from Amazon for $6.50 and DIY. Could have helped ya out if I was near. Maybe a forum member here can look out and help you with the change?

Originally Posted by airplanelover

Sorry I am new to BMWs so sorry if this is a stupid question. This is my first oil change on a BMW.

I am totally not a DIY person as I am a girl and would rather pay a bit more to get things done. So I live in Los Angeles and an Indy wants to charge me $118 for an oil change on my 2001 530i. Does the price seem right?

tell your boyfriend to get under the car and change the oil for you!!

actually you can buy one of those oil extractors so you dont even need to get under the car.

I have something like this.. http://www.autosportcatalog.com/gara...-extractor.cfm

the only thing you will need to do is change the filter which is on the top of the car. so you probably wont even get your hands dirty. I usually get my oil from costco when its onsale for like $30 for a case of 6 . and the filters are like $5.

so you figure about $35 worth of parts and your time or pay someone $120 ? you do the math.

Originally Posted by flyboyy

tell your boyfriend to get under the car and change the oil for you!!

This.

If you don't have a boyfriend I'm sure some forum members are looking and would appreciate some pics. lol jk (but seriously)

Originally Posted by jose6789

u should have asked him if he wanted u to bend over and spread your cheeks cause that price is ridiculous

I agree it is expensive, but that is a totally fair price in most of California. In my experience most indies will ask for a little more. Oil change is an easy DIY to save money, especially is CA. I'm sure you can shop around and pay less though.

Based on pricing here that is an okay price if using good synthetic oil.

One point I would make is that you should get your car serviced rather than just an oil change. That is a better inspection of all the fluids, suspension, brakes and little things like lubing the door catches and changing wiper blades.

I only do small DIYs (I feel proud when I fixed my vapor seals...) So I have my car serviced to pick up problems I know I can't solve.

Depending upon your location, $118 is within the going range for oil changes, if they use synthetic oil (~$5-6/qt).

But here's something to consider since you are a new e39 owner and currently not a DIYer. Buying a used e39 is quite affordable. Not so much, maintaining this car. The cost of e39 maintenance can be exhorbitant if you pay for ALL of your service. This forum is an excellent resource for troubleshooting issues (so that you don't get ripped off) and helpful DIYs for many maintenance needs of your car. The e39 is one of the last cars that people can actually perform maintenance on. Even if you have never ever picked up a wrench, I would suggest that learning to do so would be extremely gratifying and cost effective. Even if you just did simple things, like an oil change, you could save hundreds of $$ that could be put towards other maintenance that you would never consider doing.

For an oil change, you do not even need to get UNDER the car. For a $50 investment, you could buy a Mity-Vac and suck the oil out of the dipstick tube. The oil filter is right on top and takes 5 minutes to replace. Add 7 quarts of oil and you are done. The entire process can be done in 20 minutes.

Whatever you choose, good luck on the "new" car.

Impress some men and DIY! With the oil filter on top, its probably the easiest oil change one can do on their own. Your dad will be proud of you!

Originally Posted by airplanelover

Sorry I am new to BMWs so sorry if this is a stupid question. This is my first oil change on a BMW.

I am totally not a DIY person as I am a girl and would rather pay a bit more to get things done. So I live in Los Angeles and an Indy wants to charge me $118 for an oil change on my 2001 530i. Does the price seem right?

special they run every month includes BMW "synthetic" oil, filter & labor

Sounds right on the money. Those tiny little 6 cylinders require almost 7 quarts of high quality oil and may even require an additional quart every 3000 to 6000 miles after the change.

Around my way, its anywhere from $100-$150 so that sounds about right, assuming it includes parts and labor.

Oil $40
Filter $12
Labor 15 easy minutes
Not having to tow your car and helicoil the oil pan after the quickie-lube-monkey strips the drain plug = priceless!

Originally Posted by jburnham

Oil $40
Filter $12
Labor 15 easy minutes
Not having to tow your car and helicoil the oil pan after the quickie-lube-monkey strips the drain plug = priceless!

I am not sure where people can find oil (7 quarts) for 40 bucks. Mobil 1 0W40 is close to 8 bucks with tax, so is Castrol 0W30. If my math is right, oil alone will cost close to 60 bucks. Of course, dino oils are much cheaper, but you have to change it more frequent.

Here on the east coast all BMW or close to are offering oil changes for 79.95. And a little more If its an SUV. 118 is what I paid before the specials been offered though so I'd still say its a good deal.

Check on your local BMW's web site under specials and look for oil change special there might be something they are offering for your area.

Indys, try local BMW dealer in pa I pay 79.95. All about watching their website and getting the discounts. I paid more at the Indy then I did BMW. And I always get a nice loaner for the day which is a positive

Originally Posted by severe530i

Wow, we're about half that here in PA. Most indies are $70-$80.