6 Common BMW Maintenance Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
You paid a lot for your bimmer. It would be a shame to let such a high-value car go to waste.
But that's exactly what will happen if you neglect your BMW's regular maintenance. Your car won't run well anymore and its resale value will take a nose-dive.
And yet, surprisingly, BMW maintenance mistakes are quite common. But don't worry; we're going to spare you this unfortunate fate by teaching you the common maintenance pitfalls to watch out for.
If you're careful to follow our advice, you'll extend the life of your BMW and preserve its value. Read on to learn about 6 of the most common BMW maintenance mistakes.
1. Forgetting About Oil Changes
Car maintenance doesn't get any more basic than this. All cars need their oil changed every 3,000 miles or 3-6 months, whichever comes first.
It's very bad news for your engine if you neglect this maintenance, as many BMW owners do. The dirty oil will wear down and eventually break your engine.
2. Not Checking Your Fluids
One of the best things about getting a professional oil change is that they typically check the other important fluid levels, too. If you do your own oil changes, you'll need to check these out yourself. For example, if your bimmer gets too low on brake fluid, transmission fluid, or coolant, it can cause serious damage to your car or even get you into an accident.
3. Forgetting to Check Tire Pressure
Tire pressure changes with the temperature outside. If the pressure gets too low, it will wear down your tires faster and could cause a blowout. So, always check your tire pressure when the seasons change and before, during, and after a long road trip.
4. Forgetting to Rotate Your Tires
Getting your tires rotated or even doing it yourself isn't difficult. And doing so at appropriate intervals will extend the life of your tires and reduce the risk of a blowout. Specifically, you should do this every 5,000-8,000 miles.
5. Not Changing Your Brake Pads Soon Enough
Don't ignore that squeaky noise/loud shriek that happens every time you brake. That's the warning sound that your brake pads are getting too low. If you don't change it soon enough, you'll damage the brake rotors.
Brake pads are cheap and changing them is easy enough that you can do it yourself. Replacing the rotors, on the other hand, is neither cheap nor easy.
Also, your brake pads won't always make a warning sound. So check them every time you rotate your tires to get an idea of what condition they're in.
6. Not Changing the Air Filters When You Need To
Air filters are also cheap and extremely easy to replace. And, as you may have guessed, failure to do so will result in big, expensive problems.
For example, waiting too long to change your cabin air filter may wear out your car's air conditioner. And a clogged engine air filter lowers your fuel economy and wears out your engine.
Don't Make These BMW Maintenance Mistakes
After reading this, you may have discovered that you've already been neglecting some of the proper maintenance. Make sure you rectify this immediately. Then, follow the above advice to avoid making these BMW maintenance mistakes in the future.
On the other hand, it's possible that poor maintenance has already caused you to need replacement parts. If so, check out our products catalog here for whatever part it is you need.
