Q & A on servicing your BMW car in Kenya

  1. How often should a BMW be serviced?
  • If depends if where the vehicle was purchased. The BMWs that were imported from the other countries have different service interval settings.
  • For Kenyan Market, the service interval is 12,000 for Petrol and 15,000 for Diesel. If the BMW was imported from another country, it is recommended that you bring it to the dealer so they can convert the service interval code to the Kenyan specifications.

2. How often should I get an oil change for my BMW?

  • At least once a year or 12,000 KM for petrol and 15,000 for Diesel whichever comes first.

3. What do the different BMW dash warning lights mean? Can I use them to know what my car needs?

  • Yes and No, for service warning lights you can tell if what needs to be done on the vehicle and no for some warning lights it’s a must that the car needs to be connected to the BMW Diagnostic Machine and to be checked by qualified/certified BMW technician.

4. Do I have to take my BMW to an authorized dealer for service? What is the difference between them and my local garage?

  • Yes, it is better to take your vehicle to the authorized dealer as the technical staff were trained by the manufacturer and you can guarantee that the parts were fitted on the vehicle are genuine parts.
  • Some of the local garages do not have a machine to reset the service and most of the time they install non-genuine parts which can cause major damage to the vehicle.
  • Sometimes the local garage will tell you that it is a genuine part even it’s not as a customer you can’t tell if the parts are genuine only the authorised dealer or trained personnel can tell you if they are genuine parts. Nowadays the counterfeit parts are hard to identify because sometimes the packaging is almost similar to the genuine packaging but the authorized dealer can easily identify the difference.

5. Is there a recommended way to keep my car clean and ensure that its

surfaces aren’t damaged?

Yes and No,

  • Clean up a spill right away
  • Keep a dustbin in the car so you don’t have to gather up trash later
  • If necessary, use a cup holders’ liner to prevent the liquid from reaching your car and not to make your holders sticky
  • Use BMW Air freshener
  • Keep a package of wet wipes to spill easily
  • Keep your shoes clean before climbing in
  • Do not let your belonging pile up in the back seat or in the luggage compartment.
  • Use an organizer
  • Keep loose change organized — sometimes it can cause rattling noise and you might think that there is an issue on your vehicle and also it can cause corrosion when it gets in contact with the vehicle
  • Wash your car at least every 10 days but it depends on the vehicle conditions. Sometimes it is obvious when your car needs a wash.
  • If you take your car for a wash, make sure that they also wash the underbody of the car to prevent from rusting.
  • Apply anti-rust at least once in every 5 years.
  • It is better the car to be washed in the authorized dealer as they know on how to clean it properly and they were trained by the manufacturer.
  • Use a car cover.
  • Apply a ceramic coating.

6. After how many KMs, should you take your car for a minor service? What is the recommended service interval?

  • Service to be carried at approx. 12,000KM for petrol and approx. 15,000 for diesel.
  • BMW doesn’t have a minor or major service; the car itself will tell you what service needs to be done but the environmental condition should be considered. Like in Kenya it is dusty so it’s advisable to take your car to the authorized dealer to identify potential major problems that may arise.

7. Are the spare parts locally sourced?

  • No, we imported all our spare parts from Germany.

8. Why should I bring my car for minor service, yet I can do a major overhaul at one go?

  • BMW does not have a minor or major service. BMW uses an intelligent system that can monitor the service requirements “Condition Based System”.
  • It is also better to bring your car for *minor service* to identify potential problems before they become real ones.

9. How long does the service take?

  • It depends on the model and design of the engine. For oil service alone, normally it takes approx. 30 minutes, but it depends on the situation because sometimes you may find that the drain was stuck, and you need to spend time to remove it. Also, sometimes if the system were manipulated it’s not easy to reset the service. If the other filters need to be changed it will take approx. 4 hours. (air filter/s, microfilters, spark plugs, coolant top-up, washer fluid cleaner, bleeding the cooling system, testing vehicle, vehicle check and complimentary car wash.