Can a BMW be serviced under manufacturer’s warranty at BM Cars?

European regulations, allowing cars to be serviced at any point

The most important regulation that every passenger car owner should be familiar with is the directive on automotive dealers and service and spare parts, known by the German acronym GVO.

The GVO Directive No. 461/2010 gives every car owner the right to have their car repaired at an independent service center without losing the manufacturer’s warranty. It also allows the use of non-original parts in repairs – replacements of a quality equivalent to the original.

In its current form, it was introduced in the European Union in 2010. It was created to promote competitiveness in the market, as it allowed unauthorized service centers to operate freely in the automotive sector.

The GVO directive also forced auto manufacturers to provide technical information, including to unauthorized services. As a result, independent service centers have the same diagnostic and technical capabilities, as well as access to documentation, as in authorized service centers – the so-called ASOs.

If an authorized service claims that the manufacturer’s warranty will be lost due to repair in an independent service, we can report such a case to the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.

BMW AG’s driver restraint methods

The introduction of GVO regulations has brought about very big changes in customer service at authorized service centers. Strong competition from the independent market has forced automotive corporations to take measures to hold on to customers, who have begun to move away from expensive ASOs en masse. The BMW AG conglomerate has also begun introducing new methods of customer retention. Service packages of 1 to 5 years limited to a maximum mileage of 200,000 km are offered for every new car sold in Europe.

The packages include free maintenance with materials – oil changes of filters, brake pads and discs as notified by the on-board service system. Of course, the package is priced in such a way that it is not given up when the vehicle is purchased. On the other hand, it is not cost-effective to try to buy the package for a car imported from outside Europe.

An additional method of keeping a BMW user in the ASO network is marketing campaigns aimed at highlighting the virtues of servicing a vehicle in the authorized service network. High standards of customer service, the high quality of maintenance and repairs performed, and the exclusive use of genuine parts and materials are highlighted. Gently silent are the costs with the hope that post-warranty repairs and inspections outside of service packages will also be performed at ASO.

What should I do if an authorized service center cannot fix a defect on my BMW?

During the life of a vehicle, faults happen. If they occur after the warranty, we may end up having to incur a significant expense. ASO does not perform repairs with non-original parts. Also, repairs are not made to components that do not have spare parts available in BMW catalogs. This is the case with gearboxes, rear and front bridges, VTG boxes or controllers.

Such components are replaced at ASO with brand new and only original parts. This generates very high prices. In our services, we always offer customers various repair options. We follow the recommendations of BMW repair documentation, however, we also rely on the documentation of component manufacturers. These include manufacturers of gearboxes, rear and front bridges – ZF Friedrichshafen AG, manufacturers of controllers and electronics – Bosch, Siemens, Continental.

Thanks to such procedures, we are able to repair or remanufacture most of the components of each model of BMW and Mini offering competitive prices compared to ASO.

Does a repair at BM Cars come with the same warranty as an authorized service center?

Two years is the warranty period for all our repairs and parts. We have described the rules of the warranty at BM Cars in detail on our website:

Can all types of BMWs be repaired at BM Cars – under prod. warranty, lease, rental, etc.?

We repair all BMW and Mini models at our service centers, including electric and hybrids. We do not perform warranty repairs under the factory warranty provided by BMW. These repairs can only be done in the authorized service network.

What replacement parts and repair procedures will be used to repair my BMW?

In repairs, we use the manufacturer’s technical documentation and special and diagnostic tools recommended by BMW AG. The repair and diagnostic procedures are the same as at the ASO, however, we have further expanded them to include the possibility of repairing components and controllers using the manufacturers’ documentation for these components.

What makes up the cost of BMW service under warranty at BM Cars?

In accordance with the GVO directive described in the introduction, we can service cars under manufacturer’s warranty. As a result, at our service centers we offer full periodic service – inspections of all models, including those under warranty. The cost of service consists of: the cost of parts and materials (filters, oils, brake pads, discs) and labor costs.

We use parts of the highest quality – corresponding to original parts. At the customer’s request, we also use original BMW parts and materials. There are always 2 variants in our calculations using original parts and substitutes.

We wrote more about how much services cost at BM Cars here:

In what time will my BMW repair at BM Cars be completed?

We perform repairs and inspections in accordance with BMW AG’s procedures within the time they set. When we prepare a service estimate, we inform customers of the expected time of repair or inspection.

What payment methods are available at BM Cars?

The following payment methods are available at BMW Cars services:

1. Cash
2. Credit cards
3. Transfer

How to schedule an appointment?