BMW Roadworthiness & Emissions tests REALLY necessary so soon?

Compudaro

My e90 isn't quite 2 years old yet but the service indicator tells me I'm due a "Roadworthiness" Test and an Emissions Test in December. I'm wondering are these tests ACTUALLY necessary given that the car is so young and couldn't I just have the service indicator reset until this time next year? Or are they vital and should I be parting with my (hard-earned!) cash to have them done?

Opinions appreciated.

Thanks.

rebel.ranter

Hi,
BMW has a condition based system of calculating when the car needs servicing & maintenance. This means that the car works out when it needs a service based on litres of fuel consumed, average enginer operating temperature, mileage completed, average RPM, etc*.

Also time is not really a good indicator of when a car needs a service. some of the cars we have in work will have 40,000km on them in that period. For an even more extreme example the Irish Examiner delivery vans need a service every month with the amount of driving they do every day.

Also a car that only sees city driving needs more regular oil changes than a motorway mile muncher due to it operating at below optimum temperatures for most of the journey.

Car manufacturers have to assume that the average motorist does not really understand the ins & outs of motor maintenance. By setting a suitable service interval they try to strike a balance between economical & essential service intervals. Even a car that has been parked up for mot of those two years could have suffered damage due to weather, e.g. rusted metal pipes or deteriorated rubber hoses.

The only problem is that when the car goes into the garage do all the necessary checks get carried out? It is all very well some pencil pusher in a BMW office in Germany setting out the requirements but to the dealer on the ground who is under pressure to get cars though the process it can be a tal order not to cut corners. Especially when you consider that the actual guy on the ground is probably not getting paid enough & is probably asked to push this through quicky.


* (I could be slightly wrong with some of the inputs but your get the general idea).

bazz26

If the car is still under warranty I would be inclined to get it done.

mickdw

This doesnt sound like a service reminder. It seems to be a general NCT/MOT reminder based on time alone. We dont require these test til the car is 4 years old though. Ring BMW & ask what is this about.

Anan1

I had this on my mother's E90, it's just a quick check & reset. Apparently it would have cost €100, but she has service inclusive so it was FOC.