The case of the missing service history for Mr M’s BMW 140M
The German BMW 140M is an exciting hot hatch that has had many forms in its short life. The highest spec of this performance hatch, the 140M has performance parts fitted all round to make it even more exciting.
When we were handed such a rare breed in our BMW garage, we were surprised to see its service history, or lack thereof. A host of mistakes from other dealers or mechanics are costly in the vehicle’s longevity and its resale value. Not keeping up to date with services can void warranties and increase component wear which could lead to catastrophic failures down the road. Especially if the belts had not been replaced or the incorrect spark plugs were used etc.
This 140M was brought into our workshop by the owner Mr M who needed it serviced after the warning message appeared on his dash. Delaying this any further would raise questions when Mr M wants to sell the prestigious BMW as gaps in the history can suggest previous owners hadn’t taken care of it properly, trying to save money in the short term by neglecting the cars serviceable parts.
The advanced turbocharged 3.0L unit in this M140i is a powerful unit, providing the rear wheels with 340hp and tonnes of torque. As a BMW specialist we know BMW engine designers worked tirelessly to perfect this masterpiece and owners need to take good care of it by performing regular services to the book and checking fluid levels regularly.
Now in Mr M’s case, his 140M had all the necessary BMW services and they all had taken place. He provided evidence of this with receipts and logbook history to back up his claims. What hadn’t been updated was his BMW’s online service history. Luckily, our experienced BMW garage technicians were here to help using their knowledge.
Fixing The Lack of Service History
Here at Fitch Autos, we are a BMW specialist that pride ourselves in serving each customer to the highest standards. This means we go through a strict fault-finding procedure that each of our technicians are experts in following. Combining this with the expertise of our workforce, faults are found and fixed quickly. As BMW specialists we service all models – petrol, diesel, hybrid, EVs, family saloons, SUVs and performance vehicles such as the BMW 140M Service that Mr M handed over for us to perform.
We cater for all major premium car brands, being not only BMW garage, we have invested in our team to ensure that they have the skills, information, and equipment necessary to work on all premium marques.
This investment in skills and technology is vital as not all cars communicate with one system. In this case our BMW specialist technician turned to ISTA, the technology solution that BMW dealers use. It’s not something that every garage has access to, but Fitch Autos, as an authorised BMW garage, do. Connecting ISTA to Mr M’s BMW was performed carefully by our expert BMW service technicians to not cause any faults in systems or wrongly input vehicle history.
This tool is also paired with the BMW servers that store all newer BMWs service history. In Mr M’s case, the information on BMW’s online system had been missing. Whether previous service centres did not update the records, BMW themselves forgot this important step, or there was a fault in BMWs systems that somehow deleted the history, we will never know.
What our technicians could do from here was update the system to accurately portray the vehicle’s history, leaving Mr M with a fully up to date BMW with the correct service schedules shown on the vehicle and BMWs online servers.
But this was only one (albeit unexpected and important) part of Mr M’s visit to us. The original request was to simply have a routine BMW service. But our technicians had expertly identified this lack of history and made sure Mr M was left with his car up to date.
Performing the Service on Mr M’s BMW
When Mr M came into our BMW garage, he wanted a routine BMW service performed on his incredibly quick M140i. This involves changing all the serviceable parts such as the oil, filter (both cabin and air), spark plugs and checking other components. Also performed were fluid level checks, diagnostics, and a complete air condition service by our air condition specialists here at Fitch Autos.
Each serviceable part needs to be replaced every 10,000 miles, every year, whichever comes sooner. As BMW specialists, we saw Mr M’s 140M had just over 33,000 miles on the clock. Our technicians were pleased to see there were at least 2 previous pieces of evidence of past services.
BMW Servicing is a regular occurrence at Fitch Autos and our team of experts were able to source the correct parts and fluid, fit them and get Mr M back on his way as soon as possible. Using a combination of the vehicle handbook and our technician’s knowledge, they were able to source parts straight away.
What needed to be added was all the previous services that had been missing from the vehicle. Now our expert BMW service technicians were on hand to carefully input the service history. From converting paper records to digital records, we were able to do this with our careful attention to detail.
After performing all the service tasks, our technicians added the most recent recorded BMW service to the vehicle to complete the setup of what Mr M originally came in for.
Attending to Every Customer
It is possible that other garages may not be as thorough with their checks to find the missing BMW service records, Mr M came to us at Fitch Auto knowing that his car would be serviced in a timely and thorough manner using the correct parts that manufacturers recommend.
Not only were we able to undertake Mr M’s BMW M140i service in one day, but we also noticed the missing service records which our experienced technicians realised were not appearing on BMW platforms. Correcting it at the same time as servicing meant no more days in the workshop than if Mr Fitch were to come in just for a BMW specialist service.
Without any service records, the car could not be verified as being properly maintained. A lot of dealerships only take online service records of vehicles before they are willing to purchase them, and without Mr M’s BMW being registered as having received all the services it should have, it would be considered a risk for any used car buyer and could be sold for a lot less than its true value. It could also have resulted in the BMW manufacturer warranty becoming void.
Our BMW specialist technicians worked tirelessly to get Mr M’s car back on the road, with fresh oil, filters, air conditioning, spark plugs, and fluids topped up.
Our BMW specialist technicians are the best in Brownhills. Which is why at Fitch Autos, we see hundreds of customers each month and have the knowledge to fix any BMW fault. Each of our technicians are specially trained in servicing, mechanical, electrical and air conditioning issues and more.
Every customer is taken through what our technicians find out about their vehicle. Including which parts have been replaced and checked. With a breakdown of costs used in the BMW service process. We at Fitch Autos only use the genuine or high-quality equivalent recommended parts for our vehicle servicing too, leaving no stone left unturned. That’s why so many of our customers rely on us to maintain and fix their car.
If you need your BMW servicing, contact us today on 01543 401 257 to book an appointment. Our BMW specialists are here to help.
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