No service for 3/4 years - should I buy?

[Dylan123]

Hi,

I'm currently looking to buy a 2015 320d. This will be the first car I buy myself as I have been using my GF's car the last couple of years.

The car looks like its in great shape and everything seems to be working well and there is also an aftermarket warranty plan.

The only issue i'm having is that between 1/26/2017 and October 2020 the car was not serviced.

The dealer (A reputable one) said the car was barely driven during this time and that is the reason no services were done then - it currently has about 115 000 km on it.

I'm just trying to find out if I should stay away due to the lack of servicing, or if it will be fine to go ahead with purchasing the car.
The latest service on Oct 2020 was done at BMW.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Tinuva]

When a car stood still that long, you usually want to replace the following, so find out if these items were replaced:

- engine oil (possibly also gearbox)
- tyres
- anything else that sludge or het hard with time

If the car is driving right now, as in you can go for a test drive, that would be a good sign.

But other than that, its really difficult to figure out what could go wrong, as there a lot of components that just sat.

 

[KPM3_30]

I would be wary and triple check everything lines up.. My brother was looking for a F30 LCi and was going to purchase from a BMW dealer, I did some homework and the car turned out to be an ex rental car with missed services and mileage tampering..

If the car is coming in at a good price and you willing to go ahead, make sure you have mechanic give the car a once over on the test drive.. Technically it only missed one service, based on the 2 year/20k CBS..

 

[Dylan123]

Thanks for the help, this is  what was done on the latest service and it has relatively new tires.

Unfortunately I can't test drive as it is across the country. Would you recommend just staying away without being able to test drive it?

 

[msm]

I'm not saying this is the case for this car, but be very wary of this.

In the past, I've come across 2 cars that had huge gaps such as this. Both of them had their mileage "corrected", with no history for 2-3 years. However, upon some digging, found out that the car was indeed serviced, but at much higher mileage than the car was sitting with.
 
On one, I found an old invoice hidden in the manual when going through the car. The car was serviced, but the invoice showed the higher mileage, which was a giveaway. It looks like the dealer took all the invoices out, but clearly missed one. 

For the other, I went to a BMW dealer to verify history and they actually had a record of an out of motorplan service at the higher mileage. 

BTW, the F30 would still trigger a service light due to time if not driven, so highly unlikely it would go for that long without a service. If I recall, it's 24 months max, even if not driven.

 

[madness_inc]

Nope. Red flag.

 

[VinceM]

If it has 115 000 km and it’s 2015 model,
There should be history.

Check via I drive under the vehicle status, on top is service history. By check I mean ask them to take a picture for you.
Surely should have been under plan for most of its life (2015-2020), 2021 just started,
Ask when exactly in 2020 the motor plan ended.

I think what they could be saying is that there is not paper recorded service on hand / in books as BMW doesn’t do that anymore on never cars. My 2014 320i F30 had every service recorded onto the car and accessible via idrive.


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If there is no service recorded on the car between that time frame, I’d say stay away!


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[KarshS]

aftermarket warranty will not cover if you cant prove that the car was serviced at a bmw dealer/RMI workshop as per the vehicles service intervals.

 

[TBP88]

sounds dodgy as hell? This car should have just ended plan if it's a 2015 with just north of 100k km...

 

[AdiS]

What was the mileage at the time it was last serviced in 2017?

 

[Dylan123]

Not sure the mileage when it was serviced in 2017.

But according to the VIN the motor plan should have only run out 29/01/2020.

And the last service under motor plan was 26/1/2017 - With the next recorded service being done on Oct 2020

The aftermarket warranty was taken out on 20/11/2019.


It is from a Group 1 Dealer - which from my understanding is a reputable dealer, but just want to make sure i don't have any major issues with it.

 

[VinceM]

Walking away might be a wise decision,

You’d be surprised that with patience a better car might pop up.

All the best!


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[Riaad]

Not sure the mileage when it was serviced in 2017.

But according to the VIN the motor plan should have only run out 29/01/2020.

And the last service under motor plan was 26/1/2017 - With the next recorded service being done on Oct 2020

The aftermarket warranty was taken out on 20/11/2019.


It is from a Group 1 Dealer - which from my understanding is a reputable dealer, but just want to make sure i don't have any major issues with it.

Red Flag without a doubt.

BMW would have voided the Motorplan due to missed services (like mentioned above, a warning light get triggered after 24 months) .

What was the mileage at the last motorplan service (26/1/2017) ? 

also...no reason to take out an aftermarket warranty when there is an active plan on the vehicle.

Maybe send a link to the ad for this vehicle ?

 

[Dylan123]

https://www.gumtree.co.za/a-cars-ba...h-118000km-for-sale/1008684183080910355509509
Here's the link for the ad.
Vin: WBA3D360X0NS48170

Yeah, maybe I should leave it and wait for something I can get a better look at

 

[henriZA]

Don't do it. Be patient and wait for something better. You'll also struggle to sell this one day when the time comes.

 

[KPM3_30]

https://www.gumtree.co.za/a-cars-ba...h-118000km-for-sale/1008684183080910355509509
Here's the link for the ad.
Vin: WBA3D360X0NS48170

Yeah, maybe I should leave it and wait for something I can get a better look at

There is a forum member's F30 320d for sale. A year older, with higher mileage but motorsport and has the performance kit from BMW.

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=94754

 

[Shay_235]

If the plan was valid until 2021, why was the service in Oct 2020 not covered under plan? If the vehicle lost its plan, you need to find out why. But overall I’d also say red flag.

 

[Nomad77]

Maybe I'm being paranoid but is that bonnet gap not looking fishy? It looks pretty big and the the gap on either sides aren't the same.

 

[Dylan123]

Maybe I'm being paranoid but is that bonnet gap not looking fishy? It looks pretty big and the the gap on either sides aren't the same.

Yeah, thats actually also something I noticed! Was going to ask about that too :roflol:

They say its accident free, but yeah the gap does look a bit suspicious

 

[///M Individual]

Definitely give it a miss bud.

Agree with KPM, @"lebofa"s car is something you can consider and a much better buy.