Your BMW has allowed you to travel in style for the past several tens of thousands of miles. However, just like any car, your BMW needs to be properly maintained. However, unlike most other makes and models, there are several reasons why you shouldn't attempt to repair your BMW by yourself. Here's why:
Extravagant Engineering
BMW has excelled at manufacturing vehicles for nearly an entire century. Over the course of the last 99 years, the level of engineering that BMW has achieved sets every BMW vehicle apart from the rest of the pack.
Although this is an amazing feat, it's also quite a problem when it comes time to perform repairs. Due to the complexity of their engineering, BMW vehicles aren't necessarily easy to repair—even for certified mechanics.
When you open your vehicle's hood, you'll notice that nearly every inch of your engine bay is tightly-packed compared to other types of vehicles you may have owned (or repaired) in the past. Although utilizing every inch of space in your vehicle's engine bay allows BMW to create an engineering masterpiece, it also makes performing simple tasks such as sliding a ratchet and socket down into the engine bay extremely tricky. When a component such as the condenser or radiator fan needs to be removed, you'll find the extravagant engineering of your vehicle to be quite bothersome.
For some repairs, your BMW vehicle will even require proprietary tools—which are costly and not easily obtained by the average DIY auto mechanic. Unless you have a certified BMW mechanic who's willing to let you borrow their tools, there are going to be some repairs that you simply won't be able to perform with your current collection of automotive tools.
Now, you may have a feeling that BMW designed their vehicles with these issues solely to make DIY repairs almost impossible. However, the complexity of the engineering in your BMW, as well as the use of proprietary bolts, nuts, screws, and sockets, allows BMW to manufacture vehicles that perform well above the average sedan, coupe, or SUV. Although these drawbacks can seem problematic when your vehicle requires a specific type of repair, they are very well worth the benefits they provide.
Cost of Replacement Parts
As a German manufacturer, BMW has managed to gain a noteworthy following here in the United States. However, with only two manufacturing plants in North America, replacement parts for the millions of BMW vehicles in the United States alone are relatively scarce—which, in turn, makes them quite expensive.
Regardless of the cost, when your vehicle requires a replacement part, one must be ordered—whether you or your mechanic puts in the order doesn't matter. However, what does matter, is how that part is handled once it arrives. If you receive the replacement part and attempt to install it yourself without any prior experience, then you run the risk of unintentionally damaging it at some point throughout the installation process. In such a case, the repair must be delayed until you wait for yet another costly replacement part.
To avoid delaying your repair and significantly increasing your repair costs, it simply makes more sense to leave the installation of all replacement parts to a certified mechanic that has extensive knowledge of the entire replacement process.
Although you may have prior experience with repairing or replacing certain components of other types of vehicles, you can now see why you shouldn't attempt to repair your BMW by yourself. When it comes time to replace your spark plugs, recharge your refrigerant, or perform any other repairs, take a drive down to your local BMW-certified mechanic. Although the cost of labor may initially seem expensive, you'll realize it's well worth it when all is said and done. BMW auto repair professionals can get you more information.
Share