Inspection I and II Mileage

[tipsyaj]

I was wondering approximately at what times do you get the Inspection I and II on the car ? I was under the impression that Inspection I is at around 40,000 and II is at 60,000. I went to a mechanic today and he told me that Inspection I should be at 18,000 and Inspection II should be at 36,000. He gave me a quote of $600 for Inspection II and a fully tune up, oil change, etc ... I just bought a 96 TI with 38,000 miles on it, I did the oil change myself, my first time ... Does this mechanic know what he's talking about ? When do you get the inspections done and how much do they usually cost with parts etc ... ???

[1996 328ti]

Your mechanic knows what he is talking about.
My inspection intervals are every 18K. My oil service intervals have been every 9K.

So Inspection would typically be at 36K unless someone messed up resetting the SI LEDs.

You can save some money by doing some of the Inspection II stuff yourself. I did plugs, oil & filter, air filter, microfilters. I let the shop do gas filter, tranny and diff fluids.

Prices vary from area to area. But $600 is typical in the Washington DC area.

[myred318i]

I concur with Steve. Do as much of it yourself as you can. Inspection II's have been quoted to me between $450 - $600. I spent about $175 on materials, (which included a Bentley's manual & a reset tool) so $100 of that cost was a one-time expense. There is information out on various websites about resetting the LED lights without a tool. I just figured with my luck, the $50 for a reset tool was probably worth it. I let the shop handle diff & tranny fluids (too messy to bother with)

Good Luck!!

ps - Half the fun of owning a Bimmer is doing the maintenance yourself. It really gives you an appreciation for how well engineered they are!!

[J!m]

There is a button on the back of the instrument cluster of the older E36's that resets the lights. I'm fairly sure it's still on the newer E36's as well.

My last inspection II cost over a grand, because I had extra work done that is not covered in the normal inspection. $600 sounds good, since the "base" price was $800 for me. I'm special. I get to pay more! Yeah! (My ass still hurts from THAT bill...)

I can do it myself, but I like the paper trail, and who ever buys my engine will get a real sweetheart.

Cheap insurance. I normally change the oil about half-way through the green lights, and let the dealer do it when it's due. My first oil change was at 750 miles. My engine should run strong past 200k with ease, if the new owner keeps up with the maintaince...

My 2 cents.