President’s Article September 2016

I have been working on my own cars from the time I was 14 years old, which is now more than forty years. Like me, many of you have also worked on your favorite automobile because of the enjoyment obtained from this pastime. But many of us also work on our beloved cars to make the hobby more economical and possible to enjoy our cars. For many of us, when we were young, it was a necessity to do our own work because of the lack of funds. But for many of us and as we have grown older, our car hobby is enjoyable and we have continued to do much of the work ourselves.

A commonly held belief is that it is always more economical to do the work ourselves. Although that may be the case most of the time, it is not always true. Recently I purchased an E92 M3, which had been my plan since I sold my E36 M3 and my E30 325is. As always, when purchasing a pre-owned car, I immediately change all of the fluids and any worn parts.

I purchased the required 10-60 BMW oil and filter at our local dealer with my club discount. But due to timing and lack of time, I decided to have the first oil change at the dealer while I was in Des Moines. When it was time to pay for my oil change service, I was surprised to learn it was about $20 cheaper for the dealer to change my oil than it was for me to purchase the products and do it in my driveway! I asked my service advisor how this could be, and he explained to me their oil price in bulk is much more economical than the the price I will pay over the counter.

An old myth was dispelled that day, sometimes the dealer service is more economical that doing it yourself.