BMW 7 Series and i7 service and repair

Is this page for my 7 Series?

The BMW 7 Series does chauffeur work, private hire and private motoring. We service, diagnose and repair petrol and diesel 7 Series at our Welwyn Garden City centre, including the G11 and G12 and the current G70. For chauffeur and private hire use, see our PCO and chauffeur servicing page.

How often should a 7 Series be serviced?

Follow the car’s service display. It shows when the next service is due and which items are due with it. BMW UK lists these as service items:

• engine oil service and vehicle check
• air filter, and the fuel filter on diesels
• micro filter, the cabin air filter
• spark plugs, on petrols
• brake fluid

Not every item is due at every visit. We check what is due on your car, then send a written price before we start.

We also add the service to the car’s digital service record.

Which engine oil goes in a 7 Series?

Oil that meets the BMW Longlife specification listed for the engine. BMW has several Longlife specifications, and the right one depends on the engine: Longlife-04, for example, is for engines with a particulate filter. We confirm the specification for each car before we fill it.

Does the automatic gearbox need servicing?

ZF says its six- and eight-speed automatics are filled maintenance-free, but recommends an oil change after 150,000 km, about 93,000 miles, and sooner with high temperatures, heavy loads or an unknown history. We confirm which gearbox your car has, change the oil and filter in-house and set the level with the oil between 30 and 50 °C, as ZF specifies. See our BMW gearbox oil service page.

If the gearbox is already showing a fault, an oil change will not repair it. We read the gearbox fault memory and road test the car, then explain in writing what we found.

Which faults do you look at on a 7 Series?

• Warning lights. A fault code is not a repair. We read the fault data, test to prove the cause, and send a written price before any part is fitted.
• DPF. On a diesel with a particulate filter, a DPF light or limp mode means the filter is blocking. We find out why it stopped regenerating and fix that cause first.
• AdBlue. On a diesel that uses AdBlue, a warning with a mileage countdown can come from a NOx sensor, injector, pump, leak or frozen system. We test to find which part has failed.
• EGR. Check your recall status first, then we test the valve and cooler.
• Battery. A new battery has to be registered to the car so the charging resets. We fit and register it before the car leaves.

We repair DPF, EGR and AdBlue systems and never remove or disable them.

Which recalls should a 7 Series owner check?

Check your registration on gov.uk: whether a recall applies depends on the individual car. DVSA’s records for the 2018 7 Series (G11 and G12) include:

• EGR system: leaks in the EGR system.
• Starter motor: water getting in and causing corrosion.

Recall work is done by BMW’s network, not by us.

Can you MOT my 7 Series?

Yes, in our own Class 4 MOT bay. On a diesel first used from 1 July 2008, an engine warning lamp that shows a fault is a Major defect, so it is worth fixing before the test.

A 7 Series licensed by TfL as a private hire vehicle needs two MOTs in each annual licence once it is more than 12 months from manufacture. Our PCO pre-inspection check page explains the timing. Chauffeurs licensed by other councils follow their own council’s rules. We cannot promise that any work will make a car eligible for a ride-hailing or chauffeur platform: each sets its own rules.

Do you work on the electric i7 and plug-in hybrid 7 Series?

Yes. Servicing and repairs on the electric i7 and the plug-in hybrid 7 Series are carried out by technicians qualified to work on electric and hybrid vehicles.

DVSA’s records for the 2023 i7 include a recall for the wiper mechanism. Check your registration on gov.uk; recall work is done by BMW’s network.