BMW and MINI oil service and inspection

How do I know when my BMW or MINI needs a service?

Follow the car’s service display. It tells you when the next service is due and which items are due with it.

For MINI, MINI UK recommends an oil service every two years or 18,000 miles. The display in your car still decides when your service is due, so send us the registration and mileage and we will confirm what your car needs.

What does a BMW service include?

BMW UK lists these as service items:

• engine oil service
• vehicle check
• air filter
• 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 which items are due on your car, then send you a written price before we start.

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

Electric and hybrid BMW and MINI models are serviced by technicians qualified to work on electric and hybrid vehicles.

Which engine oil goes in?

Oil that meets the BMW Longlife specification listed for the engine. BMW has several Longlife specifications, and the right one depends on the engine. For example, Longlife-04 is for engines with a particulate filter, and the newest specification for the latest mild-hybrid petrol engines is not backward compatible with older ones.

So we confirm the specification for each car before we fill it. We do not use one oil for every BMW.

When does the brake fluid need changing?

BMW lists brake fluid as a service item. On a BMW, the car’s service display shows when it is due.

For MINI, MINI UK says the first brake fluid change is due three years from registration, then every two years. We check when it is due on your car and include it in the service when it is.

What about the automatic gearbox oil?

Automatic gearbox oil is not part of the oil service. ZF, which makes the six- and eight-speed automatics, recommends an oil change after 150,000 km, about 93,000 miles. See our BMW gearbox oil service page.

Can you replace the battery at the same visit?

Yes. On BMWs from about 2004 to 2005 onwards, a new battery needs registering to the car so charging resets. See our BMW battery replacement page.

What happens if you find something else?

A fault code is not a repair. If the service shows up anything beyond the agreed work, we send photographs and a written price, give you a promised time for the next update, and do nothing extra until you give your written approval.

For faults and other work, see our BMW and MINI specialist page.