Months in Fleet: Five
Mileage to Date: 19,867
Our last update for the 2009 BMW 750Li sedan ended on a down note -- the passenger side of our supersedan made contact with an immovable object and required extensive repairs. Our total bill for parts and labor came in at $4977.45 and the car was out of commission for slightly more than a month. Almost everything on the right side of the car needed to be repaired or replaced and the largest single expense was a new right rear door shell at a whopping $1000.58.
The most frustrating aspect of the repair was waiting several weeks for interior door clips that had to be shipped in from Germany and delayed through customs. This sort of delay isn't unexpected given the fact that the 7-series has only been on sale in the U.S. for a few months, but we certainly missed our big luxury car while we waited for those parts. However, Mike Ofiara, our optimistic road test coordinator, thinks the delay worked out well for the rest of our fleet: "On the plus side, having the 7-series parked at the body shop gave the other Four Seasons cars a chance to get some miles on them."
Ironically enough the 750Li spent only a few days back in the fleet before the "oil service due" message appeared. At 19,883 miles our BMW has finally decided it would like an oil change. The 7-series uses sensors to monitor how much life is left in the oil and has no set service interval for this vital fluid. We were starting to wonder if the light would ever come on...
Ofiara reports a positive experience at the local BMW dealer for the first service: "Service was quick, took it to the dealer in the morning and picked it up in the afternoon. Fresh oil and filter; dealer even offered to change our wiper blades since they have begun to streak." Even better? The whole visit was covered under BMW's free maintenance program.
With fresh oil and filter, and a shiny new passenger side, our BMW 750Li is back on the road and ready to pile on some more serious miles. The summer vacation season isn't quite over yet and staffers are again waiting in line for a turn behind the wheel. Those lucky enough to borrow the key for a night have reported the car drives as good as new and the body shop did a fantastic job with the repairs. Check back next month to see where our 2009 BMW 750Li sedan heads next. ...next page >>