We know the feeling. We’re driving along, the car seems a bit…off…and suddenly the dashboard in front of us lights up light a fireworks display. It’s telling us that something critical has occurred and perhaps something should be looked at. Quickly.
Computer systems in the modern car are very powerful and they have to be. There is the engine, the transmission, safety systems, the braking and accelerations systems, so if a car is taken past its scheduled service date, there is a great chance that something will have a glitch, or worse, fail.
However, being mechanical and electrical in basis, cars actually can and do have glitches even when serviced as per specification. There is a simple reason for this. As good as quality control can be, sometimes a microscopic something works its way into a brake disc or a conrod in the engine, and because they can’t be seen or serviced as easily, they may eventually fail.
One key factor to look out for is the way the car handles. Find a long, straight, flat, and quiet road with vision all around. Drive at the posted speed limit and let the car do the talking. Is it pulling to one side at a constant speed?
Press the accelerator. Does the car instantly respond? Or does it hesitate, become juddery and jittery, feeling as if not all cylinders are firing as they should? Look in the rear vision mirrors. Is there a smoke cloud behind the car?
Keeping hands on the wheel, press the brakes as you normally would. What kind of “travel”, as in how far down does the pedal go before there is a sensation of the brakes biting? Does the car track straight and true and have no noise, or does it pull to one side, is there a sound that shouldn’t be there?
SouthernBM’s experienced team can help here. The diagnostics are first class and specifically built to work with BMW vehicles. We can look at a BMW from the 1980s to a brand new luxury 7 Series, and work with you to identify those glitches that may creep in between your scheduled services.
SouthernBM is a specialist, independent, BMW service centre. Out technicians are trained to the high standards all BMW service staff are expected to reach. As such, we can look at servicing and maintenance, upgrades and repairs, pre-purchase inspections if you’re looking at buying or changing from one BMW to another, and more.
You can contact us by phone, email, or via our contact form on our website. We’ll discuss with you what you need to, provide advice and feedback, and will treat you and your car with the courtesy you deserve.
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One of (if not THE most) professional outfits I’ve dealt with - in the auto industry or otherwise. Needless to say, all work was carried out as promised and to an impeccable standard. Thank you Sean and team - you’ve renewed my faith in the auto business!
Jason Hiddlestone
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Touched base with Sean to do some coding work on my F85 X5M. Not only was he a whiz with the tech stuff, knowing his way around without any difficulty. Very rare to find someone like Sean - I happily rate and recommend this business for anyone.
Samuel David
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Took my e60 there, Jimmy was an absolute pleasure to deal with, very honest, explained everything in detail, and provided some great recommendations due to my individual circumstance. Can not recommend highly enough.
Jared Flower
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Great blokes down there, Eric is great for those chinese speaking customers looking for either some general quality servicing or even higher end modifications. Good team of humble and honest people, will definitely be back!
Andy Liu
Facebook Review
Excellent service at reasonable prices. The shop is very nice too, you almost feel like you're at BMW.
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