$295 for brake fluid flush and FD change? for 08 RT

I'm out to make a the point that for my style of BMW riding & maintenance it's pretty cheap,knock on wood(so far I've never had to buy a really major part or assy. & I fully agree not everybody should even want to do their own maintenance but as I just reeled in some materials to get my bike ready for a long trip to MX & GT I bought: Mobil 1 tranny juice-$10.99qt,dino FD oil~$5-6 qt, Rotella T6 full syn oil-$21.96 gal, pair of Autolite plugs-$4-5, pt of dot 4~$3,pair of Michelin Pilot Road 2's-$273mtd,Bicimaps/Mexico-$75,5 dozen street "Tacos"-priceless,cheap Mexican hotels~ $20-35x30+nights,many gals of Pemex~?, as many coconut ice cream cones as I can lay my hands on~ $5.

My 06 RT has always had the services done right here at home, by me. I've got the whizzy brakes and flushing the four systems is a chore that I'm about to tackle again and I actually look forward to it. Takes 3 plus pints of dot 4 brake fluid and the only hard part is messing with tank removal. After that it's a piece of cake. I'm scrupulous about maintenance on all my stuff and have a spreadsheet where I record all service activities. I buy filters in bulk with crush washers. I've seen stealership work and was not impressed with the scrupulous adherence to tech specs. I'm much more "involved" in keeping all systems at 100%.

[QUOTE=cookie;842304]My 08 RT is due for the brake fluid change and final drive fluid with spline lube.
Ozzies in Chico, CA is quoting just under $300. Does this sound about right? ....
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Changing the brake fluid and final drive oil should cost maybe $100 or so? Exactly which splines are they lubing for approx $200?

[QUOTE=milo;842647]Changing the brake fluid and final drive oil should cost maybe $100 or so? Exactly which splines are they lubing for approx $200?[/QUOTE]

the final drive when you pivot it down the drive shaft has a slip yoke that needs to be greased with space age molydenubgyhensm grease silly.

DIY!! It's easy. Just did mine.

I performed both tasks on my 2009 RT and it involved the cost of the fluids essentially. I did replace the front and rear brake bleeder valves with speed bleeders which made the brake fluid flush much easier. The final drive fluid change on an '09 is pretty straightforward and easy, the instructions in the tech section of this forum and Jim Von Baden's DVD on basic maintenance were both quite helpful. I say take your time, get to know your machine better, DIY, save a bundle and feel a sense of self confidence about your new found mechanical abilities!

Um.... Link at top of forum for DYI instructions

The reason to own a RT is how easy the maintenance is

The other option is to ride the bike for 3-5 years , don't worry about any maintenance besides changing the oil and putting tires on it and sell it to someone else when it really starts to bother you and buy another bike with current maintenance records and repeat the process...

When I first got my bike (used), I took it to an independent BMW shop to have the brakes flushed as they intimidated me a bit (I have the whizzy ones). It cost $200 and on my way home from the shop my bike died because they failed to re-attach the fuel lines properly.

With the help of my mechanically savvy friend and the DIY forums on here, I spent a morning and did my own oil, transmission, FD and splines and re-flushed the brakes and felt much better riding a bike where I had verified all the maintenance myself. Only reason for me to go back to the dealer now is for something computer related or beyond regular maintenance.

[QUOTE=ragtoplvr;842416]Friend paid $100 plus oil and filters for oil change on a Harley and it IS very easy. He also had a rear tire put on at over 350. The belt change requires swing arm removal I guess, so it ain't cheap either. Motorcycle service is just high. all brands

Rod[/QUOTE]

When ever I look at what my friend spends on his harley I feel like i am getting a deal.

You States-side guys can count your blessings comparatively to us Canuck riders. My lone dealer in Atlantic Canada charges $109 per hour, and flat rates everything with full prices on every part. And there is the catch. Out parts are inflated to almost double what you pay below the 49th. I replaced a signal/multi switch cluster on the left side of my 05 RT..U.S retail price was $326. CANADIAN RETAIL: $595.00, plus 15% sales tax....so I did what any normal Canadian does that doesn't wish to get gouged any more than necessary, I called 441-Cycle West in Fort Lauderdale...the girl sold me the part, shipped and in my grubby little hands for $297. I got 15% off for my MOA membership that I conveniently mentioned. Spark plugs...here, $29 each (4)...on line from California, $6 each...the list is endless....Clutch job here, parts and labour, $3014.00 taxes in...Who can afford this crud???....I sure cannot. I recently read on this forum of a rider on an RT who just had to put his 3rd set of tires on his bike with 47000miles on it.....who is he kidding???... I have never gotten any better than 6300 miles on any tire, front or back, I now have 48700 miles on the clock and just installed my 7th set of tires. (for those calculating, the original Michelin PRs were gone in 5100.)... So if you think you are paying high prices, you probably are. Just don't make the error of breaking down here in Eastern Canada and expect to survive it without a loss of your firstborn, a full pound of flesh, and a credit card that will have a serious hole in its limit when you're done...submitted tongue-in-cheek....John(Snauggie)

I am also in agreement that that doesn't sound to bad for the service. I haven't priced out my dealer yet to see where they're at so I don't have anything to compare it to.