Bmw approved brake fluids

[hashcap]

Does BMW specify anywhere what they approve for brake fluids? I am switching to SRF and dealer said that if any brake parts go bad in the future and they see that we used SRF instead of OEM, they will not be covered by warranty.

[MineralWhiteF80]

What that dealership told you is a 100% cover-your-ass statement that will hold zero weight in the real world. Usually people who work at a dealership that dont really know anything say stuff like this.

My question: Who's gonna know?

Is the dealership actually going to send a test sample of your "better in every way but price" SRF fluid out for fluid analysis and then point a stern finger at you once they have paid hundreds of dollars and weeks of time to get the results. Chances are they wont unless something horrific happens to the point where you file a lawsuit against the dealership for some type of serious injury.

Most likely what will happen is (if some brake issue arises): Dealership technician identifies something wrong and they simply replace the failed parts under warranty. Worst thing that can happen is they top the system off with bmw dot4 where you now have a mixture of SRF and bmw oe fluid.

I say this as i have long past as a BMW technican and BMW service advisor and several other service related positions inside a bmw dealership

[hashcap]

Originally Posted by MineralWhiteF80

What that dealership told you is a 100% cover-your-ass statement that will hold zero weight in the real world. Usually people who work at a dealership that dont really know anything say stuff like this.

My question: Who's gonna know?

Is the dealership actually going to send a test sample of your "better in every way but price" SRF fluid out for fluid analysis and then point a stern finger at you once they have paid hundreds of dollars and weeks of time to get the results. Chances are they wont unless something horrific happens to the point where you file a lawsuit against the dealership for some type of serious injury.

Most likely what will happen is (if some brake issue arises): Dealership technician identifies something wrong and they simply replace the failed parts under warranty. Worst thing that can happen is they top the system off with bmw dot4 where you now have a mixture of SRF and bmw oe fluid.

I say this as i have long past as a BMW technican and BMW service advisor and several other service related positions inside a bmw dealership

Thanks for your response! I ask because the dealership is willing to do the brake fluid flush with SRF, but my SA told me that my warranty claim could be denied for brake parts if I use non OEM brake fluid. Keep in mind that my warranty is no longer with BMW but with CarMax as I purchased the vehicle used. I was trying to find any language around recommended brake fluid provided by BMW in either the user manual or anywhere else bout couldn't find anything. Do you know of any such language provided by BMW?

I am hesitant to use the dealer to do the job as they will record that they used my brake fluid into the system. Sounded like he was trying to give me a heads up instead of saying yeah we will do it no worries. Don't want anything on record in case something happens in the future.

[MineralWhiteF80]

hashcap A couple things to consider:

1. BMW intentionally leaves information vague when it comes to replacement/maintenance items. It is all so that this statement can cover as much or as little as needed in the event of a customer dispute:
Non-genuine BMW Parts — While you may elect to use non-genuine BMW parts for maintenance or repair services, BMW NA is not obligated to pay for repairs of the non-genuine BMW parts or for repairs of any damage resulting from the use of non-genuine parts.

2. BMW's normal stance is that an 'approved' brake fluid is fluid that only comes in a BMW branded bottle, with a BMW part number, or that says "Genuine BMW brake fluid." One could argue that if you used an equal equivalent of BMW's DOT4 low viscosity fluid then there should be zero problems, but that is a whole different discussion.

3. In an honest world, if you care so much about having brake-related components covered under your warranty, then you should honor and respect the terms of the company that is offering to pay for the repairs. By choosing to go outside of those terms, you should also accept financial responsibility if something happens.

If you have a 3rd party warranty sold to you by CarMax, you need to understand exactly what you bought and how a warranty claim is submitted, approved, and paid for.

Having worked so many repair orders that have a 3rd party warranty company involved, I can you they work in a couple of main ways.

1. The BMW dealership does the repairs. The customer pays out of pocket for the repairs. The customer then submits the receipt to their 3rd party warranty and prays that the warranty company reimburses them for the full amount less any deductible.

2. The 3rd party warranty company works directly with the BMW dealership through some type of agreement (like if the BMW dealership is the one that sold you the extended warranty). The BMW dealership would submit the repairs to the 3rd party warranty company and request warranty approval. If approved, then the customer sees no bill and the warranty company pays BMW service department directly. If not approved, the customer is notified that their warranty wont cover the repair (what happens most times...) and it's up to the customer to approve and pay for the repairs needed.

There are too many variables here-

If you are that worried about it and want to have your cake and eat it too, I'd recommend taking the car to an independent repair shop that works on newer BMWs just outside of factory warranty and have the SRF fluid installed there. Then there is no paper trail between the authorized BMW servicing dealer that you would take the car to for warranty repairs and the 3rd party warranty company that would pay for the repairs.

Ultimately, no one cares about what fluid you have in your car, no one is going to actually test the fluid, no one is going to conduct a deep-dive investigation about your past history. No one has time to deal will all that crap.

[d_moola]

the dealer cant differentiate oem brake fluid to aftermarket lmao. tbh ive used oreillys brake fluid before on some cars and they look cleaner than expensive textar brake fluids.