It can be quite confusing to understand exactly which service your vehicle is telling you that it requires from the message or symbols that can appear on your dashboard. We understand this at Turner Automotive so please do not hesitate to pop in or call us and we will be glad to assist you.

If your vehicle is due a service, a symbol or message will be displayed when you turn on the ignition, this should be cross referenced with your service book to calculate exactly which service is required. In 2001 BMW launched the then new 7 Series which pioneered a new type of Service Scheduling - Condition Based Servicing (CBS) From here on in all new BMW and MINI models would use this system which replaces the older Inspection style service system. Condition Based Servicing works by using a variety of factors and sensors dotted around the vehicle to constantly monitor components that are subject to wear and tear so when the service item is no longer working at full efficiency it will alert the driver by activating a warning light on the dashboard or central information display.

This allows each service item to be replaced individually and only when necessary which reduces the cost to the customer compared to “general servicing” where historically parts were replaced often before they were worn out.

The driver is able to access this information by using the on board computer where each item is represented by a symbol and traffic light colour system depending on the items importance. For example if the brake pads are worn and require replacing a brake pad symbol will be displayed in yellow with a plus figure which indicates the mileage remaining on the brake pads until they are completely worn out.

If the vehicle goes past this recommendation the message will then be displayed in red with a minus next to the mileage.

Although this system works well it can often be misleading as the service item is forecast to be changed based on a calculation. At Turner Automotive we know that the best way to actually see if something needs replacing is to physically check it so we will always carry out a visual inspection and not just rely on the forecast from the CBS System just to make absolutely sure.