Performing 30K service myself

It's cheap but I would make sure that it includes of all the details of sections (strange to have a picture of the M even though it goes to 1997)- I bought one for $99, when I received it the Electrical section did not include the wiring diagrams nor the Air conditioning - ended up spending another $350 just to get those L and I sections (OEM not the "hacked" version). For $30 you really can't go wrong... (vs. almost $1200 from legit sources)

BTW, I complained to the seller and he blew me off, Paypal ruled against me because all the seller had to provide was a shipping confirmation, they don't give a flip whether the contents are as presented ... Man I hate Paypal, I wish there was a better solution out there.

 

wouldn't your mech have that insight on special tools? BTW, I find most of those CD things about worthless, especially for what you have in mind.

 

Probably better just to post negative feedback on eBay, not PayPal. PayPal is a pay service, not an ecommerce site. As long as money was transacted properly they have no real say or interest in anything else -- like whether you were happy.

ketel

 

TexasFerrari - I might have some very relevant feedback for you shortly on whether a 30k is doable DIY-style because I am going to be inspecting a 550 who's owner did the 30k himself. At first I shuttered when I heard that, because it sounded like the owner probably wanted to skimp on the cost of having the 30k done properly, which raises the concern of WHAT OTHER maintenance items were deferred. As most of us now know, deferred maintenance on a 550 can be catastrophically expensive.

But, then again, I want to give him the benefit of the doubt that he knows enough to have done a competent job.

Either way, if I like this 550, I will spring for the cost of the PPI, which should tell me whether this owner's 30k service was good enough or not.

ketel

 

The valve adjustment will be the most time comsuming part. Remove all the spark plugs to make engine rotation easier. You'll probbably find most values in spec. This job is quite simple and can be done in a reasonable amount of time, say a full day if its your first time. You don't need any speacial tools, just a complete set of quality sockets and wrenches, and allen head sockets in metric. A 36mm socket will be needed to loosen the crank pully bolt, an air powered impact gun would be the best way to loosen it.

if your going to drain the oil you will need a 12mm allen socket for the sump and a 22mm socket for the oil tank.

 

I would not sytematically look at it as a negative (unless there are obvious signs) several of the DYIers that I know are extremely fastidious (myself included) and will go way beyond the scheduled maintenance requirements to keep the car in tip top shape. I think that there is a baseline competence required but this is not rocket surgery proper tools, good mechanical skills and some patience will definitely provide excellent results (BTW, the major on the 550 is grossly over priced considering the work required). A PPI probably will provide you with limited insight for the work done, I would look at the parts bill and have the mechanic doing the PPI speak with the owner to get a sense of the latter's knowledge and how the major was done.

 

Sorry for barging in but any idea as to where I can find 575M service intervals/schedules ? They're probably somewhere in here maybe I was looking in the wrong place.