Turned my 530e for complementary service at 12k miles. Adviser kept insisting it needs an alignment. When I turned it down he got pissy and said atleast get it done from somewhere else.
I’ve never had alignment issues before, not until 50k miles or so.
I’m guessing it’s BS but wanted to check with the community
Depends on your driving conditions and how hard you are on the vehicle. I’ve had mine done every 10k miles just because of some very expensive lessons in tires and wear/tear. Some places offer 1- or multi-year alignment packages for a flat fee. Alignments also recommended when you get new tires. Call around and ask.
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Interesting. 10K seems low for alignment.
Depends on your level of tolerance 
every big pothole/bump you hit adds up, which is why I mentioned the driving conditions. my last couple of cars had 21” shoes which are not cheap and I wanted them to wear to spec. It’s just a quick check anyway, and usually was done in an hour or two.
My last one, paid $149 at an indy shop and they covered the alignments for a year. YMMV
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Was there uneven wear on the tires? If so, the car is probably out of alignment. Hence, a legit service.
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I dropped the car for service. No one looked at anything yet. Service advisor insisted that they will check the alignment and do it. I said no. He insisted that these cars need alignment at 10k miles, and once they it on the jack, if they see issues they are gonna do it. He got pissy when I said I dont want it
There is a nugget of truth to needing one sometimes but sounds like it’s an easy sell for your advisor and he’s pissy you aren’t taking it…
Owned at least one model from every series of BMW and will say my F10 M5 needed one at around 20K, had a 750 that also needed one around 20k, uneven tire wear on both… With that said I remember because they were the only two of over a dozen
Chiming in on this as I took two 540i’s in within the last month for routine service. Each time SA stated vehicles need an alignment. Albeit about 12,000 miles each. Best part was their quote of $250 for each alignment. Seem high to me.
Some service centers have a setup that scans your alignment as soon as you pull in, FWIW.
Im ok with doing an alignment if the car obviously needs it. Saying that all 5-series need alignment at 10k mark makes me question either the service center honesty or car build quality
I am in the exact same position as you! Had a 640 GT with 9k miles and advisor looks at wheels and tells me I need alignment. I didn’t believe him. Wondering how he knows just by looking.
My wife drives this car and she drives like a grandma.
Curious, Socal? Autonation?
There’s no such thing as mileage dependent alignment.
This is not tire rotation.
It’s either you need one or you don’t. You can drive 100,000 miles on a smooth road and never need one or if you’re in houston you might need one on the way home after buying your new car.
Some places will do a “quick check” of your alignment and tell you if you need one.
You can’t really tell you need one sometimes unless you are OCD about your tire wear. For example if your tires are toed in, they can offset each other and your car will drive straight but your tires will wear out.
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What he said… it’s not mileage dependent and there’s no way you can do it visually unless your tire wear is so noticeably off.
Just get it done elsewhere, if you want to and feel there’s a need
I’ve had several BMW’s and the service advisor at my dealer has never said that the cars need alignment at 10k or 12k miles as a necessity.
They’re desperate. Dealers around here have been doing proactive outreach to schedule any type of service. If you’re on a straight/flat road, let go of the wheel. If it stays straight, you’re fine. Especially if it’s a lease…
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Ha, jerk. Yeah they don’t make much money on these BMW’s with free maintenance so they’ve got to do whatever it takes to get the numbers up. Surprised he didn’t say you needed a blinker fluid change too.
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What about a new Johnson Rod??? lol
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