I service my BMW X5 once in a year- Matsiko
Matsiko says the public perception that BMWs and German cars in general are costly to maintain is an old and tired myth. PHOTO | ROLAND D. NASASIRA
What you need to know:
- Jayson Matsiko says because his BMW is a high performance car, with proper maintenance, he only services the car once a year. He adds that its friendly fuel consumption is also a plus.
Jayson Matsiko’s love for German cars is obvious from the way he speaks about them. Stability at high speeds is one of the aspects he likes about these cars. A Volkswagen Golf motorist, Matsiko also owns a BMW X5, a car he has had for three years. Silver in colour, automatic, and a standard Sport Utility Vehicle by classification, Matsiko’s BMW X5 runs on a 3000cc petrol engine.
According to Matsiko, Shs50,000 worth of fuel keeps him on the road for two days from his home in Kyanja to Kampala City Centre (a distance of about 8.6kms), while Shs250,000 worth of fuel is enough to take him from Kampala to Mbarara City in western Uganda (a distance of about 238kms) and back to Kampala.
“It tends to consume more when I drive in urban places with slow moving traffic but it will consume less when on the highway because it is a high performance car,” Matsiko says.
Specs
A 2002 model, Matsiko’s BMW X5 is made of a hard plastic dashboard, while its bucket seats are coated with strong black leather material. The bucket seats provide a comfortable driving posture. The driver’s seat can be adjusted to achieve the required driving height. The car does not only run on a 225 horse power engine but also has an all-time four wheel drive (4WD) system.
Performance
Off-road, the BMW X5 smoothly drives through ditches and gullies on murram and potholed bumpy tarmacked roads because of its raised ground clearance. On a rainy day with slippery roads, you will drive smoothly because the 4WD system keeps you glued to the road surface. Its wide tyres also come in handy. The speedometer of some BMW X5s goes upto 260km/hr but Matsiko’s goes up to 240km/hr.
Service and maintenance
At the start of the year, Matsiko carries out minor service where he replace plugs, air and fuel filters, and then replaces engine oil and oil filter mid- year, and this costs Shs300,000.
“However, If I have only made city runs I service once a at a cost of Shs1.2m. This involves replacing engine oil, all filters, spark plugs, brake pads, brake fluid, air cleaner, automatic transmission fluid and refilling the air conditioner and few other components,” Matsiko explains.
According to Matsiko, the public perception that BMWs and German cars in general are costly to maintain is an old and tired myth. Not many years ago, Matsiko argues that spares for some cars such as the BMW X5 were sourced from Kenya, but can now be bought locally, and online.
“This car was made for specific reasons. It is more of a high performance car. For example, If I replace shocks and I take care of the car well, I may replace shocks again after seven to 10 or more years,” Matsiko argues.
The most expensive spare parts he has ever replaced on his car were the four oxygen sensors. Each cost him Shs250,000. These sensors detect if there is something wrong in balancing fuel and air in the engine.
Like some hi-tech cars, the BMW X5 is also one whose mechanical conditions you cannot easily diagnose from the sound it makes, but rather from the warnings displayed on the dashboard. It is also wise to always have a diagnosis kit you can easily connect to your phone and plug into the car to identify any mechanical issues. These range from worn out brake pads or anything to do with fuel consumption.
