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Owners of BMW R1200 and R1250 models are starting to receive letters in the mail informing them of an unusual addition to the maintenance schedule of the K5x series. Driveshafts will now be checked and regreased every 12,000 miles and replaced every 36,000 miles, all at no charge to owners.
For many years, riders of BMW R1200 and R1250 models, including inmates, have complained about premature driveshaft failures. BMW has been investigating and attempting to address this problem for some time. They have been adding one-way rubber vent valves to Paralever assemblies to combat condensation inside, thought to cause corrosion and premature failure. In 2022, BMW issued a service bulletin to examine driveshafts on these bikes and install vent valves. This investigation likely led to the latest development in this saga, where BMW has taken upon itself the routine inspection and replacement of driveshafts in the affected models.
There has been some speculation as to what “Driveshaft mileage, not vehicle mileage” actually means. It seems to me that if your driveshaft was inspected at 24,000 miles, found to be about to fail, and replaced, you would be entitled to another one at your 60,000-mile checkup, 36,000 miles after the previous replacement rather than an odometer reading of 36,000 or 72,000 miles. While the letter does not explicitly state that driveshafts will be replaced if they fail the every 12,000-mile inspection, this statement indicates that they may, or else driveshaft and odometer mileage would never get out of sync. It also wouldn’t make sense to discover that a driveshaft won’t last until 36,000 miles and not replace it under this policy.
BMW has not admitted any fault, design flaws, or poor quality in the materials. However, adding free regular driveshaft replacements to the maintenance schedule sends a strong message that BMW intends to stand behind its product and make these problems right. While the additional dealer maintenance visits may be an inconvenience to some, it’s a significant goodwill gesture that will likely make certain KTM owners a bit jealous.
https://www.advrider.com/bmw-will-replace-r1200-r1250-driveshafts/
For many years, riders of BMW R1200 and R1250 models, including inmates, have complained about premature driveshaft failures. BMW has been investigating and attempting to address this problem for some time. They have been adding one-way rubber vent valves to Paralever assemblies to combat condensation inside, thought to cause corrosion and premature failure. In 2022, BMW issued a service bulletin to examine driveshafts on these bikes and install vent valves. This investigation likely led to the latest development in this saga, where BMW has taken upon itself the routine inspection and replacement of driveshafts in the affected models.
There has been some speculation as to what “Driveshaft mileage, not vehicle mileage” actually means. It seems to me that if your driveshaft was inspected at 24,000 miles, found to be about to fail, and replaced, you would be entitled to another one at your 60,000-mile checkup, 36,000 miles after the previous replacement rather than an odometer reading of 36,000 or 72,000 miles. While the letter does not explicitly state that driveshafts will be replaced if they fail the every 12,000-mile inspection, this statement indicates that they may, or else driveshaft and odometer mileage would never get out of sync. It also wouldn’t make sense to discover that a driveshaft won’t last until 36,000 miles and not replace it under this policy.
BMW has not admitted any fault, design flaws, or poor quality in the materials. However, adding free regular driveshaft replacements to the maintenance schedule sends a strong message that BMW intends to stand behind its product and make these problems right. While the additional dealer maintenance visits may be an inconvenience to some, it’s a significant goodwill gesture that will likely make certain KTM owners a bit jealous.
https://www.advrider.com/bmw-will-replace-r1200-r1250-driveshafts/
