[Panzermann]

Also note that we are talking “cardan shaft mileage, not vehicle mileage” – umm whatever that means.

It means that if your shaft fails testing (or fails in use) short of the 36,000 mile (60,000 km) replacement interval, or is replaced during a normal scheduled service by BMW close to that interval, the next scheduled replacement counter starts from the mileage the shaft was replaced.

My shaft, for example, failed on the road and was replaced (free of charge) by BMW at approximately 90,000 km. So its next scheduled replacement is at 150,000 km, which is not a multiple of 60,000 km.

The shaft test is recommended rather than mandatory, and the customer pays, but unlike other service schedule items, if it isn’t done BMW will still replace a failed shaft. Don’t try that with refusing oil changes and expecting a new engine when it fails.

BTW, in Australia it is not (yet?) being treated as a recall.

 

[Gareth]

It means that if your shaft fails testing (or fails in use) short of the 36,000 mile (60,000 km) replacement interval, or is replaced during a normal scheduled service by BMW close to that interval, the next scheduled replacement counter starts from the mileage the shaft was replaced.

That makes sense.

The shaft test is recommended rather than mandatory, and the customer pays, but unlike other service schedule items, if it isn’t done BMW will still replace a failed shaft. Don’t try that with refusing oil changes and expecting a new engine when it fails.

Yes that is interesting. And I’m thinking it may well get replaced irrespective of service history, ie on bikes that don’t have any service history at all – which would be most unusual in the UK.

BTW, in Australia it is not (yet?) being treated as a recall.

It is a little curious here – a letter titled Maintenance Plan Change in an envelope marked in big red letters “Motor Vehicle Recall Notice”

But I am resigned to taking my Beemer in now for another overpriced oil change etc in order that the bike continues as FSH.

Will be interesting to see if there is an initial precautionary inspection on bikes passing through Motorrad workshops before following the new 12,000 mile inspection routine.

 

[Panzermann]

And I’m thinking it may well get replaced irrespective of service history, ie on bikes that don’t have any service history at all

Except for the new inspection regime, it isn’t a serviced item, hence service history is not relevant - there’s no adjustment/lubrication of the Cardan joints to maintain service life.

 

[Gareth]

Except for the new inspection regime, it isn’t a serviced item, hence service history is not relevant - there’s no adjustment/lubrication of the Cardan joints to maintain service life.

But it is now, hence the new Maintenance Schedule - see post #57

But yes, this is most unusual.

 

[Mick]

I got my letter yesterday as well.

 

[Panzermann]

But it is now, hence the new Maintenance Schedule - see post #57

My point, Gareth, was that the shaft is simply inspected for wear in the joints rather than maintained in some way. The inspection does nothing to maintain its serviceable condition, only confirms whether it is serviceable or worn and therefore failure prone. You can pay to have the inspections done, or take the risk that yours will last 60,000 km - if it fails before the 60,000 km BMW would have no reason not to replace it free of charge as they would had they inspected it, but of course has no obligation to cover consequential costs such as recovery expenses, or a new rubber gaiter.

 

[Gareth]

Except for the new inspection regime, it isn’t a serviced item, hence service history is not relevant - there’s no adjustment/lubrication of the Cardan joints to maintain service life.

It is now a service item. Albeit as a ‘recommendation’.

My post #57, item 9 Recommended: Lubricate Cardan Shaft – every 12,000 miles.

item 10 - replace Cardan shaft - every 36,000 miles

It is recommended that the splines are greased at 12,000 miles. This will be carried out at the owner’s request. Though a refusal to do so will not be recorded on the service schedule. This recommendation is not standard content of the maintenance plan, though it is clearly listed in the new Maintenance Schedule – the new Maintenance Schedule supersedes that in the owner’s manual.

This is all most unusual.

 

[Wee hayser]

Got my letter today - yes I’d like to raise an eyebrow to it too - it states the cardan shaft will be replaced at 36 k miles - so what happens if at that mileage or before if your ( like mines ) bike is out of warranty and the shaft fails or there is consequential damage as a result - the letter only states that shaft replacement will be carried out at the expense of bmw over the full lifetime of said vehicle ? . All this as far as I’m concerned is really putting me off one of the main reasons for getting a bmw - no chain to clean / adjust - although saying that many’s a wet rainy afternoon here in Scotland was passed cleaning / adjusting / lubing my blade chain and s1000rr chain . Back to the subject at hand - also states - shaft health check done by ‘ tester led diag method ‘ . So is that a boroscope put in the gaiters front and rear or what ! . And you can bet somewhere along that diag method it WiLL be noted that you have refused the maintenance recommendation of greasing . If you refuse it and it subsequently fails then what . As previously stated all this is rapidly debunking the - non maintenance of shaft drive hitch I’m sure many members were delighted about on buying there boxer . Now it’s ‘a thing ‘ I’ll be checking my shaft shortly as it seems a must do now . Also with the amount of bikes requiring this new shaft what’s the chances of getting a booking ?? . As usual with these things parts availability will become an issue unless they have that Chinese factory that makes the f750/ 850 etc engines cranking them out which also leads to the idea that if they’re replacing them every 36,000 mls on all these bikes , what is the quality and service life of them going to be - that is assuming again you can get it in to have it replaced free . Must be probably a million motorbikes - that’s one load of shafts

 

[Wee hayser]

2nd rant incoming - so what happens like so many if I go and check the shaft myself as you can bet the dealer will charge 2 hours labour to check your shaft ( lol ) remove your rear end ( lol lol ) and then grease you up ( lol lol lol ) . Then it fails in between the check and the replace at 36 k . Someone else had checked it wil be noted as they WILL notice somewhere along the line . Does that give them an out to replace ? . So theoretically the shaft is supposed to last the life of the bike - say 10 years - 100,000 miles . Wrong now said shaft is only good for 36,000 mls . All because the German efficiency mindset doesn’t compute for someone / somewhere / some robot on the production line taking a few seconds to apply grease to the shafts . Or have the shafts pre greased .

 

[Gareth]

Yup the whole thing is most unusual Wee Hayser.

Me, I like my R1250R, and intend to keep it for a wee while yet, so I’m gonna play safe and subject myself to Motorrad servicing.

I think if you are carrying out your own maintenance (this is my interpretation) then BMW Motorrad UK will still guarantee the Cardan Shaft for the lifetime of the vehicle. So, they should replace the shaft every 36,000 miles free of charge – irrespective of service history or whom you purchased the bike from. I think (my interpretation again) that if you do not take the bike for Cardan Shaft Inspection/Maintenace every 12,000 miles (which they may/will charge you for) they will not accept any liability for what happens if your shaft fails.

Best thing to do is speak to the dealer.

I’ll be taking mine for its annual service in May or June.

 

[Wee hayser]

Yup the whole thing is most unusual Wee Hayser.

Me, I like my R1250R, and intend to keep it for a wee while yet, so I’m gonna play safe and subject myself to Motorrad servicing.

I think if you are carrying out your own maintenance (this is my interpretation) then BMW Motorrad UK will still guarantee the Cardan Shaft for the lifetime of the vehicle. So, they should replace the shaft every 36,000 miles free of charge – irrespective of service history or whom you purchased the bike from. I think (my interpretation again) that if you do not take the bike for Cardan Shaft Inspection/Maintenace every 12,000 miles (which they may/will charge you for) they will not accept any liability for what happens if your shaft fails.

Best thing to do is speak to the dealer.

I’ll be taking mine for its annual service in May or June.

Yes that’s what I mean Gareth - they’ve got you with this inspection of the shaft which surprise surprise is chargeable - thereby in another way shape / form recouping some of the money they lose in fitting / supplying a new shaft eh . I think personally that’s a **** move on bmw motorrad - the check should be free as should the shaft replacement . Again it’s devil you do - devil you don’t - get the check and fork out probably £100 quid or don’t and potentially incurr a refusal to replace - if you e been in and lubed / checked your shaft yourself . Also there’s the time factor involved with potentially 1 million bikes in uk alone - imagine the phones ringing non stop already as the letters drop onto door mats . And again it’s NOT a recall but a maintenance programme - so why does it come in a white and red envelope with vehicle recall on it . I think this will see a load of owners switching allegiance to other makes. And don’t be surprised if the new 1300 gs pops onto the list u less they employ a fritzbot to lube the new shafts

 

[Wee hayser]

I’m a car ( auto ) mechanic so asap going to get the garage boroscope and see if I can partially remove / move the gaiters and have a good look at my shaft ( lol ) . Think I will phone my dealer and run the - if I lower my final drive and remove the front gaiter and find my shaft / splines rusted etc will they still replace shaft at said 36,000 mls scenario or immediately if found to be rusted etc . I’m also assuming they would need to do the spline cleanup grease prior to the led test as presumably seized / dry splines could affect the shafts movement ?

 

[Panzermann]

If inspection and spline lubrication are only a maintenance recommendation, rather than a mandatory one, BMW could hardly argue that they won’t replace a shaft at the specified interval if they are not done. The owner is simply assuming more risk of a roadside failure. Presumably BMW has analysed the failure mode such that a shaft is unlikely to fail within 20,000 km of passing an inspection. If you forego the scheduled maintenance, then it makes sense that you would forego any claim for consequential damage. But I can’t see any reason why BMW would not come to the party with a new shaft.

There’s no indication by BMW that a seized spline/shaft will cause damage to the Cardan joints, although it could be argued that if it seized such that the parallelogram of the Paralever is not maintained within tolerance, some additional stress could be placed on the joints (or the gearbox output shaft bearing?). I’ve never seen any analysis of this though, and with shaft lubrication being only a recommendation, BMW doesn’t seem to be concerned about it contributing materially to failure. If you forego the lubrication recommendation, then you presumably limit any support for remediation of a seized shaft, although it’s not very obvious how bikes in service before the renewed maintenance schedule would be treated.

As has been documented on the forum a number of times, shaft testing is a vibration analysis to detect what’s going on in the bearings, behind the grease seals. The rear wheel is removed, a sensor attached to the rear drive, and the hub spun up to within a specified rpm range using an approved cordless drill. A computer connected to the sensor has vibration analysis software that gives either a big green tick or big red cross - pass or fail.

I expect this new maintenance/replacement schedule/program has been a long time in development within BMW. The original shaft has been superseded and its replacement is a third/quarter of the original cost (comparable with a good chain/sprocket set for a large bike), so I expect BMW has plenty of shafts on hand. My local dealer always keeps one in stock. The cost of two inspections is in the same ball park as a chain/sprocket set too, so cost wise, you’re no worse off than if you owned a chain driven ‘equivalent’, especially if you paid a dealer to fit the chain and sprockets.

Having experienced a shaft failure before this all came into effect, albeit having had the shaft replaced free of charge, the program has given me new confidence in owning a Boxer. So I’m buoyed by it rather than peeved.

The R1300GS shaft is scheduled for replacement at 80,000 km, although I haven’t had any firm advice on whether this is at the expense of the owner or otherwise. EDIT: The 1300's shaft replacement will be at the owner's expene. We get the free ride because replacament wasn't specified in the maintenance schedule when we bought our bikes.

 

[Wee hayser]

If inspection and spline lubrication are only a maintenance recommendation, rather than a mandatory one, BMW could hardly argue that they won’t replace a shaft at the specified interval if they are not done. The owner is simply assuming more risk of a roadside failure. Presumably BMW has analysed the failure mode such that a shaft is unlikely to fail within 20,000 km of passing an inspection. If you forego the scheduled maintenance, then it makes sense that you would forego any claim for consequential damage. But I can’t see any reason why BMW would not come to the party with a new shaft.

There’s no indication by BMW that a seized shaft will cause damage to the Cardan joints, although it could be argued that if it seized such that the parallelogram of the Paralever is not maintained within tolerance, some additional stress could be placed on the joints (or the gearbox output shaft bearing?). I’ve never seen any analysis of this though, and with shaft lubrication being only a recommendation, BMW doesn’t seem to be concerned about it contributing materially to failure. If you forego the lubrication recommendation, then you presumably limit any support for remediation of a seized shaft, although it’s not very obvious how bikes in service before the renewed maintenance schedule would be treated.

As has been documented on the forum a number of times, shaft testing is a vibration analysis to detect what’s going on in the bearings, behind the grease seals. The rear wheel is removed, a sensor attached to the rear drive, and the hub spun up to within a specified rpm range using an approved cordless drill. A computer connected to the sensor has vibration analysis software that gives either a big green tick or big red cross - pass or fail.

I expect this new maintenance/replacement schedule/program has been a long time in development within BMW. The original shaft has been superseded and its replacement is a third/quarter of the original cost (comparable with a good chain/sprocket set for a large bike), so I expect BMW has plenty of shafts on hand. My local dealer always keeps one in stock. The cost of two inspections is in the same ball park as a chain/sprocket set too, so cost wise, you’re no worse off than if you owned a chain driven ‘equivalent’, especially if you paid a dealer to fit the chain and sprockets.

Having experienced a shaft failure before this all came into effect, albeit having had the shaft replaced free of charge, the program has given me new confidence in owning a Boxer. So I’m buoyed by it rather than peeved.

The R1300GS shaft is scheduled for replacement at 80,000 km, although I haven’t had any firm advice on whether this is at the expense of the owner or otherwise.

Many thanks for your as always detailed and informative reply panzermann . So what is all the panic about then getting the splines lubricated if according to bmw seized shafts are not the issue ? . I take it then it’s the cardan joints themselves that are failing . If this is correct then why are bmw lubricating the splines at the time of check ? . Also if they are using a cordless drill ? To rotate the shafts surely that cannot replicate the frequency / rotational speed / torque of the final drive unit and shaft of the engine at say 6,000 rpm . I know as you say will know what they are doing but as a auto tech for 40 odd years I maybe overlook stuff . This is my 3rd boxer and until all this broke on the inter web never gave any of it a moments notice and do love the boxer . I’d love to see a video of the led gizmo in operation for a clearer understanding of that . If it’s led does that mean it uses a couple of marks like the old advance timing light and it spins it up to a certain rotation and if marks line up the shaft passes ? . If it’s led it can’t be a rotational frequency so bit confused to how otherwise it would detect an imbalance ? See what I mean - look too deep into stuff lol

 

[Panzermann]

As you surmise, @Wee hayser, it is the Cardan joints that are failing and the cause of the maintenance program. Rusting of the splines is a related concern, especially among models prone to long rear suspension excursions and/or water fording, hence the duck bill drain mod for GS, RT and RT-P models (and R in UK it transpires). Clearly it’s not ideal having a shaft rusted onto the rear spline, particularly when shaft replacement is indicated, either by west or distance.

For a full description of the test procedure, see this link. There’s no intent to emulate riding conditions, simply to place the shaft under conditions whereby vibrations will reveal wear.

 

[UK Beemer Boy]

Wee,
I think your worrying too much.
How many complete shaft melt downs have you heard of. Myself 1, on this site and that was before all this cardan joint/ spline grease/ shaft failure was announced by bmw.
If shafts on boxers were destroying themselves every other week. I think it would be a concern, but there not as far as i know.
Also unless you have a high mileage bike you really don't have to worry to much.
If it was a real concern BMW would be making it a compulsory service item and recalling vehicles for immediate inspection.
Worry less, ride more and don't fall out of love with your R.

 

[Wee hayser]

As you surmise, @Wee hayser, it is the Cardan joints that are failing and the cause of the maintenance program. Rusting of the splines is a related concern, especially among models prone to long rear suspension excursions and/or water fording, hence the duck bill drain mod for GS, RT and RT-P models (and R in UK it transpires). Clearly it’s not ideal having a shaft rusted onto the rear spline, particularly when shaft replacement is indicated, either by west or distance.

For a full description of the test procedure, see this link. There’s no intent to emulate riding conditions, simply to place the shaft under conditions whereby vibrations will reveal wear.

That clears up a lot of my overthinking panzermann and had a good look at the repair instructions so thanks for that too .

 

[Wee hayser]

Wee,
I think your worrying too much.
How many complete shaft melt downs have you heard of. Myself 1, on this site and that was before all this cardan joint/ spline grease/ shaft failure was announced by bmw.
If shafts on boxers were destroying themselves every other week. I think it would be a concern, but there not as far as i know.
Also unless you have a high mileage bike you really don't have to worry to much.
If it was a real concern BMW would be making it a compulsory service item and recalling vehicles for immediate inspection.
Worry less, ride more and don't fall out of love with your R.

Yes think your bang on - just completed my 24,000 mls service and new upgraded cam tensioner on left cyl - running spot on and annoying clatter when hot gone also . Don’t worry if the tensioner didn’t fix it I was going to trade it in against another r anyways 👍

 

[UK Beemer Boy]

It sounds to me that you don't seem to be over enamored with the mechanical reliability of your current R. Having to replace a cam tensioner at 24K and worrying about the shaft. Perhaps you should reconsider trading for another R.
😉

 

[Wee hayser]

It sounds to me that you don't seem to be over enamored with the mechanical reliability of your current R. Having to replace a cam tensioner at 24K and worrying about the shaft. Perhaps you should reconsider trading for another R.
😉

Not at all - I love my r and this is my third boxer engine bike . I’m not worrying about the shaft , just trying to make sense of all this greasing and service actions etc that is filling up my you tube and the tensioner was an easy fix to fix the clatter - my other two boxers didn’t clatter when hot so daft really not to remedy that