[GuidoK]

From lots of brands the parts manuals, workshop manuals and OEM diagnostic software can be had one way or another.
I think the bmw workshop manual is pretty good compared to lots of other brands. The software and parts manuals are equivalent I think to lots of other brands.

However that BMW has an official portal (webetk) to the parts manuals (so the realoem equivalent, but then from BMW ag themselves and giving customers access to it), is pretty unique. I havent seen that in another brand.

As for parts prices, some bmw parts prices have gone through the roof (increasing a ten fold in ten years for exactly the same part....) but I guess every brand has these excesses.