[M3_Dust]

this has been passed along on a few other BMW forums, I think a lot of people here would benefit from this information. In the days before BMW included "free" maintenance with the purchase of their cars, their maintenance intervals were about double the frequency of their current schedule.

I found this article, a few people have asked me to post it. Might be a sticky.

Real BMW Service Intervals: Alternative BMW Maintenance Schedule

BMW’s Free Scheduled Maintenance program means that BMW will perform scheduled maintenance free of charge during the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty period.

Prior to the advent of BMW Free Scheduled Maintenance, approximate BMW maintenance recommendations were: automatic transmission fluid (ATF) and filter changes every 15,000 miles, manual gearbox and differential oil changes every 30,000 miles, annual brake fluid changes, and coolant changes every two years. Spark plugs, air filter, and fuel filters were typically replaced every 30,000 miles on most BMWs (this is a tune-up) except M cars up to 1995, which got new spark plugs and a valve adjustment every 15,000. Later advances in computer engine management and spark plug technology legitimately allow 60,000-mile spark plug life if not more.

Prior to Free Scheduled Maintenance, you couldn’t change engine oil often enough according to most dealerships. And when the car was in the shop it would often be due for this service or that inspection, all at the owner’s expense.

But once BMW began paying for scheduled maintenance, lo and behold the “schedule” was revised. Now, magically, the cars hardly need any maintenance at all! The 1,200-mile break-in service was done away with except for M cars. Engine oil suddenly lasts 15,000 miles (dealers are supposed to use BMW synthetic oil). Manual gearbox and differential oil? No worries there – now BMW says they NEVER need to be changed, it’s “lifetime fill.” Brake fluid and coolant service intervals were doubled with no change in the original BMW brake fluid and anti-freeze dealers are supposed to use.

So, is Free Scheduled Maintenance all about marketing and cost reduction – BMW’s costs? Draw your own conclusions. There is no doubt that many buyers incorrectly view BMWs as “high maintenance” cars. Nothing can address that more effectively than Free Scheduled Maintenance. But the operative word in the name is “scheduled.” In my opinion, extended service intervals and “lifetime fill” came very close on the heels of Free Scheduled Maintenance.

This is an alternative to BMW’s factory-recommended maintenance schedule. It is not, “Mike Miller’s maintenance schedule.” It is actually BMW’s maintenance schedule, more or less, which was used prior to Free Scheduled Maintenance. It also represents my opinion, based upon my experience and that of my readers, tech advisors, and professional BMW technicians both dealer and independent. I have prepared it because of the large number of readers asking for this information. The fact that my opinions may differ from those of others does not mean anyone is necessarily right or wrong. You will get a different answer from every person you ask about routine vehicle maintenance.

You should also know that in my work I have observed the most common reason for BMW drivability problems in contemporary cars with over 100,000 miles is that they need a tune up – spark plugs, air filter, and fuel filter.

Break-in Service for New Cars

Traditionally, BMW performed a break-in service at 1,200 miles on new cars, which included changing the engine oil and filter, manual gearbox oil or automatic transmission fluid, and differential oil. With the advent of Free Scheduled Maintenance, BMW stopped performing break-in services except on M cars.

I have seen that the engine and drive-line oils in new modern BMWs are literally full of metal at 1,200 miles – as has always been the case with any new car. For this reason, I recommend a 1,200-mile break-in service.

Engine

Oil and Filter Intervals

BMW recommends their Castrol 5W-30 synthetic motor oil in all BMWs except contemporary M cars, for which they recommend their Castrol 10W-60 synthetic motor oil. The factory oil change interval is controlled electronically, but is presently about every 15,000 miles. If you are running BMW’s oil, I recommend an oil and filter change interval between 5,000 and 7,500 miles.

I use Red Line synthetic oil (www.redlineoil.com) in 5W-30, 10W-40, 15W-50, or 20W-50, depending on factory recommendation, ambient temperatures, and severity of service (track use, sustained high rpm use), with a drain interval – 7,500 to 18,000 miles depending on engine and severity of service. Under racing or track conditions I’d use a short interval; same for carbureted engines which tend to get some fuel into the oil. I would run the same intervals with very high end synthetics such as Amsoil and Lubrication Engineers Monolec Ultra.

All other commercially available synthetic oils, 5,000-7,500-mile drain intervals (Mobil-1 is good, we don’t know much about the factory BMW Castrol product).

Old fashioned petroleum oil, same viscosities, 3,000-to-5,000 mile drain intervals (I prefer Kendall)

The following information is courtesy of Motorwatch.com:

“Redline is Group V (polyol ester) based (POE or esters).

“Amsoil and Mobil-1 are Group IV (poly-alpha olefin) based (PAO or synthesized hydrocarbons SHC).

“Castrol Syntec and all the others calling themselves synthetic are Group III (hydrocracked slack wax).

“The petroleum motor alls are all mineral oil based and make up Group II.

”We really should group Red Line by itself, and put the others in separate categories (according to the groups) because their performance is so different.

”See motorwatch>AutoMotiveBible>Oil Change Intervals>oil classifications
http://www.motorwatch.com/images/oilclassifications.jpg

”AutoMotiveBible> Oil Change Intervals>oil change intervals
http://www.motorwatch.com/images/oil...intervals.jpg”


Original BMW filters are recommended for price and quality, or MANN, Mahle, Bosch, or Knecht filters

Spark Plugs

There is no reason to deviate from the factory-recommended Bosch or NGK spark plug specification, changed at 30,000-to-60,000-mile intervals, depending upon the car and severity of service. Basically, any BMW produced after 1993 can easily run 60,000 miles on a set of spark plugs.

The factory also has part numbers and applications for “100,000-mile spark plugs.” These are good too, and are capable of 100,000 miles of service assuming no other problems, which might cause them to foul during that time. However, in engines with spark plugs recessed into the middle of the cylinder head, oil can leak into the spark plug recesses past the valve cover gaskets. This is a hidden leak if the plugs are left in service for an extended period of time, because no one looks in there until they’re changing the plugs or chasing a problem. An oil leak in the spark plug recesses, left to fester, can cause ignition coil failure and even ECU failure. So, even if you want to leave the plugs in service, you should at least check the spark plug recesses for signs of oil leakage at least every 60,000 miles. And at the point you’re in there, you might as well replace the plugs. This is the issue with 100,000-mile plugs.

Moreover, while you may not have any problems running spark plugs for 100,000 miles in some BMWs, this does not mean the plugs will not be worn, or that that wear is not affecting engine performance. In other words, for optimum engine performance, most BMWs want spark plugs every 30,000-to-60,000 miles. M cars except the US specification S50/S52 powered E36 variants want plugs about every 15,000 miles.

Stay away from platinum plugs in BMWs. These don’t last as long as the regular Bosch copper or silver plugs and NGK plus, and have been known to fail in other ways. The regular old Bosch Platinum single electrode plug is, however, a very good choice for cars OTHER THAN BMWs.

Air Filter

Stock paper element, check every 15,000 miles, tap out dirt, replace if necessary, standard interval 30,000 miles, use Original BMW filters or aftermarket filters such as Knecht, MANN, Mahle, or Bosch

K&N oiled cotton gauze filters, clean every 15,000 to 30,000 miles depending on condition, use only K&N approved cleaner and oil, and follow K&N cleaning procedures

Fuel Filter

Replace every 30,000 miles, also replace if fuel pump is replaced, use original BMW filters or Bosch, Knecht, MANN, or Mahle.

Valve Adjustment

Perform every 15,000 to 20,000 miles where applicable

Timing Belt, Tensioner Pulley, and Front Cam Seal

Replace every 5 years or 50,000 miles on vehicles so equipped, water pump replacement also recommended as preventative attendant service, but not required, 40,000 miles or four years on the E30 325iX (1988-1991)

Engine Drive Belts

Replace O.E. or O.E.M. BMW poly-ribbed serpentine belts every 60,000 miles

Replace O.E.M. Continental or Pirelli or original BMW V-belts every 30,000 miles

Replace “auto store” quality V-belts every 15,000 miles

Engine Coolant Service

I recommend changing engine coolant at two-year intervals, using only factory BMW anti-freeze mixed 50-50 with distilled water (reason – BMW anti-freeze is phosphate free, phosphates cause aluminum oxidation, which blocks cylinder head coolant passages and causes head gasket failure, others may claim to be “aluminum safe” or “phosphate free” – make your choice, but I’ve used BMW anti-freeze exclusively in many cars and have never had an aluminum oxidation or head gasket problem)

The factory coolant change interval used to be every two years. It is now every four years.


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