[dude007]

Originally Posted by qroc

I'm curious to know what all of these pro 15k oil change people think of the sludge risk, perhaps evidenced by:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sh...?t=94785&page=7

Link is not working for me

[Dukenole]

The link was ruined by sludge! ;-)

[qroc]

Originally Posted by Dukenole

The link was ruined by sludge! ;-)

Hehe! Lets see if this works.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...t=94785&page=7

[dude007]

OK, as far as I understood he was running his 5 series very short distances every day and still used 15k oil change. If engine is running always cold then you get what you see in the pictures. He should take a long rides from time to time just to get engine to operational temperature and it would help preventing and cleaning this build up. Also, in his case 15k is way too long. It's acceptable for mostly "highway" miles and longer distances commute.

[fredtoo]

Originally Posted by qroc

I'm curious to know what all of these pro 15k oil change people think of the sludge risk, perhaps evidenced by:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sh...?t=94785&page=7

I think most of the Pro 15K Oil change plan on getting rid of the car when the warrenty is up, or their lease is done.

It other words, they don't care.

[NaTuReB0Y]

if i lease my car.......i'll do 15k....hell....i'll do 36k

just keep on adding oil when it's low.......

[Heidelberg328i]

Hey...you guys shouldn't complain.

I just received my 2007 328i and there is ZERO MAINTENANCE WARRANTY while still here in Germany. The 4yr/50,000mi warranty will not kick in until I get back to the states. Right now, I have the pathetic German warranty of 2yr/unlimited mileage warranty that DOES NOT COVER ANY SERVICING WHATSOEVER!

But, I will spend 205 euros (the price over here for BMW dealership oil change) when I hit the 8,000mi marker.

BTW...205 euros is $263

[ducati955]

um, i'm getting my e92 soon, is there something different about changing the oil on these cars? i'd like to do it all myself!

[sdiver68]

Originally Posted by Dukenole

I've been using the guys at Absolute Automotive (www.absoluteautomotive.com) for service for 8 year now. Which is to say I trust them without reservation. I asked them some questions about oil changes for BMW and here is what they had to say.

Q: Should I change the oil after the break-in period?

A: That's old school. With modern metallurgy techniques that is unnecessary.

Q: Should I wait for the computer to tell me I need an oil change or should I do it at regular intervals?

A: The BMW computer intervals are too long. You should change it every 5,000. You will see several other manufacturers pushing for these longer change intervals. This isn't being pushed primarily by the auto manufacturers but rather by the EPA because it is becoming harder and harder to properly dispose of all the used oil. The solution for most states would be simple: give tax incentives to auto shops to buy furnaces that can burn the spent oil to make heat in the winter time.

Q: What brand of oil do you prefer to use, Castrol or Mobil1?

A: Both are fine but our head mechanic has done a lot of homework on this (they also service Audi, Porsche, Mini, VW, and Volvo) and he believes the best oil is made by Motul.

My own thinking is that the problems of following BMW's rec oil change interval is likely not to manifest itself in the short-term. It is likely to appear after, say 100-120K. If you keep the car for a really long time then it's worth changing the oil more often than recommended. But if you're going to sell it well before then or even at 120K miles, what are you likely to gain by doing so? Is somebody going to pay you an extra $1,000 because yo changed it every 5k miles and used only the best oil? Not likely since, first, they have to believe you and, second, since the benefit can't be seen it doesn't have tangibility.

I'll argue on the break-in oil change.

The first post in this thread shows exactly why a break in oil change is nescessary. See those metal particles in the oil? What do you think they do if they just stay in there? Hint...metal on metal is not good....

The other 2...7500 miles is fine for me on synthetic, and I ran Motul in my race bikes and had much better sludge results than using Mobil 1. There is an argument, though, about the difference between motorcycle oils and car oils, reality is ANY synthetic is far superior to dino...

[ShinyRedCar]

Originally Posted by e46e90

Hey JGervasi, College Math Prof, Your argument about your experience does not hold. What would have happened if you had changed your oil every thousand miles? Likely the same result. I have a 2000 E46 with 98,000 miles and I have followed the BMW recommendation and NO PROBLEMS. I now have a E90 and am again following the BMW recommendation. I have asked MANY techs and all agree with the BMW recommendation, and there is even research evidence that this oil can run longer than the recommended mileage. Personal experience, whether it be mine or yours, is dangerous...we need to look across a large number of people (or cars) and evaluate what is happening as a group. The evidence with the BMW recommendation, based on over 6 years of findings, is that the recommendation is SOLID. And yes, I am a PhD college statistics prof. Cheers!

LOL...I forgot I posted here and never bothered to check back until this thread was revived! Thanks for your response! Let me point out that in my original post I said: "I know that these results in no way guarantee the same future results but for me they are suggestive. That said, regardless of BMW's service claims, I saw no reason to deviate from what has worked for me in the past..."

Perhaps I should have used the same emphasis there. I thought I was clear when I wrote that past results could not guarantee future results and as a mathematician I understood that reality all too well. If you read something else into that I assure you there was no hidden meaning. I will be careful next time before I submit a post. In any event, nowhere in my original post can I find that I made any sweeping generalizations for everyone here based on my own personal experiences. I wasn't making a statistical argument, I merely stated that I would continue to go with what has worked so well for me in the past. Based on what I have read here and in similar threads, it would seem as though many others have decided to do the same. Surveying different technicians and collecting opinions on when to change motor oil doesn't really interest me with anything other than a passing fancy...there are as many opinions as there are technicians and shade-tree mechanics. For me, Mike Miller is the first and last word on all things BMW and I will always defer to his recommendations (which may be found in another post on this site).

[BM2006i]

I did my first oil change at 6500 miles. The guy at the service said I didn't have to but I insisted..

[Anthony Pike]

Tell you what ..... I was able to position my car so I could get under it and through a little trap door drain the engine oil. Then I changed the filter using genuine BMW filter kit. I used Mobil1 0-w40 oil as instructed after much research.Cost me in Aust $90... not hard at all. In the interim you don't have to get the computer reset. Just wait till the scheduled change at the dealer.

[dmboone25]

Originally Posted by hunter399

Got it done at 5000 and going to get it done again at 10

So what is the point of having "free" maint. if you actually have to get the oil changed every 5k? Do you think this matters on a leased car?

[stubenhocker]

I have 2 E46's , have only done factory reccomended change schedule, HAVE NEVER USED A QUART of oil, I have 120K on my 2000 323Ci and nearly 50K on my 2004 325iT.
You guys act like cars are the way they were 30 years ago! Oils are vastly improved as are engines, plus when you consider that the few moments after an oil change your engine has NO oil pressure, it seems to me that this constant oil change fetish is actually hurting not helping your engine longevity. I Love the people who think BMW doesn't know anything about how to maintain their cars. Lets see, they are too conservative in their break-in reccomendations and too liberal in their oil change intervals!

[voltron1011]

You are correct stubenhocker... A lot of other things will start breaking on your car long before the motor dies due to lack of 3000 mile oil changes....
My friend used to change his oil every time it started to turn brown (every 1800 miles). Well, one day he was driving and his timing belt broke and the motor self-destructed. Moral of the story is: don't waste your money on unneccary oil changes and save it for stuff that's gonna break in the future.

[Majikthese42]

Originally Posted by voltron1011

My friend used to change his oil every time it started to turn brown (every 1800 miles). Well, one day he was driving and his timing belt broke and the motor self-destructed. Moral of the story is: don't waste your money on unneccary oil changes and save it for stuff that's gonna break in the future.

I thought BMW motors have used timing chains for years now.

It's not that "we" think we know any more than BMW's engineers. BMW engineers (and accountants) know exactly what they're doing.

It's obvously a trade off -- BMW could require daily oil changes, that would minimize engine wear. BMW could eliminate the oil filler cap and recommend no oil changes at all. This would probably result in an unacceptably large number of engine failures.

For a variety of reasons, including cost of the "free" maintenance, environmental concerns, and maintenance requirements by competing marques, BMW picked the oil change intervals that it did. But their goals for the car in terms of mileage and useful life for the car may not be the same as my goals in terms of mileage and useful life for the car.

I certainly don't want the inside of my motor to look like this mess:



http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94785

[bobnaz]

My 1st oil change is 3-5k, thereafter whenever it calls for it. My 97 M3 had 80k on it, never burned a drop of oil or smoked. It also was Dinan chipped, cold air intake and free flow exhaust. Now if I had a lot of cold starts and didn't let the oil warm up before getting on it, and or short trips, then I would have changed oil more frequently.

[poldim]

I'm at a bit over 15K now. I plan to do the oil change when I get back home to MD and will send the sample to blackstone labs. Anyone know the best way for getting a sample out of our cars? I was thinking of using a syringe with a plastic tube and just sucking a sample out.

I'm somewhat un trusty of the BMW tech's putting in my sample into the can rather than new oil or a mix of some kind...

[Majikthese42]

Originally Posted by poldim

I'm at a bit over 15K now. I plan to do the oil change when I get back home to MD and will send the sample to blackstone labs. Anyone know the best way for getting a sample out of our cars? I was thinking of using a syringe with a plastic tube and just sucking a sample out.

I'm somewhat un trusty of the BMW tech's putting in my sample into the can rather than new oil or a mix of some kind...

If you wait for your car, why not bring in a couple dozen doughnuts for the techs and ask them if you can watch?

[SCA]

Originally Posted by poldim

I'm somewhat un trusty of the BMW tech's putting in my sample into the can rather than new oil or a mix of some kind...

I let my BMW Center collect an oil sample when they changed my oil @ 1500 miles. No issues. In fact the tech brought me the oil sample and it was still piping hot.

[Jobu]

This thread hasn't been very active but here's my $0.02.

First, when I picked up my 2001 325Ci in Munich, I asked the dude who presented me my car why the interval was so long and he replied: "I think they want the metal particles sloshing around for awhile to polish the internal parts." Dunno whether to believe it or not.

Second, I read somewhere (I forgot the source!) an oil company engineer who commented on short trips. Apparently if the engine doesn't get up to operating temp, the moisture that condenses into the oil won't evaporate. This will lead to a build-up of a white foamy cream which will leave deposits eventually.

Both oil related anecdotes make sense. I'll probably change my oil early on my E92, but since it only has 200 miles, I have a lot of time!

Also, don't M cars have a break-in oil, transmission oil, and diff oil service at 1200 miles? If its good for an M3, its probably good for my 335i. Check out Roundel for good info in Mike Miller's Tech Talk column.

:rocks:

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by Jobu

Also, don't M cars have a break-in oil, transmission oil, and diff oil service at 1200 miles? If its good for an M3, its probably good for my 335i. Check out Roundel for good info in Mike Miller's Tech Talk column.

Thats because the M cars come with a special break-in oil from the factory, due to the types and shapes of special metals used in the engines.

This oil needs to be changed after break-in to the TWS oil the M's use