No oil change 12,000 + miles

[imported_Optimus Prime]

Ok so I know this topic has probably been beaten to hell and I think I may have asked it a while back. I don't post to this site that often as I feel I don't have much to add but I do read it a lot and enjoy the info. So off to my question.

I have just over 12,000 miles on my '08 135i. I have yet to have a single oil change on the car. I have repeatedly asked several dealers in my area and have spoken to many BMW maintenance guys who have all re-assured me that until the car says so I do not need an oil change. The car still indicates that it has 2000 miles left until it needs an oil change.

The car feels like its running pretty rough. Has anyone else waited this long before doing any oil changes? Is there a high risk of doing any damage to the car's engine by not changing the oil yet? The only thing I can think of is that the interior of the combustion chambers or other mechanical parts may be pitted due to using such old oil. I sorta feel like the designers of the vehicle must know best about how to maintain it and if they designed it to not require oil changes until 15k miles wouldn't they know best? I recall reading a thread here a while back that someone posted about the synthetic oil used in the 1 series and I recall it saying that the longer the synthetic oil is in the engine the better it seems to perform.

Also, would anyone happen to know about how I could go about getting the old oil tested once I do get the oil changed? What are the kinds of places that will test used oil? I would go in now but it seems kinda dumb to get it changed now and then have to go back in in two months just to get it changed again so they can reset the indicator.

Also, I have never been to the track in the car. I drive it reasonably reserved and only accelerate quickly a few times a day and redline the car about 5 to 6 times a week. I always use Chevron 91 gas of course and have never had any fault lights come on.

Sorry for the newb question and thanks very much to anyone that wishes to respond.

[arok]

I changed mine at 7,500... but the oil came out pretty clean for just breaking in the engine.. I assume that the suggested maintenance from bmw was thought up by some sort of engineers...

or one could play the devil's advocate and say that they want you to get oil changes at 15k so your car will wear down and need to be fixed once it gets out of warranty... GL man

[M3R1]

I just got my oil changed yesterday @ 1100 miles. I will change the oil every 7500 miles or less in the future. The dealer charged me $103 to have it done, and this will be part of the car's perminent service record. For me, this is a small price to pay for piece of mind. Some might say i't not necessary, but that's ok. For a turbo motor, I feel it's even more important to keep the best oil quality in there.

Just my .02

[white911]

+1 on more frequent oil changes -- I changed mine at 7500.

I also noticed our driving styles are all over the place. I have taken mine to the track three times; but, I almost never get near red line. Perhaps that is a more frequent occurrence for the quarter mile crowd. I would not consider red lining the car 5 or 6 times a week to be reserved.

[SlapSmak]

I also have read debates and posts on the oil change interval. I believe BMW has implemented a 15k inteval to save themselves money on the "free" maintenance program plain and simple. I believe the castrol synthetic oEM'd for bmw is great oil and i have no problem believing that it can hold up until 15 k in normal driving, but the real contributing factor in engine wear is the abrasive particles in the oil as the engine wears and as dirt and other abrasives enter the intake tract. The Oil filter is the only media which removes these abrasives and I find it extremely hard to believe that it could remain effecient much past the 5k-7.5k mark on a single change. The paper cartridge filter has many folds and as such, a trememdous amount of surface area to filter, but I do not think it can be effective during the perscribed interval.
I have personally changed my own 2 times, once at 5k, once at 10k. Dan at united has the entire kit for 50$, which includes oil, filter and seals. cheap re-assurance for a 40k+ car that I plan on keeping well beyond the end of my BMW warranty.
At the minimum, buy a new filter fron Dan and change that out at least at the 7500 mark.

[TunedM2C]

I've yet to change mine and I'm at 6,200 miles. I'm also just about at the one year anniversary date which the SA said I can then take advantage of the free oil change. Another interesting story is that my oil level indicator came on a few weeks a go so I went over to the same dealership to get a quart. The parts department said forget about it and pull into the service bay and ask for a top off. I did this and they filled me all the way up at no cost. I had no idea they offered that and this is my fifth BMW.

[Dave]

changed at 1700 and 5k and then again shortly at 8k

dont risk it...

oh and for testing...

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/standard_analysis.html

and most people agree there is a substantial amount of debris in the oil from break in

[BlackjackMulligan]

I would recommmend every 7500 miles under normal driving.

[m7ammed]

Originally Posted by SlapSmak

I also have read debates and posts on the oil change interval. I believe BMW has implemented a 15k inteval to save themselves money on the "free" maintenance program plain and simple. I believe the castrol synthetic oEM'd for bmw is great oil and i have no problem believing that it can hold up until 15 k in normal driving, but the real contributing factor in engine wear is the abrasive particles in the oil as the engine wears and as dirt and other abrasives enter the intake tract. The Oil filter is the only media which removes these abrasives and I find it extremely hard to believe that it could remain effecient much past the 5k-7.5k mark on a single change. The paper cartridge filter has many folds and as such, a trememdous amount of surface area to filter, but I do not think it can be effective during the perscribed interval.
I have personally changed my own 2 times, once at 5k, once at 10k. Dan at united has the entire kit for 50$, which includes oil, filter and seals. cheap re-assurance for a 40k+ car that I plan on keeping well beyond the end of my BMW warranty.
At the minimum, buy a new filter fron Dan and change that out at least at the 7500 mark.

The argument about BMW saving money is so far from the truth, because in a lot of regions BMW doesn't do free maintenance deals some regions are just starting to do it, and if you want it for example here in Saudi you have to pay more. With longer service intervals I believe they are saving the customer time less frequent visits to the dealer. I had my E46 for 110k KM and did the service as they told me, I drove it pretty hard so the computer adjusts the miles with that I used to get the service at around 17k-19k depending on my driving for that time period, and teh car ran fine until the day I sold it too. Even made BMW did a full check up before I sold it and everything was running fine.

[CoolToolGuy]

Really, with the possible exception of a break-in oil change, the BMW interval is very realistic. The synthetic oil can handle it with no problem. The weak link is the filter. I did a break-in change at 1300 mi., and my plan is to change the filter (only) halfway through each 15,000 mile interval - YMMV.

Have Fun,
Rick

[imported_Optimus Prime]

Thanks very much for the info everyone. I will probably go in and get it changed in the next few days for my own piece of mind. I just find it hard to believe that a car can go 15k miles w/out needing an oil change and if there is any engineering or chemical testing or design to back that up.

Does anyone happen to know of any oil testing places in California? I believe I will get the most thorough test of the oil that I can get and based on the results I will talk to the dealer or higher up about their dumb ass guidance.

When I get the results I will post here as I don't believe I've seen any oil tests ran on oil that has been in the engine for as long as mine has and w/out ever having had an oil change.

[AchtungF80]

My experience has taught me that synthetic oil holds up till 5k or 7500 mi depending on the usage / environment on the car.

The 15k intervals are auto manufacturers' ways of not losing too much money with the free maintenance program. Makes me really weary of buying a certified used BMW as most of those are lease returns and probably just followed the 15k intervals. Its sad that they even publish this in the owners manuals and instruct dealer techs to believe this.

[My135]

I changed my oil every 5,000 miles. The oil looks black and the filter looks dirty too. This is one area that I don't trust BMW's judgement. On my car, my first scheduled oil change will be at 17,xxx miles and certainly I don't want to wait for this long. Oil change is cheap especially you do it yourself. It is up to you if you want to take that risk but I won't.

[boostin]

Originally Posted by My135

I changed my oil every 5,000 miles. The oil looks black and the filter looks dirty too. This is one area that I don't trust BMW's judgement. On my car, my first scheduled oil change will be at 17,xxx miles and certainly I don't want to wait for this long. Oil change is cheap especially you do it yourself. It is up to you if you want to take that risk but I won't.

i always wondered what people did with the oil that comes out of the car when you're done....??

[Evolved]

Originally Posted by achtungE30

My experience has taught me that synthetic oil holds up till 5k or 7500 mi depending on the usage / environment on the car.

The 15k intervals are auto manufacturers' ways of not losing too much money with the free maintenance program. Makes me really weary of buying a certified used BMW as most of those are lease returns and probably just followed the 15k intervals. Its sad that they even publish this in the owners manuals and instruct dealer techs to believe this.

There is a thread on here outlining how the maintenance schedule changed once the free maintenance program came into effect.

[m7ammed]

Originally Posted by achtungE30

The 15k intervals are auto manufacturers' ways of not losing too much money with the free maintenance program.

again free maintenance program isn't offered everywhere in the world , your logic doesn't make sense.

[jkp1187]

Originally Posted by imported_Optimus Prime

Does anyone happen to know of any oil testing places in California? I believe I will get the most thorough test of the oil that I can get and based on the results I will talk to the dealer or higher up about their dumb ass guidance.

When I get the results I will post here as I don't believe I've seen any oil tests ran on oil that has been in the engine for as long as mine has and w/out ever having had an oil change.

Just use Blackstone - they will send you a container for use in mailing free, and the analysis itself only costs $22.50.

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/standard_analysis.html

[CoolToolGuy]

Originally Posted by achtungE30

My experience has taught me that synthetic oil holds up till 5k or 7500 mi depending on the usage / environment on the car.

The 15k intervals are auto manufacturers' ways of not losing too much money with the free maintenance program. Makes me really weary of buying a certified used BMW as most of those are lease returns and probably just followed the 15k intervals. Its sad that they even publish this in the owners manuals and instruct dealer techs to believe this.

I see it as validating the 15,000 mile interval - BMW is on the hook for any failures during the free maintenance period, and for Certified cars, the period is even longer. With that in mind I would think the cost (to them) of a few extra oil changes would way more than offset the cost of rebuilding the engine.

There is a whole lot of info out there that suggests that the 3,000 mile interval that has been dangled about as "The Standard" for years is really about increasing revenue for the shops, and it is not only too short, but also "ungreen."

But whatever floats your boat. . .

Have Fun,
Rick

[AndyM]

Originally Posted by imported_Optimus Prime

Thanks very much for the info everyone. I will probably go in and get it changed in the next few days for my own piece of mind. I just find it hard to believe that a car can go 15k miles w/out needing an oil change and if there is any engineering or chemical testing or design to back that up.

Does anyone happen to know of any oil testing places in California? I believe I will get the most thorough test of the oil that I can get and based on the results I will talk to the dealer or higher up about their dumb ass guidance.

When I get the results I will post here as I don’t believe I’ve seen any oil tests ran on oil that has been in the engine for as long as mine has and w/out ever having had an oil change.

Here is my analysis at 1298. I am changing the oil next week at 6200 miles. See my post for a link to a 330i owner who waited for the BMW change and what his analysis said.

[singular]

Originally Posted by jkp1187

Just use Blackstone - they will send you a container for use in mailing free, and the analysis itself only costs $22.50.

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/standard_analysis.html

Has anyone done a Blackstone analysis on unused oil from the BMW change kit just to establish a baseline?

It would be interesting to see how that compares to an analysis at the end of the break-in period.

[AchtungF80]

Originally Posted by CoolToolGuy

I see it as validating the 15,000 mile interval - BMW is on the hook for any failures during the free maintenance period, and for Certified cars, the period is even longer. With that in mind I would think the cost (to them) of a few extra oil changes would way more than offset the cost of rebuilding the engine.

There is a whole lot of info out there that suggests that the 3,000 mile interval that has been dangled about as "The Standard" for years is really about increasing revenue for the shops, and it is not only too short, but also "ungreen."

But whatever floats your boat. . .

Have Fun,
Rick

Yeah but you forget, what happens to said customer if he decides to keep the car for past the 4 years/60k? He gets stuck with a bill that BMW won't cover. Its also really hard to prove your case later when your motor is filled with oil sludge/build-up and requires a replacement motor or full rebuild. They will just say "user error".

[AchtungF80]

Originally Posted by adood84

again free maintenance program isn't offered everywhere in the world , your logic doesn't make sense.

What do I care about the rest of the world? I drive my 135i in the United States... there are other forums for that.