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      11-11-2013, 06:42 AM   #41
dm135is
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Drives: 2013 135i 6MT M Sport Coupe
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Northern VA

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Short Trips + Long Oil Change Intervals = Engine Sludge

Lots of short trips probably promote engine sludge too. Longer trips (like maybe 20 miles) fully warm up the drive train, heat up the oil and burn off condensation. Working up to redline occasionally seems like a good idea too for our thoroughbred cars.

I'm OCD about minimizing shorts trips, in fact I actually PUSH my cars out of the garage without starting them in order to wash them (plus bonus my neighbors think I'm weird).

I'm sticking with 5K OCIs until the oil analyses indicate wear bits have stabilized (maybe at 30K miles or so), then I might extend to 7.5K OCIs if oil analysis TBN results support it.

In my opinion 7500 mile oil change intervals (once the engine's broken in, and assuming quality oil) are probably reasonable for most of us, and those of us who always take long trips and warm up the drive train fully can probably extend oil changes to 10K, but no more than that.
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