|
|
|
04-08-2008, 12:15 PM | #23 | |
Major General
124
Rep 5,626
Posts |
Quote:
Tom |
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-08-2008, 12:19 PM | #24 | |
Major General
124
Rep 5,626
Posts |
Quote:
Tom |
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-08-2008, 01:42 PM | #25 |
Lieutenant
12
Rep 403
Posts |
FWIW:
The service guy at my dealer said that if it was his car, he would not wait for 25,000 kilometers before changing the oil for the first time. He would do it at at 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles). But not sooner. He also said not to bother with the transmission or differential oil. He took a sample of his when he bought his bimmer. It was 10 years old at the time and the transmission and differential oils were like new. |
Appreciate
0
|
04-08-2008, 06:05 PM | #26 |
Private First Class
6
Rep 131
Posts |
Your MY2003 Z4 should have the 4 year coolant flush as part of it's maintenance plan. An 04 does not.
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-08-2008, 06:23 PM | #27 | |
Major General
124
Rep 5,626
Posts |
Quote:
Oh well, if all new Bimmers have "lifetime" coolant, I guess I can afford to pony up for a change on the 128i at the 4 year mark. Tom |
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-18-2008, 11:54 AM | #30 |
Senior 1Addict
5173
Rep 2,426
Posts
Drives: BMW iX, Porsche GT4 RS
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: NJ
|
I have a few concerns here. I want to do the break-in service, but i don't have the equipment or expertise to do it myself. Will my BMW dealership even know what they are doing changing transmission and diff fluids, since they do it so rarely now? Also how much will this break-in service run me at a BMW dealership?
BTW, I Agree with everyone here, the 15,000 mile service intervals are :bs: |
Appreciate
0
|
04-18-2008, 12:37 PM | #31 |
Second Lieutenant
61
Rep 269
Posts |
An important thing to note here is that the 135 is delivered from the factory with synthetic oil. There is a major "break-in" difference between conventional and synthetic oil.
In the factory - they put the completed engine through its paces on a test stand with conventional oil in it - this performs a surprising amount of break-in on the brand new internal surfaces. Then this oil is drained in the factory and refilled with synthetic. From this point (with synthetic) there is very little "break-in" going on inside the engine. |
Appreciate
0
|
04-18-2008, 01:33 PM | #32 |
Major General
4470
Rep 7,589
Posts
Drives: '19 M2C
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Chicagoland
|
I talked to the service rep at the dealership today about programming my alarm... Of course in conversation I said I would bring it in when I hit 1200 miles and change the oil. We he went on and on about how the oil didn't need to be change...blah blah
I said to him after owning 5 BMW's, you are wasting your breath. It's a turbo charged car, and I will change the oil when I want.
__________________
www.ReTuneTheDeTune.com
2019 M2 Competition (Sunset Orange) |
Appreciate
0
|
04-18-2008, 02:07 PM | #33 |
Major
29
Rep 1,340
Posts
Drives: 2008 135i SGM MT
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Finksburg, Maryland
iTrader: (0)
Garage List 1995 Acura Integra SE [0.00]
2008 BMW 135i [0.00] 2006 Porsche Cayman S [0.00] 1999 Toyota 4-Runner [0.00] |
I just got back from a dealer oil change. 1872 miles on the odo and I thought that it was the right thing to do. It can't hurt and it gives me piece of mind. Now my little N54 is happy.
__________________
2008 135i SGM |
Appreciate
0
|
04-18-2008, 07:33 PM | #34 | |
.
31
Rep 932
Posts |
Quote:
There is no break in service on non-M cars! You can change the engine oil every week, if it makes you feel better. There is no need to touch the transmission or differential fluids. |
|
Appreciate
0
|
04-19-2008, 06:22 AM | #35 |
Major General
4470
Rep 7,589
Posts
Drives: '19 M2C
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Chicagoland
|
I agree.. nothing better then fresh oil :biggrin:
__________________
www.ReTuneTheDeTune.com
2019 M2 Competition (Sunset Orange) |
Appreciate
0
|
04-19-2008, 07:30 AM | #36 |
Lieutenant
6
Rep 459
Posts |
There are probably several reasons why BMW extended the oil change intervals. It's possible that, over the years, they've looked at the data coming back from the dealerships and found that the previous interval did little (or nothing) to extend the life of the components. Manufacturing technologies improve, oil properties improve, intervals get adjusted. The conspiracy theorists will tell you that BMW changed to the new intervals when they went to 4 years free maintenance. What if that was reversed? Maybe they realized they could easily extend the intervals with no risk to component life. Maybe they then decided to give us 4 free years of maintenance. We think we're getting something great but in reality we're not getting that much. But what a great marketing tool.
OK. So you think I'm an idiot who believes anything I read, hear or dream up. Highly unlikely. I've spent 23+ years in the military getting broken down shotgun style way too many times to readily believe anybody; the wife included. But as a maintenance test pilot I've seen our preventative maintenance schedules change over time. Why collect all that data if you're not going to do anything with it? It's far cheaper to repair / replace a component than it is to ball up a helicopter (or BMW) and have to replace it. Having said that, and having a healthy distrust of everything, I'll probably change the engine oil at 1200 miles like most of you.
__________________
~My other car is a Blackhawk~
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] |
Appreciate
0
|
04-19-2008, 02:28 PM | #37 |
Major General
4470
Rep 7,589
Posts
Drives: '19 M2C
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Chicagoland
|
60Driver, I agree with 100%. I always change the oil at 1200 just to clean out the break-in particles. I'm sure the oil is still good. After 1200 I will change it every 5k-7K with full Synthetic...Try to space it between BMW's. :iono:
__________________
www.ReTuneTheDeTune.com
2019 M2 Competition (Sunset Orange) |
Appreciate
0
|
04-23-2008, 02:03 PM | #39 |
Major
29
Rep 1,340
Posts
Drives: 2008 135i SGM MT
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Finksburg, Maryland
iTrader: (0)
Garage List 1995 Acura Integra SE [0.00]
2008 BMW 135i [0.00] 2006 Porsche Cayman S [0.00] 1999 Toyota 4-Runner [0.00] |
I'm doing 1200 (well actually I didn't get to it until 1872, but whatever).
Then every 7500.
__________________
2008 135i SGM |
Appreciate
0
|
04-23-2008, 02:08 PM | #40 |
Santa Fe Concorso
107
Rep 2,984
Posts |
Larry Legend, it depends on you personal comfort level. If you beleve BMW NA is looking out for your interests by calling for normal oil changes every 15K miles you can simply follow recommend service intervals.
If, on the other hand, you are not comfortable with that frequency of oil changes for a high-heat, oil-killing turbo engine you can change more frequently. I did a post break-in change at 1500 and will most likely do one change between every BMW recommended change, or about every 7500 miles, using German Castrol Syntec full synthetic.
__________________
Santa Fe Concorso - The Southwest's Premier Automotive Gathering.
|
Appreciate
0
|
08-21-2008, 11:31 PM | #41 |
135i
2
Rep 38
Posts |
I'm so glad to hear that many of you will be changing your oil right after break-in, and more frequently than recommended. I thought I was just being overprotective. Now I feel justified.
|
Appreciate
0
|
08-22-2008, 06:14 AM | #43 |
Second Lieutenant
9
Rep 226
Posts |
Most comments here rest on opinion and assumption. It might be useful if at least one post in this thread mentioned WHY engine lube oil is changed, as that might help determine frequency of oil changes. These reasons are: 1) heat over time breaks down lubricity, thereby increasing wear; 2) oil additives neutralize combustion-related acids but these additives lose their neutralizing ability over time; and 3) wear byproducts ('trash') is collected in suspension in the oil (not just in the filter) and increases wear over time.
Here's the intro to Mike Miller's review of BMWs maintenance needs (posted in full here and on other BMW forum boards): "Prior to the advent of BMW Free Scheduled Maintenance in the mid-1990s, 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.... "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 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. As of 2005, coolant is now “lifetime fill” as well – with no change in the actual coolant. "So, is Free Scheduled Maintenance all about marketing and cost reduction – BMW’s costs? Draw your own conclusions... 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." FWIW Mike's oil recommendations are: -- "I have seen that the engine and driveline 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." -- "If you are running BMW’s oil, I recommend an oil and filter change interval between 5,000 and 7,500 miles." Jack |
Appreciate
0
|
08-22-2008, 08:01 AM | #44 |
Santa Fe Concorso
107
Rep 2,984
Posts |
Thank you, Jack. People that blindly follow BMW scheduled maintenance intervals now have the opposing viewpoint to consider when making their own decisions.
__________________
Santa Fe Concorso - The Southwest's Premier Automotive Gathering.
|
Appreciate
0
|
Post Reply |
Bookmarks |
|
|