Check oil integrity manually

[370z-135i]

Hey guys,

After reading the manual and attempts at searching, I have not found a way to actually check what kind of shape the oil is in. I purchased from carmax and I don't trust them at all. There is no way for me to know if there is fresh oil and a good filter based on the electronic gauge alone. I would rather not pay to have the oil changed again if it was just done. Is there a way I can check myself? 2012 n55 135i

Thanks

[lowbudgethero]

If you want to take a physical look at the oil then you can take off the oil filter cap, you can take it off with a strap wrench (technically incorrect way) as long as the previous person who change the oil didn't over tighten it.

[KNS]

I can understand not wanting to pay money for an oil change that was just done. But if you truly don't trust Carmax (I might not either), put your mind at ease and change the oil yourself or have it done.

Yeah, you'll fork out a little extra cash but you'll know exactly what's in there and have the peace of mind that it has been done.

[Esteban]

If you really want to know the condition of your oil you can send a sample to Blackstone Laboratories and they will do an analysis for you. There are probably other places that will do it as well.

http://www.blackstone-labs.com

[tock172]

Originally Posted by 370z-135i

Hey guys,

After reading the manual and attempts at searching, I have not found a way to actually check what kind of shape the oil is in. I purchased from carmax and I don't trust them at all. There is no way for me to know if there is fresh oil and a good filter based on the electronic gauge alone. I would rather not pay to have the oil changed again if it was just done. Is there a way I can check myself? 2012 n55 135i

Thanks

My car also came from CarMax and had a fresh oil service with synthetic oil right before I purchased it, performed by CarMax. Does yours not have a sticker indicating so in corner of the windshield?

[370z-135i]

Originally Posted by tock172

My car also came from CarMax and had a fresh oil service with synthetic oil right before I purchased it, performed by CarMax. Does yours not have a sticker indicating so in corner of the windshield?

Hahahaha, ah, I didn't see the sticker, now I feel safe. The sticker is the end all be all. The sticker definitely adds credibility to their workmanship. I'm just kidding buddy, but lets just say I have had some negative experiences from carmax. I purchased my car like 10 days ago and found some shoddy touch up work that clearly needed to be painted before selling. I'll post a couple pictures so you can see how shady they are. They spend the least amount of money possible and hide significant flaws with touch up so you don't notice until it's too late. I understand when buying a used car there will be imperfections, but the pictures speak for themselves. Not complaining about the scratch on the trunk or the smaller spot on the bumper, just included the pictures for good measure.

I went there today to confront them (by appt). The guy was a complete jerk. His job was to bully me into accepting it as is and tell me tough crap. He tried to avoid doing anything and told me it met carmax standards. Their standards say not visible from 5 feet away, or a low visibility area, or the scratch has to be 10" long or more. Really, a scratch almost a foot long is their standard. He even brought out the ruler and told me it was only 8" so there was nothing he could do. I said, "so it would be just fine if there were 5 eight in scratches in the same area, it would be up to standard?" I told him I wouldn't accept that and I didn't care what his standard said, that is a cover up of a known fault and in poor integrity. My Z was perfect, I would have had the bumper painted before trading it if it looked like that. I wouldn't want someone else to get a car with excessive touch ups. I asked him if it was reversed and he just bought a nice car at a premium price, what would he do. I wanted to ask him where his car was and scratch up the bumper and let him know it still met carmax standards so no big deal.

It didn't take me but 5 minutes to win the battle. He begrudgingly said, "We will paint the bumper for you in good faith." He wasn't happy about it though. I got a quote of 300$ from my paint shop who carmax happens to work with on a consistent basis. They probably made 2-4 grand on the bmw and will more than likely make the same off my Z and they couldn't just spend a few hundred bucks to have it done right.

I scrutinized that car, but it was dark and raining. Even in the service bay, it was tough to see. I noticed when I waxed it the other day and I felt duped. It's not the money, it's the principal of purposely hiding significant damage. I hear carmax paint work sucks and I'll probably have to pay my guy to repaint it anyway, but at least I stood up to them and their methods. I have learned that regardless of where you get the vehicle from, bring a flashlight, and buyer beware.

So back to the point, that's why I visibly want to look at the oil. I just want to see that it looks clean and recently changed. I agree, the best route would be get an oil change from a dealer, I was just curious if I could find a way to see for myself. Mind you, they did a good weasel job with the touch up and it's not noticeable like it is with the flash directly on it. You wouldn't see it unless you knew where to look.

This is a friendly and purely for everyone's entertainment.

[tock172]

Originally Posted by 370z-135i

Hahahaha, ah, I didn't see the sticker, now I feel safe. The sticker is the end all be all. The sticker definitely adds credibility to their workmanship. I'm just kidding buddy, but lets just say I have had some negative experiences from carmax.

All kidding aside, you're complaining about cosmetic imperfections on a car you claim to have scrutinized in the rain, at night. You cannot be serious. Aside from buying the car sight unseen, you literally could not have gone about the car buying process in a worse way. You cannot complain about the dealership you bought the car from when you did not exercise proper due diligence. Additionally, you neglected to make use of your 5 day contract cancellation period.

Dealerships, including CarMax do a lot of negligent things, but you must concede that some of this is merely the nature of the business, and the fact that you went about the process all wrong essentially absolves them of blame.

Lest we forget, these are now used cars and they have been out in the world, aging and wearing for a number of years now. Not a single one will be absolutely perfect unless you spend both the time and money to buy one from the fanatical original owner who kept the car in the garage for most of it's life. Even then, you probably won't getting a warranty. I looked at countless CPO and used 135i vehicles from 2011 until 2015 when I finally decided to take the plunge and buy one. Every single one had small flaws like what you are describing, even the 9,000 mile BMW CPO I found, which had a serious dent on one of the rear fenders. Let this be a lesson to you: unless you spend the extra time and money up front to find a truly flawless example, be prepared to spend a bit of cash on any used car you buy on a paint correction, professional interior detailing and minor dent removal. In addition to a good cleaning, I can see from your photos that your paint would benefit greatly from a professional correction job.

My suggestion to address your oil concerns is simple: Find a trusted independent shop, have them change the oil and keep a simple of what is drained from the car. Forget going to BMW, as I have plenty of horror stories from local dealerships. If you suspect CarMax did in fact not change the oil, send the sample in for analysis, and be prepared to file a claim against CarMax. It is illegal for them to affix a sticker claiming the oil has been changed without the service actually being done.

Do not misconstrue my statements as defending carmax. They are a company that is imperfect like any of us, but all of the mistakes you made when purchasing your car could have been avoided by exercising proper due diligence.

[370z-135i]

Originally Posted by tock172

All kidding aside, you're complaining about cosmetic imperfections on a car you claim to have scrutinized in the rain, at night. You cannot be serious. Aside from buying the car sight unseen, you literally could not have gone about the car buying process in a worse way. You cannot complain about the dealership you bought the car from when you did not exercise proper due diligence. Additionally, you neglected to make use of your 5 day contract cancellation period.

Dealerships, including CarMax do a lot of negligent things, but you must concede that some of this is merely the nature of the business, and the fact that you went about the process all wrong essentially absolves them of blame.

Lest we forget, these are now used cars and they have been out in the world, aging and wearing for a number of years now. Not a single one will be absolutely perfect unless you spend both the time and money to buy one from the fanatical original owner who kept the car in the garage for most of it's life. Even then, you probably won't getting a warranty. I looked at countless CPO and used 135i vehicles from 2011 until 2015 when I finally decided to take the plunge and buy one. Every single one had small flaws like what you are describing, even the 9,000 mile BMW CPO I found, which had a serious dent on one of the rear fenders. Let this be a lesson to you: unless you spend the extra time and money up front to find a truly flawless example, be prepared to spend a bit of cash on any used car you buy on a paint correction, professional interior detailing and minor dent removal. In addition to a good cleaning, I can see from your photos that your paint would benefit greatly from a professional correction job.

My suggestion to address your oil concerns is simple: Find a trusted independent shop, have them change the oil and keep a simple of what is drained from the car. Forget going to BMW, as I have plenty of horror stories from local dealerships. If you suspect CarMax did in fact not change the oil, send the sample in for analysis, and be prepared to file a claim against CarMax. It is illegal for them to affix a sticker claiming the oil has been changed without the service actually being done.

Do not misconstrue my statements as defending carmax. They are a company that is imperfect like any of us, but all of the mistakes you made when purchasing your car could have been avoided by exercising proper due diligence.

Easy buddy, no reason to come at me like I'm some sort of numbnut for not noticing the damage as it really was well hidden. Just because the standards are low in the industry, it doesn't make it right. As I have mentioned to others, I am a 7 year army vet and integrity is everything to me. I would not have done that with my car when trading it in. I would have painted the bumper. It's not an issue as most dealers do this and others do that, it's just an issue of integrity. I trust my fellow man to do the right thing and give the customer a great car when you charge a high premium. That's why I purchased from carmax, transparency. No haggle, quality cars, properly reconditioned. On ebay, sellers picture and disclose the damage on cars, cell phones, computers, etc.. so the buyer knows exactly what they are getting. They also price the items accordingly.

I did look over the car many times, but I missed it. I made a mistake and trusted them too much. Anyone could have missed that. I pulled the rear diffuser, painted it, and reinstalled it without noticing. I ran my hand down the entire car to feel for dings and scratches. Should I be punished or considered ridiculous because I trusted a reputable dealer that advertises how excellent they are and that they only sell excellent cars. I don't care if every dealer on the planet does that, it still doesn't make it right.

I decided to stand up for whats right and I won. If I would have gone in and mentioned the damage within the 5 day period, they would have happily painted the bumper and given me a loner so I would keep the car. It doesn't make it right because it was a few days later. You would have been upset and done the same thing. The story really was for entertainment value as I enjoy telling it to my clients. I was upset about being purposefully duped, and nothing more. Either fix it right, or disclose it. The standards are so low in society that we are willing to accept poor behavior, service, products, etc... I don't accept that nor should anyone else. The car looked so great that I couldn't imagine they would do something like that. Either way, I got what I wanted and they will be painting my bumper (probably a crappy job).

Per carmax website as the exterior part of their 125 point inspection. Notice the last entry. Although there is not description as to what the inspection entails and what is acceptable pant damage, one would assume it means they make sure the paint is in quality condition. They don't mention, "if we see significant paint damage, we will put globs of touch up paint on it so you won't see it for a while."

Body/Interior
Carpet
Upholstery
Trim
Hood Latches
Trunk Release
Fuel Door Release
Paint

[tock172]

Okay, you've literally posted the same statement about globs of touch up paint (that you cannot even prove CarMax applied) 3 different times. You can type and post platitudes about integrity and society and this and that all day. None of this changes the fact that you did not take it upon yourself to inspect the car to ensure that it was up to your standards. You can state how high your standards are as many times as you want, but you clearly did not demonstrate this while inspecting a car you subsequently elected to purchased. No one coerced you or forced you the purchase the car.

Here is a curve ball for you: in 2010 a coworker of mine purchased a brand new 2011 MY 135i M Sport. He owned it for exactly two years. About a year or so into it, he lightly scraped the front bumper while pulling into his garage. I helped him apply a bit of touch up paint to make the blemish more tolerable for him. Farther down the line, he sold the car to CarMax. No lying, no trying to cover anything up, no lack of integrity. Things happen to cars, and you bought a used one. As I said before, every CPO 135i I looked at had blemishes of some sort.

Everything you're saying in both of your threads essentially translates to you not accepting responsibility for rushing through the purchase process and inspecting a car at night while it was raining.

[370z-135i]

Originally Posted by tock172

Okay, you've literally posted the same statement about globs of touch up paint (that you cannot even prove CarMax applied) 3 different times. You can type and post platitudes about integrity and society and this and that all day. None of this changes the fact that you did not take it upon yourself to inspect the car to ensure that it was up to your standards. You can state how high your standards are as many times as you want, but you clearly did not demonstrate this while inspecting a car you subsequently elected to purchased. No one coerced you or forced you the purchase the car.

Here is a curve ball for you: in 2010 a coworker of mine purchased a brand new 2011 MY 135i M Sport. He owned it for exactly two years. About a year or so into it, he lightly scraped the front bumper while pulling into his garage. I helped him apply a bit of touch up paint to make the blemish more tolerable for him. Farther down the line, he sold the car to CarMax. No lying, no trying to cover anything up, no lack of integrity. Things happen to cars, and you bought a used one. As I said before, every CPO 135i I looked at had blemishes of some sort.

Everything you're saying in both of your threads essentially translates to you not accepting responsibility for rushing through the purchase process and inspecting a car at night while it was raining.

It's too bad man. You are just as much a broken record as I am. You believe it's kill or be killed in society. Tough crap if you didn't see it, better luck next time. I hope it doesn't happen to you some day. Perhaps a mechanical failure, blown engine 32 days after buying the car. In your logic, it's buyer beware and you should have had a mechanic check it for a bomb in the engine. I'm sure you would have just said, "Oh well, I'll have to suck it up because it's 2 days outside the warranty." You would have no problem selling a car like that, but I do.

Things come back to you in life. You would sell a car that way and not disclose the damage and sleep fine at night at someone's expense. You're the reason that crappy standards are accepted. You think if nobody notices than too bad for them. Have you ever heard the phrase, "do the right thing even when nobody is looking." You may think I come from a fantasy land my friend, but I feel it's right to stand up for what we believe in.

We aren't talking about your friend and the touch up work that he could barely stand. Which by the way sucks for the guy that misses it until he decides to wax his pristine car and finds the spot that carmax failed to take care of, it may be something that bothers him a lot. Should he have to go out and spend 600 bucks to paint the bumper of a car that he paid the highest end of the bluebook value for?

All I asked for originally was about checking the oil manually. I didn't plan on ranting about carmax until the sticker comment. I was only joking with the guy and decided to expound with my story because I thought it to be entertaining. I already got satisfaction. I wasn't asking whether or not I should have gone to the dealership and confront them, I just did it. Every single person I have told the story and shown the photos completely agreed. If it was your friend or family member you would not have just told them to suck it up, or they should have seen it. you would have gone with them to carmax and stuck up for them. Hopefully at least.

[tock172]

You're clearly bitter about your experience in addition to being keen on putting words in other people's mouths. For the record, I have been fucked over on a car before, when the original owner of a pristine '05 Audi S4 failed to disclose the fact that the engine had scored cylinder walls and was consuming 2.1 quarts per thousand miles driven. Things happen. You can be bitter about it and hate the world for it, or you can suck it up and move on.

[370z-135i]

Hahahaha, I swear, I am not bitter. I do apologize for the comments, that wasn't right.

I don't get angry or even let things get to me. I don't know how many times I have to say that telling the story was purely for entertainment. The topic of the post was check oil integrity manually. That's it, that's all I was asking. I didn't start a carmax sucks thread and tell my story. I made a joke and then expounded (obviously a mistake), and now it's blown out of proportion.

When you got screwed over, I bet you were pissed and given the opportunity, you would wanted recompense if at all possible. If it were a dealer, you would have raised hell I'm sure. That's my point, it's not the degree, it's the principal. I try to live by doing the right thing even when nobody is watching. If most people did that, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

I really don't want to argue, I'm a very passive guy and normally wouldn't make a big deal about things. I just got my tires replaced and just had them tossed in the back seat because my trunk was full. I'm not a nit picker, there are hundreds of flaws that I completely accept. I just wasn't willing to accept this without at least making mention. Had the oil change sticker never been mentioned, nobody would have been any the wiser of this tale. My bad guys, I'll make sure to keep my pie hole shut next time. I'm happy to have a story to tell to my clients as not much excitement happens in my life obviously.

We should really be celebrating. I love the car, they agreed to paint it, and all is well in the universe. I also got let go this evening going 60 in a 45, so all in all, it's been a good day

[champignon]

Originally Posted by 370z-135i

Hahahaha, I swear, I am not bitter. I do apologize for the comments, that wasn't right.

I don't get angry or even let things get to me. I don't know how many times I have to say that telling the story was purely for entertainment. The topic of the post was check oil integrity manually. That's it, that's all I was asking. I didn't start a carmax sucks thread and tell my story. I made a joke and then expounded (obviously a mistake), and now it's blown out of proportion.

When you got screwed over, I bet you were pissed and given the opportunity, you would wanted recompense if at all possible. If it were a dealer, you would have raised hell I'm sure. That's my point, it's not the degree, it's the principal. I try to live by doing the right thing even when nobody is watching. If most people did that, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

I really don't want to argue, I'm a very passive guy and normally wouldn't make a big deal about things. I just got my tires replaced and just had them tossed in the back seat because my trunk was full. I'm not a nit picker, there are hundreds of flaws that I completely accept. I just wasn't willing to accept this without at least making mention. Had the oil change sticker never been mentioned, nobody would have been any the wiser of this tale. My bad guys, I'll make sure to keep my pie hole shut next time. I'm happy to have a story to tell to my clients as not much excitement happens in my life obviously.

We should really be celebrating. I love the car, they agreed to paint it, and all is well in the universe. I also got let go this evening going 60 in a 45, so all in all, it's been a good day

My suggestion is to buy this book, and read it. It's not a perfect book and there are lots of inapplicable pages. But I promise that if you actually read this book, and take it to heart, that your life will go much more smoothly the next 10, 20, or 30 years. It deals with all of what I perceive (in this imperfect, text-driven forum) to be your possible issues:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006...ilpage_o08_s00

[370z-135i]

Originally Posted by champignon

My suggestion is to buy this book, and read it. It's not a perfect book and there are lots of inapplicable pages. But I promise that if you actually read this book, and take it to heart, that your life will go much more smoothly the next 10, 20, or 30 years. It deals with all of what I perceive (in this imperfect, text-driven forum) to be your possible issues:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006...ilpage_o08_s00

Hahahaha, I read dozens of self development, positive psychology, and devotionals each year and even more on audio. You guys are blowing this way out of proportion. I am totally lighthearted about this. I have a great life with great people around me. I get to paid to encourage people and be their best friend, i couldn't imagine a better job. I wish I would have never told the story. You guys are the only ones who think I'm being unreasonable. Everyone else said they would be pissed and would have gone back.

I pick and choose my battles in life (minus our dispute) and thought this to be one worth fighting. It took me 3 minutes to plead my case and get them in agreement to paint the bumper. It was obviously bad enough or they would have sent me on my way. I could tell they were a bit embarrassed about it. This really is a frivolous (had to look that one up) argument with no spoils at the end.

No worries man, we can drop the subject. I have no qualms, all I wanted to know was if I could check the oil. We should be talking about how much I love the car and how it has exceeded my expectations in stock form already. I just got my JB4 in the mail and can't wait to install it. It's going to be a rocket and a blast to drive. That's what I got the car for, to have fun and I couldn't be happier with it. I promise when they do a crappy paint job and I have to have it repainted anyway, I will keep my pie hole shut.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by 370z-135i

Hahahaha, I read dozens of self development, positive psychology, and devotionals each year and even more on audio.

Case closed

[champignon]

Originally Posted by 370z-135i

I also got let go this evening going 60 in a 45, so all in all, it's been a good day

But they also got you on a speed camera, and the citation is in the mail

[370z-135i]

Originally Posted by champignon

But they also got you on a speed camera, and the citation is in the mail

Hahahaha, you would say that. Sorry buddy, he shined his light on my cc holder as I was pulling out my license and saw my military ID. He asked me what branch and actually checked the ID. He asked me when the last time I got a ticket was and I told him at least ten years ago. It's true, so I know I must be getting old. He said he was doing me a huge favor as over 12mph here is a huge deal. I thanked him, shook his hand and drove off responsibly.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by 370z-135i

Hahahaha, you would say that. Sorry buddy, he shined his light on my cc holder as I was pulling out my license and saw my military ID. He asked me what branch and actually checked the ID. He asked me when the last time I got a ticket was and I told him at least ten years ago. It's true, so I know I must be getting old. He said he was doing me a huge favor as over 12mph here is a huge deal. I thanked him, shook his hand and drove off responsibly.

Thanks for the detailed response. He was doing you a huge favor. IL needs those citation fees to pay for all those unfunded public employee union benefits

[370z-135i]

For the people who are smart enough not to be following my other thread.

Now not to ruffle any feathers my friend as I feel we have made some huge progress, but I have continued to research in order to confirm their quality standards. This is directly from their website.

20. What is the difference between CarMax and ValuMax cars?

ValuMax cars are actually CarMax cars, too, but unlike other CarMax vehicles, ValuMax vehicles are over 6 years old and/or have over 60,000 miles. In the case of older used cars, our customers have told us that minor cosmetic imperfections are acceptable if it means paying less, so our ValuMax cars may have minor dings, paint imperfections, or other cosmetic flaws that you won't find on other CarMax cars. However, ValuMax cars still go through the same rigorous inspection process as all CarMax cars.

[iminhell1]

Airing grievances online will do nothing to problem solve, no matter how many times you quote CarMax.

http://www.carmax.com/enus/contact-us/default.html

I believe that is the correct course of action.
Not here.

[champignon]

Originally Posted by iminhell1

Airing grievances online will do nothing to problem solve, no matter how many times you quote CarMax.

http://www.carmax.com/enus/contact-us/default.html

I believe that is the correct course of action.
Not here.

Send him the "Paint Scratch letter," fashioned after, "send him the bedbug letter.":

https://news.google.com/newspapers?n...08,47512&hl=en

[ErvGotti]

Whoa talk about derailing a thread. It went from oil, to paint, to integrity, to god knows what else...Back on track, just change the oil yourself. To me it's $70 dollars well spent for piece of mind. Let's say Carmax changed the oil. Who's to say they put in the right oil called for the engine. Not all fully synthetic oil are created the same.

Change the oil, get a sample of the old oil to blackstone labs as others have suggested. They will tell you lots of good info especially how much longer you could have gone on the oil sample you sent them. If they say something like you could have gone 10K more miles on that oil, then yeah it's probably been changed recently.

http://www.blackstone-labs.com