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Forum Newbie
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 6/24/2008 11:52:30 PM
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Hello fellow Lone Stars,
This might be a stupid question - but those of you all under the BMW maintenance plan - do you change your oil more often than just their recommended 15000 miles? My other cars I always changed at 5k, but I just assumed that the engineers at BMW had concocted some way to make the oil last properly for 15000 miles.
Thanks!
Jason
His: 2007 Z4 Coupe 3.0si (Rolf)
Hers: 2008 328i (Max)
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 10/9/2008 10:13:35 PM
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I have been changing my oil every 3k miles with BMW synthetic for most of the life of the car. Some have told me that is not really necessary and more like 5k-7500 is more than adaquate. Certainly no one believes in the 15k mile plan if you are going to keep the car; that is clear.
Barry 214-215-7383
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 12/1/2008 8:03:46 PM
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I am not under a BMW maintenance plan.. We do have an 2005 vehicle (my wife's Subaru) and I use synthetic oil and send the oil out for analysis to Blackstone Labs.. I have done this since the first oil change, and also do this with my track car, which sees only a few thousand miles a year. I generally change the oil on our daily driver cars twice a year, spring and fall, and I have changed it as early as 5K and as late as 7.5K. The Blackstone labs folks have indicated even on some of the 7K mile oil changes for the Subaru that the oil was in excellent condition with no excessive impurities, and that it could go a little longer, perhaps try another 1000 miles (!)
By that sort of analysis I gather the following..
1) the oil has not broken down
2) the oil filter is still doing it's job.
3) I am able to monitor the complete condition of the oil, from Aluminum to Zinc, and flashpoint to viscosity.
I don't really intend to drive to the point of going BEYOND either the oil or the filter, so I won't be going the extra 1000 miles.
That said, in my opinion, the 3000 mile oil change (even with conventional oil) is simply un-necessary, and I am sure that we all know it to be somewhat a fabrication of the quick oil change industry. Of course it won't do any harm to change the oil at 3K miles, just like sending the dishes in the dishwasher or the clothes in the washing machine through an extra rinse cycle won't harm anything, it just creates a higher water bill.
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: Today @ 4:29:25 PM
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| I was about to start a new thread about my mothers oil change experience with her E90 325. Her first oil change was at 17k. When she took the car in recently at 32k for her 15k service they did not change the oil. The said the service computer showed it would be 6k miles before the next change. I have no problem with 15k oil changes although I prefer 7500 myself, but not changing the oil at a 15k service seems excessive to me. Apparently BMW wants her to 21k on this oil change.
Jeron
BMW / PCA / Apex HPDE Instructor
97 M3/4 Byzanz/Magma; 2001 330i Silver/Gray; 97 R1100RT; 91 F-150 5.8l
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Forum Guru
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Last Login: 11/9/2008 9:51:52 PM
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Yes, the more modern BMW engines can go a lot longer than 3k miles between oil changes with synthetic oil. Exactly how long will deppend on many factors includding the oil you use, the general health of the engine, how you drive it, how long it has been since the last oil change, etc, etc. But the general consensus is that 15k miles between changes is a lot of miles, and if you plan to keep the car for a long time, you really should be changing the oil more often than that.
Probabaly a safer plan is to start changing the oil at half the BMW recommended intervals during the "free maintenance" period. After that's over, you can start monitoring the condition of the oil (with oil analysis) when you change it. You may then work your way up as far as you feel comfortable. I am on a 10k mile schedule on my commuter 328i with 160k miles, 5w40 synthetic oil, and it looks spotless under the valve cover. The last time I did an oil analysis the lab had a hard time believing the engine really had that many miles because the results were so good. This may sound like a lot, but the engine was originally spec'd for 12k mile oil changes with regular oil.
HTH
-Luis
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Supreme Being
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| I agree that 3000 miles is way too soon. I change it every 5000 miles (full synthetic) because it is easy to track. When ever my odometer is at X5000 or 10000 it is time for a change.
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Junior Member
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Last Login: 7/25/2008 7:18:39 PM
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| A couple of other things to bear in mind (at least for the E46 M3): 1- BMW uses fuel economy to calculate oil change intervals; I believe for the E46 M3, it's how many miles it takes to consume 666 gallons;
2- [I feel that] oil sump capacity also influences oil life; all the Nissans I've owned in the past have around a 4qt sump (our Murano has a 5qt sump) and the owner's manual specify 3750 mile oil intervals on conventional oil; on a 6 liter sump for the E46 M3 (or 7 liter sump for the E36 M3) with a good synthetic oil that meets or exceeds BMW's oil requirement, then oil changes at around 7500 mile should be ok. It's also extremely important to monitor sump level. Keeping the sump topped off allows for that extended oil interval as it replenishes the detergents and additives. But this is my opinion and if you have any doubts, then it's best to err on the safe side.  ///Michael
2002 M3 Coupe, Titanium Silver, 6-speed
1994 Sentra SE-R, Aztec Red, 5-speed
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Forum Guru
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| +1 dbeck (6/17/2008)
I agree that 3000 miles is way too soon. I change it every 5000 miles (full synthetic) because it is easy to track. When ever my odometer is at X5000 or 10000 it is time for a change.
Shaun Pamplin'92 318ic Plano, TX
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 11/25/2008 5:32:57 PM
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