How often to get oil change?

[black335i]

I know the car tells you when to change the oil but am thinking of doing 5k intervals. Should I do longer? Shorter? I do drive the car hard.

[gatorfast]

I generally follow the rule of cutting the recommended interval in half. So do a change on your dime at 5k miles then let dealer do it at 10k and repeat.

[Stevens21234]

For the ones that did not hit the 10k mileage mark for the oil change, did you let the dealer not reset the counter? Otherwise, you are looking at another 10k miles before the next oil change if you got it changed early at say 5k miles

[BwoodBMW]

How hard do you drive the car? If it's normal use why wouldn't you just follow what BMW recommends?

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by Stevens21234

For the ones that did not hit the 10k mileage mark for the oil change, did you let the dealer not reset the counter? Otherwise, you are looking at another 10k miles before the next oil change if you got it changed early at say 5k miles

No. If you do an early oil change yourself don't reset the maintenance cycle otherwise you are giving up "free" dealership oil change at 10k miles.

[Stevens21234]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

No. If you do an early oil change yourself don't reset the maintenance cycle otherwise you are giving up "free" dealership oil change at 10k miles.

What if you get the free one but are below the mileage limit..still reset? You might not get the 10k filter change service?

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted by Stevens21234

What if you get the free one but are below the mileage limit..still reset? You might not get the 10k filter change service?

I'm not sure what you mean. If 1 year passes before the mileage is hit then the dealer will change your oil and reset the maintenance interval for another 1 year/10k miles. It's earlier of 1 year or 10k miles. Also the oil filter should always be changed each and every time you ( or dealer) changes the oil.

[Vigilant]

I did intermediate oil and filter change at 6000 miles and just had 10,000 mile CBS. I also plan on doing oil change at 15,000. I don't track but own the vehicle and want it to last.

[sh55]

I did out of pocket oil changes at 4K (3k after break in) and at 7K. I only did these short intervals since the car is new, I will be doing 5k intervals after I hit the 10k mark.

I did short intervals early on since I was still getting metallic shimmer in the oil when I did the 4K change. The 7K change I just did over the weekend had no shimmer so I believe my engine to be completely broken in now (I have been driving hard since 4K).

[Vigilant]

Originally Posted by sh55

I did out of pocket oil changes at 4K (3k after break in) and at 7K. I only did these short intervals since the car is new, I will be doing 5k intervals after I hit the 10k mark.

I did short intervals early on since I was still getting metallic shimmer in the oil when I did the 4K change. The 7K change I just did over the weekend had no shimmer so I believe my engine to be completely broken in now (I have been driving hard since 4K).

Have you used Blackstone to check the oil after changes?

[The1JAZ]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

I generally follow the rule of cutting the recommended interval in half. So do a change on your dime at 5k miles then let dealer do it at 10k and repeat.

Agree. This is what i do. I own the car, so i dont mind spending a few extra bucks.

[babyboss]

do it @ 1/2 of bmw required intervals ..

[WVUDrJay]

Mine called for change in September 2015 or 9000 miles. They said whatever comes first and changed it this month on their dime at 6700 miles.

[A Frankfurt]

Cut the service in half.
Service it yourself with a factory engine oil filter or pay your indy shop to do it.
Don't reset the light and go in for your service when the light comes on.
Make sure to use a factory oil filter and you'll be good to go.

[Ian1973]

Personally I think 5k is too early. I normally cut the interval in half but now that BMW themselves have abandoned the 15,000 mile thing I think I'm going to just run it the full length.

[sh55]

Originally Posted by Vigilant

Have you used Blackstone to check the oil after changes?

No, I've never done oil analysis, but in retrospect I should have

[X2Board]

My plan is to change it every 5k, I don't care what CBS says. I do drive hard, when my engine is at full operating temp, so it's for my peace of mind. I'm contemplating changing the tranny fluid at 10k, since it's no longer done at the 1200 mile service. I probably should have had it done at the 5K oil change.

[philthy84]

I've only had the 1,200 mile break-in service and have about 5,100 miles on the car. I plan on paying for oil change when I hit 6,000 miles.

[Account Closed]

Every 1k mile, I check my oil....and you know what, it is blacker than black! There's a lot of carbon in the oil. That is no good my friend. The viscosity of the oil is completely different as well.....very watery. Common sense will tell you that the more often you replace the oil, the longer your engine will last. Look at race cars...they replace their oil after every race. I'm an engineer and it's in our blood and engraved in our brain....CHANGE THE OIL! Even if you think you have to change it, and your gut is telling you to change it.....just do it. If you commute with your car and drive like hell, then I understand, but that doesn't mean that it is okay to drive 10k miles with the same oil. Just the thought of it is disgusting. The oil will tell you everything about a mechanical component or an engine. Oil, oil, oil...everything is about the oil. Change the oil as often as you want, and as often as you can. I never drive hard, never taken my car to the track....I pretty much drive like my grandma and my oil is burnt after 2k miles on my M4. I replace every 3k - 3500 miles and my engine sounds and drives like day 1. I have a 2005 Viper with 148k miles on it...all I've done is change the oil and put gas in it. No breakdowns...and you know why? It's because I replaced the oil every 3500 miles.

I can't change my oil later than 3K or 3500 miles...I look at the oil and get scared after 1k miles, so..it's hard for me to ignore it and keep driving. I have mechanical sympathy..I can't let that black oil with metal particles just float around in my engine and lubricate the cylinders. In fact, the lubricative properties are almost non-existent at that point and that's how engines fail prematurely. Don't listen to BMW or the dealer. I've had the dealer tell me that my oil is good after 10k miles...I wanted to slap the guy in the face. Don't fool yourself and think that the car is made to handle 7500 miles without an oil change...or 10K, my goodness. Let me tell you...coming from an engineering background, change your oil. 4000k miles tops....but anything more than that, forget it.....those are for the guys who are leasing.

[Cameronc08]

Originally Posted by A. Bedrosian

Every 1k mile, I check my oil....and you know what, it is blacker than black! There's a lot of carbon in the oil. That is no good my friend. The viscosity of the oil is completely different as well.....very watery. Common sense will tell you that the more often you replace the oil, the longer your engine will last. Look at race cars...they replace their oil after every race. I'm an engineer and it's in our blood and engraved in our brain....CHANGE THE OIL OFTEN. The oil will tell you everything about a mechanical component or an engine. Oil, oil, oil...everything is about the oil. Change the oil as often as you want, and as often as you can. I never drive hard, never taken my car to the track....I pretty much drive like my grandma and my oil is burnt after 2k miles on my M4. I replace every 3k - 3500 miles and my engine sounds and drives like day 1. I have a 2005 Viper with 148k miles on it...all I've done is change the oil and put gas in it. No breakdowns...and you know why? It's because I replaced the oil every 3500 miles.

I can't change my oil later than 3K or 3500 miles...I look at the oil and get scared after 1k miles, so..it's hard for me to ignore it and keep driving. I have mechanical sympathy..I can't let that black oil with metal particles just float around in my engine and lubricate the cylinders. In fact, the lubricative properties are almost non-existent at that point and that's how engines fail prematurely. Don't listen to BMW or the dealer. I've had the dealer tell me that my oil is good after 10k miles...I wanted to slap the guy in the face. Don't fool yourself and think that the car is made to handle 7500 miles without an oil change...or 10K, my goodness. Let me tell you...coming from an engineering background, change your oil. 4000k miles tops....but anything more than that, forget it.....those are for the guys who are leasing.

More impressed with the 150k mile viper than anything

[Red335i]

Originally Posted by A. Bedrosian

Every 1k mile, I check my oil....and you know what, it is blacker than black! There's a lot of carbon in the oil. That is no good my friend. The viscosity of the oil is completely different as well.....very watery. Common sense will tell you that the more often you replace the oil, the longer your engine will last. Look at race cars...they replace their oil after every race. I'm an engineer and it's in our blood and engraved in our brain....CHANGE THE OIL OFTEN. The oil will tell you everything about a mechanical component or an engine. Oil, oil, oil...everything is about the oil. Change the oil as often as you want, and as often as you can. I never drive hard, never taken my car to the track....I pretty much drive like my grandma and my oil is burnt after 2k miles on my M4. I replace every 3k - 3500 miles and my engine sounds and drives like day 1. I have a 2005 Viper with 148k miles on it...all I've done is change the oil and put gas in it. No breakdowns...and you know why? It's because I replaced the oil every 3500 miles.


I can't change my oil later than 3K or 3500 miles...I look at the oil and get scared after 1k miles, so..it's hard for me to ignore it and keep driving. I have mechanical sympathy..I can't let that black oil with metal particles just float around in my engine and lubricate the cylinders. In fact, the lubricative properties are almost non-existent at that point and that's how engines fail prematurely. Don't listen to BMW or the dealer. I've had the dealer tell me that my oil is good after 10k miles...I wanted to slap the guy in the face. Don't fool yourself and think that the car is made to handle 7500 miles without an oil change...or 10K, my goodness. Let me tell you...coming from an engineering background, change your oil. 4000k miles tops....but anything more than that, forget it.....those are for the guys who are leasing.

Nonsense... How are you checking the oil with no dipstick? This is my second bmw first was a 07 335 now I have a m. Changed my oil on the later every 10k miles and no problems what so ever. Traded it in at 170,000 miles. So please spare me the I know because I am smarter then you speech.

[TheFlyingMouse]

Originally Posted by Red335i

Nonsense... How are you checking the oil with no dipstick? This is my second bmw first was a 07 335 now I have a m. Changed my oil on the later every 10k miles and no problems what so ever. Traded it in at 170,000 miles. So please spare me the I know because I am smarter then you speech.

Here we go again...

But regardless of engine wear talk, etc., you can check the oil whenever you want by opening the drain plug and leaking some out. No need for a dipstick. You can also open the fill cap and use some kind of clean wand or kitchen baster to extract oil.

I agree with Bedrosian on the state of the oil. The oil that came out at my 1200 mile service was very dark, and matches my wife's mini's oil at her 1500 service. The turbos cook the stuff. The oil that comes out of my 128 every 7500 miles is in much better shape. Whether or not you want to trust BMW intervals or change earlier is up to you.