[indog]

Hi guys, I bought my car almost 2 months ago 2013 328i xDrive and when I got it it was somewhere around 60.950 mileage and today its 61.852. The service sticker on the windshield says that I should replace the oil at 66.000 mileage or Nov-15-2019. Now, I dont think I'm going to reach 66.000 mileage in 4 days and with the rate that I'm driving, I will probably reach 66.000 mileage February or March 2020. My question is, should I still change the oil on November 15th or at 66.000 mileage? Also, would you recommend me to replace the oil in an authorized BMW dealer or indy shop? Thanks!

[andino]

General rule of thumb I've followed is whichever comes first in the service interval. In your case, date comes first so i would get it done around that time. Unless your dealer has a special for oil, it'll probably be cheaper to go to an Indy to get your oil changed.

[5mall5nail5]

Eh, replace it in January. The reason being, yes mileage is important but in the winter months of IL condensation is an issue too. I'd replace it at around 4500 - 5000 since you're between mileage and date.

[Billfitz]

I'd be inclined to change it in March, after the worst of winter cold that causes condensation contamination has passed. By all means have it done by an indy, but a real shop, not a Jiffy Lube type operation.

[chowser51]

Do you know when and who did the last change?

Probably safe to wait till Spring. Then do it every 10k or 365 days and change the filter halfway in between. This has become my standard oil change method.

Don't go more than one physical year between changes if you drive low mileage.

[indog]

Originally Posted by chowser51

Do you know when and who did the last change?

Probably safe to wait till Spring. Then do it every 10k or 365 days and change the filter halfway in between. This has become my standard oil change method.

Don't go more than one physical year between changes if you drive low mileage.

When i got the car, theres a sticker from valvoline so i guess they changed it there

[J00PTv]

Question on this topic, I bought my 2016 340i in August and have driven under 2k miles so far. I'm planning to only run the car once a week or so in the winter and just keep it parked. The car said I need engine oil in Nov 2019 or in 3500 more miles. If I'm not driving much this winter in the car, can it safely wait until feb-March for the oil change?

[Elvisfan]

Originally Posted by chowser51

Do you know when and who did the last change?

Probably safe to wait till Spring. Then do it every 10k or 365 days and change the filter halfway in between. This has become my standard oil change method.

Don't go more than one physical year between changes if you drive low mileage.

The computer shows change November 15. That is probably a year from the last change. You also say not to go over a year. Then you say safe to wait until spring. I don’t understand. That would be well over year.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by J00PTv

Question on this topic, I bought my 2016 340i in August and have driven under 2k miles so far. I'm planning to only run the car once a week or so in the winter and just keep it parked. The car said I need engine oil in Nov 2019 or in 3500 more miles. If I'm not driving much this winter in the car, can it safely wait until feb-March for the oil change?

Same reply as that I made to the OP, for the same reason.

[chowser51]

Doubtful the valvoline guys knew how to reset the cbs.

Wondering if they even used full synthetic.

It’s your car. Do what you want. It’s not expensive to change the oil.

If it was my car, I would do a change now so I know when it was done and done correctly.

I bought my car used one state over. Drove it home 120 miles and promptly changed the oil and filter because I doubt the dealership cared to use the correct oil. It looked like the didn’t even change the filter. They also didn’t reset the computer so I did that too. Now I do 10k miles or 365 days. I change the filter only at 5k miles or 6 months.

Who am I kidding, I drive almost 20k a year. I do filter changes every 5k miles and oil and filter at 10k miles.

[AlpineX]

If it was changed last November, it's already gone through a winter condensation event. If valvoline quick lube changed the oil last, and for the previous owner, I'd recommend a short interval this time around. Its like tires.... are you really wasting the last 27.5% by switching early or enjoying the safety and security of switching early?

[Desertnate]

What does the service display in iDrive say? The Valvoline shop will only put another interval of 3K or 5K.

If you pull up the service status in the car it will tell you what should be do and when. The only problem now may be if the the Valvoline shop actually re-set the status. If they didn't it will show you're way overdue.

[Billfitz]

Whatever happened happened, it can't be changed now. What the OP, and everyone for that matter, should do is to do an oil change in the spring. If it's a yearly change do it in the spring. If you change twice a year make one of them in the spring. If you change three times a year make one of them in the spring. If you change every month you've got that spring change covered. If you don't live where the temperature goes below 40F in the winter, never mind.

[upsidedownfunnel]

Just because you bought it used and if you have no idea about the service history on the car, I'd just go ahead and do an oil change now and another one in spring. Maybe even consider a transmission fluid change (perfect time to do it IMO, if you're going to keep the car past 100k miles).

I usually recommend going to a reputable independent mechanic over the dealership for most services. However, oil changes at the dealership can be pretty cheap. Most dealerships use them as loss leaders to drive other business so you'll find the rates are comparable to most indy shops. If the cost is about the same, just do it at the dealership. You'll probably want to do a transmission fluid change at an indy shop though.

[chowser51]

My dealership sometimes sends $80 oil change coupons.